checkmate ; xdinary heroes

19.

the next morning when everyone was sitting at the round table in the kitchen, gunil and jungsu were retelling them what they had seen in the streets of the town last night. 

of course they needed to know everything perfectly since they were going to stay here for as long as possible. if the police didn't suspect anything maybe even forever. 

jungsu and gunil had the detailed information written on a paper which was a map of this town. they had ticked all important stores, where they could get some food and clothes and a huge mall in the city center. 

placing the  pen he was holding on one of the streets. ❝this is one of the options.❞ jungsu tapped the pen on the map a few times. ❝me and gunil overheard a conversation. the man in one of the houses here,❞ he then closed his eyes for a brief second, remembering the address. ❝is going to be out tonight. so you can go there. or,❞ he then mentioned a few other houses on different streets where they could go. 

seungmin listened carefully with his chin rested on his palm, switching his gaze between the map in the middle of the table and jungsu who was explaining to not only seungmin but actually all of them. 

supposedly, jooyeon should have been listening too. very carefully in fact because he was the one going with seungmin. yet, the youngest among them seemed to be spacing out ever now and then. 

he kept thinking about the last night. when he and jiseok kissed. back then, his mind was so clouded, he couldn't think straight and just gave in. not being able to get enough of the elder's soft lips. 

and when the morning came, everything was crushed down because as expected, jiseok walked out of his and seungmin's shared room, went in the kitchen, greeted jooyeon who was already there, without mentioning anything about the previous night. saying nothing. not even a single word about the kiss. 

because he simply didn't remember it. 

if there really was something going on between the two of them, if the elder really liked jooyeon, it was just gaon, jiseok's alter ego, who liked him and not jiseok himself. 

till this day, jooyeon wasn't sure about his feelings either. more like, he was in a huge denial. because of knowing what jiseok was doing to survive. and actually, at first, he did like gaon more than jiseok, obviously, that character was literally made by jiseok to be likeable. but as the time passed and jooyeon got to know jiseok, he grew to like him too. he was just not admitting it to himself. 

❝jooyeon!❞ the said boy was snapped back to reality from his pile of thoughts, when his name was called out rather loudly by hyeongjun. he didn't know the elder could yell that loudly. but then he remembered that he was getting angry and yelled like that all of sudden sometimes. 

cracking up an awkward smile, ❝what is it?❞ jooyeon scratched the back of his neck looking around the table at the others. 

❝take this.❞ seungmin slid the small knife on the table towards jooyeon, glancing at him with bored eyes. 

it confused the youngest among them a lot. why would he need a knife. ❝we are not going to kill anyone, right?❞ he stared at the sharp item on the table hesitating to take it. 

❝just fucking take it⸺❞ seungmin rolled his eyes at the younger's action but was not able to finish his sentence as he was cut off by gunil. 

❝for safety.❞ the eldest among them explained briefly and it calmed down jooyeon. so they really weren't giving the knife to murder and it was just for safety. it was still a little bit concerning, as to why would he need it but he decided not to ask any further questions ⸺ knowing damn well he would get yelled at by either hyeongun or seungmin ⸺ and just took the knife, putting it in his back pocket.