August 27th - Day 7
"What do you mean it's gone?" Ms. Jeong repeats, staring at her son, then to you.
"He took it." Yunho explains. You can tell he's about to lose it.
"Why was it even here!?" She exclaims. Sana shifts uncomfortably beside you, trying to block out the argument with the noise of her pottery wheel.
"Because we were going to trade it." You state. If we want her to be honest with us, we have to start being honest with her. "We were going to trade the tape and Yeonjun for Haeji." Ms. Jeong shakes her head, taken aback by your confession.
"Wow." She lets out, standing up to move away from you.
"It's better with him than the police." Yunho argues.
"Yes, well, the police...well, they'd just arrest me. But now that it's with Insu, he's never going to let me leave, is he?" She mutters, laughing at her predicament. "I thought, up until a few minutes ago, you'd all been stupid enough to turn it into the police. I figured I hadn't been arrested because they hadn't found me. But you didn't, did you?"
"We wanted to get Haeji back." Yunho says.
"I guess I'm just stuck in this hell hole forever." She scoffs, tossing a slab of clay she'd grabbed onto a wheel. Angrily, she starts to spin it, digging her finger into the center.
"Unless...we get it back?" You say despite your better judgment. You can practically hear Mr. Oh's morality lecture playing on loop somewhere in the depths of your mind.
"That's true. I guess I could start searching..." Ms. Jeong considers, reaching for one of her tools.
"Or you can finally give up. Serve your time and start over." Yunho says to himself under his breath. Ms. Jeong looks at him but doesn't answer. He sighs, finishing putting away the rest of his stuff.
"You can't even own up to any of it, can you?" You throw at her. She takes her foot off the wheel, watching as her son and Sana both make a swift exit.
"You should go."
"No! You put us through all this, and for what? So you can get your hands on some stupid art pieces?"
"I didn't put you through anything! You never had to be involved!"
"But we have to do the right thing!"
"Oh, and in your many years of wisdom, please share with me the 'right thing' to do. Because clearly–ha, clearly, I missed that lesson ages ago." She finishes, throwing her tool onto a tin tray.
"I'll go." You say. Your footsteps land heavy on the floor as you reach the open door. But before you can leave, it's slammed in your face. You look through the window to see Jean-Pierre on the other side, turning his key in the lock. Pressing down firmly, you wiggle the door handle to no avail. "What are you doing!?" You shout at him, and he looks around the hall, concerned.
"Kagero told Insu about the recording devices." He must've seen us burying them... "He's locking everyone down until he's found everything you brought." No, no, no! All the names... The conversations!
"You don't have to listen to him! Please, just let me go! I can find them faster than he'll be able to!"
"Shortie, I'm sorry!"
"I thought we were friends!"
"We are! But Insu can't know of it, which means I still have to do what he asks of me!" You sigh, giving up on the handle.
"Can you get them then!?" You shout, and Jean-Pierre freezes.
"N-no! I don't think I should do that!"
YOU ARE READING
Paradigm | ATEEZ x Reader
Fanfic"I was wondering if you could air something for me?" The boy asks, handing a piece of paper to Yunho. "Hey, I know you," Wooyoung starts looking at the boy closer, definitely invading his personal bubble, "You're Changbin's best friend, aren't you...
