WOOHYUN

Something had obviously gone wrong.

I raised an eyebrow and stared at Kairi as she quietly nodded at me, greeting my presence in the common room. Before she would scoff or at least ignore, which was completely fine with me. But lately, she had changed. The house had changed. Hell, even L had changed.

I narrowed my eyes, observing her as she moved across the room with Hyosung next to her. Maybe Hyosung’s bright gummy smile had worked it’s effect on the General’s daughter.

Sheesh, stop it, I cursed myself. I shut my eyes and shook my head. As much as I was uncomfortable about it, it was concrete now, the fact that Kairi had joined us. She might not have the same motive as us—which is by and large destroying Paragon—but nevertheless, she would have to go through that path to answer her questions.

Still, what’s with the friendliness?

Sometimes Kairi reminded me of Zelo. The little blonde kid who would laugh and go quiet in one breath. Despite him being the youngest, he was the most passionate and the most resilient in the fight for Avalon. Which was why I was shocked to hear that he too hadn’t survived.

He was the youngest, it was obvious. That’s what everyone had been thinking. Not me.

He had gone back to save someone. That’s what had killed him. He had gone back to keep a promise. My promise.

“Protect her!” Woohyun bellowed.

“Don’t worry hyung!” Zelo chirped, sending Woohyun a salute as he took Seungyeon by the elbow and ran inside the tunnel.

“Protect her,” Woohyun repeated. Seungyeon gave a confident smile and opened to say something. But the darkness took over. Woohyun didn’t see what she had said. He didn’t hear what she had said.

As I looked up and found Kairi staring at me, my insides untangled.

No matter how hard we both tried, we couldn’t leave this place. Like a live nightmare, we were running without making any progress and we were now locked here by our respective pasts. You and I, I thought, are just the same.

                                                                                        KAIRI

I’d be lying if I said the new information hadn’t changed things for me and Woohyun. Suddenly he was in a whole new light, his dark eyes and stern jaws making my vision go moist and my mouth run dry. I had always been empathetic by nature and the one month of treating him like a Scrooge at heart made me feel guilty, even if he really had been mean to me. There had been a reason for it, a death behind it. Five deaths precisely, but one that stood out for him in stark contrast. Though I was still hurting thanks to Joon and Father, watching Woohyun’s stiff back walk away from the common room would make me feel grateful for whatever I still had.

I watched as Woohyun’s face grew dark, the scary transformation that I was told would take place only when particular thoughts took over his mind. There was no trigger of course. She had been his fiance afterall. She was on his mind all the time. He was angry all the time.

As the ghost of her enveloped Woohyun in a shadow, I found my breathing tightening a bit. How could Woohyun not fall into his temptation? How could I not be dead by now? My pulse was a reminder that this dark knight still had a heart, still had emotions. Whatever the mask he was wearing was by the end of the day, just a mask. His skin must be a warm brown, just like his eyes. Warm and welcoming, owning the ability to make anyone’s day no matter the problem.

I could see through him and as Woohyun looked up and stared back at me, I knew he could too.

We’re stuck with each other, I thought. You and I, believe it or not, are just the same.