The Sun Will Come Out (WayV)

Code Red

(Italic is Korean. The rest of the dialogue is in Chinese.)

Lihua was scanning the words on the paper, flipping each page of her book as she went. She was cramming for one of her exams in aerospace engineering, the same as Fangsu. She jotted down several notes at a time. She wouldn't stop writing until her wrist cramped up. 

"God damn carpal tunnel syndrome." Lihua sighed, shaking her wrist after throwing her pen down. She laid back, taking a deep breath and running a hand through her hair. She sat up momentarily, closing her books before crashing on the ground again. "I hate this," she muttered, rubbing her eyes. Lihua finally stood up, putting her books away. 

The doorknob turned, gaining her attention. The door opened and in walked Phitsamai, smiling brighter than ever. 

"Why so happy?" Lihua asked. 

Phitsamai smirked, carelessly throwing her bag aside. "Am I not allowed to be happy?" 

"Nope!" Lihua smiled, popping the 'p.' "Now, spill. How was your class?" 

"It was fun! We got to meet some of the new Dominatus dudes. I met this one guy who was really cool. His name's Chittaphon!" Phitsamai smiled from the fridge she was searching in the kitchen. "Man, we're out of strawberry milk," she groaned. Phitsamai grabbed a yogurt drink instead. 

"I'll get some more today," Lihua said. "Anything else we need?" she asked. Just when Phitsamai was about to answer, the door opened again. 

"Hello, my children," said Liwei, walking in with her arms wide open. She closed the door behind her and dropped her bag with a bright smile on her face. "You have no idea how glad I am to take that off," she said, pointing at the bag on the floor. "That thing is Satan."

Phitsamai laughed, aiming an apple at Liwei. "Think fast!" She threw the apple at Liwei, who caught it perfectly. 

"You thought," Liwei laughed. She took a large bite out of the green apple. "So, are you guys done for today?" she asked after swallowing the bite. 

"Yeah," the two said simultaneously. 

"Oh, perfect. We should go grocery shopping, then-" Liwei was cut off by the sound of static coming from the speakers. She opened the doors, the three girls witnessing every Pink Hall resident curiously walking into the hallway. 

Liwei, Lihua, and Phitsamai made their way down the crowded stairwells, the static getting louder and the sound of a woman's voice coming into earshot. 

"Attention, Eximia students," the voice on the speaker boomed. The chatter among the girls went down to a mere whisper, then complete silence. "I am afraid that we are now on Code Red."

The girls in the room panicked, everyone's eyes the size of saucers. Lihua looked up at the speaker, her mouth agape, her heart pounding faster and faster. 

"Details will be given later. For now, all students must conduct the proper procedures of Code Red. You know the drill. Reference sheets are on your doors. You will remain on Code Red until further notice."

The speaker went back to static before it turned off. The voices in the main hall grew louder as every girl in that packed space quaked with fear. 

Lihua turned to the stairwell and took off running, making her way to her room. She closed the door, not completely, but enough to see the reference sheet on the back of the door. She found it funny how she'd never noticed what the words on the sheet said until then. 

"Code Red," she read aloud. "The Alium Barrier had been broken." Lihua felt her knees become as limp as noodles. The world that was made so safely for the magic community was starting to crumble. She quickly read the Action Needed section. 

Phitsamai and Liwei eventually came stomping into the room, Liwei nearly slipping on her own foot. "Wait, Lihua. Did you read the thing?" Phitsamai asked. Her yogurt drink was still in her hand. 

"Yeah. Code Red means we have to stop practicing magic publically. Everything has to be done behind closed doors." Phitsamai and Liwei stood still, puzzled. 

"Why do we have to do that?"

"The Alium Barrier's broken." 

Lihua examined their shocked faces. Liwei and Phitsamai glanced at each other. Phitsamai slammed her yogurt drink down on the counter, rushing to get a look at the reference sheet herself. Liwei quickly followed, reading the paper. 

"Holy shit," Liwei mumbled. "We're in trouble." 

"The Aliums broke through the barrier?" Phitsamai asked, not wanting a reply. She paced around, mindlessly tossing an apple from the fruit bowl into the air and catching it. "What does that mean for us?"

"Well, let's not panic," Lihua said, knowing full well that she couldn't stop them from panicking. "Even though we're in Code Red, it's much better than Code Black.  We just have to practice magic indoors, which most of us already do. This'll probably give higher authorities time to sort the issue with the Alium Barrier out." Lihua tried to reassuringly smile, but even she didn't fully believe her words. 

Liwei sighed, taking a bite out of the green apple she didn't even realize she had taken with her. "I guess all we can do is hope."