Chapter 6 - Delphinium

We walked in silence for a while and Hyungwon inspected the houses and streets we passed by, trying to find out where we were, but it looked like he didn't know this place. “If you go the other way, there's a convenience store a few streets further”, I explained and a spark of comprehension appeared in his eyes.

“I'm working there.”

“You do? How come I've never seen you around?”

Hyungwon shrugged. “I only started last week and I'm not there twenty-four seven, I guess.” We fell back into silence after that and I took a few controlled breaths. I should tell him. Just when I was about to open my mouth, my opponent was faster. “Spit it out. Go on about how bad your drugs are. I know you're just waiting for it.”

I dug my teeth into my lip and sighed in defeat. “It's called Delphinium”, I mumbled as I thought back at what Wonho had talked to me about just before we left the house.

“Can I talk to you for a second?”, he said though the look in his eyes made a demand out of that question and I glanced back at Hyungwon before accompanying Wonho to the kitchen.

“What is it? Would you please just let me-”

“It's his own problem if he gets addicted, Minhyuk.”

I stared at him with wide eyes, suppressing the urge to huff. “Yesterday you were all about helping him and now you're taking Jooheon's side-”

“I'm not”, Wonho interrupted me and let his tongue run over his bottom lip. “But think about this for a moment: He's willing to forget to the point where he gets this desperate, can't you see that? He seems to be a clever person, he thought this through.”

“That's the problem!”, I hissed in agitation, digging my nails into my opponents arm. “He thinks he thought of everything, but he doesn't know how bad this is going to end.”

“No, but neither do you! Out of all us you're the only one with memory lapses this big and you are being paranoid. Nobody knows what effect it might have on him.”

“Isn't that worse?” I clenched my eyes shut and took a deep breath to calm down. “Look Wonho, he doesn't seem to deserve this.”

“What? He doesn't deserve a moment of happiness while high? He doesn't deserve to forget about something that might have traumatized him? He doesn't deserve to be like us?”

My jaw tensed as I grew more and more frustrated. “Hyung, he doesn't deserve to become an addicted wreck like we are!”

Wonho forced my hand to let go of his arm and inspected the crescent formed imprints the nails had left in interest. “You're acting as if it were the end of the world if he took it.”

I clawed at my hoodie because I didn't know what else to do with my hands. “Well, it could be! I've seen many things and trust me when I tell you that he could-”

“Minhyuk.” My opponent looked at me with sad eyes before squeezing my shoulder and I let my gaze drop to the floor. “I can't keep you from doing anything, but please consider that he is free to do what he wants too, okay? I don't want you to let this get to you, whatever outcome it might have. You can't save everybody.”

I turned to the side, not daring to look at him, and stared at the coffee machine instead. “It's just hard.”

“I know.” When Wonho pushed past me to go back into the living room, he turned back with a smirk and I raised an eyebrow. “To be honest, if I had been in your situation, I would have brought him home too.”

“R-really? So you think-”

“He looks stunning, like, did you see that handsome fa-urgh”, I interrupted him with an elbow to his ribs with a sigh.

“I'll never trust you again.”

“Oh honey, it surprises me that you even did at some point, I'm honored.”

I snorted at Wonho's unbridled sarcasm and Hyungwon looked at me with his head cocked to the side. “Delphi...nium?” You can't save everybody.

“Well, it's some sort of mutation caused by radioactivity, but that's what it has been at some point, yes. The way it affects the body is similar to a virus' characteristics, but there haven't been any studies about it because it's an underground thing.” I shook my head and clicked with my tongue. “Its original form was poisonous to death, but the way it is now, the effects it triggers are just as various as the colors of the rainbow.”

Hyungwon fell silent and I watched him scratch his hand with a deep frown wrinkling his forehead. “Go on”, was all he mumbled in concentration.

“Well, I told you last week, didn't I? Most of the people forget about what they are doing when they're high and it goes to the point where some have parts of their memory altered or even deleted.”

“But that's not the only effect there is.” I looked at Hyungwon in surprise as he his lips and looked at me. “I observed BTS. Namjoon throws a tantrum at the tiniest issues for example, but he doesn't seem to forget anything about himself. If you want to stop me from taking your De...Delph... that stuff, you had better tell me about all there is to it. No filter.”

I swallowed with a nod. “O-okay. There really are many effects for Delphinium. Have you ever heard of the seven deadly sins?”

“Isn't that the stuff that causes us to go to hell according to church?” Again I nodded with a roll of my eyes. Heaven and hell were things none of us believed in nowadays.

“It might sound stupid, but you can categorize the effects with them. Your Namjoon belongs to the wrath category. Wonho, the guy you've just met, goes with lust.” The puzzled look in Hyungwon's eyes made me grin. “Yes, he's addicted too and yes, he can get much worse than you witnessed just now. More...offensive.”

My opponent seemed to think it over for a moment before nodding. “You're right. My other roommates if that's what I can call them could be categorized like that too. There are many people belonging to sloth, am I right?”

I couldn't help smiling at his level of comprehension and confirmed with a nod. “Since the original flower was poisonous and caused paralysis, that seems logical to me. In fact, a friend of mine can't walk properly anymore because of it.”

Hyungwon frowned. “Then why doesn't he just stop taking it?”

I let out a dry laugh. “If it were that easy I wouldn't be discussing this with you, Chae Hyungwon.” We rounded a corner and I noticed that we were near Hyungwon's subway station, slowing him down by pulling at his sleeve. “When Seventeen tried, two made it after a few months, but one died. And we don't want to lose anyone.”

I could see him swallow and was sure that he was finally beginning to recognize the danger he was in. He masked his eyes a second later, looking determine