PRISONERS (19/?)
Title: Prisoners (19/?)
Author: qrn
Pairing: OT6
Rating: M (Mature), for sexual & violent themes
Summary: Each of them has their own problems that may just be too hard to cure.
Author's Notes: Fell asleep last night, so I only got to publish this chapter now XD What's in the room might shock you all (and it might not be what you guessed) =D There are more flashbacks of Kikwang's past here, & let's all decide together whose POV I should do next, hey? ;) I hope you guys don't kill me for the overly depressing & disturbing content >.< Feedbacks & comments are welcome, as always ^^ Enjoy!
19. KIKWANG
I was twirling a piece of lint around my finger without a word. They looked at me curiously.
"What's your name?" One of them, a tall guy with black hair asked.
I cleared my throat. "...Lee Kikwang." Today, Mrs. Baek wanted us all to get into groups for some discussion work. Because we needed to be in a group of four, these three guys approached me to join them. I'd never talked to them before, and I didn't know their names.
"I'm Kim Jonghyun," the shortest one introduced himself. "These guys are Lee Hongki and Choi Jonghoon." He motioned towards the other two. The tall guy, Jonghoon, gave me a warm, friendly smile. Hongki was busy chewing his gum, staring at me in interest.
"Which school are you from?" Jonghyun asked.
"Seoyoung Junior High," I replied.
"Seoyoung?" he asked. "I know some people who went there!"
"Really?"
"Yeah!" he said. "My girlfriend's from Seoyoung!"
"Who?" I looked up.
"Shin Sekyung," he answered.
I widened my eyes. "No way!" I tried to keep my voice low so Mrs. Baek wouldn't think we were talking about non-study related things. "Class 1-3's Sekyung? She was the most popular girl at school!"
Jonghyun grinned proudly. Next to him, Jonghoon rolled his eyes.
"Me and Jonghoon went to the same school, but it was shitty," Hongki laughed. "Wasn't it?"
The black-haired boy shrugged. "Yeah, nothing interesting happened there." Then he noticed Mrs. Baek giving us a crossed look. "I think we have to start doing the questions," he said with a chuckle.
"But these are boring," Hongki whined as he glanced at the worksheet. "Hey, do you want to hang out with us after school for some coffee?" he asked me.
"Me?"
"We usually go to the cafe near the station." Jonghyun said, still grinning.
I nodded excitedly. "Okay!"
Jonghoon smiled again. Then we concentrated on our work, but continued talking about random topics.
I wished I could go back to those times.
"We're too late."
I felt as if my heart stopped beating.
...Huh...?
Next to me, Hyunseung was paralyzed with shock. "W...what?" he stammered.
What is that supposed to mean?
Doojoon didn't say anything else. Trembling, Hyunseung grabbed my hand and slowly approached the room. I could clearly tell that he was hesitant; I was, too. I gripped his bony fingers tightly.
What happened to Dongwoon?
I held my breath.
Mrs. Bae was standing in middle of the room, her arm circled around Dongwoon's neck tightly. Her other hand held a small black revolver, positioned next to his head. "The two of you have decided to join," she raised her eyebrows at me and Hyunseung, somewhat amused. I exchanged frightened looks with Hyunseung.
Why is she here?
Her lips were shaped into a sinister smile. "So all of you are planning to escape."
Dongwoon looked at us pleadingly. "Hyung."
We have to save him.
Hyunseung swallowed nervously. "What are you--" Suddenly the lady lifted the handgun to Dongwoon's temple. We all flinched in fear.
That has to be real.
"Why leave so early?" she asked in a sickly-sweet voice. "There's still another session tomorrow."
"We're not going to another fucking session!" burst Junhyung. I looked at everyone's agreeing faces.
"But you need to get treated," she added with a mock disappointment. "It wasn't too bad last time, was it?"
I had no idea what kind of sick things the others had to do during the therapy--but judging from their slightly disturbed reactions, I was immensely relieved that me and Hyunseung managed to escape the counselling room in the first place (although I was still curious as what caused Hyunseung's anorexia). The staff were ruthless, and it seemed as if they weren't hesitant to kill us.
If that's the case, then I don't want to be cured.
"Let him go!" Yoseob cried, still on the floor.
Mrs. Bae tilted her head. "And why would I do that?" Her grip tightened, and we could see Dongwoon cringe in pain. "I know you won't leave this kid alone."
Doojoon gritted his teeth, his expression tense.
Of course we won't.
"Please, don't do this." Yoseob was too scared to move. Hyunseung was frozen in place, his lips pressed together firmly.
"It looks like someone's having a hard time to decide." She looked straight at Junhyung. We immediately turned our attention to the brunette, who seemed taken aback.
"...What?" he growled.
"Are they your friends?" she motioned to us.
Junhyung's face scrunched up into a glare at the last word. This woman was clearly provoking him, but we also couldn't help wondering why his attitude had changed compared to the first few days since we met him (back then, he would get aggravated whenever that word came up in the conversation).
Is it something to do with his therapy?
Jonghyun lifted up my open lunchbox, tipping it over slowly. I watched the kimbap rolls and meat pieces dropping one by one.
"Oops," he said with a sneer. "They're falling."
I clenched my fists, holding in my anger.
"Aren't you going to eat them?" he mocked, dropping my lunchbox to the floor. Hongki and Jonghoon didn't say anything, but they had matching evil smiles on their faces.
Suddenly Mrs. Baek walked in the classroom. We all turned around, startled.
"Are you okay, Kikwang-ah?" Jonghyun immediately bent down and pretended to help picking up my food. "You're such a butterfingers!"
I stared at him in shock, unable to respond.
"What's going on here?" the teacher asked, looking at my lunchbox and food that were scattered messily on the floor.
"Nothing." Hongki was quick to answer. "Kikwang dropped his lunch, that's all," he said with a shrug.
Mrs. Baek raised her eyebrows. "I see," she replied hesitantly. "You weren't, by any chance..." She shot them a dubious look.
I knew what she was trying to imply. Shooting a quick glance at the three's faces, I assumed they all knew, too.
"Bullying him?" Jonghoon blurted out, his eyes widened. "No way!" he cried in mock disbelief.
"We're close friends, seonsaengnim!" added Hongki, linking his arm through mine. "Aren't we, Kikwang-ah?" He looked at me with a wide, innocent smile.
His gaze was threatening enough; I was scared, and I had no choice but to nod. "Y-Yeah," I replied weakly, smiling back at him.
"I'll share my lunch with you." Jonghyun said to me, holding up his own lunchbox.
The teachers knew that I was very close to them when I entered high school.
"Yeah, why would we want to hurt our good friend?" Jonghoon grinned assuringly at the teacher, squeezing my shoulders in a friendly manner. I felt a pang in my chest at his words.
To my horror, Mrs. Baek was easily convinced. "...Of course," she smiled at them in relief. "What was I thinking? I know you wouldn't."
I desperately wanted to get out of there, but Jonghoon's grip on my shoulder was too strong.
She turned to another student, "Minkyung, Alexander-seonsaengnim wants you in his office." Then she looked at us again. "Enjoy your lunch, boys!" With that, she walked out of the classroom, bringing the girl with her.
After she was gone, Hongki rudely retracted his arm from mine. Jonghyun turned around to look at me, and I could feel Jonghoon's nails digging in my shoulders.
"Friends?" Hongki scoffed. "Give me a break!" He stomped on the kimbap rolls, crushing them to pieces.
"Why would I want to share my lunch with you?" Jonghyun muttered in disgust, putting his lunchbox back on his table.
Jonghoon leaned over and whispered in my ear. "If anything, you're a traitor."
I felt a chill running down my spine.
Without another word, they grabbed onto my collar and dragged me away from my desk. I shot a glance around the classroom in fear.
The other students were only spectators--none of them did anything, let alone tell the truth.
"You won't escape by yourself and leave them here, will you?" she added.
It seemed like things--horrible things--were running through Junhyung's mind as he slowly clenched fists in anger.
That evil man, Mr. Yoo, had mentioned about the girlfriend's death and AIDS.
I gasped in horror.
Junhyung's going to die soon.
"Make your choice, boys." Mrs. Bae looked at us. "If you're still going ahead with your escape plan--which I doubt will be successful anyways--" she scoffed, "--then you can say goodbye to little Dongwoon here." I could see the auburn-haired kid's eyes widening in fear, sweat dripping down his forehead. I bit my lips anxiously; if we made the wrong move, then we'd lose him.
"Please, let him go!" Yoseob begged.
"Hyung," Dongwoon said, his lower lip trembling. "I'm fine. Just go."
"No!" The blonde's eyes were welling up with tears. "We're not going to let you die!"
"Go." Dongwoon shut his eyes as Mrs. Bae pressed the revolver tightly against his temple. "Don't worry about me."
"No!" Yoseob shook his head stubbornly.
Doojoon and Junhyung were speechless, not knowing what to say.
I clung closer to Hyunseung. What should we do?
There was an intense silence before Doojoon inhaled deeply. "Look, we..." I could see beads of sweat rolling down the side of his face. "We... we'll stay."
We all gawked at him in disbelief. What?
"Just... just d-don't hurt him." He finished the sentence with a gulp. I caught a glimpse of a smirk forming on Mrs. Bae's face.
"What?" Junhyung raised his voice at the black-haired guy, incredulous. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"
Doojoon responded slowly, "We have no other choice." Despite his attempt to stay calm, I detected tremendous fear in his voice.
He's right--we don't.
Me and Hyunseung remained silent while watching the argument escalate into aggression.
"No way I'm getting electrocuted again!" the brunette yelled. "That was some messed-up shit!"
I looked around in fear, hoping no other guards or staff would come because of the loud ruckus; it would only exacerbate things if they did.
"We can't just leave Dongwoon here," Doojoon tried again.
Junhyung retorted, "I'm not staying in this fucked up place!"
Yoseob stood up slowly, his body shaking in fear. "But she'll kill him." However, there was a slight reluctance in his voice. I figured that he, too, wouldn't want to go through the therapy again.
Junhyung glanced at Dongwoon's pale, scared face without a word. Mrs. Bae had tightened her grip around the kid's neck even more (she was practically choking him), her eyes fixed at us without a blink.
Please.
Clicking his tongue, Junhyung kicked the wall in frustration. "Fuck this," he muttered, shaking his head. "I'm out of here." He staggered backwards, walking away.
It caught us all off-guard. "Junhyung!" Doojoon called in panic, not expecting him to turn his back that easily. "Wait!"
Why?
"All of you can stay here and suffer and go to hell," Junhyung yelled at us furiously. "I'm gonna escape alone!" He turned around and left.
I thought he said he couldn't find a way out earlier.
"Wait!" Yoseob went to run after the guy, but Doojoon stopped him.
"Leave him," he said firmly. We watched the brunette disappear to the end of the hallway.
"But how?" the blonde's eyes widened. "How can he...?" he trailed off, his expression a mix of disbelief, disappointment and anger. We all knew what he was going to say.
How can he leave us just like that?
I was becoming more scared. In front of us, Mrs. Bae was smiling in satisfaction. "That was predictable, wasn't it?" she commented nonchalantly. "A society's trash like him only cares about nothing but himself."
I cringed at the cold, ruthless words. The others could only glare at her, not saying anything.
Society's trash.
"So, what's your call?" she challenged us again. "Are you going to save this kid--" she made a clicking noise with the revolver, making us all (especially Dongwoon) flinch in agitation, "--or run after your friend?" she placed a mocking emphasis on the last word.
In reflex, we all turned our attention to Doojoon (somehow, he had become the Room Eleven's leader).
What do we do now?
"...Doojoonie?" Yoseob asked in a tiny voice.
The black-haired guy swallowed. "We'll stay," he said after a while.
We're staying here, I thought to myself bitterly. But we have no other choice. I felt Hyunseung's grip loosening from my hand.
Mrs. Bae stared at the four of us, hard. Dongwoon held his breath anxiously. Then she nodded. "Very well." She loosened her grip around the auburn-haired kid's neck, but still holding the revolver firmly against his head. Suddenly an army of guards emerged from the big metal door a few rooms away. They approached us without warning.
"What--" Hyunseung blinked his eyes, and before he knew it a guard grabbed a hold of him. I held my breath as another one placed his hand on my shoulder and quickly gripped both of my arms.
No!
"Let me go!" Yoseob cried, trying to struggle free from the two guards who clasped a pair of handcuffs around his wrists.
Handcuffs?
Doojoon looked at the handcuffs in alarm. "What is the meaning of this?" he shouted at Mr. Yoo, outraged.
"Just to make sure you won't run away again," he answered coolly. "Nice try, by the way, but no one has ever escaped this place since it first opened."
No way.
"Alcatraz indeed," he added with a chuckle.
"That's right." Mrs. Bae pushed Dongwoon towards the remaining guards.
We exchanged terrified looks.
There's a camera in the common room.
Dongwoon yanked his hands frantically. "Don't touch me," he hissed to the guards who reached out to grab his arms. "Go away!" he tried pushing them away, but they managed to put the handcuffs on him.
"Take him to the morgue," Mr. Yoo instructed.
We froze.
"...Morgue?" Yoseob repeated, uncertain.
The man pushed the rim of his glasses with one finger, nodding. "He knows too much."
He's hiding something about this institute.
"Why, just this morning I caught him heading somewhere else but the dining hall," Mrs. Bae chimed in.
Dongwoon's face turned pale again. "No," he shook his head. "I..." He swallowed a breath in fear.
Did he try to escape as well?
"So I brought him back to his cell." She wrinkled her nose, glancing around the room.
"Take him away," she gestured to Dongwoon. The guards did as they were told.
"No!" Yoseob cried. "Dongwoon!" He tried shaking off the handcuffs.
"Hyung!" The auburn-haired kid was dragged away hopelessly.
Doojoon's expression was full of panic, but he couldn't move due to the guards keeping him still in place.
Dongwoon shot one last look at us before disappearing down the stairs.
I'm scared.
"What about that druggie?" Mrs. Baek turned to Mr. Yoo.
"Leave him be." The man smirked. "He won't get far."
Doojoon and Yoseob exchanged worried glances. Frightened, I looked at Hyunseung (he hadn't say much so far). He seemed paler than ever, and his bony figure was shaking.
Hyunseung?
Suddenly he collapsed to the floor.
I wanted to scream, but no sound came out of my mouth.
"Bring these kids back to Room Eleven." Those were the last words I heard by Mrs. Bae before I was knocked out.
---
"Kikwang-ah!"
I sat on the bed, my back pressed against the wall. Wiping the tears from my eyes, I pulled my legs closer towards my chest.
"Open the door!" Mom called, sounding concerned.
I shook my head, my whole body drenched in cold sweat. I didn't know what happened after I passed out, but when I woke up I was already in the nurse's office. My bags and things were there, and she said I was allowed to go home. Without thanking her, I ran all the way home and locked myself in my room.
"Kikwang-ah, what's wrong?" The knocks were getting louder. I still wouldn't let them in.
I held my breath. It was still there--the cold, slippery feeling on my skin. My heart was pounding so hard, and I remembered their last words as they threw me into the garbage disposal.
"Tell us, what happened?" It was Dad's voice this time.
My eyes widened in fear; memories of that horrifying game had returned. I buried myself under the blanket, but their mocking faces kept flashing in my mind. I could still hear the cruel laughter.
"Kikwang-ah!"
Shaking, I pressed my palms against my ears.
"No."
I didn't want to hear anything.
"Lee Kikwang, I want you to open this door right now!"
"No." My voice was quivering. "I'm not going back," I repeated those words to myself, like a mantra.
Mom and Dad kept calling my name and banging on the door, but I didn't budge. I looked up at the bright light on the ceiling. Once again, drops of tears stained the pillow one by one.
I didn't want to be locked up in the dark anymore.
Author: qrn
Pairing: OT6
Rating: M (Mature), for sexual & violent themes
Summary: Each of them has their own problems that may just be too hard to cure.
Author's Notes: Fell asleep last night, so I only got to publish this chapter now XD What's in the room might shock you all (and it might not be what you guessed) =D There are more flashbacks of Kikwang's past here, & let's all decide together whose POV I should do next, hey? ;) I hope you guys don't kill me for the overly depressing & disturbing content >.< Feedbacks & comments are welcome, as always ^^ Enjoy!
19. KIKWANG
I was twirling a piece of lint around my finger without a word. They looked at me curiously.
"What's your name?" One of them, a tall guy with black hair asked.
I cleared my throat. "...Lee Kikwang." Today, Mrs. Baek wanted us all to get into groups for some discussion work. Because we needed to be in a group of four, these three guys approached me to join them. I'd never talked to them before, and I didn't know their names.
"I'm Kim Jonghyun," the shortest one introduced himself. "These guys are Lee Hongki and Choi Jonghoon." He motioned towards the other two. The tall guy, Jonghoon, gave me a warm, friendly smile. Hongki was busy chewing his gum, staring at me in interest.
"Which school are you from?" Jonghyun asked.
"Seoyoung Junior High," I replied.
"Seoyoung?" he asked. "I know some people who went there!"
"Really?"
"Yeah!" he said. "My girlfriend's from Seoyoung!"
"Who?" I looked up.
"Shin Sekyung," he answered.
I widened my eyes. "No way!" I tried to keep my voice low so Mrs. Baek wouldn't think we were talking about non-study related things. "Class 1-3's Sekyung? She was the most popular girl at school!"
Jonghyun grinned proudly. Next to him, Jonghoon rolled his eyes.
"Me and Jonghoon went to the same school, but it was shitty," Hongki laughed. "Wasn't it?"
The black-haired boy shrugged. "Yeah, nothing interesting happened there." Then he noticed Mrs. Baek giving us a crossed look. "I think we have to start doing the questions," he said with a chuckle.
"But these are boring," Hongki whined as he glanced at the worksheet. "Hey, do you want to hang out with us after school for some coffee?" he asked me.
"Me?"
"We usually go to the cafe near the station." Jonghyun said, still grinning.
I nodded excitedly. "Okay!"
Jonghoon smiled again. Then we concentrated on our work, but continued talking about random topics.
I wished I could go back to those times.
"We're too late."
I felt as if my heart stopped beating.
...Huh...?
Next to me, Hyunseung was paralyzed with shock. "W...what?" he stammered.
What is that supposed to mean?
Doojoon didn't say anything else. Trembling, Hyunseung grabbed my hand and slowly approached the room. I could clearly tell that he was hesitant; I was, too. I gripped his bony fingers tightly.
What happened to Dongwoon?
I held my breath.
Mrs. Bae was standing in middle of the room, her arm circled around Dongwoon's neck tightly. Her other hand held a small black revolver, positioned next to his head. "The two of you have decided to join," she raised her eyebrows at me and Hyunseung, somewhat amused. I exchanged frightened looks with Hyunseung.
Why is she here?
Her lips were shaped into a sinister smile. "So all of you are planning to escape."
Dongwoon looked at us pleadingly. "Hyung."
We have to save him.
Hyunseung swallowed nervously. "What are you--" Suddenly the lady lifted the handgun to Dongwoon's temple. We all flinched in fear.
That has to be real.
"Why leave so early?" she asked in a sickly-sweet voice. "There's still another session tomorrow."
"We're not going to another fucking session!" burst Junhyung. I looked at everyone's agreeing faces.
"But you need to get treated," she added with a mock disappointment. "It wasn't too bad last time, was it?"
I had no idea what kind of sick things the others had to do during the therapy--but judging from their slightly disturbed reactions, I was immensely relieved that me and Hyunseung managed to escape the counselling room in the first place (although I was still curious as what caused Hyunseung's anorexia). The staff were ruthless, and it seemed as if they weren't hesitant to kill us.
If that's the case, then I don't want to be cured.
"Let him go!" Yoseob cried, still on the floor.
Mrs. Bae tilted her head. "And why would I do that?" Her grip tightened, and we could see Dongwoon cringe in pain. "I know you won't leave this kid alone."
Doojoon gritted his teeth, his expression tense.
Of course we won't.
"Please, don't do this." Yoseob was too scared to move. Hyunseung was frozen in place, his lips pressed together firmly.
"It looks like someone's having a hard time to decide." She looked straight at Junhyung. We immediately turned our attention to the brunette, who seemed taken aback.
"...What?" he growled.
"Are they your friends?" she motioned to us.
Junhyung's face scrunched up into a glare at the last word. This woman was clearly provoking him, but we also couldn't help wondering why his attitude had changed compared to the first few days since we met him (back then, he would get aggravated whenever that word came up in the conversation).
Is it something to do with his therapy?
Jonghyun lifted up my open lunchbox, tipping it over slowly. I watched the kimbap rolls and meat pieces dropping one by one.
"Oops," he said with a sneer. "They're falling."
I clenched my fists, holding in my anger.
"Aren't you going to eat them?" he mocked, dropping my lunchbox to the floor. Hongki and Jonghoon didn't say anything, but they had matching evil smiles on their faces.
Suddenly Mrs. Baek walked in the classroom. We all turned around, startled.
"Are you okay, Kikwang-ah?" Jonghyun immediately bent down and pretended to help picking up my food. "You're such a butterfingers!"
I stared at him in shock, unable to respond.
"What's going on here?" the teacher asked, looking at my lunchbox and food that were scattered messily on the floor.
"Nothing." Hongki was quick to answer. "Kikwang dropped his lunch, that's all," he said with a shrug.
Mrs. Baek raised her eyebrows. "I see," she replied hesitantly. "You weren't, by any chance..." She shot them a dubious look.
I knew what she was trying to imply. Shooting a quick glance at the three's faces, I assumed they all knew, too.
"Bullying him?" Jonghoon blurted out, his eyes widened. "No way!" he cried in mock disbelief.
"We're close friends, seonsaengnim!" added Hongki, linking his arm through mine. "Aren't we, Kikwang-ah?" He looked at me with a wide, innocent smile.
His gaze was threatening enough; I was scared, and I had no choice but to nod. "Y-Yeah," I replied weakly, smiling back at him.
"I'll share my lunch with you." Jonghyun said to me, holding up his own lunchbox.
The teachers knew that I was very close to them when I entered high school.
"Yeah, why would we want to hurt our good friend?" Jonghoon grinned assuringly at the teacher, squeezing my shoulders in a friendly manner. I felt a pang in my chest at his words.
To my horror, Mrs. Baek was easily convinced. "...Of course," she smiled at them in relief. "What was I thinking? I know you wouldn't."
I desperately wanted to get out of there, but Jonghoon's grip on my shoulder was too strong.
She turned to another student, "Minkyung, Alexander-seonsaengnim wants you in his office." Then she looked at us again. "Enjoy your lunch, boys!" With that, she walked out of the classroom, bringing the girl with her.
After she was gone, Hongki rudely retracted his arm from mine. Jonghyun turned around to look at me, and I could feel Jonghoon's nails digging in my shoulders.
"Friends?" Hongki scoffed. "Give me a break!" He stomped on the kimbap rolls, crushing them to pieces.
"Why would I want to share my lunch with you?" Jonghyun muttered in disgust, putting his lunchbox back on his table.
Jonghoon leaned over and whispered in my ear. "If anything, you're a traitor."
I felt a chill running down my spine.
Without another word, they grabbed onto my collar and dragged me away from my desk. I shot a glance around the classroom in fear.
The other students were only spectators--none of them did anything, let alone tell the truth.
"You won't escape by yourself and leave them here, will you?" she added.
It seemed like things--horrible things--were running through Junhyung's mind as he slowly clenched fists in anger.
That evil man, Mr. Yoo, had mentioned about the girlfriend's death and AIDS.
I gasped in horror.
Junhyung's going to die soon.
"Make your choice, boys." Mrs. Bae looked at us. "If you're still going ahead with your escape plan--which I doubt will be successful anyways--" she scoffed, "--then you can say goodbye to little Dongwoon here." I could see the auburn-haired kid's eyes widening in fear, sweat dripping down his forehead. I bit my lips anxiously; if we made the wrong move, then we'd lose him.
"Please, let him go!" Yoseob begged.
"Hyung," Dongwoon said, his lower lip trembling. "I'm fine. Just go."
"No!" The blonde's eyes were welling up with tears. "We're not going to let you die!"
"Go." Dongwoon shut his eyes as Mrs. Bae pressed the revolver tightly against his temple. "Don't worry about me."
"No!" Yoseob shook his head stubbornly.
Doojoon and Junhyung were speechless, not knowing what to say.
I clung closer to Hyunseung. What should we do?
There was an intense silence before Doojoon inhaled deeply. "Look, we..." I could see beads of sweat rolling down the side of his face. "We... we'll stay."
We all gawked at him in disbelief. What?
"Just... just d-don't hurt him." He finished the sentence with a gulp. I caught a glimpse of a smirk forming on Mrs. Bae's face.
"What?" Junhyung raised his voice at the black-haired guy, incredulous. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"
Doojoon responded slowly, "We have no other choice." Despite his attempt to stay calm, I detected tremendous fear in his voice.
He's right--we don't.
Me and Hyunseung remained silent while watching the argument escalate into aggression.
"No way I'm getting electrocuted again!" the brunette yelled. "That was some messed-up shit!"
I looked around in fear, hoping no other guards or staff would come because of the loud ruckus; it would only exacerbate things if they did.
"We can't just leave Dongwoon here," Doojoon tried again.
Junhyung retorted, "I'm not staying in this fucked up place!"
Yoseob stood up slowly, his body shaking in fear. "But she'll kill him." However, there was a slight reluctance in his voice. I figured that he, too, wouldn't want to go through the therapy again.
Junhyung glanced at Dongwoon's pale, scared face without a word. Mrs. Bae had tightened her grip around the kid's neck even more (she was practically choking him), her eyes fixed at us without a blink.
Please.
Clicking his tongue, Junhyung kicked the wall in frustration. "Fuck this," he muttered, shaking his head. "I'm out of here." He staggered backwards, walking away.
It caught us all off-guard. "Junhyung!" Doojoon called in panic, not expecting him to turn his back that easily. "Wait!"
Why?
"All of you can stay here and suffer and go to hell," Junhyung yelled at us furiously. "I'm gonna escape alone!" He turned around and left.
I thought he said he couldn't find a way out earlier.
"Wait!" Yoseob went to run after the guy, but Doojoon stopped him.
"Leave him," he said firmly. We watched the brunette disappear to the end of the hallway.
"But how?" the blonde's eyes widened. "How can he...?" he trailed off, his expression a mix of disbelief, disappointment and anger. We all knew what he was going to say.
How can he leave us just like that?
I was becoming more scared. In front of us, Mrs. Bae was smiling in satisfaction. "That was predictable, wasn't it?" she commented nonchalantly. "A society's trash like him only cares about nothing but himself."
I cringed at the cold, ruthless words. The others could only glare at her, not saying anything.
Society's trash.
"So, what's your call?" she challenged us again. "Are you going to save this kid--" she made a clicking noise with the revolver, making us all (especially Dongwoon) flinch in agitation, "--or run after your friend?" she placed a mocking emphasis on the last word.
In reflex, we all turned our attention to Doojoon (somehow, he had become the Room Eleven's leader).
What do we do now?
"...Doojoonie?" Yoseob asked in a tiny voice.
The black-haired guy swallowed. "We'll stay," he said after a while.
We're staying here, I thought to myself bitterly. But we have no other choice. I felt Hyunseung's grip loosening from my hand.
Mrs. Bae stared at the four of us, hard. Dongwoon held his breath anxiously. Then she nodded. "Very well." She loosened her grip around the auburn-haired kid's neck, but still holding the revolver firmly against his head. Suddenly an army of guards emerged from the big metal door a few rooms away. They approached us without warning.
"What--" Hyunseung blinked his eyes, and before he knew it a guard grabbed a hold of him. I held my breath as another one placed his hand on my shoulder and quickly gripped both of my arms.
No!
"Let me go!" Yoseob cried, trying to struggle free from the two guards who clasped a pair of handcuffs around his wrists.
Handcuffs?
Doojoon looked at the handcuffs in alarm. "What is the meaning of this?" he shouted at Mr. Yoo, outraged.
"Just to make sure you won't run away again," he answered coolly. "Nice try, by the way, but no one has ever escaped this place since it first opened."
No way.
"Alcatraz indeed," he added with a chuckle.
"That's right." Mrs. Bae pushed Dongwoon towards the remaining guards.
We exchanged terrified looks.
There's a camera in the common room.
Dongwoon yanked his hands frantically. "Don't touch me," he hissed to the guards who reached out to grab his arms. "Go away!" he tried pushing them away, but they managed to put the handcuffs on him.
"Take him to the morgue," Mr. Yoo instructed.
We froze.
"...Morgue?" Yoseob repeated, uncertain.
The man pushed the rim of his glasses with one finger, nodding. "He knows too much."
He's hiding something about this institute.
"Why, just this morning I caught him heading somewhere else but the dining hall," Mrs. Bae chimed in.
Dongwoon's face turned pale again. "No," he shook his head. "I..." He swallowed a breath in fear.
Did he try to escape as well?
"So I brought him back to his cell." She wrinkled her nose, glancing around the room.
"Take him away," she gestured to Dongwoon. The guards did as they were told.
"No!" Yoseob cried. "Dongwoon!" He tried shaking off the handcuffs.
"Hyung!" The auburn-haired kid was dragged away hopelessly.
Doojoon's expression was full of panic, but he couldn't move due to the guards keeping him still in place.
Dongwoon shot one last look at us before disappearing down the stairs.
I'm scared.
"What about that druggie?" Mrs. Baek turned to Mr. Yoo.
"Leave him be." The man smirked. "He won't get far."
Doojoon and Yoseob exchanged worried glances. Frightened, I looked at Hyunseung (he hadn't say much so far). He seemed paler than ever, and his bony figure was shaking.
Hyunseung?
Suddenly he collapsed to the floor.
I wanted to scream, but no sound came out of my mouth.
"Bring these kids back to Room Eleven." Those were the last words I heard by Mrs. Bae before I was knocked out.
---
"Kikwang-ah!"
I sat on the bed, my back pressed against the wall. Wiping the tears from my eyes, I pulled my legs closer towards my chest.
"Open the door!" Mom called, sounding concerned.
I shook my head, my whole body drenched in cold sweat. I didn't know what happened after I passed out, but when I woke up I was already in the nurse's office. My bags and things were there, and she said I was allowed to go home. Without thanking her, I ran all the way home and locked myself in my room.
"Kikwang-ah, what's wrong?" The knocks were getting louder. I still wouldn't let them in.
I held my breath. It was still there--the cold, slippery feeling on my skin. My heart was pounding so hard, and I remembered their last words as they threw me into the garbage disposal.
"Tell us, what happened?" It was Dad's voice this time.
My eyes widened in fear; memories of that horrifying game had returned. I buried myself under the blanket, but their mocking faces kept flashing in my mind. I could still hear the cruel laughter.
"Kikwang-ah!"
Shaking, I pressed my palms against my ears.
"No."
I didn't want to hear anything.
"Lee Kikwang, I want you to open this door right now!"
"No." My voice was quivering. "I'm not going back," I repeated those words to myself, like a mantra.
Mom and Dad kept calling my name and banging on the door, but I didn't budge. I looked up at the bright light on the ceiling. Once again, drops of tears stained the pillow one by one.
I didn't want to be locked up in the dark anymore.