They stepped out of the bus and got a look at their surroundings. The commune was in the middle of a valley surrounded by mostly steep mountains parted in three places, two where a river went through them and one where the dirt road on which they came was.

They entered the commune and walked till its center, the organizers explaining the purpose of the buildings they saw along the way. There were several storage houses, for crops, wood and so on, there were several animal barns, a few shacks for pottery, woodwork, fabric making etc., a large building in which food was prepared for each meal of each day for the entire community, one building where the leader and the lieutenants lived and some buildings meant for group housing. These buildings were 5 floors tall and had on average 30 rooms on each floor, most of these very small. Fields of various plants surrounded the commune and fruit trees had been planted near and throughout the commune. There were no institutions, no banks, no pharmacies, no stores and no vehicles aside from the wooden carts on wheels that would serve in carrying things around.

The people in the commune were busy with their tasks. They greeted the group of new members with a smile on their faces as they passed them and talked with respect when addressing the organizers. All these people were wearing plain, colorless clothing made out of flax fabric, some were wearing rubber slippers while the rest wore rubber boots, and some had straw hats.

The group reached the center of the commune where they saw an elevated wooden platform in the middle of a small public square and, in the middle of that platform, there was a middle-aged man in the same kind of clothing everyone in the commune was wearing, standing with his hands behind his back and with a confident smile. The man had the most average-looking face, but something about him demanded everyone’s attention, aside from the fact that he was in the middle of an elevated platform, he seemed wise, reliable, bold and kind. In short, he exuded charisma even without opening his mouth.

And, when he did open his mouth, it was clear why he gave off that impression.

O: “Welcome new members of the New Life Initiative! My name is Oh Jiho. I am the founder and leader of this community that will now become your home.”

With no microphone or PowerPoint presentation, but with a tone that made his voice and words reach deep within the minds of the audience members, the leader then started his speech.

O: “This community is called New Life Initiative because we aim to change the reckless, selfish and destructive behaviors and practices that have led to the economic and social crisis plaguing our country and many others and will eventually lead to the collapse with catastrophic consequences. This initiative aims to protect those who have opened their eyes to what’s actually happening and those who are capable of discarding their reckless, selfish and destructive tendencies, and also to form a select group of people, of which you are now also a part of, that will emerge after the collapse and after the rest will realize the error of their ways, bringing back order and hope into the world, showing that there is a proven good way of living, and ultimately leading mankind to its salvation. If our initiative reaches a large enough scale and if our select group grows exponentially within the near future, we might even have chances of preventing the catastrophic collapse from happening. For that, I need each and every one of you to be fully dedicated to the cause.”

The leader then paused to look at the new members in a way that made each and every one of them feel like he was looking into their eyes specifically. Then he continued:

O: “New Life Initiative is called such also because it implies a new life for you. You will have to shun all aspects of your previous lives and fully immerse yourselves into this new way of life and commit yourselves to the cause and the community serving it, a community of which you are now a part of. Doubting the community and the way it works, not putting your all into the collective goals, such things are signs of a weak determination and of the fact that you do not belong here. This community will not give piggyback rides to doubters and deadweights. This community will only help those who help the community. You are now a part of this community. You have started a new life.”

The leader paused again, scanning the faces of the new members for signs of guilty feelings or being uncomfortable, because those people had potential to be problematic, so he would have to put in a bit more effort to make sure they don’t become problematic. Taehyung was not among the ones deemed potentially problematic. His acting was on point. He acted like he was full of hope regarding this new life he was starting even though, on the inside, he was utterly appalled by every single thing he had experienced since stepping off the bus.

O: “As such, I want each and every one of you to go through a symbolic ritual of passage. One by one, you will come up here on this platform, discard all of your clothes aside from your underwear, thereby letting go of your vanity, your individualistic mindset, your dependency on material goods, and you will talk about all the regretful things your previous lives entailed, how you have been reckless, selfish and destructive, how the world had been cruel to you, this complete honesty showing that you trust the community and that the community can trust you. I will then ask you if you are ready to start a new life and, if I can see the necessary determination within you, then you shall receive and dress in the clothes all members of the community are wearing, marking your new identity, and you will become one of us, one of the few that shall be saved.”

The leader then nodded towards another member of the commune and that man pulled on a rope a couple of times, making the church-like bell near the platform announce to the rest of the community that they should gather around the platform. So people dropped whatever work they were performing and gathered around the platform in a way that left considerable space between them and the group of new members that had just arrived that day.

               T: Holy ! 200? 300? I can’t even see where the crowd ends…

Taehyung thought fast. If he were to be among the first who would go up on the platform and perform this ritual of passage, he would come across as having a lot of eagerness to become part of this community, which would help ensure that he wouldn’t be perceived unfavorably by the leader. However, if he were to go up soon, he wouldn’t be able to analyze what was happening. So he decided to be the eighth or ninth person to go out of the couple of dozen people that were new members.

With the kind of mind he had, some things were pretty obvious to Taehyung. Like the fact that whatever new members said while up on the platform would most likely be recorded so that the information could potentially be used against them later on, either as plain and simple blackmail material or just for easier and more effective manipulation. It was so obvious because of the kinds of questions the leader would ask whenever the person confessing got stuck on what to talk about.

Something else that was very clear to him was how much of an impact this kind of thing could have on a regular person’s mind. Standing in the middle of a crowd while only in your underwear and confessing personal things to that crowd of strangers, especially with that crowd of strangers letting out gasps and various noises indicating disapproval of actions and thoughts the person on the platform was revealing, can make a person vulnerable enough to break into little pieces. And most of the people that went up before him ended up weeping or crying uncontrollably. This was coupled with the fact that the new members had not eaten since the evening before and hunger was making everyone feel weaker.

T: ing bastards! It’s way more thought out and way less in your face, but they’re just as sadistic as the people in the juvenile detention center.

If a new member did not seem like joining this community was the only thing he or she desperately wanted, the leader would ask questions and say things in an increasingly louder and affected tone until the new member eventually believed with all his or her heart that joining this community is his or her only path out of misery and towards salvation.

T: God damn it! Why isn’t he a lunatic that claims angels talk to him in a foreign language in his dreams? He’s dangerous. Very dangerous…

After a new member received and dressed in his or her new clothes, the crowd would cheer and the leader would smile and tap his or her shoulder while telling him or her to go join his or her new friends and family. These new friends and family would also give hugs and pats on the back and warm words of welcome to the new member that had joined them and Taehyung was only half aware of how much these things favored loyalty.

Finally, Taehyung walked up on the platform as the ninth new member to do so, took off his clothes in silence and with a blank expression, ignoring how much pressure his circumstances were putting on him, threw them aside and looked at the crowd.

For a split second, he had the urge to shout “This is a cult! You’re being brain-washed and it’s gonna end badly!”, but he fought it off fast because his reason for being there did not entail being anyone’s savior apart from Namjoon’s. So he took a deep breath and started speaking.

T: “My name is Kim Taehyung. The most regretful thing that happened in my life was being born. Nobody wanted that and it caused a lot of people a lot of trouble. Then I started intentionally causing trouble. Bullying, blackmail, vandalism, violence, minor thefts, pretty much anything you can imagine. Eventually I got caught and put into a juvenile detention center for half a year. What I learned there was that I had been a saint compared to how cruel human beings can be. I sometimes beat people up, but I never imagined that some people can laugh while sodomizing others with a broom stick. I peed on public property, most notably my former schools, but I never thought peeing on someone else’s eyeballs can be considered fun. There is… no limit to how terrible and cruel people can be…”

T: Alright. That should be enough honesty to seem like I’m honest. Let’s start the show. Come on, tear glands, cooperate.

T: “So, when I got out, I avoided causing any more trouble at all costs because I was scared of ever ending up in places like that again. But life… life is so hard!” Taehyung said, making a pained expression bloom on his face. “I became a hairdresser, because I’m not very smart but I’m skilled with my hands and I needed a profession that I could learn fast so I could get a job, support myself and lead a normal and decent life. There were constantly obstacles and I struggled so much by myself…” Taehyung said, pausing for dramatic effect and to focus on his tear glands a bit. “After I finally got a job and thought I was gonna be fine, the economic crisis came and I lost that job. I struggled to find a new one and eventually I did, but the pay is a joke and the boss always yells at and belittles his employees. I don’t want to end up on the streets or lead a life of crime, but I got so close to a breaking point…”

Finally a tear showed itself under Taehyung’s left eye, so he amplified how pained his face looked and his voice sounded.

T: “Then I heard about this place and how it helps people. This is my last hope of leading a decent life and I want to do everything I can for things to go well, so please…” Taehyung pleaded, now crying and seeming desperate. “Please accept me at least here…”

As Taehyung cried and the leader was evaluating him, Jungkook watched from the middle of the crowd too stunned to blink. Because he had interacted with Taehyung outside of the cult and he saw how serious Taehyung was when he said he didn’t care if things end in mass-murder, he was convinced Taehyung was acting from the moment the word “scared” left his mouth. To Jungkook, Taehyung didn’t seem like a person capable of feeling fear and he was stunned because he hadn’t experienced acting that seemed so genuine ever since Jungkook himself stood on that platform and spat a load of bull.

It was fine for Jungkook, because the leader knew very well why he was there and he just needed to put on a show for the crowd. But it wasn’t fine for Taehyung because who knows what could happen if the leader felt there was something fishy about Taehyung. However, the leader just asked:

O: “Are you ready to start a new life?”

T: “Yes! Yes! I’m more than ready! Please let me do it!”

O: “Then…” the leader started as he gestured for someone to come with the clothes so that he could hand them to Taehyung like he did with the new members before him. “Work hard and never forget how you felt before coming here.”

T: “Thank you!” Taehyung let out in a heartfelt way, smiling with relief and slightly bowing before he received the clothes and quickly put them on.

When he was done, the crowd cheered, the leader tapped him on the shoulder and sent him to join the crowd. Taehyung thanked him again before descending from the platform and wiping his tears as he entered the crowd and started smiling and thanking the people that were welcoming him and telling him he did the right thing and that he was going to be okay now.

As the attention was shifting back to the platform and the next new member going up on it, Taehyung started looking around and his eyes met with Jungkook’s. When they did, all emotions instantly evaporated from Taehyung’s face and Jungkook was now absolutely sure he had seen an Oscar-level acting performance. They wordlessly stared each other down, when suddenly –

N: “Taehyung.”

Taehyung’s eyes went wide and everything inside him started shaking as he turned towards the source of that voice. Namjoon was just a few meters away, looking at him with a concerned expression, and Taehyung lost all control over himself. He knew it was best if he didn’t reveal his relationship with Namjoon, but Namjoon was right there, alive, seemingly intact, with a concerned expression which meant that he wasn’t completely brain-washed and Taehyung was overwhelmed with happiness and relief, so he dashed towards Namjoon and hugged him. Even though his hands were shaking, he squeezed Namjoon with a lot of strength and, even though his tear glands should’ve been exhausted from the fake crying, Taehyung cried as he simply let out:

T: “Joon…”

By the expression Namjoon made after that and by how he hugged Taehyung back, Jungkook could tell how torn Namjoon felt. He probably felt really angry and concerned about Taehyung coming to that place, but he probably also felt really happy that Taehyung went to such great lengths to look for him.

They pulled apart and stared at each other. Since they had been close friends for over a decade, looking at each other was as revealing as a 5 minute-long conversation. Namjoon understood that Taehyung came there determined to get him out and, for that, he was going to burn the whole world down to ash level if he had to. Not even Namjoon’s own will stood much of a chance in changing that conviction. Taehyung understood that Namjoon was still very much aware that he was in a cult that was detrimental to its lower end members and that Taehyung would inevitably experience exactly how detrimental it would be, but for both of their sakes they both have to continue acting like they truly want to be there.

T: “How are you?” Taehyung then said while he put his hand on Namjoon’s shoulder and did a series of motions with his index finger, tapping, pressing, sliding, to convey the question Remember? in their own secret adaptation of the Morse code.

---

Taehyung had constantly been in danger of flunking during high school, but he got by with his expertise in cheating. However, after he became friends with Namjoon, the latter constantly pressured him into studying instead of cheating and, somehow, Taehyung just didn’t want to make Namjoon disappointed in him so he gave studying half-decent shots even though he also constantly bugged Namjoon to help him on the tests, thereby making Namjoon give his approval for the action of cheating.

T: “Come on! Even if I really wanted to learn all this bullcrap, there’s no time. Help me out just once, okay? You’ve got brains to spare and you always finish the tests within half the time we’re given.”

N: “Learn Morse code and I’ll help you on the tests. Otherwise, do it the proper way.” Namjoon said on a whim, because he had also just recently learned Morse code for fun and he was sure Taehyung would give up learning it after a few minutes tops.

However, to Namjoon’s surprise, Taehyung had not only learned Morse code by the following day, he also brought a list of rules for how to use it in a simplified and less time-consuming manner and also how to use it through types of touches with a finger or the end of a pencil on someone’s back or hand.

It stunned Namjoon beyond belief that his friend couldn’t memorize their history lessons within a week but he could learn both the original version of the Morse code and the simplified and versatile version he invented, which actually made sense, within a day.

Because of things like this, Namjoon came to realize that Taehyung was highly intelligent, but very few things motivated him enough to use that mind of his to its full capacity and for good purposes.

---

N: “Good.” Namjoon said while nodding slightly to tell Taehyung that he did remember their code and its specific rules and possibilities.

Taehyung smiled. He was glad Namjoon remembered their code and they will be able to communicate, but he was even happier just seeing Namjoon in front of him and he couldn’t stop looking at him.

N: “Now pay attention.” Namjoon said as he turned Taehyung so that he would look at the platform while Namjoon’s hand remained on Taehyung’s shoulder, conveying what he should actually pay attention to: Don’t disobey, trust anyone or lose your cool. Danger.

Taehyung took in air, closed his eyes and let his head drop slightly, then he lifted it back up as he opened his eyes and breathed out. This was to convey to Namjoon that he understood and would follow his advice. That’s what Taehyung had initially planned to do anyway, even if only for the first month.

Jungkook saw all of this and sighed. When he had seen Taehyung on the platform and when he had seen how he hugged Namjoon immediately upon meeting him, Taehyung felt like the most relatable person in the world to Jungkook. But Jungkook also somewhat envied Taehyung – even if he was now also stuck inside of this cult, at least he had found and met the person he had been looking for.

Jungkook then looked up and saw a bird flying over them. He wondered when and if he would see Seokjin again, when and if he would be free again, when and if all of this will end.

When all the new members had gone through the ritual of passage, and of course all of them did because the cult recruiters were smart enough to filter out all those who weren’t fit for their purpose in the first two stages, all except those with acting skills on Taehyung’s level, the leader told them that the first thing they would do was to eat lunch together with all of the community. Afterwards, the recruiters will give them another guided tour of the community, will show them their assigned living spaces and will hand them their assigned schedules that the new members would have to follow starting very early the next day.

The meal consisted of some fried vegetables with polenta and some salty sheep cheese, served in small bowls made out of clay and with only a metal spoon in them. These bowls were handed out to each member of the community when it was their turn in line by the people whose work consisted mainly of preparing the food, serving it and washing the dishes. Those who already received their bowl would then go sit somewhere within the public square, many people just sitting on the ground, and eat.

Taehyung had to go with the new members and the recruiters that had brought them there while the food was being handed out, but then he boldly went and sat next to Namjoon to eat together because the cult members with decision-making power had already picked up on the fact that they were close so there was no point in hiding that now. Namjoon knew this meant that he and Taehyung would be, to some degree, kept apart.

T: “How’s your health?” was the only thing Taehyung asked Namjoon as they ate together surrounded by many eyes, ears and mouths.

N: “Fine. Yours?”

T: “Fine.”

While they ate, Namjoon tapped his foot on the ground in a seemingly random manner. Even if someone knew Morse code, they wouldn’t be able to decipher anything, because this was Morse code with all the twists Taehyung had put on it. Namjoon’s message was Trust only Jungkook, so Taehyung instinctively looked around for Jungkook because he was puzzled as to why Namjoon had said that.

Jungkook ate a little further away from them, but immediately after Taehyung laid eyes on him, Jungkook lifted his head and looked around to see who was watching him and from where, like an animal with abnormally heightened senses and self-preservation instincts. Jungkook and Taehyung’s eyes met again and they studied each other before their gazes went back to the bowls in their hands.

T: Why the hell would I trust that guy of all people? Sure, he’s Joon’s friend, he’s not brain-washed and he says he still has a bit of humanity left within him and, while that might be true or not, he spends his time deceiving people and making them come into this hole. There’s no way I’m trusting a guy like that. Sorry, Joon, but it ain’t happening. Besides, I’ve gotten by without trusting anyone other than myself and you, so there’s no need to even concern myself with Jungkook.

After the meal, everyone went back to work and the new members were taken on a very detailed guided tour. Although memorizing wasn’t something he liked doing, Taehyung tried to memorize even what plants were grown in each field, especially since there was one plant he had no idea what purpose it was grown for.

Towards evening, the bell in the public square rang once and shortly and apparently that signaled to everybody that they should gather there again and have dinner. Dinner consisted of boiled potatoes with onion, some salt and oil thrown over them, served again in the same bowls with only a spoon.

After dinner, most people still had things to do, so they went on their way. The group of new members had been taken to the group housing buildings and were told where each of them had their rooms.

It seemed odd to Taehyung that he had been the only new member who was placed in a building that was somewhat far away from the building in which all the others were placed. Even so, he went there without asking questions out loud after the recruiters told them that they would come by later to give them their assigned schedules.

The building was like a student dorm, with long hallways and small rooms on each side of the hallway, a set of stairs to go from the first floor all the way up to the fifth and down again, a storage room where there was a broom, a mop, a bucket and some rags you could use to clean your room and, oddly or not, a surveillance camera at the end of each floor’s hallway.

Taehyung entered his room that did not have a key because it was to be kept permanently unlocked and it had basically nothing inside. There was a bed for a single person, with a simple wooden structure, a mattress and a pillow made out of hay covered in flax fabric casings, and a blanket made out of wool. There was also a small and simple wooden table and, on it, were a candle in a candle holder, a small box of matches, a large mug made out of clay that held half a liter of water which you could drink from, a large bowl also out of clay in which you could pour water to wash your face or other parts of your body and… that was it.

Taehyung didn’t even understand why there was a candle with matches in the first place because there was absolutely nothing to do in that room. There wasn’t even a second set of clothes to change into. As he understood, they might get a second set of clothes within 2 or 3 weeks so they could alternate when they needed to wash their clothes. That meant he would be wearing the same clothes and the same underwear for 14 to 21 days.

He then figured it out. The candle and the matches were there in case you wanted to clean your room in your own time or if you wanted to go to the outside toilets and it was dark outside and in the hallways. There was barely any electricity in the entire community. In a certain place, a generator was kept and it powered a few of the things in the community with the help of the energy from the river flowing through that valley.

T: And of course you need the generator to power the obviously important surveillance cameras...

Taehyung suddenly remembered Jungkook had been an engineer before joining the cult and he wondered if he served a different purpose besides that of a recruiter. Then he heard a voice from outside that caught his attention.

R: “Ah! Jungkook! Wait up!”

Taehyung went to his window and saw that while Jungkook had been approaching the building with a tool kit in his hand, one of the recruiters that had handled the new group of members ran up to him while saying:

R: “You heading home?”

J: “Yeah.”

R: “What’s up with the tool kit? Problems with the generator or at the factory?”

J: “No. Just with one of the fridges in the cooking house.”

R: “Oh, okay. Can I ask you a favor?” the recruiter started as he handed Jungkook a sheet of paper. “Can you give Kim Taehyung in room R414 his schedule? It’s right above your room and I really don’t wanna climb up 4 floors for only one person after over 24 hours of work and still having the people in the building W to give the schedules to.”

J: “Okay.”

R: “Thanks, man!” the recruiter said, tapping Jungkook’s shoulder before he ran off.

Jungkook looked at Taehyung’s schedule and then towards where his window should be. Their eyes met and they had another staredown before Jungkook subtly sighed and started going towards the building.