Chapter 17
Code Name LMyungSoo lay on his blanket spread across the floor along with the others. He heard all of their shallow breathing and the slight sound of DongWoo mumbling in his sleep. MyungSoo couldn't bring himself to sleep.
"Hyung..." a groggy voice whispered.
MyungSoo turned to his left, facing SungJong.
"Why aren't you sleeping?" The younger said, wiping his eyes.
"I will... soon," MyungSoo said.
SungJong nodded and pulled his blanket higher.
"Hyung."
"Yeah?"
SungJong hesitated, "Have you... ever killed anyone?"
"No," MyungSoo whispered back, "Our service is not like that. We catch them and put them in jail."
"But... it's hard, isn't it? I mean, being on edge and being in really dangerous situations."
There was a silence.
"Hyung?"
MyungSoo shifted in his blanket, making SungJong realize he was tiptoeing on a sensitive topic.
"Sorry. I shouldn't ask you this kind of stuff," SungJong whispered.
"No, it's okay, I'll tell you about it.
My memories are vague, but I do remember waking up in the infirmary of the facility's hospital. I was 9 then. I was shaking because it was freezing. But DaeYeol's father had told me I got into quite a bad accident. My head was pretty boggled. My body wouldn't stop shaking.
"MyungSoo, do you remember me?" He asked.
I nodded, "Mr. Lee."
He started tearing up and held me close, "I thought I lost you."
He wrapped a warm blanket around me. I felt the tight bandage around my head and the memories flooded in.
Right, I was with EunWoo and SanHa. Of course, they wouldn't give kids dangerous missions. When you're under 16, you don't go out into the real world. You stay in the facility and train for the day you are actually old enough. EunWoo, SanHa, and I were in charge of picking up the litter in the courtyard. We came out after dinner because that's when all the older kids are done with training and head up to their dorms. But as much as it seemed like a pretty nice place, it was nothing near. The older kids bullied us. Badly. Their training was for attacking the bad guys, but it was like the younger kids were practice punching bags. At that age, I just thought they were doing it because they were bored. But now that I look back at that time, the majority of the agents recruited were from the orphanage. Some were abused and that would explain their sometimes hostile behavior. Back then, the SSS didn't know about this problem. But now, they have therapy for all of us.
Anyway, that day, a few older kids came out to the courtyard for some fresh air, but of course, they spotted us.
"Hey, kid, come here," one of them said. He was the leader of that 'clique'. I never learned their names because we weren't allowed to call each other by our real names. Only code names. His code name was Ji. I came out of the bush. He grabbed my trash bag and dumped out all of the trash I collected.
"Hey!" I shouted, grabbing the trash bag.
He laughed right in my face. I quickly picked up the trash.
"Yah, let's take out the trash today," Ji said to his "followers."
And before I could even look up, they grabbed me.
"Put me down!" I screamed, kicking my feet.
"Shut it!" One of them said.
"I'm telling Mr. Lee if you don't put my friend down!" SanHa shouted. He was 7 then.
"Yeah, yeah," Ji brushed EunWoo and SanHa off to the side, and the older kids took off, still being held by one of them.
We reached an emergency door exit of the facility. Ji pulled out a key card from his pocket.
"Dude, where did you get that?!" One of them whispered, looking around to make sure no one saw.
"Teacher Kim is very easy to pickpocket," Ji smirked.
They made way for him. He scanned the card and the door beeped. They all gasped as the door unlocked.
"Come on, come on!" Ji rushed.
They all ran out the door and threw me onto the hard dirt. Outside the facility was all woods. The facility was in a very remote area. Basically the middle of
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