Jake isn't sure how much time he spends down under this time around. He’s aware of how much he's freaking out, though.

As soon as Soobin said what he said, Jake's shock had been so great that he began hyperventilating.

Then that thing in his left chest glistened so brightly that the entire room was washed in gold. Jake's heart had raced, so much that he wondered if those people could hear it as well.

Jake had died, but he was revived. And now he doesn't think he can ever be a normal human again. Hell, he'd never even ticked any of the boxes for the 'average human guy' in the first place. The last time he felt a sense of normalcy in his life was before… before he lost his parents.

Jake thinks about them a lot in his subconscious, along with that event that took place weeks ago after he'd ignored Sunoo's calls. They consume his mind and stain the back of his eyelids, consisting of splattered blood, splintered glass and twisted metal, with an agony so distinctive that Jake would never be able to flee.

They leave Jake thrashing, on the verge of tears everytime. He knows Soobin, Sunghoon and Jongseong are there whenever the nightmares become a little too real, because it isn't long before the horrid memories are erased.

Jake doesn't know how many tears he's shed so far, but he doesn't care to take note. As he regains clarity, as those nightmares gradually scutter into obscurity, one thought takes precedence over several others.

I need to get out of here.

When Jake manages to regain consciousness, he opens his eyes to mostly darkness. The swirling gap in the ceiling's like a galaxy in space, and the first thing he attempts to do is to get up.

It's much easier this time around to move, but his limbs are stiff and ache like he just took part in the longest marathon of his life.

Jake tries to kick at the bedpost, but just about manages to tap it. Frustrated, he grabs the woolen blanket shielding him from the cold, relieved when he’s able to fling it aside. In the dark, his shimmering chest blinds the room, even though the light is fainter now.

Jake reaches for it, even when his taut, bruised limbs scream at him to stop. His palm grazes the silky fabric of his gown before a voice stops him in his tracks.

"You're awake now. Nice."

Jake startles, shoulders squared, because this voice is new. For one, it's higher pitched, but it holds the same warmth in Soobin's voice when they last talked.

Something flickers to life at the corner. It's a lamp, Jake realizes, large and spherical, casting soft, amber light upon the two men now situated in front of Jake.

They're both taller than he is, though one seems like he could be a little taller. The shorter one that just spoke nears Jake’s bed, his dark wavy hair falling over intrigued, friendly eyes. There's a jug of water in his hand, which he steadily pours into a plastic cup.

Jake is relieved it isn't glass, but it quickly turns into something quite like awe once he takes notice of the guy's face.

Like Sunghoon and Jongseong, the stranger’s dressed in a sweater and jeans. With his attentive gaze, his head cocked to the side as he smiles down at him, Jake can't help but zero in on how glaringly handsome he is.

"I saw that you can move your arms a little now, Jake. Try to sit up," the guy says, smirking now that he probably noticed Jake ogling him out in the open. "I'm Choi Yeonjun, by the way. The guy over there is Lee Heeseung."

Jake blinks repeatedly, hating how flushed his cheeks get. He needs to leave this place, goddammit. He can't afford to get distracted just 'cause of some stranger's good looks.

He makes the effort to sit upright, which works , surprisingly. Yeonjun hands him the cup, careful with it considering Jake's situation.

Jake's hands shake as he takes it, causing a bit of the water to spill over. But he manages to take a sip all by himself.

"It's amazing, really. You're amazing. Taking into account your physical state before you got revived, you should have remained paralyzed for much longer. I think I spent like, six months unconscious after I got revived."

Jake gulps thickly, eyes falling on the other guy. He's quiet, dressed in a zipped up hoodie and grey sweatpants as he meanders around the room, doing something with his fingers. Jake has no idea what it is, just like how he can't really get a good glimpse of the guy's face.

"He's channeling the Healing Orbit's power," Yeonjun says nonchalantly like Jake is supposed to just get it.

"You... you said something about getting 'revived'. What does that mean exactly? That Soobin guy also said I've become the bridge that connects the living and the dead, or something like that," Jake says, exposing a few of the questions weighing heavily on his mind. He has several other ones too, concerning whether he's ever going home, even when 'home' lost its meaning a long time ago. 

Jake also wants to know how Sunoo’s doing. How he took Jake’s 'death'. But first and foremost, he has to know for sure what's really happening to him.

"Soobin?" Yeonjun muses, a fond smile overtaking his features as he shoves his hands into his pockets. "Well, it means what you probably think it means. You're no longer dead, but you aren't exactly alive either. The living can't see the demons."

"I saw something that night, though," Jake says, pretending Yeonjun’s words hadn't just freaked him out some more. "Heard something, in fact. Like... like wailing. Hissing."

Yeonjun pauses. Even Lee Heeseung slows his pacing. "It happens when someone has been stamped. The demons saw you as a potential candidate for possession. And your blood spilled near a portal, after all."

Chills descend Jake’s spine at Yeonjun’s words. His grip on the cup almost loosens completely. "Portal?"

"We might be the bridges that connect the living and the dead, but the portals help us locate the evil beings a little easier. It's kinda like a teleportation tool, I guess. Or a time machine, only it doesn't bring us to the past. Have you seen Back to the Future?" Yeonjun questions, and while Jake knows the movie, why does Yeonjun suddenly sound a little too old?

Something interrupts the conversation right then, one that sounds exceedingly close to a snicker.

Yeonjun rolls his eyes at the other guy. "Oh, come on now Heeseung. It's one of my favourite movies."

It's hard to believe Heeseung was the one who just laughed, considering the serious expression he carries when he turns towards them, silvery sparks illuminating his palms.

Jake guesses his shock must be evident, because Yeonjun speaks up once more. He likes to talk a lot, Jake discerns, but oddly enough he isn't that bothered or annoyed by it.

It's because you think he's hot, the voice in Jake’s head unhelpfully adds right then. Jake isn't one to have a particular type, per se, but he knows he tends to pay a little more attention to taller men. And if they're just as attractive as they are tall, Jake obsesses over them a little more. It's a bad habit, one he isn't strong enough to break, and now that Yeonjun is around –

Light suddenly burns through Jake’s vision, radiant and consuming that it totally shatters his thought tangent.

Jake stiffens, because Yeonjun steps away to let Heeseung take his place. And he's tall, lean and broad-shouldered as he looms over Jake’s form, his hands as bright as a supernova.

It's Heeseung’s face that catches Jake’s eye the most. Jet black hair, big brown eyes and sculpted features that betray a certain kindness even when his lips are currently pressed into a thin line.

A brow arches in questioning, and Jake risks toppling over the bed from embarrassment.

"No need to worry," Yeonjun says from the side. "Heeseung has been involved in your healing process from the start."

It shocks Jake as much as it embarrasses him. It's always embarrassing when people witness him at his lowest moments, especially ones that are so...

"Give me your hand," Heeseung asks. His voice is tender despite how curt the words are, and Jake listens without much resistance.

Heeseung's palm is calloused, yet warm, easily swallowing Jake's. Jake swallows thickly at the discovery, momentarily distracted by how the white light from Heeseung's hands flashes across his features. He's focused on Jake's limbs, his fingers trailing up his arm to his shoulder, and Jake can't stop looking at his face, especially the long, dark lashes fanning his cheeks every time he blinks.

Heeseung catches Jake staring for the second time, and frowns. Fuck.

Jake hurriedly averts his gaze, schooling his expression into something passably inscrutable. But the damage has already been done, because Heeseung lets him go a moment later. He probably thinks of Jake as a major creep now. Great, just great.

"How does dinner sound?" Yeonjun asks while Heeseung folds his sleeves up to his elbows, the sparks from his hands darkening like smoke. They pulse, then swirl upwards, vanishing into the ceiling. Meanwhile, something glints from Heeseung's scalp all the way to his left cheekbone, like veins but not quite.

"Jake?" Yeonjun questions, snapping Jake out of his thoughts before Heeseung notices him staring for the nth time. Unfortunately for him, Heeseung is watching the both of them now, his dark hair obscuring a bit of his side profile from view.

Jake wonders if Heeseung keeps it longer for that very purpose. He knows he used his hair as a way to hide from the world in the past, before eventually preferring it shorter as a way to sort of step out of his shell. It never really worked, but a scary change becomes your new normal when you get used to it.

Jake also wonders if this unorthodox situation will soon become his new normal.

Pushing that thought into the darkest corner of his mind, Jake nods at Yeonjun. "Yeah. Dinner... dinner sounds good."