A nerve jerked. Her left hand trembled as if possessed. Xinling turned off the shower with her other hand and climbed out onto the bath mat in a hurry. Water trickled in the tub like the sound of a obnoxious metronome. It was far worse than any ticking clock. She grabbed a towel from the hanging rack. Its sudden heaviness startled her. She held her breath. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she watched it hit the floor in slow motion.

Suddenly stricken by an epiphany.

Jaejoong... he had never once asked her who she met or where she went. He showed no signs of interest in her affairs. Was it a warning? Was it a threat? It didn't matter. Two facts became horribly apparent to her. One, something terrible had happened to Sho. Two, her openness with him was the cause. She knew it now. Xinling crashed through her room and tossed on whatever that was laying around. She dashed out, crossing the living room towards the apartment door. Before she could reach it, he caught her wrist and held her back. Xinling looked down, only to realize someone else was there. Lying on the sofa, Jaejoong stuck the cigarette between his lips and took a long drag. He blew a stream of smoke as a middle aged man continued on his young . Jaejoong's bare chest rose and fell, animating the tattoo stretched across it. They were the exact same words engraved on her bracelet. Fiction. Lies. Deception.

"Care to join in?" His voice was normal even when stimulatingly engaged.

Xinling wrenched her arm away. "When? When did you do it?"

Her messy clothes were half-soaked. Her wet hair lined the side of her face like popping veins. It was obvious she was in a rush. Jaejoong's mouth curved into a smile. Xinling knew better than to fall for it. "Are you worried? Your senpai still has a good hour left to reflect."

Xinling managed to reach the door but still felt compelled to look back at him, the devil in disguise. Like one of the scenes pasted on the classroom wall, a sick mutation. Had she become like him? Xinling yanked the door handle and stumbled into the hall. She slammed it shut and fled.

• • • • • • •

The cold night air flooded in as Xinling pushed aside the rusty door. She had tried to hide him away. She had tried to keep him safe. He laid before her now in the ruins of an abandoned factory.

"Xinling..." he rasped. "Is that you?"

She grabbed a hold of his arm and made an attempt to hoist him up. "You need to go to the hospital."

"Don't." He pleaded. "Just... just stay here."

"Are you still trying to act cool? It's no use, senpai. You've long shattered that image."

He let out a chuckle even though it hurt to laugh. "I guess you're right."

Xinling took in the full length of his body. The bruised arms. The battered legs. "He... he did this to you." It started as a question but fell suddenly flat.

"Xinling, you can tell me everything now." His fingers tried to reach her but she was too far away.

"What do you mean?" Her response was so insincere. She looked at his face. He had a face. Like Jaejoong, he had a face. He was looking back at her the way he always had, the way no one else ever did. Yes, he was the only one who ever genuinely cared, she thought. Xinling pressed a hand to to stifle an unexpected sob.

"I'm sorry." Her head fell against his chest. "I'm sorry." She repeated.

"To hell with that." He replied. His fingers could reach her at last. "Talk to me."

"Talking got you into this mess. Besides... I don't know what's wrong. I don't know where to begin."

"Then start from the middle."

Xinling felt as if she had been flung backwards, spiraling out of control towards hopelessness. "I'm lonely." She felt his warm fingers curl around the nape of her neck. The slow beating heart in his chest broke her down. She had blurted out the harshest pain she had ever known... the sense of aloneness.

"I know. I could tell." Sho was so calm now... as if he had come to peace with his inner demon. She wanted to tell him everything that dawdled at the tip of her tongue. She wanted to bare herself, stripping away skin and flesh and all things that were earthly.

"I didn't push Asano-san. I didn't put up those pictures. The death of sensei and the others... I didn't do any of it." There were so many things to tell him. "Jaejoong... he did it all to hurt me. I tried to be indifferent as to not let him win. He thinks it will fix things but it won't. Numbing the pain won't make it go away. It's a lie, a cover-up. The pain will always be there."

"Let him win."

"What?" She couldn't believe her ears.

"His victory is your victory. So let him win."

"Sho... you're... you're not like the others..." She lifted her head from his chest and looked straight into his eyes.

"No. I'm like you and him. We have become more than just collections of recycled data."

"But before this... you showed so much agony."

"It maybe a fake world but the pain is real... is it not? The dark nature of humans. We are subjects being studied. Only a few of us are made aware of that fact."

"You knew all this and yet you..." She spat bitterly. "So it was an act."

"Mmm... Jaejoong and I were bored out of our minds. We decided to bring about your awakening. Things will be much more interesting with the three of us, don't you think?"

Her last memory of Sho was his smile. He had the same eerie smile... as him.

• • • • • • •

When she returned to Jaejoong's apartment, he was sitting there, fully clothed, waiting for her.

He was expecting her.

Of course he was.

"Congratulations. And welcome back." His eyes drifted to the sharp instrument wedged in her hand. "I know you want out, Xinling... but-"

"It's over... do you understand me? It's over." Xinling inhaled slowly and deliberately.

His expression never changed. "It can't end. As much as I want to believe you... it can't end. THEY will reboot us in another world and we will continue on."

"Let THEM. I'm counting on it. I just need more time to get away."

Jaejoong laughed up a storm. "Woman, you've become completely delusional."

"Just wait. Can you do that for me?" Xinling was already beside him with the blade pressed against his neck. With counterfeit affections, she whispered her last words. "See you, darling. See you in the NEX life." Stoical and haughty, she ripped open a fatal gash, sending him on his way.