He only kept running, despite his feet pleading for a few minutes of rest. But there was absolutely no time for him to pause in his tracks. They were too close, and right on his trail. If he halted now, he'd be brought back there again. Of course, he was properly fed and tended for, however, this was not the lifestyle he opted for. He only wished to be deemed as ordinary, to be able to presume a life with no manuals or coded materials. If he just kept running, maybe they will eventually admit defeat and set him free. 

But even if this was his twenty-eighth time doing so, he was still only human. They will catch him. They always did.

There was nothing but dirt, and trees, and stray twigs or rocks along the ground. He didn't take note of them until they met the padding of his bare feet. There was already a few scratches and scars from the last attempt he made to escape, and etches of band-aids that had been placed for recovery, but ripped off after quite some time. He was now in the same position as always.

They will show up in approximately twenty seconds. And they will drag him back.

Ten seconds had passed, and he was already more than antsy. He didn't bother slowing down. There was no reason to. If he did so, his chances of escaping would become slimmer than they already were. Any opportunity of freedom was worth pursuing, even if the outcome remained the same. It didn't hurt to try.

It now came down to the wire. With only three seconds left, he heard rummaging in the distance, much closer than he hoped for. They were near, and they were only getting nearer.

He kept moving, and so did they. But outrunning them was on the edge of impossible. It always had been. His head craned to project his gaze behind him, and to his terror, they were there. More than the usual count of them. And the wheels of history started to replay again. For the twenty-eighth time, his frame immediately hit the floor into unconsciousness without much of a warning. And he was dragged back, to the place he despised of most.

- - -

When he woke, there was a surge of pain gnawing at his skull. It took him quite some time before his vision unclouded, and his hearing senses to kick back in. He was on his back, laying still in a bed with bright lights burning overhead. The room was empty other than these and a man beside the door who he had come to recognize by now. The boy's persistence kicked in, and he jerked his leg to remove himself from the bed, however, a bracer had been attached onto his ankle, which connected him to the footing of the bed. 

"Why must you always insist on leaving us?" A voice from the door called out. The owner of it was a middle-aged man with a stern expression fixed onto his features. He seemed disappointed, as always, "We treat you with nothing but care here. We supply you with a roof over your head, clothing, food. What more do you wish for?"

Byunghun's eyes narrowed at the man, but he didn't reply right away. A cough had interrupted his intentions in doing so. He hunched over onto his side as blood spilled out from his throat, painting the sheets underneath.

His eyes met the man's only moments later with an apparent glare, "Freedom. I don't want to do this anymore. I never did, actually."

The man shook his head as if ashamed of Byunghun's response, "Byunghun. You have a wonderful gift. It'd be a shame not to put it to good use. Think of how much you'll be contributing to your government, how many lives you will save."

"None." Byunghun forced himself to sit up, propped by his arms, "I'm not saving anybody this way. I'll be killing more people."

"Nonsense. You'll be saving your people from the people out there."

"The people outside our borders are not any less than human." Byunghun huffed, "I cannot assist in ensuring their death."

The man remained completely silent for a given moment, peering straight at the frail boy on the mattress. He didn't say much else, but his expression evidently portrayed his unease. And to his disappointment, Byunghun didn't seem to waver in his position.

"We are going to bring you to the testing center. It is miles away from here, but we've hired someone who will be capable of taking care of you." The man finalized without another glance at Byunghun, and immediately stepping out.

The testing center. Byunghun hasn't been there in so long, even since he was a child. He almost felt like a test subject, like they were to poke needles in him and gather unnecessary information on his body, on his brain. What they needed wasn't him, but what he was capable of. The only thing that kept him from becoming the perfect weapon, was his inability to cooperate. He was too stubborn, too human. 

They needed to fix this.

Byunghun's fingers traced the bracer around his ankle, trying to find some way to detach it. However, he was as good as useless if information wasn't just handed to him. Soon, a new male entered the room, shutting the door prominently behind him. Byunghun's eyes peered up through his lashes, trying to maintain disinterested.

"You must be Byunghun." The male was surprisingly young, about Byunghun's age, with a small face, but a well built frame. "I'll be accompanying you from now on."

"Great." Byunghun didn't hint any signs of gratitude or content. The last thing he wanted was to be babysat by some stranger. "Might as well just keep me in a cage while you're at it."

The stranger's expression didn't change, but he drew a step closer as if he had somehow become a bit more interested in the male, "You seem agitated."

"Well, I am." Byunghun replied with a scowl, "I'm sick of this place, and of you people, and this dumb thing on my leg."

The man approached the bed, and observed the bracer around Byunghun's ankle for a moment before placing his hand on it. There were a few scars sketched on his skin, evident from where Byunghun sat. In a few seconds, the bracer snapped open, and the male drew a step back with a grin, "There. Are you going to be less antsy now?"

Byunghun didn't reply, only brushed his fingers along his ankle for a brief moment, "You babysit people for a living?"

"Not exactly." The man didn't seem threatening, "My task is to take you somewhere. Come on. I don't want to waste any time. The trip will take awhile."

Byunghun seemed hesitant upon the male offering his hand, but he eventually placed his own rather, tattered fingers, on the male's bony ones. "The longer it takes." The smaller male huffed under his breath as he stepped off the bed and followed the male out the door, "The better."

- - -

They were finally outside, and Byunghun had become restless with so much open space and anywhere to run, but having nowhere to go due to the male's secured grip on his arm. He expected this much though, considering he wasn't to be trusted alone after his history of trying to break loose. 

He was given shoes, ones with laces. They were slightly beaten up, but they were comfortable nonetheless. He hadn't worn any in such a long time of being stuffed inside of the lab. They weren't necessary. But now, just shoes seemed to make him overjoyed, aside being outside.

"You look happy." The glanced over at him for a moment, amusement sketched on his grin, "Never worn shoes before or something?"

Byunghun's smile immediately twisted into a grimace once more, "It's just been a long time." He huffed, tugging his arm back from the stranger only to have it snatched back by him again, "And why the hell are you holding onto me so tightly?"

"I'm not stupid, Byunghun." He replied as he began to lug the smaller male off through the previous trail Byunghun made when he was planning escape, "I was told you're a runner."

There was no reply, having none to give after being caught. Taking advantage of this was impossible, and the people back in the lab knew it. They must've been desperate, after all, they hired someone to him there, understanding completely well of Byunghun's persistent need to get away. The first moment they fall asleep, he'd be long gone. The soft snores of roaring cars finally became audible in the distance. Sounds, he had not heard in such a long time. But before Byunghun could break into a run, something snapped around his neck. His gaze fell onto the new device questionably. 

"What... Is this?"

The stranger later released his hold on the male, shrugging in response, "You'll see."

Before Byunghun was able to question any further, the sounds of busy streets bustled up louder now, and he immediately began to run from excitement. To be finally able to cast his eyes onto what the city looked like, what it smelled like. It's been so long since he met anyone outside the government employees. He just wanted to see the sets of tall buildings, the people making their way around each other; to see what everyone else saw everyday. But as his frame drew closer to the concrete, past the trees and dirt, a sudden shock had erupted from around his neck. His frame, in response, fell helplessly on all fours. His palms dug into the soil beneath him as he tried to recollect what had just occurred. 

A figure hiked up from behind him as he was tracing the collar around his neck with his fingers. His expression was blank, but he seemed to have figured out what the device was developed to do.

"You shocked me." He stated blankly.

"I told you that you'll find out, didn't I?"

Byunghun's empty gaze shifted up to settle onto the standing male behind him; his lips quivering after realizing the man's intentions. Every time he devoted to run, he'll become struck by this device. To make him behave, to make him less determined to break away.

To make him less human.

He was being tested. To see how dedicated he was to escape, if it was worth even his own death.

A/N: Not really any ChunJoe here sorry OTL INTRODUCTIONS . Hopefully the next chapter will be good!