CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

“N-no! Stop it! Don’t hurt him! Hyung!” Wonshik yells as he struggle to break free from the tight grip the uniformed male had on his wrists. The seven-year old boy’s tears begin to fall as he sees the older boy get punished because of him; because he didn’t do his job well. “No. Please. I’m begging you. Don’t,” Wonshik pleads, his legs shaking and his face red from crying.

“You know what you have to do, Wonshik. You’re the only one who can protect your precious hyung. All you have to do is pull the trigger, finish the job, and he won’t get hurt. It’s that simple,” the man holding the older boy says as his grip slightly loosens. He simply watches with a smirk on his face as the young boy crumble in front of him.

By this time, Wonshik was now on his knees, his eyes unfocused and his face messy with dried up tears. “I-I’ll do it. J-Just don’t hurt him,” Wonshik says, his voice hoarse and quiet. The man’s smirk widens. He couldn’t believe it would work. He had found it; the right buttons to push, the ropes to pull. Kim Wonshik was now his puppet.

The uniformed men leave, leaving behind the two boys. Wonshik crawls towards the older male, taking his hand into his own and starts rubbing his palms together to warm the boy’s freezing hand. “Hyung,” Wonshik’s tears start again at the sight of the older boy. “I’m sorry hyung. T-This is all my fault. If-If I had done my job, if I didn’t hesitate, this wouldn’t have happened to you, hyung. I’m s-so sorry,” Wonshik says in between his sobs.

“I-It’s not y-your fault, Wonshik-ah,” the older boy mutters though he finds it difficult to speak. The boy had bruises on his body, a swollen ankle and a busted lip. The boy was just starting to stabilize his breathing when one of his deeper wounds suddenly opens up and starts bleeding.

Wonshik’s eyes widen as he looks at the amount of blood flowing out of the older boy’s body. He panics as he attempt to stop the blood, clumsily applying pressure on the wound. “No. No. Don’t sleep hyung. Don’t. Keep your eyes open. Hyung-,”

“Hakyeon-hyung!” Wonshik exclaims as he jolts awake, his body covered in sweat despite of the cold room. He notices Taekwoon standing by the doorframe with his arms crossed. Hongbin appears behind him, holding a glass of water.

Hongbin approaches Wonshik and gives him the glass of water who drinks it in one shot. “Is something wrong, Wonshik? You were screaming and turning in your sleep. Also-,” Hongbin gives Taekwoon a wary look who nods his head. “You were calling out to Hakyeon, saying to not hurt him. What were you dreaming about?” Hongbin asks Wonshik who gives the two of them wary looks before looking down at his fists.

“It seemed so real. I don’t even know if it was a dream or a memory,”

---

Jaehwan and Sanghyuk take in the information Hakyeon had just told them; that Taekwoon, Wonshik and Hongbin were in the same city, looking for them and ready to kill them if ever they acted out. “They’re no longer the same people. They-Their memories have been erased, if not altered. They no longer see us as friends but traitors who have gone against the administration. According to what I’ve observed today, their orders are to bring us back unharmed, but that doesn’t mean they won’t raise arms against us if ever the need arises,” Hakyeon explains.

Hakyeon’s expression saddens. “If ever we get caught, we’re bound to face the same fate as the three of them. Remember, this was and still is an experiment,” Hakyeon pauses. “There is, fortunately, a glimmer of hope for the three of them,”

Jaehwan’s eyes widen. “What is it hyung?” If there was still a way to return them to normal, Jaehwan wanted to know. He wanted to know so that he could do it; so that he could bring back the boys he had learned to call his family.

“I think…the memory alteration wasn’t completed. They still recognize us subconsciously,”

i'm so sorry for the overdue update. it's not an excuse, i know, but i've just been so busy with school, i haven't even gotten a lot of sleep the past weeks. but i know it's long overdue which is why i decided to finish this chapter up. as you can see, it's in a different format than the other chapters. also. BIG NEWS. THIS STORY WILL BE ENDING IN A FEW MORE CHAPTERS, OR RATHER, THIS BOOK (PART 1) WILL BE ENDING IN A FEW CHAPTERS. THE NEXT BOOK (PART 2) WILL BE POSTED WHEN I FINISH THIS. IT'LL BE ENTITLED "Black Paradise: Where Monsters are Created"  I DECIDED TO SEPARATE THE PARTS BECAUSE I'LL BE USING A DIFFERENT WRITING STYLE WITH THE NEXT BOOK WHICH MEANS CHAPTERS WILL BE, ALTHOUGH SLIGHTLY, LONGER THAN THIS. i'll update you in the process soon.