KING

一 20

In the inhumanely early hours of the morning, she was been nudged awake by her older brother and Mark, made to sit upright, and they'd gotten to work.

Or rather, Johnny had. Mark had taken over the spare bed they'd pulled out for her, eyed sparkling with mirth when he saw her frown in irritation after she yawned thrice in a row.

The two of them had talked about everything and nothing, empty conversation that was mere ringing in her ears as she nearly dozed off in her chair, until her name sparked a small debate as to whether she would have to use am alias or not.

None would know her real name, she had protested, but Mark had shaken his head and reminded her of the guards - the entire reason she had to change her appearance in the first place.

"Why don't you use the last name Lee?" Jungwoo had popped his head in, startling all three of them. "Couldn't sleep?" Johnny had asked, Jungwoo nodding as he seated himself on the edge of the bed. Rina had looked at him curiously, and he'd given her a warm smile in return.

"It's nothing, just night terrors." He'd brushed it off. She'd never really understood the term before, tilting her head on confusion before nodding slowly, Johnny hissing at her not do so.

"Do you believe in ghosts?" Jungwoo had asked her quietly. She shook her head, Mark chuckling when Johnny groaned. "Really, don't move so much, you'll ruin the hair dye." He muttered, subtly moving the only mirror out of her reach.

She shifted her attention back to Jungwoo, raising her eyebrows. "I don't either." He said, simply. "But memories haunt you just as much, don't you think?"

"That's only when you have really good retentive abilities. " Mark rolled onto his back, eyes shifting to the ceiling. "I can't remember what I ate for breakfast yesterday."

"Probably because you didn't eat breakfast," Johnny said lowly, and Rina laughed silently. Mark turned to him, lips forming a silent 'oh'. Jungwoo shook his head, hand brushing through Mark's messy curls.

Rina watched on with soft eyes, hollow longing for something so precious to call her own. While she found her brother, her friend, people she didn't know, why did she feel alone?

As if sensing the cloud of gloom beginning to settle on her, Johnny's free hand tickled her side, making her squirm a little, a satisfied smile on his face when she turned to glare at him. "You're alright?" He asked, tenderness present in every curve and edge of his features, and she automatically found herself nodding, lips quirking up to give a lopsided smile.

You have photographic memory? She questioned Jungwoo, his round eyes flitting over her messy question, and he nodded.

"Incredible memory," Mark looked at her with shining eyes. "Honestly, it's like everything is a movie in his head. He can recall, like, anything."

"It's not as cool as it seems." Jungwoo chided, and when he looked at her, she could see shallow waters of despondency and hopelessness in obsidian eyes.

What had he seen, she briefly wondered when he looked away, Mark grumbling under his breath. "I'll tell you about it some other time," The azure haired male promised. "After you get your voice back, we can hold a good conversation."

If I get my voice back, she muttered to herself, but despite the lack of sound that escaped her lips, Johnny seemed to catch on to what she said, whirling the chair around to look at her.

She stared at him, startled, and he looked at her firmly. "You will get it back." He said firmly, leaving no room for argument. "Doyoung is our healer for a reason. Trust us, and trust him."