Win No Matter What

CHAPTER 29 - GOING INTO THE UNKNOWN

You open your eyes after spending most of the night snuggled in each other's arms. His face is the first thing you see and you smile as the first sun rays of the day shine on his face. You have never felt more loved by someone or more secure in a person's arms than you do right now. You stroke his back and feel the two lines of broken skin beneath his shoulder blades. Your smile fades as you remember what Ji Min has had to endure. You stare at his peaceful face, feeling the soft rise and fall of his chest. Let him rest while he can, things will get challenging soon enough.

You decide not to tell Ji Min about your conversation with Seok Jin. The 'betrayal'. Just remembering that word makes you wince. One word that can turn one's world upside down.

You suddenly feel some warmth coming from your locket and lift it to check. It's glowing and you notice Ji Min's one doing the same. Its heat causes him to wake up. "What's happening, why does my neck feel warm?" he asks, looking down. "Rumi, you're not......"

"No, no, Ji Min, it's our lockets, look, they're glowing," you quickly clear any misconceptions. "Why do you think they're doing that?"

"No idea, but they've stopped now. Maybe they glow when our hearts are full and our souls ache for each other as mine is now, being with you."

You burst out laughing, "Geez, Ji Min that was so cheesy! I can't believe you just said that!"

Also laughing, he says, "I know, I couldn't help it, but it was worth saying to see you laugh like that. That smile right there is a dangerous weapon Rumi, it completely destroys me".

You look at him for a few seconds, wondering whether last night had been a dream. But the fact that he's lying in front of you, looking at you the way he is, tells you it was definitely no dream.

"Ji Min, why don't we go to the library like you said yesterday, before things, er, took a very different turn," you suggest, blushing.

"A different turn, which you don't regret, I hope?" he asks.

"Regret? With that performance you gave last night? It deserved a standing ovation, so no regrets here, believe me!" you say playfully.

"Well, as much I'd love to give you an encore, we should head to the library before it's too late. It feels to me like something there can help us." Ji Min lifts himself off the bed (the second staging of last night's performance) and very nakedly strolls into your bathroom. You stare at his well-proportioned behind wondering whether you should join him in there but quickly shake your head. No more liaisons with Ji Min until this whole thing is over, you got bigger things to handle (bigger than Ji Min's.....?) Rumi, stop it!

You manage to set aside any unhelpful thoughts before you both go to the staff room which, thankfully, is empty. Having performed the usual entry requirements, you cautiously go into the library for the third time. Ji Min has never been inside it and he has the same first-time reactions that you previously had. You're not sure you'll find anything, having already been here twice before, but other than getting to spend quality time with Ji Min, perhaps a fresh pair of eyes will help find something new.

After walking around for ten minutes, you ask, "Ji Min have you seen anything useful?"

"No, just rows and rows of dusty books. What's the point of having a library with a secret entrance when there's nothing interesting in here?" he muses.

You walk past what looks like a bare wall, but you swear you see it 'sway' from the corner of your eye. Surprised, you turn to look at it, but it seems to be an ordinary wall. You call Ji Min over. "Ji Min, have a look at this. Do you see anything unusual about this wall?"

He looks at it closely and then places a hand on it which sinks right through. "What on earth? I think we can go through this wall Rumi! Hold my hand," he offers it to you.

"No, wait, we don't know what's on the other side. Why don't we go tell the others and check it out together?" you counter.

"Come on Rumi, we'll be wasting time trying to find them all to bring them here. What if there's nothing interesting on the other side? We would have dragged them away from their tasks for no reason. Let's both go through it now, see what's on the other side, and then tell the others about it later if we discover anything useful."

Ji Min can be very persuasive when he needs to be, and not wanting him to do anything reckless by himself, you nod and take his offered hand.