The Ace (Stray Kids Kim Seungmin)

18

Melody awoke the next morning to the sun’s rays cast across her face, a perfect combination to the chilly breeze that accompanied it. She longed to stay where she was and drift back into a peaceful slumber. It had been too long since she could just enjoy the luxury of sleep and all she wanted was to hold onto it as long as she could, recharge on it as much as possible before she had to let go of it again. 

But the longer she lay there, the more aware she became of her surroundings. She had fallen asleep facing the west which only meant, for the sun to be shining directly on her face, it would have to be afternoon. And it didn’t take her stomach to grumble for her to notice how hungry she really was. It had almost been a day since she last eaten. And her legs ached, which didn’t surprise her at all. They had travelled well over ten kilometres that night. They walked until they couldn’t anymore and then decided to rest at the top of a cliff to the view of the vast jungle. 

Five minutes after waking up, Mel finally fluttered her eyes open before immediately being overwhelmed by how bright it was and closing them again.

Seungmin chuckled, “good to see you’re finally awake.”

She groggily hummed in response, causing him to chuckle once more. 

"Minho, Jeongin and Brea went to get something to eat." he stated. "They said we deserve the rest."

"What time is it?" Mel croaked, earning a fond smile from the boy. 

"Late afternoon. The sun should be setting in a few hours."

She nodded, turning so that she was lying on her back. Bringing her arm up to cover eyes, she attempted to open her eyes again before meeting Seungmin's amused gaze. 

"What?" she asked, noticing the smirk on his face. 

"Nothing," he shrugged. "You just look exhausted."

She smiled at him, "that's because I am. I'm absolutely drained."

"Yeah, yesterday was pretty crazy, wasn't it?" 

“Crazy is an understatement. Can’t believe Mia and Jisung tried to kick me out of the group.” Heaving a soft sigh, she sat up, ruffling her hair a bit before glancing at him. “Speaking of yesterday, you didn’t answer my question.”

“Which question?”

“Why did you leave with me? And why did you stand up for me?” 

“Didn’t Brea answer that question?”

“She did. I want to hear what you have to say though.”

“I feel the exact same way as her. I have nothing to lose and all I want to do is get out of this stupid place.”

“That’s all? Not because you genuinely believe I’m the Ace of Hearts? Even if you have nothing to lose, you’re an ace. Why would you follow someone that could be the Joker?”

“I don’t get you,” he narrowed his eyes at her. “Do you want me to think you are a Joker?”

“Of course not! It’s just… Jisung isn’t the first person to question if I’m the Joker. I know I’m not the best ace but suggesting I’m the Joker is something completely different.”

“Melody,” he sighed, holding her hands in his own and offering her a soft smile. “I followed you here not because I think you are the Ace of Hearts, but because I know you are. Yeah, you haven’t done much as an ace but that’s just because your time hasn’t come yet. The creators wouldn’t give you that title for no reason.”

“What if they made a mistake though? What if I’m not meant to be an ace? Or what if they just gave me the title because there was no one else to give it to?”

“You’re the Ace, Mel. That’s one of the most important roles in this whole world. They wouldn’t make a mistake on that nor would they just chuck anyone into that position. Look around, this whole world, every single tree and leaf out there in the jungle was sculpted around the different aces and jokers. Everything was sculpted around us, Mel. Not Mia nor Jisung. Us.”

She nodded in response, lowering her gaze from his face to their hands.

“I guess… Thanks Seungmin,” Melody offered him a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. 

“If it helps,” a voice came from behind them. They instantly flinched upon hearing Minho, letting go of each other’s hands even though they were sure he already saw it. “I think you fit the ace role perfectly. No one ever guaranteed that aces would succeed at everything. In fact, we aren’t expected to. There’s a reason each card has their own strengths: 2s are experienced fighters, 3s excel in hunting, 4s are rational thinkers, and so on. All the aces are meant to do is lead everyone else out of here and just look at us. If it wasn’t for you, we would still be in the cave, not out here looking for an escape. It probably doesn’t mean anything to you but that’s the reason I followed you.”

“When did you get here?” Seungmin asked.

“I arrived a while back, I didn’t want to interrupt your little moment so I waited for a bit but it started to drag on and I grew impatient,” he responded.

“Were you not successful in finding something to eat?”

“Huh? Oh, right! I forgot that was the reason I went exploring.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Mel tilted her head in confusion. “Where’s Brea and Jeongin?”

A satisfied smile grew on his face, “that’s actually why I came back. We found something. Something interesting. And we figured you two would like to explore it with us.”

“What is it?” They asked in unison, already standing up after seeing the smirk across his face.

“A tall, stone wall… Or rather, three tall, stone walls and one large pile of rubble.” He paused, scanning their faces to see if they mirrored the same amusement as his own and much to his delight, they did. “I would continue build up the suspense but, clearly, judging by your expressions you know what I’m getting at.”

And they did.

Minho had found the remains of another Pen.