[3] Code: REBIRTH || KTH

Ch8: Awkward Silence

Hanseol's POV

"They keep on delaying the court trial," Namjoon says with a defeated sigh as we walk out of Sarang's room, "It's been a month since they promised to revise the Code laws, but of course they didn't actually do anything until our lawyers proposed it at court."

"The good thing, though," He adds as he grabs the remote and turns on the TV, "Is the amount of supporters we gained. They stand outside court at every trial with signs and chants. It's like one of those national cases that go viral throughout the country."

"Wow," I say to myself as I watch the news, showing footage of the gatherings outside the courthouse during the trials.

"We also have a lot of volunteers now." Namjoon sits down on the couch, elbows resting on his knees. "And a whole lot of interns who'll be permanent employees eventually. One of them really stood out to me, his name is Jung Hoseok. I met him at the protests at the camps. He said he knew you."

"Yeah." I sit beside him. "He was the receptionist at the Code: RED Shelter who went missing, remember? Turns out he was Jin's accomplice and helped with the break out."

"What a small world," Namjoon mutters under his breath.

We watch the TV in silence for a few minutes before he speaks up.

"How are you doing with Taehyung?" He asks.

"He's looking for a job," I reply, my mind drifting back to the conversation with Taehyung in the car, "When was the last time you saw Taehyung?"

He thinks for a second, "When he brought you here? I think. And before that, he came to my house right after the riot started, talking about some list of humans they won't hurt or something like that."

"Oh," I let out. Why didn't he want to tell me about this? It doesn't sound like such a big deal.

Taehyung walks out of Sarang's room, and I turn around at the sound of his footsteps. His eyes are red and his hands are trembling, but he casually crosses his arms in an attempt to hide it.

Namjoon seems to notice it, too, as he side glances at me for a second before looking back at the TV screen, pretending to be clueless.

"Can we leave now?" Taehyung asks with a straight face.

On our way back home, I hold back from asking him about what he and Sarang talked about, about why he looked like he was crying, because I realised that I was asking too much lately, and he's been dodging questions too much, so I must be making him feel uncomfortable.

If he wants to tell me, he will, I think to myself as I lie in bed at night, staring at the ceiling, wondering if he'll come and tell me that I'm feeling cold so he lies beside me, but he doesn't. So maybe he doesn't like me as much as I thought he did. Maybe he doesn't like me at all. What does he see me as? Is the last thought in my head before I drift off to sleep.

"You really think you escaped from me?"

The ground is rough beneath my skin as I dig my fingers in to keep myself from falling down. I slowly lift up my head to take a look at the owner of the voice, but it's so dark and I can't see a thing.

"You really think it's over?" He asks, his voice sending shivers down my spine.

My body trembles. It's so cold. I'm wearing the white dress again. I can't breathe.

I gasp for air as I open my eyes, looking around me frantically. My heart beats violently as I clench and unclench the bedsheets, my breaths finally slowing down as I realise I'm safe. I'm home and I'm in bed and I'm safe.

My bedroom door opens and I turn my head quickly, my eyes falling on Taehyung standing by the door.

"Are you okay?" He asks warily.

"I don't know," I let out in a shaky voice, looking back up at the ceiling.

It's been more than a month since I've left that place, and I still get nightmares about it every few nights. Will it ever stop?

"Do you want me to stay?" He asks, fiddling with the doorknob.

I'm making him uncomfortable. "No," I say, "Go back to sleep."

"I wasn't sleeping." He shrugs, walking inside my bedroom, "And I know you don't always say what's on your mind so, do you want me to stay? For real?"

I hesitate before answering. "Only if you're comfortable with it."

He lets out a small chuckle as he walks towards my bed. "And I was thinking I was making you uncomfortable."

"Why would you make me uncomfortable?" I ask, sitting on the bed and moving to the side to give him some space.

He sits down on the bed, shrugging again. "Back at the prison, you were scared of me and... I'm... scared of making you scared of me again."

Is that why he's been distant?

"I'm not scared of you," I say in a low voice, lying back down on bed and looking up at him.

He nods before lying on his back, and we both stare at the ceiling in awkward silence. My brain nudges me to say something, but I hold back again like I did all day, and instead close my eyes in an attempt to go back to sleep.

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A/N: fun fact: Taehyung visiting Namjoon to ask him about joining them and being on the list is hinted at in book 2, Code: RIOT, chapter 3