Interwoven ✔️

20~ As a Family

I sat stiffly in my chair as my parents passed around the food. I'd loaded my plate though I wasn't sure how I'd be able to stomach it, especially after what Mom had said.

My parents seemed both at ease and happy, oblivious to the tension building in me.

"So Jiyeon. How's things with that alien?" Dad glanced over at me as he served some mashed potatoes on his plate.

I took a deep breath. I was going to get through this. The sooner dinner was over the sooner I could get back on the bus and be back with Jimin.

"Things are going just fine, Dad." I forced a smile.

I loved my parents. They'd raised me and cared for me. But it was times like these where our values and beliefs clashed so hard together sometimes it was hard to remember all the good times and memories with them.

"He hasn't done anything to you has he?" Mom leaned forward earnestly. "He hasn't hurt you or..."

"He's not dangerous Mom," I said quietly.

Instantly my mother's expression darkened. "He can morph into anything Jiyeon. Anything. Do you know how many options that opens for someone with that kind of power? Limitless. It's a miracle that these creatures waited as long as they did before they began blowing up things."

I clenched my jaw and silently poked at the meat on my plate. My stomach had been growling with hunger when I'd first entered the house. Now felt like it had shrunk to the size of a peanut.

"Well, the good thing is they'll be put into place soon." My dad reached out and patted Mom's shoulder, as if reassuring her. "The Pure Reformists will retrain them now that they've finally found the aliens' weakness."

My attention immediately zeroed in. So it was true. Humans had finally found a weapon to hinder Outworlders. The bloody body of Hoseok flashed through my mind and my mouth dried.

Outworlders were vulnerable to weapons like guns, just like humans. But because of their morphing abilities it was difficult to shoot at a being who was constantly shape-shifting. But with this new weapon that was preventing them from morphing they were just as vulnerable as humans. Maybe even more vulnerable.

"What..." I cleared my throat, forcing to keep it light and steady, "What is the aliens' weakness exactly?"

Mom's eyes glimmered with dark glee. "It's a mix of different chemicals that are absolutely lethal," she said happily. "You know those freak tattoos all over their bodies?"

They're called Marks. I bit back the words.

"Well the skin of those tats are these thin membrane-like skin that is hyper-sensitive. So, the Reformists came up with this brilliant mixture of chemical compounds, liquified hydrogen sulfide as the main ingredient. It's a corrosive mixture and quickly eats at the membrane. It turns out they can't morph if their tats are damaged. And if they can't morph, then we can easily kill them."

My mouth felt dry but I didn't dare take a sip of water because of my hands were shaking. In fact, they were trembling so badly I had to set down my fork and hide them in my lap so my parents didn't see.

Both of them were busy gazing each other with happy smiles to notice though.

"It's perfectly formulated that if it gets on human skin, we just need to wash it off," said Dad. "The corrosive liquids in the substance irritates our skin only a little bit. But with the alien tattoos, it just eats the membrane right up like fire to tissue."

My eyes widened. The superglue incident on the first night with Jimin. Cyanoacrylate. It was a main chemical that made up superglue and was a mild skin irritant.