Maybe his brain didn't want to believe what he just heard. That explained why he tricked himself into thinking what he heard didn't make any sense, so he wouldn't have to face the ramifications behind it. He saw everyone else listening attentively, and despite the deep creases on their faces, he could tell the gears that were already firing into motion, coming up with a way to win the next challenge.
And Hyungwon was here, physically there but mind drifting away, as if he was part of an island that broke apart and was slowly isolating from the others.
Nevertheless, he could still see, on the other side of the ocean, everything that was happening. He ran over every bit of information in his head again, combing through every single word of instruction, hoping to find some sort of evidence that it was all just a terrible misunderstanding.
Wonho was still in a cage, scared out of his mind. He probably needed immediate help, which no one could give.
They kind of "won" part of the game, so they get to proceed and save Wonho.
But of course Smiley wasn't going to make this last part easy. Apparently Smiley noticed the ambiguously intimate relationship between Hyungwon and Wonho, which prompted him to include it in this game somehow.
To win the game, Smiley had said, they would have to find someone to kiss Hyungwon.
Yep. Hyungwon wasn't mistaken. He heard everything correctly, and it was pointless trying to believe otherwise.
He had to kiss another man. Something he had never done before. In fact, he wasn't even sure if he actually liked men or if it was just temporary infatuation on his part.
The fact that he was reacting so greatly unsettled him more than having to kiss someone else physically. Because right now the only reason he could think of for being so uncomfortable is that he actually had feelings for Wonho, which was why he was so against kissing someone else that wasn't the said person.
"Hyungwon, we only have one hour. Focus, please." In an instant his lone island was snapped back and connected to the bigger land. He had to stifle a choke as if he actually collided with something hard and was stuck to it permanently. Depressing as it was, that analogy sounded way too similar to what was actually happening: reality hitting him hard.
"I'm sorry." That was all Hyungwon could manage. All the while his heart was begging him to hide in a corner and bawl his eyes out discreetly. His brain was definitely against that however, and the brain always wins.
If everyone else was ready to face this challenge, he'd better be playing his part too, especially because he still felt guilty from dragging three people in here with him. And that was discarding the fact that one of the three was still stuck in a room, living the cruellest nightmare of his life.
Since everyone was looking at him expectantly, Hyungwon felt obligated to say something. At least he knew what to say. "You can...you guys can choose who to, you know, do that. I don't mind. I shouldn't have a say in this. It was kind of my fault...in some way. Besides, I'm pretty sure Smiley's objective is to upset Wonho and I, so I don't have the right to put you in a difficult position."
Kihyun sniggered. "I don't think Smiley gets the fact that kissing is someone that involves two people."
"We should start discussing if we want to make it in time." Shownu said, exchanging gazes with Hyungwon. Hyungwon took that as a cue to leave, giving them time and space to make yet another impossible decision.
His legs led him to Wonho immediately without hesitation. Only partitioned by the clearest and most spotless glass he had ever came across, Hyungwon could almost feel the warmth emanating from Wonho, who was now standing closer. The once cheerful grin plastered on Wonho's face was, of course, stolen away from him a long time ago. He was sitting on the floor, back against the wall, head hanging low like a wilted flower. His strong arms flexed as he hugged his knees tightly against his chest; a defensive position.
Touching the cold glass again, Hyungwon longed for the chance to see what Wonho was seeing through the black box strapped on his head, so he could at least empathize with the person he supposedly cared for a lot. It was hard to imagine what the other was seeing or feeling, especially when he was trapped in a world that didn't exist.
Turning around the check on the others, he allowed his throbbing heart a minute of rest from the unbearable sight behind him.
No one was shouting yet, which was a relieving sight to say the most. He wondered whether getting it over with would be better than wasting time discussing. It was really doubtful that they could come up with a mutual decision without causing even a bit of quarrel. As far as he knew, Hyungwon could probably make a flow chart of the following events.
First, no one would volunteer.
They would try and decide who was the most suitable person to do the job, trying to think logically and rationally.
Someone would realise no one was suitable if the logical path was taken.
That person would volunteer.
Someone else would oppose immediately, protecting the person who volunteered.
Yet another person would tell the protector to back off, saying he had no right to say no if he didn't stand up and volunteer himself.
This would keep going, probably evolve into a bigger fight if unlucky, and eventually they will run out of time.
Then they would realise the time is up, and therefore push someone out to do it hastily.
That person would be angry or frustrated at least, making everyone uncomfortable and awkward.
If it was going to end up the same either way, why not push someone out now?
Why not do it now?
But at the end of the day, that was all just Hyungwon wishful thinking. He could definitely just go and choose someone and touch his lips with the others'. He could. But he knew he shouldn't.
Couldn't and shouldn't. What a great difference.
-
"I will do it." Jooheon said, a little bit too confident for everyone's liking.
They were all thinking the same thing, but Minhyuk retorted first. "Are you kidding? You went through all that, and now you're telling me you want to kiss a man?" Minhyuk was incredulous; pointing at the empty glass room that Jooheon was previously in. "Are you even sure you like men? And have you even kissed someone before? Because if not then letting you do that would be cruel and unmoral."
"Minhyuk, calm down." Changkyun admonished, voice stern, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder blade. Minhyuk shrugged it off mercilessly.
"I know you guys agree with me. We can't let him do it." His voice tuned down until it was a mumble, but it was obvious Minhyuk was holding his stance firmly.
"Oh my god, this is giving me a headache." Kihyun complained, running a hand over his peachy strands. He didn't acknowledge the concerned gaze from Shownu and proceeded when no one commented further. "But I do agree it's best Jooheon doesn't do it. I think you should do it, Minhyuk, since you insist on protecting Jooheon."
Minhyuk widened his eyes and looked noticeably offended. Before he could throw a nasty response back at Kihyun, Shownu interrupted him.
"Guys, stop bickering like kids. We wasted almost 30 minutes now." It was unfortunately an understatement. The first 10 minutes were spent in awkward silence that consisted only of a few quiet and feeble feedbacks that hardly helped the situation.
"Ok fine, what do you suggest we do now?" Minhyuk asked, evoking a warning glare from Kihyun for the rude attitude.
"Ask everyone nicely and see who is willing to do it." Shownu replied, staring straight at Minhyuk to let him know he was serious this time. "I will go last. If no one is willing to do it, I will."
Kihyun was nodding discreetly next to Shownu when he was explaining the plan, but the small movement halted towards the end. He turned his head so quickly his neck hurt a little. "What? No!"
He was aware how selfish he sounded, but he didn't bother to care. Knowing for a fact that he was the only person Shownu had ever kissed in his life, he couldn't bear otherwise. Trying to ignore the impatient gaze and annoyed eye-roll from Minhyuk, Kihyun whispered to Shownu, trying to make him change his mind.
His headache decided to return this exact moment, pain rushing in so fast the force had whiplashed his head. Losing the energy to fight against his softening legs, he let his body go slump and collapsed onto Shownu's strong and reassuring arms. He didn't let himself black out completely though. Sleeping through the whole thing and waking up clueless wasn't exactly appealing to him.
"Oh fuck, Kihyun are you ok?" Shownu said, urgency apparent in his voice while he propped the small figure up effortlessly. Jooheon rushed forward to help.
Changkyun edged closer to Kihyun, worried and getting desperate from waiting for a solution only to be met with obstacles every few minutes.
Minhyuk looked indifferent, but his eyes said otherwise with its soft glimmering under the ceiling lights. What he said before didn't change the fact that he was still a human being who knows how to sympathize.
Kihyun muttered something along the lines of "yea, just feeling a bit faint" before Shownu carried him to the side wall and let him sit down to rest.
"You rest here until this is over, okay? There's only 20 minutes left, after that everything will be back to normal." Shownu said. Or rather, he hoped.
"Promise me, don't be the person to do it." Kihyun clung on Shownu's shirt, gripping on the fabric as if he was never letting go.
Shownu stared helplessly at Kihyun for a while, but sighed and replied apologetically, "You know that I have to do it if no one does it."
Something came across Kihyun and it must have shown on his face because Shownu asserted firmly, "I know what you're thinking and I'm not letting you do it. You have to rest." Shownu said that but he knew, they knew, that there was another reason why Shownu wouldn't let Kihyun do it.
Kihyun's head twitched slightly as he was about to shake his head defiantly, but he gave up on the fight knowing Shownu would never agree. Besides, he could do it without Shownu's permission. It wasn't the preferred way, but he had to use it when he had to.
"Ok, I will stay here." Kihyun smiled softly to make himself more convincing, though it probably did little to actually persuade Shownu he would stay in position as he was told. "Go back now, they probably need you to settle things."
As expected, Shownu still looked unsure to leave Kihyun alone, not knowing what the other would do when he was away. He left nevertheless, hoping he could bring someone else to do the job before Kihyun volunteered impulsively.
"I assume both of you have no intention of doing it, right?" Shownu talked to Minhyuk and Changkyun explicitly, leaving Jooheon out of the discussion.
Changkyun and Minhyuk exchanged uncertain glances, Minhyuk being the first to shake his head. Jooheon's widened and alert eyes still bore of the motive to help or contribute to the matter, but he didn't dare volunteer the second time.
Changkyun kept quiet most of the time, partly because he was the same as Jooheon, a young adult who had no experience in romance beforehand, let alone kissing someone of the same gender when he wasn't sure of his sexuality himself. The other part was because he wanted to be ready in case someone nominated him to do it. He was contemplating about the answer he would give if he were chosen, which he didn't. But in case he did, he decided he was going to say yes, just to simplify things. For the greater good, of course. To accept would complicate things for him personally.
Shownu didn't wait for Changkyun's respond. "I'm doing it."
He turned around, taking a quick glimpse at Kihyun before turning completely towards Hyungwon. At first glance Kihyun seemed to be where he should be, and there was nothing to worry about. But they shared glances and that was when Shownu took notice in Kihyun's change of position.
Instead of sitting crossed leg on the ground like Shownu left him, Kihyun was now kneeling, one knee on the ground and his other feet right next to it. His hands laid flat on the floor, as if ready to give a boost whenever needed.
They shared gazes and stayed like that for a prolonged while, as if entranced in each other's almost vigilant eyes.
Shownu knew what was happening among them, separated by the distance of a few strides. It was like everything in between was in slow motion, carrying the unspoken messages from their watchful eyes and transporting it to the other ever so slowly.
Don
Don't do it. Don't you dare. Shownu's message. He knew it wouldn't get sent in time. Or even if it did, it wouldn't be acknowledged.
Then, at the exact same time, they broke away from the gaze and turned to Hyungwon in perfect unison. The tension from their observant and alert eyes was gone in a flash, only to be replaced with a new kind the moment they decided to set off towards the same target.
The pressuring kind of tension was never a good kind. They sweat despite the short distance, the few easy strides that yield the results of a 400-metre marathon.
Hyungwon was surprisingly oblivious of everything happening behind him. He wasn't aware of his surroundings right until the moment someone grasped his shoulders with a grip so tight it sent pain signals all over his body, which felt like ants biting on each piece of exposed skin at the same time.
He got turned around roughly and before he knew it a pair of lips landed on his. It landed so roughly Hyungwon couldn't feel anything other than the slight throbbing on his lips and teeth. As a reflex, Hyungwon eyes widened at the abrupt action and widened even more when he saw who it was.
Kihyun.
Hyungwon felt a light push when Kihyun tore away from him, already rubbing his lips vigorously with the back of his palm. There were a few clicks behind them where Wonho was, but no one seemed to be looking at that.
It was obvious Kihyun turned around just to avoid looking at Shownu. He didn't care it looked obvious though, the point wasn't to look discreet. Taking a look at the timer, he realized they were lucky to make it with only around 3 minutes left. He didn't have the courage to face Shownu yet, because nothing could change the fact that Shownu explicitly asked him not to do what he just did. However, the belief that he did the right thing was enough to diminish the guilt growing inside of him. He did the right thing, and Shownu couldn't possibly get angry at him for that.
Shownu stood just centimetres away from Hyungwon, literally a second away from "winning" his race with Kihyun. He could only chuckle bitterly in his heart while he tried to understand the thought process that had led to this outcome. It all happened too quickly even he missed some parts where it drastically changed and twisted.
In the short moments it took to reach Hyungwon, Shownu slowed down, letting Kihyun catch up and eventually surpass him. He thought, maybe, by some twisted logic and delusional thinking, that letting Kihyun kiss Hyungwon would mend their relationship. It didn't come out all that unreasonable though, because if he let Kihyun do it, then Kihyun wouldn't be mad at him for doing it himself. And he never intended to get mad at Kihyun anyways.
Hell, it would be awkward to deal with, but at least they wouldn't be hating each other at the end of this.
Hyungwon was understandably in a trance, way too fazed about the... unanticipated events. He barely registered someone turning him back around and wrapping his arms around him tightly.
"Hyungwon...oh my god I missed you so much..." Wonho was sniffing uncontrollably. Hyungwon still felt him shaking against his body.
He pulled away from the hug to examine Wonho better. His eyes were red and swollen. It was still wet with tears. The beautiful curve on his eyes was a stark contrast.
"I can say so myself." Hyungwon smiled, taking a piece of tissue from his pockets and wiping away Wonho's tears. They were talking as if Kihyun didn't kiss Hyungwon. It felt slightly amiss, but Hyungwon was nowhere near confiding about the truth.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Wonho asked, slightly flustered by the tissue on his cheeks and the slender hand brushing against his skin every so often.
Hyungwon diverted his gaze when he realized how stupid and impolite he would've looked.
He was wondering what it felt like to kiss properly, and about doing it to someone he actually cared about, but of course he wasn't going to say that. "Nothing, I guess I just missed you a lot more than I initially thought I would."
Wonho's eyes changed into something darker, staring deeper into Hyungwon's orbs, more intensely than before. Hyungwon stopped his movements and Wonho reached up to take his hand gently.
Hyungwon, even though he was taller, felt small again under Wonho's gaze, brain functions slowing down to a halt until he no longer knew what he was doing.
"What...?" Hyungwon was positive that sounded incredibly stupid. What was even more stupid was that his heart was beating miles per hour, imagining them in a K-Drama scene and expecting Wonho to lean down and kiss him.
Suddenly Wonho beamed and let go of Hyungwon's hand, letting it drop limply down Hyungwon's side.
"I was just scaring you!" The smile broke into a laugh and his eyes turned into the most mesmerizing crescent moons Hyungwon had ever seen in the thousands of nights he lived throughout his life. And it wasn't even night time yet.
Hyungwon smiled embarrassedly and turned away to hide his pink cheeks.
Minhyuk finally got a chance to talk to Jooheon privately after his release, but he was left confused when he couldn't think of anything to say. He already asked Jooheon about his experience with the virtual reality headset, and other than that he just couldn't think of another suitable topic.
But because of the strong desire to interact with his crush, he walked over to Jooheon anyways and said the first thing that came up in his mind.
"I'm glad you're safe."
Jooheon glowed with his eye smile and thanked Minhyuk once again for saving him, even though Changkyun played the biggest part, and Minhyuk was technically the troublemaker. "Also, thank you for stopping me before I actually kiss Hyungwon. I would've regretted it, definitely."
Minhyuk smiled too, feeling his heart go tingly just by looking at Jooheon's endearing smile. "Of course you would've. My first kiss was stolen in the worse way possible, so I wouldn't let that happen to you."
Looking at Jooheon standing right in front of him, Minhyuk got another idea. In an instant, his smile turned into a smirk and his eyes shimmered with mischief. Jooheon didn't seem to notice until Minhyuk leaned in, positioning himself so that his mouth was right next to Jooheon's ears.
"Besides, I have to be the one to steal your first kiss." Minhyuk stayed in place for a while until he was able to feel the heat emitting from Jooheon's now burning ears.
"Can you stop saying these things please? It's so embarrassing!" Jooheon said when Minhyuk pulled back, fidgeting nervously and trying to hide his crimson cheeks and ears.
"But you said it yourself. You chose to come here. You chose to meet and get to know me. You chose to listen to me. You chose to get embarrassed."
Minhyuk smirked and laughed at Jooheon's even more flustered expression. He looked so much cuter when he was annoyed, especially because he wasn't the kind to take revenge.
"I know you're annoyed, so I will give you three seconds to hit me." Minhyuk offered, mischievous smile plastered on his face.
Without waiting further, Minhyuk started, "3..."
"What?"
"2..."
"Wait, I'm just annoyed! Why would I hit you?"
"1..." Minhyuk elongated the "1", moving closer to Jooheon again while doing so.
"What are you doing?" Jooheon asked, hands holding up instinctively. "I'm not hitting you. Go away, you're too-"
Jooheon didn't get to finish that sentence because Minhyuk closed the last of the distance between them, gap replaced by their connected lips.
Having no idea how to react, Jooheon stood frozen until Minhyuk decided to pull away. Thankfully for Jooheon, Minhyuk turned away immediately, towards a loud rumbling sound behind them.
A part of the wall turned out to be a secret doorway to a hallway. It wasn't particularly long, so everyone saw the room at the end of the corridor.
And the light shining into the room, from two glass doors that screamed "freedom".
Without hesitance, they ran.
>>>>>>>>>>
So they finally made it! What awaits them at the end of the hallway? Will they get to open the glass doors? Or is it all fake? Stay tuned to find out. 😉 (Don't worry I'm not trying to scare you. Just stay optimistic 😂)
Also, a big thanks to my sister for the fanart! Check out her account solid_smiles, she wrote some fan fictions too!