A/N
💜!BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!💜
So I did a thing........ 👉🏼👈🏼
This book now has a Spotify playlist!!
Username: Bangtanbean
Playlist: Deception PJM
Link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6kaah9pTXQSMtdPmfEfE4i?si=e1bdbcf7423d4f7e
It's an accumulation of songs that inspired me to write this book so I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I do!😚
Here's part 2 of the previous chapter, its a long one but quite important.
Also sorry that the boys aren't featuring too much at the moment but don't worry that's all about to change...
💜Enjoy💜
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You gasped for air as you opened your eyes, the bright light from the over head lamp bringing you back to your senses. The last thing you remembered was a tightness in your throat as you tried to pick the lock of a chain tied to your ankle underwater. Now, you found yourself laying on a steel tray in a medical gown, head throbbing and wired up to machines.
"Oh thank god you're awake, you had me worried there for a minute kiddo"
Sejin rushed over from the corner of the room disheveled and fatigued. The pile of blankets he left behind him informed you that he had spent the night in this room with you. You opened your mouth to speak but no words came, your bottom lip hung quivering in the air. Your eyes met his and the concern they held made you burst into tears. He quickly grabbed you into a fatherly embrace and let you sob into his shoulder. The previous days events had rushed back to you all at once in a demented contortion of images and you couldn't tell what was real and what was a dream.
"Sejin" you whispered, quiet enough for only him to hear. "What happened down there, you know in ... um, The Pit."
The words were harder to say than you thought.
"Well Y/N, where do I begin?"
He pulled up a chair from across the room and organised the thoughts in your head.
"As you now know, when one enters The Pit they face a series of challenges specially designed to test and push agents to their limits. For example, sword fighting, mazes, hand to hand combat that kind of stuff - which you excelled at by the way. People usually finish when it gets to the chemical warfare element, they miss a trick and fall unconscious or mix their chemicals wrong and things end badly. You on the other hand ... didn't. You got the farthest anyone has ever got in The Pit."
The information didn't please you like it would have most people, and it didn't seem to please Sejin either.
"After the chemical warfare stage ... things got more complicated. I tried to convince them to pull you out but they wanted to see how far you could go. I'm sorry Y/N it must have been unbearable, no one has done those challenges in years, they're barbaric..."
The rest of Sejin's speech was a blur and all that remained in your mind was the pain.
"Mirrors, I um ... I remember a lot of mirrors"
"That would be from the mirror maze, but the reflections weren't real Y/N they were holographic images, you never did any of the things you saw."
"But I'll be expected too, won't I?"
Sejin looked down and sighed, an answer that spoke more than words.
"You better get dressed, kiddo. Today's the day you make the decisions."
The cold water from your shower brought you back to your senses for a few seconds, but the repressed memories of that day had been hidden for too long and demanded attention.
More unknown corridors and more nervous Sejin.
His hand was on your shoulder this time, leading you to what you presumed to be the room the third boy was in yesterday when you volunteered to save him the pain of picking. Sejin gave your shoulder a tight squeeze, his intentions were to comfort you but you could only reply with a wince as he had unknowingly squeezed a fresh bruise from the night before.
"Oh, I'm sorry kiddo! Is the pain and the wounds still bad? I could get someone to give you another check up if you'd like? You had a very ... eventful night. If I had it my way I-"
"No it's okay Oppa, really. You said I'm the strongest one here right? I don't want to look weak. There's no room for weakness in this place."
Your mind wandered as flashbacks from the night before flicked through your memory and made you shudder.
"Remember Y/N, today's going to be a new kind of challenge, arguably a harder one as it is one that carries consequences. But, it is unavoidable I'm afraid. Hak Chul-Moo insists upon it. It'll be over before you know it."
You bit the inside of your cheek and nodded. Now knowing what happens to kids in the pit you don't know how you're going to choose someone to endure the same fate. the pair of you stopped at a door identical to yesterdays and said your goodbyes. They wouldn't let Sejin in there with you. You were too close.
The room you entered was small and ovular, the majority of the surfaces a cold steel with a sizeable window at the far end. Hak Chul-Moo was seated in the corner waiting for you, a fake smile plastered across his ugly face.
"Ah Y/N, how are you? Did you have a fun night?"
Hak Chul-Moo let out a low laugh and patted you on the back.
"Ah I'm just kidding, just kidding. You did surprisingly well, all things considered. Aish, that must have hurt!"
He touched your cheek which was now adorned with stitches, applying far too much pressure, but you refused to give a reaction. You didn't want him to see how much he had hurt you.
"Hmm," Chul-Moo hummed in disatisfaction. "Let's get on with it then. Pick the boy you want to save and pick the boy you want to suffer."
His choice of words were very unsatisfactory. You weren't saving anyone, they'd have to live with the guilt of walking out of here unharmed and whoever you sent down would suffer for a lot longer than their time in The Pit. You learned that the hard way.
He shoved you so you were pressed against the glass, forced to stare down at the unlucky pair who were in Devil's playground today.
Your eyes landed on the boy on the left platform first. He seemed tall for his age, and broader than most of the boys you had seen on passing. His physique made him appear strong, like he could carry the weight of the world on those shoulders, but you knew better. You knew that no one would be okay after this. It breaks everyone and no one can escape.
His facial expression was one of determination and his dark eyes met yours with unusual calm and confidence, like he was trying to tell you it was okay. He turned his head to his right to face his partner and your gaze followed his.
Your breath caught in your chest as your eyes met his once again. It was the boy from yesterday. The boy that picked.
His plump lips parted both in shock and horror as he took in your appearance. The stitches on your cheek were visible and now oozing thanks to Chul-Moo and you could tell that he felt responsible. His eyes were wide and glassed as he chocked back the sobs that were threatening to erupt from his chest.
"I'm sorry." He mouthed to you, and you knew he meant it.
You placed your hand on the glass and replied with a small smile,
"I know."
"Pick me." He replied, shaking now through sadness and fear.
He looked at the boy across from him with a look of brotherly concern and then back to you.
"Please", he mouthed.
The other boy seemed to catch on to this and exchanged words with him across the platforms. You couldn't tell what they were saying but it was clear to you that the two knew each other and were in disagreement. The taller boy seemed to hold the authority though as when they finished their conversation the boy that picked looked down at his feet, shoulders rising and falling slightly with each small cry he tried to hide and the broader boy composed himself and continued to stare at you. He gave a small nod and raised a hand to point to his chest.
Although you didn't want to send either of the two down, a small part of you was glad you didnt have to send the boy that picked you. Unlike many would have, you didn't want him to suffer like you suffered, to feel the pain and re live it for the rest of his days. You wanted him to feel forgiveness and try to move on. There was just something about him that drew you to him, you didn't want any harm to come to him, and neither did his friend by the looks of it.
He nodded at you again and you knew what to do.
"I'm ready." you whispered, and Chul-Moo thrust the control pad in to your hand.
"I want you to press the button," he replied. A sadistic grin spread across his face as he had witnessed the whole ordeal.
You looked down in the pit again, the boy from yesterday was still staring at his feet but the other boy was looking at you. He seemed content, knowing that he protected his friend from The Pit was worth all the pain he could endure.
"I'm sorry," you mouthed at him.
"It's okay. I know." He mouthed back.
And with that you took in a shaky breath and pressed the button, sending him down to The Pit below.
A knocking at your front door interrupted your thoughts. You quickly jumped out the shower and wrapped yourself in a towel. Your visit to the past hadn't blocked your mind from the events of the present and you tucked a small pen knife in the folds of your towel, just incase.
Leaving small puddles through your apartment, you slowly approached the front door and peered through the peep hole, hoping it wasn't the man who disappeared earlier.
Hobi?
Your neighbour wasn't at the top of your danger list but he definitely wasn't at the bottom either. Keeping one hand on your penknife, you opened the door.
"Hey Lisa, I was just-"
Hoseok's eyes flicked up and down. You didn't get dressed before answering the door.
"Sorry, I ahh, must have, um, caught you at a bad time. I just, well, wanted to check if you were alright? I heard the door slam when you got in, you sounded pretty flustered."
"Oh, that was nothing to worry about. I, um, decided to run home today, hence the shower and everything. I'm trying to be more healthy."
You gave a fake laugh and Hobi replied with an awkward one, leaning against the door frame and trying to look at anything but you in the towel.
"What's with these boxes? You going somewhere?"
Crap.
"Oh these? They're just for storage. I thought it was time for a spring clean."
You could tell he didn't buy it, his eyes lingered on their contents for too long. Toothpaste, bleach and a bunch of bananas didn't scream spring cleaning.
"Righttt. We'll I'm glad you're okay. Enjoy the rest of your evening. I'll see you tomorrow."
He winked and closed the door for you. After the day you've had you couldn't tell if it was because of the towel or because he knew something that you didn't...
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Ooh cheeky.
I hope this makes sense! I never usually write this late and I haven't proof read lol
Enjoy a Pinterest dump of some photos I thought fitted well with this chapter
tee hee enjoy :)