"Cool so Hyungwon doesn't want to talk with you because you ruined his life and he hates you," Changkyun said casually, looking down at his fingernails and thinking about how he needed to teach his cuticles a lesson before looking up at Wonho. "Maybe that was too harsh. Let's say...you betrayed him by leaving, came back to haunt him like some fricking ghost and betrayed him again by lying to him and getting his little hopes up, and now he doesn't want to see you because you crushed his little heart. Does that sound about right?"
"Look," Wonho pleaded, trying not to let Changkyun's words affect him, but he couldn't actually deny anything he'd said. "I get why he doesn't want to talk with me, but...you know how he's been," Wonho said, his voice taking on a slightly whiny tone. "You've heard what he's been saying. It's just crazy talk."
"So, that's the thing," Changkyun said, kicking back his chair slightly. He'd seen Jooheon do it, and it looked fun. And cool. But mostly fun. "I chatted with Hyungwon about it, and don't get me wrong, I still think he's crazy, but that doesn't mean he's wrong."
Wonho blinked. "You're kidding me, right? About the whole murder conspiracy? You really believe him?"
Changkyun rested the front legs of the chair back on the ground, growing more serious. "Hyungwon hasn't asked anything of me, ever. Except once. To believe him. Do I still think he's very sick and needs help? Yeah. But did I finally listen to him and hear out what he's trying to say?" Changkyun let his silence answer the question.
"So what is he saying now?" Wonho asked, crossing his arms, which didn't look as cool when one of his hands was busy holding a phone.
"Someone murdered Kihyun," Changkyun said.
Wonho raised an eyebrow.
"Look, how we know this doesn't matter. But think about it, okay? What wing did Kihyun say he was getting transferred to?"
Wonho stared back blankly.
"Right, you don't remember anything," Changkyun said before filling in the blanks himself. "He said he was getting transferred to A-wing. Which makes sense. The higher the letter, the more privileges. He was excited to leave. Said there'd be no cameras. Thought it would make him feel relaxed. Only..."
"Only?" Wonho repeated, unable to help himself from being drawn in.
Changkyun's mouth twitched. "Only as far as Hyungwon can tell, there are only 25 wings."
"And how'd he figure that out?" Wonho asked, not believing Changkyun but going along with it anyway.
"The cafeteria, mostly. Only 25 tables, none of them with an A. And have you ever seen anyone from A-wing?"
Wonho snorted. "That doesn't prove anything. You're wasting my-"
"I'm not," Changkyun said, his voice insistent as it cut through Wonho's. "Look, there's...other stuff. Stuff I can't explain, not here. But you need to get us out of here, Wonho."
Wonho blinked. "Get you guys out? What do you mean?"
"I mean that Hyungwon knows that somebody killed Kihyun, only we don't know who, and honestly, I'm afraid they're going to take Hyungwon next."
"But why Hyungw-"
"I don't have time to explain everything, okay? Just trust me."
Wonho stared across the glass at Changkyun, and Changkyun's eyes flashed as he realized what he'd said.
"So this is how it must have felt for Hyungwon," he murmured. "Every time he asked me to believe him, and he saw me looking back at him, thinking he was crazy."
"I don't think you're-"
"And lying," Changkyun interrupted. "I lied to him. Told him whatever he needed to hear to make him at peace. Don't lie to me, Wonho. I'd do this without your help, but to pass two evaluations, it would take two weeks, and then since we're minors, we'd have to get approval from our guardians. We don't have that kind of time, Wonho. Are you in or what?"
Wonho stared back into Changkyun's eyes. He knew that Changkyun was a patient here too. Chances were, his medication was off or he'd fallen off the deep end for good. The best way out of this was to tell Changkyun he was in, and then go tell Dr. Irving that both Changkyun and Hyungwon needed severe help.
But he read Changkyun's eyes, saw the desperation hiding behind forced calm, knew that Changkyun understood that Wonho could rat him out.
He thought of Hyungwon's eyes, full of a bit of craziness sure, but equally desperate if not more so, begging for someone to listen.
And he hadn't. Not before. He hadn't listened, and now Hyungwon wouldn't even talk to him.
He wanted to hear Hyungwon's voice again.
"Okay," Wonho said, grimacing at the figure across the glass, who exhaled in barely-restrained relief. "I'm in."
