HOYA

"But that doesn't explain why you're here."

About an hour had passed since the revelation. There wasn't much of a sight to look outside at and since none of us were heading to Disneyland, there weren't any songs sung or games played. Everything was quiet and stark , the awkwardness making us cringe to a disgusting level.

I turned around and looked at Baekho, my question lingering in the air while he stared me down. He wasn't thinking of an excuse, nor was he digging through his mind in search of a witty response. No, the look he gave me was of curiosity, bemusement. 'Why should you know?' was the answer in his eyes. 

I stood my ground and stared back. "Are you gonna tell or not? You're Paragon's army and now you're fighting against it. Ridiculous."

Baekho shook his finger and closed his eyes, seething with annoyance. God knows what happened but suddenly the jolly face of his wasn't smiling so much anymore. Amber and L had switched places and now it was the tomboy of our team who was driving us home. L snoozed at the back but timely murmurs and grunts reassured me that if Soldier Boy made the wrong move, he would be right behind him, a knife on his throat. 

"Hey, what's your deal?" None of us had said anything to him, even though he didn't deserve even half of the hospitality our team was offering him and his troop. 

"My deal," Baekho growled, "is that you don't get it. None of you, get it."

I threw my hands and sat back on my seat, slouched against the fancy leather. "Oh really? Enlighten me. What is it that we don't, get."

Baekho blinked at me. A wry smile played on his lips and he sighed. "First of all," he started, resting his elbows on his knees, his hands entwined together. "We're not fighting Paragon. We're fighting for Paragon. Paragon is good. The people of Paragon hate the General and the system as much you do. As much as all of you do. The only thorn in the flower however, is the fact that everyone thinks everyone is happy with the life they're living. It's psychological, of course. The General came up with his propaganda to make 'the good life' the way of life, no matter how far one really was from it's ideal. People are getting richer and they know it comes at a cost. They don't want to pay it, but tomorrow the neighbour gets a car better than yours and you want to up him so you deal with one more day of being Paragon's puppy. Then one more day and one more day, until you find yourself in your death bed, too senile to even realize that you died a nasty death long time ago, when you exiled your happiness for the hum of a chokingly expensive vehicle whose name you can't even remember."

Baekho took a deep breath, his face reddened from the outburst. He hadn't shouted the words out, but rather whispered them like a chant that could summon apocalypse if spoken above a certain frequency. He grunted and straightened his back, folding his arms across his chest.

"Who was it?"

Heads turned towards Krystal, her position still frozen in slumber. Her voice however was unmistakeable and when Yoona stirred awake, it was confirmed who the speaker was. Krystal slowly shifted and with her characteristic bluntness, ed a deep gaze towards Baekho.

"Who was it?" she repeated that question. Baekho tightened his jaw.

"I don't know what you're talk--"

"Who was it," Krystal sighed, tired of any facade, "who you knew who died for a car? Someone who regretted a lifetime devoted to material pleasure instead of his family? Your elder brother? Your friend? Father?"

The last word struck a chord for Baekho stiffened. His nostrils flared and his eyes narrowed into slits, then widened, when his mask of anger refused to shake Krystal.

She scoffed. "Please, if you think that is scary... I've lived with Woohyun for long so sorry, you'll have to try harder."

"You don't need to answer my question," she continued. "But what you do need is to understand that all of us have experienced our own pains, our own troubles. You're going to fight with us so listen up smarty -- you can't afford to distinguish us from you. I don't care if you're genetically enhanced, we don't care if your skills in school gave the higher power a hint at your above-average aptitude skills, thus making you a potential in becoming the perfect human artillery. The point is that we're all a team now, we're all a family and if you want anything to go right then I suggest you keep your to yourself because guess what? We're all doing the same. It's suffocating, it makes us sick, but the fact is that we're the last people you'll know before you die, the chances of which are 100% likely even if we manage to impale the General through his eyeballs. Got it?"

It took me a while (as well as a look from Krystal) to notice that my jaw had dropped open and that everyone in the car had fallen silent. A sneaky glance to my right let me know that Baekho's eyes weren't as wide as saucers, nor were they angry. With a lazy gaze, he stared at Krystal in awe. I shook my head and chuckled, closing my eyes to avoid feeling embarrassed for our guest here.

After what seemed like an eternity, I heard Baekho murmur, "Aren't you something."

                                                                                 SIMON                        

This wasn't how I imagined it to be. 

Me, bloodied and shot on my torso while the girl who had become my responsibility hovering over me, a volley of negative emotions tearing her apart. 

"Lauren," I groaned. 

"Yes?" she stammered. She dropped down to her knees, her hands shaking as she tried to contemplate what she could do to help.

"Listen. Listen carefully, alright?" I saw her nod and when I signalled her to move closer, she did. Our foreheads were touching now and I could feel the rancidity of our alliance vanishing when I spoke. 

"You see that big underpass?" I said. Lauren looked behind her and nodded. 

"That's the Gwangju underpass," she said. I nodded and took a deep breath. Sirens were wailing all over the city and thunderous roars of helicopters were threatening to bury us. 

"I want you---" I choked and coughed. The rusty taste in my mouth told me what my blurry vision couldn't. Blood. I heard Lauren gasp and whimper. 

"S-S-Simon...."

"Listen." 

She calmed down and when I opened one eye, I saw firm resolution. 

"Okay, good." I my lips and took a deep breath. "That underpass.... When I count to three, I want you to... to... run.... "

"Simon!"

                                                                                   JIYEON

"They're all over the news," I sighed and dropped the remote on the table. I let myself collapse on the armrest so that seconds later, I was slipping backwards to lie on the couch. I could hear voices, I could see the familiar contours of my family members moving around me. L.Joe and the eternal tightness of his jaw, Yong Guk and the struggle of his hidden optimist to surface from the deep waters of conflict within, Baekhyun with his eyes on mine as I spoke to him in my mind... I'm losing.. we're losing....

".....a body has been found...."

I sat up and became a part of the crowd surrounding the television. "What did she say?"

"They found a body," Baekhyun murmured. I opened my mouth to ask more, only for him to place his finger on his lips. He looked at me and it was more than telling me to keep quiet. It was telling me to have patience, have hope. 

I pushed away the sorrowful arguments prepared in my head and focused on the news. The news reporter -- a girl who was suspiciously good-looking to be so smart -- informed us that a body had been found twenty metres from the Central Navy Base. 

"What the hell were they doing there?" Yong Guk murmured. I mentally agreed, my stomach in knots. The Base was too far from our place. Maybe it wasn't them. Why would they go there?
 

"...the body, it has now been confirmed, belongs to an elite prison guard of the name Simon Park...."

"So it was true." Jiyong sighed and lifted himself off his seat. He turned to Dayoung and with a flash of sympathy in his nonchalance, said, "I'm sorry Dayoung. If Simon's body has been found by the Base, then it's only a matter of time before they ---"

BANG!

Within a second of the sound, everyone was ready. Dayoung was already on her way to the narrow cellar below, Kai -- who was the swiftest fighter in EXO-K -- and Baekhyun -- who once upon a time ranked #1 in national-level Hapkido tournaments -- were positioned in the front corners of an echelon, centred by Daehyun and Jongup with the filler spaces occupied by L.Joe and Sehun. Yong Guk and I rushed to the rooms and one by one began throwing the weapons to everyone. All this took place within five seconds. We were always ready. 

Jiyong carefully strode towards the doors and with a fire that I thought had got lost in all this chaos, he stared down at the door. The camera was switched on and the moment he caught a glance of who our uninvited guest was, he froze. Without any warning, he opened the door and when we saw what stood before us, we all gasped. 

"I'm guessing she's yours." Her skin ashen white and her body no more than a skeleton, thirteen year old Lauren's bullet-ridden body lay in the arms of a tall man with ember coloured eyes and hair. Behind him was a large crowd of people, looking like they had just survived a storm, some of their eyes still not leaving the bloodied remains of the innocent girl.

It was only when I saw a particular face staring at me in shock did I realize who they were. 

Jiyong found her and with a sad smile, said, "Welcome home, Kairi Lee."