Lucid

Chapter 17

POV: Wonyoung
We were alone in our dorm, finally. The producer had just left, giving us a bit of homework to do during our spare time. I sat back, leaning on the couch, resting a moment. It was nice to take some time to just do what I want-
'Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock."
Of course.
"Who is it?" Asks Yujin, walking to the door. I see her glance through the view hole, then suddenly turns and leans against the door. Is she.. blushing? She turns, and opens the door.

"G'Morning." Says Fixer, walking in with a smile.
"Annyeonghaseyo." from Liz.
"Hey Fixer." From Hyunseo
"Good Morning!" From Rei
"Hi." From Gaeul.
"How are you?" I ask, timidly. I don't know why I seem so nervous but I can tell I sound scared.
"I'm doing well. What about all of you? I assume you got your time off?"
"We did, three weeks off and a week of only light work." He nods happily.
"I'm glad your company decided to give you some time off. You should have time to rest after the stress you've been through recently." I share a glance with a few of the girls, before asking,
"And you... had nothing to do with that?" He tilts his head.
"What makes you think I did something about it?" Yujin pulls out her phone and says
"Well.... Our manager sent us this picture." She says, showing the knife in the CEO's desk. Seeing it, Fixer smiles.
"Oh, yeah. I left him a note, saying what I think he should do. Plus I had to make sure it didn't get blown away." Yujin rolls her eyes, but I think she's happy he helped.
"I appreciate you helping us get our time off." I say. I want to make sure he knows we're grateful, even if some of them are sarcastic.
"I'm happy to help."
"So, what should we do with our time off?" Asks Liz, sounding excited. I was about to ask about that, before Fixer arrived.
"We should go to Lotte World! I've been thinking about going for a while now." Rei says, suddenly sounding way more energetic.
"Ohhhh, yes! I want to go!" Shouts Hyunseo.
"That sounds fun!" And here I thought Yujin was going to be responsible. But here comes Gaeul, to remind us.
"I don't think we can. The managers are busy, handling the new schedule. Plus, we don't have a driver or tickets." I can see Yujin, Rei, Hyunseo, and also Liz slouch a bit when she points that out. It's a bummer.
"I'll get it."

Fixer cuts in, hand raised. "I can drive you, and get you tickets. And I'm sure your managers will be alright as long as I'm nearby you all." Once again, the girls start nearly jumping for joy- except Gaeul, who sideyes Fixer.
"And why would you do that?" She asks loudly, and everyone freezes and looks at her.
"Why wouldn't I?" He responds. Every time they interact, it's like fire and ice. She's always cold to him, but very reasonable. He's much more cheerful, but doesn't always make as much sense. It's only around Fixer that Gaeul is like this, I wonder why.
"It's a lot of money, plus time. Aren't you busy?"
"Shhh! Stop that!" Rei says, fake-whispering, attempting to get Gaeul to stop trying to convince him not to help.
"Sometimes I am. But I've spent quite a while being busy and earning money. Now, I have time and money to spend. If I wasn't going to spend it doing something I like, what's the point of saving it in the first place?" He shrugs, his logic obvious. Plus, he likes spending time with us! Or he wants to go to a theme park. That could also be it.
"Fine." Gaeul stands up, and walks towards her bedroom. "Let's get dressed, we should head out soon so we have enough time."

Time skip- 20 minutes

POV: Fixer
Luckily, I had the foresight to bring a larger car this time. It wouldn't have been very helpful if I had brought the Pagani. I was waiting out front, sitting in the car when I saw the girls walk out. They're in masks and hats, and to be honest I can't tell them all apart. Gaeul has short hair, so I can tell her. I'm not sure who's Liz and who's Rei, because they both have their hair in hats. I'm pretty sure that's Leeseo. Wonyoung..... yeah that's Wonyoung, Yujin is behind her. Ok. Got it. Oh, Gaeul is getting in the front seat, that's not good.
"Alright, sit down and strap in." Once I see everyone is strapped in, I push into drive and start moving. Gaeul turns to face me, but suddenly Leeseo cuts in.
"What kind of car is this?" I don't know if that was intentional or accidental, but either way, thank you. I also do love talking about my cars, so I'm happy to answer.
"This is a Kia Carnival Minivan, modified with Carbon Kevlar and Titanium armor plating. Carries eight, and can withstand a land mine, anti-tank rocket, or an indirect hit from up to a 190mm howitzer shell." She nods, excitedly.
"Wow! What else does it have?" Now, she gets me.
"It carries two light machine guns, an anti-missile chaff system, laser target designator, and can get a mounted .50 caliber machine gun turret on top." Now that I think about it, I should really get a new axle for this one. I have a feeling if I try to put on full acceleration it'll snap.
"Very nice. I have a question, though."
"Sure, what?" Maybe while I'm at it I should make some adjustment to the suspension so it rides smoother, it's a bit bumpy.
"Why do you constantly show up when we're needing something? Are you trying to make us feel like we owe you?" Huh? I turn to look back at Leeseo, but she's pointing at Gaeul. Oh, that explains it. I face front again, and glance at her after a moment.
"This question again, I see."
"Yes. You still refuse to answer me."
"You sure about that? As I recall, last time I told you. Then you told me to leave the room."
"Well, tell me again." She seems confrontational, but I suppose it's just protectiveness.
"Alright, everybody listen up!" I shout to the whole car, getting everyone to listen. "If you feel like you owe me, don't. If you feel indebted to me, don't. If you feel like you want to do something for me in return, don't. Understood?" Everyone looks at me, confused. "That's all, go back to what you were doing." I check my place in the road, then look at Gaeul again. "Happy?" She rolls her eyes, shrugs, and crosses her arms, then looks out the window. I guess she doesn't like my way of dealing with things. Then again, if she doesn't like how I fix things, she won't like me much at all, given my name and my job. At the very least, we don't fight for long. I'll work on it.

I can see Liz and Rei, eyeing me from the middle row. I look at them in turn, and they both look away. Oh, but now I think they're looking at each other, and I'm pretty sure they disagree because they're glaring. I should focus on the road, but at the same time, I want to see where this is going. I tap the car into autopilot, and focus my attention on the sudden debate. I try to avoid listening in, but i can easily hear them whispering above Leeseo's head about if I'm annoying or funny. Rei thinks I'm quite funny, and thinks my statement is proof that I'm supportive of them willingly. Liz thinks the way I'm always talking down to them is annoying, and thinks I won't keep my word about not expecting anything of them. Yujin and Wonyoung are sitting behind them, and they're engrossed in watching this as well. They go back and forth for a few minutes, until eventually Leeseo cuts in.
"Maybe, you should talk about this some time when not every person here is listening?" dragging their attention away, they glance around and notice the way that every person in the car is watching them in some way. They both blush, and stare out their windows, embarrassed. Thankfully, we soon arrive, and everyone climbs out.

"Alright, listen up. Don't wander too far, tell me if you want to split off, and keep your covers on. Also, let me know if you spot someone following you or if anything feels off. And of course, follow my two rules- have fun, don't die." I shut my door, and start walking towards the building as the car pulls away behind me to go park itself. I check behind me, and yes, everyone is there. "Ok, do me a favor, try to stick to your usual pairs. I would really appreciate that." Liz moves and walks next to Rei, Yujin is already with Wonyoung, and Leeseo goes over to Gaeul. "Perfect." They're talking amongst themselves, and I take a moment to check my information feed. Nothing new about the bomb threat, no major criminal activity, no new wars, no large terror attacks. Seems like the warmongers, terrorists, and general scum and villainy of the world are taking a day off along with me. But enough of that. We reach the main doors, and I hand the tickets out as they walk past me. Heading inside, I simply brace myself a bit, because I have no idea how this is going to go.