1996 | Y.Jw

| 39 |

Jungwon's eyes were bloodshot as we wandered to the gymnasium. Monday had come around once again, still no trace of Emiko had come up. It had been bothering most of us all weekend, but we couldn't contact the authorities. Millie had remarked that if there was no trace of her existing in the authorities databases then it will just seem like fraud.

I know Jungwon hadn't sleep much in the past few days, he had insisted on assuring that I fell asleep before him every night, and even then I had been able to subconsiously feel him just looking at me through the night. Whenever I had woken up during the night he would immediately hush me back to sleep and tighten his grip around me.

Quietly Jungwon led me to a pair of seats somewhere in the gymnasium, biting back a yawn as he sat down, pulling me down beside him in the meantime.

"You have to get some sleep tonight," I murmured to him making him look to me in confusion as if he hadn't heard me, "you need sleep," I pointed out and fixed his disheveled hair, slightly.

"I get sleep," he muttered assuringly, "I do Ji... don't worry," he squeezed my hand weakly after having seen how I looked at him.

"I can feel you looking at me through most of the night," I murmured quietly, looking out towards the gymnasium floor.

"Then you're not sleeping either," he remarked and I nodded in return.

"I sleep... just turns out your sleep isn't that good when someone stares at you constantly," I corrected him with a small frown growing on my face, "promise me you'll get some sleep tonight."

A deep sigh escaped Jungwon before he glanced around and eventually nodded.

"If you're like this, I don't dare even think about how Riki feels," I murmured making Jungwon glance at me, before quickly scanning the gymnasium.

"He's not here," he stated and I shook my head quietly.

"Soomin said Heeseung had kept him home, beause he had been sick and throwing up since she disappeared," I excused quietly, "I think you and Sunoo should drop by and check on him."

"Not you and Lin?" Jungwon murmured whilst arching a tired eyebrow.

"Lin and I have our own things to sort out," I excused and looked back at the gymnasium floor, "we grew up with Emi... barely remember a time she wasn't there."

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay with you?" Jungwon whispered and I glanced at him.

"The only reason you ask that is because you want to surveillance me 24/7. You're scared that if you let me out of sight for just a second, I'll disappear, just like Emi," I pointed out and he simply pursed his lips in return. He knew I was right.

I felt a pit in my stomach as miss Hopkins and mr. Johnson walked out onto the gymnasium floor. This was bad and we already knew it.

"Friday night, escaped prisoner Hakamoto Emiko was captured during the Christmas ball. Since then she has revealed to us that the remaining five of escaped prisoners are here at the school," mr. Johnson announced and I had to close my eyes momentarily as I began feeling the urge to throw up boiling down in the actual pit of my stomach, "we ask you all to keep an eye out for these prisoners. In addition we want to point out that Kim Sunoo and Choi Jiyeon is the most dangerous of the escaped prisoners. Thank you."

"I feel sick," I muttered as everyone started to get up from the seats, rushing towards their classrooms, "I think I have to throw up Jungwon..."

"Are you sure?" Jungwon whispered and I nodded as he helped me up on my feet and I clutched my stomach, which had suddenly started aching in immense pain, "okay... let's go."

Jungwon pushed us through the crowd of people, holding tightly onto my arm as he pulled me through the mass and pushed people aside. Out on the hallway Jungwon managed to push us into the first toilet he saw, I'm not sure whether it was girl's or boy's bathroom.

I was rushed into the nearest stall as Jungwon resorted to just hold my hair and have an arm around my waist to keep me up, instead of just holding my hand.

"Is this because they mentioned you and Sunoo?" he whispered quietly and I silently nodded to.

"Alright I have a plan but-" Lin's voice started frantically making me frown as I hung my head over the toilet, "funny... I swore you went in here..."

"We are," Jungwon called out and kicked the stall door open, making Lin rush ovr and I suppose it was her closing the door to the stall.

"Is she alright?" Lin's voice quietly questioned and I simply shook my head.

"Felt sick after the announcement," Jungwon excused and a small hum came from Lin.

"You close your ears, I have to speak with sis here," Lin pointed out before I could sense her crouch down beside me, "I want to go after her... I want to go after Emi."

"You can't," I murmured quietly.

"Listen here... that girl is like a sister to us. If you're in this state then I'm gonna go after her. They probably keep her at the lab," Lin reminded quietly.

"Your skills-"

"My skills will do me just fine. I've practiced and I've been able to control Sunoo through his mind," she whispered quietly, "I want to go after her... the boys will be by your side. But we need our Emi."

"Can I say anything?" Jungwon questioned.

"You were not supposed to listen," Lin hissed.

"By you following after them and going back to the lab... we might as well all surrender back to them then," Jungwon quietly pointed out, "I know you want to save her... we can't lose more Lin... if anything we have to assure Sunoo and Jiyeon stays safe, if they're the ones they're after."

"We'll take it at the meeting," I murmured as Jungwon's hand around my waist went to rub me on my back.

"Okay..." Lin murmured quietly, "you better make sure she gets better Yang... otherwise I'm ripping your head off."

"I got this," Jungwon hummed assuringly.

A small huff came from Lin before I heard the stall door open and close once again.