𝗗𝗘𝗝𝗔-𝗩𝗨 | ᴀᴛᴇᴇᴢ

𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗬-𝗢𝗡𝗘 ─ 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗟𝗘𝗧 𝗦𝗖𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗕𝗨𝗥𝗡𝗦 𝗨𝗣

Somi was staring at the set of keys lying at the centre of the white coffee table, frightened they might attack her at any second, judging by her expression. She was fidgeting, torturing her fingers until small droplets of blood tinted her skin and she hissed for the pain.

The rest of Ateez had reached her and Mingi at the hospital and Somi could tell from far away that they were nervous by the silence that lingered in the room even after they had filled it with their presence. Hongjoong was nervously pacing back and forth in the room, nibbling on his already tortured lower lip. In his head, Somi bet there was a storm, a mess even worse than what she had in hers, at that moment. The man with black and white hair was one of those people who rarely expressed what was happening in his brain.

The blonde woman's eyes travelled back to the keys as if being dragged by an invisible force that pulled her orbs to pay attention to them only. For a brief second, she swore she caught a glimpse of Jongho's desperate face, though she opted to not reveal it not to add more weight to the already smothering pressure.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Spurred San, who was standing behind Yeosang and had his hands placed on the back of the couch, gripping tight on the turquoise cushions for the excitement caused by the fact that they were close to having Jongho back with them and couldn't endure doing absolutely anything when their goal was so close.

Mingi's eyes shot towards Somi, frightened of the possible emotions San's exhortation could've activated inside his girlfriend. She looked unperturbed, lost in her world as if she was the only person in that room, as if San never spoke.

Seonghwa intervened, "Don't force her, San." He reprimanded the hasty man. The oldest male sat on the coffee table in front of the girl and searched for her blank stare, flashing her with a tight-lipped, hoping to reassure her a little. He sadly had to refrain from grabbing her hand, he had retracted his hand the second after he realised it was getting a bit too close to her. He curled his fingers inside his hands and pressed his lips into a thin line. "Take your time." He whispered.

Somi didn't react. She was immobile, looking more like one of those white mannequins in a clothing shop, both for her posture and skin shade. No matter how much her heart was spurring her to move, her brain was blocking her from the possible consequences of her choices, which she knew very well.

Suddenly, she found herself on her feet, towering over the other males still sitting in the sofas and looking at her with doe eyes, shocked yet curious about the reason for her sudden gesture.

Her nails dug into the flesh of her palm, and her knuckles turned white, "Listen, everyone." And she finally raised her head to make her eyes travel from male to male, all hanging from her lips, waiting for her to say something as if her words were pure gold. "This might be the last time we'll see each other. For that, I'd like you all to cooperate without asking too many questions."

Their reactions, however, didn't reflect what she had anticipated herself. As soon as she noticed the clear confusion and puzzlement on their faces, her eyebrows knitted but looked at them as if they had four heads each.

Yeosang tilted his head to the left and questioned, "What do you mean by that? Are we going to die?!" His voice tone changed as it reached the end of the sentence until it completely transformed into a whine.

Somi glanced at Hongjoong, who rapidly focused his stare on the corner of the ceiling while biting the inner side of his cheek, avoiding her orbs on purpose as he would've never acknowledged a lecture from her, his pride was too precious to be hurt from someone like Jeon Somi.

"You didn't tell them?" She reprimanded him anyway.

His eyes were sharp when he replied, silently placing the girl back in her place and warning her not to give him orders or any kind of suggestions, "They would've stopped you if I had told them."