II. NEWFANGLED

“You know you can’t just snatch my kid like that, right?” Sungyeol scoffed when he finally found Eunsoo at the Core. “That is not mine or your only decision to make,” Eunsoo replied, not looking at his direction. “It is my only decision to make because he is my kid,” Sungyeol retorted. “He is still your kid – just outside the Core,” Eunsoo raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, I didn’t catch that when the president said that,” Sungyeol said with a calmer tone. “Yeah, obviously you are not,” Eunsoo replied stoically. “Sorry, it’s just that he is this, exceptional,” Sungyeol sighed as he took a seat beside her. “I did not notice you were into men,” She shrugged nonchalantly. “What are you talking about? I did not like him that way, and you knew what I meant. You, also find him exceptional that you have to snatch him away from me,” Sungyeol huffed. “Keep your friends close and your enemy closer, isn’t it?” Eunsoo said, almost too seriously that Sungyeol almost missed out the sarcasm. “Since when do you put so much care in one person, Eun? He could be dead by now if you want him to, no need to go through all keep you enemy closer bull,” Sungyeol snorted.

“But thank you for releasing me from this tiring part of being a trainer, seriously this is why I quitted being a trainer years ago,” Sungyeol grinned. “I am actually considerate being, am I not?” Eunsoo replied. “This time you are actually one but if we are talking about things in general, are you seriously going to think yourself as one, though,” Sungyeol said as he chuckled sarcastically. “Fair enough,” Eunsoo nodded. “Have you met him in person?” Sungyeol asked and she shook her head in return. “He is like this small kid but a punk, sharp tongue but in the same time, he looked like a puppy,” He shrugged. “That obviously help,” She rolled her eyes. “Like literally small, he was just around my eyes or something,” Sungyeol added. “But you are so tall, Sungyeol, my height is also just around your eyes,” Eunsoo replied nonchalantly. “And, he’s twenty two, like me, or at least he said it’s what they told him,” Sungyeol continued. “Don’t go to hard on him, Eunsoo, he is just seven,”.  

The next thing they heard was the huge metal door being opened and revealed no other than Lee Jinki, who was leading the newborns with a huge smile pestered on his face. It was always amusing to see the newborn reaction when they enter the Core, it was one of the best part of the headquarter after all. They were all mainly gasping when they take a look on a highly maintained the place was, and how they are going to spent most of their times here for the first three months. “Oh hello, newbies, welcome to the Core, the best training center facility – well I wanted to say in the entire world but that would offend others, so yeah I will just leave it like that,” Hoya, who was standing in the middle of the room, grinned as the newborn starting to form a line in front of him. “Guys, this is Hoya and he is the head around here, so he will help you if you have any troubles here – but if he is the source of the trouble, you can call me and I will beat his for you,” Jinki smiled widely.

“Don’t worry, hyung, really they will all like it here,” Hoya replied. “Take a good care of my kids, will you?” Jinki said before he patted Hoya’s shoulder and left. “Okay boys and girls, we will start at the moment – okay, this is all bull,” Hoya was grinning at first but when Jinki finally left the room, he turned his tone into a serious one. “You are all going through hell in this center,” He continued as he glared to the newbies one by one and it was enough to sent shivers to Woohyun’s spine, this is not someone he talked to yesterday at the cafeteria – this is how he imagined a reborn would be truthfully. “Comfortable, yes, just not in this place, not inside my place. My job here is to create the best version of who you are, to develop that natural potential inside you once you transformed,” Hoya continued with no hesitation. “You are not immortal, you are not invincible, and you are going to die if you can’t survive out there,” He stated. “You know our job, we take care of human’s s, I am pretty sure they have told you yesterday and for that, you are needed to be strong,”.

The newbies’ faces fell, they knew it was coming, they were told they will work in fields sooner or later – depends on how good you were. “I do not care what they have told you when you are human, or what you remember right now, but we can still feel the pain, we can get wounded, we can get shot, we can bleed, we can pass out, we can die, again,” Hoya stated sternly. “But the bright side is,” He suddenly pulled the blonde one – Kibum, to the front and make him stand beside him, and without any warning he twisted the blonde’s arm ruthlessly before the blonde screamed loudly in pain as the whole room could hear the crack sound from his bone. “They may break your bone, they may shot you, you may bleed, but you always heal, stop crying kid, you are going to be fine in five or ten minutes – it take different time for each reborn,” Hoya said as he pushed Kibum back to the line as the boy was still crying in pain.

“Now get to your trainer, they know what to do next,” Hoya said before clapped his hand, cueing the newborn to move to their trainer before he called a certain someone, “Seven,”. “Yes, Hoya-ssi?” Woohyun bowed a bit – he did not want the latter to see him startled. “Good luck,” Hoya said before Sungyeol came to them. “Hey, kid,” Sungyeol said. “How’s your sleep? Hope it’s good because you are going to be exhausted today,” Sungyeol added. “With you? Goodness, you probably going to give him a break every five minutes,” Hoya snapped. “What are you talking about? I am no longer his trainer, for your information, Howon,” Sungyeol said. “What?” Woohyun snapped unconsciously. “Ah, you have grown fond to me, haven’t you? I’m sorry,” Sungyeol smiled sadly. “No, it’s not like that, I’m–,”. “Seven,” A voice interrupted them out of blue. “Let’s get to work,” Eunsoo said as she motioned Woohyun to follow her. “And you actually need luck after all, Seven,” Hoya said as he tapped on Woohyun’s shoulder, almost sympathetically, before he went to check the other newborns.

“Don’t look at me like that, you told me you wanted to meet Kim Eunsoo,” Sungyeol said as Woohyun stared at him with disbelief. “But this is not what I meant. Did you see what Hoya-ssi did to that kid earlier?” Woohyun said as he shook Sungyeol’s arm. “That’s the reason I’m giving up, Woohyun. I can’t stand seeing you all in pain and all those screams – gosh, they are haunting. But, you are being over dramatic, Woohyun. If she wants you dead then you’ll be dead the moment you stepped on that damn stage yesterday, but you are here, pretty much alive, so, yeah, you will be fine,” Sungyeol replied nonchalantly. “Well, I guess this is it, goodbye my kid, it’s been not really a pleasure to be your trainer,” Sungyeol said as he tapped Woohyun’s shoulder with a pout. “You are throwing me under the bus,” Woohyun frowned. “Hell no, she is not a bus, she is more like – uh, an army’s tank,” Sungyeol let out a snort. “Well, that’s really help, really,” Woohyun frowned. “See, this is also why I am letting you go, punk,”

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“Disappointed, I see,” Eunsoo said when she saw Woohyun sat beside her. “I am not, really,” Woohyun replied. “And thank you again for showing me the way to my room last night, I really do appreciate it,” He continued while hanging his head low, he was embarrassed if he recalled everything that happened last night. “No need to mention it,” She shrugged. “I like your confidence by the way,”. He could almost saw her smirking even though he turned his head away because he swore he was blushing hard because of embarrassment – but she did not smirk after all, because when Woohyun finally look at her, she was still stoic as ever. “I am sorry,” He shook his head slightly. “About what?” Eunsoo raised her brow. “False confidence,” He said as he raised his head for the first when their eyes met.

“Sungyeol told me you are annoying and that I should be prepared,” Eunsoo said. “It is because – uh, he is annoying too,” Woohyun replied nonchalantly. “Yeah? So you have to be annoying to me too, because I am a lot more ty than Sungyeol, Seven,” She said. “Will that be alright?” Woohyun said. “There is no reason not to,” She replied. “Okay,” Woohyun nodded in return. “What are you so afraid about me?” She said suddenly. “I am not afraid,” He replied. “I can sense fear,” She said. “Really?” Woohyun suddenly moved closer to her and look at her like a surprised kid. “Maybe, I don’t know, it kind of scary how you are like, the best in here and I am like, meh,” Woohyun laughed. “It is such an over statement that I’m being the best around here,” She replied. “So you are not?” He smiled innocently. “I have just woken up being better than anyone else,” She replied. “How is that any different than you being the best?”.

“One-fifty-eight and seven, get you asses up and start exercising,”. Hoya’s yell echoed through the wall. “Once we are standing, I want you to know one thing,” Eunsoo said suddenly. “You can cry all you want, or scream, I don’t care, but above all, I don’t want you to showcase your fear, I don’t want you to hesitate, I want you to be sure of what you are doing. So when I told you to punch, you are going to punch with all you have until I bleed,” She said. “You want me to hit you?” He hesitated. “Get up,” She replied as she stood up and offer her hand to help Woohyun up. “Come closer,” She instructed him to move forward when he finally stood up. Hesitation was all over his face – it was in his eyes, it was in his movement. “I want you to –,”. “Not showcase my fear, got it,” He actually smiled before she swung her fist to his jaw before he fell on his , his face was both a mixture of shocked and pain – she knew she broke his jaw and it didn’t require her much effort to did so. He finally looked up at her with a small whimper as he held into his jaw, and she expected him to be angry and throwing curse here and there, because that’s what her other newborn does every damn time.

She could see how he was trying to hold the suffering; it was always hard on the first time. But she needed to show him that it’s their job to ignore the pain; that they could feel it but not letting it took the control. “Next time with a warning, please,”. She was taken aback by his reaction, he was frowning in a very unusual way – she couldn’t say it was cute, so she settled with unusual. “Something like, hey, I’m going to hit you so prepare yourself,” He continued as he sat up straight when he looked at her with a painful smile. “Not showcasing any fear with a smile, am I?”. His smile widen this time, she could see how his jaw was slowly coming back to its original position. “You could smile whenever I break your bone?” She said as she scooted closer by lowering her body to his eye’s level. “I’ll try?” He replied. “Okay,”.   

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Sungyeol was nowhere to be found at lunchtime, and Woohyun decided that maybe he should go to eat with the other under-a-hundred. After breaking his jaw, his left leg and eventually both of his wrists, Eunsoo let him go, saying that it was enough practice for that day but Woohyun honestly thought he was going to die, soon. He did not expect the training would be easy, but he also did not expect to train with no other than Kim Eunsoo. He could annoy Sungyeol, just because Sungyeol is so friendly and he feel somewhat comfortable around him, like they had been friends for the longest time. But with Kim Eunsoo, he thought she was scary as – she is scary as – but he did not thought she would look that, cute and the comfortable feeling he felt around her was different from the one with Sungyeol’s.

After getting his tray of food, he settled to sit next to the blonde, Kibum, who was munching his mac and cheese. “Oh hey, seven – uh, Woohyun, right?” Kibum greeted him. “Yeah,” Woohyun nodded. “Hi there, I’m Seunghoon, sixty one,” The other guy – Woohyun noticed the other two as the other newborns – smiled at him. “And that’s Kevin, fifty six,” Kibum said. “How’s training?” Kibum continued. “He was with