Kyungsoo

I feel a sense of unease every time I think back to Yixing, the mysterious Nurse who claimed to be from Sehun’s group. I wasn’t sure whether or not I should pass along the message he gave me because I don’t fully believe him. If he was on our side, then why was he here in the first place? That question already has an answer to it, though; he was—is— looking for Sehun. Although I doubt his words, his actions had struck me to the core. He didn’t experiment on me, not once in the twenty minutes I was in there with him.

But that isn’t what confuses me. It’s the fact that he was able to make me unconscious with just a touch of his hand. At some point after pretending I soiled myself and revealing who he was, Yixing explained to me that in order for me to leave the room unscathed, he’d have to knock me out. I was prepared to be physically knocked out but instead, he grabbed a medical drill and made a show out of getting ready to use it on me. The second his fingers had touched my hand, I fell into a peaceful slumber. I awoke back in my uncomfortable bed, confused and dazed.

Yixing left me with the impression that he’s one of us. But that couldn’t be possible considering he worked for them. There was no way a Holder would be in this facility other than to be experimented on.

“Kyungsoo,” I lift my head at the sudden call of my name and look at Yixing, who was peering through the barred slot on the door. He offers a polite smile and says, “I’m going in, okay?”

Since when do they need my permission to come in?

True to his word, he unlocks the door and slips inside. The soft click of the door shutting fills the silence as I try to find a reason for why he is in here. My experimentation wasn’t too long ago and my daily shot was performed early this morning. So, what could he possibly want with me now?

“How are you holding up?” His words are full of kindness but he doesn’t move from his spot next to the door.

“Huh?” A question regarding how I was feeling was one of the last things I expected a Nurse to ask me.

“Don’t worry, it’s not a trick question.” He explains, “Suho says we’ll be acting soon.”

“Suho who?” I sit up, my curiosity getting the best of me. Despite myself, I couldn’t stop thinking about his former news on us getting out of here. I was skeptical of it, yes, but what else could I do other than put my hopes into something that sounded somewhat promising?

“He’s one of the founders for our rebellion group. Originally, they settled down to just taking in abandoned Holders but having this place took one of their dear members’ brother, they decided it was time to put a stop to W.O.M.A.” Yixing’s tone had a hint of pride and I rose an eyebrow in question.

“You guys would go out of your way for a single Holder?”

“No, we’re going out of our way for all Holders. Sehun started the rebellion and we’re just adding fuel to the fire.” His innocent smile had turned into a confident grin that suited him all too well. “You can trust me - us.”

“I’m not into the whole trusting-people-thing right now. Last time I trusted someone, I ended up in here.” I purse my lips and look down at my bare feet.

“You were checked in?”

“No, I don’t know how anyone found out, actually. The only people who knew about my power were my…” I trail off, cringing at the thought of my own parents wanting to admit me into a place like this. They would never do such a thing. I was their only child and

never stood out of line with them.

“Your parents?” His voice grew soft. I look up at his solemn expression. He was one to quickly change his mood depending the situation, it seems. My eyes glazed over after registering his words and Yixing grew into a panic. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean offense by it. It’s just… a lot of the Holders back home were brought into facilities like this by their own families.”

My gut wrenches at the thought of being put in here because of my parents fear of me. I refuse to believe they were the ones who did. Someone must have been keeping a close eye on me weeks prior to my capture. It made no sense for either my mom or dad to give me up.

Right?

Mina

If it weren’t for the fact that it was Minseok who was knocking at my door during the middle of the night, I would have ignored whoever it was and went back to sleep. But because it was Minseok, I had no chance but to pull myself up from my resting and tiredly open the door.

“Yes?” I ask, clenching my jaw so a yawn couldn’t release itself.

“I know it’s two in the morning and I know you were sleeping and I feel bad about it but I need to talk to you.” Minseok’s words are low and quiet. I have to lean in just to hear the rest of his sentence. “It’s urgent.”

“Come in,” I fully open my door and step aside to let him in. Minseok paces into the center of the room and halts, looking back at me. He purses his lips and nods at the door, indicating for me to shut my door.

I do.

“Are you okay?” I question in concern. Minseok wasn’t one to easily get worked up over just anything. Whatever was on his mind must be bothering him tremendously.

“Mina,” he steps towards me and gently grabs my shoulders. In the back of my dumb teenage mind, a thought arises of him confessing his feelings for me. Although Minseok was attractive, and as y as it sounds, I didn’t have the time for a romance when Sehun was still stuck in that sickening place.

“Listen, Minseok,” I mumble, nerves creeping up my spine as I prepared myself for my rejection. “You know I look up to you more than Suho, but-”

“What?” His brows furrow in confusion as he stares blankly at me. “What are you talking about it?”
 

“You’re not…?” I trail off, beginning to realize my assumption was entirely off the rail. “Um, nevermind.”

“Anyway…” Minseok shakes his head and returns to his previous concerned expression. “I swore to keep this secret with Suho but the guilt was eating away at me and I couldn’t keep this from you any longer.”

I slowly nod for him to go on, listening intently.

“We’ve been holding other meetings regarding Sehun’s situation without you.” He notices the sudden stillness I take and explains haphazardly, “After the mission with Yixing, Suho and I agreed you wouldn’t be suited for the big mission.”

My shoulders slump and I step away from him, my eyes squinting into a hard glare. “So, now what? I sit here while you guys go rescue my brother?” Minseok bites the inside of his cheek as I continue on. “I can’t believe you guys are doing this. I thought we were all on the same page with this.”

“We are,” he says. “This mission is too crucial and can go down hill at any time. We don’t want to put you or anyone else in danger.”

“Is it because I can’t control my power like everyone else here?” I clench my hands into fists at the thought of being too weak and breathe in shakily. I didn’t have to look at Minseok to confirm my theory. “That’s it then, huh?”

“You know we aren’t doing this to spite you-”

“No, I get it. I can’t be a problem for the rescue team. I completely get it.” I shuffle over to the door and pull it open. “I appreciate you telling me all this. But I’m getting tired now and I’d love to be alone.”
 

Minseok remains silent as he walks over to where I stand and brings his hand up to my shoulder. He seems to have second thoughts because he brings his hand back to his side and walks out of my room without another word. I meekly push the door shut and close my eyes, willing myself to not cry. 

I'll just have to show them what Mina Oh is capable of doing then.