Conceal

29. Deadline

It took Jooheon almost 2 hours to drive here. Normally, he would think this was a waste of time, energy, and fuel, but at that moment he would do anything to pass the time, and, if it was even possible anymore, shove aside his worries for a while.

Jooheon stepped out of his car and took in a breath of fresh air. It was almost midnight, but the moon was shining brightly in the clear sky tonight. It must've been years since he had been in a place like this. He was surrounded by greenery — trees, bushes, grass — and there was not a single artificial light to be seen.

There was only vastness, a sea of green, nature, and potential growth. But instead of feeling lost, Jooheon felt refreshed, being but a mere spot in this wide, open space. He felt like he had entered another world, and was given a second chance to live life all over again.

And it was this thought that severed his train of thought like a knife cutting apart the soft flesh of a fruit.

A bitter chuckle escaped Jooheon's mouth. Who was he kidding? As long as his feet were touching the solid earth underneath him, he was still in the same world he was in since the day he was born. There was no escape from reality, and the closest thing possible to it was the concealment of truth — a disguise. But the thing about these disguises was their fragility, and their tendency to slip and break.

Jooheon took his phone out. He was surprised to find a signal in this secluded place. He stared at the glowing screen and suddenly felt very tired. The sense of resignation could never be stronger. Even though he was miles away from the city, reality would be able to catch up as long as he had his phone by his side.

Jooheon looked away from his phone for a second to remind himself of the spacious field he was in. Despite him being practically trapped with no escape from reality, he could at least still breathe, unlike among the densely packed buildings in the suffocating city he lived in.

He lifted his phone again to double check the address when a hand landed on his shoulder. Jooheon spun around and saw the person who called him here.

"Hi." Jongho said. He was holding a paper bag, but Jooheon was interested in other matters.

Jooheon nodded. "Did I come all the way here just to meet up with you?" He didn't mean to sound annoyed or contemptuous, but he was way too sensitive, being so close to the 'deadline'.

"Yes, I have a lot of things to tell you." Jongho explained. He sounded calm and composed, which reassured Jooheon in some weird way. "And I chose this place because I know you need it."

Jooheon raised his eyebrows, but he couldn't deny that. "How do you know?"

Instead of answering, Jongho reached into his paper bag, took the only thing in it, and dropped the bag. It was dark and hard to see, but Jooheon figured out exactly what was in Jongho's hand, even before the bag touched the ground.

Jooheon's eyes widened, and his body buzzed with electricity as he felt instantly alert and vigilant.

Jongho looked at the ground, afraid to form eye contact. "Yes, it is what you think it is." His voice was barely a whisper, but to Jooheon it was as loud and as clear as sounds coming out of a speaker. "That's why I disappeared and left Kihyun. I couldn't stand it anymore, and I know you feel the same."

Jooheon still couldn't fully believe what he saw before his eyes. The piece of cloth, folded neatly, in Jongho's hands, was a robe.

It might look plain and indistinguishable to someone else, but to Jooheon, it was unmistakable.

Jongho had a robe belonging to The Flaming Tongues.

"H-how do you know I'm...?"

Jongho sighed deeply. "I was going to the lair to talk to Flame about my decision, but I saw you instead. I've never seen a member without the robe on before, so I panicked and left as quickly as possible." A pause followed as Jongho opened his mouth and tried to say more. But no words came out.