Toilet duties had some perks. Taehyung could steal some things from the factory, go to a stall, wrap them in toilet paper, throw it towards the edge inside the crate where excrements gathered, then retrieve it later in the evening when he had to clean the stalls.

The other perk was that he could take several trips slightly outside the commune and came to learn more about what the guards and hunters were like and what their routines and habits were.

One completely unexpected benefit revealed itself the day after Jungkook returned. Taehyung was pushing the wheelbarrow full of excrements uphill, but the wheelbarrow hit a rock and some of the excrements fell off, so he had to take the shovel and pick them back up. After that, Taehyung let out a sigh as one arm went over his face to wipe the sweat and the other arm planted the shovel into the ground. Taehyung felt like the shovel came in contact with more than just earth, so he looked at the dent made and moved the earth a bit to see better.

T: A cable? Judging by location, this isn’t connected to the generator and those cables are usually not underground, so… The telegraph! This is the cable through which messages get sent to and from the telegraph!

Taehyung barely held in his laughter as he covered the cable back up with earth. Later on, in the darkness of the night, he found the location again, dug up the cable, cut it and covered the spot up with earth to look like nothing had happened there.

As he climbed back to his room, he spontaneously decided to pay Jungkook a visit, so he entered through his window. Jungkook had sat up in his bed and now had a mean glare and a screwdriver pointed towards the window, but he relaxed partially when he saw it was Taehyung.

T: “I’m glad you’re always a ready to react rabbit.”

J: “Why’d you come?”

Taehyung approached Jungkook and the latter brought the screwdriver up towards Taehyung’s chest out of reflex, but it didn’t faze Taehyung at all as he grabbed the sides of Jungkook’s head to kiss him.

A while later, after a few things were done and shared, they were sitting next to each other on the floor with their backs against the bedframe, Taehyung’s right arm was around Jungkook’s shoulders and Jungkook’s left hand was on Taehyung’s knee. When Taehyung suddenly took that hand and gave it a loving kiss, Jungkook stared at him in disbelief and whispered:

J: “I never would’ve imagined you had this side to you…”

T: “Me neither.” Taehyung whispered, pulling Jungkook’s head and kissing him for even longer than he kissed his hand, then just stared lovingly into his eyes while Jungkook’s smile grew. “But you’re packed full of things that make me weak, including this smile of yours.”

Jungkook’s smile gradually decreased as he turned his head to look into the darkness in front of him.

J: “Don’t fall for smiles like this. They’re just another tool for evil…”

T: “A knife can be used to make a sandwich or inflict an injury. It’s not the tool’s fault. The one who yields it is to blame.”

J: “So I should blame myself for being deceptive and not my smile?”

T: “You should blame the cult, not yourself.”

J: “That’d just be running away from responsibility for my own convenience. I could’ve chosen to do nothing at all. But I made a pact with the devil and started carrying out his work…”

T: “Were you already here when you accepted that pact?”

J: “Yeah… In less than a day I realized Jin wasn’t here. So, at night, I grabbed a weapon, snuck into the leader’s room and threatened him. I was so foolish…”

Taehyung could easily imagine how the leader turned that around and probably told Jungkook that he would never find Seokjin if he killed him so he should be wise and accept working for him instead. Aside from the immediate benefit of not getting killed, the leader probably thought he could locate Seokjin or get useful information about him through Jungkook, thereby eliminating the potential threat from someone who had knowledge of the commune and who was the only person who managed to escape it.

T: “Why do you think it’s not possible for Seokjin to have escaped?”

J: “Cause, if he did, then I… ruined over a hundred people’s lives for nothing…”

T: I see… The cult didn’t brainwash Jungkook, Jungkook brainwashed himself. Because otherwise he’d have to face a reality that would crush him to accept…

T: “I see… So Seokjin didn’t escape like I heard the leader mention to lieutenant Wonsuk… With the type of leader he is, he should know everything. But he doesn’t know how Seokjin escaped, so he must have been lying or talking bull…”

Jungkook side-eyed Taehyung because he could tell the latter was using some kind of reverse-psychology method to give Jungkook information.

T: “If, theoretically, Seokjin had escaped and wouldn’t be in another commune like the leader said he is… it might be worth thinking of how he did it. For example – does he know how to swim?”

J: “He used to be on the swim team in middle school. Why?”

T: “Aha… Well then let’s say someone like him considered escaping – the river’s a pretty good option. When it rains, it gets murky, it rises and it increases in speed. So, if someone jumped into the river during a rainy night, taking some curved pipe or anything like that through which they could breathe while staying completely under water, the river would just quickly take them past the guards positioned at the downstream exit. The darkness and the rain would be a good cover, but you could also try further concealing yourself by tying a tree branch to the pipe. You know, hypothetically speaking…”

J: “But, in that case, you also don’t see anything while you’re in the river and you can’t control your body at that speed, so the risk of running into rocks and other such things is really high…”

T: “Well, yeah. There are risks. A good swimmer might know how to diminish those risks… But, anyway, it’s just hypothetical.”

J: “Why are you telling me this?”

T: “Cause I thought about this, but I can’t use it for Joon since he can’t swim. However, you might…”

J: “I’m not gonna use any such method either.”

T: “Why not?”

J: “I brought people here by giving them false hope. It wouldn’t be right for me to escape and leave them behind.”

T: “So you’re just gonna carry on here until you die or the organization dissolves?”

J: “I don’t know… I just wanna know that Jin’s okay. That’s all I want…”

T: “I see… So I gotta forcibly free you too.” Taehyung said before he let out a heavy sigh. “Man, this equation is just getting more and more complicated and I have no solution in sight…”

Jungkook stared wide-eyed at Taehyung while trying to process things, then said:

J: “You don’t have to concern yourself with me at all. I…”

T: “You shouldn’t have become important to me then. It’s no longer up to you to decide.”

Taehyung didn’t leave any room for argument after that. He gave Jungkook a long kiss, then went back to his room. Jungkook sighed, spent a lot of time thinking and realized he couldn’t just carry on like that.

The following day, lieutenants Yang and Wonsuk were inspecting the telegraph inside the leader’s office, trying to determine why it wasn’t working anymore, while Leader Oh was passing around and getting angry.

Y: “Sir, there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with the machine here. My suspicion is that the transmission cable has been damaged.”

O: “Damaged by a person or some natural force?”

Y: “I don’t know, sir. But, since the cable’s underground, it’s most likely a person or an animal that dug it up and damaged it.”

O: “Great! ing fantastic… First someone sneaked in here when the power was down and sent that misleading message, causing a series of problems we still haven’t solved, and now this. Someone knows what kind of operation we’re running here and is slowly sabotaging us. It’s clear as that we have an undercover agent hiding among us, so why haven’t we found out who it is yet?”

The leader yelled that last part with anger and it made the lieutenants tense up.

After receiving news of how horribly wrong a drug shipment had gone and how many members ended up being caught, mostly cause of a message transmitted from that office, the leader was ready to cause a blood bath. Wonsuk managed to calm him down luckily and Yang was thoroughly questioned as he was, supposedly, the only person within that community who knew Morse code. It turned out that it couldn’t have been Yang behind that message, so they needed to quickly find out who caused them such a disaster. The leader called up everyone he thought was suspicious to his office and subjected them to a test, but that test revealed that none of the suspects knew Morse code.

O: “Who haven’t we checked yet? Wonsuk, bring me the profiles for all the members!”

Wonsuk brought 3 very thick piles of papers and the leader started going through them, setting aside those he had already checked and those he thought also deserved to be checked. Wonsuk saw with horror that the leader stopped and contemplated Namjoon’s profile, weighing the possibility of him being an undercover agent. Wonsuk considered his debt towards Namjoon repaid through the fact that he helped Taehyung and didn’t rat him out even with the immense trouble he had caused. However, Wonsuk could not forget how much he owed Namjoon and thought he should quickly find a way to spare Namjoon trouble, even if that meant throwing both Taehyung and himself into the fire.

O: “He’s definitely smart enough to know Morse code, figure out we’re running a drug making business here and do this kind of sabotage… But he’s so easy to read, he wouldn’t last a minute as an undercover agent… We’ll put him through the test just in case.”

Wonsuk felt his heart sinking. Taehyung apparently knew Morse code and Wonsuk had caught him tapping on his food bowl when he was beside Namjoon at one point, although Wonsuk did not know what was being communicated. Therefore, Namjoon also likely knew Morse code and he’d fail the test even if he didn’t even know what kind of trouble his friend had caused. Wonsuk didn’t want things to get that dangerous for Namjoon so, when the leader had Taehyung’s profile in his hand, the lieutenant decided to throw him into the fire before the fire would get to Namjoon:

W: “What about him?”

O: “Kim Taehyung? He’s just a pair of precise hands with no spirit or brains. Why him? Is there anything that makes you suspect him?”

W: “He spent time in a juvenile detention center. Since we checked other former criminals based solely on their backgrounds, we should also check him just in case. People are currently having lunch so it wouldn’t interfere with his duties if you called him over now to put him through the test.”

O: “It feels like you’re suspicious towards him, Wonsuk. Is there anything you’re not telling me?”

W: “It’s just that he smells like a troublemaker, sir.”

O: “Very well. Yang, tell Choi to bring Kim Taehyung to me and get ready for the test.”

Lieutenant Choi brought Taehyung to the office and the latter entered with a submissive attitude.

T: “You wanted to see me, sir?”

O: “Ah, yes. Taehyung, how long have you been with us exactly?”

T: 86 days and 7 hours but no way I’m letting you know that I know that since you’re using the same method casinos use to not let people be aware of how much time has passed by not having any clocks or calendars anywhere in the community.

T: “I’m sorry, sir, I’m not really sure.”

O: “No problem. I’ll just ask lieutenant Wonsuk to look for your file and we can see. Don’t mind lieutenant Yang over there, he’s just testing a machine.”

Wonsuk pretended to look for Taehyung’s file while the leader observed Taehyung with a fake smile on his face and while Yang pressed the key to the telegraph to form the message You’re gonna die.

If anyone understood that message, they would definitely have a reaction, even if just their eyes slightly widening or their facial muscles getting a bit more tensed, so Wonsuk peeked towards Taehyung to see his reaction. However, there was no reaction. Not one halted breath, no stiffness, no eye movement. Taehyung remained focused solely on the leader and behaved as naturally as if what he heard was nothing but birds chirping in the distance. Wonsuk froze at the realization that Taehyung was so well trained in handling such situations that he might be part of the secret services.

O: “Found it yet?”

W: “Ah, yes, sir. Here it is.”

The leader’s expression became a bit grimmer and, through that, Wonsuk concluded that the leader was pissed about having wasted time without finding the culprit again.

O: “There we go. Almost 3 months. You’ve integrated well and I heard only good things about your work at the factory. So I wanted to ask how you’d feel about being relieved from toilet duty.”

T: “You’re decision will always be the right decision, sir, but I don’t mind continuing with toilet duty. I don’t know what I would do with that free time and I’d like to continue being as useful to the community as I can.”

O: “I see. Very well. Then I will relieve you of toilet duties when I’ll find some other way in which you can be useful.”

T: “Thank you, sir.”

O: “And, since you’ve proven yourself to be such a good addition to the community, I want to ask you if there’s anything you think needs improvement.”

T: Trap! That’s another trap! If I say nothing needs improving, it’ll seem like I’m just saying the things I know he wants to hear from me. If I mention anything noteworthy, it’ll be suspicious that I’m dissatisfied with something.

T: “Well, uhm… This… This is more of a selfish request than an idea for improvement, sir, and I know selfishness and greed and gluttony brought the world in the bad state it is today and I’m ashamed that I still have some of that selfishness within me, but… but I…” Taehyung paused to look really guilty and hesitant before blurting out: “I would like our meals to contain eggs more often.”

O: “Eggs?”

               T: Yes, eggs, God damn it! Joon doesn’t eat meat and he needs more protein!

T: “Yes, sir. I’m really sorry. I realized after saying it out loud how out of line I am by even thinking that when you and the members of this community work so hard to ensure our survival. Please forgive me. And please forget I ever said such a thing.”

O: “You’re right. Asking for more is at the base of the consumerist mindset that brought so much misfortune. You would do well in reflecting upon the selfishness you still have within you and eliminating it.”

T: “Yes, sir.”

O: “However, once I’m done with more pressing matters, I might revise the menus just in case they are not providing all the necessary nutrients to our people.”

T: “Thank you, sir! Thank you so much!” Taehyung shouted and bowed, looking as excited as a kid over receiving a gift and this cemented the leader’s belief that Taehyung was just another obedient sheep.

O: “You may go now. Hurry on to the factory.”

T: “Yes, sir! Thank you again, sir!”

Taehyung left looking really happy and he maintained his act till he was far enough from the L building.

T: What the hell was that all about? And what’s with that lieutenant Yang, testing the telegraph with a message like “Yogurt pie”… Did I hear that wrong or does he have such an odd sense of humor? Wait… That was standard Morse code, so dash dot dash dash…

Taehyung remembered the series of sounds he heard and interpreted them using standard Morse code, then he stopped in his tracks with his eyes and mouth widely open.

T: You’re gonna die?! Was that what he typed? Was I just warned that… Wait, no. Think, Taehyung, think. That whole conversation with Leader Oh was practically meaningless. Sure, he was looking for holes in how brainwashed I am, but why would he waste precious time on me in particular just for that when he surely has more pressing issues right now with the telegraph not working and probably also with that message I sent out… I guess that’s what it was – a test to see who knows Morse code, because people who know Morse code would have a reaction to it.

Taehyung didn’t know whether to face-palm or pat himself on the back because mistaking in which system to interpret a message in Morse code had just saved his . Then a thought hit him:

T: If he’s testing everyone like that, Joon’s in danger. If he’s not testing everyone like that, he finds me suspicious in particular. … I’d rather it be the second one… I gotta tell Joon.

His opportunity came sooner than expected. As he was walking towards the factory, Namjoon was just going back to the L building after having lunch, so Taehyung pretended to lose his balance and clung onto Namjoon for support.

T: “Oops! Clumsy me…”

He said a lot of meaningless things as he tapped the long message Morse message You’re gonna die L office. It’s a test. Don’t react. on Namjoon’s shoulder. When he finished, he said out loud:

T: “We should be careful.”

Namjoon looked at him and nodded as a sign that he understood what Taehyung hastily tried convening through the taps on his shoulder.

As soon as he reached building L, Namjoon was called to the leader’s office and the same thing Taehyung went through started again. Wonsuk resolved to come clean about everything, no matter the risks involved, in case Namjoon was going to end up in trouble. However, Namjoon also didn’t have any reaction to the You’re gonna die Morse code message, not even the faintest, and Wonsuk wondered if he had been wrong about everything or if Taehyung had managed to tip Namjoon off.

In any case, both Namjoon and Taehyung were now free of suspicion. Wonsuk almost sighed relieved.

O: “We’re not getting anywhere with this, so we might as well move on to removing other pests… Yang, call Choi over here.”

When lieutenant Choi came, the leader went straight to the point:

O: “Jeon-Kim Jungkook is not going on any recruiting trips anymore. You don’t need to notify him about it, but if he says anything, send him to me.”

C: “Yes, sir.”

O: “Also tell the hunters to finish him as soon as he wanders alone outside the commune even the slightest bit.”

C: “Understood, sir.” lieutenant Choi said before leaving to fulfill his duties.

O: “That brat’s apparently been telling people aside from those he’s recruiting to not join the organization. This organization is all about working for the common goals and about people not being selfish and reckless. He has been selfish and reckless one too many times…”

Wonsuk clenched his fists tight enough for them to hurt because, even if he really wanted to, there was nothing he could do for Jungkook.