Let's Play a Game // Monsta X FF

A Correct Choice

Changkyun toppled backwards, dragged down by the weight of the chair. He grunted when he felt a sharp pain on his tailbone. Getting hit there was not fun at all, but it was all worth it when he saw Shownu's hand retract in shock, now safely away from the phone screen.

A sigh of relief and the adrenaline was gone. There was no energy or reason to fight back when he was being carried back to his designated place, in between Minhyuk and Kihyun. He did what he needed to do. Now he just had to finish what he started.

Changkyun got a verbal warning for being "overly aggressive and unpredictable", of which he ignored completely, turning his full attention to the red lines on his wrists instead. Pushing the metal rings down a bit, he examined the scratches and blamed the injuries on his dry skin, thanking Kihyun for a piece of tissue he had kindly offered, for the deeper wounds that had started bleeding.

Minhyuk was switching gazes between Shownu and Changkyun, still trying to understand what had just happened. The shape of his eyes turned softer and the color one shade lighter. No matter what, he was still thankful for Changkyun's sudden change of stance, a significant sign that hinted the increased possibility of saving Jooheon.

Changkyun was dabbing lightly on his wounds, still wincing slightly when he pressed too hard, or simply when he thought of the chance of infection being unable to clean his injuries properly. He didn't need to find something to do to keep himself busy, but his preoccupied with another task didn't mean the other task wasn't there anymore.

Shownu cleared his throat. "Care to explain?" Changkyun looked up and saw Shownu pointing at his phone, face expectant and questioning.

Great question. The perfect question to ask at this perfect moment. Shownu had all the right to know, as with everyone else sitting, and Changkyun had all the responsibility to answer. Yet it was the one question that Changkyun had no definite answer to.

Still, there was no choice but to answer. It was just like being called in class to answer a question you are not sure the answer of. You couldn't just say, "I don't know" because the teacher expected you to know before calling on you.

Crumpling the tissue in his hands, he said whatever came into mind, listing all the conclusions he had made hastily, trying to hide the fact that they were just speculations and theories with no absolute proof.

"To be honest, I'm not so sure myself, I just had to stop you before we lose our only chance."

Shownu raised his eyebrows, doubt washing over his face and spreading to everyone else like a chain reaction. Changkyun felt his confidence wear away just a bit, but he couldn't let the same doubt show on his face if he wanted this to work. It was time to dismiss the fact that he was youngest here and believe that the youngest could be right too.

"Do you all remember the advice Smiley gave us at the beginning of this game?" Changkyun started, already feeling more certain of himself when he saw people nodding. "All of us were really confused about it, but Jooheon was the only person that understood the meaning behind it."

"Do you mean how he hated no one but himself for choosing to join the game?"

Changkyun gave his friend a curt nod and retold the story.

"He blamed himself. He was the only person to do that. And I'm sure we all do when we realize he is right. That's what Smiley meant when he said our choices decide our fate." Saying those words aloud made it seem more true to Changkyun, making him believe his speculations were indeed true, that his hypothesis was justified and correct. He got excited simply by imagining everyone agreeing and even more so when he predicted his plan working out perfectly just like he wanted it to be.