Chaeyoung’s eyes widened, getting too excited that she fumbled, dropping her precious book on the floor and hitting her forehead on the wall. She groaned as she picked up the novel, all the while keeping a firm hand to keep her magic going. Mina winced as she saw it happen, then she giggled at the girl’s sudden clumsiness. 

“What the hell are you doing here?” Chaeyoung said. Then seeing the confused look on Mina’s face, she remembered the girl couldn’t hear her. She took the whiteboard she always kept beside her in the case that she would come back and started writing her words. 

“I wanted to see you,” Mina said with a straightforward tone, as if that was the most obvious reason on why she was there. 

Her blunt response made Chaeyoung speechless for a moment. She didn’t know why, but hearing it made her flutter with joy. Perhaps it was because she’s never had anyone go so far just to see her. She couldn’t help but smile. 

“What are you doing?”

Chaeyoung held up the book she had been rereading. Mina leaned forward to see it clearer, then narrowed her eyes at the unfamiliar novel. ‘It’s about a man and a woman from different worlds who love each other very much,’ she wrote. 

“Huh… Interesting. Do you like to read?”

Chaeyoung nodded. ‘But there aren’t many books here. I only have two in my possession.’

“I wish I would’ve brought a book for you to read. Are novels a rarity in this place?”

A rarity? Chaeyoung thought. So she really does come from somewhere else… Lifting up her marker, she wrote with caution, her heart thumping more than its silent norm. She didn’t know why she was so fidgety. It was like something was pulling her from the inside and she couldn’t contain her movements. It was something she’s never experienced as far as she could remember.

‘It’s not rare,’ she wrote. ‘I’m just not supposed to have them.’

“Does that mean you’re in possession of those books unlawfully?”

The younger one nodded. 

“That doesn’t seem right. Why in the world would they prevent you from reading art? It’s an irreplaceable pastime, in which there is absolutely nothing wrong with! People can be so unreasonable. Our kingdom as well bans certain books, which I think is wrong. They shouldn’t be able to stop people from learning.” Mina huffed as she went on her rant, stemming from the frustration of not being able to expand her horizons from her father’s prohibition of many topics.

Listening to her, a smile grew on Chaeyoung’s face. Instead of questioning her tactics or criminalizing her, this stranger was turning red in the face in her favor. Chaeyoung sat cross-legged as she listened, with her arm on her leg and her chin leaned on her hand, quite interested in this innocent, pure-hearted girl. 

Mina was still ranting. “To begin with, what’s the harm in reading novels? Sure, they give hope and imbue nearly-impossible fantasies, but what’s wrong with that? If people want to dream, let them dream.” She released a breath after saying all those without pause. “I apologize. I’m just very frustrated at the moment.”

‘It’s okay. Vent as much as you want. Technically, I have all the time in the world.’

Positioning herself to be more comfortable, Mina sat on the railing that surrounded the building. She took a deep breath, then released all her anger and emotions that she wasn’t able to at home. 

“To start off, my father is in a financial crisis and he expects me to solve it by marrying a rich sleaze I don’t even know,” she started. “So now I have to figure out a way to get him out of his problems so I can get out of mine. I’ve been stuck in our study everyday with a scholar so I can be knowledgeable enough for my future husband instead of being out there doing the things I want to do. And nobody seems to be on my side. My bestfriend has been trying so hard to keep a close eye on me, making sure I don’t escape my responsibilities and it’s all so invigorating.” Mina told her of her situation and the emotions she’s pent up down to the very last core of her being. She couldn’t stop herself nor pause to think that perhaps this stranger couldn’t care less about her feelings and problems. But it felt good to let it all out. Mina’s shoulders slowly started to relax as Chaeyoung never wavered on listening. The girl on the other side watched her and listened with care. 

When Mina seemed to be finished, Chaeyoung wrote, not even considering how tired her hands and body must be from keeping a firm hand on the wall and writing at the same time. ‘Is that why you’re here? To escape?’

“I guess you can look at it that way. But I realized something as I was on my way. I never got your name. And I would like to know that first and foremost more than anything at the moment.”

Her words caught her off guard that for a moment she loosened her grip on the wall and her powers stopped. She quickly put it back on. 

Her name… For years she had always been nothing but the scientists’ guinea pig. Nobody thought of her in any other way. They treated her like she wasn’t a person, like she was nothing more than a dog to look out for. Experiment 160 was her name the day she woke up.

Experiment 160 is reacting well.

Experiment 160’s vitals are the same as usual.

Experiment 160… Experiment 160…

Chaeyoung would lay there on the table and listen to that name over and over. It was like a nonstop spinning wheel in her head, repeating it as to not make her forget. It was a name she had to get used to. But… That girl changed it.

The first time Chaeyoung tried to die was the first time Tzuyu got assigned to her. The older couple who visited her often disappeared and next came this girl who was barely an adult.

Laying on the table, Chaeyoung held her breath. She was tired of it all, didn’t want to let these people get their way. If she was going to be treated like some sort of wild animal, then she would rather die than lose whatever dignity she had left. A voice once told her, a faraway memory left from her past life, that if she held her breath long enough, life would fade away. That’s exactly what she was hoping for, but Tzuyu didn’t let her.

“What’s she doing?” the newcomer asked. “She passed out in her chamber,” someone replied. “We can’t seem to figure out what happened. Her heartbeat just disappeared all of a sudden. We’ve performed everything in the usual...”

Chaeyoung felt a body stand before her, looking down on her, observing her. This was a scene she was quite familiar with. For as far as she was conscious, she’s always been at the bottom of everyone’s gazes. This is fine, Chaeyoung thought. This is how it’s always been.

Then, she felt the human get closer. Her breath grazed a part of her cheek, feeling the warmth and presence that it was hard for her to keep her eyes closed. Silence was left for a moment. The human’s hair tickled Chaeyoung’s arm a little. Just how close is this girl? Chaeyoung thought, a slight panic rising within her. 

With one word, the silence was broken. With one word, Chaeyoung lost her will to die. “Pretty...” Tzuyu said, and with that, Chaeyoung opened her eyes and saw her— small face, small lips, big eyes, young but mature. But the one thing that she would never forget was how she smiled at her. She didn’t look at her like some caged animal, not as a subject of their experiments nor as an inferior being, but as a person. She smiled at her with warmth, and that was enough to mesmerize Chaeyoung into living once more. 

“Oh, you’re awake.” Tzuyu was knelt down beside the table. She was so close that Chaeyoung almost instinctively pulled back.

“Experiment 160’s alive. Check her vitals, quickly.” The other scientists scouried all over the place, doing their designated jobs. But Tzuyu didn’t move away.

“How do you feel?” she asked.

“Huh?” What is she saying, Chaeyoung thought. How do I feel? Obviously not good seeing as how I’m kept “captive” in this hell. She wanted to tell her, but instead what came out was, “Okay.”

“Good. You had me worried there. But I knew you weren’t going to die that easily. You’re tough, after all.”

“What a shame.”

“You don’t want to be here, I understand that. But you know, living to someday find the light of day is much better than never having the chance to, don’t you think? How about holding on for just a little while longer?”

“For what? For your own satisfaction? No, thank you,” Chaeyoung replied with a sharp tone in her voice. Tzuyu only giggled, which made her all the more annoyed and confused. 

“Hmm… I can’t tell you much, but trust me, the world is a much scarier place. I’m worried that you won’t survive out there. In here, we’ll take care of you and keep you alive. For now, you can just go along with it. And if you still want to leave, that’s fine. But we won’t let you, so if you ever see the chance to escape, take it. I won’t hold it against you.”

Seriously, what the hell is she saying? Chaeyoung thought. She was bewildered by what this human was spouting. Being nice to her and telling her it’s okay to escape? Isn’t she one of them? Chaeyoung had no words to say. 

“What’s your name?”

“Experiment 160...”

“Not that. You’re name.”

Chaeyoung shook her head. “I don’t have one. That’s always been what they call me.”

“That’s not right. Hmm… How about ‘Chaeyoung?’ ‘Chae’ for determination and purpose. I want you to live with purpose, to be able to someday go outside. And ‘young’ for a pretty, little flower like yourself. I like it. What do you think?”

Chaeyoung… she loved it. She finally had a name. She wasn’t an animal anymore. Someone saw her as a person and gave her a name. She felt so happy that she wanted to ask her how to write it right there. She wanted her to call her by her new name over and over. But Chaeyoung’s personality made her not want to give her that satisfaction. She looked away and mumbled, “It’s alright.”

Tzuyu chuckled.

‘Chaeyoung,’ she wrote and showed it to Mina. For some reason, she felt proud. Because Tzuyu was the only one who called her that and really the only person she ever spoke to, this was the first time she ever had to tell somebody her name. It made her more happy than she expected that she ended up saying it knowing full well the girl on the other side couldn’t hear her.

“Chaeyoung. That’s a pretty name,” Mina said. It felt even better to hear someone else say it. “I’m Mina. Nice to meet you.”

“Mina…” Chaeyoung muttered. Then she beamed a wide smile, “Mina.” Then once more, much quieter this time, as if she’s settling in that that was her name, “Mina…”

Mina watched her lips repeat her name over and over, and each time they opened, the more embarrassed she got. 

‘Will you tell me all about your world?’ Chaeyoung finally wrote. 

The forest had been alive since Mina stepped foot on it, but now the trees swayed by the wind as if they were speaking. The green lights that appeared before started to appear once more, glowing faintly and throbbing, as if they were desperate to burst. But neither of them looked at it; their eyes were on each other, only seeing each other. 

“I’ve only ever known my kingdom before I came here,” Mina started. “My home rests on its own, isolated from everything else. I can’t say I know everything about my town. I was very sheltered even until now. Nowadays, the bustling town is nothing but a glimpse from my room. My days get boring and monotonous inside my home. As a pri-” Mina paused for a moment, uncertain. She didn’t want to tell her who she was for some reason. She didn’t want to disclose her royal upbringing. She’s grown tired of being known as the princess who would one day run the kingdom, tired of all the responsibilities that was handed to her without warning. For once, she wanted to live like a normal person. For once, she wanted to be known as only Mina. So without giving it another thought, she changed her words. “As the only daughter, my father expects a lot from me. My mother passed away when I was young, so my father has been shouldering everything. Though I understand my importance in the household, sometimes I just want to run away.

“During the days when I feel down,” she continued, “I would go by the river bank next to my house. Our town has one of the most beautiful waters in the world. It’s clean and clear; it keeps me calm. The people are kind, the fields are well taken care of. The mountains protrude with pride, beaming with energy everyday. And the sun is always up. It’s always daytime in our kingdom, even in the rain.”

Listening to her talk about a faraway place made it difficult for Chaeyoung to imagine at her current world where daytime seems to be nonexistent. Though she did see signs of day the first time Mina came. Perhaps, it did exist but the forest’s darkness overwhelmed the sun. 

Even in her earlier memories, her own world didn’t have the same specs as the world Mina described. She couldn’t recall beautiful water or magnificent mountains. Nor could she recall a bustling town and well-managed fields. But she still remembered her brother. The only family protected within her memories. At the very least she had that to cling to.

‘I would like to see it someday,’ Chaeyoung showed her. 

There was a hint of melancholy in her words, like it was her own little way of asking for help without saying it. Mina could feel it. She came back with the motive to find a solution to her own problems, to go back home with hope in her hands. But even that she had forgotten the moment Mina saw her. Within the deepest in her heart, only one feeling emerged— she wanted to free her. “Let’s go together,” she said. 

Chaeyoung chuckled. “Easier said than done. But that doesn’t sound too bad. That’s fine. I’ll dream for once.”

“Huh? What did you say?”

‘Nothing,’ she wrote. ‘Wanna see my drawings?’

~

Tzuyu focused on the screens in front of her, typing away on her work without letting her surroundings cloud her concentration. Momo lightly hit her head with a rolled up magazine. “Your glaring too much,” she scolded her. “Did you even eat yet?”

“Ah, Momo, good morning.”

“Don’t ‘good morning’ me! It’s night, you idiot.” Momo heaved a deep sigh. “Seriously, you’ve been working nonstop this past few days. Is it that urgent?”

“The head has been bugging me to finish. I only have a month left to do what I have to do.”

“I understand that, but you have to take care of yourself. Do you want me to spoon-feed you?”

“I-I’m not a kid! I’ll eat after this last bit.”

Momo laughed. She laid down on the bed and started reading the magazine in her hands. “Oh, by the way, Jin wanted you. He said he noticed something odd about Chaeyoung. You should check it out.”

“Odd?” Tzuyu finally looked up. She got up and grabbed her coat, ready to go back to the lab. 

“Yah! Eat first!”

“Later. Let’s eat together.” Tzuyu grinned and gave her girlfriend a quick kiss before heading out. 

“This better be important, Jin. I paused my work for you.”

Her coworker leaned back in his chair. “Don’t pretend like you’re doing this for me. Everyone knows how deeply you care about 160.”

“Stop calling her that.” Tzuyu stood next to him and leaned towards the monitor that showed Chaeyoung’s room. “What’s the problem?”

“Well, it’s not really a problem per se. I just don’t know what she’s doing,” he said. “It’s like she’s talking to the wall.”

Tzuyu watched Chaeyoung seated in front of the wall with the whiteboard she gave her. She would write on it and hold it up as if someone was there to see it. Then she would erase the writings and write again, holding it up in the end. Tzuyu narrowed her eyes. She couldn’t see her expression from the angle of the camera, but it really did seem like she was showing someone what she wrote. Tzuyu went over the other monitor that showed the outside. The camera showed no signs of someone being there. 

“Has she finally gone crazy?” Jin asked.

“Well, being isolated for so long can do crazy things in your head. But Chaeyoung’s not like that.”

“Then, what’s she doing?”

“It would seem like there’s more to her abilities than we think.”

“Shouldn’t you go over there and check?”

Tzuyu folded her arms in front of her. “It’s not time yet. It’s only 5. If the head finds out that I accessed her room before the aforementioned time, they would think something is up. I don’t want them inspecting the room and getting on my . You wouldn’t want that either, seeing as how you looked past the items I bought her.”

“You still haven’t paid me back for that, by the way. I could really use a hot stew right now.”

“Some other day,” she stuck out her tongue at her friend. “I have a date when I get back.”

In the middle of their conversation, or what one could call it, Chaeyoung suddenly paused. “What time is it?” she thought in slight panic. Her heart beat started to accelerate. “How long has she been here? I can’t remember. It feels like she’s only been here for 5 minutes, but with how much we’re talking, I’m sure it’s been way more than that. When will Tzuyu get here? I don’t want her to see Mina. They might take her away. They’ve already taken more than enough from me.”

“What’s wrong?” Mina interrupted her thoughts. 

‘What time is it?’

Mina looked up at the sky. Back home, the sun told her the time of day. Being holed up in the kingdom for years, she always stared up at the sky out of boredom. She hated the sun and its constant tenacity. She hated how it soared up at the sky without limit as if to remind her that she was stagnant. She hated how its rays pounce on her skin that made it painful. But in the end, the sun was her companion. It never gave up; it was always with her. But looking up in that dark world, the sun was nowhere in sight and it occurred to her once more that she was in a place of unknown territory. Her usual companion wasn’t there, which made her just slightly disappointed. 

She turned back to Chaeyoung and shrugged. “I can’t tell. I believe I got here just after 3, but with the vast differences between our worlds, I can’t judge if we run by the same time zone or not.”

Chaeyoung remembered the faraway chime ringing just before Mina arrived. Judging by that, their concept of time was most likely similar if not the same. ‘I think it’s best that you should go,’ she wrote. ‘I don’t want you to get caught.’

“Already? But I haven’t talked to you much. There’s so many more things I want to ask.”

There it is again, that strange feeling of excitement. ‘You can always come back. I’ll be right here waiting.’ Chaeyoung smiled. 

She told her the times that wouldn’t be good for her, like when Tzuyu does her usual check-ups and during the day when the lab brings her out for inspection. She wanted to talk to her more, with much more hours to spare without worrying about someone walking in on them. She wanted that feeling to never disappear. It was the first time in a very long while that she looked forward to each day, knowing that she’d get to see that smile and she’d get to hear her voice. She didn’t want anyone to take that away from her. 

Right on time, at 6 o’clock, Tzuyu came in. The scientist had actually been antsy the past hour, waiting for the appointed time when she would see Chaeyoung. Although she seemed cool about it in the surveillance room, she was actually quite curious about the way Chaeyoung had been acting, especially since she’s never seen her do much of anything. It might be the reason why the girl asked for something for the first time. 

But when Tzuyu came in, Chaeyoung was doing exactly what she does when she sees her— staring off into space. Chaeyoung held up her hand in greeting, “Yo.”

Tzuyu smiled. “How are the books?”

“I’m reading 1Q84 for the third time now. It’s very entertaining.”

“Read it slower this time, ‘cause I can’t bring you any more.”

Chaeyoung chuckled. “I wasn’t going to ask.”

Tzuyu started to do her usual routine— holding Chaeyoung’s arm to check her pulse, jotting it town in her notepad, telling her nothing has changed, and made sure her joints are working just fine. While she did so, she brought up another subject. “Chaeyoung-ah...” she started, choosing her words carefully. “You’re not planning anything drastic, are you?”

The girl looked up at her, trying to read her expression at the sudden question. “No. Why?”

“Nothing. I just want to remind you to keep holding on. Your time will come. But not right now.”

“What are you telling me?”

“Nothing. I’m just saying, don’t do anything rash at the moment. Everyone’s keeping a close eye on you. One little mistake can be fatal.”

Does she know about Mina? Chaeyoung asked herself. It was like Tzuyu knew something she didn’t, like she was hiding something. But that’s fine. Everyone has something to hide. That’s something I learned in here, that humans are completely dishonest. 

She gave her the usual cheeky smile. “Don’t worry, I won’t do anything that could cause you a headache. After all, my life is in your hands.”

“My hands, huh. You say that so nonchalantly, it’s scary.” Tzuyu chuckled. “Aren’t you scared?”

“Of course, I am. I don’t know what’s going to happen, or what’s waiting for me outside these walls. But I have no choice but to trust you. For now, I’ll do what I can do.”

Tzuyu looked at her with admiration. This girl was brave, determined. Chaeyoung… her name really suits her, Tzuyu thought. She smiled as she finished up, with Chaeyoung telling her the story behind the novels she’s been reading. She, too, thought that she should do what she can. With words like those, there was no way Tzuyu could just stand by and let time flow. She was going to finish what she started; there was no backing out now. If Chaeyoung placed her trust in her, then the least she could do is trust her the same. 

When she got back in her room that night, Tzuyu went back to her desk and faced her monitors with more determination than before. One day, Chaeyoung would break out of that room. She didn’t know how, but she had a feeling that girl could do it. So for now, she was going to do what she could, in the best way she knew how. 

“Yah! Don’t go back to work already! What about food~” Momo pouted from her bed. 

“Ah, sorry. But can we just do take-out? It’s crunch time right now.”

“It’s always crunch time with you. And here I thought you were going to take me out somewhere fancy.”

“What do you mean?” Tzuyu pushed back her chair and folded her arms. “Our room is fancy enough! It’s got all the stuff you love. Like that vinyl player, all those stuffed animals on the bed, a mountain of clothes in the closet, and me.”

“Yes, yes, the love of my life. What do you want to eat?” Momo didn’t even look up from her magazine, which made Tzuyu blush with embarrassment. 

“Geez, don’t ignore me. The one time I try to flirt, you brush it off.”

“Ehh? That was you flirting?” Momo laughed. “That’s cute.” She got up and wrapped her arms around her neck from the back. She planted a kiss on her cheek as Tzuyu continued to sulk. “I get it. You’re trying so hard right now and I know it’s hard. Thank you for putting up with my annoyance.”

“Thank you for putting up with my work.”

“I knew what I was getting into. If I was going to date you, I’d have to date your work too. Hm?” Momo looked up at Tzuyu’s monitor. “Is this for next week’s report?”

“Yeah.”

“I see you’re still sending them fake reports. But isn’t this too obvious? It says right here that Chaeyoung has a severed nerve. They’re going to check up on that and have her examined.”

“You think so, huh?” Tzuyu sighed. “I don’t know how else to make her seem defective. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with her physically and mentally. She’s completely healthy. And once the higher-ups find out, they’re going to take her away. But I can’t come up with excuses forever.”

“Wouldn’t it be better if she gets taken out? The room she’s in right now is completely sealed and monitored, isn’t it? She’d have more chances to roam if she’s in a less secure space. How about you recommend rehabilitation?”

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out. I don’t know where they’re going to take her. I know they’re planning on training her, but beyond that I don’t know anything. My authority is only in the lab. Furthermore, to enact that charade, Chaeyoung has to be in on the plan. And I don’t know how I could ever tell her.”

“Dummy,” Momo said. “Recommend her to me.”

“Huh??”

“I don’t know if you’ve forgotten, but I happen to be one of the top counselors in this facility. You’re not the only doctor here, you know.” She grinned.

“But...” Tzuyu looked down. “I can’t risk bringing you into this. I don’t want to take anyone else down with me if this fails.”

“Remember what you said when you I asked you out? That if we’re going to be together, there has to be trust. We’re in this together whether you like it or not.”

Tzuyu hesitated. Telling Momo all this was already a violation of her contract of confidentiality. There were a lot of risks involved in which it could result in more than just losing their jobs. But there was no also no one else she trusted more than Momo. The only person who’s never left her side and had been there since the day her parents passed. She knew she couldn’t do it alone. Tzuyu sighed once more, resigning to the idea. “Alright. I’ll see what I can do.”

The dome resides in an isolated part of the world, hidden amongst trees and mountains. It was created by a leader who wanted to create a strong army to protect the nation. The facility trained the best fighters, honing their abilities and preparing for possible invasions. It was a military base unknown to the rest of the world. On the darker side of it was a laboratory that conducted experiments on the human body, created by the next leader with a sick mind that borders insanity. Upon discovering a new race, this leader had the idea to create an army never seen before. He was tainted with power, and evil overcame his desires. 

A war was coming, and Chaeyoung was to be a part of it.

A/N: I’m glad I finished this before finals week >< I was a little worried that I would keep you guys waiting again. Thank you for waiting and I hope you enjoy it! Best of luck to those who are doing exams!