Beautiful Deception

T H R E E

word count: 5, 521 (wow)
pages (paging mode): 33 (also wow)
warnings: mark lee is adorable; lots of cute rambling.
**

September 10th, 11:42 PM
location: (entrance to) NCT underground.
mae

I dashed out of the dining hall, tears that I'd been holding back breaking loose and rolling down my cheeks.
I ran blindly, without a clue where I was going; all I knew was that I needed to get away to think.

I ended up on some sort of balcony, and when I flung open the doors to it, I was hit with the chill of an autumn night.
I crumpled to the floor, choking down sobs, and cried, wondering what else I could do.

I cried for the life I would be leaving behind.
I cried for all the friends I'd made, for my family, for my home that I would never see again. It broke my heart to know that.

But on the other hand, if I chose to leave NCT, I would never know if I was safe or not.
I'd live my life in constant fear; always looking over my shoulder. That Hansol guy, the one who shot me, was still possibly out there, and at this point, my only guarantee of safety was the gang.

I laughed bitterly.

Little old me, joining a gang?
If someone had told me last week that I was going to be a gangster, I would've thought they were insane. All my life, I'd been a good girl. I never got mixed up in trouble, and I was always too shy to do it even if I'd wanted to.

But now, it seemed there was no choice.

I had to do it; not only to protect myself, but to keep my family safe. My family's safety mattered more to me than my own, and that reason alone was enough for me to make my decision.

I would have to join the gang.

I eventually stopped crying, hours later, and the cool night air dried my tears.
I was sitting there, staring at the night sky, when I heard someone behind me.
"Please leave me alone."
My voice sounded weak, and I just needed time to myself.

"Oh, okay. I thought you were running away, but it's pretty clear you need some space." I turned to find that it was Jisung who'd found me, and although he seemed nice and easygoing, he was right.

I did need space.

"Take your time, no one will pressure you." He said gently. Ironic, since I had fled from being pressured in the first place.
I smiled wanely at him, and he bowed his head, backing out and leaving one door open for me to come in through.

I sat on the balcony for who knows how long after that, looking up at the sky.

I'd always had a thing for stars, cliche as it was.
Something about them just fascinated me, and even now, in the middle of all this madness, they never failed to take my breath away. I was more than happy for the distraction they provided.

As a kid, I'd looked for shooting stars to wish on. There were plenty of chances to do so in Canada, because there were plenty of meteor showers.
And as a teen, I memorized the twelve basic zodiac constellations for school- then I learned the names of countless others.

The way all those little lights came together in little images to form a big picture... It just blew my mind, and it still did.
I was such a hopeless romantic.

Dazzled by the stars, I failed to notice another presence behind me until I felt a blanket drape across my shoulders.
"Thank you Jisung, but please lea-" I faltered once I turned around, seeing Mark stand behind me.

"You're not Jisung." I said, blinking up at him. He gave me a crooked smile and sat down next to me, cross-legged.

"Nope, I'm just Mark. Would you mind sharing the blanket though? It's a bit colder than I'd thought." He said simply.