The Red Thread of Fate || Wen Junhui

➶ five ➴

While the others have to stay behind and help clean up from dinner, Jisoo takes me to my room.

Sungcheol was a bit hesitant of the idea at first. He said that cleaning up the table was always a group effort, but after taking one good look at me, he decided that I was too much of an exhausted wreck to help out.

"This is where you'll be sleeping." Jisoo says. "With us."

Jisoo stops in front of a door painted a pale shade of yellow. The names taped to the door are those of the Defense Unit: Junghan, Jisoo, Jihoon, Seokmin—with a drawing of a grinning sun beside his name—and Seungkwan.

Those last two names catch my eye the most. Seungkwan and Seokmin.

"Um, Jisoo? Was Sungcheol actually serious about everyone needing ear plugs because of those two?"

He nods and opens the door. "Yep, he's serious. We already left a pair on your bed before you came."

Oh God, I think to myself. As if sleeping in the Facility wasn't hard enough.

I follow Jisoo inside, colliding face first with his shoulder as he stops unexpectedly.

"Well, here you go," he says. This is your bunk. You'll be sharing it with Junghan."

I rub my aching nose and stand on the tips of my toes to peer around him. This room is the exact same tiny size as the other one I was in before dinner. Although, this one seems even smaller and more cramped because of the third bunk bed placed adjacent of the other two.

The bunk that he stopped in front of is one of the two pressed against the sky blue wall. They're so close together that there's hardly any space between them.

"Junghan always sleeps on the bottom bunk," Jisoo explains, "So you'll be on top. Seokmin will be on top beside you as well."

I slide past Jisoo to squeeze into the tiny space between the two bunk beds and climb up the ladder.

"Careful!" he calls. "That'll be a long fall."

I roll my eyes. "This ladder is Mingyu's height. So, in other words, not tall at all."

"What? Our six foot one member isn't tall enough for you?"

If only you had seen the people I've seen, I think to myself, if only.

Once I make it to the rung that's third from the top, I can see that my bed is already made—and quite poorly if I have to be honest. The black pillow case covered in designs of constellations is wrinkled everywhere. The lines connecting each star are bent this way and that, creating odd shapes.

I really like the green polka-dotted comforter though, except it doesn't look too welcoming when it's wrinkled and has strange lumps in various places.

And just like Sungcheol said earlier, there is a pair of orange ear plugs sitting on my pillow.

I smile, appreciative of the kind gesture. I've only been in Seventeen's dorm room for a couple hours, and they've done more for me than anyone has done for me in ten years.

I slowly make my way down the ladder where Jisoo is waiting for me.

"So?" Jisoo asks. "How is it?"