*Rated for language use*

------3 years later------

Taebaek, Gangwon – Korea, Year 2023 (Winter)- Day 932

“I will ing kill you today. How dare you steal from us!” the warden roared angrily as he raised his hand, ready to smash his fist into the younger boy’s face. Shooting up from where you knelt, you caught his larger stronger fist in your hands, bracing yourself for his anger.

“I’m sorry sir, please let him go. He’s still a child,” you pleaded, refusing to let go of his hand even though he waved it around angrily. With a hard shove, you crashed onto the floor, wincing slightly, knowing that it was going to bruise tomorrow. Pushing his foot against your chest, he pounded your chest harshly causing you bite your lip. You refused to let yourself cry out in pain even after a kick to your stomach that left you breathless.

“Noona1!” the boy cried in horror, watching the warden rain hits upon your tiny body again and again. The wardens showed no mercy; never discriminating against age or gender. Should there be a reason, whether true or fabricated, they took it as a chance to vent their anger, beating up the poor victim till they felt satisfied.

It was a vicious chain of anger; where the Holy Governor punished the head members of the Holy Government. They would then vent their anger on the Directors, who would take it out on the employees. The normal employees would then beat up the camp wardens, who would ultimately beat up the captured camp inmates. It was a brutal and disgusting cycle, since all it meant was that children your age or younger.  were eventually used as punching bags by people twice their age and size.

You were eleven this year, three birthdays had passed since you were betrayed by the Governess, who sold your parents out for money. Three years since you had been captured and thrown into this hellhole. You remembered waking in a bleak and dark room, the back of your head throbbing from the heavy impact. The room was empty, save for a hard mattress and a dirty cracked mirror.

Initially, you didn't understand why you were locked in this camp, but after a painful lesson, you learnt that the most important rule in this place was to never ask questions. Other rules were enforced strictly and disobedience was punished physically; no stealing food, no fighting back. You were given two sets of clothes, a stark contrast to the vast wardrobe you had grown up with. Each day, you had two meals of rice with cold soup, drastically insufficient for growing children.

For the last three years, you saw numerous children being dragged into the camp, each of them no more than seven. There were a few boys who were older than you, a few your age, but most of them were younger than you.

You were brought back from your thoughts when a hard fist flew across your head causing you to groan softly. You never once understood how these men could beat children up so mercilessly. Weren’t they once children as well? How could any human commit such treacherous acts without even flinching?

Perhaps they simply weren’t human.

“Jongin. Leave,” you implored the younger boy, after the warden slapped you across the face. Usually, these men didn’t care who they were beating; it could have been the perpetrator, or simply anyone they happen to chance upon. To these beasts, it didn’t matter at all.

“But, noona,” he called out, reaching out tentatively to you, not wanting to see you get beaten up for the mistake he made. His eyes welled up with tears of regret and guilt while you mustered a small comforting smile on your face.

“Go Jongin, noona is fine. Go back to our room and talk to Han ge2. Don’t tell your hyungs3 anything, understand? Go on now,” you encouraged. Ignoring you, he stood his ground, refusing to leave as he grabbed the hand of the warden.

“Stop hitting my noona!” he shouted angrily as your eyes widened, watching as the man swing his fist at the small child. Moving quickly, you hugged him protectively, as the hit rained upon your back, causing you to cough out, tasting iron in your mouth. You must have broken a rib or something, seeing how you were coughing out blood.

“Jongin. Leave now, if not I won’t ever talk to you again. Leave!” you screamed, pushing him slightly as he took small steps before breaking into a run, disappearing around the corner before looking over his shoulder once more. You gave him a comforting smile, reassuring him it was ok. Just then, you felt a heavy object slam across your back.

“You little . You think you’re such a hero? We have wanted to kill that ing thieving kid for a while, who do you think you are?” he roared, pulling you up by your collar harshly. Hanging like a rag doll, he threw you against the wall with a heavy thud, causing you to whimper slightly.  

“We’re going to the punishment cell, I’ll let you see what busybodies get,” he sneered as he kicked you, as you frowned slightly, wincing in pain. The punishment cell was the worst, there you had no food, and they forced you to do inhumane punishments, such as pushups as they whipped your back or forcing you to drink water before punching your stomach till you hurled it out. They wanted to train subordination; to deter you from fight back.

But no matter how many times they beat you up, you never once allowed your mind weaken. You would not let them destroy you, no matter how tough it was because you knew that there was a glimmer of hope somewhere. That someday, you would escape with your family, to a brighter and safer place.

It was about twelve hours later that that man finally had enough. It was definitely the worst you had ever endured. He made you swallow water before punching your stomach and forcing you to vomit out the water, before making you do 200 pushups on the while he whipped your back.

Your shirt was torn and soaked with your blood while you staggered back to the room, knocking softly on the door. You shared this room with five other boys, with the oldest being Luhan, with Baekhyun, Chanyeol, Jongin and Sehun. You were the same age as Baekhyun and Chanyeol, two years younger than Luhan, and almost three years older than Jongin and Sehun.

The six of you had arrived at different times; Jongin first came in a few weeks after you did, followed by Sehun.  Hence, the six of you lived like siblings, supporting each other through the hardships you faced during your time in this camp.

However, you had a special bond with Jongin and Sehun, having raised them since they first came in at the tender age of eight. Together with Luhan, the two of you supported this family, making sure that the whole family remained well and safe. That was why you didn't hesitate to take the hit on Jongin’s behalf. You knew that if Jongin had been on the receiving end, he may not have had it as easily as you did. Those men were sure to beat him till he was hanging onto life by a thread, and that was not a gamble you would like to make.

Knocking once more softl