Year 2051, as wars and famine broke out through history before. The world was a dangerous place, the world was in a wreck. Danger was everywhere. Streets, houses, buildings, no one was safe. That's why the South Korean government acted accordingly, as they built a globe to cover the capital of their country, where society and the economy flourished, where everyone contributes to the well-being of the country. The government thought it was best to quarantine the capital, as they build a perfect city for them to live in.

Each and everyone in the globed city were hand picked by the government experts. From future lawyers to well-known doctors and nurses, the city was saturated with talent and skill. The rest of the country was left exposed to the horrible dangers. Men in white suits gather beneficial citizens by force. If you resist, you will be knocked out and be brought inside the globe. The unfortunate people who were not picked will continue to face the horrors outside, continue to live their lives unprotected.

Hair disheveled, skin pale as can be as the woman endured the pain of birth inside her own small shoebox apartment. Run down walls and a dreary looking curtain surrounded her, with framed certificates and diplomas decorated the room. A single mother left by her husband, she was one of the most prestigeous lawyers in the country but she was left giving birth all on her own.

As she struggled to push her baby out,a loud knock continued to bang on her door. With pained eyes she looked at the entry way as she screamed, "WHAT DO YOU WANT?!"

"Song Younghee? You are assigned to vacate your apartment and continue to live inside the central city." A man's voice said. But the said woman couldn't even gather a response in her head, the pain was unbearable but she still pushed through. 

The man on the other side found it odd to hear pained noises instead of a formal reply. He added, "Resistance is futile Song Younghee--"

"SHUT UP! I'M GIVING BIRTH!" She abruptly said. It wasn't as tasteful or formal as she wanted it to be, but it got her point across.

The man on the otherside was flustered but he was quick on his feet, he signalled his comrades to breakdown the door and so they did immediately. Younghee was taken aback by the action but she couldn't do anything about it, especially when she was in a tight situation herself. The men entered, their eyes fixed on the pool of blood as they stood their motionless.

"WHAT THE ARE YOU DOING?! HELP ME!" The woman cried out and as soon as she did, the men immediately went to her aid. She felt uneasy, her chest was tightening and her vision was beginning to blur out, slowly she felt herself gasping for air as she gripped the hand of one of the officers. 

"Ma'am, I know you're currently in a compromising situation right now but I must advise you that after you deliver this baby, you will have to evacuate from your place--"

"I..." The woman looked dead as a ghost, her eyes looked like she was pleading, asking the officer to understand as her pale lips opened once more to continue her thought, "I don't think I will be able to ma...make it."

"But Ma'am your name is registered on the population sheet." The officer opted to ignore her pained expression. He looked at her, her eyes were swollen and red, tears started to fall from her eyes.

"....This child... please..." Younghee's voice cracked, "Replace me with this child..."

Before she could even utter one more word, she felt her system going out. Her eyes rolling up and her lungs ceased to work. The last thing she heard was a loud cry from an infant. She was weak yet the sound of her own child's voice brought her to peace. Her heart stopped beating and the tension from her grip loosened, the officer kept quiet, unsure of what to do. 

The officer slowly picked up the child, he looked at the small baby, mouth dry as he was taken aback by everything. He cuddled the blood covered child as his comrades watched in awe. As special officers of the government, they were supposed to show no remorse or kindness, but the officer thought that moment was an exception. 

"What are we supposed to do now General?" One of his comrades asked. 

"..... I guess we just have to bring this kid to the globe as her replacement." The officer seemed relluctant but the more he looked at the baby the more he was easing into him.

"...But the orders from the President was to get her and her alone." The other one said.

"Well we can't bring a corpse inside the globe now, could we?" The officer said in response. "He will just have to settle for something close to her likeness."

"....But that infant doesn't have a name, how can we put it in the population sheet?" The other asked.

"Hmmm..." The officer slowly stood up, carefully holding the baby in his arms, unbothered by the blood on his white camo. "How about... Kim Mingyu?" 

"Kim..?" They asked of him.

"Kim... just like his father." The officer said as he hushed the baby to sleep.

"Uwah." A young looking man looked at the holographic list of students who passed their midterm exams. "You're in 3rd place again, Mingyu hyung."

The said man scratched the back of his head, he never really cared for his grades but he would always top the list effortlessly. "It's not that big of a deal, Chan."

Chan, the younger one was assigned to be his partner or "buddy". "It is a big deal, hyung." The younger one pointed out the other two names, "Look. You're just below the top 2 of the whole city." Mingyu looked at the names, the 2nd placer was Jeon Wonwoo, the son of the president while the one who took the top spot was the son of the mayor, Lee Jihoon.

"I don't even get why we have these lists, it just discourages the ones who had lower scores." Mingyu nonchalantly said but the smaller one quickly hushed him. Chan looked left and right and cautiously whispered, "Don't question the city's practices! Did you forget to take your pill?"

Mingyu felt a bit lost, he was unsure of what to tell his assigned partner, "..I guess." He said reluctantly.

"I knew you would say that." Chan triumphantly smiled. He took out a container from his uniform and handed it to his partner, "I brought my pills, just in case you forgot to take some."

"Ah... Thanks.." Mingyu replied, quietly taking the container to get two pills and hurriedly swallowed them. It's not that they weren't allowed to feel, but they weren't allowed to feel too much. The pills were to keep them at bay, to keep them from being devious.

"Look." Chan motioned his head to the side, "It's the two." Mingyu's eyes followed his partner's line of sight to find two people walking out of the academy. One was tall and the other one was short. They had an impenetrable aura around them, they walked with pride and they smell of the elite. They were much different from the other students that attended the academy. 

Everyone looked at the two like they were idols, some kind of deity that will bring more peace to their city once they graduate from school. They were highly expected to do well, given that they were the sons of politicians. Jeon Wonwoo and Lee Jihoon were a year older than Mingyu. Mingyu would always see the two together, mostly in the greenery area, lying under a big oak tree. 

"They're completely different from us." Mingyu sighed out, his eyes fixed on the blond haired boy. He was small for his age,  but the city never discriminates physical appearance, as long as you are beneficial, you are wanted. Mingyu wasn't sure when he started staring at Jihoon, but he always found himself looking at the blond boy a little too long. 

He could almost feel his own heartbeat but he knew that if he told someone how unusual he felt whenever he sees the Mayor's son, he will be in trouble. He was not sure, was it love? was it a crush? He never felt those things before, so he wasn't sure what he was feeling. Did he hate Jihoon? Did he like him? Mingyu stood their frozen as his brown eyes continued to scan Jihoon's features. There was something about that guy thet kept his mind running.

Mingyu never showed any interest in anyone, much less a guy. Besides, he knew he was going to be married off to someone he doesn't know, it's part of living inside the globe. But he couldn't help himself, there was something different about the Mayor's son. The odd blond hair, the way he carries himself, the way he barely smiled and the way his eyes would look at other people as if he was observing them. Mingyu was mesmerized, until the subject of his attention looked back at him.

Their eyes met, and Mingyu felt those observing eyes scan through him. He felt his body warm up, he stood there frozen as Wonwoo and Jihoon passed by. Mingyu was initially surprised, it was their first time making eye contact. He quickly snapped his head away from him, now his eyes were on the concrete, as he awkwardly avoided Jihoon's gaze.

"Mingyu hyung, don't you think you have this slight admiration for the Mayor's son?" Chan asked innocently.

"What are you talking about?" Mingyu acted appalled.

"The government initially gives us life time partners but we don't get to choose whether it's a man or a woman. Wouldn't it be great for you if you get Jihoon as your lifetime partner?" Chan explained in a rather dull way.

"It's not that I admire him." Mingyu gave a heavy and tired sigh, "It's just that I think it's kind of great to be someone of importance." He took a peak to the side to check if the person he was talking about was still there, unfortunately, he was. Jihoon was still looking at him, it was a few seconds too long, Mingyu thought he was being judged, luckily he saw Wonwoo getting Jihoon's attention. The eye contact ceased and Mingyu felt somehow relieved to not be under Jihoon's eyes.

"But aren't you important too?" Chan wondered, "You're the son of the general."

Mingyu couldn't deny that fact. He was the son of the prestigeous general that lead the city to great safety and discipline. He was raised well by the said General and he appreciates his fathers efforts for him. Mingyu was to be expected to take on his father's position once he gets proper training when he graduates.

He looked at his partner and friend as they carried on, walking back to their own houses. The city environment was quite normal. Everything was clean, each house was painted white, nature flourished and kids three years old to 6 years old were playing in the park along with their partners at a given time. As the two passed by the park, he wondered, since when did the people inside the globe change? Since when did they stop feeling passionately, since when did everyone go through their lives without questioning the government's practice.

Mingyu knew that he shouldn't have these thoughts, such thoughts will put him in to the chopping block, he knew of the policies well enough. But somehow, his thoughts were his dark secrets, no one could ever get into his mind but him. As he reached his house, he waved to Chan goodbye, oddly enough, Chan's house was just across his. It was to be expected since he was handpicked by the government to be his formal buddy.

Mingyu let himself in with his identification card scanned through the front door. The familiar place of his home felt safe but also suffocating. With awards and medals adorned the shelves and picture frames that shows his father with important people from the government, books were also tucked by the shelves. They were odd books, Mingyu thought. His father would always bring books secretly. 

He remembered that his father told him to keep the books a secret. These books were Mingyu's favorite things to read. From Alice in Wonderland to The Da Vinci Code, he loved reading the books his father's brought. It's a special memory he always cherished. The books were in no way near the books prescribed by the government to read, they were books that allowed you to express sincere and passionate emotion. To cry when you're sad, to get angry when you're mad, to feel a bit light headed when you like something. These books were solace to his odd condition.

Whenever someone visits their house, his father would always reason that the odd books were merely just for decoration. Mingyu always plays along, he knew from a young age his family was different from the others, he knew that he was different as well. 

"Welcome home, son." Mingyu was lost from his train of thought. He looked up to see his father, welcoming him with open arms. 

Their small family always did things differently from other people in the globe. His father encouraged thought and freedom of speech, his father would encourage him to have crushes and to feel emotions thoroughly. Of course, they were all kept secret, but Mingyu didn't question his father, he knew that his father came from a sincere place of wanting him to grow modestly.

Mingyu gave a warm hug to his dad and gave a smile as well.

"Mingyu, tonight, I want you to be on your best behavior." His father advised.

"When am I not?" He gave a cheeky grin as a response. His father found it funny and gave a light chuckle. He watched as his son walked up the stairs.

"The Mayor and his family will be coming for dinner." The words rang in Mingyu's head, his father's words caught him off guard and his mind was in shambles. He felt his whole world collapsing as he nervously nodded in response. He quietly went up the stairs with the wish of death, hoping that he won't have to spend time with the Mayor's son.

The clicking of utensils and the fragrant smell of food wafted into the dining room. There, they were seated accordingly. The General was sitting by the end of the table across the Mayor, the Mayor's wife and son on the side, while Mingyu sat across Jihoon. All through out the dinner, Mingyu kept his head low. He nodded and responded with short sentences, he would sometimes look up to find the Mayor's son looking at him and he would lower his head again.

Mingyu panicked inside his head as he took a bite out of the roast chicken their cook made.

"Mingyu is usually bright, I don't know why he's so quiet today." His father commented.

"It's alright." Mayor Lee gave a smile, "Did you take your pills today, boy?"

"Uhm, yes." Mingyu said.

"It's normal to have side effects during the day you take your medicine." The Mayor chuckled. 

The General followed a hearty laugh as he quickly took a second to look at his son who was awkwardly eating.

During dinner, it felt like painful hours for Mingyu. He was sure he had neck pain from barely looking forward the entire time and he was hoping he could escape the awkwardness as he headed towards the stairs. Unfortunately, his father had other plans.

"Son, where are you going?" His father asked.

"T-To.." Mingyu brought out his stoic face and replied, "To my room. I have to do my homework."

"Why don't you take the Mayor's son with you and show him your room? Get acquainted and all that." His father suggested.

"That would be wonderful!" The Mayor said with glee, "I heard your son placed 3rd in the school's midterms."

"And I heard your son topped that list!" The General cooed.

"It will be highly beneficial for you two to be acquainted." The Mayor looked up to look at Mingyu.

Jihoon quietly went up the stairs, following his father's suggestion.

"Is that so...." Mingyu sighed, "Uhm.. let me show you my room." Mingyu drawled out. He might be calm and reserved on the outside but he was internally screaming curses inside his head. He awkwardly lead Jihoon in front of his bedroom door, standing there for a good few seconds before actually opening it.

He let Jihoon come in first. His room was quite normal for a teenager inside the globe. The room was tidy, everything was in order. A wooden desk on the side with notebooks and books, pencils and pens and a desk lamp. A few posters and a bass guitar on the side. The bed was spacious, a black comforter and white blanket covered it. Jihoon made himself comfortable on the wheeled chair by the desk while Mingyu timidly closed the door and sat on his bed.

Mingyu sat with his legs awkwardly closed, his hands rested on his knees as Jihoon looked around.

Jihoon could definitely sense an odd vibe around the tall man. He was familiar with Mingyu, he would always see Mingyu's name under his and Wonwoo's name whenever examination periods came. Aside from that, he was easily noticeable due to his height and fairly attractive features, but Jihoon found something strange about Mingyu. He wasn't sure what it was but even though he felt a bit creeped out by the tall man, he felt refreshed.

Strong emotions weren't allowed, but Jihoon would always reason that his actions are sensible and werent driven by his own personal emotions. After a few minutes of observing everything he looked at Mingyu and said, "Can I ask you a question?"

Mingyu's heart almost jumped out of his body when the defeaning silence was blurred out by Jihoon's voice. "Y-Yes?" Mingyu asked.

"Why do you always stare at me?" Jihoon bluntly questioned, his small piercing eyes fixed on the tall guy across him.

"Always?" Mingyu pretended to be shocked, which was bad acting in Jihoon's thought process. "It was one time, Jihoon-ssi. We locked eyes a few hours ago that was it." Mingyu gave a fake and calm smile.

"Are you sure?" Jihoon monotonously asked, raising his brow in the process, "Because from what I know, it's the 317th time you stared at me."

"Uhmm...." Mingyu was in a sticky situation, he felt like closing his eyes and holding his breath, hoping he was just having a nightmare but he wasn't.

"You're a year younger than me right?" Jihoon asked, "I swear, whenever we are in the same place I could feel your eyes on me." Jihoon stood up, slowly making his way towards Mingyu who was a nervous wreck. Jihoon could calculate that the man before him was easily flustered, easily provoked, something that no one inside the globe should be.

"Tell me the truth." Jihoon said, standing in front of him, their faces near each other's. Jihoon's gaze was fixed on him and Mingyu could feel himself be vulnerable and somehow even though he was fully clothed, he felt under Jihoon's eyes.

"I've done some digging about you." Jihoon's voice turned husky, he continued to stand their unbothered by the close proximity.

"W-What did you find?" Mingyu reluctantly asked.

"Oh, so he speaks?" Jihoon chuckled sarcastically pointing out Mingyu's silence from his questions. "Well... I know that you have an absent mother, you are good in sports and your studies. You are abnormally too intact with your emotions even when you drink your medicine weekly. You have a selected amount of peers and you enjoy reading and playing the bass."

Mingyu didn't know what to respond, honestly he was lost for words. He was lost and he was unsure of what to say but he let Jihoon continue.

"Your father is the General of the city, he was one of the people who brought the first generation of citizens inside the globe 19 years ago." Jihoon added, "You've been staring at me ever since you started your freshman year in the highschool division."

The one sided tension ate Mingyu up. His eyes wanted to look away but somehow his gaze was fixed on Jihoon's piercing ones. His mouth was dry and his hands turned clammy, he wanted to run away or maybe jump out of his bedroom window and hide from Jihoon but that was just pushing it. 

"So tell me.." Jihoon leaned in a little closer. Mingyu thought that it was dangerously close for him, he held his breath keeping his own breath from reaching Jihoon's lips. He shouldn't be acting this way, he should be unfazed and calm, but he felt like he was put on the spot by the person he least expected.

"Why do you always stare at me?" Jihoon mouthed clearly and sternly, he wanted answers immediately from the tall man.

AN: Happy New Year everyone! Here I am, bringing you a new multi-chaptered jigyu fic for our unquenchable thirst for this ship. This time I thought I should do something different for the couple and I decided to take inspiration from my favorite book back in highschool "The Giver" I hope you find the first chapter interesting so far :) Also, if you want to be updated and want to look at more jihoon and mingyu stuff you can follow me on twitter @jigyuofficial (I also have a tumblr w the same username and I post some jigyu gifs and imagines there) 

Reviews and upvotes are highly appreciated! It always gives me strength to write more for you guys :) Thank you for the support and please look forward for the next update :) dont forget to smile, be happy and always strive to be the best version of you! remember that you are loved and you are amazing <3 have a nice day everyone!