Nidra || HEEJAY

CHAPTER 24

"What a day." Said Jake as he threw out a body into a river.

The fast flowing waters of the Neo River quickly took the body away, wiping all details of that poor man's existence.

Jay hummed in agreement as Sunghoon sat on the hood of the car, his head in his arms. "I'm sure he won't be missed." He said.

It was a pink evening.

The sky was stained like a dianthus, darkening into purple at the horizon while clouds hid the settling Sun which cast a orange halo around it.

Sunghoon lit a cigarette and put it in his mouth with a grunt, breathing in the wispy smoke with relief. The ash fell lightly on his sleek party shirt, staining it.

Jay leaned on the car while Jake just put his hand of the railing of the bridge they were on, looking down at the waters.

"Isn't this our dream?" Jake spoke.

Jay stiffened visibly at those words, causing the other two to look at him. "Anything wrong, Jay?" Jake asked, his voice laced with worry.

Jay hesitated, he was not sure if he was to put such worries on them. But then again, he couldn't work together if he had individual problems.

They were his true friends after all, they will help him. Also, they would easily be able to tell if he was lying.

"Heeseung is not sure of what we're doing." The blonde said, taking the cigarette from Sunghoon, "He's even confusing me, I guess" He said with a puff of smoke.

There, he said it.

"What are you saying?" Jake said, his tone showing that he was on the verge of shouting at the other, "You're not making sense."

At this, Jay just shrugged lightly, not scared of his friend, "Remember I said that the devil inside him would prove beneficial to us?"

"But now that devil seems to be dying, it's seems to breaking. I don't know why that's happening but we just have to take our measures."

Take measures to convince him to stay, threaten him to listen.

Odd silence fell over all three, the lazy grey smoke twirling like ribbons in front of their eyes. The pink sky was shading itself into another colour, that of deep violet as they thought.

No one said anything that day, even in the car and at the base. Jay didn't want to think much about it, hoping stupidly that neither of the two would do what they would have to.

For some reason, he prayed that if Heeseung ever plans to leave, his two friends would let him go.

Let him go back to normalcy, safely.

But that again, is just foolish hope.

**********

Sunoo didn't even know why he sat there, next to a traitor.

And what he didn't understand even more was why he gave his woollen coat to the boy who was still shivering without a shirt.

He should want him to just freeze into a popsicle.

But then again, Sunoo wasn't the type to let people die, more over a person whom he thoroughly liked. He nudged the sweater to the other, who gingerly took it and covered up.

"Don't you want me to freeze?" Asked Ni-ki, his voice somehow even more raspier than usual.

Sunoo curtly replied, "The coat is for that boy who helped me in the office, even though I'm not sure how much of him exists in real life."

This Ni-ki, the original one, though similar to the one he knew, was still very much different.

His features were much more stronger, his eyes filled with greater despair and malice. His usual aura of joy and love was gone, completely extinct.

It was like someone possessed him.

"Well, I do eat a lot." Ni-ki said softly. Sunoo felt a laugh come out of his throat, maybe this boy was still somewhat the same.

He turned to him, feeling a tiny bit better, but the edge of the wave of Ni-ki's tattoo caught his eye. The sadness was immediate and importance of duty rushed in later.

He's a criminal, catch him.

Sunoo moved quick, but Ni-ki was way more faster. The handcuffs he pulled out dangled in his hand, creating a horrid music in the empty air.

"What- Ah, yes. Why did I not expect you to do this?" Ni-ki clicked his tongue, "But I'm not in the mood to get caught." And with that he took off running, towards wherever he originally is from.

'Good, leave me.' Sunoo thought.

Even if it did hurt, this was a good thing.

Ni-ki was running away from this sickly sweet illusion he created, throwing Sunoo away from the counterfeit wonder-land he was in.

Yes, it hurt like a bitch. But at least it was real, the bright light was no longer there to blind him, to make him a fool.

And when the world adjusted to his view, dimming down, he couldn't help but fall onto the cold ground, in a mentality that was deprived of Ni-ki's hoax glow.

He fell to the ground in the glory of the broken Sun.

Cold and harsh.

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I can't believe the fact that we're closer to the end of 2021 than the beginning of the year