district 17 | svt

2

"No," she said, "I don't feel well."

Junhui let go of her wrist and the two stood there with only the sound of Seohyeon's shaky breath to fill the uncomfortable silence.

"Hey," Junhui said, "deep breaths Seohyeon, deep breaths."

She nodded her head and slowly took a breath in and let it out as her eyes closed. She did this a few more times before opening them again and looking Junhui directly in the eye.

"What's happening to me?" She said in a slightly shaky voice, "What's going on?"

Junhui let out a sigh before looking around.

"Come with me," he said before walking off.

Seohyeon was so overwhelmed and confused but quickly trailed behind him. They walked for a few minutes, not saying a ward. Seohyeon still felt overwhelmed as she followed Junhui, her eyes still glancing all over to get short glimpses at her surroundings. She was frightened by all the people, smiling apathetically, walking automatically, no real expression in their faces. She was so distracted by everything around her that she ran into Junhui's back, unaware he had stopped walking.

"I-I'm sorry," She apologized frantically, but Junhui simply shook her head and smiled.

"It's ok," Junhui replied.

Seohyeon could look at his smile for hours. It was so soothing, so calming, so reassuring. She found comfort in it; her gaze got lost in his gentle, pacifying expression. She felt her heart beat faster, louder, harder, for whatever reason. She felt her stomach churn, like little creatures were floating and fluttering frantically inside. It was an odd feeling, one Seohyeon was definitely not used to.

"Where are we?" She asked, trying to get her mind off the unfamiliar fluttery feeling in her stomach. Junhui only chuckled.

"You mean you cant recognize the River?" He teased.

Seohyeon looked around again, her eyes widening at the sight of the River ran against the wall. The two had walked all the way to the edge of the District— at the River. They were standing on the gravel path that was right next to the river, a path that was slightly slanted on one side as it dipped into the water. The sound of the waves was something she had never noticed before. The current looked so powerful, and it moved so rapidly as it's waves hit the wall and the gravel path. She turned to look back at Junhui, still perplexed but not as overwhelmed as before.

"What's happening to me?" She asked again, "Am I seeing things differently? Am I getting sick? Or am I just extremely stressed? Does this usually happen when training studies begin-"

"Its the pills," he said, interrupting her, "the pills are doing this to you."

"But I didn't take them," she said in a hushed tone.

"The pills are the reason you're not feeling this way," he explained frantically, "The pills somehow... they like... they mess up your thoughts and vision on what's going on around you."

"What's going on around me," she mumbled.

She looked around once again, finally getting an understanding of what Junhui was talking about. The pills the District gave them were hiding what the world really looked like.

"So when I take them," she thought out loud, "I act..."

"They way everyone else does," Junhui said finishing her statement.

Seohyeon felt her body shiver with fear, just thinking about how terrifying she must have looked. With her fake, forced smile and robotic actions every day, unaware of how it appeared.

"I haven't been taking my pills for almost 2 years now," Junhui whispered, "ever since then, my view on this place has changed dramatically. They're practically controlling our lives, watching our every move."

He quickly placed his hand on Seohyeon's shoulder, which caused her to stiffen up and look him in the eye.

"Its a little scary at first, I know," he said with a sympathetic smile.

Seohyeon nodded shyly before looking down at Junhui's had that was placed upon her shoulder. For some reason, her face began to feel hot, and she suddenly felt very embarrassed to look at Junhui.

"Junhui."

"Hm?"

"When you talked to me," she began, "did I ever scare you? When I greeted you and all, as it scary to look me in the eye?"

Junhui let out a sigh before placing his other hand onto her other shoulder, making Seohyeon stiffen up even more.

"Seohyeon," Junhui began, "of course I was a little creeped out by how robotic and lifeless you acted, since I never payed attention to it when I was on my pills. But you know, there are some things about you that the pills can't take away."

"What do you mean by that?" She asked.

"Well for example, the pills can't take away your beauty," Junhui smirked, "and your kind voice, and you know...

you."

Seohyeon watched as Junhui's cheeks changed to a light pigmented shade that she was unfamiliar with, and she could feel her face grow hot once again. Junhui's hands trailed up from her shoulders to her cheeks where Junhui cupped his palms. She froze at the sudden physical contact, causing her to be unable to do anything except stand there confused.

"Now that you're not on your pill," Junhui said, "It's kind of hard to hold back."

"Hold back what?" Seohyeon asked nervously.

Junhui didn't respond to her question. Instead, he pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her small, dainty figure, his head nuzzled against her own. He closed his eyes and tightened his grip around her ever so slightly, thinking that if he embraced her any harder she might break.

Or maybe he thought that if he hadn't hugged her harder she might run away...

And he didn't want that.

———
moving a lil fast now, aren't we jun😳