D—“:

Baekhyun charged through the thick woods with Tao and Krystal who later gave up around noon. He traveled further alone reminding himself to look in all areas, in all hiding places, and through all the shrubs. Once in a while he would scream out Namjoo’s name and wait for a reply but received nothing. He would continue on and repeat the process until his legs tired and his feet became sore from all the walking. Then when the sun began to set he retreated back to the stony building filled with regret that he hadn’t tried hard enough. And when he went to bed he’d wonder if Namjoo was somewhere safe, if she had a roof over her head other than the night sky, and he’d plunge himself into a pit of guilt again.

When morning arrived, he’d do it again.

D—“:

There was another half of the cabin on the other side of the tiny hallway beside the bedside table. There was a small square sitting room to the right with a window and some worn out furniture. The colors were so faded that Namjoo couldn’t depict the originality of what the shades used to be. Then to the left across from the sitting room was another small bedroom and the bathroom. Then up ahead was a tiny kitchen which supplied her with a sink and a tiny stove back from the early 90’s. She hadn’t checked though, to see if they still worked or not. Then in one of the cabinets were where the canned foods were. Namjoo also discovered a can opener in one of the drawers as well as some utensils.

The cabin didn’t bore her, but left her trapped in her thoughts. She’d think about Luhan and what he was currently doing. How he was surviving in Organization One and if he was having a hard time. If they were as violent as she thought they were and if Luhan could keep up with their ways. Namjoo would wonder if he’d been forced to kill someone innocent and how Luhan would feel about it. Then sometimes she’d remember how she’d killed Man Sook and feel like killing herself for taking the life of a friend she’d known for a short while. Then other times, she would think about how differently her life would have been if she and Luhan had remained together. Would they have been happier? Or would they have been thrown into this new world either way?

Namjoo stepped through the back door and first peered up into the sun. Nostalgia began to overtake her the longer she stared at it before she suddenly dropped to the ground. A strange sensation began to drown her legs, not just one, but both into a surmounting weakness. It was as if her muscles had suddenly become gooey. Then something began drumming deliriously inside her head forcing her to let out a painful gasp before reaching up to clutch her head with both hands. Slouching forward she let out moans between helpless cries. First, she was confused. She’d never suffered from a migraine before and she couldn’t recall having a history of continuous headaches. It’d been a long time before she’d had one. Second, she could no longer think about what was going on with her. The immense pain started spreading inside her head almost numbing her senses.

For what felt like a long while Namjoo tried to fight the pain and felt her consciousness start to slip away. She leaned forward and half lied face first against the ground and tried to steady her breathing before squeezing her eyes shut. Namjoo clawed at the ground and felt tears arise in her eyes from the awful pain before she imagined Luhan scolding her for acting like a child.

“Can’t you act your age instead of crying about every little thing? How old are you again?” he’d yell.

A half laugh and half cry escaped before she felt her heart ache again. If Luhan saw her like that he’d immediately worry and carry her to the hospital or he’d set her in bed and give her some medication, but the truth was he wasn’t there. If he got hurt in Organization One, who would look after him?

The pain began to subside leaving her where she was, panting and numb from the heavy pain. Namjoo lightly ran her fingers across the ground but couldn’t find the strength to pull herself up, so she remained there. Within a quick span of time Namjoo felt someone pull her off the ground and she turned to find Kris looking at her before he studied the sweat pouring out from around her hair and forehead. Namjoo found herself staring into his face and tried to imagine Luhan, but it didn’t work.

“Why are you here?” she asked instead of greeting him.

“I’m bored where I was,” he replied before literally pulling her to her feet.

Namjoo felt her legs become brittle underneath her before she quickly reached for the wall of the cabin and slid against it before sitting back on the ground.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“You can leave. I’ll sit here for a bit,” she said very quietly.

She slightly closed her eyes but could still see his dark shadow standing over her. Her eyes shot open when she felt him lift her up into the air and shifted her into his arms. Namjoo thought her brain was dying. She couldn’t process the order to tell him to put her down.  

“I wasn’t told you had a stubborn side to you,” he commented while walking into the cabin.

“What?” Namjoo questioned confused.

“Nothing.” He quickly refuted and Namjoo leaned her chin into her collar bone before closing her eyes for a split second.

In her head she tried to see Luhan again. He’d carried her the same way a few times before and it had always felt nice, but this time it wasn’t Luhan and it still felt nice. Namjoo reopened her eyes when he set her down on the bed.

She immediately turned her back to Kris and told him, “I’m going to sleep for a bit. I don’t mind if you leave before I wake up…and thanks.”

D—“:

She seemed to have fallen asleep right away and Kris leaned over to peer at her. He would have used a towel or something to wipe off the sweat from around her face and the dirt off her forehead, but there was nothing, so he used his hand to wipe off the sweat and carefully brushed off the dirt.

Stepping out to the backyard to wash his hands he turned to look at the spot where he’d found the helpless Namjoo. She was in pain; he knew she was in pain. Her face had told him so. Kris walked back into the cabin and stood over her. Namjoo had knocked out good from whatever had forced her to the ground. Was she ill or something? Walking over to the far wall he sat down and looked over at her. Was being alone here ok for her? Or would she need to find the government coup soon? How had they treated her that she wasn’t trying to find them? Or was someone looking for her? Was she scared at all?

Since he hadn’t killed her he felt obligated to at least keeping her safe; for as long as she was here alone and for as long as he would be able to talk to her.

D—“:

30…there were 30 of them there. She watched them talk amongst themselves, some were lying inside their tents, and others were walking around. Victoria tried to remember faces and names, but it was difficult. She was at the door of the white tent intent on observing them. Learning their formation and the location of their tents was important so that when she wanted out she could ignore the most dangerous places with the strongest people.

Victoria’s eyes darted from place to place before she spotted a pack of men nearing the camp base and they looked like they had a heavy load with them. She narrowed her eyes and took a step out of the tent to see what was going on. A light commotion arose between the others and they crowded around.

“They’re back!” someone screamed.

Victoria took another step forward to join the crowd and watched as the pack of men near. Indeed, they had two dead bodies with them. Whose bodies were these? Victoria’s eyes grew wide and felt her heart quicken. Were these bodies members from Organization One? Or were they from the government coup? But when they neared and Victoria turned to watch the crowd make way for them, she didn’t recognize them. One of them she recognized as one of the leaders from the government coup. She felt her head turn to follow them as they walked away into another secluded tent. What were they going to do with the bodies? ID them? What would happen next if they found out about the government coup?

“What are you doing out here?”

Victoria turned to see Changmin looking at her curiously before his eyes darted over to the secluded tent.

“They brought back bodies,” someone clarified.

“You should go back to the tent,” Changmin advised, “they wouldn’t like it if you were watching.”

Deciding to be a good girl Victoria walked back to the tent accompanied by Changmin.

“Did Sergeant Park find out what’s going on?” Victoria asked. “Why have the cops been leaving in groups and coming back?”

“Ah…” Changmin looked around as Victoria sat down on the bed, “they’re doing a body count.”

“Body count?” Victoria raised both brows.

“They’re trying to find bodies in the woods.”

“Why?”

Changmin looked at her a little suspiciously and Victoria knew she might have asked too much.

“I’m just curious since I’m here,” Victoria backed herself up, “you don’t have to answer me.”

“No,” Changmin shook his head, “but where are you originally from, Victoria?”

He was changing the subject but Victoria guessed it was only natural to happen. “Seoul.”

“Really?” Changmin sounded surprised. “Me too. How old are you?”

“I’m turning 28 this year.”

“Oh? Really? When is your birthday?”

Victoria kind of shied away and turned her gaze toward the hand sitting beside her. Her memory had been too good so she hadn’t been able to erase the date. She kind of resented having been born. At Organization One no one cared about birthdays. It was all about being able to eat without the guarantee of having the next day. 

“In three days’ time.” Her voice gradually became quiet.

Changmin turned to look around before smiling, “Do you want seaweed soup?”

Victoria turned to look at him awed by his offer. She was surprised, shocked, and touched all at once that she was sure her face looked sort of weird during that moment. It didn’t matter though. No one had offered her seaweed soup since 12 years ago and she’d never had it at Organization One’s home base.

“I’m sure the guys have some ingredients lying around,” Changmin said before pointing a thumb to himself, “I live with my mother, so I’m quite a cook. You’ll be glad I’m your caretaker.”  

Victoria smiled thankfully and nodded before her eyes darted to the door of the tent. She still wanted to know what was going on out there in that secluded tent. 

D—“:

When it began to get dark outside Kris found himself hesitating to leave. He didn’t know if it was a better idea to wait for her to wake up or if it was a better idea to just leave, but the house had no electricity. When Namjoo woke up she’d be covered in a blanket of darkness. The thought of waking up to no light sounded frightening.

So when he saw her move he stood to his feet and slowly walked over. For sure she was awake. Her eyes checked around the room before they landed on him. Kris wondered why she wasn’t getting up before he realized she might not have the strength to when she didn’t have the strength to walk earlier. He suddenly pondered over the thought about how much weight she must have lost when she’d been forced to leave her home.

“Do you want to get up?” he asked.

“Yea.”

He reached over for her shoulders and pulled her up. When she lifted her head up he found her staring into his eyes with their faces not far from each other. It became kind of awkward very quickly. Their eyes locked and they only blinked in the duration of silence. Slowly letting go of her shoulders he twisted around and sat on the bed with his back to her.

“Sorry,” he heard her apologize, “I think there’s something wrong with my body today. My arms are suddenly weak now.”

Kris lowered his still eyes to the floor before turning back to look at her. “Are you sick?”

“No.”

“Do you hurt anywhere?”

“No.”

Silence.

“Why didn’t you leave? The sun’s setting; you won’t be able to find your way through the woods.”

“Then I might be stuck here, don’t you think?” he kind of laughed but Namjoo didn’t get it. He turned around and stared at the ground again. “No one will notice I’m gone. A night away from that place wouldn’t hurt.”

“Won’t your friends worry?”

Friends… Kris didn’t really have friends besides Victoria in Organization One, but even Victoria wasn’t there right now.

“They won’t worry. We’re all cool that way.”

“I guess it works that way when we’re adults,” Namjoo remarked. “Life is your own when you move out of your home.”

He felt her shift to the other side of the bed and turned to see that she had her back to him with her legs dangling off the edge.

“Are you scared of the dark?” he wondered.

“The moon’s always shining through here,” Namjoo stared out the window in front of her, “so I always remain over here. Do you want to come sit over here? It’s going to be pitch black over there soon.”

Kris hesitated for a mere moment before he moved over beside her. The moon was beginning to rise against the black sky unaccompanied by its lady stars. Underneath its dreamy glow he could see the tips of the trees extending high into the air.

“Do you want to share?” Namjoo asked and when he turned he saw her holding out the blanket to him.

Baffled by her offer he couldn’t find the words to say before she draped it over his shoulders.

“When I was a kid I used to build a tent out of my blanket and just pretend I was camping outside,” Namjoo told, “did you do that?”

Kris rummaged through his weak memories and recalled days where he used to play alone while growing up.

“I did that once,” he answered, “I played alone a lot.”

“Me too,” Namjoo sympathized.

He turned to look at her surprised. Honestly, he thought she would have grown up with siblings or a lot of friends or something. Kris was about to ask her about her family, but Namjoo turned to look and smile at him. He turned away from her suddenly feeling somewhat shy and nervous. She soon turned away oblivious to him. Namjoo continued talking, he’d answer and comment, and then they’d go quiet for some time. Eventually they’d talk again when either one of them thought of something and that was all they did the entire night.

D—“:

Yunho looked up at Changmin when he entered the tent and plopped down onto his sleeping bag.

“You’re staying in here for the night?” Yunho asked. “Aren’t you supposed to be watching…uh…what’s her name?”

“Tory?”

“Oh…yea…”

“Why are you asking?” Changmin stared up at the ceiling of the tent feeling relaxed for once.

“Shouldn’t you be more careful around her?” wondered Yunho. “She could be a spy.”

“Spy?” Changmin was taken aback by the suggestion. Victoria had seemed kind and innocent; he couldn’t possibly imagine her as a bad guy…not someone who cried like her. “How? She just lost her sister…”

“I could also say I lost my brother,” Yunho blatantly said.

Changmin stared at him before silencing. He was certain he wasn’t being deceived.

D—“:

When Victoria was sure that everyone had knocked out she left the camp. Organization One would have noticed her disappearance by now, not that they’d be worried or anything, but she needed to at least let them know she wasn't dead so she had a place to come back to. Through the dark Victoria trekked her way through the woods using the moon as a guiding light. Victoria was confident that the police camp was not too far off from where the government coup’s camp was stationed and beyond the government coup’s camp was where Organization One’s home base stayed hidden.

When the very first sunlight began seeping through the sky with a very girlish pink glow Victoria picked up her pace. She at least needed to be back at the police camp by mid-morning in case any of them realized she was missing. Things would blow out if she suddenly went missing and Victoria knew she could have just left any time she wanted, but she still needed to heal properly with proper medical help, which only the police doctor could provide her. And…Victoria still wanted seaweed soup.

A few minutes later with her body throbbing from pain she found herself standing by the clearing between the cafeteria and the dorm. Some of the members were already up and about ready for the day’s routine training. During this time she needed to look for Kris and trade some information with him since he knew best about what went on.

Staggering along she looked around and twisted her head here and there, but no Kris. Victoria became momentarily confused. He was usually one of the first few up, but he was nowhere that morning.

Randomly stopping a member she asked, “Where’s Kris?”

“I don’t know.”

When the member walked off Victoria looked around a little frustrated. She needed to talk to him quickly before she needed to walk back. She stood still in spot and tried to think things through. Kris definitely would not be in his dorm at this time of morning. As much as he loved sleeping, duty always came first.

She turned when she heard, “Victoria!” Luhan was jogging toward her with relief written all over his place. “Where the heck have you been!?”

“Where’s Kris?” Victoria questioned right away when he reached her.

Luhan looked around, “I don’t know…are you ok!?” He looked her over. “What are you wearing?”

Victoria looked the large sweater on her and the large men shirt she had been donned in. “It’s nothing.”

“Where’ve you been?” Luhan pestered.

“Police camp.” Victoria quickly answered and watched the widened shock grow on his small face. “They’re here for the missing peoples…which means you included. You might be able to get out of here after all.”

She expected happiness to fly all over his face, but he just looked away as if he were a little conflicted. Victoria readied to ask if he’d met his ex-wife or not, but they were interrupted.

The member she’d pulled over before suddenly shouted, “Looks like someone snuck out!”

The two of them turned to see Kris appearing from the woods and a frown immediately crossed over Victoria’s face.

***Still working on ChangToria, but at least they're getting a little closer keke~

***A bit of A/N: Since I promised ChangToria from the beginning of this story, I'll make ChangToria moments happen but I would also like you to keep in mind that the characters are each very different with unique mindsets. Victoria will not at all focus on romance she's never had nor developed all because she has been stripped of her innocence. This angelic girl who used to be a part of her is no longer there. I promise ambiguous feelings between her and Changmin, but not a relationship. In my opinion according to their circumstances, it's more mature and beautiful in its own way this way. I'm sorry to say that if you wish for lovey-dovey, it's not this story for ChangToria.