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With a smack on her face, Zoey sprung up, eyes shooting open at the impact of the slap. “Yah! What the hell!”, she growled. “Good, you're not dead.”, Chenle said with a sneaky grin as she rolled her eyes.
“Thanks for checking.”, her sarcastic tone rang through the metal room as she saw the others already on their feet, groaning and grunting at the pain they were in.
Mark helped her stand up as she muttered a thank you before facing the door that was swung open with harsh force. Before she knew it, she was in a warm embrace, having her life squeezed out of her. “J-jae?”, she whispered to the older one, hearing light sniffles from him. “Thank god you're okay... I was worried sick.”.
Zoey felt herself break down at his words, deeply missing her older brother over the past few days. Her death grip on the sides of his shirt was proof enough just how much she missed him.
“I was so scared....”, she said, completely throwing away her strong demeanor she had put on while in the arena.
Even after everything, she was still just a kid, a kid who had experienced a near-death situation. She was terrified.
“It's all over now... there's nothing to be scared about...”, he softly rubbed his hand in circles around her back, trying to calm her down, as the other boys watched the two with unexplainable gazes. “Mark.”.
Their reunion was interrupted by a stern, dominant presence as Mark was confronted by the man. “Taeyong hyung.”, he lowly announced as Taeyong gripped his shoulder. “You've been given three days to rest and recover before the victory parade.”.
The others nodded as Taeyong turned to look at Zoey, his gaze softening in the slightest. “You did good.”, she gave him a small smile before he took something out of his pocket, making the others gasp. Zoey furrowed her brows in confusion as Jaehyun smiled brightly at her. “What is it?”.
Taeyong stretched his arm out, holding a white card in his hand. “Welcome to Neo Zone, Jung Zoey.”, Taeyong cracked a smile as Zoey grabbed the card from his hand. Bringing it up to her face so she could get a better look, she smiled widely at the contents on the card.
“Member ID...”.
[ 021, status; Elite || Neo Zone ]
“Thank you, Taeyong.”, he nodded, placing a hand on her shoulder. “You deserve it. That was quite impressive what you did in the game. We are all glad to have you as a member of Neo Zone.”, Zoey didn't waste another second before engulfing Taeyong in a tight hug, taking the man by surprise.
“I promise I'll work even harder from now on, to bring peace to Lupiz.”.
Taeyong smiled warmly, patting her on the head, before the two separated. “I hope so. Now, you should all get some rest in your respective rooms. I'll see you all in three days.”, the eight of them nodded before both Taeyong and Jaehyun left the room, leaving them.
The eight of them were then assigned their own rooms as they went their seperate ways.
After a few hours of getting settled in, Zoey flinched at the sudden knock on her door. She muffled a "come in" as the door slowly opened revealing a familiar figure.
“What is it, Ji?”, she asked, her smile turning soft at the sight of the younger boy. “I just didn't like being alone...”, he mumbled, almost inaudible, as Zoey chuckled softly at his behaviour.
She patted the space beside her as he gladly joined her on the side of her bed. “So? What's up.”, the boy let out a long sigh, ruffling the sides of his locks with a small pout on his face.
“I just... now that we aren't in the games anymore.. I feel like the hyungs are being hostile towards me.”, he said, referring to the blunt ignorance he's been receiving for the whole rest of the day.
“What do you mean?”, she asked.
“I joined Neo Zone only two weeks prior to your appearance. I've only gotten close to Chenle. I haven't made any close connections besides him, but at least the other members were comfortable with my presence and made an effort to get to know me.”, “The dream hyungs however...”, he paused, staring down at his shoes.
“They didn't seem to have a problem with me at first... but after the game, and even during, they just seem hostile towards me. Except Chenle, of course.”.
Jisung let out his concerns as Zoey listened intently, taking in the younger one's words. “Noona, Is it.... I-is it because I'm a monster?”, his words came as a shock to her.
He might have brutally killed those other people in the arena, but she never held it against him. It was either that or they would have killed him.
“Ji, look at me.”, she placed her hands on his face to make him look over at her. They locked eyes as Zoey gave him the warmest gaze anyone could've ever given him. She shook her head lightly, denying the words that just came out of his mouth. “That's not true, Ji. You are not a monster.”.
“Now that we're out of the game, approach them and show them your true self. They won't be able to resist you, I'm sure of it.”, “You're an amazing person, Ji. Don't let your past drag you down...”, she said as Jisung smiled, tears brimming in the corner of his eyes.
She gently wiped them away before bringing the younger boy into her embrace. “Don't worry. Noona will always care for you.”.
Jisung frowned at her words, letting out a sad chuckle.
Why can't you see? I like you, Noona. When will you realize I'm more than just a kid..., he thought.
Three days passed by in a flash, each member taking their time to heal and gather their strength. Before they knew it, it was the day of the victory parade.
Standing up on the back of the giant wagon, the eight of them waved down at the citizens of the Capitol, sending them fake smiles and giving them false hope that their nation was safe in the hands of the government.
Zoey was waving down at a certain little girl before she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to stare at Mark who wasn't waving anymore, a small frown on his face.
“What's wrong?”, she asked him, gaining his attention after a second. “My ear is vibrating.”, he said loud enough for the others to hear him, taking them all by surprise.
“What?”, Haechan furrowed his brows at the news as Mark let out a long sigh. “It's time..”.
“It's time to start the rebellion.”.
—End of Part One—
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Alrighty~ it's been ten chapters~
Time for another ship update before we start the second half of the story~
Mark x Zoey
Renjun x Zoey
Jeno x Zoey
Haechan x Zoey
Jaemin x Zoey
Chenle x Zoey
Jisung x Zoey