Simon's Game |nct 127|

The 16th Mission

Johnny laughed in a fake manner. "Did you really just say that?" He asked. "Did you really claim that I want to continue playing this game?"

"I did." Yuta answered.

"I thought you were smart, but I guess I was wrong."

"Am I really the stupid one here Johnny?" Yuta asked. "Can't you see that only you can't accept the reality?"

Johnny's serious expression returned and he looked at the other man. With that sentence Yuta meant that Johnny couldn't accept the fact that he was 'stupid' but...was this the only thing he meant? "And what makes you smarter than me?" He wanted to know, but Yuta wouldn't give away the answers too easily. "I guess you're just talking nonsense, in order to prevent me from exposing the truth." And the only way he could get a small piece of information from the answers he wanted, was to provoke the other man. Or at least...this was the only way he could think of.

Yuta chuckled. "I know exactly what I'm talking about Johnny." He answered. "You can't expose the truth when in fact you don't know it."

"And you do?" The other man asked raising an eyebrow, seemingly intrigued.

"Yes." Yuta replied, without any second thought.

"What makes your truth more real than mine?" He asked. "The truth is subjective after all."

"Not in this case." The other man answered. "Sometimes you have to escape from a great lie in order to face the truth."

"And in this case..." Johnny continued. "What's the lie I have to escape from?"

"Do you..." Yuta wanted to say something, but changed his mind. "Do you still think I'm Simon?" He finally asked, sighing.

"Yes." Johnny answered without hesitation, the unreadable expression remaining on his face.

"Ok then." Yuta got up from his chair and went to leave. "I knew that I couldn't convince you otherwise." And with that, he left.

When the door in front of him closed Johnny tilted his head and let out a deep sigh. "You really think that I am the stupid one." He chuckled. "But in the end Yuta..." The envelope containing all the important information he thought before, looked now useless. "You were the one that exposed yourself."

--

Taeil's chest rose up down, repeatedly, desperately trying to put some oxygen into his lungs. His hair was flying messily around as small droplets of sweat started collecting at the corners of his face, threating to fall.

He breathed irregularly, wanting to relax himself.

His gaze looked suspiciously left and right, he had run all the way here earlier, trying to escape from a possible threat. Only when he finally realized that he was all alone, the man threw harshly the bag he was holding on the pavement, as if he was disgusted by the contents of it.

"Fuck..." A low profanity managed to escape from his lips, and he looked at the mask that was placed on his right hand.

This mask...

He didn't know what it symbolized.

Was this mask beautiful or not?

Not being able to figure out the unanswered questions he asked to himself, the man hid the mask under his jacket and bended his legs, resting his whole body on both of his feet.

He could swear that this mission was harder than the previous one. A stupid claim, but that's how he felt for some strange reason.

After taking a few more breathes, Taeil looked at the bag in front of him. Slowly, he brought it closer to his body and opened it.