Terrorism comes in all forms

There's a funny thing about fear.
It is one of the many human emotions that people feel most vividly, but unlike any other, it is the most selfish one.
No one likes to admit it, but it's the truth.
Fear is powered by one's concern at whether or not they will lose something that they hold dear to themselves. It doesn't take into consideration other's happiness, but it is based purely on how it will affect the person with an attachment afterwards.And even if one does fear for another, that fear is not the same as the one that will be experienced for oneself.
Because as animals, humans have the instinct to survive that cannot be replicated for others.
No doubt, Ae Sook certainly felt fear for her parents when their lives were threatened, and in that moment, when her fright combined with her adrenaline, she was selfless with it. She still is.
But now, she is experiencing a new type of fear, huddled in the corner. It wasn't something small nor was it something that she could ignore, but rather, it was something that ccher mind forced her to focus on.

Because in this situation, no matter how many angles you look at it, she was the prey and her chances of survival didn't add up too well, which only added to her anxiety.

And just like terror attacks instilled fear in society, the scarred man instilled fear in Ae Sook’s life. He was her terrorist, and due to the fact that he had the power to show up anywhere caused such severe tension in her decisions.

Now, when Ae Sook decided things, it wouldn't be based on lim, but rather on how she could avoid him.

That was the new version of herself: Terrified Ae Sook 2.0.

She hated it.

But she had no choice but to stay in her corner and think about, literally, life.

She stayed there the entire night, from when the stars were at their highest exposure to when they faded behind the rising sun and the streaking colors. And even then, as the sun began to take over the sky and establish its reign, Ae Sook sat there, fear still burning in her chest.

The phone call made her hate the room. Now, the sleek designs of the wood just translated to empty open space and cold interior that held no feelings. Her decorations just looked like anomalies and fake imitations of her past life.

Her despite for the room continued to grow, fostered by her horrible thoughts. Finally, it overtook her mind and she couldn't take anymore of it.

Getting up, Ae Sook quickly rushes out of the door, fumbling with the knob as she struggles to close the door on all her fears.

Right as she emerges into the hallway, she spots 3 of the boys coming up the stairs. Sehun and Chanyeol ignore her as they trudge on to their separate rooms, mumbling something about territory and guarding and lack of sleep.

However, Suho is the one to stop and notice the girl lingering by her door. His raised eyebrows indicate his surprise at her presence.

“What are you doing awake so early?”

Ae Sook scans the walls to find a clock, which reads 6:13 AM. She's not really surprised at the time since sitting in her room with not a wink of sleep felt like ages.

With her eyes lingering on the ticking hands, she says, “I was looking for the home phone. My phone died and I have an important phone call to make.”

“We don't have a home phone, but,” Suho says as he fumbles for something in his pocket, “you can use mine.”

He quickly types his pass code in before giving it to her. “Use it all you want, because I'm going to sleep so I don't need it. Just make sure that it doesn't lock because there's probably a zero chance I'm going to wake up before 11. We ran nearly ¾ of the territory today.”

Tiredly, Suho trudges past her and back into his room, leaving the girl alone to her own devices. On instinct, she immediately types in Hwan’s number nice she opens the green phone app, but looking at the number for a second time, her finger hovers over the call button, unsure.

If she presses call, she's getting Hwan's involved in something that is above his capability to solve. Ae Sook never asked to be exposed to this world either, but Hwan's had a choice and she wasn't going to be the one to force it on him.

Deciding against it, she quickly deletes his number and types in another.

She needs to distract herself and deal with the real world for a moment, not one full of were people and supernatural murders.

On the third ring, Dr. Kyung picks up.

“Hello?”

“Hi Dr. Kyung,” Ae Sook chirps as she cups her hand over the receiver. “This is Ae Sook.”

“Oh, Miss Kim, how are you doing?”

“I'm alright, but I just wanted to say I'm so sorry for missing out on the last two parts of the exam. It was a really tough week for me and I just got everything settled-”

“Ae Sook,” her professor’s voice cuts her off, “there is no need to apologize for missing a test when you had other things going on in your life. I taught you that a doctor has to be well for them to serve their patients, and I mean it. And when I asked you earlier about your condition, I meant that too. How are you handling everything?”

Ae Sook sighs at her teacher’s kindness. “It's not easy to do, but it's something I must do, so I do it. But if I may ask, how did you hear about the event? Was it my aunt?”

Ae Sook prepares to hear the familiar syllables of her aunt’s full name to leave the lips of Dr. Kyung, and with her anticipation, she makes a mental note to thank her aunt for alerting her school on her behalf.

“Actually, it was Sae Ryun’s doing.”

Ae Sook stops pacing down the length of the hallway as the name settles in.

“I'm sorry, did you say Sae Ryun?”

“Exactly the person. Initially, I was surprised too. I never thought the both of you were close. Well, I wouldn't say close as I considered you rivals. But during part two of the test, neither you nor Sae Ryun showed up and I thought something was off. But while you were still missing, Sae Ryun showed up during the later half of the day once testing concluded and told me everything that happened. He also requested that none of the information about the situation should be leaked to the class without your permission, so he left it at that.”

Ae Sook is at a loss for words. First he contacted Da Bin about her, then transferred her to the highest class patient room all while paying her medical bills, and now he contacted the school for her?

This wasn't the same Sae Ryun she faced last Tuesday two weeks past. And frankly, it confused her as to what he was planning.

Picking up on something else, Ae Sook asks, “Did he complete his tests?”

“That, I’m afraid, he did not. He completed the dissection portion, but left right after and never spoke to me about the oral section. Since this is a three part examination, if he doesn't complete the oral exam by the time winter break is over, his two other scores will be combined, minus the third section, resulting in his final average.”

Ae Sook knew something had to be going on with Sae Ryun. She wasn't close with him, how could she be? But once a person stops doing what they normally do, it calls some attention to themselves and Sae Ryun is waving a big red flag in those terms.

Hesitantly, Ae Sook drops the topic. “So when would it be a good time for me to come in?”

“I'm open all this week, but come in today, say around 2?”

Ae Sook starts to sweat at his words. The same day, just a few hours away? She didn't even study for the dissection and she wasn't even done prepping for the oral part either. It would be a mess if she went today. She lets out a nervous laugh as her thoughts compel her to ask for a different date.

“Could I maybe reschedule for Tuesday?”

“Ae Sook, if it's studying that you're worried about, don't be. There's a difference between bright and smart, and you're the brightest in the class. You remember everything and are able to apply it well enough. Forget about studying and let your doctoral instincts take over for once. Doctors don't always go by the book, Miss Kim. I'll see you at 2,” Dr. Kyung warmly assures before he hangs up.

All Ae Sook can think is that she screwed herself over.

<> <> <> <> <> <>

Sae Ryun is taking on morning routes in the hospital again when his phone chimes, sending vibrations through the empty hallways of his ward. Pulling out his iPhone, he sees a notification for an incoming email.

6:27 AM

From: Dr. Kyung

To: Mr. Da Sae Ryun

I would just like to remind you that you have yet to complete your final exam, for reasons I am sure are viable. You have until the end of this winter break to complete them, or only the two parts which you have completed will be taken into consideration for your final average. But, there is an opportunity to take it today at 2:00 PM as Ms. Kim has contacted me with a request to take it. You may join her for the exam, or you may wait. Please email me with your decision.

Sae Ryun breathes out a heavy sigh and lifts his eyes from the screen to his surroundings. While he was reading, his feet carried him farther away from his ward and down the aisles of the emergency room.

Seeing the empty beds, almost everyone has been discharged or moved to private rooms, but even with the emptiness, Sae Ryun can see the phantoms of two people flitting across the beds with the most recent girl haunting his thoughts the most. With pictures of her in his head, Sae Ryun shifts his gaze to his phone once again.

Pressing on the keyboard, Sae Ryun types in his response.

Dr. Kyung, thank you for your concerns, but I am afraid I won't have time to take the exam. If you would, please calculate my score as is. Thank you.

She deserves to have some happiness now. He was an for trying to take it away from her in the first place, just like how his terrorists were to him.

Before, he promised to never do those things that they did to him, because no one deserved to feel the way he felt. But things change, and Sae Ryun changed too. He changed because he had to harden his defenses against them, and with it, he hardened his heart.

He lost the innocent boy he was before, and Ae Sook reminded him so much of him.

And before, it was a reason for hatred, but now, it was one for Sae Ryun’s embarrassment.

He couldn't face her now, he was too ashamed of himself to do that, because now, Ae Sook had much more in common with him. She started to become the purer form of what Sae Ryun was and what he experienced, and if she got any closer to him, or if he happened to stop his guard against her, he could see himself losing his walls.

He would lose to his old self.

And Sae Ryun had sinned far too much to go back.

<> <> <> <> <> <> <>

The second that Da Bin rolled her car up the driveway of pack’s house, Ae Sook sped towards it at full speed, jumping over the car door as always before Da Bin rolled up the hood.

With her signature sunglasses shielding her eyes, she slides them down the bridge of her nose to peer over them. Slightly lifting off her seat and towards Ae Sook’s, she leans over to look out the window to get a better view of the house. “Is Sehun or Baekhyun home?”

Ae Sook pushes Da Bin’s forehead back with her index finger. Then switching to point at the road, she commands, “Drive.”

Sighing, Da Bin puts the car into gears, revving up the engine as she speeds down the driveway. “You know, it's the least you could do to repay me for driving you to school in the middle of break.”

“Well who else would?”

“Oh, I don't know,” Da Bin says exaggeratedly as she rolls her eyes, “one of the six guys who live in the same house you do?”

“Well, they couldn't.”

“And why ever not?”

“Because they went to work out early in the morning and they all fell asleep,” Ae Sook lies to cover up the fact that she didn't want to drive with them. Well, it's not completely a lie because three of them did go work out, just not all. It's what Ae Sook likes to call a compromise.

Da Bin squeals and turns to look at Ae Sook. “Did you see them? How did Sehun and Baekhyun look? God, they're so hot even when they have their clothes on.”

“Da Bin, it is below freezing outside, why would they not have their shirts on?”

“Hey, don't crush a girl’s dreams. Maybe they're werewolves like Jacob or something. That would be even hotter and so cute! Having a mate to look after me.” Da Bin sighs dreamily, her eyes widening at the statistics of the possibility as Ae Sook’s stomachs fills with dread. “Do you think it could be true?”

For a moment, Ae Sook is out of words as her friends eyes hold a sort of expectation to them. Treading dangerous waters, Ae Sook laughs, hoping the nervousness doesn't show. “Are you still on Twilight? That's for 12 year olds.”

Da Bin pouts a little as her dreams dissipate. “Fine then. Don't believe me. When the time comes, I'm not gonna share any of my hot werewolves with you.”

Ae Sook tries to steer the conversation away from werepeople as much as possible. She first clears a little, trying to get rid of her discomfort too. “What happened to all those bad reviews about them though? The Hitler thing and the try-hard girlfriend aspect?”

Da Bin looks into the rear view mirror as she fixes her hair a bit. “Well sometimes, looks don't show everything, because when I was talking to them, they went up so much more in ranks. Both intelligent and gifted with looks, I think I'm in love, Ae Sook.” Her friend turns to look at her with widened eyes and hands that should be on the steering wheel are instead intertwined together and close to her face, emphasizing her body language for one of a ditzy white girl.

“Does Kai make you feel that way too? I heard he has a killer 6 pack,” Ae Sook says, wiggling her eyebrows.

“That would happen just before you and D.O announce that you're in a relationship together.”

Ae Sook scrunches her nose at the topic. At least Da Bin understands her feelings about the boy now. And speaking of which…”While we're talking about hated individuals, wanna take a guess who called the school on my behalf?”

“D.O?” Da Bin asks, taking a blind stab at the question.

Ae Sook shakes her head. “Sae Ryun.”

There's a moment of silence.

“Okay, teasing me with Kai was mean but now this is just cruel. You're making me think the has a heart.”

“Da Bin, I’m serious. I talked to Dr. Kyung today and he told me Sae Ryun called in for me. And then get this, he didn't take his tests the same day I was in the hospital, and he still hasn't taken them either. Sae Ryun would never do that.”

Da Bin looks over at Ae Sook, eyeing her like she grew two heads. “Maybe he found out he has cancer and is trying to make right for all his wrongs?”

Ae Sook’s hand lands on Da Bin’s arm with in a playful slap. “No, that's not right. Has Sae Ra been any different?”

“Not really,” Da Bin says as her eyes lift to the ceiling of the car thoughtfully, “she's still the same pretentious daddy’s girl she's always been.”

“And Sae Ryun’s the same pretentious mommy’s boy? I still think something's wrong with him.”

“Actually, he's not,” Da Bin says, her voice more tame than it was before.

“Not what?”

“A mommy’s boy. Well, he isn't now. When he was younger, he was crazy about her, followed her around everywhere and they were never separated. Joined at the hip, you know? He was nicer then too, and his sister was the one who was the brat but after he stopped following his mom around, he turned sour too.”

“Why did he stop?” Ae Sook questions as she tilts her head to the side in confusion. She has never heard of a time when Sae Ryun was nice.

“Well, he couldn't exactly follow her after she died.”

Like Ae Sook was slapped in the face, she feels the whiplash from the comment as her surprise swallows her words. Even though he was horrid to her, she feels so awful that she returned his hatred. His attitude could have been the same as hers when she acknowledged D.O and the pack: cold because he tried to stop his feelings.

“Yeah, not everything reaches the press outside of our inner circle, and he was so young when it happened too. Eight, I think? Because I remember one day, his mom was there handing out toys to us kids, and then the next, she was gone. I didn't really think about it that much, because next thing I recall, she was replaced with his stepmom. And that's when he turned mean.”

“Oh god, I never knew,” Ae Sook breathes, finally gaining enough hold of her shock to speak.

“It's not like it was open to you anyways. You only met him when you started college, and his brattiness didn't exactly give you the need to look further into his life story. That's why I never really fight back when he snaps at me.”

And all this time, Ae Sook thought that Da Bin was too hurt by his words to go against him. Ae Sook’s guilt just rose.

“I feel awful now. He was just trying to stop the pain like me.” Ae sook takes her head in her hands as her elbows rest on her knees.  

“Ae Sook, you shouldn't feel bad. Our lifestyle isn't the easiest, and it wasn't easy on Sae Ryun, but that doesn't mean that he needed to be an to you when all you were was nice. But now though, I think you're helping him become human again, because never in the 13 years since Sae Ryun lost his mother have I seen him so openly express feelings towards someone.”

Da Bin taps on her friend’s shoulder, alerting her of their arrival as the car comes to a stop before the medical building of the school.

“Don't worry about these things too much and go and get that perfect score on your test.”

Lifting her eyes, Ae Sook looks at Da Bin for a moment before sitting up straight, pulling the clasp on her buckle.

“Okay, fine. But before I go, is there anything else I need to know?”

It's like Ae Sook knew something was wrong with Da Bin, because the driver could feel her friend’s scorching eyes. Swallowing the urge to tell her, Da Bin closes and let's a small smile grace her lips before shaking her head. “I'll update you if anything happens, boss.” Da Bin contributes a little salute to add to her role.

“Alright, you're picking me up too?” Ae Sook asks while she exits the car. Moving away from the vehicle, she continues walking backwards as she waits for her friend’s response.

Da Bin nods just as her phone chimes twice. In response, she tucks the model under her thigh a little more, trying to ignore it as she waves Ae Sook off.

“Get that 100!” Da Bin screams. Her friend waves one more time before turning around and disappearing behind the glass door of the building.

Lounging in her oblivion for a bit more, Da Bin stares at the campus for a few more seconds before pulling her phone out from where it lay on the seat. Turning it around, her eyes scans the bottommost message first.

1:47 PM

Mom

Are you available tonight? There's an important meeting that the workers of K want us to attend.

1:48 PM

DON’T PICK UP!!!

Can't wait to see you tonight, princess.

Letting her phone drop to her lap, Da Bin bangs her head against the steering wheel. What would she be if she wasn't a good daughter?

<> <> <> <> <> <>

As soon as Ae Sook crosses the threshold of the medical building, she begins to pat herself down in search of her phone only to remember what she did to it last night. Mumbling a few profanities, she quickl