Then I Wake

Chapter 11

Yeosang

"You can't ignore this now." San whispers to me. "Seonghwa was right."

"Fine, I'm sorry. It just seemed too strange..."

"Sorry isn't going to bring Wooyoung or Seonghwa back! Please, we just need to sort this out."

I look over at Changbin, and realise what a fool I've been. He's been among us all this time, never really on our side. And now, I've lost two of my closest friends. How could I be so stupid?

"Everyone get out!" Jongho shouts from the door. "The government are here!"

"We need to get Seonghwa down, do we have time, Jongho?"

He shakes his head. They're too close already.

"Come on, let's go!"

The government agents file in, blocking the doorway. S.Coups' laughter cuts rings out from behind them as they part to let him through.

"Leaving so soon? I heard there was some excitement here, so I thought I'd come and join in on the fun. You don't mind, do you?"

Of course we mind, but answering would only bring him more satisfaction.

How the hell did he know where to find us?

As S.Coups talks, I scan the others for any clues, and spot Dino's eyes flicking to Changbin with a smirk every so often.

Dino. The only other living person to witness Wooyoung's murder. But at least the others can't ignore Changbin now.

So Changbin told them. Which means they'll have a plan. We need to get everyone out, now.

San's clearly thought of this too, and he moves to tell Hongjoong. He nods, and I can see him thinking of a plan to oppose them.

But S.Coups got one first.

He flicks his finger at BSS, the three he often uses to start off a plan. They spring into action, grabbing one person each and holding a gun to their neck, pulling them out of the group.

Seungkwan takes Han.

DK takes I.N.

Hoshi takes Changbin.

"You can only save one of them. The other two will die. Your choice. We don't mind." S.Coups laughs.

Lee Know immediately rushes forward to Han, but Bang Chan holds him back.

"Wait, Lee Know. We can save both Han and I.N if we do it right."

Seungkwan and DK make eye contact for a moment.

We can't save them both. It's impossible.

At least we know we aren't saving Changbin. Makes it a lot easier.

Changbin and I.N make eye contact, too.

Doesn't I.N realise Changbin is not on our side?

Unless...

Mingi

If we try to save both Han and I.N, something's going to go wrong. Someone's got to die.

Lee Know and Bang Chan run forward, taking the government by surprise as they grab both Han and I.N.

They've done it!

Han looks up at Lee Know, then goes limp in his arms. Seungkwan pulls a syringe out of his back, remnants of the purple serum dripping from the needle.

Taking advantage of Lee Know's shock, he takes Han back again, but DK lets I.N go back to us.

"Sorry about that. We knew you wouldn't play by the rules, so we didn't either. All of them had a syringe, it was up to you who got it. You went for Han first, without consulting the others, so he got it."

Lee Know's face falls, "So it's my fault you've got Han. I could've saved him if I'd waited..."

Felix goes to him and puts his arm around him. He's right, but he had no way of knowing. One of them was going with the government anyway.

"Out you go. We're staying here for a while." S.Coups ushers us out, and the government move away to let us go.

I don't want to leave them.

Hongjoong and Bang Chan end up leading us out, realising there's nothing we can do. But we've just left them there, with Changbin, Han, and Seonghwa's dead body. Just before I leave, I remember to check the little light on the camera recording system is on, just like Wooyoung taught me.

And it is. We can track everything they're doing from our apartment, take note of their common actions in case anything like this happens in the future.

By the time we get home, all we can do is collapse in defeat, too exhausted to think of a plan.

The next day.

The doorbell wakes me, a large delivery at our door.

We haven't ordered anything, is this the wrong address?

1117 Crescent Avenue. It's correct.

I drag it in and rip it open, Yeosang joining me.

It's a coffin.

"That's the one we buried Taeyang in." Yeosang's voice is low, "See, I engraved a sun on the lid and that pattern on the sides."

I feel the dread coursing through my veins as I open the lid.

"Oh my God."