insomnia | stray kids ff

lvl 28: listen

"What's wrong, Changbin?" I ask as we sit on the curb of the sidewalk in front of my motel room door.

The minimum light makes it hard for us to see far into the distance. The only light to illuminate our surroundings are the lanterns outside near our doors on the ground and the moon in the sky. Instead of looking at me, Changbin stares off into the darkness of the night.

"Look, I've been pretty cold towards you and Hyunjin lately," Changbin starts off which makes me a little uneasy. "I don't want to be jealous but I am. I... I like you, Hana," Changbin confesses. "And I know that you felt something too. I just need to know if there's still hope for me," His confession shocks me and makes my brain blank on what to say. I sigh and look away from Changbin.

"I..," I stutter as my mind generates an answer. "I'm sorry, there isn't. I don't want you to keep chasing me and getting your hopes up," I reveal. I feel the air get tense. "You shouldn't get hurt because of me. You deserve someone better than me," Changbin stays quiet which makes me nervous.

"Uh, I should get some rest," Changbin awkwardly ends the conversation. I feel a pit of guilt in my stomach as Changbin gets up from the ground. "Goodnight," He says in a deep voice and walks away which leaves me with no words as I sit still on the ground.

Why did it hurt to let him down? Why did it feel like I lost someone special to me? I sigh as I think while staring off into the darkness. The door of my room opens and Sana appears in the doorway. I look up at her.

"Are you okay?" Sana sniffles. I frown a little and nod as I get up from the floor.

"Let's go to sleep," I smile softly and enter the motel room, ending the night with a sad result.

[now instead of a small scar,

emptiness remains]

I decide to leave my motel room right before the sun rises. I watched through the window and Sana slept all night as I wrote in my journal. Before I leave, I put on a jacket and then exit my room. The soft, morning breeze sweeps my hair across my face. I tie it up and walk down the steps of the stairs. I stand in the parking lot and walk towards the unlit fireplace. I sit on one of the logs and see a familiar face walking down the opposite stairs from the ones I came from.

"You're awake too," Wonpil greets me and sits across from me.

"I've been awake," I joke but Wonpil doesn't understand my joke because he doesn't know I've been bitten.

"You too?" Wonpil asks me and I tilt my head.

"You've been awake since last night as well?" I question, suspicious and confused.

"Yeah, it's been like that for a couple of days now," I analyze Wonpil carefully and notice his injured leg still.

"Your leg," I state, and Wonpil shudders a little and tenses up. I notice he's anxious. "Are you bit?" Wonpil's eyes grow wide and he avoids eye contact with me. "Don't worry. I'm not going to kill you," I say and then reveal my scar from the bite months ago.

Wonpil slowly looks over at my arm and covers his mouth. He stares at it then back at me with a shocked face. I pull down my sleeve to cover the bite and sigh.

"You're immune too. You're just like me," I say. "Does your group know?"

"They were there when I got bit," Wonpil confesses. "It was at the supermarket, we were staying there for a month. The night before you guys showed up, I got bit outside the market. I thought it was over but Jae healed me the best he could," I remember the bloodstain on the concrete outside of the supermarket from yesterday.

"I don't think Jae was the one that stopped you from turning," I reveal and stare at him with meaningful eyes. I notice Wonpil's expression questions my comment.

"What do you mean?" Wonpil asks me and I look down at my arm with my bite.

"You're immune like me," I confess. "It's been months since I've been bit. Your group was right that you shouldn't let anyone else find out your bit except for us. If they find out and realize you're immune, people might try to kill you for whatever is inside of you that makes you fight the bite," Wonpil nods and looks down at his bitten ankle.

"Why did you save our group then if that jeopardizes your secret?" Wonpil asks me.

"I still have to help others survive even if I'm bitten. You have to protect your secret and protect others in this world," I sigh. "Plus, I smelled your blood outside the supermarket when we were there."

"My blood?" Wonpil exclaims.

"I don't know how I knew but I smelt a strong scent of blood and knew that someone was hurt or bitten," I explain.

"Maybe it's from the bite or you have a great sense of smell," Wonpil jokes. I laugh and then tilt my head in thought. What if it is the bite? I have better hearing than before and have a better sense of smell.

My space out is interrupted after Wonpil and I hear an engine approaching. We look around but notice no car or vehicle heading towards us. I look at Wonpil in shock.

"You heard that too?" I question.

"Yeah and I don't know how," Wonpil states. It's the bite.

We both get up from our seats and approach the barrier we made to protect our base. I see a black van in the distance moving towards us and look at Wonpil who also sees this. I smile and clap my hands.

"They made it!" I exclaim.

Felix's POV

"Do you think he will survive?" I question in worry and panic.

"Your real question is if he's immune right?" Mina rephrases my question.