BOSS | NCT

o15

Lucas didn't ask why I'm standing in the middle of children playing water fight. I also didn't ask if I was dry or wet. Maybe I am wet. Maybe because the kids had been chasing each other around in circles and, well, I'm in the inner of that circle. Anyway, I don't care.

I didn't ask how he found me at Phase Seven. Didn't ask if he listened to song. Didn't ask how long had he been standing there.

I asked nothing.

Lucas gave me a look, an unreadable one. Now that he knows I'm dying in six days, I feel so vulnerable and naked all of a sudden.

I didn't confess to Jaemin that I only have six days left to live, but I did to Lucas. Now he knows everything. He's the only person who ever knows my deep, dark secret. I feel like a sheet of paper, with Lucas holding every single edge and giving it critique. I bet it's an awful one.

Lucas gave me a signal without producing a sound. Something like, 'this way'. Then he turned his back on me so I just followed him silently.

A few moments later we arrived at Limitless, which I found out is located at Phase 12. Jungwoo and the rest were already there, wordless. Their eyes just scanned us when we arrived but none of them tried to initiate a conversation at the moment. Lucas, to my surprise, is so quiet that I am afraid he's mute.

After a few minutes of defeaning silence, the train that we are waiting for arrived. Passengers are flooding out excitedly from the engine to go straight to the Capital. I even counted them in my head. 24 children, 19 adults. I wonder how many of them are infected by the virus. I wonder if they came here to blind themselves with the good side of the world, trying to forget that they'd actually need to face darkness in the end.

The five of us entered, with Lucas taking the lead.

The whole ride was wordless. Lucas' seat is too far from mine. I don't want to sit close to him, either. So I sit next to Sicheng and Mark. They didn't complain.

I would occasionally glance at Lucas, but he didn't say anything. He would just stare at the window, talk with Jungwoo for a while, browse his phone, and then repeat.

I was expecting him to announce to everyone that I'm infected. But Lucas never said a word about it.

The travel lasted for thirty minutes or less. Jungwoo waited for me with a smile on his face then said, "Hey."

"Hey," I replied back.

"Are you okay?", he asked as we continued walking. Lucas, Sicheng, and Mark were ahead of us, until we reached the familiar iron gates of the headquarters.

I replied. "I am."

Jungwoo winced. "If you don't mind," he paused. "Would you still want to take lessons with me?"

The doors opened. Mark pressed something at the doorway, it must be a security code. All of us entered before I replied to Jungwoo, "Of course. I would be glad to, Jungwoo."