Reality Quest: Questism

I could feel Ahrin's hands on my arms, her fingers trembling as they wrapped around me, holding me in place. 

She didn't say anything else, but I could hear her breathing, shallow and quick, matching the erratic rhythm of my own. It wasn't until I felt the tightness in my chest start to loosen, just a little, that I realized I had stopped shaking.

I wasn't sure how long we sat there, the world spinning in slow motion around me, the tension in my body slowly draining away. 

I didn't want to move. My arms ached. My legs ached. Everything ached.

It took me a while to realise that the growing wetness on my shirt was from Ahrin's tears. She didn't move, didn't say anything and we just layed there.

Nothing needed to be said.

My voice was quiet, parched when I finally spoke.

"I-is he dead?"

Ahrin's voice was small. "I don't think so."

"That's a shame." I muttered.

Her laugh was grounding, her quiet giggles like a tether keeping me from drifting into the storm of my own head. Slowly, she helped me sit up, her grip still firm but gentle. 

Her face was pale, and her eyes were wide, still filled with something raw I couldn't place. Fear. Maybe worry. 

"Are you okay?"

Her expression immediately shifted into dismay and then a worried frown. "Are you really in a position to be asking me that?"

I held up my fists, all burst calluses and raw knuckles. "What do you mean? I'm perfect."

She raised her hand to lightly slap my back and then immediately put it down again as if unsure whether to comfort or scold me. In the end she did neither

Before I could even think to stop her, her arms were around me, pulling me into a hug.

I let out a breath, closed my eyes and smiled as I drank it all in. The smell of her hair, the warmth of her skin, the faint scene of her minty perfume still lingering on her clothes. It all wrapped around me like a blanket.

In that moment, the world outside faded. The fight. The terror. The blood. All of it felt so far away, like a distant nightmare I could almost forget. We were both still standing. We were still here.

It was a long time before either of us pulled away.

And that was when Jihan and Eunsung found us.

Eunsung raised an eyebrow. "Dowan, you're looking… well."

I raised my hand in a wave and then immediately lowered it with a wince. 

Jihan's concerned mother frown was as always, on his face, as he crouched down to inspect my wounds.

I faintly heard him mutter something like how did he even and burst knuckles. Honestly? I didn't see how he was in a position to be saying things like that. I mean, did he even see his own knuckles?

Speaking of which.

Peek at you.

⚫⚪ 

[Name: Yoo Jihan]

[Height: 175 cm]

[Weight: 65 kg]

[Strength: SS+] up!

[Speed: SS+] up!

[Potential: B] Awakened!

[Intelligence: S+]

[Endurance: SS+] up!

Okay, that was a major spike. Jesus. His stats had shot up like crazy… but that wasn't enough to take down fifty people. I was glad I sent Cloudy there. And if Eunsung had been there too, then I figured everything would've been fine.

Wait a minute.

I blinked, confused. "Eunsung? What are you even doing here?"

My voice still sounded rough, dry and raspy from everything I'd just been through.

Eunsung barely flinched at the question, as calm and unreadable as always. "I'm a second year here as well, if you would care to remember."

I frowned, my mind still clouded. "No, I mean… here. Why aren't you at the performance?"

His gaze didn't change. "I had a message to pass on to you. And a few questions."

I let out a small sigh. "You could've just texted me."

"I don't have your number."

"Instagram?"

"I don't use it."

"Oh." I paused, momentarily thrown off by how matter-of-fact he was. "Right."

I could feel Jihan standing up from where he was, having remained mostly silent throughout the exchange.

His eyes moved toward Ahrin, who had been silent, sitting a few steps behind me. "Ahrin… are you okay?" His voice was soft, almost hesitant.

She gave a slight nod, still holding onto the quiet, shaken pieces of herself. "Mhm. Dowan got here before he… before he did anything."

Her words landed like a weight, and I felt the lump rise in my throat again. Before he did anything.

There was no need to elaborate further. 

Jihan exhaled through his nose, his gaze shifting toward Paljeon's unmoving form. "So what do we do with him?"

I clenched my fists, my raw knuckles stinging at the movement. "Something that makes that fucker go back to Juvie." My voice was hoarse, but the venom in it was clear.

Jihan hummed, looking down at the bruised and bloodied mess of a man on the ground. Then he tilted his head, an almost eerie calm settling over his face. "Eunsung and I left quite a few bodies behind… maybe we could frame him for it?"

He turned to Eunsung, who stood with his hands in his pockets, his expression unreadable.

I blinked. "Oh, right. Thanks for helping Jihan out, Eunsung."

Eunsung barely spared me a glance. "He didn't need any help. He was finishing up when I got there."

I snapped my head toward Jihan. "Wait, for real?"

Jihan just scratched the back of his head, not meeting my eyes.

I squinted at him. This dude. He only had SS stats, and he handled fifty guys by himself? Did Cloudy help that much? Granted, SS stats weren't weak by any means, but still. Then I remembered… Mind Control. That monster of a skill.

It didn't just let him fight. It let him fight with zero hesitation. No fear. No wasted movement. No holding back.

It must have been terrifying.

A slow grin tugged at my lips. So I'd turned Jihan into a beast on par with me, huh?

Damn.

I rolled my shoulders, wincing at the soreness that settled deep into my muscles. "C'mon then… let's frame this bastard and get back to our rooms."

Jihan sighed, crouching next to Paljeon's limp body. "You're way too comfortable with framing people."

I grinned. "And you're way too good at fighting for someone who 'doesn't fight.'"

Jihan shot me a deadpan look.

Eunsung, still eerily calm, spoke up. "We don't have much time before someone finds this mess."

Right. That.

I cracked my neck, sucking in a slow breath. My body still felt like it had been put through a meat grinder, but there was no helping that now.

"Alright," I said. "Let's get to work. C'mon up you get Ahrin."

***

The tombs were still littered with unconscious bodies, the air thick with the stench of sweat and blood. Jihan and I worked quickly, dragging some of the mercenaries closer to Paljeon's motionless form. Every muscle in my body screamed in protest, but I forced myself to keep moving. Ahrin stood a few feet away, arms wrapped tightly around herself, silent.

Eunsung stepped over a groaning figure, crouching near Paljeon. He studied his face, well… what was left of it, with a slight curl of his lip. "This is excessive."

I didn't even bother looking. "It's deserved."

Jihan wiped a streak of blood from his cheek with the back of his hand before nodding toward the pile of bodies we'd arranged. "Once the authorities show up, they'll assume Paljeon's behind everything."

Eunsung didn't respond right away. Instead, he reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, and turned the screen toward me.

The moment my eyes landed on it, my breath hitched.

Everything, my exhaustion, the dull ache spreading through my limbs, the ringing in my ears, faded into nothing. My chest tightened as I read what was on the screen.

Jihan must've noticed my reaction because he frowned. "What is it?"

I clenched my jaw. Folded my arms. "Nothing."

Then I turned to Eunsung. "We'll talk later."

He slipped the phone back into his pocket, giving a short nod. "Fine."

We left Paljeon there, sprawled in the dirt, surrounded by the mess he'd made.

And then we walked away.

Eunsung left and Jihan had gone back to our dorm room after having given himself and me emergency treatment, which had consisted of some bandages and ointment he'd made on the spot in the dorm's cafeteria.

I walked with Ahrin back to her and Minhye's room, both of us staying silent until I decided to speak.

"Is Minhye there now?"

She hesitated before shaking her head. "She has to sleep in the dance team's room."

Ahrin's dorm room was quiet. Too quiet.

I stood near the doorway, watching as she stepped inside, moving slowly, like she wasn't fully present. Her hands hovered over the edge of her desk before she set them down, gripping the surface lightly, shoulders stiff.

I could've just left. Could've said, get some rest and walked away. But I didn't.

The question left before I could stop it.

"…You want me to stay?"

Her fingers twitched. She didn't turn around, didn't answer right away.

I was about to say something else, to tell her she could ignore the question if she wanted, but then she nodded. Just barely.

I exhaled. "Alright."

Pulling out my phone, I fired off a quick text.

To Jihan: Staying w Ahrin. Let me know if anything happens

Jihan responded immediately.

Jihan: K

I turned my phone over and tossed it onto the desk.

Ahrin sat down on the edge of her bed, still gripping her own arms like she was holding herself together. I walked over, moving carefully, slowly, before sitting down beside her.

Neither of us spoke.

The room felt heavier than it should have, the silence stretching between us, thick and suffocating. I could still feel the phantom weight of my fists slamming down on Paljeon's face. The way his body had gone still beneath me. The way Ahrin had held onto me, pulling me back.

She shifted slightly, and I glanced at her. Her eyes were unfocused, staring at the floor.

"You should sleep," I said softly.

She let out a breath, quiet and uneven. Then, just barely, she leaned into me.

I hesitated for only a second before I raised an arm, pulling her against my side.

She didn't tense this time.

Didn't flinch.

Just rested her head against my shoulder, breathing in slow, careful exhales.

I wasn't sure how long we stayed like that, the warmth of her pressed against me, the sound of our breathing the only thing filling the room.

At some point, she curled in closer, and my arm tightened around her, instinctively protective.

She needed this. I think I did too.

Neither of us said anything.

And eventually, we both fell asleep.

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Very cute.