Noctura

forty nine

jinwoo

I TURN the hot water off and quickly grab my towel, drying off before throwing an old t-shirt and jeans on. I leave the shower room and move down the deserted hallway.

It's around five in the morning, so most people here are still sleeping. I can't sleep, though, so I decided to shower.

I walk into a small eating area. Minho is sitting at a table, a cup of coffee in front of him.

I sit down across from him, and his eyes gradually move from the coffee cup to my own eyes.

"Are you still worried about Seunghoon?"

Minho nods slowly. He speaks quietly. "There's no way no one saw me. And they probably saw my eyes too. Seunghoon probably already knows it was me and that I'm a Noctura. If he doesn't know now, he will soon. Someone will tell him. He'll figure it out."

I don't respond for a second. Instead, I let the silence thicken in the air around us.

"Is Yoon still talking to others?"

Once again, Minho nods.

As soon as we got to this Alliance base, Yoon got Minho and me rooms. He told us he wanted to check in with the people here and make sure this base is hidden better, so it's not discovered like the sixth sector base.

Mostly, we've just been sitting here.

What are we supposed to do now?

I know I used to be human, but a lab turned me into a Noctura more powerful than regular Nocturas.

The AAN saw us break Yoon out, so they're probably looking for us right now. That means we can't go back to Minho's house.

If the AAN is looking for us, we won't be able to live normal lives anymore. We're both fugitives.

Then, I realize something.

"This is all my fault."

Minho gives me a confused look. "What? What are you talking about?"

"If you hadn't saved me from that warehouse, none of this would've happened," I explain. "You wouldn't have had to risk your friendship to take care of me. You wouldn't have met Yoon or gotten involved in the Alliance. You wouldn't be hiding from the AAN and your best friend because you're a fugitive now. It's all my fault."

Minho doesn't respond for a long moment.

I'm right. He knows I'm right. He agrees.

Suddenly, he speaks up.

"Jinwoo, did you ask to be turned into a Noctura?" He doesn't let me respond. "Was it your choice to be forced into a Noctura fight in a warehouse that would burn down? Did you ask me to save you? This isn't your fault, Jinwoo. It's no one's fault. It's just a situation that we're in and we're trying to figure it out."

"But what about Seunghoon?"

"There was no way I could've gone my entire life without telling Seunghoon I'm a Noctura," Minho answers. "I guess now that he knows, I can see if he stills thinks of me the same way or not. In a way, it just shows me who Seunghoon really is."