NOW | woosan | ON HIATUS

- 5 -

"What's going on Choi San?"

"I knew it was different this time. That this time is the one. This is NOW."

Wooyoung's gaze fixated on the tattoo etched into his skin. The numbers – which's meaning he had no idea about – danced in front of his eyes with an otherworldly energy. As the memories of their encounters flooded his mind, he felt a wave of disorientation wash over him. His thoughts spun in dizzying circles, unable to grasp the truth hidden within the chaos. What did it all mean? Why were they trapped in this never-ending cycle? And most importantly, how could they break free? Shock claimed him, making him unable to form words for a long while, until San broke the silence.

"Wooyoung?"

"Shut." Was the only thing he was able to press out of his chest.

He had to sit down – more like lay against the car – for a second to process everything that happened in the past minutes, hours, days, weeks, ever since his life stopped feeling like it did before. What he deducted was, nothing he knew to be real was real, and everything he knew not to be real was real. The whole world, the memories he had, the events he lived through, the people he met, none of them were real. The perfect world, where he had his dream job – even if it sucked sometimes – was fake. And what was reality? Having to run from nameless mercenaries who hunted them on a day-night cycle. Having to live in the shadows in fear of being caught, being chased by said killers and being fired at, another person's blood staining your hands – this was supposedly his reality.

"This cannot be real" he muttered while fidgeting with his fingernails. His eyes snapped from left to right, unblinking.

"You just saw how real it is."

"Yes! But for me, that other life was real as well! It was comfortable, it was safe, it was... I had a choice! Here? My only choice is to run or die. Here, I feel more like the subject of a nameless system than how I felt it there" he whined, his voice breaking.

San raised his leg to step closer but backed away, shaking his hands and shoulders to get rid of excessive tension. Wooyoung raised his into San's line of sight with a very visible shaking. His ears were pulled back like a cat's.

"See this? I'm terrified. So badly in fact, even if I wanted to, I wouldn't be able to stand. I– I can't accept the fact that everything was a lie. And for what? What does NOW even mean?"

San crouched down to be on the same level as him.

"Hey, don't panic babe."

"What do you mean don't panic? Ever since I met you I've jumped off of a moving train, got stabbed in my guts – that still didn't completely heal, got drugged, shot two men, probably shot some more since I got blood all over my clothes even as of right-fucking-now, got this weird tattoo on my wrist and memories in my brain that somehow belong to me – even though I don't remember ever experiencing them – and you tell me to calm down?"

San scratched his nape with a confused look. Weird to see him confused when it was totally Wooyoung's turn to be the part.

"Listen I know none of this makes sense."

"That's absolutely right, at least you realize that."

San rolled his eyes. "But just know, this is not the first time this happens. I thought you'd remember that as well and I wouldn't have to explain shit."

Wooyoung clicked his tongue, eyes widening from frustration.

"Don't give me that attitude Mr. Kidnapper!"