07: Enemy

      Suzy's eyes were fixed on district four; Joo-hyuk's district. 

The love of her life was right there, right before her eyes. She wanted to run up to him and hug him and feel his warmth, but she knew that their district leader would probably slit and have her killed (not literally). 

"Suzy," Myungsoo clicked his finger. "Pay attention." 

Suzy nodded and held the knife in her hand, staring at the large target infront of her.

"Watch my hand," he stood beside her and flipped his knife. "Grip your knife by the handle between your thumb and the second knuckle of your middle finger as close to the end as possible."

"Got it,"

"The next thing to do is assume your throwing stance," Irene stepped up and grabbed Suzy's shoulder, squaring her shoulder toward the target. "Since this is your first time, we're only going to practice 15 feet from the target and adjust the target based on how you do."

"15 feet," Suzy gasped under her breath as she gulped.

"Raise the knife like you're about to hammer a nail into a wall at eye level infront of you."

Suzy raised her arm and flinched as Irene gripped her arm and fixed her posture roughly.

"Watch," she stepped up. "Reach back, and step into a moderate throw." Irene threw the knife at the target, hitting perfect bullseye. 

Suzy stared at Irene in awe as she walked up to the target and pulled out the knife nonchalantly. She folded her knife and slipped it back in to her pocket, gesturing for Suzy to take her turn. 

She gulped and threw the knife at the target, hitting the ring outside the bullseye. 

"Not bad," Irene nodded. 

She walked up to the target and pulled it back another 5 feet, gesturing for Suzy to throw. 

'I..t's too far Irene," Suzy stuttered. "I'll miss."

"It's ok," she smiled. "Just try."

Suzy threw the knife and dodged as the knife bounced off the target against the walls, piercing itself right infront of Myungsoo's foot.

"Yeah," Myungsoo nodded. "We're going to need some practice."

---

"Come on," Irene called. "We're grabbing some food here."

"I'll be there soon," Suzy nodded awkwardly as she watched the two leaders and Zico disappear in to the corner.

She hid behind the wall and watched as Joo-hyuk ran around the empty gymnasium, his footsteps echoing around the empty space. His tall height, his brown hair, his milky skin, his smile- everything about him was the same.

She didn't know how he got here, and the fact that she had to compete against him made her anxious because she knew that both of them couldn't come out alive together. 

She walked down to the gymnasium, toward Joo-hyuk whose back faced her as he sat down and gulped down his water bottle. She felt her eyes getting warm as she got closer to him; she felt like she was back home, meeting Joo-hyuk in their college gymnasium. 

She stood behind him as she watched him wipe the sweat off his forehead.

"Joohyuk?"  

He turned around, dropping his water bottle at the sight of Suzy right before him, tearing up.

"Suzy," he gasped as he ran up to her and pulled her in to his embrace, hugging her so tightly. She wrapped her arms around his waist and sobbed in his embrace, letting out all the emotions she felt over the past few days of her stay.

"You're alive," Joohyuk gasped as he wiped the tears off her face and hugged her once again.  

     The two sat down on the floor, only the empty space around them. She held his hand tightly and looked around the entire place, sighing in fear.  She wanted to see Joohyuk back at home, not here. 

"Ever since your car accident, everyone thought you were dead. For over a year we couldn't find your body so we assumed you were dead-"

"Wait," Suzy blurted. "A year?"

"Did you hurt your memory-"

"I've been here for only a few days Joohyuk, a year couldn't have already passed."

"What are you talking about? Back there, it's been a year since you disappeared."

Suzy stared at Joohyuk in awe, not sure what to say. 

If what Joohyuk was saying was true, it meant time in Rubicon was going slower, way slower than it was supposed to be. This meant that the others who had been been here earlier would be missing for longer than a human could be alive. 

This meant..

Some of the people here weren't even born in the same time period as Suzy.

"This is crazy," she gasped. "Joo-hyuk, time flows a year slower here. Do you understand what that means? If we don't get out of here fast, everyone that will be waiting for us back home will be gone. They'll be dead."

"Hold up," he blinked twice. "Why is everyone here talking nonsense?"

'What are you talking about Joo-hyuk?"

"Woohyun, my district leader told me that there's going to be a district sports carnival in two weeks and that.. the original nominee pulled out.  Now you're telling me that time flows a year slower here, what is this place Suzy?"

Suzy gasped, unable to say a word.

Joo-hyuk wasn't even aware of the games; he wasn't aware of anything that was happening around here. 

The leader had pushed death toward Joohyuk. 

"No," she whispered. "No."

She stood up and ran towards the cafeteria, where everyone had gathered together for lunch.

"Suzy!" Joohyuk yelled as he chased after her into the large cafeteria. 

He chased Suzy who sprinted through the people walking by with their food tray, searching for Woohyun and his female leader. She felt so much anger boil up inside her heart as she realized that because his district had the largest number of people, getting rid of Joohyuk meant nothing to them. 

She panted as she spotted Woohyun by the far corner, slowly eating his risotto. 

"Suzy-" Myungsoo stood up as he saw Suzy stomp toward Woohyun with a pissed face.

"Well isn't this the pretty face-"

"You're a dirty cheat," Suzy spat as Woohyun blinked twice, staring into Suzy's eyes. 

"What's the matter darling?" Suzy slapped off Woohyun's hand that wrapped around her and glared at him. She watched as his facial expression grew a little darker, looking at the entire crowd whose eyes were fixed on them. 

"You really don't know what I'm talking about?" 

Woohyun raised an eyebrow and glared at Suzy with the dirtiest look she had ever seen in her life. 

"You tricked Joo-hyuk in to saying the game was an athletic carnival and switched the original nominee for the game." 

The entire cafeteria began to murmur amongst themselves as some of the people shot cold glares at Woohyun who glared at Suzy with a stern face. She could see he was clearly pissed off for cutting down his image in public, but she didn't care. 

"Switch him back."

Woohyun approached Suzy and scanned her entire body, scoffing. 

"I think it's easier for him to just.. kill you off."

"That's enough," Myungsoo pushed Suzy behind him and glared at Woohyun who chuckled back at him. 

"You better take care of your kids," Woohyun shoved Myungsoo on the chest and trashed his food tray in the bin, the rest of his district following behind him. 

     Myungsoo grabbed Suzy's wrist and stormed out of the cafeteria, entering the glass walled room that they were in the morning. She watched as Myungsoo walked back and forth, trying to contain his anger. 

Les Jours Tranquilles - Andre Gagnon

"What were you thinking?" he blurted. 

"Joohyuk is my boyfriend," she blurted back. "I have to protect him-"

"You know you can't call a stranger your boyfriend just because he's good looking and tall-"

"No," she groaned. "We were lovers, back at home."

     Myungsoo watched as Suzy's eyes began to water, holding in her tears with all her might. He sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder, a million thoughts rushing through his head. Myungsoo had never encountered this sort of situation before, and he wasn't sure how to deal with it because to him, love was a thing that was long forgotten. It had been so long since he'd been in Rubicon that he had forgotten all loving memories of back home; yet he was trying so hard to get there.

"I know love is a powerful thing," he sighed. "But in two weeks, he could potentially be the one that kills you."

"No, Joohyuk would never kill me."

"You have to live Suzy, and only the duo from the same district can come out alive."

"But if the games have changed they might change the rules also-"

"Listen," he said firmly. "Back at home, it is a place full of love and trust and we could love anyone we wanted. But down here, trusting the other districts is like digging your own grave. I understand how fond you are of this Joohyuk,  but as long as you're down here, he's no longer your boyfriend. And as long as he is competing against you, he is your enemy."

Suzy's legs turned to jelly at that word and collapsed to the floor. 

She could never call Joo-hyuk her enemy. How could she?

Myungsoo crouched down infront of her and hugged her lightly, muffling her cries in his embrace.

Irene and Zico watched from outside the door as Suzy continued to cry her sorrows and fears out. 

"It's going to be a long journey for her," Irene sighed. "I've seen alot of weak members, but I've never seen one cry over someone they love."

Zico watched Suzy silently.

It was a strange sensation, but he almost saw Se-young in her.