Trinity Six | NCT DREAM

006

I woke up with a gasp, sitting straight up in my bed as I instinctively patted my body, searching for injuries. My tangled hair was still damp against the touch of my fingertips, and I winced as my hand touched the spot on the back of my head where I had hit the stone during my fall. Pulling my hand back, I felt relieved when I found out that I hadn't been bleeding. Just like my hair, the bed was damp as well, my wet clothes sticking uncomfortably to my body as I sat on top of my blankets. My throat was sore as well, probably because I had swallowed too much water, I thought, but as I walked over to the mirror I could see a bruise forming as well, angry purplish, green, and yellow colours creating an abstract painting on the skin. Creating a horrifying artwork on my neck. How did I even up here? Who put me here? And how long had I been out?

Trying to piece everything together, trying to remember exactly what had happened up to the point where I had hit my head, I stood up with a jolt. The USB. There was no time to assess my wounds right now, I would tend to them when I got back later. Quickly running out of the door, I decided to let my wet clothes from earlier, or yesterday, I wasn't sure, to be honest, dry in the warm summer air. I ran down the numerous flights of stairs, stopping for a moment to catch my breath as I put a hand out to support myself, leaning against the building as I felt myself getting dizzy, my head thumping. Shaking it off after a few minutes, I began moving once again, heading back toward Yeouido Park.

The weather was not quite as nice as it had been the last time I was here, the sky was filled with clouds that became darker by the minute. There were fewer people walking on the small pathways, making it easier for me to sneak into the little clearing and jump off of the bridge to snoop around. Not calculation the jump well enough, my feet landed in the water instead of the rocks that I had been aiming for, making my socks wet. I made a face at the uncomfortable feeling and shivered as the cold water soaked my feet.

Crouching down and taking out my phone, I used my flashlight to look around under the bridge, letting out a sigh of relief as I saw the small object reflect the light, lying just out of sight in the darkness underneath the bridge. Reaching out, I grab the USB and look at the device, feeling angry at how I had been treated by Suho, Chanyeol, Baekhyun, and whatever the rest of them were called. How dare they fuck me over like this? How dare they? I did all of their dirty work, and until I got paid, they weren't getting this back, I thought, placing the USB in my back pocket as I hoisted myself back up on the bridge. Standing still for a moment as I thought about where to go from here, my wet shoes created a little puddle on the ground. Looking down and breathing out a sigh, I came out with an idea, journeying towards the nearest subway station, wanting to treat myself today as I made a plan of where to hide the pesky USB.

Around midday I found myself in the middle of the Dongdaemun district, standing in front of Heunginjimun as I admired the impressive structure towering above me. This had to be the perfect place to hide the small device. Firstly, these men didn't seem like people who appreciated culture or history, and secondly, they wouldn't be able to get inside. The building was one of The Eight Gates of Seoul back in the Joseon period when the fortress wall was still standing proudly, protecting the city from intruders. It means 'The Gate of Rising Benevolence', which I thought was a beautiful name, kindness being something that I treasured above many other things. Looking around, checking that no one saw me, I ran op the sloped side of the building, jumping the wall before plopping down underneath the sloped roof of the traditional structure. This was perfect, I thought, walking over to one of the old wooden panels, admiring the decorative handiwork before carefully placing the small object in one of the crevices, quickly making my way back down again, falling into step with the other pedestrians. They would get it back when I thought it fitting. We were going to follow my rules now. They could threaten me, but I knew how much the object was worth, which meant that they wouldn't dare kill me.