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ybklix · 11 months ago

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𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣��𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦

⋆˚✿˖° pairing: seo changbin x fem!reader

୧ ‧₊˚ ♡ somethin’ about him is made for somebody like me ₊˚⊹⋆

♡ genre - warnings: smut, fingering, unprotected piv, car and semi public sex, kinda slow burn? idk bear w me

word count: 3.1k

m.list

a/n: idk, a little something ab changbin as i prepare for 1k event fics!<3 and all my wips omg; just bc he’s so ariana slay

Changbin said it simply, whether or not you would go with him to the gym, via text message, to which you declined, you didn’t feel like working out at all, something about you that day seemed to depress you, but every muscle in your body tensed and your whole being woke up as you read:

uh, too bad

i wanted you to meet gyuri, i'm going to train her now

I thought you might get along😁

You jolted up, perplexed as you read the message from your best friend. Next thing you knew you were ready to go to Changbin’s personalized gym, this time dressed a little less sporty, you hoped to excuse yourself smoothly with something you would come up with later since you weren’t thinking clearly.

For years you had this best friend dynamic with Changbin, an unique dynamic where you never touched each other that way, but you treated each other with such affection that people thought you were a couple and, but knowing that he would be with another woman... made you grow jealous, you couldn’t deny it, he was yours, you were in love with him but the idea of a relationship suffocated you, you just knew you wanted him, his company in everything.

Changbin was a professional and personal trainer, he had clients of very high status, usually... other men so you were more than relieved, but a girl was something new to you. So with a slight shiver in your body, you unexpectedly knocked on your friend’s establishment door. He opened it for you within seconds, confused, wearing his tight workout clothes, making you slightly nervous.

“Oh, hey, love” he greeted you with a smile, “You drove here by yourself? You actually decided to come... but... you’re not dressed to...”

“Oh, no, let’s go eat later” you quickly interrupted him.

“Okay! But... you know I’m kind of busy, will you wait here?”

You blinked trying to think quickly, a valid excuse, something, something...

“Mr. Seo!” you heard a high-pitched but sweet voice, interrupting you and diverting his attention.

Changbin turned with a smile and then saw you. The inner fire of yours burst out in you more.

“Oh, it’s Gyuri, come in Y/n.”

You both walked further in, until you came to see a pretty young woman with two glasses with orange juice in her hands... she was, something else, she had such a bright aura, long hair and dyed a light brown. She really was Changbin’s type, if you knew him well enough.

“Changbin, please, I’m not that old” he joked correcting her, taking one of the glasses, “Oh, this is Y/n, Y/n, Gyuri.”

“Nice to meet you” Gyuri replied kindly with a smile to which you reciprocated the gesture, “Oh, I made orange juice, do you want...?”

“I’m fine really...”

And a brief awkward silence formed. Changbin sensed it instantly and took a quick sip of his juice.

“Well, let’s continue” he exclaimed.

You felt... like you shouldn’t be there, you weren’t even wearing work out clothes, you were sad in your apartment but you went all the way here by mere impulse as you felt Changbin was yours.

You watched them walk away, but Changbin quickly turned to see you.

“Ah, Y/n...”

“It’s okay, I can go” you replied awkwardly, your cheeks warm not exactly sure if from a bit of rage or general embarrassment.

“Oh, no, you can stay, I won’t really train, I’ll just make sure Gyuri does a good job and that the exercises I assign suit her.”

You smiled at him, you couldn’t even answer him, you felt so small, pathetic and jealous. And now you had to witness him, pulling her body closer, encouraging her, correcting her posture, lifting her ass to him. You couldn’t take it anymore. Usually you’re that girl, and you come out of your sessions very turned on by his yelling and flattery.

You texted Minho, your other friend, telling him to call you urgently, to which he initially complained and tried to ignore you but after a few minutes, very confused he did. You walked away embarrassed, pretending to have an important call and walked out, exclaiming that it was a call from Minho. Changbin watched you leave, a little confused... as you were acting weird, quieter than usual and the only time he saw your eyes light up was when you got the call from another man, causing him discontent.

You explained the situation to Minho, to which in a mocking tone, after laughing at you, he encouraged you to finally try something with Changbin, that if neither of you didn’t cross the line, something would never happen... so you decided to take his wise words. This wasn’t planned, you’re usually unproblematic and only the universe knows how hard you tried to resist, but you couldn’t help it, the boy was yours. He always was. Only you knew him like no one else and you couldn’t wait to try.

After an exhaustive talk on the phone for more than half an hour with Minho, whom you seemed to be forcibly holding back, you entered, finding Changbin and Gyuri finishing their session. You celebrated internally; you checked even the smallest detail of both of them was in order, analyzing them with the look that nothing had happened in your absence, and everything looked the same. Only the girl was a little flustered who had a slightly tired expression and was sweating, getting up from the exercise machine.

She walked in search of her tumbler cup with water, drinking slowly.

“I’m done, what do you want to eat?” Changbin walked over to tell you.

You still smelled his perfume, with him not shedding a drop of sweat.

You smiled at him, “I don’t know, let’s just go out.”

You were nervous and couldn’t explain it. What you didn’t know was that Changbin was also giving your long phone call with Minho a second thought. So he didn’t even pay attention to Gyuri, just politely bid her farewell, telling her politely that he would see her next session.

Once inside his car, he started driving, suddenly you found him a thousand times more attractive, the way his hair looked so fluffy, he was driving attractively with one hand and his seat belt squeezing between the middle of his pecs... you thought about what to say, honestly confessing with cheesy words was not your thing, what could you do...

“So... what so much did Minho say?” he finally spoke, trying to hide his curiosity.

“Minho? Ah, nothing.”

“Mmm... well, it seems like you talked quite a lot...”

You were so engrossed in your thoughts that you weren’t paying much attention to what Changbin was saying, but his subtle tone changed something in you... it was obvious his slight jealous tone so you quickly seized the opportunity.

“Uh... well yeah, you know how Minho and I are…”

“Minho and you? Since when? He can barely stand you.”

“Well… he tolerates me enough to listen to my voice over the phone for an hour.”

Changbin snorted in annoyance, bringing his other hand to the steering wheel, giving an incredulous half-smile.

“Anyway, let’s go to that food place we went to the other time.”

“Sounds good to me, maybe I can bring Minho something to eat too” you continued to tease him, enjoying seeing his disgusted reaction.

“Why would you bring him food? If you’re hanging out with me, he can cook something by himself. Did you tell him you’d bring him food? Does it mean you’re going to see him later?” exploded Changbin in emotions still looking straight ahead, unable to turn to see you.

You laughed and rolled your eyes in satisfaction.

“God, Changbin, are you listening to yourself?”

“Yeah so what?”

“Are you jealous?” you smiled mischievously.

“As much as you were of Gyuri” he now smiled.

The gesture was immediately wiped off your face. You couldn’t believe he said that. Changbin started laughing in his typical mocking laugh, coming from the pit of his stomach, his low and sonorous 'hehehe', you found it really annoying.

“Oh, shut the fuck up.”

“Well, that’s the way you wanted to play” he added, parking his car in front of a fence on the street of the outside restaurant which was a street food place, a bit far from it.

You crossed your arms and acted indignant, hoping to get his attention, you were both attention whores. Changbin smiled at your expression, looking straight ahead with your arms and leg crossed. He unbuckled his seatbelt, and began to stirr your arm playfully.

“Come on, let’s go eat, don’t say you got mad. If you behave yourself I’ll pay for Lino’s food too and we’ll bother him later, we can see his annoying reaction when he sees us coming over” he mentioned in an amused tone, begging for your attention.

You slowly smiled and it wasn’t because of his comment, just for the simple fact that you really liked Changbin, and you loved the way he begged a little. You turned to look at him, slowly, scaring Changbin in a good way, as your expression was serious, you had a sweet smile drawn on your face, your eyes sparkled in the slight darkness and... you managed to make him nervous in seconds, you looked so attractive in his eyes, with a look that you had only seen him before for a few seconds when you got drunk, a seductive look almost inviting him to do with you whatever he wants.

“Hey, let’s go to...”

“Changbin” you said slowly; he was lost on you, he didn’t finish his sentence nor did he know what he was talking about, “Bin...”

You didn’t know exactly what to say either. You were just waiting for him to react and come to you and take what is his, with a kiss.

Changbin cleared his throat, averting his gaze from you, breaking the moment of tension and the magic moment where you were hypnotizing him. You would have thought it was cute... but instead you grimaced in disgust... was it that you had misread the signs and Changbin really didn’t like you too? You got so angry that you spat impulsively and without thinking:

“Yeah, well, at least Minho would have known to take this chance and would be kissing me by now.”

Changbin’s face perked up as did his ears at being so surprised, the sentence with the words ‘Minho, kiss, me’ didn’t seem to well at all to him.

“Excuse me?”

You moved dangerously close to him, almost brushing his lips, making him open his eyes in surprise:

“That he can read the room and understand what I want” you provoked him again.

“Oh yeah?” he expressed, smugly, brushing his nose with yours, “Then why don’t you go and bother him? But no, you have to be here... Binnie this, Binnie that... I’ve never seen you complain this much...”

“And what could it be that I always called you before anyone else?” his lips inches away, so agonizing that your body throbbed with excitement.

“What is it...? You have to tell me.”

“What do you want me to tell you, Seo Changbin?”

The air suddenly became heavy, your breaths could be heard in every corner of his car.

“Say what you want, you’re free to express yourself, love.”

You smiled, amused about to say the most corny thing in the world, unashamed, about to kiss him, “I’d say you’re mine.”

And you kissed him, being pushed by more than your silly steady wobble. His lips were soft and fluffy, Changbin quickly held the back of your neck gently to intensify his kiss, you took hold of his strong arm; he did it so well, he was slow but wild, taking you into splendid delight. After a little over a minute, his free hand sought to caress your thigh, he brought his hand under your skirt and explored the inside of your mouth dirtyly with his tongue, arousing you a little.

Finally you parted, lips swollen and incredibly aroused from each other, staring into each other’s eyes so lasciviously.

“Oh, Y/n...” he whispered, analyzing every part of your face, “Come here, I’m all yours.”

Changbin roughly slid his seat back, patting his thighs, you looked down at his hand and it was inevitable to notice that he was hard. You smiled broadly and found a way to slide from your seat to his, sitting on his lap facing him, with your thighs on either side of his, feeling a little of his bulge brush against your mons pubis, so close to your clit. You left your hands on his pecs and kissed him again, in a more desperate act, not caring that you were on a public street, you needed him, just now more than any other day, you couldn’t believe it, finally you and him, intertwining, under the night.

Changbin began to touch your body, running his manly hands up your thighs and down your ass, until he reached your panties, desperate, Changbin let one hand squeeze your thigh and the other caressed your sensitive clit, managing to cause you to shiver. You were so wet that it kind of embarrassed you to drop your whole body into his lap, but he loved how slightly needy you looked. Changbin gently bit your lower lip as he pulled away from you and worked more on caressing your throbbing clit; you bit your lip in pleasure as you saw his smug expression on his face, he was more than happy to see a new reaction in you, with your slightly open mouth, panting and your submissive look, suddenly discovering your body became so addictive and filled him with adrenaline.

You gasped harder, you were so ready to see his cock for the first time and decisively to start moving on it, you wanted it right now and you were about to ask for it; but seeing two young people walking down the street through the back window of his car, made you regain your consciousness a little.

“Cha-ngbin” you tried to speak, “we’re in...”

“In a fucking public place, I know dear, so you better be discreet; I’m not gonna take off any of your clothes, you can fuck me like this” he whispered breathy and sizzling near your lips, gently scrunching his nose and unable to take his eyes off your face.

You watched him and for some reason, you just nodded submissively, Changbin widened his smile at your response, sweetly showing his front teeth.

“Stand up a little, so you can feel my fingers...”

You did so instantly, and within seconds you felt the tickle of his fingers across your labia, then moving away the fabric of your panties from your soaked entrance and he slipped two of his deft fingers into your core.

Changbin raised his eyebrows in surprise and pouted finding you tender, your body trembled and you did your best to hold back the soft whimper leaving your lips at the sensation of your insides being touched.

“You’re so wet, love. I think you’re so ready to take my cock already, don’t you?”

He pushed his fingers in deeper, teasing you more, making you lean your limp body into him, enjoying the feel of his fingers digging inside you.

“Y-yes, Changbin, please.”

“I didn’t hear you right, what was the magic word again?”

“Pl-please.”

Changbin thrusted you with his fingers more intensely and rapidly bringing your climax closer and, your wetness spilling out of you, dripping down his hand and onto his thighs and, with his typical smug grin, he pulled out of you without warning, making you sigh in exasperation, but you caught your breath, as you watched him finally pull down his shorts and underwear; Changbin looked to his sides a little guiltily, his heart was racing; his windows were shielded but the rush of having a little bit of public sex filled him with adrenaline again, pumping his cock to perfection.

Finally there it was, something you hadn’t planned at all from the beginning but still circumstances led you to it; his cock, nice and erect and thick, his little trimmed pubic hair in his area perfectly detonating to his rigid and throbbing member with its pink tip coated in shiny precum. The curiosity in you won, stroking it admiringly, from its tip to its base and its soft sensitive balls, you wanted to do so many things with it, take your time, but both of you were already in a very compromising situation.

“Go ahead, baby, ride me” he gasped, somewhat despairing at your sudden masturbation to his cock.

You raised your gaze and lifted your body a little again, bringing it closer to his erection, Changbin grabbed your hips while you leaned on his chest, then pushed the fabric of your panties aside with one hand and with the other you perfectly centered his hard cock at your entrance, finally letting you slowly drop into it, feeling every inch of him stretching your hole and walls; it felt so good in you, that you both gasped at the same time, but it felt even better with his full length inside, as if he was tailor-made for you.

You began to move, whimpering a little, the sensation was indescribable, Changbin finally for you.

“Move for me, move for me, fuck you’re doing great.”

You rode his cock, expecting nothing less from Changbin, but his babbles filling you with compliments made your nipples hard, you wanted to be touched by him, every part of you, completely vulnerable, but for the moment you had to settle for intense car sex, living off the pure sensation and the grotesque sound of your soaking wet core being stirred by his masculinity. Your tiny skirt covered the scene; just two best friends, with the girl jumping on her friend’s lap, panting. You felt complete, you didn’t want to leave him ever, his balls were rubbing against your pussy as he was so fucking deep in you and with your throbbing labia brushing against his body, you were completely rapt, Changbin was too strong to carry you easily and move your body at his mercy, his cock destroying beautifully inside you, you were whimpering in pure pleasure, never stopping babbling his name. You thought you were moving but he was doing his part too, intensifying each thrust into you.

Changbin tightened his grip on you, almost marking your skin, squeezing the fabric of your skirt tightly against you, he grunted loudly and you felt his cock throb in, followed by his orgasm shooting deep into your core, you couldn’t hold it back that long either, you twitched gently a couple more times as you watched him try to recover and you swooned completely into his body, culminating in a shuddering orgasm that altered every sense in you.

You both stared at each other, shaken and with a smirk of satisfaction as if you had won a prize you were aiming for.

｡⋆୨୧˚ ⋆｡°✩

𐙚TAGLIST: @rylea08 @hann1bee @iovecb97 @armystay89 @houseapologist @bubblebisk

#seo changbin #seo changbin smut #changbin smut #changbin skz #changbin x reader #changbin x you #stray kids smut #skz smut #stray kids #skz #stray kids x reader #stray kids x you #𐙚wen writes♡₊˚⊹#ybklix♡₊˚⊹

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rainsoughtflowers · 4 months ago

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do you see right through me?

part two

tw/cw - swearing, depictions of death, attempted murder, suggestive content.

a/n - we are halfway done! woohoo! hope you guys like this chapter.

you read the words displayed on the chalkboard at the front of the room repeatedly. over and over again, picking apart each syllable and allowing it to linger on the tongue. when the words don't change, finally sinking in, you glance towards your left, switching your attention between the two girls near your seat. they each wear similar expressions of conflict.

"what should we do?" yoon-seo asks, only furthering the anxious pit inside your stomach.

a group assignment to be completed in pairs. three friends. an unwilling scapegoat.

you consider your options once more, carefully running through each outcome. your class number was even, so there was no possibility of an odd pair, no matter how much you may beg the teacher for an exception. the only other people you would consider working with were already in groups, meaning your options were limited to either one of the girls before you or the only other person in the class who didn't have a partner yet.

coming to a decision, you open your mouth to speak, only to falter when you hear your name being called from across the room.

all three of you turn, and your surprise becomes apparent as you stare at the owner of the voice, blinking slowly, feeling rooted to your seat. kyung-jun is leaning back in his chair, balancing his weight on the back legs, dangerously close to tipping over with just one wrong move. around him, you notice similar faces of shock and confusion as he motions lazily with his hand for you to come over, "work with me."

perplexed, you glance back at your friends, wondering if you misheard the boy's words. but sure enough, studying their expressions revealed a mixture of suspicion and concern. even then, they don't say anything to stop nor encourage the partnership.

you push yourself to your feet, hoping your face doesn't betray the nerves prickling across your skin, "you two can work together."

you don't wait to see their reactions. you lift up your desk, shuffling across the room to where kyung-jun sits next to the wall. with a small grunt, you drop the furniture next to his own, plopping down into the seat shortly after.

during the entirety of your short journey, you could feel someone watching you, more specifically the boy now several inches to your right. you do your best to avoid his eyes, feeling afraid of what you'll find if you meet them. what would you prefer? mockery or something kinder? which was worse out of the two? you look down at your paper, curl your fingers around your skirt, shift in your seat. the assignment was simple, so it didn't require too much talking, not unless you needed help. still, being this close to kyung-jun, having to collaborate with him, it made something shift inside your stomach, almost like a flutter.

for several minutes, you work quietly. you hear the sounds of your classmates conversing in the background, the shuffle of paper, the scratch of your pencil. every so often you'll pause, press the tip of your eraser against your lip, your brows furrowing in concentration. beside you, it's eerily quiet, and kyung-jun's paper remains blank.

this continues on for several more minutes, and kyung-jun's intense stare doesn't falter, not even once. what exactly does he want? was there something on your face? did he need something from you? you do your best to focus on your task, refusing to acknowledge the boy's rather annoying attention. but it lingers there in the back of your mind, persistent, consuming any logical thoughts you had regarding your math assignment. eventually, you release a sigh, dropping your writing utensil. this wasn't working.

your fingers reach for your paper, rolling it swiftly into a circle. you then shift in your seat, angling your body towards kyung-jun, and tap your makeshift weapon against the top of his head, "pay attention. you can save the staring for after. finish your work."

he blinks, his expression blank for a moment, then followed by a slight annoyance. but he doesn't say anything, simply examining you carefully, eyes flitting across every surface of your face. this time, you hold his stare, keeping your expression carefully constructed, waiting for the exact moment he either lashes out or complies to your request.

kyung-jun tightens his jaw, and you brace for it, the snap of his anger, the rise in his voice. but to everyone's surprise, especially your own, he listens. kyung-jun turns away, picks up his pencil, and stares at his paper. you watch, dumbfounded, the way his eyes move across the assignment, reading line after line, the gears steadily turning in his head.

'he's kind of cute when he's concentrating.'

the thought rises unexpectedly, and it causes heat to build rapidly across your skin, burning every surface. where did that come from? when did you start thinking such sappy things like that? and about him? flustered, you only allow yourself to stare a single moment longer before resuming your own work, desperately trying to calm the rapid pounding of your heart and the flush of your skin.

when morning comes, and you snap your eyes open, the ceiling is the first thing to greet you. the sight of it doesn't bother you at first. it makes sense to fall asleep laying down and to see the ceiling when you wake up. but the more you stare at it, taking the sight of it in, you realize the abnormalities. for one, it was so far away, and across it you spot metal beams and electrical wires.

just then, you realize the rest of the peculiarities. you feel the cold floor of the gym beneath your body, not the soft mattress of a bed, and a dull ache behind your head, throbbing insistently.

the memories of the night prior is the second thing to greet you. around you, there's the rustle of movement, the soft murmur of voices, and a bell announcing the morning. a clear contrast to the chaos that erupted the night before. flashing lights, screams of terror, death after death occurring in that very room. you do your best to avoid a certain corner of the gym where a body sways in the air.

you slowly sit up, feeling each muscle in your body protest at the movement. across the room, yoon-seo is breaking down, tears running down her cheeks, her eyes full of anguish. beside her, jun-hee stares into space, vacant, hollow, like a part of himself died last night along with the others.

from the corner of your vision you catch movement, and you turn your head to find kyung-jun pushing himself up into a sitting position. he blinks rapidly, clearing the confusion addling his mind. different memories from the previous night push to the forefront of your own. soft moonlight on every crevice of his features. the bruises on his face and neck. the harshness in his tone when he told you to stay away. an ache forms in your ribs, pressing down so hard it hurts. you have to force yourself to look away.

"hey! lee joo-young!"

you search for the source of the screams, your attention landing on mi-na in the center of the gym, knees pressed to the floor, frantically shaking a girl's body. there's a white sheet covering her face, and no matter how much mi-na begs her to wake up, she doesn't move an inch. dread starts to pool in your stomach, and you slowly stand up when yoon-seo rushes over. an alarm blares from above.

LEE JOO-YOUNG WAS EXECUTED BY THE MAFIA LAST NIGHT. LEE JOO-YOUNG WAS A CITIZEN.

mi-na's screams get louder, echoing in the otherwise silent gym.

BEFORE THE PREVIOUS VOTING ENDED, THE DOCTOR CHOSE TO USE HIS HEALING ABILITY ON CHA YU-JUN.

the doctor. with everything that transpired, you forgot about your own role and responsibility. should you start looking for the doctor? form an alliance with them? but how would you go about finding them? you glance at yu-jun, wondering if it was him or ji-soo that possesses the doctor's abilities. it would make the most sense. you didn't think anyone else would use their healing abilities on him. not in a game like this.

MORNING HAS COME. ALL PARTICIPANTS, PLEASE FIND THE MAFIA AND BEGIN VOTING.

yoon-seo lifts up the sheet, revealing red and purple bruises along joo-young's neck, "i think she was strangled with this."

mi-na stands up abruptly. the suddenness of her movements catches you off guard, her emotions going from one extreme to the next. despair now turned into anger, she marches towards jun-hee and pushes him back, "i didn't want to hand in my phone!" she grabs his collar, shaking him aggressively, her tears rapidly falling down her cheeks as her crying intensifies, "i said i didn't want to! we wouldn't have slept here if we hadn't collected the phones. and no one would've died. you killed them all, kim jun-hee! take responsibility!"

jun-hee doesn't say anything, doesn't so much as move. he takes mi-na's screaming and physical attacks with no complaint, behaving as if he deserved it. so-mi is the one who puts an end to the one sided argument, shoving mi-na back, "that's enough."

you run a hand through your hair, feeling something akin to frustration build within your chest. you doubt jun-hee did it on purpose, but how could you prove that? not to mention kyung-jun's involvement with the plan. had he done it on purpose? you spare a glance at the boy, but you can't find any traces of guilt or malice.

this whole situation was a mess.

"they're not wrong," ji-soo suddenly speaks, referring to mi-na's earlier words, "we survived because we were lucky. how will you and kyung-jun take responsibility?"

kyung-jun sneers, "did i fucking suggest we should collect them?" he turns to jun-hee, lifting a finger and pointing at the class president, "jun-hee, you son of a bitch! you said we only had to collect the phones! we all ended up like this because of you! take responsibility!"

no one speaks for several moments, all eyes on the boy at the receiving end of kyung-jun's implication. even then, under the scrutiny of the class, the emptiness surrounding jun-hee's figure doesn't disappear.

"i'm sorry." jun-hee whispers eventually. his bottom lip trembles, and his eyes waver, holding back unshed tears. without another word, he brushes past your classmates and leaves the gym. for once, no one goes after him.

kyung-jun rests his hands on his waist once he's disappeared, indifferent about his behavior, "whatever. this happened because of the class president. let's just vote him out today."

"you're the one who took all our phones saying it was a good idea." jung-won says accusingly, causing the boy to turn and look at her, "why are you acting like you didn't?"

instead of responding, kyung-jun puts his hands inside his pockets, regarding jung-won carefully. up and down, sizing her up. the girl doesn't falter under his examination. instead, she regards him with the same level of examination.

she folds her arms across her chest, "you were pretty relaxed last night. why did you secretly keep your phone? if we're pointing fingers, you're the most suspicious one here."

you feel your entire body seize at her words, unconsciously directing your attention to the boy in search of confirmation. was it true? kyung-jun kept his phone even after taking everyone else's? but why? just what was his motive here? a thought forms in your mind, something you're sure everyone else has wondered at least once since this absurd game started. but the more it lingers, the more you refuse it. even if it is logical, even if all his actions point towards that answer, you didn't want it to be true. you didn't know what you'd do with yourself if it was.

kyung-jun passes a glance to the floor, composing himself before responding, "hey, isn't it obvious?" he takes a slow step closer, lifting his head, "how should i trust jun-hee, that bastard? he might be the mafia." he turns around, glancing at everyone, waiting for someone to agree. when no one does he looks back down, "hey!" he yells, causing everyone to jump, successfully gaining their full, undivided attention, "this is a game of life or death. why should i put my life in someone else's hands? i just used my brain." he rounds back on jung-won, shoving da-bum, who is standing next to her, once on the shoulder, "if i hadn't," he does it again, this time with more force. the boy stumbles back, "i could've died."

before you know it, before you even realize it, your body is stepping forward, and words are tumbling from your mouth, "kyung-jun, that's enough." he turns around to face you, and you feel it all over again. that ache in between your ribs, the hurt still lingering in your bones, "there's no point in arguing about it. what's done is done," you look at him then, really look at him, and the ache intensifies, spreading through your chest and laying itself upon your face. it's the root of your helplessness and exhaustion, the need to just allow it all to crumble to pieces. your voice breaks as you speak, cracking along the edges, "don't you want to go home?"

kyung-jun doesn't answer, but you can sense the shift in him. the small tic in his jaw. the way his intense gaze wavers ever so slightly, softening in the corners. surrender yourself. lay it all to rest. i don't want to leave this place if it's not with you.

"how can we go home?" so-mi asks suddenly, causing him to look away. you find yourself reluctantly doing the same, "we can't escape."

"if we can find out who created the mafia came and why, we can figure out how to get out of here. then we can all leave and no one has to die," yoon-seo answers. she glances to her side, regarding joo-young's still body, "but we can figure that out later. lets move them first."

"move what?" so-mi asks, a hint of suspicion creeping into her tone.

yoon-seo gestures towards the dead bodies around the gym, "we can't leave them like this. we need to move them to a freezer."

kyung-jun smiles in disbelief, as if he couldn't believe the seriousness in yoon-seo's suggestion. he rolls his eyes and motions for his friends to follow, taking several steps forward in order to leave. yet again, without thinking, you reach for his arm, latching on and successfully halting his movements. kyung-jun turns around, irritation visible on his features when his eyes meet your own. he swears at you, attempting to pull away, but you keep your fingers firm around his wrists.

"don't leave." you plead desperately, causing him to pause. you soften your grip, holding his palms within your own, sliding your fingers delicately over the rough, calloused skin, "after this i'll stop bothering you, just like you wanted. but do just this one thing. please."

he glances down at your hands, the features of his face softening into slight confusion. the ghost of perplexity. as if ko kyung-jun could not grasp the reason behind your persistence, your concern. open your eyes, kyung-jun. don't you see?

"are you slipping away again, y-you cheapskate?" woo-ram stutters when kyung-jun still hasn't answered.

kyung-jun snaps his head up, latching his attention onto the boy. he moves as if to step towards woo-ram, "what did you say?"

you tug on his arms, preventing him from taking any further steps. astonishingly enough, kyung-jun doesn't protest, instead using his annoyance to glare at your classmate. under his sharp stare, woo-ram stumbles back, hiding his body behind another one of your classmates.

slowly, kyung-jun directs his attention to you once more, and you can feel his resolve crumble the longer he holds your eyes. it's almost identical to the night before, only this time there is no weapon in his hands, and his life isn't in crucial danger. you're not even entirely sure if kyung-jun will agree with your request, not if there isn't an initiative to keep himself alive. what could you offer him that didn't involve his very life?

but eventually, he releases a muttered curse, pulling away roughly before stepping towards the closest body. he crouches down, putting his arms underneath joo-young's shoulders. when no one moves, he yells at seung-bin and jin-a to help, sparking a rush of movement from all of your classmates.

it takes less than an hour to move all of them. in the freezer, goosebumps scatter along your arms, your breaths forming a small cloud every time your lungs deflate. yoon-seo ensures that each body is turned over and faces the ceiling, side by side, a white sheet pulled over to hide them from sight. you don't say anything as hyun-ho's pale face and blue lips disappear beneath the fabric, becoming just another dead body. a number. you only turn and leave the room, rushing towards the nearest bathroom.

you brace yourself against the sink, gulping down several deep breaths greedily into your lungs. your fingers tremble as they reach towards the faucet, turning it on and cupping the rushing water into your hands. you splash yourself in the face three times, the cold shock of the temperature calming you momentarily, enough to even out your breaths and clear your mind.

slowly, you blink your eyes open, facing the girl in the mirror. water droplets slide down her face and towards the counter, her eyes bloodshot and fearful. you'd think they'd disappear with the amount of sleep you got each night, but if anything, it only makes them more prominent, causing you to look both exhausted and sickly. trembling, you reach up and touch them, then reach down to the cuts at the corners of your lips. the skin is cracked and peeling, but there is no harsh sting to accompany the touch.

it's as you're pressing down on the wound do you notice it. pulling back in shock, you stare at the back of your hands, streaks of dried blood tainting them. only one question forms inside your head. who does this blood belong to? you inspect it for a moment, the pounding in your chest increasing steadily with each beat, before hastily dropping your hands and scrubbing at them furiously. you don't stop until the skin is raw and clean.

when no more red bleeds into the water you turn off the sink, drying your hands and fixing your uniform before leaving the bathroom. the halls are empty, leaving no doubt that everyone is either in their rooms or somewhere else in the building. intending to retreat to your bed, you direct your steps towards the stairs.

just as you're turning the corner of the hallway someone grabs you, forcefully pulling you back. a cry forms in your throat, but their hand hurriedly covers your mouth, muffling any sounds attempting to escape. even more panicked now, you reach up and try to pry their fingers away, moving your body in any way to get them to release you.

"fuck, stop struggling. it's me."

you slacken ever so slightly, recognizing the voice almost immediately. kyung-jun? he removes his hand, prompting you to turn around and face him. sure enough, the familiar features of his brown hair and dark eyes greets you. he presses a finger to his lips, motioning for you to remain quiet. your confusion builds, but you comply nonetheless.

kyung-jun peeks around the corner, and once confirming that you are alone, relaxes into his position by leaning against the wall and hiding his hands inside his pockets. why isn't he saying anything? you thought you had an agreement. if kyung-jun despised you so much to the point where he couldn't stand being near you, why is he here now? didn't you give him a way out? you gave your request, he accepted it. your paths should never cross again.

so why?

you can't help the beginnings of annoyance starting to form within your body.

"what do you want?" you inquire, folding your arms over your chest, regarding him with just a slight hint of suspicion, "i thought you said to...what was it? 'stay the fuck away from you'?"

kyung-jun rolls his eyes, "well, you didn't do a very good job of it."

you scoff, appalled by his words and behavior. why seek you out if he was going to be an asshole? "i don't have time for this." you mutter, spinning on your heels and beginning to walk away.

"i know you're the nurse."

you pause, kyung-jun's words echoing insistently within your mind. that was impossible. how could he have possibly figured that out? you were so careful, and it's not like you used your ability recently, considering that you can't. was it a bluff? would your reaction give him his answer? you make sure to compose yourself before turning around, "what are you talking about?"

slowly, a foxlike grin pulls at his lips. kyung-jun pushes himself away from the wall and steps closer, "playing dumb? okay," he reaches into his pocket, pulling out his phone and tapping at the screen. he turns the device around, and sure enough, when you lean forward to read the contents, there was no mistaking your name and occupation displayed on the history tab of his phone in bright, bold letters.

your brows furrow in confusion, a thought suddenly forming in your mind, "wait, but if you have this, then..."

kyung-jun lowers his phone, "i'm the police."

you blink slowly, ingesting his words carefully. the first emotion that sinks in is relief. kyung-jun isn't mafia. you are on the same team. eventually, however, frustration replaces your comfort, and you frown at the boy before you, "are you stupid?"

kyung-jun's own lips pull down into a scowl, "what?"

"if you're the police, why the fuck were you acting crazy yesterday, huh? are you trying to get killed?"

kyung-jun glances away, clicking his tongue in annoyance, "that? those motherfuckers pissed me off. especially hyun-ho."

you falter at the mention of his name, pushing away the image of a swinging body hanging from a rope. you stare at the ground, pondering over the situation and the absurdity of it all. a different question forms, persisting against your tongue, "why are you telling me this? i can't use my ability you know. i'm useless to you."

"no, but if the doctor dies, you can."

"so i'm an asset to you." you mumble, neither a statement nor a question. kyung-jun answers you anyways.

"yes."

his words shouldn't hurt you as much as they do. it shouldn't strike a pain through your ribs, cause disappointment in your stomach, or make your heart falter. and yet it does. in the end, that's all you are to kyung-jun. someone he can use to keep himself alive.

then why does it feel so wrong? like you're missing a piece of the puzzle?

"why did you use it on me? why not one of your friends? or someone suspicious? seems like a waste of your skill."

kyung-jun releases an annoyed breath, running a hand through his hair frustratingly, "fuck, you ask so many damn questions."

"and you seem to have no answers."

kyung-jun's eyes snap to your own, studying you meticulously for a moment before dropping his hand. he shifts slightly on his feet, and for a second, you see an internal battle rage in his mind. another breath escapes through his nose, his eyes fluttering shut for a single second, "earlier, you asked me if i wanted to go home. if we're to do that, we need to find the mafia. you're gonna help me."

you consider it, the proposition he presented you with. what choice did you have, really? it's your third day playing this game, and you're no closer to finding the mafia than before. if you really want to stop it all, you have the play the game and win. and what's the harm in keeping kyung-jun close, staying by his side? "fine. i'll help you."

kyung-jun grins, and you heart leaps to your throat, studying the way his lips curl up and settle easily into his foxlike smile. it softens his face, creases the corners of his eyes.

the sound of footsteps echoing down the hall snap you out of your daze, growing closer and closer to your current position. someone is coming. what do you do? what would your classmate think if they stumbled upon you and kyung-jun alone in a corridor? the two of you don't really talk much. not unless necessary. wouldn't they accuse you of being mafia?

kyung-jun swears softly, hesitating only for a moment before stepping towards you, "play along."

what?

confused by his demand, you're about to open your mouth to protest, but before you can react he's pushing you against the wall, one arm next to your head and one hand holding your chin.

"what are you doing?" you whisper, doing your best to avoid glancing down at his lips. don't look don't look don't look-

"giving us an alibi."

kyung-jun doesn't provide you another chance to speak. you freeze, watching helplessly as he leans in, ghosting his lips over your own, giving the illusion of a kiss but never breaking the distance. despite it, however, your heart is pounding, fingers gripping the front of his shirt, curling around his collar. you look up at him, and he's so close, his eyes fixated on your lips. every time he breathes, it brushes against your skin, tickling your cheek, causing you to shudder. his breath smells like the remembrance of cigars, but there's a hint of mint mixed in, as if he chewed some gum recently to get rid of the scent. beneath your fingers, you can feel the warmth of his clothes and his own heart pounding, beating frantically against his chest.

why is it so fast?

the footsteps round the corner and stop, and you glance at the source of the sound, meeting so-mi's surprised eyes. her attention switches between you and kyung-jun, her confusion turning into understanding as the answer slowly dawns upon her.

kyung-jun passes her a disinterested glance, annoyance thick inside his voice, "what?"

at the sound of his irritation the girl smirks, crossing her arms across her chest, "you know, kyung-jun, you could at least have the decency of going into a room so the rest of us don't have to watch the two of you suck each others faces off."

suck each others faces off? the thought of that happening mortifies you, but it's exactly the kind of situation kyung-jun set up to avoid any dangerous accusations. heat creeps into your face, and you have to glance away, unable to look so-mi in the eyes any longer.

"you're the only one watching," kyung-jun bites back, shifting slightly. his hand drops from your chin to your neck, causing your pulse to jump underneath his touch, "now fuck off, we're busy."

you hear her scoff, but eventually, the sound of footsteps resumes once more, before fading completely.

"that bitch, so annoying." kyung-jun mumbles beneath his breath. you look back up at his face, and he's still so close, despite so-mi being gone. there was no need to continue pretending. so why hasn't he moved away? your heart continues its erratic beating inside your chest, threatening to burst out or go into complete failure. god, what was happening to you? why did kyung-jun have this effect on you?

you push him back slightly, creating enough space for you to slip out from his hold. he watches you silently, raising an eyebrow in slight confusion.

you swiftly clear your throat, composing yourself momentarily before finally meeting kyung-jun's puzzled eyes. even then, as you lengthen the distance, you can still feel the ghost of his touch, the remains of his warmth. if you had moved just an inch closer, would he have kissed you? no, it was best to forget that situation ever happened. there were more pressing matters at the moment after all. things more important than the funny feeling in your chest, "let's find the mafia, shall we?"

the snack bar isn't empty when you and kyung-jun enter, but he makes quick work of ensuring it's occupants leave as quickly as you arrived. seung-bin and jin-a are sitting across from one another at a table near the window, half eaten cups of ramen and savory snacks scattered across the surface. their focus switches between you and the tall boy beside you, their confusion evident in the way their chopsticks hover in mid-air and their mouths fail to snap close.

"get out." kyung-jun speaks firmly, his demand holding no sort of malice, but it was apparent the authority he held between the friend group.

"huh? why?" jin-a asks, sparing you yet another glance. you shift awkwardly beneath his wary gaze.

kyung-jun steps closer, "do i need to repeat myself?"

jin-a and seung-bin share another look before shaking their heads, hastily gathering their things and fleeing the room. kyung-jun sits down in the previously occupied seat, and you take the one across from him. for several moments, it's silent. while kyung-jun reaches into his pocket and pulls out a lighter, fiddling with the latch, your own fingers curl around the edges of your skirt, pulling at the thread insistently.

although it's now a reoccurring thing, being completely alone with kyung-jun is something you're still steadily getting used to. how exactly do you behave around him? do you treat him as a partner? a friend? could you even call yourselves that?

"so, mafia. any ideas?" kyung-jun breaks the silence, snapping you out of your internal dilemma. you watch as he expertly moves the lighter across each finger, his movements practiced and eased. it was mesmerizing.

at your continued silence, kyung-jun lifts up an eyebrow, his eyes bright with amusement, and you avoid them as you ponder his question and voice aloud the doubts previously floating in your mind, "the person who killed joo-young is not who killed ju-won. that much is apparent."

"what makes you so sure?"

"well for one, the method of killing was different," you think back to your second day, recalling the disfigured face of your classmate slumped against the bathroom stall. it was weird to go from that sort of extreme to a much milder method, "ju-won was hit by a fire extinguisher. joo-young was choked to death. plus, the culprit wouldn't pick such two different people."

"so there's a motive." kyung-jun determines, causing you to nod your head slightly.

"yes."

kyung-jun thinks for a moment, eventually releasing a short breath, "so not the president then."

"glad you're smart enough to put aside your hatred and actually think."

kyung-jun's lighter snaps shut, his dark eyes staring at you with newfound intensity. you stare back, unfazed, and a smile eventually curls his lips, as if pleased by your indifference.

kyung-jun leans back in his seat, pondering for a moment before speaking, "there's only two people who would want joo-young dead."

your face scrunches in confusion. it never occurred to you which of your classmates hated joo-young so badly to want her dead. even if it was the only reason, your mind refused to think about the possibility, "who?"

"mi-na and..." kyung-jun pauses, lifting his eyes from the table to your own, "woo-ram."

you shake your head immediately, "it couldn't have been mi-na. they are on bad terms sometimes, yes, but mi-na is not a good actor. she seemed genuinely upset about joo-young's death."

kyung-jun considers it. another thought forms in your mind.

"why do you think woo-ram killed her?"

"woo-ram liked joo-young."

"so he killed someone he liked?"

kyung-jun's features twist in confusion, "don't you remember the video that went around?"

video? you try to remember what exactly kyung-jun is referring to, but no matter how hard you try, a clear image never forms in the forefront of your mind. you didn't really keep up with that kinda stuff. the only thing you remember are bits and pieces told to you by na-hee, "she rejected him, right?"

kyung-jun snorts, "humiliated him more like. you think that's enough motive to kill?"

humiliation. if it went on for as long as you think, and if enough people knew about it, woo-ram's pride may have been hurt enough to form into hatred, "i think it's enough to check." you decide.

kyung-jun nods, pulling out his phone. you watch his face carefully as he clicks on the screen, awaiting the exact moment his features betray the answer before his words do. eventually, a triumphant grin paints his lips, and he turns the phone around for you to see, a proud glint in his eyes.

WOO-RAM IS MAFIA.

you slump back in your seat in disbelief. even though it was there, as clear and plain as day, you couldn't imagine woo-ram, someone you grew up with, killing someone in cold blood, "no way."

"looks like my hunch is right. hey," kyung-jun leans forward and lays his weight on his arms, shaking his phone in the air, "i'm pretty good at this police job."

"better than your people skills."

you snap your mouth shut, eyes growing wide in mortification at the backhanded comment you just made. you expect kyung-jun to quip back with his own snarky response, for him to swear at you, or call off the arrangement entirely. and yet, rather than do any of those things, rather than respond with his anger and his bitterness, kyung-jun laughs. so softly, so quietly, it's almost like he's releasing a long held breath. your eyes drift to his face, studying his features, searching for a trace of irritation or annoyance that would betray the gentle sound you just heard. but there was no trace of it. he really thought your comment was funny.

"you laughed." you state simply, in awe. his face had changed then, becoming softer. not so roughed up at the edges with his acrimony. he looked like a regular teenager then. so different from the boy you learned to fear and avoid in order to keep your high school years peaceful. for a moment, when that very sound entered your ears, filled the space around you, you could pretend you were just friends having fun. you think its your new favorite sound. what you would do to bottle it up and listen to it forever, "you should do it more often. you wouldn't look so scary then."

kyung-jun tilts his head, eyeing you carefully, "do i scare you?"

you consider his question, examining the boy before you. maybe before he would've scared you. terrified you, even. you would've gone through unimaginable lengths to avoid him. but looking at him now, instead of recalling certain emotions from the past, you recall something different. memories. the quiet kindness he offered you. his defensiveness over you. did he change, or was he always like this?

you find the answer doesn't matter to you. what matters is the fact that right now, in this moment, kyung-jun is not like anything you expected. you think you love him for that.

the corners of your mouths lift up into a smile, "no, you don't."

the tension in the air is so thick you could cut it with a knife, and it feels like the longer you breath it in, the more it'll suffocate you. around you, your classmates shift uncomfortably in their seats, deliberately keeping their gazes pinned to the floor or on their phones. back facing the window, kyung-jun leans forward in his own seat, his head hanging low, palms clasped, stray hairs falling into his face. he is the first to break the silence since everyone settled into their respective spots.

"let's come clean. speak up if you're the mafia."

internally, you roll your eyes. despite discussing the plan earlier, it was a little annoying having to drag the whole thing out. it would be much simpler if you could go ahead and reveal the mafia's role. but if you did that, you risked exposing kyung-jun's occupation, and you couldn't afford that this early in the game.

"would you speak up if it were you?" jung-won points out when no one responds.

kyung-jun looks at the girl, releasing a short breath, "fuck you." he mumbles irritably. he readjusts his position, this time leaning his body comfortably against the back of his chair, "let's try this again. who do you think is definitely the mafia?" once again, no one answers, causing kyung-jun to drop his head back in annoyance.

seung-bin slams his hand on the table, making several people jump in alarm, "the police should at least speak up. the police! come clean!"

"if the police reveals their role, the mafia is sure to come after them. you want to risk that?" you stare at the blond, awaiting his answer. instead, seung-bin sneers at you, but keeps his mouth shut.

kyung-jun directs his attention to jun-hee, "hey, class president. it's you, isn't it? you didn't let us vote, so all the civilians died. that was the mafia's scheme to kill civilians, wasn't it?"

"what are you saying?" so-mi protests, "didn't you see the notice? civilians weren't the only ones who died. the mafia died, too."

at so-mi's reasoning, the conversation dies for a moment, everyone coming to the same conclusion. yesterday was a mistake. there was no motive behind preventing everyone from voting. it was simply a plan to work around the game's rules that didn't work out in the end.

"at least we can guess who the doctor is." one of your classmates mumbles as an afterthought, causing everyone to slowly turn their attention towards yu-jun. upon realizing what the question was alluding to and the sudden spotlight, he glances up, clear panic widening his eyes. well, that answered that question.

"it's not me!" he exclaims defensively, passing a glance to his right.

ji-soo looks slightly offended by the action, "it's not me either."

"it has to be you two." mi-na presses, causing the couple's head to turn in her direction, "who else would save yu-jun if not you two?"

"i don't know why they used it on me, either, but it's really not me!" yu-jun protests.

it grows quiet again. you're not sure if the rest of your classmates figured it out, but it was obvious that yu-jun is the doctor. should you approach him later? form an alliance? but how could you prove your role to him without jeopardizing kyung-jun's safety? perhaps it was best to keep your distance. things could get messy.

"hey, so-mi." mi-na speaks suddenly. at the sound of her name the girl shifts her focus to mi-na, eyes narrowed slightly in unease, "eun-ha said you were the mafia yesterday. did you choose her because she exposed you?"

did that happen? you try to recall when the events occurred, but come up empty. maybe it happened privately. is that why eun-ha was voted out last night? because so-mi voted for her first? but why? eun-ha was a civilian, so unless so-mi felt threatened by her, there was no need to take things so far.

unless?

"hey, i.." so-mi sits up straight, pointedly looking at everyone in the room as she prepares her defense, "i had no choice but to choose her since she tried to vote for me," her eyes eventually land back on mi-na's, directing the suspicion to her, "what about you? are you the mafia?"

mi-na's face hardens, her defensive walls going up as she scowls at the vice president, "w-what about me?"

so-mi gets up, dropping her phone carelessly on her chair, "joo-young." she begins, approaching mi-na step by step, "you two had a big argument yesterday."

"an argument is an argument. why would i kill her over that?"

"you acted like a maid in front of joo-young but cursed her behind her back, saying she was annoying. maybe you wanted to kill her."

mi-na scoffs, looking around in disbelief. when no one protests, her panic rises, "that's not true!

"i guess joo-young did keep bossing mi-na around." jin-a mumbles thoughtfully.

"i said that's not true!" she screams, a shine of tears threatening to spill down her cheeks in frustration.

"you talk too fucking much." kyung-jun mutters, rendering the girl silent. he looks at woo-ram, who squirms in his seat under his scrutiny. finally, he meets your eyes, "mafia. come clean before you see blood."

so-mi returns to her seat, her own irritation apparent as she crosses one leg over the other and glares at the ground beneath her. its quiet again. then, several beats later, woo-ram speaks up. "kyung-jun."

kyung-jun's eyes light up in delight, and he directs his attention to woo-ram. you shift in your seat, posture straightening, fingers folded neatly in your lap. it was time.

"why did you do that then?" woo-ram finishes. kyung-jun tilts his head slightly to the right, eyes narrowed slightly.

"do what, you fucker?"

"why were you the only one who hid your phone? you knew our classmates would die if we didn't vote. you kept quiet so they would all die, huh?"

kyung-jun leans forward in his seat, "i told you," he points at jun-hee, "how could i trust that bastard?"

woo-ram tightens his jaw, unable to control his anger as his voice rises along with his words, "why did you force us to trust him when you couldn't?"

"woo-ram," you cut in, causing the boy to snap his attention to you, "we talked about this earlier. please, let's stop arguing about it. jun-hee and kyung-jun didn't know about the phones. how is that their fault?"

woo-ram remains quiet, caught in a moral dilemma. an air of uncertainty begins to surround him, your reasoning causing his once clouded judgement to clear. he slumps back in his seat, defeated.

"look at you, putting the attention on me when we all know it was you who killed joo-young you bastard." kyung-jun taunts.

woo-ram sits up straight at kyung-jun's words. slowly, his eyes grow wide and his skin pales, "what?"

"you were shit on online after you confessed your feelings to joo-young and got rejected."

woo-ram stands up abruptly, "joo-young and i were just joking-"

"stop bullshitting, you dumbass!" kyung-jun cuts him off, his voice rising as accusation after accusation falls from his lips, "you got on your knees and begged joo-young to take it down. is there anyone here who doesn't know about that?" no one answers. kyung-jun finds mi-na in the room, "hey, mi-na! speak up. you recorded that."

mi-na shifts uncomfortably in her seat, "y-yeah."

woo-ram smiles in disbelief, "how does that matter right now?"

"it matters because someone killed her out of hate, and you're the only one here who holds that for her," you chime in, remembering the details kyung-jun explained to you earlier, "you trashed joo-young behind her back, calling her a sly fox, isn't that right?"

the boy shakes his head in denial, stepping back slightly. sweat starts to form along his forehead, his movements growing erratic. hide all you want, but the blood is still on your hands, "that's not true. h-how could i be the mafia?" he meets your eyes, suspicion creeping into his tone as he switches his focus between you and kyung-jun, "and why are you defending him, huh? since when are you guys so close?"

before you can respond, so-mi stands up, "didn't you know?" you look at her then, watch the way her eyes darken in delight and her lips curl into a smirk, something dangerous lurking beneath, "they're fucking."

everyone looks over at the two of you, complete and utter shock forming rapidly upon their features. suddenly, your throat feels dry, and you can't find it in yourself to meet any of their eyes, especially your friends. what could you say? that it wasn't true? then how else could you explain this?

kyung-jun scoffs, glancing at so-mi irritably, "why is it any of your business?"

"it's my business when you're making out with your new bitch in the middle of the hallway."

the flames of kyung-jun's anger spikes, licking up the walls and pressing down against the air in the room. he jumps up from his chair, taking a step towards the girl, "the fuck did you call her?"

in a panic, you catch the sleeve of his jacket and pull him back. a physical fight was not something you needed right now, even if your pride was a little hurt, "kyung-jun. stop."

when the boy doesn't protest, so-mi's smile widens, as if his actions only confirm her suspicions. kyung-jun notices her delight, but he doesn't reignite the fight, simply huffing out a frustrated breath and pulling his arm free from your hold. he reaches into his pockets, pulling at his phone and tapping at the screen. an announcement comes overhead.

KO KYUNG-JUN HAS VOTED FOR PARK WOO-RAM.

one by one, each of your classmates pull out their own devices to confirm the announcement. woo-ram shakes his head, hesitantly stepping towards different classmates to prevent them from voting, "i'm not! don't do it!"

seung-bin and jin-a ignore the boy's protests, voting for him without a second thought. once again, it gets announced to the entire room, revibrating against the walls.

woo-ram looks down at his phone, staring at the screen for a long time. he eventually looks up at the two boys, face twisting in anger, "hey, you sons of bitches!"

kyung-jun silently walks over, pulling woo-ram by the collar and showing him off to the room, "hurry up and vote for this bastard, too. hey, mi-na," the girl startles at her name, "this bastard is pretty pissed with you, too. since joo-young died, it's your turn today." he throws woo-ram against the table, who releases a groaned pain when his body connects with the hard wood. kyung-jun brushes past each of your classmates, moving towards the exit.

jun-hee calls after kyung-jun, but the boy doesn't falter in his stride. eventually, seung-bin and jin-a follow after him, shoving past jun-hee forcefully. several seconds after them, mi-na gets up as well, disappearing behind the doorway.

"hey, where are you going? hey!" jun-hee calls out, using the authoritive voice saved only for class announcements. but the commands don't work, and more and more people file out of the room.

sensing that the meeting was over, and woo-ram's fate sealed, you direct your movements to shuffle out behind them, only to get pulled back by jun-hee's firm grip around your arm.

his eyes frantically search your face, concern laced deeply within his tone and features, "what does he have, huh? photos? videos?"

you stare back at him in confusion, "what are you talking about?"

"kyung-jun. he's blackmailing you with something, isn't he? what is it!"

"nothing!" you insist desperately.

jun-hee's fingers relax slightly, relief replacing his once panicked motions. yoon-seo steps forward, her stance hesitant as she examines your face carefully, "then its not true, right? you and kyung-jun..."

you pause, faced with your earlier dilemma. if you reveal the reason behind your sudden defensiveness regarding the boy, you risk it all. what if jun-hee was mafia? yoon-seo? jung-won? as much as your heart refused to believe it, it was slowly becoming apparent that the people you could trust was close to zero. in the end, kyung-jun is the only one you can completely rely on. it's best if they believe whatever it is they fear, at least until you can confirm their occupations.

"we are." you mumble, causing jun-hee to flinch, leaning back slightly. you regard each of your friends, unable to bear jun-hee's betrayed eyes, yoon-seo's concerned face, and jung-won's disappointed frown. hastily, you pull away, turning around and walking out of the room.

you rush straight to your room, relieved to find that na-hee was no where in sight. trembling, you pull out your phone and open the mafia app, scanning the names and photos of your classmates in search of a particular person. when you spot woo-ram's name, you click on it and press vote. the announcement crackles to life, but it sounds muffled in your ears, distant. you stumble to your bed, your knees hitting the edge of the mattress. your body falls, hitting the covers, and you can't stop the tears from streaming down your face in warm, fat droplets.

the sun sinks slowly down the sky, dipping past the trees and turning the world dark. other than the rustle of leaves and the chirp of crickets, it's silent, and during the hours you spent locked int your hotel room, it was only ever broken twice.

the first time occurred an hour or so after you broke away from the group. your phone went off three times, one after the other, and when you went to check, three more votes had been counted towards woo-ram. you wondered if it was kyung-jun's doing, and figured it most likely.

the second time was thirty minutes after the previous announcement. this time, however, the votes did not stack against woo-ram's favor. rather, kyung-jun's named appeared, and you felt your heart drop to your stomach when you realized that kyung-jun's actions and bitterness may finally catch up to him. you briefly entertained the thought of finding the boy, seeking him out to ensure that the possibility of his execution was simply that, a possibility, not definitive. but after recognizing that your actions would do more harm than good, you decided to remain in your room, pushing your anxiety aside.

it was an hour or so later, as you're laying curled up on the bed and willing your body to sleep, that a rush of frantic voices slip through the cracks of the door. you slowly lift your body up, straining your ears to listen, recognizing the owners of the sounds. frantically, you stumble towards the door, pulling it open and finding your theory to be correct.

yoon-seo, jun-hee and so-mi open and close the doors around you, calling out woo-ram's name. their eyes are wide, voices growing more and more panicked when the boy they're searching for never appears. dread begins to form in the pit of your stomach.

"what is it?" you question. what could cause such genuine alarm?

jun-hee rushes towards you, his breaths labored. he must have been running around the entire building looking for your classmate, "woo-ram is missing. have you seen him?"

the dread builds, slithering up your chest and constricting your lungs. a thought enters the back of your mind, something that makes your entire body freeze, something you refuse to listen to. he wouldn't, right? kyung-jun may be desperate to survive, but not even he would go through such lengths.

right?

you open your mouth to speak, but your words are interrupted by a voice above.

"IT'S PARK WOO-RAM," it announces. what was he doing in the studio room? and why? the speaker crackles as the boy lets out several deep, heavy breaths, his next words causing a sharp chill to prickle down your spine, "I'M THE MAFIA. I KILLED JOO-YOUNG."

"what's he saying?" so-mi cries, searching each of your faces for an explanation you couldn't provide. what reason could possibly force woo-ram to expose himself?

you think you know the answer, and you're afraid of it.

"that's the studio." yoon-seo realizes, sharing a look with each of you. jun-hee is the first to move, rushing down the hall, followed by yoon-seo, so-mi, and finally yourself. while you run, woo-ram's voice continues from above.

"I WASN'T PLANNING TO DO THAT AT FIRST, BUT I GOT UPSET BECAUSE SHE HUMILIATED ME. BECAUSE SHE ALWAYS BELITTED ME." he pauses, and you hear the shuffle of movement, the quiet suppression of pain. the edges of his voice crack with anguish, and the underlying sound of pure bitterness and hatred, "I WANTED TO KILL HER."

the speaker clicks off.

you finally make it to the studio, your footsteps skidding to a stop in front of the closed door. jun-hee and yoon-seo start banging their fists on the hard metal, yelling woo-ram's name repeatedly. over and over again. at first there's no reply, and you wonder if maybe you got it wrong. maybe it was a recording, and woo-ram was long gone. the only reason he confessed was because the guilt was too heavy to bear. but then you heard it, barely legible over the sound of jun-hee's foot colliding with the door with every powerful kick he delivers to it.

"guys! i'm in here!" he shouts, followed by the telltale sounds of a struggle. like someone had covered his mouth to prevent him from speaking.

without a second thought yoon-seo runs off, returning with an axe gripped tightly in her hands. jun-hee takes it from her possession, pulling it back and swinging the sharp end towards the handle. the loud sound of metal meeting metal causes you to jump, taking a step back, only to collide with another body rather than the wall. you glance back, meeting na-hee's fearful eyes and jung-won's calculative gaze. the sound erupts again, then once more, and finally, the handle hits the floor with a thud. the door swings open.

jun-hee rushes into the room, followed by the rest of your group. you enter last, pausing by the doorway, feeling a mixture of surprise, fear, and something else you couldn't place, like a deep ache in the space between your ribs. kyung-jun, seung-bin and jin-a are backed against the corner of the room, and beside the studio station, woo-ram is slumped against a chair, his limbs bound by ropes, his face bloody, eyes exhausted. a pen sticks out of his thigh, embedded deep inside the flesh.

hesitantly, you meet kyung-jun's eyes, fearful of what you'll find. his usual anger? amusement? would he carefully craft his features into a blank canvas, hiding away the true nature of his intentions? but you find none of those things. on kyung-jun's face, you find something you've never seen before. remorse. kyung-jun was ashamed.

why? what sort of guilt is looming over his shoulder for him to react like that?

"you crazy jerks!" jun-hee shouts, lifting up the axe and falsely swinging it. a threat. the three boys back away slightly, "you're crazy! you're lunatics!"

kyung-jun looks away. refusing to meet your eyes, or anyone's for that matter. yoon-seo and so-mi rush towards woo-ram, one of them untying his restraints and the other pulling the pen out of his leg. he groans in pain, and blood spurts out, soaking his uniform. once he's free, both girls help him out of the chair.

kyung-jun lifts his head at the unsteady movements of your classmate, any sort of guilt or remorse gone without a trace when he lays his eyes upon his bloody form, "who's real crazy here?" he shouts, taking a step forward. he points an accusatory finger at woo-ram, "he's the mafia! he killed joo-young!"

"cut it out." jun-hee seethes.

kyung-jun's eyes sharpen, his voice lowering to a bitter note as he drops his hand, "come to your senses, idiot."

the group ignores him, slowly leaving the room one by one. you step out of the way when yoon-seo and so-mi pass with woo-ram in between them, his body weight supported by their own. jun-hee leaves the room last, and you stand several feet away from the door, hesitating, mind spinning frantically in circles. a part of yourself wanted to follow after them. but another, a more persistent side of you, wished to enter the room, to look kyung-jun in the eyes and ask him why.

your phone buzzes in your pocket, and you hastily reach in and pull it out, opening the mafia app. your heart pounds inside your chest, anxious to see the names displayed in the chat.

woo-ram. it was woo-ram's name. kyung-jun's was no where to be found. despite yourself, relief floods your senses. you got rid of a mafia, and kyung-jun was safe.

laughter, manic and coming out in desperate breaths, echoes in the hallway, urging you to slide your eyes over to the source of the bone chilling sound. woo-ram is on his knees, head hanging low, the motion causing his shoulders to shake. from where you stand, it's hard to tell the difference between laughter and crying.

suddenly, woo-ram swears, his fist meeting the floor in one swift punch, "shoot! i should've killed kyung-jun first." he laughs again, shaking his head, "i'd be an idiot if i just die."

you feel your breath get caught in your throat, any sort of air being forcefully squeezed out of your lungs. the fear trickles back, this time starting in your mind and spreading through the rest of your body.

he lifts his head then, turning around and meeting your eyes. his own are full of hatred, the look of a man who has lost everything, and therefore has no issue in doing whatever it takes to meet his goal. woo-ram stumbles to his feet, his steps shaky and uneven as he rushes towards the studio room.

it happens so quickly then.

the sound of protests from those inside. the crash of disturbed items. when you hear the sound of kyung-jun's labored breaths, you rush to the doorway, just in time to see kyung-jun dodge an attack from a swinging axe. his body collides with your own, the force of the impact causing the both of you to hit the ground. your skin slides against the carpet, a harsh burn lingering even after you push yourself to a sitting position and shuffle back. woo-ram's desperate tone erupts once more.

"i'll kill you before i die!"

kyung-jun copies your movements, scooting back towards the wall opposite of your own. woo-ram limps out of the studio room, trembling fingers dragging the bloody axe against the floor. each step brings him closer and closer towards the boy, his anger growing as the distance gets smaller.

"if it weren't me, someone would kill you." he seethes. he picks up the axe again, flexes his fingers around the handle. you don't think as you get up, "die you jerk!"

just before he brings it down, your hands close around the handle, stopping it from falling. woo-ram is only surprised for a moment before forcing his strength down, and the both of you struggle for a moment. he's strong, but you hold your own with a soft grunt.

"let go you bitch!" he screams

"stop this woo-ram! it's over! don't try to bring kyung-jun down with you!"

"why should it matter? he's a bully! everyone hates him!"

"he's not the one who killed an innocent person!"

"i did what i had to to survive!" he yells.

you falter, his words hitting you like a slap to the face. your hesitation is enough for your grip to slip, and for woo-ram's strength to overpower your own. the axe comes down, his arc crooked, slicing the edge of your shirt and leaving a harsh sting behind. woo-ram shoves you back, and your back hits the wall, causing you to let out a soft groan of pain. he brings the axe up again, but this time something else stops him. a voice.

VOTING IS OVER. PARK WOO-RAM WITH THE MOST VOTES WILL BE EXECUTED.

he lowers the axe, stumbling back. you watch, silently, fearfully, as he slowly lifts the weapon, turning the handle in his hands so the sharp edge faces his body. all it takes is one blink, one second, and the sharp metal slices through delicate flesh and breaks through sturdy bone. something wet hits your cheek, warm and sticky, and you can't hide the sound that leaves your throat at the contact. his body drops down to his knees, then hits the ground, limp and lifeless. blood starts gushing out, quickly, like it was running out of time, and there's so much of it. you didn't think it was possible.

PARK WOO-RAM WAS THE MAFIA.

no one says anything. they barely even move. their eyes stay fixated on the dead body on the ground, the reality of the situation hitting them so suddenly. their beloved friend, someone they trusted, betrayed them. he lied to their faces and pretended to be innocent.

beside you, kyung-jun shakily gets up. you glance over at his face, taken aback by the expression laying there. hurt. it was pure, unfiltered hurt. his breath comes out shaky as he speaks, "see? i told you."

when no one responds, kyung-jun turns away, rushing down the hall and towards the stairs. you only falter for a second before running after him.

his retreating footsteps lead you to the snack bar. as you approach, kyung-jun is halfway through pulling down the shutters, but at the sight of you he stops, pausing only for a second before motioning with his head for you to enter. you come in breathing heavily, mind still spinning, heart still pounding. behind you, you can hear the sound of the shutters hitting the floor and a lock clicking into place.

you watch as kyung-jun straightens, slowly stumbling over to the counter. he throws the keys before staggering to a nearby wall, his back hitting the structure with a soft thud. his body slides down it, all the way until he reaches the bottom, and he lifts his head up, eyes fixated on the ceiling. eerily quiet.

and then it crumbles.

his expression shatters, piece by piece, until all his defenses are nothing more than a memory. you catch the way his lips tremble, his eyes wavering, as if holding back the tears building in the corners of his eyes. to prevent it, he drops his head, pressing his fingers against his forehead as his body shakes staggeringly.

it breaks you, the way he silently breaks down. even now, when there's no one but you around, no one to judge, he tries to hold it in. you want nothing more than to shoulder the burden for him.

hesitantly, you step closer, crouching down in front of him. you lift up your hand, tentatively reaching out to press your fingers against his own. he flinches, much like the first time you touched him, and he lifts his head to meet your eyes.

'how much pain have you been holding onto?' you ask him silently, searching his face for the answer. he looked so small then. a teenager, just like the rest of you, doing what he could to survive. just as woo-ram did. just as you are doing now, 'i see you kyung-jun. i see your pain. i see your heart. why do you hide it?'

you rush forward, throwing your arms around his neck, pulling him into an embrace. his body tenses beneath you, but he doesn't fight it. he doesn't return it either.

"even if everyone is against you..." you begin, doing your best to keep your voice steady, "i'll be on your side."

from above, the music begins, and you hold on tighter, seeing the room darken and feeling your body slowly grow weak. i'll be here, kyung-jun. when you have no one else, you'll have me.

you slump forward, releasing a long sigh, and allow sleep to consume you entirely.

NIGHT HAS COME.