Chapter XIII

                                    

                                          
When he was a young child, Jongin didn't think life inside The Dome was so terrible. Sure, there were always his wandering thoughts that made him question why he wasn't able to leave and why he had to speak formally all the time. But he was a young child back then and as a young child, Jongin knows you aren't capable of understanding complicated things like that. That's why he was able to enjoy himself during that time. That and because Kyungsoo actually had time to spend with him during their younger days. 
                          
Kyungsoo was only a class ahead of him in school, but since all the young children got dismissed from school at the same time, they would always walk back to their living quarters together. Kyungsoo would tell Jongin about what he learned and Jongin would tell Kyungsoo about what he learned. Sometimes it would go the opposite way and Jongin went first, but Jongin typically allowed Kyungsoo to speak first because he was older and his guardians and school adviser told him that that was one of many ways to show respect to your elders. But he also let him talk first because he knew that Kyungsoo always had a lot to say and Jongin loved to listen to Kyungsoo talk to him. 
                          
On the days they didn't have school, the other young children would stay home and offer help to their guardians. Kyungsoo and Jongin would do that as well, but they would always make sure to finish quickly so that they could spend time together. On occasions, they'd just spend time at each other's living quarters and when they were at Jongin's living quarters, Jongin would show Kyungsoo his secret collection of books in his closet. He remembers how Kyungsoo used to love it when he read to him even if he had no clue of what he was talking about. He remembers how he would just lay on his bed with his head resting on his hand, listening intently with a small smile on his face as Jongin made once written words come to life. Jongin remembers those times like they just happened yesterday. 
                          
Other times, however, they wouldn't spend any time at their living quarters and they would sneak off to the abandoned factory that stood crippled behind the Government building. There were five floors to it, so they never got bored when they visited it, spending hours roaming around and talking and laughing when one of them said something funny. In reality, Jongin realizes that they could have spent the whole day there, but since they were still young children at the time, they didn't know what the consequences of their actions would be and were too afraid to take a risk and find out. The factory vanished after they began their higher education classes, but no one knew how and no one thought to ask. They never did get the opportunity to explore the fifth floor. 
                          
Jongin decides that it would be better to talk with Kyungsoo somewhere else so that they wouldn't distract Yoochun from their research, so the guide gives them permission to use the quaint sitting room he has in the back next to the kitchen. Jongin lets Kyungsoo walk in first and he closes the door while Kyungsoo looks around and takes a seat on the couch.
                          
"I would have never guessed this was here," he says but Jongin isn't quite sure if he's talking to him or just to the air. He pans his head around the room and smiles faintly. "It is very nice."
                          
"Yeah, I guess it is," Jongin says, looking around a bit and sighing as he sits down next to Kyungsoo. "Why are you here, Kyungsoo?" he asks, causing Kyungsoo's head to whip in his direction. 
                          
The elder male parts his lips, but it takes a moment for any words to come out from between them. "I only wanted to speak with you," he says, his head still lowered. "Am I not welcome here anymore?"
                          
"No, I never said that," Jongin says in reply. "As long as Yoochun says it's okay for you to come here, you're welcome here. I just meant why are you here as in I thought I made it clear that it wasn't safe for you to be around me."
                          
"I know you said those things to me," Kyungsoo starts, lifting his about halfway and angling his body toward Jongin more, "and I do understand that it may not be safe for me to be here with you."