Let Go

Chapter 16- Euchred

We all wanted to survive. But why does this feel like dying? This is not the survival that I want to live with.

We ran through the meadows... It feels like somewhere familiar in my mind. The soft rustling sound of the grass as we swept past the field and into the base. And as we look into the watch tower near the dock, the search light wound up and stopped where we stood. I shaded my eyes with my hand. But the light was too strong, and it gets stronger as the time passed. Soon, it felt as if we were covered in bright white light. And then, I felt like losing consciousness. Then, it struck me.

"Time stamp- 12:21AM, confirmed survivor number three. Min Yoongi." I felt a hot metal-like stuff stabbed on my nape slowly unloading. As soon as it was completely detached, it released a steaming sound. I slowly opened my eyes.

"Psychoanalytic Examination Complete. Final count of survivors- Four. Thank you for participating at the Annual Daejeon Psychoanalytic Examination and Congratulations."

My consciousness was still hazy, and was not sure what was going on. As soon as I felt there was enough strength to stand, I lifted my head up and tried to sit still. "Where am I?" I asked the nurse who was standing beside my bed, taking notes of the interpretation of the graphs on a monitor just above the headboard of the hospital bed where I sat. "Oh, you are finally awake. Are you feeling alright?" she asked as she took a digital thermometer from her breastpocket. I nodded slightly. "Good. Temperature is 36.3℃... How about your sight? Are you dizzy? Do you see things clearly?" she took out a flashlight from her pocket next, and waved the light across my eyes, checking my pupil and my oxygen level, blood pressure and pulse. "Congratulations! You have successfully passed the psychoanalytic examinations. You can now rest and tomorrow, you will be receiving your certification of completion and all the special privileges given to the graduates."

This bitch have the guts to congratulate me? I'm too exhausted to even realize that I where I was or why or how I even got there, and I am too occupied to think things over. I laid back to bed, the back of my right hand rested on my forehead, as I took exasperated sighs. "examination? I don't even remember taking any tests..." I felt confused. I laid still, while my eyes lazily scanned the whole area, I noticed a tube with an end that looked like the inside of a flourescent bulb. "This is..."

I traced my nape carefully. It wasn't clear to me, but I'm sure I felt something was pulled out from there before I woke up. There it is! I cpuld feel a deep, tiny hole right above my spine. I was scared but I had to... understand. There's an uneasy feeling now. I started to tremble. My hands were shaking but I need to gather up the courage to find out what this thing is for. I carefully plugged the tube's end inside the hole that I have on my nape. I heard it clicked. And then...

What flashed before my eyes was beyond my grasp. I felt myself convulsed to the beat of my palpitating heart. It was as if I was riding an open air vehicle that runs on 500 kilometer per hour speed. No, maybe even faster. It felt like I was plunging down a very high roller coaster and into a dark abyss. I felt the darkness of a tunnel swallowed me whole, followed by a very brightly lit way out. And then, I opened my eyes...

It was a vast field... blue, cloudless sky, rich green grass, a mossy, yet salty scent in the softly billowing air. All I see was the sky, the ground, and the horizon. The air was neither cold nor warm. There were no trees, no other signs of life, no sound. It was almost... a sanctuary. A very quiet place.

"Suga-hyung... what are you doing here?" a familiar voice called me. I turned my head and looked by my shoulder, it was Jungkook. He was holding a grass and playfully poking it in my ear. "Jungkook?" he's... grown up. How? I think he's even taller than me now. That's odd... "Where are we? Where are the others?" I asked him, confused. He gave me a bittersweet smile as we sat there by the grassy field. "They are back in the real world. You should, too." He stood, feeling the breeze on his skin.

"What do you mean? What--"

I was cut off by a shrilling noise which seemed to be penetrating my brain. My head throbbed excruciatingly. My legs gave in and I dropped to my knees... I saw memories which seemed to float before my very eyes. "I am a part of your memory that you can't let go... You need to get out of here. Your test was over... You need to leave."

"What... do you mean...?" I could barely speak. The pain worsen as I felt that heat from my nape again. I could see everything around me dissolved into a shadowy form and then it got darker and darker until I couldn't see anything anymore.

"Jungkook! Where are you? I can't see you!" I shouted at the top of my lungs... "Tell me what you mean! I'm not done talking to you yet!"

"I'll see you again, hyung... Farewell" was all I heard in his almost whispering voice as it echoed and then faded into silence. Everything went pitch black and all that was there was complete silence.

And then, I gasped to catch my breath and I opened my eyes. I'm back to this place. "What was that?" I shouted at the nurse who pulled the tube for the second time. "I'm asking you, what was that I saw? What is that thing?" I grabbed her wrist. she whipped her arms off from me. "Mr. Min, you are not allowed to touch this in any manner and for whatever reason. The examination is over and therefore you should refrain yourself from coming back to the psychoanalysis simulation area."