*Run away? Who's running?*
"You are."
*Don't talk nonsense.*
"Then why can't you rember?"
*I don't know.*
"Saying 'I don't know' solves everything for you, huh? Convenient."
……
"Try to rember… that might be the only way to save that person you care so much about—J."
The black shadow moved closer. It was much larger than Sayoung, and in its presence, Sayoung felt smaller and smaller. His once-clear vision blurred and distorted. Pain, long forgotten, resurfaced. Sayoung groaned and lowered his head. His hand, resting on the floor, was grotesquely mangled and twisted. No sound would co out of his mouth. Even the brief monts of breath were painful. The shadow touched Sayoung’s head, which was wracked with pain.
"I'll help you."
……
The voice lazily whispered, almost mocking.
"Retracing mories is a hobby of mine…."
---
Cha Uijae and Yun Gaeul had quickly co to an agreent. Uijae decided to stick with his na, while they would explain that he changed his last na to Yun. After all, it's not unusual to find non-blood-related families after the Day of Change. As Uijae muttered to himself, rehearsing the story they’d concocted, he suddenly looked up.
“By the way, Gaeul, do you have your phone?”
“Oh, no… they took it.”
Gaeul answered dejectedly.
“They confiscated anything that could communicate.”
“I see….”
Uijae glanced at the smartwatch on his wrist. It would be nice if Yang Hyejin realized sothing was wrong and tracked them down. At that mont, the vehicle engine stopped, and the vibrations ceased. Footsteps approached the container.
The lock clicked, and the doors opened, flooding the container with light. Uijae and Gaeul squinted against the sudden brightness. Two heavily ard n stepped inside, striding directly toward Uijae, guns pointed at him.
“Wait! Hold on!” Gaeul quickly moved in front of Uijae, shielding him with her body and glaring at the n.
“He’s my brother. If you treat him roughly, I won’t cooperate.”
“What? Hey, miss…”
The shorter of the two n scoffed in disbelief.
“Do you even know where you are right now? Do you think you’re in charge here?”
“You brought here because you want to hear sothing from , right? You said soone important wants to et .”
"……."
“Touch him, and I won’t say a word. When your boss asks why I’m staying silent, I’ll tell them it’s because of you.”
The shorter man exchanged glances with the taller one behind him. The man at the back lowered his gun.
“…But I’m still going to have to bind him. We’re just civilians, and he’s an Awakener. This is for safety. We can’t compromise on this.”
Gaeul turned to look at Uijae, who gave her a slight nod with a blank expression. It wasn’t a big deal; he could easily break the restraints if necessary. Gaeul nodded in agreent as well.
“…Alright.”
“Alright, hold out your hands.”
The shorter man grumbled as he approached and cuffed Uijae's wrists. The cuffs were thicker and heavier than standard police ones, much like those used by the Awakener Managent Bureau.
If they were indeed the sa model, that was actually good news. Uijae could break them with his strength. However, the man wasn’t done. He pulled out another restraint—this one attached to a short, thick chain. Gaeul, watching closely, intervened.
“Wait, what’s that?”
“It’s a safety device. Like I said, it’s necessary.”
“How is that a safety device? There’s no need for sothing like that!”
“We’re not negotiating.”
“Yun Gaeul.”
"……."
“It’s fine.”
Uijae motioned with his eyes to Gaeul, signaling her to back off. There was no need for her to make enemies out of these n. After all, apart from being an Awakener, she was just a regular high school student—not soone trained to handle violence. And no matter how strong the restraint was, it would never be stronger than Uijae's grip. Gaeul bit her lip and lowered her head.
The man made a discontented sound, *hmph*, and strode over, gesturing with his finger.
“Lift your head.”
Uijae raised his head. Rough hands grabbed his neck and fastened a tal collar around it. The mont it clicked into place, sothing sharp dug into his skin from the inside, though it didn’t pierce the flesh.
‘So they’ve designed it to dig into the skin if necessary…’
The collar tightened around his throat, making it difficult to breathe. Uijae winced and reached for his neck. The man sneered, a threatening edge to his voice.
“Don’t even think about trying anything. We can blow it up at any ti.”
"……."
“For your sister’s sake, it’s best if you behave. Got it?”
Uijae nodded silently. The man then pulled out a black cloth.
“Both of you are wearing this. If you don’t want to, I’ll blow your eyes out. You can still talk without eyes, right?”
"……."
“If you understand, nod.”
Gaeul glanced nervously at Uijae. Uijae nodded again. The man roughly tied the black cloth over Uijae’s eyes, securing it tightly. They were going through an awful lot of trouble. The man grabbed the chain attached to Uijae’s collar and yanked him to his feet. In the distance, Gaeul let out a small squeal. The man must have noticed Uijae tensing up and mocked him.
“You sure do worry about your sister. Don’t worry, I’m just helping her walk since she looks a bit shaky.”
"……."
“Walk straight! Don’t stagger.”
Another man kicked Uijae in the back. Should he balance or should he fall? Two choices ran through Uijae’s mind before he quickly made a decision. The best option here was to fall.
*Thud!* Uijae collapsed onto the ground, face-first into the dirt. The dry scent of dust filled his nostrils. Without missing a beat, he grabbed a handful of the ground beneath him—rough dirt, sand, and small stones scratched against his palm.
‘…A mountain? An open field? Maybe a construction site?’
Just then, a scream rang out from behind him.
“AAAH! F*ck!”
“What’s going on?”
“M-my foot… it’s broken, f*ck! What the hell is this guy made of, a rock?!”
‘Serves you right for kicking soone like that.’
He had it coming. Uijae ignored the man’s cries and shifted his gaze beneath the black cloth. Thankfully, faint light filtered through the fabric. They were outdoors… Were there trees? They hadn’t traveled far, it seed.
"AAAHHH!"
The man who had kicked Uijae kept screaming. The other man clicked his tongue in annoyance.
“Damn it, you idiot. How many tis have I told you not to attack Awakeners?”
“F*ck! We should just kill them! These freaks aren’t even human!”
“Shut up. Hey! Get this guy to the dical team.”
A couple of footsteps brushed past Uijae. The other man grabbed the chain around Uijae’s neck and tugged again. They were really treating him like a dog. Uijae staggered to his feet. Sothing cold and round pressed against his back.
“Keep walking straight.”
"……."
The rough texture of sand and gravel underfoot gradually gave way to smooth cent. The sll of sand was replaced by the pungent scents of disinfectant and bleach.
It seed like a large space, as voices echoed from far away. Phrases like *Managent Bureau movents… J… the Rankers…* could be heard, though the details were too far to make out clearly. Uijae wanted to listen more carefully, but the gun prodding into his back made it impossible to stop.
After walking for what felt like a long ti, a chi sounded, and the doors slid open. The man behind him jabbed Uijae in the back with the muzzle of his gun.
“Take three steps forward and stop.”
"……."
An elevator? He heard a button beep. *Thud*, the doors closed. The elevator moved. It seed to be descending. After what felt like an extended period, the man jerked the chain around Uijae’s neck.
“Follow .”
‘Yeah, yeah.’
Uijae scowled, surveying his surroundings despite the blindfold. The lights were bright enough that he could make out a vague outline of the area through the black cloth. White floors, white walls, white coats—people moved about busily. And there were tal cages everywhere. Behind the bars…
*Rattle rattle rattle!*
Soone was furiously shaking the bars of a cage, growling like a beast. A person in a white coat sighed loudly, as if annoyed.
*Did soone forget to administer the sedatives? Was it you? It’s acting up again.*
*What should we do?*
*What do you an? Isolate it and pump it full of drugs. Knock it out…*
The door handle turned. *Creak*—the door opened, and the man grabbed Uijae’s collar, dragging him inside. The man muttered.
“Don’t try anything funny.”
It’s ti to speak up. Uijae blinked under the blindfold and looked around. In front of him was a rectangular room with iron bars. Beyond the bars, there was nothing visible. Perhaps there was a one-way mirror installed?
“What about my brother?” Uijae asked.
“He’ll et the leader.”
“Will he be returned safely?”
“If the conversation goes well.”
“And how long do we have to stay like this?”
“Until your brother finishes his chat.”
The man suddenly grabbed Uijae’s head and slamd it against the wall so hard that the back of his head banged against it. Then, with a *click*, the man connected the chain to the wall and removed the blindfold.
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