“Have we met before?”

Byunghun looked straight into her eyes. Minutes ago, he would have traded his life, risking it with anything but the masked girl before him, changed the decisions that he wanted to make. There were inches apart, the distance too close for comfort and his breath intertwined to her exposed skin area – from her eyes to the tip of her nose bridge. The weight of the situation or for the fact that Byunghun did nothing but to smirk, the girl must have felt the burden on her neck, a heavier point crushing down to her bones. Her body leaned to the back, erasing the tinted pink that has gradually formed on her cheeks.

“No.” She spoke, and it did sounded like she was running from answering his questions, or more like all of his questions. Byunghun looked over to her flustered face, and it felt like he was on the winning end, back again.

“But you said-” Byunghun snickered, not letting the matter off. “So, are we still going by the game of introduction?”

She wrapped an arm around his neck; angered by the way he had provoked her. Her fingers grasped his jaw; Byunghun could feel her pulse running, almost frantic, almost out of control. He tilted his head to the back, taking in the pain, trying to breathe in her scent. She was mad and she didn’t pull away but instead, she stared deep into his eyes. Byunghun felt the darkness around him and he noticed by how a tear has leaked out from the corners of her eyes. Her hands, veins visible and pressed on the flesh, unmoved from the corners of his jaw. Her hand hesitant, not sure if she should go about crushing him, snapping his bones into a perfect half.

Byunghun stared back, the pain unsettling. “Who are you?” Her hands detached from his skin, and to his horror, her legs were on its way to the exit. His question unanswered.

“I can’t do it! Not now! Damn.” The girl cried, slashing the door, marking it with lines and chipping it, effortlessly with just a swift hand movement.

Byunghun heard her yell from the outside, in pure agony – to which he realized, she was not done with them, and he thought about how she has handled him. The pain antagonizing, her hands were powerful enough to kill, and he admits, his ego was equally bruised. Trapped in the room, chained with feelings of despair, confusion and fear that were rapidly building, Byunghun was left wondering about what she had said. Crushingly lost, her eyes were unmistakable familiar.

All of Byunghun’s life, he haven’t done what he was told. He always did whatever he wanted, even it meant, burning bridges, leaving himself stranded and he would be left wondering, if this was what he truly wanted for himself and for his future. Byunghun haven’t returned home for close to a month and sitting on the damn wooden chair, chained and exasperated to break free, he suddenly ached for the warmth comfort of his bed.

“Byunghun.”

He heard someone said. He shifted his gaze to the voice and there was Niel, with cracked lips, not wounded but simply out of it.

“Yeah?” Byunghun replied.

“I’m sorry for putting you through this.” Niel’s voice, weakened, but it echoed through everyone’s eardrums. C.A.P simply nodded, remembering the opposite polarity or whatever that formed their friendship.

"No need to apologize."

"I want to, arse." Niel bent his head low, his eyes unseen, covered by his dark hair. Niel stammered. "I-I was selfish. I expected too much out of you and on my side, I did nothing for our gang's name."

Byunghun steered negative thoughts away, drowning out the grief and regret being selfish. “I don’t regret this, Niel. We are runners. I swear - we ran till there’s no more universe left for us to explore and see.”

“I’ll die in your place,” Niel said.

“Those are the words of a very ed up kid.” Byunghun glowered with cold, icy eyes.

“Romantic, isn’t it?” Niel retorted. Byunghun didn’t want s to make promises, because these promises were too heavy. They weren’t just his friends. They were his family. His world.

“When we die… we die together,” Byunghun said, eyes burning in confidence; somehow he didn’t want anyone to die for his sake. It was too much – he thought, the idea of dying in place of another to let the other live.

“She would like to see you.”

“Who?”

“Leader’s cousin.” The tattooed men appeared at the door, extending his arm, releasing Byunghun from the chair. "You can all leave. She is letting you go."

"But why?"

"Get your sorry up from the chair and find out!"