Her smile soon faded as she noticed the guard from the side of the door and Jungkook’s shocked expression. “What- what’s going on?” she rasped through barely a whisper.

“I-” Jungkook stood frozen, unable to think little alone talk, “I don’t-”

Jimin’s face contorted from confusion to despair to anger. “What did you do?!” he seethed, scrambling to his feet while pushing her behind him, “What did you do?!”

“I-” Jungkook turned to the guard, “It was supposed to be random!” he shook his head, “This wasn’t supposed to happen! She- she can’t-”

“Look,” the guard leaned against the door, yawning, “I don’t make the rules here, but all I know is that I’m supposed to bring you two to Room 589.”

“That’s not fair,” Jimin’s hand curled around her wrist, “She shouldn’t be in the drawing! She’s in punishment!”

The guard shrugged, “Your punishment doesn’t change anything.”

Rose shook slightly as she watched the situation unfold. ‘No… No…’ gritting her teeth, she place her free hand on top of Jimin’s fist gripping her arm, “Jimin,” she spoke quietly, praying for her voice to stay steady.

He recoiled, hearing her voice. Turning to meet her gaze, he shook his head, “You- you don’t have to go through with this-”

Offering him a tiny smile, she nodded slowly, “For now? Yes. I do. I’ll be fine. I promise.”

“But-” his voice had become strained and clogged.

“Maybe they’ll let us out after this,” she pressed forward, “If- if we don’t get out soon… Jimin, we haven’t had anything to drink or eat in three days. We won’t survive much longer like this.”

He dropped his gaze, “You- I-” after a long pause, he release her arms, standing back as if in a daze, “Be safe,” he managed to say before she left.

She was strangely calm as the guard locked the door behind her. It was undeniable that she would eventually succumb to the camp’s system… and even though in the past she would have been torn apart to be thrown into such a situation, she felt… numb. It didn’t matter anymore. All that mattered was that her friends- her only family continued to be tortured. All that mattered was learning to live and escape the system’s mentality. Nothing else.

She watched as Jungkook swallowed hard, hands curled into fists at his side, and she watched as the guard led them further down the stairs to a corridor she had never seen before. Maybe that was a good thing, maybe it wasn’t. The seconds seemed to draw longer and slower with each step until they reached a door bearing the number “589” upon it.

Hastily jamming the key into the lock, the guard shoved the door opened. He stood back as the pair entered the dimly lit room, and Rose could’ve almost sworn she saw a flicker of remorse behind his eyes. “Um… press the button when you’re done, and I’ll come and get you… uh… good night,” he turned away awkwardly and locked the door behind him.

Sighing, Rose collapsed on the small bed near the corner, “Do you mind if I just rest for a minute?”

Jungkook nodded hastily, turning away with a red face, “Y-yeah…”

“Oh!” she sat up suddenly, noticing the tiny cabinet on the other side of the room. Shuffling forward, she yanked it open to reveal a small assortment of snacks and water bottles. Her eyes widened, “Wow…” turning back to flash a grin at him, she laughed, “Do you want anything?”

He stared at her curiously, “N-no…”

Shrugging, she took one of the water bottles and tore the cap off, “I don’t think I realised how thirsty I was until now…” gulping all the water down, she tossed the empty bottle into the tiny bin beside the cabinet. “Hmm… those probably wouldn’t be good for right now… I might get sick if I eat those… um…” Finally deciding on a bag of trail mix, she returned to the bed and sat down.

Jungkook fiddled with his hands anxiously as he sat down beside her.

“Do you want some?” she held out the bag, “It’s the kind with chocolate!”

He shook his head slowly.

Looking away, she swallowed the nuts and dried berries before speaking quietly, “Um… are you okay?”

He looked up with a strange expression of wonder and curiosity across his face, “How… how are you so- why are you like this?”

She frowned, “What?”

“I mean,” he blushed and turned away, “Aren’t you upset? Why are you still acting like… like everything’s okay.”

She was silent for a little while. Why was she okay? The question mulled around in her brain as she set the bag of trail mix down. “Well…” she answered slowly, “Everything’s going to be okay, right? It’s not like we’re dying, and even then, it’s just the beginning of another journey. We don’t have a say in this situation, but we can still make the best of it, right? I- I don’t want this system to be the reason why… why we can’t still be friends or…” she fell silent.

The corners of his mouth curved upwards, “I guess that’s true.”

“Besides,” she grinned, “You can tell me everything that happened when Jimin and I were gone!”

He laughed, “Where should I start?”

“The beginning?”

“Hmm… well Hoseok and Tae almost got killed today.”

“What?!”

“Yeah,” a grin formed across his lips, “They snuck down stairs to find your cell and almost got caught.”

“How?!” she was completely bewildered.

“They accidentally knocked out Mr. Sampson and stole his keys. They couldn’t stay down there long enough because-”

“Wait… they knocked out Mr. Sampson?!”

“Yeah, he has a pretty nasty bruise now,” he chuckled, “Anyway, when they found your cell, a guard was already prowling the halls so they had to leave super quick.”

“And they didn’t get caught?”

“Not yet,” he shrugged, “If Mr. Sampson is able to remember who knocked him out they’ll be in a lot of trouble, though.”

She shook her head, “And you guys just let them do that?”

“We were desperate,” he scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment.

Pursing her lips, she held back a smile, “I’m surprised Jin let this happen.”

“Honestly, he was pretty against it from the start. Not that JHope and Tae ever actually listen to him in the first place, but…”

She laughed, “Are the girls still bugging you?”

Rolling his eyes, he groaned, “It’s getting worse everyday. I don’t know what they’re thinking, but clinging onto us is not going to make us like them.”

“Hmm,” she held back a smile, “Maybe it’s not so much of trying to get you to like them rather than just seeing you give in.”

“You think?” he smirked, leaning back on his hands.

“You never know,” shrugging, she turned so that her back was against the wall, and her feet were crossed beneath her.

“It’s funny… you’d think they would get bored after a while.”

“Maybe, but seeing as you guys are the most popular, I doubt they would give up their chances.”

“Hmm…” he nodded slowly, watching the wooden clock on the wall slowly tick the minutes away.

“I was thinking…” Rose started hesitantly, “If… if someone found you here, like your father, what would you do?”

“What do you mean?” he stared at her incredulously.

“I don’t know…” avoiding his eyes, she took a deep breath, “Would you leave?”

He sat quietly, unable to find just the right words to answer with, “I… I don’t know.”

“Because,” she chewed on her bottom lip cautiously, “If you wanted to leave, then do it. Don’t let us hold you back.”

“That’s not what I meant-”

“You could be happy, have a family, live your life… The inspection is next week, right? Don’t… don’t give up your chance at life just for us.”

“Rose,” he grabbed her hands, catching her by surprise, “Do you want me to leave?”

She dropped her gaze, “I want you to be happy.”

“But do you want me to leave?”

“It doesn’t matter what I-”

“Do you want me to leave?”

She swallowed hard, and if she could have disappeared through the floor just then, she would have done it. “No…” she said quietly after a while.

He smiled, “Then I won’t.”

Giving him a look of despair, she shook her head, “You can’t-”

“We made a deal, remember?” he held her hands even tighter.

“But-”

“You can’t leave without me, and I can’t leave without you. We’re a team. I’m not giving up on that.”

The corners of curved upwards slightly, “That’s true…”

“These past few days…” he spoke quietly, “Have been really hard without you.”

Her cheeks flushed, and her ears burned, “Really?”

He nodded, “I thought I’d hate it here, and I do, but not as much as I thought I would. You… you made it a little brighter. It’s not that bad when you’re by my side,” clearing his throat, he continued, “I- I guess I just wanted to say that… um…”

“That you missed me?” she finished.

“Yeah… and that… I don’t know… I can’t seem to think straight when you’re not there, but I can’t seem to think straight when you’re around and I don’t know where to go with this-”

She laughed, taking her hands out of his grasp to ruffle his hair playfully, “Awe, did you miss me that much?”

His eyes burned into hers, unwavering, “Yes.”

Her breath hitched in , and her hands fell limp at her sides. It was almost as if a bolt of lightning had struck her spine, and she was frozen in her place, as he took her face in his hands. Time seemed to slow down, and the dim lights shone brighter than the sun in just that moment.

“Tell me to stop,” he breathed, staring deep into her eyes.

parted, but no sound came out.

As his lips came closer to her own, he repeated, “Tell me to stop.”

In the spur of the moment, her lips moved, and her answer was final. “No.”

And just like that, his lips were on hers. If her heart could swell to the size of a watermelon, it grew to the size of perhaps twenty. Her hands moved on their own, twining and entangling themselves in his hair as his mouth moved against hers. She didn’t know what she was doing. She’d never kissed anyone before. But all her worries and thoughts and fears seemed to drift away. The air grew hot even as the temperature dropped with nightfall, and the world became brighter even when the lights finally flickered off. She didn’t know what it was like to be intimate… she didn’t know what it was like to be loved… but in that moment, she knew everything. Between the two of them, life was just life, and death was just death. But this moment… this final realisation… that’s what mattered most.

***

Rose woke to the distant ticking of the clock and faint beams of sunlight escaping through the window. Blinking, she stared up at the ceiling as a million thoughts slowly whirred back into motion as the memories of last night slowly flooded her mind. Inhaling sharply, she turned her head to find Jungkook’s body curled against her own. A tiny smile formed across as she moved a lock of his black hair out of his eyes. She shivered as the cool breeze from outside hit her bare skin, and she couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed of her body. She had never been this way in front of someone else before.

Stooping down to retrieve her clothes, she cast a long look back at his sleeping figure. She tugged the uniform back on before lying back down beside him. If she hadn’t known better, she might have thought that the small room they shared together was just house in the middle of the woods, or a tiny hotel that almost no one knew of until they drove past it on a road trip.

A sigh escaped her chapped lips as her eyes fluttered closed. It’s funny how something she anticipated to be so horrible turned out alright in the end… maybe she was lucky. Maybe it was fate. It didn’t matter, because the result was still the same in the end.

“Rose?” a hand brushed the hair out of her face.

Opening her eyes, she met his gaze, “Good morning.”

“Are you okay?” Jungkook’s hand rested on her cheek, as he studied her face.

Nodding, she offered a tiny smile, “You?”

“I’ve been better,” he smirked.

Rolling her eyes, she sat up slowly, “We should head back.”

“I guess,” he groaned, “I haven’t slept that well in a while though…”

“Oh?” she rose an eyebrow.

“I kind of just want to sleep the day away, you know?”

“I don’t think the officials would be too happy about that.”

He shrugged, “I suppose.”

“Here,” handing him a pile of his discarded clothes, she turned away, “Now get dressed so we can head back.”

“Alright, alright,” he sighed.

By the time he had finished putting his shirt back on, a sharp rap sounded on the door. The guard from last night entered the room, bearing an amused expression on his face. “Ready?”

Her ears burned as she nodded hastily. Wrapping her arms about herself, she hurried out of the room without looking behind her.

As the three reached the staircase, she frowned, “Am I not going back to-”

“The punishment was lifted last night,” the guard replied with a stoic face.

“And Jimin too? He’s released, right?”

“As far as I know,” the guard shrugged, “Since you both had to spend the night out, there’s no point in keeping the punishment.”

Her shoulders relaxed considerably as she trekked up the stairs, “Good…” was all she said.

A few moments passed by before Jem’s shoulder brushed against hers, “Are you okay?”

She nodded mutely. Honestly? She didn’t know. There were so many thoughts tangled up inside her mind she didn’t know what to think or where to start. One part of her couldn’t help but feel embarrassed and uncomfortable with last night’s events, yet another part of her was curious about how it had happened. She couldn’t deny that she cared deeply for Jungkook, yet she wasn’t quite sure if she shared his same feelings. She didn’t know… Maybe she was just too new to the whole love and relationship deal. Her heart beat faster at the thought of just being with him, but some part of her felt almost… torn. Every time Jungkook appeared in her mind, Jimin popped up right next to him, and every time Jimin appeared in her mind, Jungkook popped up right next to him. This whole situation seemed to just evolve into a deeper and darker ocean than she was used to. Her head hurt just trying to analyze it.

“Everyone will be excited to see you,” Jungkook spoke quietly, “They’ve been worried.”

A smile tugged at the corners of her lips, “I’m glad- not that they were worried, but to see them!” she hastily amended.

He laughed, “I don’t think Mr. Sampson will be too happy, though.”

“He’s never too happy,” she rolled her eyes, “Unless he gets to brutally punish someone.”

“Or if he finally gets a date,” smirking, he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his blazer, “But that’s never going to happen.”

“You never know!” she laughed.

“Oh Lord, I hope not,” the guard groaned, “Do you know how much I’ll have to deal with if that happens?”

Rose grinned, “I bet he’d throw a party.”

“I wonder what would happen if he got engaged!” Jungkook smirked.

The guard rolled his eyes, “We’d be hearing about this for months.”

“Oh, lucky you,” a laugh escaped as he held the door out for the two of them.

The guard shook his head, “Let’s just pray that never happens.”

“Trust me,” Jungkook sighed, “With that face and personality, he’ll be alone for life.”

The guard snickered, “I suppose that’s true.”

Rose paused for a moment, “What’s your name, by the way? I mean, assuming that’s not against the rules or anything.”

He stiffened slightly, “Actually, it is. We’re not allowed to give our names out to the ‘prisoners’ here.”

She nodded slowly, “Oh…”

“I don’t remember my name anyway,” he sighed, “It was all I had, and they took that away from me too.”

“Really?” she wasn’t able to hold back her shock.

“Wouldn’t it be hard to forget something as important as your name?” Jungkook frowned slightly.

The guard shrugged, “You’d be surprised. By the time you’ve reached my age, you’ve seen things you wish you could unsee and heard things you wish you could unhear. Most people just forget everything, move on, you know? Those who don’t…” he shook his head, “Let’s just say they weren’t able to handle their own mind.”

Her heart sank to the pit of her stomach. She had heard such stories from old books in the library, and she had felt the pain from the characters of the past, but she never imagined she would be one to live through it. Hesitating, she spoke almost inaudibly after a long pause, “I could give you a name.”

“What?”

“Like… Jackson!” she smiled, “We could call you Jackson for now.”

The guard laughed, “Jackson?”

Jungkook nodded, “Jackson.”

“That way, if we see you again, we can talk to each other as friends rather than enemies,” a laugh escaped as they reached her dorm room.

“Just not in front of anyone else,” the guard, Jackson, warned, “You’ll be in as much trouble as I will.”

“Got it,” she held grinned before disappearing through the door once more.