CHAPTER TEN

Little boy, aren’t you supposed to be a saint? Saints are supposed to be good, purely good. Then, what are we supposed to call you, little saint, who fell in love with a murderer? Stop lying to yourself and everybody else. That’s the only way you’ll stop hurting yourself.

Taekwoon let out a dry laugh as he stood behind his door, his hand on the doorknob. He knew that eavesdropping was wrong and it was an honest mistake, but Taekwoon couldn’t find it in him to either let go of the door and go back to his bed or go out and act like he had heard nothing, although, of course, he had already expected this much from Wonshik.

Taekwoon sighed and was about to open his door when he heard another door open and close. Not long after, he hears Hakyeon’s voice, seemingly talking to the two boys outside. “You’re not supposed to talk about that, Wonshik,” Hakyeon says (at least, Taekwoon thinks) to Wonshik, the usual cheery tone of his voice gone. The younger male mutters his answer, making it hard for Taekwoon to hear it.

The boy finally realizes what he had been doing and walks away from the door. Taekwoon runs a hand through his hair and sighs as he sits down on the chair beside his bed. Not long after, he hears someone knocking on his door, Hakyeon’s voice following soon after. “T-Taekwoon, come one, we have to go,” he heard the elder’s voice waver, his front falter.

Of course, Taekwoon doesn’t say anything. Even when the two of them were walking towards the elevator, with Hakyeon chatting next to him, he says nothing. Even when they walk pass Jaehwan, the latter asking where they’re going and Hakyeon saying an obvious (for Taekwoon) lie, he says nothing. Even when they get off the van after riding it for a few hours and stopping in front of an old building, he still says nothing. However, this time, it wasn’t voluntary; Jung Taekwoon didn’t know what to say.

The two boys were in front of an old building, somewhere in the outskirts of Seoul. Taekwoon was pretty sure it was a couple of miles away from the city because he could no longer see any of the tall structures the bustling city had. All the boy could see were trees, trees and more trees. There was an endless view of nothing but trees, and the old building.

Taekwoon was about to ask the older what is it that they’d be doing but decided against it when he felt the boy stiffen. Even though the two boys were a few meters apart, Taekwoon could feel Hakyeon’s nervousness, more so when the boy decides to speak. “L-let’s g-go in, Taekwoon, we shouldn’t keep them waiting, after all,” Hakyeon says, putting a small (nervous) smile on his face.

The younger boy just nods and wordlessly follows Hakyeon as he enters the building. The inside of it was exactly how Taekwoon had imagined it; it was old and gray. There were mold in some corners of one of the rooms, though Taekwoon didn’t really give much thought of it.

It was when Hakyeon was getting pulled away that Taekwoon finally opened his mouth. “What are you doing to him?” Taekwoon asked the adult who was pulling the older boy. The boy’s face and voice were void of any emotion but his eyes were shooting daggers to the adult. The adult’s gaze faltered for a short while before its usual empty gaze returned.

“This doesn’t concern you, little boy. Stay here and wait for further instructions from the higher ups,” the adult said as he returned to pulling Hakyeon away. Taekwoon looked at the elder who wasn’t even fighting back. The boy actually looked tired; like he had done this a thousand times. It was then that Taekwoon came to a horrifying conclusion; that Hakyeon had done it a thousand times. He shivered when Hakyeon looked at him, the older boy’s eyes empty and unfocused.

“Let’s just get this over with,”

Author's Note: Here comes the tenth chapter. This was supposed to be updated yesterday but I wasn't able to finish it. I couldn't do it earlier as well, 'coz I had school. There are no questions for this chapter, though you can still continue answering the BONUS question. The reason why they're scared of being called will be revealed in the next chapter. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. Leave comments. Thank you.