"Please teach me how to fight."
 
Everybody present—Yongguk, Daehyun, and Junhong—stared at Youngjae and Jongup in curiosity, but Youngjae did his best to ignore them, and stared at Jongup across the table in the dining hall with what he hoped was determination. He was tired of feeling useless, and, frankly, his boredom was slowly but surely eating him from the inside-out; he needed something to do other than repair and work, and learning how to fight was the best (and only) thing Youngjae could think of.
 
Jongup stared back at Youngjae, his roll of bread halfway to his mouth. Suddenly, a smile spread across his face as he stood up, bread still in hand. "I thought you'd never ask. Follow me, if you will."
 
"Wha... Hold on!" Youngjae exclaimed as he hurriedly followed Jongup out of the dining hall. "Where are we going?"
 
Jongup took a bite out of his bread, and replied with a muffled, "The weapons room. I'm gonna teach you how to fight. That's what you wanted, right?"
 
"Well, yeah."
 
With each step they took towards the weapons room, Youngjae felt excitement and anxiousness well up inside him. He'd only seen a brief glimpse of it when Yongguk was showing him around, and Youngjae didn't know exactly what to expect.
 
Jongup turned around, walking backwards, and there was a boyish grin on his face, much like Junhong's. "You're probably familiar with the ray gun, right?
 
Youngjae nodded. Of course he was. Every citizen knew what the weapon was because of its recognizable design; the thing was on the national seal.
 
Jongup nodded in approval. "So that means you've shot it before?"
 
"Well, no...," Youngjae replied uneasily. Despite everybody knowing what a ray gun was, nobody except Legion soldiers and the Auxiliary Police were allowed to handle them; citizens were banned from owning any kind of firearm, Old World guns especially.
 
Jongup shrugged, facing forward again. "I can teach you. It's honestly not that hard, and ammo isn't a real problem. If you run out of charges, all you have to do is place the thing under the sun for a day."
 
Youngjae made a sound to show he was still listening. When they reached the weapons room, Jongup switched on the lights, traipsing around the tables laden with artillery and swords as if he was walking through a field of flowers. As Jongup reached the end of the room, chewing on his last bit of bread, he raised his arms up as if to show off his collection.
 
"Take your pick," Jongup said.
 
Youngjae blinked, shocked and a little overwhelmed at the amount of weaponry inside the room. Youngjae recognized everything from the Old World and maybe some from the last Great War. Rifles, handguns, ray guns, swords, ammunition, knives, grenades. Just...everything. On the walls hung even more firearms. It took Youngjae's all not to gawk.
 
Youngjae walked among the tables, careful not to touch anything or else he feared he might die. The longer he pondered which one to pick, though, the more overwhelmed he became.
 
"Uh... I think you should pick, honestly," Youngjae eventually said, scratching his head.
 
Jongup smiled, walking up to Youngjae. "Well, okay, so a ray gun would be the most logical starting point, but personally, something from the Old World is a lot better. It's crude and powerful, a lot better than the Republic's flimsy ray guns, but that's just my opinion."
 
Youngjae blinked dumbfoundedly. While Yongguk seemed knowledgeable about history, Jongup certainly knew his way around weapons. They were so...well-educated in their respective fields. Why would they go against the Republic in the first place when they'd all have respectable positions in society? Yongguk could have become a history teacher, and Jongup a weapons specialist in the Legion.
 
"Can you hold this real quick?" Jongup picked up a white ray gun, and handed it to Youngjae, who fumbled around with the thing as he tried to make sense of it. Jongup stared for a moment at Youngjae, and eventually guided him in the right direction. "Hold it like this, and finger off the trigger until you're ready to shoot. I'd rather we stay relatively unharmed."
 
Youngjae stood as still as he possibly could. As Jongup browsed the tables, occasionally muttering to himself, Youngjae wondered whether or not this entire thing was a good idea. He'd never held a ray gun before in his life.
 
"Are you good with a sword?" Jongup asked, holding up a slim katana to show Youngjae.
 
"I guess...?"
 
Shrugging, Jongup picked up two of the swords. "It wouldn't hurt to try."
 
After a couple more moments of contemplation, Jongup shrugged, and then led Youngjae out of the room. Youngjae walked beside Jongup, holding the ray gun in his hands as if he were cradling a baby. Jongup glanced at Youngjae, and let out a laugh.
 
"You don't need to be so tense. It won't suddenly go off."
 
With a nod, Youngjae lowered the gun to his side, careful to keep his finger clear from the trigger. The weight of it seemed to be distracting, but he didn't know if it was the anticipation or the excitement keeping him focused.
 
"Maybe we can go outside and practice," Jongup announced suddenly, almost absentmindedly. "We have to ask Yongguk first, of course, but it's been pretty calm lately."
 
That statement alone made Youngjae realize just how clueless of the outside world he'd become. He'd been pent up inside the bunker, inside that room full of tools and circuitboards and spare parts; he hadn't even been keeping track of the days. Still... He smiled at the thought of seeing the sun again.
 
As the pair walked into the dining hall, the others were just finishing breakfast; Himchan had apparently come after Jongup and Youngjae left for the weapons room because he sat next to Junhong, eating a bowl of preserved peaches.
 
"Yongguk!" Jongup called out, and everybody turned their heads. "We're heading up because I'm gonna teach Youngjae how to shoot. And maybe fight."
 
Yongguk nodded. "I think that's a good idea. Have fun. Watch out for Republic planes."
 
"Yeah, okay," Jongup replied, turning around. He turned to Youngjae, and smiled. "Let's go?"
 
//
 
Jongup had led Youngjae about five minutes away from the bunker into a clearing. Youngjae stared, almost dumbfounded, at the nature around him. Life flowed through the forest, and he felt like an Old World princess just for thinking it, but he didn't realize how much he missed the outside until that very moment.
 
As Youngjae stood in the center of the clearing, slipping into a trance-like state, Jongup dropped his weapons to the ground beside a boulder, and walked back to Youngjae.
 
"Alright, aim at that tree right there," Jongup instructed, pointing at a tree about thirty feet away.
 
Blinking out of his thoughts, Youngjae raised the ray gun to eye-level, arms stretched out in front of him. He took a deep breath, and pulled the trigger. A bright blue laser beam shot out, but Youngjae had shut his eyes. He hadn't expected much recoil, and the ray gun nearly flew out of his hands.
 
"...I think it went into the leaves," Jongup commented after a moment, and Youngjae slowly eased his eyes open. "But you still hit the tree, which is pretty good considering you've never shot a gun in your life."
 
"Thanks," Youngjae replied, feeling the smallest bit of pride inch its way into his mind.
 
Jongup stepped back, watching Youngjae. "Okay, now just do it again."
 
//
 
"Do you wanna try out the katana now?" Jongup asked after a couple hours. "Actually, wait, do you like the ray gun?"
 
Youngjae lowered the ray gun to his side, and looked at Jongup, who sat on the ground a couple feet away. The tree he'd been shooting at had several laser burns now (as well as the trees around it), but the burn at the middle was significantly larger than the rest. It was much easier shooting now, and a sort of confidence had slithered into Youngjae's limbs, easing him around the gun. He figured he could take a break with it, though.
 
"I can...try the...katana," Youngjae replied, almost uneasily.
 
Smiling, Jongup took one of the swords and handed it to Youngjae. He took the sword in his right hand, and gave the gun to Jongup, who placed it on the ground.
 
"I think, really, the only way to learn how to use a sword properly is to fight against somebody else," Jongup said, taking his own katana out of its scabbard, and Youngjae slowly did the same. "Now, we start with the basics..."
 
//
 
Youngjae laid face-up in the grass, sweat beading down his temples. His chest heaved up and down as he struggled to catch his breath. Jongup sat on a boulder, his physical state similar to Youngjae's. The sun was beginning its descent in the sky at this point, and Youngjae felt as if his limbs were made of jelly.
 
Who knew sword fighting would be so physically taxing? He felt like he'd just taken a beating.
 
"So, yeah, I think...," Jongup paused, still breathing heavily, "we're good for today."
 
"I don't think I can move anymore," Youngjae replied, but it was more of a mumble.
 
With a grunt, Jongup got up, and walked over to Youngjae, holding his hand out. "Himchan probably has something in his supply to help that. Or I think some food would be good too."
 
Youngjae sat up, took Jongup's hand, and heaved himself up off the ground, groaning at the effort. "Yeah, I am pretty hungry."
 
"Great, we can have Daehyun make us something..."
 
The steady sound of beating helicopter blades suddenly resounded in the distance, echoing across the mountain ranges, and Jongup immediately looked up at the sky. With each passing second, the rhythmic thudding grew louder and louder, and Youngjae wondered just why in the world a helicopter would be flying around in District 9.
 
"The Republic," Jongup hissed, and began tugging Youngjae out of the clearing. "Trees. Head for the trees. We gotta get out of sight before they see us."
 
Youngjae glanced back at the weapons still on the ground. "But what about the—"
 
"Forget them."
 
Jongup and Youngjae rushed into the trees, and Youngjae felt like his heart was going to burst out of his chest. Jongup instructed Youngjae to sit down, and the two sat with their backs against a cool boulder. The thuds had become so loud that it sounded like it was directly overhead, but Youngjae didn't dare look up. He held his breath, waiting for the helicopter to pass. After what seemed like forever, the helicopter finally left, and Youngjae finally relaxed.
 
"It's too dangerous out here," Jongup announced as he stood up. He helped Youngjae to his feet, and the two gathered the weapons lying on the ground in the clearing and hurried back to the bunker.
 
//
 
"How was it?" Junhong asked as Jongup and Youngjae returned the ray gun and swords back to the weapons room. He mock punched Youngjae's arm with a grin. "Does this mean I finally get to fight you?"
 
"No, not yet," Youngjae said, wincing a little. "I'm sore."
 
"Aw, come on, think of the Old World saying. No pain, no gain!" Junhong encouraged with a laugh.
 
Youngjae smiled at Junhong's playfulness, but didn't see the correlation between the "pain" and the "gain". Although, if he thought about it, he felt physically pained but he'd gained the knowledge of how to wield a sword and shoot a ray gun.
 
"He's pretty good with the ray gun," Jongup commented, placing the two swords on a table.
 
"Oh man!" Junhong said, jumping excitedly around Youngjae. "Just wait until you get to the machine gun or the shotgun or the glock! Or a bow and arrow! Those are the best!"
 
Youngjae stared at Junhong, not knowing what any of those were. Sure, he'd heard of the guns before from his grandfather, but only very briefly before his parents pulled him away.
 
"I prefer to use a sniper rifle," Jongup said, turning around. He had on a too innocent smile for a statement like that. "You're not in as much danger when you're farther away."

Junhong shook his head in disapproval. "Where's the fun in that?"

"But your chances of dying decrease...?" Youngjae supplied.

"Yeah, but I mean, fighting is the best part!" Junhong countered, bouncing around and punching invisible enemies like an Old World boxer.

"Well, I'm hungry," Jongup announced, pushing through Youngjae and Junhong. "Where's Daehyun?"

"We'll find him eventually," Junhong replied, making his way in between Youngjae and Jongup, and slung his arms around their shoulders as they walked to the dining hall. "If we don't, I'm sure I can fix something up."

"Uh... I think we better find Daehyun," Jongup said uneasily.

Junhong made a noise that sounded like he was offended. "I'm actually a good chef, excuse you!" Junhong turned to look at Youngjae, but the other kept his gaze fixed straight ahead. "Isn't that right, hyung?"

"Um, well..." Youngjae found he couldn't finish because he couldn't find any way to tell Junhong his cooking skills were subpar. It wasn't that his food was bad––it was, Youngjae realized after living with Junhong with several years––but Daehyun's food was just better.

"Hyung!" Junhong whined, his voice elongating the word in a childish way. "You're supposed to be supporting me!"

Before he knew it, Youngjae found himself laughing. His lips opened on its own, his eyes twisting shut as a laugh bubbled from his chest all the way out out of his mouth. It was such a long time since he'd done so, and he felt relieved, like a weight had lifted off his shoulders. He felt like he had no obligations at all.

"Are you guys okay?"

Youngjae's elated moment came to an abrupt halt, and he turned around along with Jongup and Junhong, whose arms now hung limply by his side. They found Daehyun standing in the middle of the corridor, a perplexed look on his face as his eyes flickered between the three in front of him.

"We were just looking for you," Jongup replied. "Because, I mean, Junhong's food doesn't compare to yours."

Junhong punched Jongup on the shoulder in response.

Daehyun turned his puzzled expression to Youngjae, who simply shrugged, but a smile had begun to play on his lips again. "We're hungry."

A/N: [insert incoherent grunting] filler......chapter........ But at least Youngjae knows how to fight now.

Anyway, writing Youngjae like this is pretty fun. Difficult, but fun. And, whoa, I finally have a bunker blueprint (please excuse my weird handwriting). If you're having trouble reading it, please tell me so I can clarify becasue I know most of it's pretty hard to read ; u ;

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