It was a feeling much like shock and elation and relief that welled up inside Youngjae, seeing Daehyun stand there in front of him. They stood there, quiet as they soaked up each other's presence. Daehyun smiled. He looked better, nothing like the small, battered young man Youngjae had seen before. Youngjae felt as though he was going to cry.
 
"I thought you...died," Youngjae whispered, inching toward Daehyun. He reached out, touching the other's head to make sure it was truly Daehyun in front of him.
 
"But I didn't," Daehyun replied, taking hold of Youngjae's hand. "I made a deal with the Empress."
 
Youngjae frowned, pulling back his hand out of Daehyun's. He didn't like the sound of that already. "What do you mean?"
 
"After you left that room, I attacked the next soldier who came inside. They locked me in a room for a while, and I spoke to the Empress. I serve life in here in exchange for your freedom," Daehyun explained. He smiled, but Youngjae hated the look of it; that boyish twinkle had disappeared completely. Something was wrong.
 
"You're not Daehyun," Youngjae mumbled, his eyes going wide at the revelation. "Daehyun wouldn't make a deal with Madame Hyosung so easily."
 
Daehyun took a step back, an offended look on his face. "Youngjae––"
 
Youngjae shook his head. "No, no, stop. You're not Daehyun. The real Daehyun is dead. I know it."
 
Without another thought, Youngjae raised the ray gun and aimed it right at Daehyun's forehead, but Youngjae's hands trembled as he hesitated to pull the trigger. What if he was wrong?
 
"Youngjae...," Daehyun whispered, taking a cautious step forward. "Youngjae, please. Put the gun down."
 
"You're not Daehyun," Youngjae insisted, his grip on the gun tightening, his finger ghosting over the trigger. "Daehyun wouldn't give up his life so easily for mine."
 
A look of hurt flashed across Daehyun's face. "How do you know that? How do you know I wouldn't do that, Youngjae?"
 
Youngjae shook his head again, doubting his judgement. Was he wrong? Was this just another trap set up by the Republic? By the Empress? Was the Daehyun in front of him a droid?
 
"It's just me," Daehyun whispered, gently taking the ray gun out of Youngjae's trembling hands. "Really. I don't know why you think it's not. Remember that time when we were driving to the bunker?"
 
Youngjae nodded. What was Daehyun getting at?
 
"And we talked for hours," Daehyun continued. "You told me your favorite color is yellow, you have an unfathomable hatred for instant ramyun because that was all you ate during your first year of college, you prefer Old World music, or whatever's archived, over the music now. I told you about the time me and Jongup stole a 2013 model car, and wer chased around by a couple Auxiliaries."
 
Youngjae felt tears well up in his eyes. How could he doubt Daehyun in the first place? He should have just been glad Daehyun was still alive.
 
In an instant, Youngjae reached out to grab fistfuls of Daehyun's shirt, and pulled him in, openly sobbing into Daehyun's shirt. All his anger and hopelessness and fear spilled out as he pressed his face into Daehyun's shoulder.
 
In his blind relief, Youngjae didn't see Daehyun lift his arms up. He didn't see Daehyun aim the ray gun at his head. He didn't see Daehyun pull the trigger.
 
Youngjae fell to the ground with a near inaudible thud.
 
//
 
Youngjae woke up to the sound of a subtle, but persistent beeping noise. He opened his eyes, trying to locate the sound. A gentle light flooded his vision, and he blinked several times.
 
Where am I? What happened?
 
Youngjae bolted upright, suddenly realizing something. He groaned, holding his head as a searing pain shot through it.
 
"Daehyun?" Youngjae called out, slowly looking around. There was a monitor beside Youngjae's bed, and he realized it was a heart monitor. He was in a hospital then.
 
The last thing Youngjae remembered was Daehyun and...the ray gun. There was no way that was actually Daehyun, though. How could he shoot Youngjae so mercilessly?
 
Youngjae laid back down on the bed. He didn't know where he was and he wasn't even sure if the Daehyun he saw earlier was the real Daehyun.
 
A door sliding open ripped Youngjae from his thoughts and he half-expected it to be a soldier come to kill him. "Have you awoken, Yoo Youngjae?" a kind voice asked.
 
Youngja turned his head, and found a nurse approaching him.
 
"You've been out for almost an entire week. Well, you did, after all, get a nasty laser shot through your head," the nurse explained. She checked all the equipment surrounding Youngjae's bed, moving throughout the room with a certain grace. "It was nothing we couldn't fix, though. You should be able to walk within a couple days, if not less."
 
Youngjae was shot in the head. That explained the headache. He sat up, watching the nurse work.
 
"What's the date today?" Youngjae asked.
 
"July 25," the nurse replied without missing a beat.
 
"Where am I?"
 
"New Seoul National Hospital."
 
Youngjae stared at the nurse incredulously. This was the most prestigious hospital, the best technology and healthcare in all of Korea. Why was he put in here? Did the Empress need him alive that badly?
 
"Is there a Jung Daehyun here?" Youngjae suddenly asked. Despite everything, he couldn't let go of the hope that Daehyun was maybe still alive.
 
The nurse paused, blankly looking up at the ceiling as she thought. "I think I recall a Jung Daehyun..."
 
"Can you take me to him?" Youngjae requested.
 
The nurse hesitated, and she looked around the room nervously. "I shouldn't... I'm sorry."
 
"Please," Youngjae insisted, and he groaned as his head throbbed with pain again.
 
The nurse still hesitated, but eventually sighed. "Please stay here."
 
Youngjae blinked as the nurse left the room. Was she going to help him? Was she going to tell somebody about his request? He sat on his bed, waiting anxiously for the nurse to return.
 
The nurse returned with a wheelchair and a stiff expression on her face. "There is a Jung Daehyun within this hospital. If we're careful, I can take you to him. I was given specific orders to not let you out of here, but...I can't just let you sit here miserable. Please get in the wheelchair."
 
Youngjae smiled, swinging his legs off the bed, and headed to sit in the wheelchair. "Thank you."
 
"We must be extremely careful," the nurse reminded as she held onto Youngjae's arms to keep him steady.
 
As Youngjae lowered himself onto the wheelchair, he realized just how polite the nurse was. He didn't know if she knew about his supposed criminal record, but she was still so polite. Youngjae was grateful.
 
"Keep your head down, please," the nurse urged as she pushed the wheelchair out of the room. "We have to take the elevator up to the top floor."
 
Youngjae spun around to face the nurse, ignoring the way his head protested, but she gave him a stern look that made him look down at his lap again. The top floor? Why was Daehyun on the top floor?
 
"Please stay quiet until we reach the elevator," the nurse ordered as she turned a corner.
 
The bubbling of chatter and clattering and footsteps reached Youngjae's ears, and he closed his eyes, hoping they wouldn't get caught.
 
//
 
It was terrible.
 
Daehyun laid on his bed, large metal cuffs attached to the bed wrapped around his wrists to keep him from moving, but other than that... Daehyun seemed fine.
 
". Piss. ing. of an Empress!" Daehyun yelled in outrage as the nurse wheeled Youngjae in. Daehyun seemingly hadn't realized it was Youngjae in the wheelchair because he continued to spat insults at the nurse, though none of them were directed at her, just the Empress.
 
Youngjae was certain that was the real Daehyun. But then... Who was the other Daehyun? What was the other Daehyun?
 
"Daehyun, shut up," Youngjae said as the nurse pushed him closer.
 
Daehyun closed his mouth, turning his head to face Youngjae. "Youngjae? Holy , Youngjae, thank you're alive."
 
"How are you?" Youngjae asked, reaching forward as far as he could without actually standing up from the wheelchair; he settled on holding Daehyun's hand.
 
Daehyun shrugged, then glared at the nurse, who'd retreated to the door where she kept guard. "Pretty ing angry."
 
"Calm down, Daehyun," Youngjae soothed, rubbing small circles with his thumb on the back of Daehyun's hand. "She's fine. I'm fine. She's the one who brought me here."
 
Sighing, Daehyun relaxed, but there was still visible tension in his brow. "Yeah, I know, I'm just pissed we're stuck in this mess."
 
Youngjae looked down; he still couldn't help the guilt that pressed on his chest. "I'm sorry."
 
"Stop apologizing, Youngjae, it's annoying." Daehyun squeezed Youngjae's hand slightly, his voice going softer.

"I still can't believe you're alive," Youngjae blubbered, trying to contain his emotions.

Daehyun smiled. "Don't you dare start crying, Youngjae, or I'm going to slap you."

Taking a deep breath, Youngjae looked up at Daehyun, and whispered, "We have to leave. We need to get back to Guernica."
 
"I'm all for that, believe me," Daehyun paused, and his smile fell into a frown, "but we're not exactly in the ideal position for an escape."
 
Youngjae shook his head. "We can escape. We have to."
 
"I'm sorry, but we have to go, Youngjae," the nurse suddenly announced, her voice gently urgent. "Someone may notice your disappearance."
 
The nurse pulled Youngjae away, but he still gripped onto Daehyun's hand. He didn't want to leave. Not yet.
 
"I love you," Youngjae blurted out as the nurse wheeled him toward the door. His head throbbed painfully.
 
"I know," Daehyun replied, and Youngjae looked down at his lap as the nurse pushed him out of the room.

They needed to leave before something else happened to them.

A/N: Hell yeah for one of the most overrated Star Wars quotes of all time.

Ok so anyway... I don't know what the hell happened here. There goes Youngjae's escape plan.

Thanks for reading / subscribing / commenting~