The Red Thread of Fate || Wen Junhui

➶ eleven ➴

As soon as I open my eyes and sit up, strong arms wrap around me.

"Angel!" Jisoo cries.

I am surprised by his sudden actions. I almost fall back onto the bed until I hug him to keep myself upright. Every muscle in my body aches and the embrace is borderline painful, but it's still comforting.

"That's enough, hyung," Jihoon says. "You're going to suffocate her."

Jisoo pulls away and it gives me the opportunity to rub the blurriness out of my eyes. I find that we are in Jihoon's messy office with me on his bed. The dirty clothes and misplaced books that were previously on it have now been dumped onto the ground. Also, the whole office itself is strangely quiet, almost as if all of the life has been sucked out of it. Every monitor, computer, and television has a black screen. If it weren't for the dimly lit lamp on top of the shelf, we would have no light.

"You alright?" Jihoon hesitantly asks. "Your neck looks a bit...fucked up."

Flashing him a dramatically sarcastic smile, I say, "I'm feeling fantastic. Y'know, despite the fact that I almost had a grand mal seizure.

Jihoon and Jisoo exchange concerned glances.

"Explain," Jisoo says.

I recount the whole event to them. I tell them how Mingyu triggered a hidden alarm, how the enemies flooded the building, and how I got them out using the traps, making sure to emphasize how the collar shocked me harshly every time I typed a command.

A strange expression paints Jihoon's face—it's like a cross between guilt and fear. I ignore it since I am too exhausted and drained to even care.

He starts to say something but is cut off as the door to the dorm is slammed shut.

"We're back, boys!" Sungcheol roars.

Obnoxious whoops and loud cheers fill the dorm.

"The Offense Unit," Jihoon mutters. "They're back. I'm going to see them. You guys coming?"

Jisoo eagerly stands up while I shake my head.

I don't want to go see them. I know for a fact that if I do, the anger and frustration I'm feeling will rush out of me like a violent waterfall. Even though the Offense Unit was doing the physical mission, I still ended up having to go through the most pain. I don't know why I let myself believe that I wouldn't have to go through pain like that anymore just because I'm with Seventeen.

I'm an idiot; an idiot that now knows to never help with hacking again.

As Jihoon leaves, Jisoo lingers in the doorway for a couple of seconds.

"Are you sure you're not coming out to see them?" Jisoo asks.

I sigh and fall back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling.

"I'll come and get you when dinner's ready then. If you're not feeling well enough by then, maybe Sungcheol will let you skip."

Scoffing, I turn over on my side to face the cracked wall. "Doubt it."

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'*'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

It takes about two hours for dinner to be ready. 

The first hour consisted of the boys celebrating a successful mission with what I guess was alcohol, since I heard corks popping and Chan whining about not being able to drink any. There was constant cheering and thundering laughter. Although excitement hung heavy in the air, I still wasn't able to get as hyped up as everyone else.