[completed] ✎＿16-year-old Jeon Jeongguk lived in a futuristic society known as the Collective. A seemingly utopian world, which has ended crime and violence by genetically eliminating all human emotions.
Citizens were divided into categories, mainly...
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"You shouldn't be here," Taehyung said, looking down. "It's not a good idea." Jeongguk shook his head.
"You want me to leave?" asked Jeongguk quietly. He received nothing but the uncomfortable sound of silence. "Then tell me. Tell me to leave. I want to hear you say it yourself."
"I can't," Taehyung snaps, voice just above a mere whisper.
"Why?"
"Because I'd be lying," he says. Jeongguk did not know how to respond, his gaze fixated on the floor. He himself had no clue why he was here to be quite honest. Jeongguk barely remembered how Taehyung carried him here the first time; he only remembered his steps when he left the morning after. Something was telling him to be here and poor little Jeonggukie had no idea what. He did not even know if Taehyung would be here.
It was not that much different from Geong-Joon's Oak. It was dark inside, brimmed with blackness, and a place that Taehyung seemed to go for peace-and-quiet. It was almost exactly the same except the location.
"Gguk, what are we doing?" asks Taehyung. Jeongguk cringed at the name.
"Please don't call me that," says Jeongguk, "It's 'Jeongguk' for you." Taehyung nods. "And what do you mean?"
"You confuse me," Taehyung huffs, unable to make eye contact with Jeongguk. "No," says Jeongguk. Taehyung finally raised his head. "I can't confuse you because you confuse me."
"How the hell do I confuse you?" snaps Taehyung. 'Here we go again, more yelling and arguing.'
"Because, Taehyung. The first time we talked you didn't even care that I touched you. Then minutes later you told me to stop talking to you and then you were calling me a kid and immature. The next day you comforted me." Taehyung shook his head.
"I'd comfort anyone."
"Really, so you'd walk up to a Normal and pick them up and carry them to some secret basement you know of? Yeah, that's called making a death wish!"
"But you aren't 'any Normal', Jeongguk!" he yells. Jeongguk knew where this was going and he was not in the mood to hear Taehyung call him a 'Different'. "You are far from just anyone." That was not the direction Jeongguk had thought this conversation would lead to. "You scare me."
"How?" asked Jeongguk, bewildered.
"The way you talk. You are so strange! You're definitely not a 'Normal', but boy you aren't a 'Different' either," says Taehyung.
"I don't get what you're saying. If I'm not a Normal, I'm a Different. That's how it works. The way you categorize things doesn't matter to this society."
"Do you have your life planned out yet?" Jeongguk was beyond confused. What relevance did this have to what they were talking about?
"Jeongguk?" called Taehyung.
"No. I don't." Taehyung shook his head.
"Good. Don't find a girl before you turn 20. Trust me. Do what I didn't do, okay?"
"What did you do?"
"I didn't have someone protecting me and giving me advice like you do." Jeongguk nods. "I fell in love too early."
"What? That doesn't make any sense. They want us to fall in love. What is wrong with falling in love early?"
"I touched them and they touched me way too early. You know that's against the rules."
"Don't you get warnings?"
"Not with two guys," he whispers. "I'm so afraid you will do what I did. I fell for a guy. He is gone now."
"Why would I fall for a guy?"
"Can you honestly look me in the eyes and tell me you don't feel nervous beyond your mind when you're around me? That everything you say is wrong and you want to be as perfect as you can? You want to impress me, make me like you even if you are confused if you like me or not."
"I like girls."
"Bullshit."
"Why do you think you know everything? You don't. You did the wrong thing. Why would I listen to you?"
"Because, if I did it wrong, someone has to do it right. I dealt with the same situation as you, but I'm teaching you how to do it the right way. Don't fall in love with me."
"I don't even like guys! You can't put words in my mouth."
"Why did you hug me when we were arguing in the Instruction Hall?" Jeongguk was left tongue-tied. "And help me up the first time you saw me. You touched me before even saying anything to me. You let me carry you here and hug you all night long. And you are going to tell me you like girls? What have you done with girls?"
"The same thing I've done with you," Jeongguk states.
"What, Jenlisa? You don't love her."
"It's 'Jennie', jackass, and I know that," Jeongguk snapped. "She doesn't love me either."
"It's because she knows, Gguk. Ask her."
"I know she fucking knows, okay! God damn! Why the fuck are you trying to ruin me? I'm holding onto this because it was the last fucking part of me being a Normal, but now I don't even have that!" Jeongguk clasped his hand over his mouth and dropped his head. Jeongguk felt hot tear brim at the corners of his eyes, eventually cascading his features. He was crying. And he did not care what Taehyung saw him as. "S-Stop telling me I'm in love with y-you. I-I'm not," Jeongguk chocked out.
"You're scared."
"More than you could imagine."
"I am too," Taehyung says, "Because of all the emotions and confusion you feel for me, I feel for you. And I'm trying to stop myself from falling for you as well."
"Stop it! We both don't love each other! We don't! Stop talking to me like that! We don't have to stop ourselves from anything because I don't love you, I can't love you!" Jeongguk felt Taehyung walk closer towards him.
"Can I hug you?" Jeongguk remained mute. "I'm just going to hug you now." Jeongguk did not say anything. Soon enough, he felt Taehyung's protective arms wrap around him. "Stay true to yourself, Gguk. Don't lie."
"Shut the fuck up!" Jeongguk snaps, showing Taehyung's hands off him. "Don't ever tell me that. You aren't Namjoon! You will never be Namjoon!" Taehyung treads back slightly. Jeongguk's mind did countless pirouettes. What was happening? Everything felt fuzzy and Jeongguk felt hazed. He collapsed to his knees. "Please help me," Jeongguk whispered. Taehyung's arms snake around Jeongguk again. Jeongguk fell into his strong arms nimbly.
After that, Jeongguk fell comatose and could not recall what happened that night. Only that he fell asleep in the horrible state he was in.
