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CHAPTERTWENTY-SIX

❝INFINITE❞

"How did you come up with the name INFINITE?” Woohyun asked, leaning back against the bench. He turned to Sunggyu, giving him a curious look.

The caramel haired man slouched in his spot slightly, looking up at the sky. He crossed his arms. He was quiet for moment; a look of contemplation formed on his face. No one had ever actually asked him that before. “Well,” he started. “The name itself, INFINITE, I didn’t come up with myself. It was my grandparents.”

“Really? Your grandparents were in INFINITE?!” Sunggyu rolled his eyes at the look of astonishment on Woohyun’s face. “You have the most badass grandparents I’ve ever heard of!”

Sunggyu snorted, “No, they weren’t in my INFINITE.” Woohyun pouted, obviously disappointed with the leader’s answers. “Back before YG took over South Hallow, when the city was calm and peaceful and not at war with other lands, my grandparents ran in orphanage in a small part of the city of what is now known as sector ten. My mother was one of the orphans who grew up there.

“They weren’t my real grandparents, but we were close. They were family to me. And when they grew too old to run the place, my mom took over. She was one of the first kids they took care of. And she was the only one who had stayed even when she was old enough to move out of the home. When she had me, I grew up in the orphanage as well. Most of the times, I was the oldest among all the orphans, so they always looked up to me. It was really annoying at times, ‘cause I had to share my mom with all these other little kids. A lot of the times, I was lonely, but she would always manage to squeeze some times in just to be with me.” Sunggyu quietly sighed. It had been a long time since he had last thought of his mother.

“That must’ve been an interesting childhood, growing up in an orphanage but not actually being one. Were any of the kids ever envious of you, the only one among them that actually had a parent?”

“Some, I think. But none of them ever said anything. They were probably too scared to say anything because they knew I could beat their asses.” Woohyun chuckled at that.

"Is she still around?"

Sunggyu shook his head. That was a whole other story that he didn't have the heart to go into at the moment.

“My mom, she did a lot for the neighborhood. She was great. I remember her taking in all kinds of kids. Everyone loved her: the kids, the new parents, the neighbors. Everyone. I don’t remember my grandparents that much, though. They both passed away when I was still really young, but I remember my grandpa explaining to me the meaning behind INFINITE.

"Infinite is limitless; it is endless. It’s impossible to measure. It goes on and on. They created Infinite, the orphanage, so that kids, regardless of their background, their story, would always have a home to go to, to return to. They wanted Infinite to be forever there, endless. No matter what would happen to these kids in the future, Infinite would always be standing. It would be their sanctuary. They wanted Infinite to have unlimited potential, to be a home for the kids of South Hallow forever and ever.

“For some reason, that explanation always stuck with me.” Sunggyu ran a hand through his hair, glancing at the brunet next to him. He was quiet, listening to Sunggyu intently, eyes focused on him. He looked back to the sky. “When I left the military and created this group, my grandparents, my mom, my home, they were some of the main reasons why I went up against YG. The government took a lot from me. Not just them; they even took away the people I cared about the most while I was a soldier. Everyone that I have ever cared about had been killed, and I wanted revenge. I wanted the government of South Hallow to know how toxic they were to their own people, to us. I wanted them to know what they did and know who was behind it.

"When the pedestal that YG and followers stand upon began to crack and crumble beneath them, I want them to know that it was INFINITE that was responsible for it. No matter how many encounters they have with us, no matter how many times they knock us down, we will keep coming back. We are endless. They will never be able to put an end to us. We are boundless. We are fathomless. I took the concept of my grandparent’s home, my mother’s home, my home… and the dreams and hopes of my best friend and constructed INFINITE, the resistance group hell-bent on fighting this corrupted government and winning our country back.”

Sunggyu took a deep, shaky breath, feeling the anger course through his veins. YG took so much from him: his comrades, his family, and the people of South Hallow. He would never forgive them. He would never give up till this war he had with them was over.

A hand rested on his thigh, and Sunggyu almost forgot Woohyun was there, sitting next to him. He looked to the young man. He had a soft smile on his face. He didn’t say anything, but Sunggyu understood. Woohyun’s presence was calming for him at times like this.

Sunggyu was thankful to Woohyun. Thankful for his presence, for listening to him and letting him vent. It’s been a long time since he had thought about his mom, his grandparents, and his home. Not too many knew of Sunggyu’s past, of where he came from. He had never told anyone all of this. Not even his close comrades. No one knew. There was only one person he could think of that knew him of his past as well, but that was because they also came from the orphanage his family ran.

Woohyun retracted his hand, and Sunggyu refused to admit that he wanted it to stay there. The pressure on his thigh was warm and heavy, and the action spoke louder than words. It calmed him. Such a small, little action had on more than one occasion mollify him. Woohyun looked up at the sky. The sun was completely gone now, but the sunset remained.

“Don’t you think this is a little unfair?” Sunggyu said. The leader enjoyed the comfortable silence between the two, but he wanted to hear him speak. He wanted to hear Woohyun's voice. The brunet gave him a puzzled look. “I practically unveiled my entire reasoning for INFINITE, and you're just sitting there with that dumb smile on your face."

Woohyun laughed at that. "Sorry, but your story, your reasoning behind everything about INFINITE is very inspirational."

"Oh, please. To most, we're just a gang running through the city, waving our guns around while everything around us coincidentally gets destroyed."

Thinking about the events of the previous mission, Woohyun didn't have the heart to say that that appeared to be the truth."Don't be modest. You're obviously doing a lot for these people. Some just don't know it yet."

"Tell me something about you; I really don’t know much. You’re just a guy who fell into our time from the sky. And trouble loves to follow you wherever you go.”

Woohyun nodded at that, his face flushing with embarrassment.

Where was the lie in that statement?

“Ah, my life isn’t that exciting, compared to yours at least.”

“Try me,” Sunggyu pressed.

“Well, you already know how I ended up here, in this time, right?" Sunggyu nodded, remembering one of the first conversations he had with the young man.

"Honestly, my life isn't tha