𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭 || 𝐉𝐉𝐊 [HIATUS]

The Fear Within You

   Y/N

You glance around the gigantic training room, trying to decide what to do first, which is surprisingly difficult.

   Captain Jeon never specified what he wanted you to do.

   Huh, maybe I can just grab a handgun and shoot at the target until he tells me to stop.

   You smile at the thought, until you realize how tremendously boring that would be.

   You want to do something exciting, something that pumps adrenaline into your veins, something that makes you happy. Which usually either means getaway cars or the crimson colour of blood.

   So that isn't possible.

   Your eyes graze over your surroundings again.

    And you realize their obstacle course is different. At first glance, it looked the same, but only the main frame looked similar. The insides, through, the complicated twists and turns of the actual challenging obstacles are a million times more intricate than the one you always practiced with back in your segment. And it took you days to master that one.

   Of course, you've grown now. When you attempted the other obstacle course, you were younger and still learning. So this one must not be too hard to complete.

   "Think you can do it?" a curious voice says behind you.

   You turn around to happily meet the beaming, wide smile of Captain Jung.

   "What are you doing back here?" you ask.

   "I felt bad for you, so I decided to come stay with you for a while. I'm sorry about Kook, he's always a douche towards people he doesn't know very well. It's hard to gain his trust," he says, his smile never disappearing.

   You glow warmly right back at him, as it's just impossible to resist. He's been the kindest to you ever since to arrived at this dreaded place.

   "You know, it took me weeks of practice to master that, but I was alone. If you let me help you, you might be able to accomplish it faster," he offers.

   You look back at the jumbled obstacle course, scanning the bars hanging off the ceiling, swinging meters above the gigantic platform. The tall wooden posts that support only a tiny platform at the top, forcing you to leap further than the average to reach the next one.

   I can totally do that. I hope.

   "No thanks, I can do it myself," you assure him.

   "Are you sure? That thing you pulled with Byun was sick, but don't overestimate yourself. I don't want you getting hurt. That obstacle is meant for people who have trained with the Elite Group for years," Captain Jung says, looking into your eyes with a serious and caring look.

   You really wish everyone would stop underestimating you. If only you could reveal your identity.

   "Really, I can do it," you say in a kind but demanding way.

   He looks at you uncertainly, glances at the winding obstacle course standing just a few feet away from him, then gives you a slight nod.

   You sigh heavily, anxiously thinking about what you're going to do.

   Completing a new obstacle course, especially one this difficult, is always truly daunting, and possibly life-threatening.

   Mess up big time, and you can become as paralyzed as a still rock for the rest of your depressing life.

   You slowly move your legs, forcing one wobbly step at a time. Your heart pounds more and more obnoxiously in your chest and races uncontrollably at the speed of light for every crippling step.

   But obviously, you make sure your rising fear isn't obvious to your captain, standing not too far away.

   By the time you make it up the ladder and onto the first wooden platform at the beginning of the course, your entire body is trembling with mischievous fear.

   "You good?" Captain Jung asks from below.

   You force a nervous smile on your face and put both of your thumbs up.

   First obstacle:
   A smooth wooden bar hanging from two thick ropes, one on each end of the bar.

   Right after that is a hoop hanging from another piece of that thick rope, dangling. It's big enough for someone like Byun to fit through, which is a good thing for you.

   The hoop is obviously meant for you to swing through after successfully grasping the wooden bar before it. The bigger it is, the more chance you'll make it through and land safely on the wooden platform standing parallel to this one, but on the other side.

   You look down. The platform isn't very big, giving you very little space to get a running start. It's only large enough to fit maybe half of a car.

   It's now or never, Y/N.

   You've done stuff like this before. You shouldn't be this much of a mess.

   You're starting to lose confidence due to the absence of your former power and position. Your old life, being in charge, boosting your self esteem and ego every day. It's all gone now. You're dwindling.

   No. This can't happen. Y/N, you will definitely not let all that hard work be disrespectfully thrown away into a deep, disgusting ditch of nasty sewage water and replace it with fluffy bunnies and colorful rainbows. You will not become one of those weird, strange, disfigured cartoons who crazily run around like mad, headless chickens with 3 dollar googly eyes taped on their hideous faces and ear-rapingly sing nursery rhymes while screaming like mutated, intoxicated goats on crack and dancing terribly like oompa loompas. You refuse to-

   You glide through the air to escape your very creepy and strange thoughts, legs dangling helplessly, uncomfortable with the absence of a solid floor.

   You're eyeing the wooden bar.

   Stop stressing for absolutely no reason, do you want to die, Y/N? You can do it! You'll make it! Stop. Being. A. Baby!

   It feels like you're slicing through the air in slow motion now.

   Then you start to panic internally once again.

   I'm not gonna make it I'm not gonna make it I'm not gonna make it.

   You quickly breath a huge sigh of relief when your hands grasp around the wooden bar.

   Since when were you such a coward? This is bad.

   But you're tremendously glad when you notice Captain Jung in a surprised daze, not noticing your panic and fear at all.

   It's a blessing you've been able to hold all of your emotions trapped securely in your internal prison, denying access to all people on the outside.

   But you're not done. You're swinging on the bar now, and you only have a few good swings left to be able to make it through the hoop.

   You're just swaying back and forth, back and forth, then you let go and swing your legs to enter the hoop first, then allowing the rest of your body to slip through before your legs hit the comfortable platform with a soft, controlled thud. Despite your overwhelming, irritating, and unfamiliar fear, you haven't lost your touch.

   You land in a kneeling position and look down at a surprised, clapping, and beaming Hoseok.

   You grin in satisfaction.

   One obstacle down, nineteen more to go.