“Are you going for the trial? I heard they are offering one hundred thousand wons for a day!"

“Of course! I’m still short on next month’s rent. This could be my life savior. But I heard they are going to test us before the selection.”

“Really? We had better hurry. I don’t want to miss any important information. The briefing is starting soon. Come on Sunggyu, we need to run.”

‘Hey, wait for me!”

Sunggyu opens his eyes, his whole being tenses for a brief moment before his mind recognizes the familiar surroundings. The walls are blue and not the white that blinds him whenever he wakes up for the past many years. Those years, many a times, he had prayed that he would never ever wake up again. Rolling over to his side, he brood over his dream as he watches the sunrise. It has been too long since he has dreamt of his university days. The first year in captive, he had often wished he did not make it for the briefing, did not participate in the selection tests. He was not selected after the tests, or so it seemed. Ironically, he had felt disappointment at that time, since he would need to find a second part time job to make ends meet. The truth is, he would have willingly take up ten jobs if he had known going to the trial would land him devil’s attention but unfortunately, he was no clairvoyant.

The month after the selection tests went by quickly with him busy juggling school and two part time jobs. The last thing he remembered about his normal life was dropping himself into his old bunk bed after a tiring day. When he regained conscious, he found himself in a cell with a glass panel facing a long white corridor. There was no door, no window and the only furniture was the bed he had woken from. A thin waist height wall segregate the lavatory, barely providing any privacy for the user. In the blaringly white cell, the two black cameras in the celling stood out prominently. He wanted to run but there was no place to run or hide. The glass panel remained intact no matter how hard he tried to break it. He finally broke down before the camera, begging whomever to release him but all he gotten was silence. The cell became his habitat for the next five years.

Shaking the image of the cell from his mind, Sunggyu once again recollects his dream. He has almost forgotten everyone in his old life, the one where he is just a struggling student in his accounting final year. His life was finally going to be better after leaving the orphanage at eighteen. Finance was tight; he had relied mainly on scholarships to pay for the school fees but still need to work for rent and daily expenses. He had found a part time job at a small eatery where the owner had kindly provided him free meals in addition to the offered salary. Sunggyu was really looking forward to graduating; his professors had recommended him to a famous accountancy firm and there was a high chance he would be accepted. But that life had shattered beyond recognition.

Moving towards the window and taking a peek at the now brighten sky, Sunggyu wonders why he is dreaming about the long-gone life. He only has nightmares since his capture. The tiny plotted plant sitting at the ledge of the window soon gains his attention. Woohyun has insisted buying the plant for him after Sunggyu paid for the meal as a thank you gesture for his neighbour’s help. This is the first material thing he owns after his escape; he cannot possibly lurch useless things with him when on the run. He guesses for the moment, he can keep the plant. Maybe luck will finally bestow upon him and he gets to stay in this little seaside town. Maybe he will even have a second chance to a normal life.

As he is brushing his teeth, knocks on his front door startles him. He finishes up and approaches the door with slight caution. He relaxes when he spots Woohyun in the peep hole. Unlocking the door, he finds his neighbour once again clad in simple tank top and jogging pants, standing all smilingly outside his apartment.

“Hi morning! I gotten breakfast for both of us. These smell fantastic when I jogged pass and I ended up buying too much. You have to eat some for me.”

He is not actually listening to what Woohyun is saying. That is a buzzing thought in his mind. Should he continue associating with Woohyun? It feels nice to have a friend after being solitary for such a long period and he wants to convince himself that it would not be an issue. But deep down, Sunggyu knows the underlying issue to this internal debate is because he finds Woohyun attractive and that could lead to serious problems. He can ill afford any attachment; Woohyun might be implicated if those people manage to find him here. They have no qualms hurting anyone in order to capture him. Maybe it is for the best if he just closes the door and shuts Woohyun out of his apartment and his life.

A little background chapter of Sunggyu. Hope it answers some of your questions (or created more questions?). Thanks to all who have commented and expressed your interests. As usual, do leave me comments for this chapter also!

@ nwh-gem : I do finish all my stories. It just that I’m not a born writer and it takes me very long to put my thoughts into words. Do bear with me :p

@ Cat_orange : Updated! Updated! Updated! Hee hee J

So happy the boys did the vlive sessions. I missed them so much! Extremely glad to hear they are preparing for a new album. My classes ended and exams are just round the corners. I will be back after my exams.