Swapped by fate

chapter 11

Nami's pov

The room they gave me wasn’t half bad. Small, sure. A bed, a desk, and a window that let in just enough sunlight to remind me I wasn’t stuck in some underground dungeon anymore. At least there was that. But the boredom? It was going to be the death of me.

Thankfully, Felix came through with a stack of books, saving me from losing my mind. And not just some random picks either. Dude actually asked what I liked. When I half-joked about wanting “anything that isn’t a how-to-survive-a-kidnapping guide,” he laughed and brought me a mix of thrillers, mysteries, and fantasy. He seemed to care about how I was doing, even though the others clearly had bigger plans going on.

Felix was... different. Chatty in a way the others weren’t. Not annoyingly friendly, but also not distant like Hyunjin. Felix would pop by to check in, tell me random stories, crack a joke or two. He had this way of making everything feel way less serious, even though, technically, I was still a prisoner.

I was stretched out on the bed now, one of those murder mysteries open on my lap. It was good, but even a solid book couldn’t stop my brain from wandering to everything else.

Mainly, Hyunjin.

Ever since they moved me from the basement, he’d been MIA. Like, I hadn’t seen him in *days*. At first, I figured he was just busy. But now, it felt intentional. Like he was going out of his way to avoid me.

And of course, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Ugh.

It didn’t make sense. It wasn’t like we were tight or anything. He was hardly Mr. Friendly, so why did it bother me so much? Why did it feel like he was avoiding me on purpose?

I closed the book with a sigh, tossing it aside. Maybe it was for the best. The less I saw of him, the better, right? He wasn’t exactly the cuddly type. And yet, here I was, lying in bed, *thinking* about him.

Great. *Super* healthy, Nami.

I had bigger problems to focus on. Like how I was going to get out of here, or why they thought I was this girl, Lara Kato. Spoiler alert: I wasn’t. And they knew that by now, right?

A knock on the door pulled me out of my spiraling thoughts. “Come in,” I called, sitting up.

Felix poked his head in, a new book in hand. “Hey, brought you something fresh. Figured you might be done with the others by now.”

I grinned. “You’re a freaking lifesaver. I was starting to go nuts.”

He handed me the book, leaning against the desk with his arms crossed. “How you holding up?”

I shrugged, glancing at the finished stack of books on the desk. “Better now that I’ve got something to do. But seriously, how long are you guys gonna keep me here? This can’t go on forever.”

His expression shifted, like he was trying to pick his words carefully. “We’re still... working on a few things. It’s complicated.”

“Complicated how? I’m *not* who you think I am. You know that now, right?”

Felix sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, we’re starting to piece things together. Trust me, I get it. This whole situation is messed up. But it’s not my call.”

“Let me guess—Hyunjin?”

He gave me a crooked smile. “Bingo.”

I rolled my eyes. “Of course it is. He’s the one in charge, huh? So where is he? I haven’t seen him in *forever*.”

Felix hesitated before shrugging. “He’s... around. Just busy with other stuff.”

“Busy *avoiding* me, you mean,” I muttered, picking at the book cover.

Felix raised an eyebrow, like I wasn’t wrong, but didn’t want to admit it. “Maybe. Or maybe he’s just trying to keep his head clear. You’ve gotta understand, he’s not exactly used to... this.”

“Used to what? Kidnapping random people?”

Felix winced, like that hit harder than I meant it to. “Fair point. But no, that’s not it. He’s just—he’s not great with emotions. You being here? It’s throwing him off his game.”

I blinked. “Wait, what? What do you mean?”

Felix chuckled softly, shaking his head like I wasn’t getting the joke. “Hyunjin, he’s... complicated. He doesn’t do well with getting close to people. Freaks him out. He’s got a lot going on in that head of his.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Like what? Is he scared I’m gonna mess up his evil mastermind plans?”

Felix’s smile faded, his tone getting quieter. “Maybe. Or maybe he’s scared of something else.”

That made me pause. Felix was usually pretty straightforward, but now he was being all cryptic. “What does that even mean?”

He avoided my eyes, looking almost guilty. “It’s not really my place to say. But don’t take it personally. He’s dealing with a lot. We all are.”

I leaned back against the wall, frowning. “You guys really think this Mr. Kato dude is gonna expose you if you let me go?”

Felix paused, then nodded. “It’s a risk. We’ve got a lot riding on this, and if things blow up...”

“Yeah, I get it. Covering your tracks.”

“Something like that.” He shot me a small smile, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes this time.

I rubbed my temples, feeling the headache creeping in. “This whole thing is such a disaster.”

Felix laughed, but it was dry. “You’re telling me.” He pushed off the desk, heading for the door. “Just hang in there a little longer, okay? I’ll keep the books coming. And who knows... maybe Hyunjin will stop ghosting you.”

I rolled my eyes, though a small part of me wondered. “Yeah, sure. I’m not holding my breath.”

Felix shot me a knowing look before disappearing, the door clicking softly shut behind him.

I sat there, staring at the closed door. Felix’s words played over in my head. *Hyunjin’s scared of something else.* What the hell could that mean? What was he scared of?

Shaking my head, I grabbed the new book and flipped it open, trying to focus on something else. Anything else. But even as the words blurred in front of me, I couldn’t help but wonder what was really going on with Hyunjin.

Why he was keeping his distance. Why he was acting so... weird.

Because if I was being honest? The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to know.

To be continued...