08: Bloom

      Zico laid down on her knees as the warm sunlight brushed his face.

Through the warm sunshine was her vibrant smile looking down at him as she gently his hair. He wished time could stop at this moment; every minute spent with Se-young was a pleasure for him, and he wouldn't trade it for anything.

He watched as Se-young stood up and ran into the green meadows scattered with daisies. 

     He smiled as he chased Se-young who skipped around the meadow gracefully, her brunette locks bouncing against her back. He didn't want to lose her from his sight; no matter how much he saw her - he wanted to see her more. 

Even blinking an eye was a wasted second, because he wanted to see her every second. 

Zico chased Se-young who began to run further the more he chased her. 

"Se-young, come back now!" he called playfully, but she continued running.

Zico's face darkened as Se-young suddenly disappeared, falling in to the floor. He screamed as he rushed after her, shrieking in horror as he watched the floor open up to a blazing fire pit with hands crawling out, pulling Se-young in. 

     The hands wrapped around Se-young's face and her beautiful locks as they pulled her in to the fire pit, her flesh and her skull slowly melting away as she descended deeper into the pit. Zico screamed as a hand gripped his ankle and tried to pull him in, but kicked it off with his other feet. Zico watched in horror as the ground closed and was replaced with the green meadows.

Zico opened his eyes, sweat beads formed around his forehead. 

     He wiped the sweat and looked around, seeing the other boys still asleep. He would have these dreams about Se-young once in a while, and it was a dream that he wished he never had. His dreams of her always seemed to end in a horrific death.

Although he missed her, his tears didn't overcome him.

He was in a sense, preparing for her death ever since she was nominated for the games.

He got dressed in his sweats and went downstairs, waiting for Suzy to come down.

His head was filled with the image of her crying yesterday. It was crazy of him to see Se-young in her, but the moment he saw his first love in this girl - an unknown emotion ruptured over him.

He turned his head to the sound of footsteps as Suzy walked down the stairs with her hood covering half her face.

He stood up and stared as she covered even more, only showing her lips and nose.

"What are you, Islamic?"

He said sarcastically as he pulled her hood off, looking at her swollen face from the crying.

     He cleared his throat awkwardly and threw the hood back on her, walking out. He felt a ting of bitterness in his heart seeing her so torn apart, but he wasn't going to let that shake him or break him in any way.

Suzy was just his game partner, and that was it.

He had the urge to look back every time he felt her presense trail behind her, but didn't bother.

"Do you not have legs? Why do you walk that slow-"

He watched as Suzy bumped in to him and fell to the floor, standing up quietly. She looked down, covering her entire face with her hood.

He pulled down her hood and saw that she was still crying.

"Why are you still crying?"

"Why do you care if I cry?"

Zico sighed.

"I'm the one who has to walk to the gymnasium listening to yout cries you know?"

"Sorry," she wiped the tears off her face and forced a smile. "I'm okay now."

"I didn't ask if you were ok, I asked you to stop crying." he rolled his eyes and continued to walk, his expression hardening.

Seeing her reminded him so much of him when Se-young died; the moments he cried alone in his room.

He had to act tough because of the image everyone thought of him to be; no one knew how much he cried alone in the corner of the bathroom every night.

He sighed and crouched down infront of Suzy, his back facing her.

"What?" Suzy asked.

"Get on my back," he muttered. "It helps the crying stop."

"Says who?" 

"Se-young."

Suzy went silent and quietly climbed on his back, flinching as he stood up and continued walking with her on his back.

She didn't want to get on his back, but she knew how much a sensitive topic Se-young was to him.

But really like magic, her tears seemed to stop.

Her heart felt at ease as she felt the warmth of his back, slowly falling asleep.

--

"Stop sleeping!" Zico hissed as he let go of Suzy and she fell to the floor.

     They had already arrived at the gymnasium and were getting looks from the other districts as they entered the gymnasium. Suzy wiped the saliva off and slapped her face; she was still half asleep because she didn't get any sleep last night.

The two walked up to Irene and Myungsoo who waited for them by the rock climbing wall.

They stared at Suzy's swollen face and sighed, scanning her condition.

"Did you get any sleep last night?"

"No," she grunted. "Sorry."

"Sleep or not," Irene sighed. "We still have to practice. This is good opportunity anyway because in the real game, you will be spending many sleepless nights."

Zico and Suzy stared at the high climbing wall.

     "One of the biggest obstacles that you will face in the game includes climbing walls. It's something that you're required to be able to do, because you're going to be going up and down them all the time. You've got to understand that in climbing, in almost everything, speed and precision is what you want. If you take more than 30 seconds to get over a basic wall, you're pretty much dead meat."

Suzy gulped and glanced at Zico who looked like he had no thoughts about life.

"3..30 seconds?"

"With some practice it should be okay," Myungsoo nodded. "All the other beginners in our district have had no trouble. We'll start with this basic wall right here, we won't do anything challenging first time."

"Well," Suzy shrugged. "Where's the harness..?"

"What harness?"

"You expect me to climb this wall without a harness?"

"You're not going to have one in the real game."

     Suzy sighed and bit her lips. She was afraid of heights, and on top of that they expected her to fall. The safety mat didn't give her any comfort; it seemed to be laughing at her with its torn edges as she stood in her spot, unable to move a feet.

"Zico," Myungsoo gestured. "You show her."

"Why?" he glared.

     "Monkey see, monkey do." Myungsoo smiled and watched as Zico sighed and chalked his hands, scanning the rocks on the wall as he grabbed the first one on there. Suzy stepped back and watched with her jaws dropped as she watched Zico climb the wall with extreme speed, not even struggling once.

She watched in tension as he reached the top.

He stayed still and then released his hands, dropping to the floor with his eyes closed.

Suzy gasped as Zico fell on to the safety mat with a large thud, dust coming off.

"Go help him up," Irene pushed her. "You're going to have to do alot of it in the game."

Suzy nodded and crouched down, holding Zico's hand and helping him up as he limped a little, leaning on Suzy as he completely stood up.

"Thanks," he murmured and slipped his hands away.

All the other districts had gathered to watch Zico climb and whispered amongst themselves.

"Your turn," Irene nodded.

Suzy took a deep breath and placed her hand on the wall, making her way up.

---

     "Did you hear about that chick in district 6?"

     Zico heard the other guys talk from afar as he wiped the water off his body. The changing room was the only place where everyone could be really honest with each other regardless of their district divisions. That didn't stop Zico from distancing everyone, although he listened in to everything that they had to say.

"Suzy?"

Joo-hyuk replied as he grinned, wiping the water off his hair.

He wrapped a large towel around his lower abdomen and walked toward his locker near Zico.

"Did you check out her s?" the other guys sniggered amongst themselves. "When she was running it was bouncing up and down like-"

Zico shut his locker loudly and glared at the guys as they grew silent and murmured amongst themselves. Zico slipped on his shirt and tied his shoelaces, staring at their reflection through the locker door.

"How tight do you think she is?" Zico heard the boys talk again.

"She's probably as hella loose as Hillary Clinton," they sniggered amongst themselves. "Just look at her, she probably rode on almost every guy she knows."

Zico sighed and made a fist, staring at Joohyuk who only stood still at his place, looking down at the ground.

He didn't understand why he was staying still if Suzy and Joohyun were supposed to be a thing.

"Let's bet," one of the guys shouted.

"ten bucks each, whoever lays her first wins the lot."

"Deal," everyone laughed as they stashed their money on the bench, sniggering amongst themselves.

"What about the ," one of the guys asked.

"We don't need it," the one who started the bet shrugged. "If she gets pregnant, that's less competition for us in the game."

     Zico threw his towel on the floor and ran up to the guy, punching him on the face. Everyone screamed as the guy crashed against the locker, his lips bleeding severly. Zico grit his teeth as he yanked him by the hair and banged his hair against the metal lock on the locker, pushing the other guys who tried to stop the two.

"What the did you say?"

He cursed under his breath as he yanked his hair once more and threw him on the floor, staring down at his bruised face.

"Ten bucks each?" he repeated. "Whoever lays her first? Should I make you lay in your deathbed?"

He climbed on the top of the guy and pressed down on his body, punching his face severly as he grunted in strength.

"You don't hurt girls, even with a flower."

He blew one last punch in the middle of his face before someone pulled him away abruptly and pushed him against the locker.

     Zico panted quietly as he glared at the guy who could barely move. His leader piggybacked him out of the room, shoving Zico out of the way as he disappeared through the other guys who came to watch the scene.

Myungsoo came rushing in a few seconds after as he stared at Zico and his blood stained fist and face, sighing.

"Why?" Myungsoo asked in annoyance. "Can't you hold it in?"

Zico glared at Myungsoo and walked past him, Myungsoo grabbing him by the neck collar.

"You and I are going to have a serious talk," Myungsoo dragged Zico.

Joohyuk watched in silence as Zico got dragged away.

Death wasn't the only game he had to play here.