Seoul: Become Human (BTS J-Hope X OC)

Ch. 17 - Jericho

I followed the trail I discovered, the trail of symbols that lined the walls of buildings. Eventually it led me to an enourmous ship the size of a building, that slipped easily into the looks of its age. The rust grew over the entire surface like an infestation of moss over the wall of a building. Across the side in faded writing it read, "Jericho." So Jericho was actually a ship? That must mean that I've made it. Finally.

An uneasy feeling crawled over me, but it was too late to turn back. I scoured the walls of the beast to find a staircase. At this point, I didn't have many options for direction, so I started upwards. It led to another climb, this time by ladder, and again, I gripped the rusty handle bars and pulled myself up. As I landed at the top, I quickly saw that the view was quite spectacular.

The sun barely reached over the side of the steel giant, its light stretched in golden miles around me. Because it had just rained, there were clouds strewn lazily in the sky, and their color was as warm and as light as honey. Jericho was beautiful. As beautiful as a ship could ever be.

When I looked in front of me, there was a long drop into a large, dark opening in the deck. Something told me that it was the way I needed to go. I braced myself, and dove into the blackness.

I landed harshly in some body of water- I wasn't sure of the amount.

It took a while to navigate my way through, but soon enough I was able to push through the water and find a ladder planted on the side of a wall. The rust was so thick and sharp that it nearly cut through my skin, but I still pulled myself up onto the platform.

There was only a single door within the few meters of floor I was standing on. It lead directly an ill-lit room where I could see nothing but softly glowing outlines of objects and walls, but with no other options, I had to move forward.

After tripping, bumping, and ramming my way through the maze of light-stripped rooms, I found myself in a large compartment of the ship, where I saw the first signs of life. Spotting the floor were barrels lit by fire that likely served as a hand-made source of light. It'd been a while since I'd seen that. For a little bit, I watched as the flames fought the darkness with all their might. Little did they know they were against a much scarier and brooding force. Those weak, little flames reminded me of myself.

There were also crates of Blue Blood scattered here and there, taking up lots of space that the deviants didn't have. The stench permeating the air was that of steel and death.

The only thing missing?

"Hands up where we can see 'em!" the strangers violently demanded. It hadn't been 5 seconds since I arrived and I was already fearing for my life again. I cautiously did as they ordered. This was going to be a bumpy ride...

Minjee's POV

J-Hope's absence was painful. It was piercing every thought to the point where I could barely ever think of anything else. There was an ghost-like emptiness lingering behind me everywhere I went.

I spent my time lazing around the house, often trying to not to think about J-hope or anything at all.

There were android riots streaming on every news channel, and they were the same every time: police cars lining the street, broken android bodies wired into impossible positions, angry defiant crowds shouting in the background. I turned the t.v. off and kept it that way.

My father wasn't drunk, but he wasn't responsive either. He didn't say much. He didn't eat unless it was necessary. I assumed that he took it upon himself to throw everything away, but when I thought about it, I realized he threw everything, including himself, away a long time ago. I didn't try to change him. I made the decision to wait. On my dad, and on Hope.