Blood was pounding in Kyungsoo’s ears as he slowly shifted to where Maurice was waiting with his eyes gleaming like a predator stalking its prey.

The crowd went crazy, screaming and shouting. Bids were again passed around to the person in front. The little boy was pulled back again into the mass of people, disappearing from sight. Kyungsoo watched and sighed with relief, but his heart was thumping erratically.

Screw up and you die. That’s what Victoria had always reminded him. He clenched his fists and shifted his eyes back to Maurice, who had a big ugly sneer on his lips. Height, 190cm. Weight, 87kg. Kyungsoo began to analyze the man in front of him, breaking the information down into little pieces. The killer intent in his eyes is real. Experienced; this is not his first time. Kyungsoo sighed, closing his eyes.

“Well, you ready to go home crying to your momma?” Maurice smirked, wiping his mouth. Kyungsoo sighed again and opened his eyes, and that’s when Maurice lunged towards him, pulling back his fist and propelling it forward into his face. Kyungsoo didn’t even have time to cry out as the fist met its target, the force sending him shooting backwards. The crowd parted as Kyungsoo landed facedown on the ground in the middle of them, barely moving. Maurice looked surprised for a little while, but then he started laughing.

“That’s all you’ve got? And here I was thinking that there’s finally a person who can be my opponent......what a fool I am!”

Kyungsoo ignored the jeers and stood up slowly, feeling his face with his fingers. His forehead was bleeding, but it wasn’t too severe. The crowd was staring anxiously at him, not daring to say a word.

He’s strong, but he’s slow. With this new observation in mind, Kyungsoo turned around and faced Maurice once more, only to get hit again continuously.

Punch. “What’s wrong?” Punch. “Don’t you think-“ Punch. “you should’ve-“ Punch. “stayed quiet-“ Punch. “and minded your own business?” One last blow had Kyungsoo sprawling on the floor again, blood trickling down his face. Maurice stood above him, panting slightly. The crowd gasped and murmured amongst themselves while Kyungsoo shakily stood up again, blots of red staining the floor. Maurice looked at him in a mixture of uneasiness and surprise.

“Still not done yet? Why you little motherer-“ He gritted his teeth and ran forward again, his hand twisting out to make contact with Kyungsoo’s face-

Now.

Kyungsoo turned his head ever so slightly and Maurice’s fist went sailing past Kyungsoo’s cheek, brushing against it lightly. Kyungsoo moved quickly forward before Maurice could react, stabbing two fingers into the crook of the man’s neck forcefully. Maurice silently slumped onto the floor without another sound, while Kyungsoo fell down to his knees, his face still bleeding. The crowd stared at the boy in awe for a few moments before speaking.

“He won,” A man in the front whispered. “He won!”

“The boy’s all torn up, look! I can’t believe he won!”

“! All the money I betted is now gone!” A man shouted angrily.

“Mine too!”

“It’s all that guy’s fault!”

The angry crowd started to advance on Kyungsoo, who widened his eyes in alarm. When he realized what was happening, he jumped up, got his satchel on the ground, and sprinted away at top speed. A few men were chasing after him, but Kyungsoo’s wounds and fatigue were already slowing him down. Panting heavily, he ran through the ruins of buildings, trying to find a hiding place. He turned around the corner and was greeted cheerfully by a dead end. Feeling horribly sick in his stomach, he turned around slowly and braced himself.

A soft, yet urgent voice startled him. “Psst. This way!”

Kyungsoo was alarmed, but he didn’t think twice before following the voice. A dark hooded man was hiding in the shadows, and as Kyungsoo followed him, the man pushed a lever and a trapdoor appeared out of nowhere on the ground. Hiding his surprise, he stepped cautiously down into the secret tunnel while the hooded man followed suit. The trapdoor slammed shut, and Kyungsoo let out a sigh of relief as he heard angry voices above ground threatening to “tear him apart” if they ever find him.

The hooded man was staring at him curiously, the shadows concealing his real identity. Kyungsoo stared back at him, slightly suspicious.

“Who are you, and why did you do that?”

“Why did I do what?” The man sweeped his cloak backwards, walking briskly past Kyungsoo and lighting a match. Kyungsoo followed, narrowing his eyes.

“You know. Save me from those people.”

The man stayed silent for a while, and Kyungsoo was slightly amused to see that he was thinking seriously. “Instinct.”

Kyungsoo stifled a laugh, clamping a hand over his mouth. “Seriously? I could kill you right now and you said that you saved me because of instinct?”

The man turned around abruptly, his leg shifting forward to knock him out of balance. Kyungsoo fell backwards with a surprised gasp, his back hitting the ground as the man quickly leaned down and clamped his hand over Kyungsoo’s mouth, his other arm elbowing him firmly to the ground. The match fell to the floor with a hiss. Kyungsoo’s eyes were as wide as saucers.

“You can never kill me,” the man said simply, his face just a few inches away from Kyungsoo’s. Even in the dark, Kyungsoo could see that the man was really young, probably even younger than himself. The man released him and stood up. Kyungsoo remained where he was on the ground, still trying to process what just happened.

“Okay,” Kyungsoo said slowly. “You’re pretty good.” He stood up, brushing the mud off his jeans. The man chuckled and lit up another match, continuing the path downwards as Kyungsoo walked beside him.

“Name.” The word fell out quickly from the man’s lips.

“What?”

“Your name, for god’s sake. What is your name.”

“O-Oh.” Kyungsoo felt stupid. “My name is Kyungsoo.” As soon as the word escaped from his lips, he wanted to slap himself for using his real name. He hung his head miserably, muttering profanities under his breath.

“You let him hit you on purpose,” the man said quietly. “You could’ve easily won if you wanted to.”

Kyungsoo looked up in surprise. “You were there?”

The man nodded silently. Kyungsoo remained calm, but his mind was already reeling. He knows. He’s observant. His instincts screamed out at him to be more suspicious of this mysterious man. The hooded man noticed him tense up and he sighed a little.

“I won’t attack you or anything, so please stop looking at me like that,” he said indignantly. “Anyways, we’re here.” He stopped and felt the wall before pushing a door in the wall.

“‘Here’? What do you mean here-?” Kyungsoo stopped in his tracks.

Behind the door was an amazingly large room with sleek walls and polished floors. To Kyungsoo’s right was a row of large machines with vicious looking claws, gleaming under the light. He shuddered a little at the sight, but managed to remain composed.

“What is this place?” Kyungsoo asked. The man didn’t reply at once, only kept on walking.

“This is my hideout,” he said, taking his cloak off and tossing it over onto a chair nearby. He turned around, and that’s when Kyungsoo finally got to take a good look at his face. Beautiful, golden skin with warm brown eyes. Black tousled hair that made him seem vulnerable and young. The young man’s lips were twisted up into a light smile, and it made Kyungsoo swallow unconsciously.

“Kai? You’re back already-“ A door behind the man opened, revealing another young man with light brown hair with sleepy eyes. He blinked at Kyungsoo, who instantly stiffened and was alert. “Who’s this guy?”

Kai glanced at Kyungsoo, the smile still on his lips. “A guy I picked up on the street.”

“Oh great,” the other boy said sarcastically. “Thanks for bringing another mouth to feed.”

“It’s not you do anything anyways, Luhan.” Kai rolled his eyes and sat down on the chair, ignoring Luhan’s protests. “I lost the bet.”

“W-What?!” Luhan shrieked at the top of his lungs. “What are we supposed to eat without any money?”

“We’ll manage,” Kai said, waving his hand dismissively. “Here, show the new guy around.”

Luhan again started to protest and made a face at Kai, who ignored him and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Kyungsoo stood where he was, confused about the whole scene in front of him.

“What was your name, um, Kyungsoo?” Luhan said, scratching his head. “I’m Luhan. Sorry for dragging you into this. You want some coffee?”

“Who is that guy?” Kyungsoo murmured. His instinct told him that he was definitely not just an ordinary Inferior. Luhan sighed and sat down on one of the chairs.

“I guess he didn’t tell you anything, did he?” Luhan pursed his lips. Kyungsoo shook his head, walking forward and sitting down next to him, reaching out for his cup of coffee.

“We’re a group of ‘terrorists’, as called by those bloody Republicans, that fight against the government,” Kyungsoo winced at the cursing, “and we fight because we want to save this godforsaken land. Simple as that.”

Kyungsoo nearly choked on his coffee. “You guys do what?”

Luhan ignored him. “You don't have a place to stay right? Join us."

“I reject,” Kyungsoo said calmly, setting down his cup on the table. “I didn’t come here to join some terrorist group.”

Luhan was thinking carefully. “You’re not an Inferior, are you? Where did you come from?”

“North,” Kyungsoo lied easily. “I’m grateful for you guys saving me, but I have much more important business to do.”

Luhan’s eyes turned cold. “I don’t think you understand. In these dumps, there’s more than just an angry bunch of people chasing after you. If you step out now, there’s no guarantee that you’ll live, considering that you’re not familiar with this place.”

Kyungsoo felt his resolve waver a little at the statement, but he stayed calm. “I have the freedom to choose, don’t I?” If it weren’t for finding the culprit, I would’ve turned you all in to the Republic by now, he silently added, his eyes narrowing into slits.

“Go ahead. The exit is over there.” It was impossible to make out the expression on Luhan’s face. Kyungsoo slowly stood up from his chair and turned around, his shoes squeaking on the surface as he walked away, feeling Luhan’s eyes burning into his back. He thought of the mysterious man again, Kai, and clenched his fists.

Just who is he?

Throwing his concerns into the back of his head, his hand tightened on the knob as he pulled the door open, the chilly night welcoming him with open arms.

Author's Note

Decided to throw Luhan into the story since he's too cute ;') I might throw in some Hunhan if possible XD