This is all we've got

Chapter two: it continues, surprisingly

Sixteen's back hit the wall and she flinched as a fist hit it hard not far from where her head was. It stayed there like a threat and she shrunk in on herself as he stood over her, glaring.

"You seem to know a lot so how about you answer some questions I have. Starting with why the hell I have gaps in my memory now and ending with how exactly you don't have a name, not even on the classroom register."

Sixteen's eyes darted for a place to rest on, body tensing from her discomfort at how entirely too close he was. Eventually, she settled for staring at the fist pressed against the wall. You know, in case he went through with the unspoken threat.

She had tried to escape. She really had. But she had smaller legs. And hadn't at all expected him to make a beeline right after her the minute class had ended. The chase had caught her off-guard and then she was cornered with no way to escape.

He looked at her with impatient expectation. Like he actually wanted an answer. Like she was just supposed to tell the truth and expect him to believe her.

She swallowed. Well, here she went. She only hoped that in his disbelief he would give her some space rather than beat her up.

"T-the thing is, um, it's all kind of connected. T-the simple version is that we are all characters in a- in a manhwa and that, well er, none of t-this is under our control. It's all the writer's will. So, yeah."

It was impressively coherent considering Sixteen wanted to disappear so she mentally congratulated herself, even if it had ended sort of sounding like a question. Yeah, she did not deal well in the face of confrontation, and she was keenly aware of that fact, particularly now.

Baek Kyung took a deep breath. She knew because she was close enough to see the rise and fall of his chest and felt it when he exhaled heavily. She braced herself for anger, irritation, maybe even some slight bodily harm. She just hoped he wouldn't hit her nose; she'd heard that was really painful.

The boy did nothing to increase the suffocatingly little space. "You're being completely serious?"

Sixteen's wide eyes flickered to his face and then around them both, wondering what about her looked like she was joking. She was sure she must look bloody terrified because that's exactly what she was. Why would she joke in a situation like this?

She refrained from asking exactly that. Instead, she just nodded shakily. When would he give her back her personal space?

"Okay."

Okay?

Wait, really? Why would you so easily accept this? Why would you not move even a little?

"Then I have more questions," he said seriously. "If none of this is under control, then is the writer making me talk to you right now? And this manhwa, what role do I have in it exactly?"

"You're... taking this surprisingly well."

Baek Kyung scowled at that and Sixteen pressed herself back against the wall in instant regret.

"Things have been strange for a while. I've noticed. And I remember Danoh saying something similar and well, it's the best explanation behind everything. For now."

Sixteen stared up at him. He was shockingly less stubborn than she thought he'd be. And he was actually listening to her.

Feeling courageous all of a sudden, probably because she hadn't yet been hit, she said, "I'll answer your questions. First, could you please give me some space?"

Kyung considered her words and she held her breath. Slowly, he moved backwards and Sixteen finally relaxed a little. This wasn't going as bad as she thought it would.

"Okay. No, the writer isn't controlling us right now. This isn't a 'scene'. Since you're self-aware, you'll be able to tell when your actions are your own or not. Right now we're in a weird limbo, going about our lives until the writer has a use for us. At least, that's how it is for me. You- where did he go? Oh."

Sixteen had blinked and then all of a sudden, Baek Kyung was gone along with the faint sound of a page turning. She looked down at herself in confusion. She was still here, which meant that she wasn't needed. Baek Kyung however... because he was a main character. Well, a supporting character to be more precise but it was all the same to Sixteen. In her mind, a main character was just someone who wasn't an extra like her.

She gritted her teeth in irritation. This was going to get annoying quickly if every conversation was going to be interrupted like this. Especially if he was going to hunt her down like that all the time. It would be better if she could have just answered all his questions in one go and then they went on their separate ways. Why did she think promising to answer his questions was a good idea?

Sixteen felt a headache coming on just thinking about it.