dissolve. ✓

SIXTEEN

taehyung was quiet for long enough that jeongguk had to look up, even though every bit of him quailed at the thought of what sort of expression he might find on his face when he did. but taehyung didn't look horrified or disgusted or afraid, not like he should. he actually looked sort of confused, maybe. jeongguk had to fidget under that look, unaccountably flustered.

after another moment of staring, taehyung said, quite bluntly: "that doesn't make a damn bit of sense, jeongguk."

jeongguk's mouth fell open, but taehyung kept talking before he could rally himself for a response.

"what about any of that made you think you were the clone in that situation?" he demanded. "really, jeongguk, i know you're capable of better reasoning and logic than this. if he just wanted to steal your body for himself, then why would it craft a whole new body for you? it already had your body, had complete control of it. all it needed to do was squash out your consciousness and it would've been set. it didn't need to go to all the trouble of using its own power to create a brand new identical body just so that you could continue living independently. you said that he looked like someone you'd seen before? jeongguk, you were just a template."

"a template?" jeongguk repeated faintly, too fuzzy to immediately grasp the slew of words, to wrap his head around what taehyung was trying to say.

"you weren't the clone, jeongguk," taehyung said. "you were just the pattern it built itself around. it built a new body around yours, then spit out the real you when it was finished and didn't need you anymore. then it moved on to someone else. that's the most logical explanation."

jeongguk stared at him, trying to catch up. he was good at logical thinking, he had always prided himself on that, but it was hard to be levelheaded and reasonable when every one of his sense was screaming that logic was wrong, when his skin prickled and buzzed like an electric current was coursing along it. he realized that he had fingernails against his left forearm and yanked them away before they could inflict any damage, reaching for his wrist instead but the skin there was already red and hot to the touch from earlier and taehyung still had his rubber band.

taehyung's hand settled over his, steadying, and jeongguk tried to still the useless fluttering of his hands.

"i know you can't believe that right now," taehyung said. "but later, when you're feeling better, it'll make sense to you. you are real, jeongguk, and it might take a long time for you to believe that, but you will. i promise, eventually you will."

jeongguk shook his head. New tears clouded his vision but he could still see the golden brown of taehyung's eyes. "i don't know if i believe you," he said. he wanted to—oh, how he wanted to—but there was that churning ball of anger in his stomach and darkness that gripped his chest and he couldn't imagine feeling himself again. he hardly remembered what that felt like anyway.

the smile taehyung gave him was sad.

"that's okay," he said. "for now, though: are you still feeling off?"

"that's one way of putting it," jeongguk said with a weak smile of his own, or at least an attempt at one. he rubbed at his face again, trying to wipe away the evidence of tears as if that might somehow make him feel less like shit in a million different ways. by the time he looked back up, taehyung had gotten to his feet and was holding out a hand to him.

"i want to try something," he said briskly. "if you'll let me."

jeongguk eyed him with something like suspicion, but he was too exhausted to properly maintain that level of skepticism. besides, all of taehyung's ideas had been helpful so far, on some level of another. what did he have to lose by trusting him? he let taehyung drag him to his feet without question and waited for further instruction.