Jisun had said she would tell Yongguk everything yet she couldn't help but hesitant. He was patient as she made him promise several times to tell her if his head started hurting. And he promised to go back into his pod if that happened rather than suffering just to stay with her. Then hesitantly, she began from the beginning.
She told him about finding him in the woods and dragging him back to her house. The storm that raged on that night as well as the moment he had wrapped his hand around . At that part, he stared at her in disbelief as guilt quickly formed in his eyes. He remained silent though and let her continue on. When she told him that everything changed afterwards, how safe she felt with him around, he seemed relieved.
His antics around her food brought a smile to his face and then he furrowed his eyebrows curiously as she told him about his time making strawberry jam. She answered his unspoken question; yes, the same jar he had tasted was jam that he had made.
She told him about waking him from the nightmare and the aftermath in the morning. How she took him to her secret tree house and shared with him all her precious memories. Him leaving his tags with her, knowing she would keep them safe. The only link he had to his forgotten past.
Next was how he started behaving. All the times she thought he was just sleep walking that quickly turned in to something far worse. His first headache and the moments where it didn't seem like he knew who she was. As she told him this part, she found seizing a little from bringing up the painful memories. Then his arm around her tightened and he planted soft kisses on her cheek.
She paused her story there and took a couple of deep breaths. Yongguk shifted and propped himself up on his elbow so he partly hovered over her. She stared up at him and as his warm, brown eyes looked back at her. Then he leaned down and kissed her lips. She closed her eyes and kissed him back, relishing the taste of him.
Too soon though, he pulled back. "Tell me about our first kiss." he quietly pleaded.
She her lips and swallowed. "You wandered outside again to stare up at the sky. When you... came back, you kept saying I was going to leave you. You were so upset and nothing I said seemed to get through to you. So I kissed you."
He reached down and grabbed her hand. He brought it up and kissed the back of it before pressing her hand against his cheek.
"When I pulled back, you stopped me." she continued. "Then you kissed me and... And it felt... like the rest of the world was gone. That it was only you and me."
He narrowed his eyes a little as he stared at her intently. His eyes flickered side to side, as if he was looking for something in her own eyes.
"We went inside and instead of separate rooms, I took you to my room. We fell asleep in each other's arms." She took a deep breath. "In the morning, you were gone. All your stuff too."
His expression turned to confusion. "Where did I go? I didn't even say goodbye?"
"The boys took you." she explained. "They drugged us cause they didn't think you would leave willingly. But they weren't sure if they could trust me yet."
He slowly nodded his head. "I don't think I would have left. It... sounds so nice." He sighed heavily. "I'm sorry. I wish I could remember everything."
"I know." she hurriedly assured. "Maybe once you're cured, you'll gain your memories back."
"You have no idea how much I want that." he sincerely told her. A small smile formed on his face as he placed her hand on her stomach. Then he reached up and brushed his fingers through her hair. "Thank you. And I promise my head isn't hurting right now."
"That's good." she said and smiled a little as well. Then she added, "Thank you."
He tilted his head and looked at her curiously. "For what?"
She could feel herself blush a little as she swallowed. "You forgot me." she said. "But you still came back to me."
His hand moved from his hair to cup her cheek. His thumb lightly brushed along her skin and he bit his bottom lip. "I... I think..." He hesitated but then his lips and leaned down, getting closer to her. "I think that's because I... love... you."
It was as if time slowed down and everything stopped. Both of them were frozen in place. She stared up at him, wanting to hear those words over and over again. Instead, he leaned down further and kissed her. He moved his lips against her for a sec before pulling back and on her lips a little. Urging her to move. She finally kissed him back but quickly broke off the kiss.
"I love you too." she whispered breathlessly.
He stopped and she felt his body stiffen. Then he turned his head to deepen the kiss. No longer soft and gentle but rough and urgent. Desperate. And she kissed him back just as passionately, never wanting it to end. Her heart thundered in her chest and lightning danced across her skin. She wished her arm wasn't injured so she could hold him close, stopping him from ever leaving her again.
He suddenly pulled back and nuzzled her cheek as he gasped for air. "I don't want to leave. I want to stay with you." he whimpered.
She squeezed her eyes shut. The sound of his voice caused the swelling in her chest to shatter. "I don't want you to go." she whined.
She moved her right arm so she could grab his shirt and clutch it tightly. He in turn wrapped his arm over her waist once more and hugged her to him, pressing their bodies against each other.
"Promise me." he begged. "That you'll wait for me."
"I promise. No matter how long it takes." she declared without hesitation. "I'll never leave you."

Pain radiated through Jisun's arm, making her wince. She shifted so she was on her back again but the pain didn't stop. Groaning, she gave in to defeat and yawned before opening her eyes. As soon as she saw the ceiling above her, she inhaled sharply and sat up. She glanced around in confusion. She was in her bedroom at her house.
Her gaze landed on the pillow next to her and the glint coming off of the metal object that rest on it. She reached over and grabbed it before bringing close to her face to examine it. It was a single dog tag with the name Bang Yong Guk on it.
A strangled whine tore from as she hurried off the bed. She ran out of her room and down the hallway. She looked away the living room and the kitchen. Both rooms were immaculately clean, her stuff no longer thrown aside by whoever ransacked her house. But both were also empty of another person.
She turned and hurried to the mud room. She yanked the back door open and ran outside on to the porch. She searched the yard, including the garden area, but nothing. She was alone.
Her legs collapsed and she fell to her knees. Her chest hurt so much, it felt like she couldn't breath and she desperately struggled to breath. Then she finally let out a painful sob as she lowered her head. She stared at the dog tog in her.
"Was it too hard to say goodbye?" she questioned barely above a whisper.
She closed her hand around the tag and brought her fist to her chest. Her vision clouded as her eyes watered and before she knew it, she was crying. Every part of her ached and longed for him. She knew that this was for the best though. He needed help. And she needed to take care of herself as well.
She in a shaky breath as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. She sniffled a few times as she slowly got to her feet and made her way back inside. Then she closed the back door and made sure it was locked.
Once in the kitchen, she decided on a quick meal of cereal. She felt absolutely famished which made her realize she didn't eat anything yesterday. Some stuff on the table though made her stop. She set the metal tag aside to grab a bank card that had her name on it. She eyed it in confusion before setting it aside as well and grabbing a piece of paper. It was a hand written note from someone, one of the boys most likely. It said how they didn't need to work, thus risking one of the bad humans seeing them, because of Youngjae. He had used various methods, mostly stocks and investments, to secure money for them. And they put some of it in an account for her to use. When she read the amount, her eyes widened and dropped open. At the bottom of the note, in different handwriting, it read, 'First thing to do: GO TO THE HOSPITAL'. Then the note explained that there was a rental car already parked outside for her to use.
She laid the paper down and then sat down in a chair. They had taken care of everything for her. While she was sleeping. "I swear if you drugged me again..." she threatened out loud. For no one to hear.
With a heavy sigh, she got up and made herself a bowl of cereal. She ate it quickly and put the dirty dishes in the sink. Then she went to the bathroom for a much needed shower. Only for her to realize her shampoo and body wash were at the other house. And there wasn't any replacements.
"Guess they didn't think of everything." she mumbled to herself and left the bathroom. She went back to the kitchen and took the dish soap by the sink. She carried it with her to the bathroom and undressed. The knife was still tucked safely in the makeshift sling and she set it close to the tub. Then she stepped in the tub and turned the shower on. The hot water cascaded over her skin, refreshing her.
Once she was done, she wrapped the towel around her and grabbed the knife before making her way to her room. She awkwardly dressed while using only one hand and then slipped on a belt. She put the sheath through the belt before buckling it. She wasn't sure the exact laws about carrying a knife, how small it had to be, but she didn't want to leave it behind. Couldn't leave it behind. She needed it with her.
With that thought in her head, she swiftly left her room and went to the kitchen. She grabbed the dog tag off of the table and then went back to the bedroom. She found her small box of jewelry and pulled a chain out of it. She slipped the pendant off and replaced it with Yongguk's tag. Then she slipped the necklace over her neck and tucked the tag inside her shirt. Now she was ready.
She found her hidden stash of backup keys, immensely thankful she had the foresight to make them. Then she took the rental car key and the bank card, and went out the front door. She double checked the door was locked before getting in the car and driving towards town.

Her first stop was the hospital, as she was ordered to do. She gave them a story about being in a car crash and lied about how it happened, leaving several details out. When they asked for her ID, she told them she lost it and made a mental note to get another license afterwards.
They re-bandaged her hand and leg before taking her to have her shoulder x-rayed. Thankfully it was a minor dislocation and nothing was torn. It still needed at least another four weeks to heal though. They gave her an actual sling to keep her arm still as well as prescriptions for pain pills and antibiotics.
When she left the hospital, she went to get another driver's license and then to the bank to get a new card for her account. After that, her next stop was her work. She parked in the back and saw her car still sitting where she had left it. As she got out of the rental car, she couldn't help but let her gaze wander over towards the dumpster. That was where she had stood when Zelo asked her for Yongguk's tags. She slowly reached up to lightly touch the back of her head before shaking her head and turning away.
She entered through the back door and found her boss doing inventory. As soon as they turned to look at her, their eyes almost popped out of their head. She quickly repeated the same story about being in a car crash that she had told the hospital. Her boss then insisted she take at least another week off and asked another employee to go with her to drop off the rental car.
As she went back outside, her co-worker fussed over her and kept asking if she was alright. She told them she was and thanked them for helping her. She handed them the key to her car and got in the rental. She drove towards the car lot with her co-worker following. Once she dropped it off, she drove them back to work and dropped them off.
She watched as they disappeared through the back door and then let out a sigh. She hardly did much today but she sill felt drained. It was hard, putting her life back together after everything she had gone through. After being... left behind.
She closed her eyes as her hand reached up to touch the dog tag through her shirt. "The first day is the hardest." she told herself. Then she started the car once more and drove home.

At home, she stayed on the couch all day and rested. The pain pill greatly helped numb her shoulder and made it easy for her to relax. She watched some shows and movies, while avoiding her grandfather's war documentaries of course. The ones that Yongguk had liked to watch.
Once it grew dark, she finally stood and the light. Then she went to the kitchen to make herself a quick dinner. Something easy enough for her to cook with one hand. When it was done, she carried the plate to the living room and set it on the coffee table.
She heard a person talking and glanced at the television to see that a news program had stared. She turned away and searched for the remote control to change the channel.
"Our breaking news story tonight; several people are reported missing."
She froze at those words before quickly spinning around and staring at the tv. The reporter commented how strange it was that so many people had suddenly gone missing at once. Then pictures and names start to flash on the screen.
Jisun sank to her knees as she felt her body go numb. It was them. They were the ones who had did this to her. To the boys. Picture after picture, their faces looking back at her instead of masks. Including the two men from the coffee shop and blond man that had been following her. She learned their names and the places they worked at. She recognized some of the places and wondered if she had seen these people before. If she had ever smiled at them as they greeted her. These were people she had been around her whole life. From her town. Her community. And... there were people she knew.
She gasped when a picture of a boy her age showed on the television. The reporter didn't have to read off his name because she knew him. They had gone to school together and could have been considered friends. She use to talk to him as well as to his younger brother. Even after they left school, they always chatted if they ran in to each other around town.
"You did something to her, didn't you?! Why else would she be with a freak like you!"
It was hard to imagine the same sweet boy as the person who was punching Yongguk. She didn't want to believe it was him. Yet it couldn't have been anyone else.
Then the picture changed again to another person she knew. It was Yoonjung's boyfriend. Or rather, ex-boyfriend since her friend did confide that they broke up. That time in the coffee shop when she kept Yongguk a secret. Was this how Yoonjung got caught up in everything?
"Police have one link between these missing persons. They were all part of a self-made militia group that routinely patrolled the woods for any illegal activity or possible attacks from other countries. They were also 'preppers' who stored years worth of food and water in preparation for doomsday. A day when anarchy takes over because of war, natural disaster, or an economic collapse." The reporter paused for a moment before continuing, "The following people are also missing but at this time, the police are not aware of any possible link these people have with the militia."
She wasn't prepared for the next picture to be shown. When she saw it, she quickly grew nauseous and she had to swallow several times to stop herself from getting sick. Smiling back at her was Yoonjung.
She turned away from the television and spotted the remote. She hurried to it and grabbed it before pointing it at the tv and pushing the power button. The reporter was cut off as the screen went black. Then she tossed the remote control aside. She kept in deep breaths of air but the pain in her chest kept growing. She glanced around the living room as her eyes began to water. Her mind was a jumbled mess as she tried to make sense of everything.
Her gaze landed on the front door and she swiftly ran to it. She made sure it was indeed lock before yanking the curtains closed over the window. Then she ran to the kitchen and checked the back door. Locked. She glanced around the empty house but she still didn't feel any better. So she quickly went down the hallway to her bedroom.
She closed the bedroom door and locked it She jiggled the doorknob, making sure it wouldn't open before stepping back. She kept walking backwards, keeping her gaze on the door, until her back hit the wall. Then she slid down it to sit on the floor.
She pulled the knife out of its sheath that hung from her belt. She pulled her knees up and rested her arm across them. As she squeezed the grip of the knife, she felt herself finally crack. Tears poured down her face as she let out a pained sob. Then she quickly leaned forward so she could take her arm in to . She screamed, over and over while letting her arm muffle the sound so it remained quiet in the room. She had to remain silent. Hidden.
Finally she took away from her arm and took a shaky breath. She squeezed her eyes shut as she continued to cry. "I need you." she quietly sobbed. "I need you Yongguk."