Neverland | TOMORROW X TOGETHER

Chapter 3

I stirred awake, inhaling and sighing deeply. A soft morning light filtered through the tent's thin walls. The cool summer morning air pricked my skin, but it was the other survivors' soft chatter that eventually roused me from the few bits of sleep I had. I sat up carefully, wiping my eye and removing an eye booger as I took in my surroundings. So what happened wasn't a dream. I thought. The others were gone, their bags still beside their sleeping bags. Yeonjun, who had fallen asleep facing me the night before, was curled up on his side, his breathing slow and steady.
I sat there for a moment, quietly watching him sleep. The morning light brushed Yeonjun's face in a soft glow, highlighting the curve of his cheekbones and the way his lashes rested against his skin. His messy hair fell slightly over his forehead. My heart beat a little faster than I'd like to admit. It was unfair. It was unfair that he looked so peaceful—so beautiful— even amid all this chaos.
A soft sigh escaped Yeonjun's lips, and a warmth spread through my chest. I swallowed hard, feeling my face heat up. It was ridiculous, wasn't it? To be thinking about him like this when we were surrounded by such an unclear future. But no matter how much I tried to push it down, ignore it, bury it deep, moments like this made it impossible.
I didn't want to leave his side, but the tightness in my chest urged me to move. I unzipped the tent and slipped outside.

The stadium was still. People moved with purpose, sticking close to the people they knew. Most of the survivors were either still asleep or sitting around small makeshift fires. My breath came out in a puff of mist as I stretched my limbs, feeling the internal rumble sound in my head. The boys were sitting around our fire, eating away at their breakfast trays. Taehyun looked up, 'Good morning.' He smiled.
"Morning." I sat down as Kai passed me a tray.
"We saved trays for you two."
"Thanks." I muttered, my mind still lingering on Yeonjun. The warmth of the fire flicked across my face, soothing my skin from the cold. I picked at the small portions on the tray with my spoon. Today's ration was a cup of yoghurt, cut-up pieces of fruit and a cup of water. I mixed my fruit with the yoghurt and nibbled. It wasn't bad, it was a typical breakfast I'd have at home and sometimes at school. It felt quite comforting, giving a small sense of normalcy. The others were quietly talking amongst themselves, giving me time to fully wake up.

"So," Taehyun said between licks of his spoon, "now that it's the next day, what are you guys planning to sign up for today?"
Soobin shrugged, his gaze focused on his spoon, yet distant. "I might help with security. We could use the extra protection and I could use the extra survival tips."
Kai nodded in agreement, scraping the last bits of yoghurt out of his cup. "I was thinking I should help with inventory. You know, keeping track of supplies and stuff. Plus I've always been good at math."
I glanced around the group. If Yeonjun had been awake he'd have chimed in and tossed out some witty remark about how he'd conquer the kitchen and give us ice cream for breakfast.

"Beomgyu?" Taehyun's voice pulled me from my thoughts. I looked up at him.
"Sorry, what were you saying?" I blinked, realising that they were all looking at me.
"What are you signing up for?" Taehyun tilted his head slightly.
I took a sip from my cup. "I still want to help out in the medical wing. I figured I'd make use of what I know. It's good practise for when school starts again."
They stayed quiet for a bit. The mention of school made the air around us thick. None of us knew when or if school would start again.
Kai broke the silence, "That's smart." he nodded. "We need people who know what to do here. You'll do great."
"Thanks." I smiled and ruffled Kai's hair, although my smile felt half-hearted.

The group's renewed silence sank me back into my thoughts. Where was my mother and sister? Were they okay? I'll need to ask civil services if anyone by their names entered. I made a mental note to myself. My mother was fragile and not the most healthiest woman out there. If a horde came after them she would not be able to outrun them for long unlike my sister, who was quite the athlete.

The sound of movement behind me pulled me from my thoughts, and I turned to see Yeonjun stepping out of the tent, squinting against the light. He rubbed his eyes and yawned, his hair even more tousled than before. His face was still soft with sleep, but when his gaze landed on us sitting around the fire, he smiled. The usual, warm and disarming and genuine smile he gave us.
"Morning, guys," he greeted us, his voice a little raspy. He slid down beside me, nudging my side lightly. "Saved me some food?"
I passed him the tray, "The guys were kind enough to save us some food while we were sleeping."
Yeonjun thanked us with a grin and dug into his food, savouring the first bite. 'Oh, this is good.' He groaned in delight.

For a moment, every worry I had faded away—the uncertainty, the fear, the weight on our shoulders of what was happening outside this stadium. It was just the five of us, sitting together around the fire, and for now, that was enough.
Wait. Five?
"Soobin." I began, the boy's head lifted and his eyes met mine. "Where's your friend?" His name escaped me.
Putting his tray down, Soobin said, "Ah, Jumin, he got up before us and signed up for security."
"Him?" Yeonjun raised a brow, "No offence, but he wasn't exactly the bravest in that store."
Soobin shrugged, "I've seen him fight before, he can land a good punch or two." He picked his tray up and got up. "Anyone else finished?"
I watched Kai pick his tray up and pass it to Soobin. Once the tray landed in his hands, Soobin turned around and headed for the food service station. Kai followed suit and headed towards the main service tent.
Taehyun took one last sip from his cup, "They have a shower facility here, you can pick out new clothes too." He pulled the sleeve of the new sweater he was wearing.
"I was wondering where you scraped up your new fit." Yeonjun said.
Taehyun chuckled softly, playing with the sleeve of his sweater. "Yeah, I figured it was time to stop stinking of sweat. You guys should check it out later." He nodded his head towards a stadium exit.
Yeonjun stretched his arms, the weariness still clinging to his body. "I'll probably go after I finish eating. Could use a hot shower to wash off the nightmares." The comment hung in the air, heavier than it should have. We're all experiencing this nightmare, but hearing Yeonjun admit it out loud made the tension from it creep back in. My mind raced back towards the woman at the skate park, her face was so disfigured, yet beautiful with all the petals growing out of her open wounds.

I glanced at Taehyun. His eyes flickered towards the fire, lost in thought. He was holding something back. Knowing Taehyun for as long as I have made me learn that he has a way of analysing things before speaking. The silence stretched out between us for too long and I did not like it.
"Do you guys trust him?" Taehyun broke the silence, his voice soft but deliberate.
Yeonjun turned his head to him, raising a brow. "Who? Jumin?"
"Yeah. I mean..." Taehyun trailed off for a moment, glancing at me and then back at Yeonjun. His voice dropped to a whisper. "You guys were there. In the alleyway by the shop. Something felt off about him."
Yeonjun shifted beside me, his knee brushing mine accidentally, but he didn't move away. I could feel the tension in his body, almost like he'd been waiting for someone to bring this up. His eyes darted between me and Taehyun.
"You know when that horde was walking past us? I saw him inhale and open his mouth. As if he was going to scream. He was trying to get us killed."
"I don't know," I muttered. "This just seems a bit excessive, maybe he was just a little jumpy, but that doesn't mean we should doubt him right away, right?"
Taehyun crossed his arms, leaning forward. "That's not what I mean. Jumpy is one thing. But he was... odd. I know what Yeonjun's talking about and I swear I saw Jumin smirk right after."
I frowned. "Maybe that's just his way of coping. Not everyone reacts the same way. We're all freaked out here."
I watched as Yeonjun's lips pressed together, his usual playful expression slipping away as he considered my words. "You're right," he finally said, "I just think it's weird he signed up for security when he was so eager to jump at the horde and endanger us all."
Taehyun nodded, his gaze sharp. "Exactly. It's like he's trying to get close to the people in charge. Maybe he wants to control something, or he's hiding something."
My shoulders tensed, "This is too much guys. We don't know him. We met him yesterday and you're already making assumptions."
Yeonjun shrugged, running a hand through his hair. "I don't know. But I think we should be careful around him. Maybe keep an eye on him, at least until we know more about him."
My gaze flickered briefly at Taehyun before settling on Yeonjun again. "You don't think he could just be... scared? Maybe he's just trying to survive the only way he knows how?" I wanted to believe the best in people, especially when others voiced their doubts about them. How could I become a doctor if I didn't show empathy for those around me?

After a long pause, Yeonjun stood up and stretched his arms above his head, groaning gently. "I'm gonna go hit the showers. If Jumin is really trying something, we'll figure it out soon enough."
I stood up too. "I'll come with you."
Yeonjun gave me a playful nudge. "What, worried I'll take all the hot water?"
I smiled, a little too wide. "Maybe."
Taehyun motioned his hands towards the stadium exit, "The showers are that way, their clothing stock is right before it and you can take as much as you want." He looked back up at us, "And leave your trays, I'm heading towards the food station myself so I don't mind taking these." He stacked our trays and got up.
We both thanked him and headed towards the showers.