Everybody Wants to Rule the World

24

Trigger Warning(s): mention of a death (at the very end)

Walk Through the Fire by Klergy and BELLSAINT

~ Jimin's Point of View ~

08:12, FRIDAY, MAY 14, 2021. BUSAN, SOUTH KOREA.

"That took far longer than twenty-four hours," were Anesa's first words to me when I returned to Busan. She was smiling, but the gleam of innocence in her doe-like eyes didn't seem as bright. The overall solemnity in her mood was reflected by the black clothing clinging to her figure.

"Technically, since Busan is fourteen hours ahead of the US, he was dead within twenty-four hours," I reasoned, but I was hardly in the mood for a debate, playful or not. I had more serious concerns plaguing my mind. "Can I talk to you?"

When I entered the warehouse, she had been submerged in her work, but that question made her head lift, and she fixated her attention on me. "Is it about Abigor? He's dead, right? You promised me that you would kill him – you promised me." Her lips twisted into a frown, and her eyes darkened. This was the first time I had seen her become angry, and it was a disturbing sight. She gripped my chin with a force that didn't seem possible for her petite frame and forced me to look her in the eyes. "How can I trust you with larger tasks – how will I know that you won't lie?"

I gently pried her fingers from my chin, although I could feel that her tight grip would leave bruises. "I haven't lied to you. Abigor is dead. He shot himself in the head."

"He shot... himself?"

"That's what I want to talk to you about." I looked around at the seemingly empty basement. "Are we alone?"

"We won't be disturbed," she said with an empty smile just as a deafening boom echoed through the large chamber. It originated from behind one of the many rooms along the adjacent wall. "While you were away, I managed to perform the operation on five willing subjects. Two are ready, and as for the other three... their brains are trying to puzzle through the final stage now. They won't be stable for several more hours." She sat on the metal table and gestured for me to sit on a lower chair, placing her at a height advantage. Once I did, she reached for my hand and began toying with my rings again. "I like it when you talk to me, Jimin."

"You might not like this. Well... God, I don't know how to put this. When I first met Abigor, he was a relatively stable guy. I mean, stable for someone who suggested I get an operation by some non-doctor in Busan. But last night – I think it was last night – he was falling apart. He was hearing voices, tearing out his hair, begging me to kill him. And I... I don't really remember what happened to me right after the operation, but I have this terrible memory that sounded exactly like what he described. But I don't know if it's real or a nightmare."

"You suffered no such thing," she said with a smile, almost caressing my fingers while spinning my rings. "I was there the whole time, and you were completely stable. What are you really asking me, Jimin?"

"I..." I swallowed hard, refusing to make eye contact. "I don't want to show any displeasure, or whatever, with your work. I trust you completely, but I just... I'm concerned. Abigor had the operation maybe two weeks ago, and I've had it for several days. Am I...?"

"Look at me, Jimin."

I looked up at her but struggled to find comfort in her empty gaze. "Am I going to end up like him?"

"No."

"How can you be so certain?"

"See... there's another piece of information that I have withheld from you, although you've probably known it unconsciously. There need to be test subjects with every experimental procedure, and each time the operation failed, I improved it. There were at least twenty test subjects before you, and Abigor was the first surviving one. But despite my efforts to alter his brain chemistry, his brain kept reverting to its old, primitive abilities."