ʟᴀ ᴄᴏꜱᴛᴀ | ɴᴄᴛ ✔️

Chapter 17: ...Save?!

Taeyong looped the ends of his rope around his chosen tree, tying the cord into a knot. He looked up from the rope, watching Jaemin pace the dirt path back and forth, and he rolled his eyes at the boy's silence.

"You know, not speaking to me won't make this any better..."

"Well, you're gonna have to excuse me – you just knocked out and tied one of our friends to a fucking tree." Jaemin glared, nearly under-eyeing Taeyong. "I don't know what the fuck to say right now..."

"Jaemin-..."

"Why are you doing this?" Jaemin frowned, earning a sigh from Taeyong. "No, seriously, why Hansol?! What, did you hate him or some shit?!"

"No, I never hated Hansol-..."

"So what the fuck, Taeyong?!"

"Hey!" Taeyong whisper-yelled as he stormed to where Jaemin was and swiped a hand over his mouth. "Keep your damn voice down!"

Jaemin froze with his eyes blown wide, fear paralyzing his body the longer he stared into the dullness of Taeyong's eyes. His breathing became rapid and staggered, and he jerked once Taeyong took his hand away from his mouth.

"None of you boys saw the news when all this started, did you?" Taeyong squinted.

"How...How am I supposed to know?" Jaemin gulped, his voice quivering.

"I'm taking that as a no." Taeyong then smacked his teeth. "Listen, Jaemin, this virus isn't just in the States; it's every-fucking-where. He planned on leaving for South America, but I saw what this virus was doing before the power went out the first time..." He pointed over to a barely awake Hansol.

"Anybody who leaves the States is fucked, Jaemin – the virus went airborne in South America! The second he breathes that shit in over there, he's finished!"

"Mmmh..."

The two boys slowly turned their heads over to the trees, seeing Hansol's eyes squeeze together as he attempted to stir, but the tightness of the rope prevented him from moving all the way.

He tried to at least liberate his shoulder, to no avail. "What...Wh-What the hell...?"

Hansol continued to struggle against the rope until he looked up and locked eyes with Taeyong. His eyebrows knitted into a tight frown. "Tae...?"

"Please, Hansol, don't...do that, alright?" Taeyong hissed, wincing away from the sight of the boy.

"Look, can you just tell me what this is about?" Hansol stifled an anxious laugh, still wriggling against his restraints. "Can...Can you at least loosen the rope?"

"No..." Jaemin darted his eyes to Taeyong and at the vacant expression on his face. "No, I can't..."

"Why can't you?!" Hansol began to panic, straining against the rope, but he soon paused. "W-Wait...This is about me leaving, is it?"

Taeyong averted his gaze, directing it to the dirt and hearing Hansol let out a sigh in the process. "I thought we squashed that..."

"We did," Taeyong spoke to Hansol softly, placing an arm on the part of his shoulder that wasn't bound by the rope. "But Hansol, I'm sorry, I just can't let you leave."

Hansol blinked, baffled by the statement that had just fallen out of Taeyong's mouth, and he scoffed softly. "I-If that's what you wanted to tell me, you didn't have to tie me up for it-"

"Actually, I did have to," Taeyong stated bluntly, and he dug into his jeans pocket for another object, swapping it out with his brass knuckles. "You wouldn't have listened if I didn't."