Changjo sat in the dark room huddled on the air mattress the others had set up for him. He was cold, but he could only feel it distantly. A dull numbness has stolen over him, making everything seem trivial and far away. On their way back from headquarters, Minsoo had answered his question about his family.

"I'm not going to try to sugarcoat this for you, alright?" Minsoo said, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk and turning to face Changjo. He nodded. Minsoo placed his hand on the boy's shoulder and looked him straight in the eyes. "Your parents and your siblings, if you have any, are more than likely dead." He might as well have smacked Changjo over the head with a sledgehammer. The weight of his words slammed down on him, the breath out of his lungs. "Most of the time, when a System is selected, they have been watched by the Project for a long period of time. The reward for the System that changes a human...is that person's family. However, sometimes selection for becoming a System is completely random or the System that changes a human will choose not to attack the family. It all depends." Changjo just blinked and nodded. "But even if your family is still alive, you can't go and see them, no matter how much you want to. Being near them or having any sort of contact with them will only put them in danger. The leaders of the Project will have anyone you have a connection with killed if they can. It's for your family's own good if they just stay in the dark, assuming you've gone missing or been kidnapped. I know it's hard, but it's something you have to do for them."  Minsoo patted Changjo's shoulder before letting his hand slip back to his side. "Come on. We're almost there."

Changjo had tried crying, but no tears came. He was completely and utterly exhausted, but he couldn't sleep. He had no idea how long he'd sat there on the mattress, unmoving. The sun had gone down at some point, leaving him with no illumination other than the glow of city lights that came through the window. He heard the sound of footsteps outside the door. Slowly he rose to his feet and walked over to open it. It was Ricky. He started, as if he wasn't expecting Changjo to have been there.

"Uh...hi," he said, running his fingers through his messy black hair.

"You probably want in your room, right? Sorry, I was...sleeping," Changjo mumbled, moving to the side so that Ricky could enter.

"Oh it's fine. I was actually coming to check on you..." he replied sheepishly, sidestepping into the room. "Are...are you okay?" Changjo stared at the floor.

"No," he murmured. Ricky sighed.

"I know. It feels like things will never be okay again, doesn't it?" Changjo nodded slowly, his eyes locked on the floor.

"I just don't understand. Why?" he asked, his voice cracking. He looked up at Ricky, and he felt tears stinging the back of his eyes. Of course, now I feel like crying, he thought to himself. He shook his head. "I don't get it."

"Honestly, I don't think any of us do. The Project, the Virus...any of it," Ricky explained. He turned and went to where Changjo's mattress lay on the floor. Then he pulled it over the the center of the room, right up next to his. Ricky plopped down on his bed and patted Changjo's. "Come here. Sit." Changjo obeyed, shuffling over and setting himself down on his mattress. "Now. Where are you from?"

"Chuncheon, originally, but I live here in Seoul now," Changjo answered, a bit confused as to where this conversation was going. Ricky smiled.

"Really? I've lived in the city all my life. How old are you?"

"I'm turning sixteen next month..."

"Then we'll be the same age!" Ricky exclaimed, smiling even wider. Changjo couldn't help but smile a bit in return. "What's your favorite color?"

"Uh...lime green, I guess. Or white," Changjo replied, laughing a little bit.

"Mine's blue," Ricky said with a grin. "See? Life might not ever go back to being like the way it was, but you can still smile. Things will get better, trust me. When I was turned...I...I was so scared. The System that changed me attacked me and my family while we were asleep. She killed my parents and my brother before she got to me...I thought I was going to die too. But I didn't. And even though I became a part of the Project, things aren't so bad. Minsoo and Niel and Byunghun and Chunji, they're my family now. You will be too. You'll see." Ricky stood, and Changjo almost got up to follow him. "Stay here. Rest. I know you weren't sleeping earlier. I'll see you when you wake up, okay?" Changjo nodded and lay down, sleep already dragging at his eyelids. He heard Ricky close the door before he drifted off.