The Red Thread of Fate || Wen Junhui

➶ twelve ➴

Once the dinner comes to a close, everybody has retreated back to the dorms for a well-deserved quiet evening.

As I emerge from the kitchen after helping Mingyu wash the dishes, I find Chan watching television alone in the common room, casually flipping through the channels. His eyes are full of childish boredom as he sits cross-legged and finds nothing that peaks his interest. Only when he sees me standing in the doorway does his gaze begin to shimmer, and a warm smile tugs at the corners of his mouth.

"Hey Cressida," he says, smiling even wider as my new name slips past his lips. "What's up?"

For a brief second, I am confused at the lack of tension between us. After that whole debacle over the strange blueprints, there is almost no stress in our interaction. He almost looks glad to see me.

"Can I join you?" I ask demurely.

Chan scoots over a bit on the couch, and invitingly pats the stained cushion beside him. I carefully sit down beside him, wincing as the springs cry out in agony from what little weight I have bestowed upon them.

Once I get comfortable, he mutes the advertisement on the screen and turns to look at me, casually placing an arm on the couch behind my head. "Cressida?"

"Hm?"

He sighs before continuing. "Listen, I just wanted to say that what you did today was really impressive. If I'm going to be honest with you, I didn't believe Jihoon at first when he told us what you did. I thought he was making it up, but, " Chan bumps my arm with his fist in a friendly manner, "you're one of us, Cress. A real member of Seventeen. Also I'm...I'm really sorry about giving you a rough time."

"Listen, about last week—"

Chan cuts me off mid-sentence. "If you're about to apologize for it, don't. What happened was not your fault. I screwed up, and Soonyoung got angry with me for good reason."

"But why? What is so special about that blueprint?"

"It's a birthday surprise for Jihoon," he says swiftly. "That's why he got so angry. We've been working really hard on that new software for months. Jihoon also has access to my toolbox, so he could have seen it and then bam. No more birthday surprise. Oh, look! Finally a decent movie!"

And that is the end of that. He does not bother to elaborate as he becomes fixated on the film, but there is no doubt that his answer has made me suspicious. Nonetheless, I attempt to find satisfaction in what he said and watch the movie with him.

For a few seconds, everything is fine. I feel content as I lean back into the arm of my new friend and smile a little.

Yes, everything is fine.

Or so I thought.

The beautiful female actress that was walking down the snowy streets of Seoul has been replaced with a dark grey screen. The number six is acting as a border around the bold white words in the middle. They read: AN IMPORTANT PRESENTATION FOR THE CITIZENS OF ASIA. A repeated sequence of four notes played by a seemingly-broken music box comes in through the speakers.

"What's this?" I ask, standing up and moving closer to the television screen as Chan does the same. "Chan, is this from the Government?"

The words on the screen change to: YOU WILL SEE BEAUTIFUL THINGS.

His breath hitches. "This isn't from them. It can't be—"

A sudden piercing scream makes us jump. The screen turns black for a couple of seconds, and the screaming continues until a video clip appears.