𝐙𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝟏𝟐𝟎𝟔 | 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑩𝑶𝒀𝒁

PART III: THE GANG

2021, January 15

Inhaling the toxic smoke from the cigar, Sunwoo had his eyes closed. Many thoughts are running around his mind. It was like there is a thunderstorm inside his head.

"Bullshit," Sunwoo muttered with the cigarette stick in between his plump lips. "I just wanted to leave this place, for real."

Across Sunwoo, there a guy stood with an eyebrow raised. "You're gonna leave me out here?" he asks Sunwoo while swinging his bass guitar on his left hand.

"Ah, Lee Giwook," Sunwoo groaned the other male's name. "Why would I leave you in this shitty place?" he asks the latter before holding the cigarette stick in between his fingers. "We grew up together and we've been through so many things."

"Mmhmm," Giwook hummed while giving a judging look towards Sunwoo.

Confusion drew all over Sunwoo's face when he saw Giwook giving him such a look. "Why the fuck are you looking at me like that?"

"Because I ain't convinced on what you said," Giwook shrugged before hugging his beloved bass guitar.

Sunwoo then rolled his eyes before placing back the cigar in between his lips. "Fuck you, seriously," he mouthed out after.

The other lad only let out a chuckle before nudging Sunwoo's shoulder with his own and said, "Just take me wherever you want. I'll always stick with you, Sun."

"As you should," Sunwoo stated and dropped the remains of his cigarette on the ground before stepping on it. "We survived this purge together for almost twenty one years already. There's no way that I would leave you in here."

Smiling, Giwook nodded his head. "Ah, by the way," he began. "Remember the note that I got by that morning after the killing spree?" he questions Sunwoo.

"What about it?"

"I think it is trying to say that the survivors of this year's killing spree has the chance to leave Zone 1206," stated Giwook. "Only if the mastermind could be identified and killed," he added after.

Biting the inside of his cheeks, Sunwoo thought for a while. If that's true, then him and Giwook has a big chance on leaving Zone 1206 after the purge by the end of the year.

"Some of the rules differentiated four years ago, right? And that was the last time that the rules were changed," Sunwoo pondered, now with his mouth agape.

"The mastermind must've moved here way back in the year 2017," Giwook said, matching the conclusion that Sunwoo have on his mind.

Sunwoo then eyed Giwook with a dark smile playing on his lips. The latter seemed to be taken aback by the sudden change in Sunwoo's action.

"What are you trying to think?" asked Giwook.

"We need to find and kill that mastermind before the purge on this year happens," said Sunwoo, eyes now on the ground.

Just at that exact moment, faint footsteps could be heard behind the two boys. Another guy walked in inside the abandoned place, casually taking steps towards Sunwoo and Giwook.

"Care to share the tea?" the newly arrived, Bae Jinyoung, asks the two boys as he halted his steps before them.

"None of your business for now," Sunwoo hissed.

"Alright," Jinyoung mouthed out. "Yoon Sanha asked me to call you two in here since he wanted to ask if y'all wanted to leave Zone 1206 for this day."

"And where are we going exactly?" asked Giwook.

"Clubbing," Jinyoung briefly responded. "Choi Bomin is also coming," he added after.

"Hell yeah!" Giwook cheered before running outside the abandoned place with his bass guitar.

Jinyoung could only shake his head at the way Giwook acted before looking at Sunwoo. "So, are you coming with us or what?" he asks the latter.

"Us?" Sunwoo repeated. "That means you are also coming?"

"What's wrong with that?" Jinyoung asked, all confused.

"I thought you are only into academic shits and all," Sunwoo shrugged before he swung his left arm and hung it on Jinyoung's shoulder. "You should explore more, Bae Jinyoung."

"Maybe I should," said Jinyoung.

"You must," Sunwoo corrected before they began walking out of the place.

A group of boys were already waiting for them outside, chatting randomly. Sunwoo would lie to himself if he would say that he doesn't miss his other friends.

"Yo, Kim Sunwoo," Park Jihoon greeted as soon as he saw a glimpse of Sunwoo. "How have you been?" he asks the latter.

"I should be the one asking you that," Sunwoo stated before pointing out the horizontal scar that is located in between Jihoon's right eye and his mole underneath right before his cheekbone.

Jihoon sighed exasperatedly before pouting his lips. "It ruined my handsome face, but hey, at least I killed the one who did it."

"And he almost killed you too," Hwang Hyunjin chimes in.

Jihoon and Hyunjin started to fight each other with words, making them look like toddlers who are fighting over a candy.

"Won't you bring your girlfriend with you?" Giwook asked as he walked up to Sunwoo.

"Nah," Sunwoo breathed out. "She would literally watch me all the time and scream on my face when I dance with some random girl there."

"She'd be mad at you for not telling her that you went clubbing," Giwook concluded.

Chuckling softly, Sunwoo then gave Giwook a look. "At least I already did clubbing and made out with a random girl," he stated with a shrug.

"Fucking cheater," Giwook chortles. "I feel bad for your girl."

"And I feel bad for you not having a girl," Sunwoo teased, making Giwook to chase him around the other boys.