The Tells of a Different Childhood

50. Small Talk

Not this shit again. 

"So you're the last one left huh?"

He was tired. 

Everything hurt. the blood that kept on dripping down his throat made his stomach upset. Blood was dripping into his eye, and although it hurt, he was forcing himself to keep it open as he couldn't risk keeping one eye closed against his opponent. 

His handler, he never heard his name now that he thinks about it, twirled the knife in his hand. Eager for him to make the first move and show his skills. 

He just wanted to go back. 

He didn't ask to be part of the numbered. 

All he wanted was to survive and live peacefully. But if that meant that he had to go through the hellish test to determine their ranks. 

So be it. 

The men standing at the edge of the ring grumbled at the lack of action. They had been the ones to document who was going down one by one so they could start assigning numbers. 

He was the only one left, so he knew what that meant. 

And he hated every minute of it. 

"Come on you little pussy," His handler snarled out, having that crazy look in his eye that he had long learned to avoid when it was present. 

"Show me what you got." 

-------------

"Should...we wake him up...?"

"Don't," Seokju said firmly, rubbing sleep out of his eyes as he sat up in his bed. The others looked at him, their faces barely visible in the moonlight," Ijin grew up in a bad area. I'm sure he won't react well if we try to wake him up now." 

Hyeokjin made a sound of understanding, but the entire situation still wasn't sitting well with him. 

After hearing that Ijin had never experienced a sleepover, they quickly organized one for the man. 

Which led them to the current experience. 

In between Seokju and Yeongchan, in the bed closest to the door, was Ijin. Twitching and muttering under his breath in a mix of Korean and his second language. Tossing and turning as his nightmare continued. 

They exchanged glances. All of them were uneasy at the way their ever so stoic friend was experiencing such turmoil in his sleep. They were all propped up on their elbows, Hyeokjin peaking over the ledge of his bed as they watched Ijin in his restless sleep. 

Jaehyung was chewing on his lip nervously, obviously yearning to reach out for their friend to try and snap him out of it. 

But as Seokju said, they all knew that Ijin had grown up in a very hostile place, and they weren't too sure how he was going to react if they tried to shake him awake. While they would expect it, none of them wanted to get pinned or punched by startling their friend awake. 

There was a sharp breath and within half a second, they were all lying back down as if they were asleep. 

They could hear him breathing slowly to get his breathing back in control, and then a violent string of curses that had been muttered to express his anger. 

Ijin had told them that he used to cuss a lot but damn.

It was tense as they heard the shuffling of blankets, feet on the floor, and then the sound of the door shutting close. 

Almost immediately, Jaehyung shot up to stare right into Hyeokjins eyes, motioning for the teenager to follow their friend to check on him. 

Seokju and Yeongchan were also motioning for him to do the same, and Hyeokjin already knew that he had lost that battle. 

Flipping the others off, he climbed out of the bed to follow Ijin. 

Don't get him wrong. He loved the guy, Ijin was a great guy and a friend, especially once you got past his stoic exterior. 

He was just scared of saying the wrong thing. 

A glance at the living room clock informed him that it was nearly three in the morning. Far too late for either his mother or his siblings to be awake at the moment. 

The moment he stepped out of his bedroom, Ijin glanced at him over his shoulder before looking back forward again. What Ijin was looking at as he leaned against the wall across from the balcony, he didn't know. But it wasn't going to stop him from checking up on him. 

Silently, he stood next to Ijin, looking out the window as his friend was. "You good?"

"Yes," based on the way Ijin was back to his stiff answers, he knew that Ijin was not fine. 

But at the same time, he also knew that it was the best he was going to get out of the guy, so he didn't bother pushing. Ijin was surprisingly stubborn at times. 

"Sorry for waking you."

Hyeokjin waved him off, his eyes tracing the few constellations he knew," It's fine. I was thirsty."

Ijin hummed in a way that where Hyeokjin just knew that he didn't buy the lie, but either one of them didn't comment on it.

They didn't speak. Ijin was the type where he could sit in awkward silence for quite a long time. Though that habit was annoying sometimes, Hyeokjin was internally grateful that he didn't have to fill the void with words or small talk. 

"How do you feel about murderers?" 

He blinked in surprise once, and then twice. 

What?

That was sudden.

He shot a glance towards his friend, slightly confused by the question, before he faced forward again," I think they're pieces of shit. It might be cruel of me, but I don't think they have a right to life after they take someones elses life. What right to life do they have that the victim didn't?" Hyeokjin huffed, it was way too early to answer such a heavy question, but he still continued," its one thing if its self-defense, but to actively look for someone to kill? I think that's a person who doesn't deserve to live."

And for some reason. 

Hyeokjin felt like he just made a really big mistake. 

Ijin hummed in response and without looking at him, he turned to walk towards the door," I'm going for a jog."

Before he could stop him, Ijin was already out the front door, his footsteps walking away from the door until they slowly faded away. 

Shit. 

He doesn't know how but he most definitely fucked up.