"Great, great," Changkyun replied, leaning back in his chair. "So, what's the plan?"

"Plan?" Wonho's eyes bugged out. "I thought you had a plan!"

"No, you're the outside help so you're the one who has to make the plan," Changkyun said, nodding firmly.

"I don't..." Wonho trailed off as his eyes shifted from Changkyun to the ward guard in the back of the room. He ran through several trains of thought for a few moments before nodding, more to himself than to Changkyun. "I might have something. But I need to ask you a few things first."

***

Wonho slipped inside the door marked STAFF ONLY in white stenciled letters and hoped that he'd followed the right person.

A boy not much older than himself, mid-twenties perhaps, looked over without interest before doing a double-take. "You're not staff," he said before getting to his feet with a small frown. "I'm sorry, but you're not supposed to be in here. If you're lost, I can help you find-"

"I'm not lost. I needed to talk to you," Wonho said, shutting the door behind him and hesitating before flipping the lock and turning back to face the ward guard, who watched him with wary eyes.

"You were visiting a patient earlier today," the boy said, his eyes flickering with recognition as he continued trying to place Wonho. "You were a patient here, weren't you? In M-wing."

Wonho nodded his head, trying to speed the whole thing up since he didn't know how much time he had. He'd been running on luck so far, and he was praying it didn't run out any time soon. "Right. I used to be a patient here. I'm Shin Hoseok from M-wing," Wonho quickly introduced before pausing and licking his bottom lip out of nervousness. "And you're the guard who was assigned to us on visitation days."

The boy looked surprised that Wonho had recognized him, but he nodded a moment later. "But you completed the program. Why are you here?" He paused, reflecting back on what he already knew. "You were visiting one of your wingmates, right? But what do you need me for?"

"You were with each of us every other Friday, right?" Wonho waited for a nod before continuing. "So you know who I am, and you know who Changkyun - the boy from earlier - is."

The boy nodded. "Yes. I mean, I don't remember very many names - there are a lot of patients here, and people are always coming and going." He shifted uncomfortably. "So?"

"Do you remember Chae Hyungwon?"

The boy froze before shifting once more, his eyes tracing along the wall away from Wonho. "The name sounds familiar."

"He's in M-wing. He's tall, pale, and he usually looks pretty tired. He's still there. Just him and Changkyun now. So do you know him?"

The boy pursed his lips before sighing as he placed his elbows on his knees, leaning forward in his seat. "Yes, I know Hyungwon. Chae Hyungwon, I mean. I know of him."

"What do you know about him?" Wonho asked, narrowing his eyes at the boy. He had information that Wonho suddenly wanted. "Why is he important to you? You said it yourself, there are lots of patients coming and going. So why do you remember Hyungwon?"

The boy exhaled, looking up at Wonho with tired eyes. "I just- I felt bad for him. That's kind of normal for this job. You're just supposed to escort patients and provide support if anything gets out of hand. You're not supposed to get attached or form relationships or anything like that. There's just too many kids with sob stories here to worry about every single one of them."

"But Hyungwon?" Wonho prompted.

The boy ran a hand through his hair, his stress evident in the slight shaking of his hand. "He just...he's never caused trouble. He does what people tell him to do. But sometimes, he just looks like he's dying on the inside. And a lot of the kids here, they're angry, they're in pain and they want to take it out on everyone else. They think it's unfair, that the world is against them. But Hyungwon never complains. He's always been sort of quiet like that. And, his parents...look," the boy said, sitting up with a frown on his face. "I try not to eavesdrop. Visitation sessions should be private for the patient and their guests. But sometimes it's hard not to listen in. And even when I couldn't hear what his parents were telling him, I could read them pretty clear. They were always just lecturing Hyungwon, the mom mainly, and maybe lecturing isn't the right word, but...I just had to watch as Hyungwon became a little smaller, sank down a little more. And then there was the time that he picked up the phone and just set it on the ledge so he didn't have to hear them. I just...I felt bad for him."

"But you said that everyone has a sob story. How is Hyungwon different?" Wonho repeated. He knew he was wasting time, but he wanted to know.

The boy threw his hands up in exasperation. "I don't know. Every now and then, there's just a kid that gets to me. Maybe they just don't seem that much different from myself. I don't know. I just felt bad, okay? He seemed like a good kid. Why does it even matter?"

Wonho opened his mouth before licking his lips once more and rushing onward. "Look, I can't tell you all the details, but Hyungwon's life is in danger, okay? I need to get him out, and you're the only person I could think of who might be able to help."

The boy stared at Wonho like he was insane. Which he wasn't supposed to be, since he was on the outside now, but still. "Break him out? Of a mental institution? That's...well, that's insane. And why me? What made you even think that I could help?"

"Because you've been M-wing's visitation guard for months. You're not one of us, but you know us, to some degree. You have access to the rooms, to the classroom, to the exits." Wonho paused, his heart rate escalating. "Look. You have no reason to believe me or trust me. I know that. I know I seem crazy, and I know how it looks that I used to be a patient. But if Hyungwon doesn't get out, he's going to die."

The boy paled, tapping his right index finger against his thigh. "But...can't he just pass his evaluations? He could be out in just two wee-"

"Two weeks is too long," Wonho interrupted. "And...I don't think he can pass an evaluation. He's failed every one. I'm not saying that Hyungwon is in a mentally stable place and that he deserves to leave the program the fair way by getting better. Truth is, he isn't getting better, and he probably isn't going to. But a sick Hyungwon is better than a dead Hyungwon, right?"

The boy met Wonho's eyes but didn't open his mouth. His eyes held Wonho's while he thought, and just as he opened his mouth, a sound from behind Wonho startled him.

He turned to see the doorknob turning.