Fall Down (Stray Kids Seo Changbin)

Twenty

Paige's Story

She dragged herself down the winding stairs until she reached the cold, wooden floor. Then she trudged to the kitchen. It wasn't late, not at all. It was at least nine at night but everyone was exhausted.

Saying they had a hectic day would be an understatement. It was almost suffocating. Paige often questioned why she decided to join on the mission, and looking at everyone else's face at the time, they were too.

The first thing she saw as she entered the kitchen was a back. She still couldn't quite distinguish the Stray Kids boys. She even got muddled with the ones she used to know.

He wore a black sleeveless tee and grey shorts. His hair was messy but it seemed the last of his worries. He gulped down a glass of water quickly before refilling it and gulping it down again.

Paige cocked an eyebrow.

"Are you alright?"

He almost dropped the glass, shocked to hear a voice.

"What the heck? You don't just sneak up on someone drinking water!" He whined.

She scoffed, studying his face slightly before smirking to herself upon knowing who it was.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see it on the rules board."

Changbin rolled his eyes.

"Ha ha, very funny. What are you even doing down here anyway?"

"Getting a glass of water. I thought of all people, you'd understand the most."

He was on his fourth glass by now and was glaring hard at her.

"Just shut it, will you?"

"Why are you even drinking so much?"

"Why are you so nosy?"

Paige held her hands up in a motion of surrender.

"Calm down. I was just asking." She pushed past him and filled up her glass. "So, how's life in a mafia?"

He gave her a weird look, surprised at the fact she actually wanted to hold up a conversation.

"Alright. How's life training for the Society?"

"Terrible."

"Terrible?"

She nodded.

"Imagine working for an agency that had your whole family killed."

"I bet it's not their fault."

"But still. The Society should have had better security. Janey died in its very own building. The Main Society Headquarters. They killed her there." Paige sighed and closed her eyes to avoid crying. "I was only child when I lost my parents, knew practically nothing about them. And so, I grew up hating them for dragging my siblings and I into this mess. Why did they do this?"

"Wow," Changbin huffed. "I always got the impression you loved the Society."

"The Society is cunning and lying but the Head of the Society was almost my brother-in-law. Through Janey, I almost had Luke back."

"Must suck. Losing my parents was bad enough. If I ever lost my sister-" he shook his head. "-I don't even want to think about it."

For the first time since they met again, a comfortable silence settled. It reminded Paige a bit of when they were kids. He was the first friend she ever had. She told him everything yet now, the gap between seemed so wide. Losing contact with someone for over a decade definitely does some damage.

"Sorry about what I said last time about Janey... I definitely deserved that slap," he chuckled at himself. "Maybe I was high on some of my drugs."

"It's alright. I wasn't exactly innocent either. Bet dealing with drugs is a lot harder than it seems."

"Was at first. Now I'm just used to it."

"It just baffles me though. Out of all of us, when we were kids you were the most enthusiastic to fight. And yet now you can and well, you're a drug specialist."

"Minho banned me from weapons. I know he means well and I'm like the little sibling he never had, but sometimes it's just frustrating. He treats me like a child."

"That's Linc for me."

"Wait so, he had a thing with Janey?"

"Not just a thing. It was huge. From what I hear, he planned on proposing to her."

"But never got to?"

"Yeah. Sometimes it's strange when I'm with him. I always get comments saying I look like her which I just brush off. But sometimes, especially recently, I catch him staring at me the way he used to stare at her. I know he feels nothing for me and I know he only does it causes he misses her and sees her in me but it's weird. That's why I got this nose piercing. To distinguish us. Didn't work though... I regret getting it now."

"Why? It looks good on you."

"Because if you ask the right people, instead of saying I look like Janey, they say I look like my mum. And, as I said earlier, I hate my parents."

"Hate is a strong word. Maybe that had a good reason, maybe they had no other choice. Besides, I don't think you look like your mum, nor do you look like Janey."

"Who do I look like then?"

"Paige. Even if I didn't know you, I'm pretty sure I would have guessed your name was Paige just by looking at you."

"You get all that from a nose piercing?"

"Look, I'm trying to seem sentimental here. Don't ruin the moment."

"Fine. But if we are acting out a scene, I have a few lines I'd like you to ask."

He chuckled.

"Taking control just like six-year-old Paige. I guess some things really don't change."

"Yeah, yeah. Now let's go back to me talking about looking like Janey and continue from there. It'll be perfect."