Lucid

Chapter 7

POV: Fixer
"Another fine mess." I say to myself, as I shower back at my house. I was coming back from a hike when I would have sworn a building fell on me. It was actually just near me, but it felt very personal. I did take the time to help clean things up, though. Everyone I found was still alive, which made my day a surprising bit better. I got some odd looks for using grenades in a rescue, but they couldn't argue with my results. But I left early, so they they couldn't argue at all. The water running down is filled with dust, grime, and concrete flecks that had been trapped in my hair, and it felt wonderful to be free of the dusty feeling in my eyes. It was nice, being charitable again. I had spent so long just taking care of myself, working to solidify what I had. Now, I had time to use all the money, resources, and connections I had built up over the last year and a half. I didn't want to pick up public service, I had done enough of that. But helping others was something I'd never get tired of.

POV: Wonyoung
It was late, and we had returned to our dorms. I was in bed, watching a video of our most recent Love Dive stage. Part way through, I hear a knocking at my door. Sitting up, I push my blanket aside and call out, "Yes? Come in" Rei enters, and stands before me.
"Yes?" She asks me, which I don't understand.
"What is it?"  Now, she's also confused.
"You texted me." She says, pointing to her phone in her hand
"No I didn't." I definitely didn't text Rei. She pulls out her phone, and opens her texts to show a text from me saying, 'can you come to my room please?'
"That wasn't me." We both stop a moment, not sure what do say now. Then, I hear another knock. We both look over at the door, but it's open, and no one is there. There's a knock again, and I realize this time it's not from the door- it's from the window behind me. Turning around, I see a dark figure leaning against the wall of our apartment, which is twenty floors in the air. Rei gasps, shocked as I am to see someone outside my window. The figure turns again, rapping a knuckle against the window. I realize now it's Fixer, suspended from a rope. I quickly lean over to the window and open it, and he nods.
"Thanks. May I come in?"

POV: Rei
Wonyoung nods apprehensively, and moves aside. He pushes himself off the wall, then slides into the room, and sits down on Wonyoung's bed. Taking his boots off to avoid dirtying the room, he nods to each of us. "Good evening. How are you?" He asks quietly, probably to avoid bothering the others.
"I'm good." I say. I don't know if he heard me, I was really quiet. He makes me nervous, not in a way that's his fault but I don't know him well. At all, really.
"I'm alright." Wonyoung replies. She sits down next to him, about a foot away, the places her hands in her lap and looks at him.  "I never got the chance to really thank you last time. I don't know how you found him, but it feels a lot better that there's no more stalker. I felt really nervous every time I remembered someone knew where we live." He nods, understandingly.
"I'm glad I was able to help. It wasn't really difficult." Wonyoung looks down at her lap again, and I can tell she's uncertain.
"Yeah, but President Lee said you were really busy and I feel like it won't really help you at all." He thinks about that for a moment, then a small smile spreads across his face as he looks at Wonyoung, then replies
"Most of my jobs don't help me much. But I can tell how much it means to you, so it was worth the positive effect it had in your life." He emphasizes 'your', and I can tell what he means. Wonyoung blushes. Hold on. A tall man, sitting on her bed and she's sitting next to him, blushing? I think I've seen this drama. But, apparently he can hear me think because next, he stands up and walks towards me. "I handled your issue. You'll be good for a few years, and they won't cause any issues unfairly again. It was just some people using their power to exploit people for money." I grin, excited.
"It's done? I won't have to worry about leaving? We can keep planning for the future of the group?" I smile wide, finally relieved. He smiles as well, and I suddenly understand why Wonyoung was blushing. Something about his smile, and the way he gazes into your eyes with that calm, happy look, it just makes you feel... I can't even describe it. At peace? That's close. But with more energy.

When I emerge from my thoughts, I realize I have my hands at my waist as I stare down at them, blushing. Almost identical to her, too. I'm not the only one who realizes this, because he suddenly turns to look at Wonyoung for a moment, before looking back at me. "Hm." He says, noting the strange coincidence. "I made sure to knock this time, you know. Admittedly, I knocked on the window, but you never said it had to be the door I knocked on." Wonyoung giggles, and I can't help but also smirk. He's funny, I'll admit.
"Will you be showing up at my window more often from now on?" Wonyoung asks him, slyly. Bold of her. He eyes her, and smirks.
"Only when you least expect it." Good comeback. I can't quite tell with Wonyoung, if she's really acting like this or if this is her "performance," to seem cute. Either way, I don't really like to watch. But there's no way I'm leaving Wonyoung alone here with a boy, so I'll have to be the responsible one for tonight.

"So, is that all you needed to talk about?" He turns from Wonyoung, and nods to me.
"I think that's the gist of it. Why? You got more work for me?"
"No. Just wondering." I almost asked why he decided to show up in person, instead of just texting or calling or anything else, but I decided not to at the last moment. I don't mind that he showed up, in a way. "Oh, by the way. Were you in Gwanjing earlier?" He grins, then nods. He likes to mod before answering.
"Yeah, I was. Why? Is there still dust in my hair?" His hair looks clean, but I can see Wonyoung reach up and grab a strand, and run it through her fingers. Gosh, this flirt.
"No, but-" maybe I shouldn't mention it was me who saw him. I probably only noticed because I was thinking about him at the time. "Hyunseo- or, Leeseo, spotted you in a live stream of the rescuers."
"Yeah, I was in the area so I figured I'd lend a hand. I'm fine, of course. Buildings are large, easy to dodge." I don't think that's how that works. Suddenly, we all turn as one when someone knocks on Wonyoung's door.

I had closed it when Fixer came in, and I had stopped paying attention to if people could hear us talking or not.
"Wonyoung? Rei? Are you in there?" We both freeze, as Fixer slowly rises to his feet.
"Yes, we're here." Replies Wonyoung.
"What is it Unnie?" I ask, hoping the nervousness isn't obvious in my voice.
"I wanted to ask you about something. Can I come in?" I look back at the two of them, eyes wide in panic. Fixer moves to the door, then gestures for Wonyoung to open the window again.
"One second Unnie! We're-" i take a second to look around the room, then grab ahold of a shirt on her desk. "We're changing!" I start to unbutton my pajama top, to make it look realistic, before freezing. Fixer is standing next to me, looking me in the eyes with an unreadable expression. I'm looking back at him, my eyes probably the size of a basket ball. Wonyoung looks at me, about the same. Without breaking eye contact, he gives me a wink and a two fingered salute, then turns and look at the window. Silently sprinting towards the window, he dives forward and just barely makes it over Wonyoung's bed and through the gap. I don't bother to say anything, After all, this isn't the first time I've seen him jump off a building.

"You can come in unnie!" I say, and Gaeul throws open the door and looks around the room.
"I thought I heard a voice." Wonyoung nods, and looks confused.
"Yeah, we were talking. Is something wrong?" She casts another eye around the room, before reaching over and re-buttoning my shirt.
"No. Just,...   had an odd feeling." She walks towards the door, but stops and turns around. "Whose boots are those?" She asks, pointing at the large pair of grey boots fixer had left behind after his rather urgent departure. Oops.
"Mine. I was trying them out for a new style. What do you think?" Wonyoung asks innocently.
"You might want to get them a bit smaller. Goodnight, sorry to bother you." She closes the door and leaves, and I turn back to Wonyoung. 
"Why did you leave boots out? You should have given them back!" I whisper-scream.
"Maybe I would have if you hadn't started stripping in front of him!" Hearing her describe it like that, I remember it all painfully, and I probably blushed so deep I looked like a pomegranate. I cover my face with my hands, embarrassed beyond belief. "Sorry. I didn't mean it like that." I shake my head, still unable to even look at her from how insane I was. Why did I get so distracted? How can I look at him again? Will he remember that every time he sees me now? How could he not? Wonyoung leans over and puts her arm around me to comfort me. "I'm sure he won't even remember anything about it next time." She's just trying to make me feel better, but at least she's trying. "How about this. Next time I see him, I'll do something even worse. That way, you seem more normal. Just as long as you chill out, and don't cry." I wasn't crying, although I had considered it. But seeing Wonyoung embarrass herself like that would be fun.
"Promise?" She stammers.
"Well, let's not go too far yet."

A/N- yes, the picture up top is actually Wonyoung's dorm room. It's from the same video tour as the other pics