so far away (a haesoo fanfic)

Chapter 3: Calm

"LET GO OF ME"

"Please..."

"You're going to beg me again? Is that all you can do? I won't give in this time."

"I'm so sorry, but please... hear me out... you're-"

"Yeah, if I'm so beautiful, then why? WHY?"

"We went through so much, we shouldn't give up now..."

"You don't understand! Every moment with you... I'm hurting myself... I can't even remember why we try..."

She jolted awake just as she tried to jerk her hand away from him.

The room was pitch black. She unclenched the bedsheets and wiped away a stray tear, gritting her teeth as she tried to compose herself hastily. She sat up as quietly as she could and checked if she had woken up any of her roommates, but they were all sound asleep. She leaned back and sighed. It was a big day tomorrow, and she couldn't afford losing sleep over something like this.

She stared down at her hands and whispered, "why now?"

The uneasy feeling in her chest told her that she probably wouldn't be able to enjoy the luxury of sleep tonight. She got up and exited the quarters to the common area outside.

She had barely sat down when she was alerted by a tap on the door. She stared at the door for a few seconds. Then it came again. Soft but insistent taps. The taps suddenly turned into rapid knocks. She stood up and walked towards it, hearing a muffled voice outside. It may be an emergency; in which case they would have to be notified according to protocol. Other than that, there was no other reason for anyone to be outside at this time of the night. She bit her lip and hurriedly made sure she was presentable. No matter to superior or to subordinate, she wanted to make sure that she acted professionally. Despite having been trained for it, being green to this position of authority still made her nervous.

She quickly unlatched the door and twisted the doorknob.

Two men. Both in uniform. One with his backpack.