ozone 》TWICE

oblivion

YOO JEONGYEON'S P.O.V.
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Why am I so unstable? Why can't I keep my thoughts inside of my head rather than hurting people?

I used to be able to.

It's that weird ass Jinyoung guy. He's fucking with my head, isn't he? That's what all those wires are for. For fucks sake, Jeongyeon, chill out, would you?

I reach out for Nayeon's hand, glaring at Jihyo as she talks to Jinyoung. I shouldn't trust her. But then she's turning around and she's smiling, and my chest feels so tight that I want to die because Jihyo is such a kind person and-

"Jeong?" Nayeon whispers under her breath. I glance down at her, rubbing my thumb over hers.

"Yeah?"

"You look at Jihyo differently," her words make me bite my bottom lip. Hard. I don't want to be obvious about it, but there's definitely something going on in my head that makes me think it's alright to like Jihyo like that. All she did was comfort me. That's normal.

"Do I?" The laugh that leaves my lips sounds nervous, but I shake it off.

"You do. You look at her like she looks at you."

"And how's that?" Redirecting the topic won't do much at all, so I don't even try. Nayeon is persistent. 

"How I look at both of you." I laugh once more, shaking my head. It's best if I don't think too much about her words.

"That's funny."

"Is it?" Nayeon's lips quirk up into a smile, and it makes me happy inside. Yeah. Happy is that feeling. "Not many people think I'm funny."

We're at JYPE for an unknown reason. It's been about two weeks since the mess I caused with Jihyo, and Momo, and Chaeyoung's mess-

All of it has been a mess, really.

I assume that could be why we're at JYPE in the training room while Jinyoung talks with Jihyo and Somi in hushed whispers. Momo is clinging onto Chaeyoung while Mina sticks to Tzuyu. Mina still refuses to touch anyone for longer than three seconds, but she's slowly accepting herself. Seeing Mina so broken... it hurts; I love Mina with all of my being. I love all of these girls. Except for Jihyo. 

But I care about her. That's good enough.

Suddenly there's a sharp flame nipping at my left wrist, and when I turn around, Jackson is smiling sheepishly. The heat is calmed by a gentle, quick rush of cold metal, and when I bring my hand up to view it, I notice handcuffs. 

It's only natural that I go into panic mode, yanking myself away from Nayeon and kicking out at Jackson as he grabs my other wrist to lock the handcuffs. The difference between Jackson and me is that Jackson has at least twenty pounds of muscle compared to me, so struggling is a bit useless. That doesn't mean I don't still try. 

Fucking handcuffs though?

Why the hell-

Jinyoung is just proving his point that he's a creepy, old slave owner.

"Jackson, you've got the matured Zodiacs and Jeongyeon locked up, right?" Jinyoung speaks loudly. I swear inside of my head when Jihyo frowns at me. Her eyes hold a silent promise, and I'm not supposed to believe her, but I do.

"Yeah. What about Sana-"

"She's fine. Sana, we have to do something with Momo. Will you be alright with that?"

"No." Sana straightens up, eyes turning cold. It makes me proud that she's still so strong after these past weeks. I stiffen when he mentions Momo, and even though I've been rather cold to her lately, I still have the urge to protect her.

"We have to, my dear. It won't take long." Sana swears at his words, stepping forward quickly, but Jackson holds her back, whispering something in her ear that I can't hear clearly. It only serves to make me more anxious.

"Momo has already been injected, so she won't panic. All we're doing is running a simple test, and she may sound like she's being hurt, but she isn't," Jinyoung tries reassuring us once more, but I'm already trying to somehow get the handcuffs off to get Momo away from him. Mina stares blankly, but I can read the flash of emotion in her eyes. She's worried as well. "Momo is defective. We're trying to figure out what's made her this way."

"Defective? That's complete bullshit. We're human, we can't be-" Jinyoung cuts me off sharply, and I can read Jihyo's apology on her lips. 

"You're Zodiacs, not human. We will never be human."

"Let Momo go. Can't you make me defective or what the fuck ever?" A plead almost leaves my lips, but I refuse to be weak in front of him. 

"You don't feel, do you?"

"Shut the fuck up. You don't know that." 

"You don't. None of you do, which is why you aren't defective. Momo feels absolutely every emotion that a human should, and that's not correct. Emotions will only hurt her in this world." Jinyoung sighs as he connects the wires, hands steady. It's quiet disregarding my heavy breathing and Dahyun's short, desperate breaths. She sounds nervous, and her expression makes it seem like she's definitely not okay. I feel Nayeon stiffen beside me as she asks for Jackson. Jinyoung sends a glare her way, and my gaze hardens. He doesn't have the right to look at her that way.

Nayeon asks Jackson to get Dahyun out, and he seemingly understands, unlocking Dahyun's handcuffs and leading her into the elevator. I sigh a breath of relief knowing that at least one other girl is safe.

A light on the monitor brightens the room, and then Momo whimpers, shifting in the chair. I growl under my breath, struggling harder against the handcuffs. She isn't going to get hurt. She won't get hurt. I won't let him. He's a fucking liar.

"I feel," Chaeyoung speaks up. Jinyoung turns, and shakes his head. "Yeah I do. Wasn't I upset the week I matured? That's feeling."

"That's typical feeling. Momo feels everything, however."

"So do I. Anger, desperation, depression, anxiety. Loneliness. And guess what? I even feel," Chaeyoung pauses, a smile forming on her lips. "Hunger." I return her smile. Chaeyoung has been one of the bravest since we've arrived.

"You're not defective," Jinyoung pushes Jihyo's shoulder, and though it looks gentle, I still don't like it. "Control her, will you?"

"I, um," Jihyo stutters over the words as she bends down next to Chaeyoung. "I promise you everything will be alright. He's done it before." And though she tries her best to seem sincere, I can see right through her.

It isn't until the ground suddenly shakes so aggressively that the machines move across the floor that I can finally comprehend what's happening with Dahyun. The room lights flicker, and when they turn back on, Jackson is doing his very best to hold Dahyun against his chest. Her mark is glowing so bright that it hurts my eyes to look at it, and Dahyun's eyes have gone white, lighting up a path in front of her. She barely looks like herself.