Part 5
Two months had crawled by since the day Felix first arrived. The relentless passage of time had forced a strange, painful acclimatization. Gradually, the initial shock was wearing off, replaced by a dull ache of resignation. He was getting used to the stark reality of life here and a terrifying thought had begun to take root this isolated, violent existence might just be his forever
He walked toward the visitation room, the designated time slot arriving like a clock chiming doom. He was there to see his Uncle Lee Jun-ho now the single, fragile anchor Felix had left in the outside world
This time Felix was strangely calm, not the sobbing, sorrowful boy of earlier visits. He approached the table and before sitting, embraced his uncle with a tight, reassuring hug and a forced, if genuine, smile
"How are you, Uncle?" Felix asked, pulling back from the hug
"I'm not well when you're here, my son" Lee Jun-ho replied, his face etched with strain
"Please don't say that" Felix gently urged, sitting down "Don't let your life be consumed by worry for me"
Lee Jun-ho sighed, running a hand through his hair "A few days ago, the lawyer I hired to work actively on the case suddenly quit. I have no explanation so it might take some time to find someone new who is willing to take on this mess" he admitted, his voice heavy with frustration
"Let's not talk about that subject today, Uncle" Felix quickly suggested, wanting to escape the legal stress for a few precious minutes "Let's talk about us for a while"
"Uhh!! okay...." Lee Jun-ho tried to shift gears, forcing a lighter tone "I go from the company to home and from home to the company. All of your father's responsibilities are on my shoulders now....It's very heavy" He then searched Felix's face anxiously "And you, my son? Are you okay here? I know this is a prison and problems arise but I truly hope you are well"
"I'm fine, Don't worry about me" Felix lied smoothly, the practiced mask of resilience firmly in place "Uncle?" he added, his voice dropping, taking on a pleading, delicate quality
"Yes" Lee Jun-ho replied, leaning forward
"Can you... just for a few hours... get me out of here? So I can visit my father, my step-mom and sister's graves?" His eyes unable to fully hide his genuine pain, filled instantly with tears
His uncle studied Felix's sorrowful, desperate face. He reached across the table and gripped Felix's hands tightly "Yes, of course but you'll have to wait. It will take time to arrange the clearance"
Felix simply nodded, accepting the promise. After a few more minutes of quiet conversation, the time limit expired. They both stood up and exchanged their goodbyes
Just before Felix reached the guarded door he turned back, a final, essential thought surfacing. He looked directly at his uncle
"Can you bring me some books?" Felix asked, the plea softer than the first
"Of course, what kind do you want?" his uncle asked, a genuine smile finally touching his lips
"It doesn't matter Uncle. I just want to read" Felix said, the desire for escape overriding any preference for genre
The stern-faced guard immediately took Felix's arm and guided him out of the room
Felix entered his cell and Jae-bum immediately rose from his bunk, his large frame moving with concer
"Are they letting you visit your family's graves?" he asked right away, his hope visible
"It might take some time" Felix admitted, forcing a small, weary smile that didn't quite reach his eyes
"Hey... don't be sad, okay? You'll get to gonso don't worry" Jae-bum reassured him, his hand settling briefly on Felix's shoulder "Let's go to the yard. We can use some fresh air"
Felix nodded, grateful for the distraction and they headed out to the communal yard
They walked together, their steps falling naturally in sync as they spoke, their conversation a careful, necessary escape from the wall
"Before I came to prison" Jae-bum began, a rare, light tone in his voice "I worked as a pizza delivery guy"
"Oh, really!?" Felix said, looking up at him with genuine surprise
"Yeah One time, I fell off my bike and ruined all the pizzas" Jae-bum confessed, his lips twitching "I was so scared I'd get fired so I stupidly stuffed all the ruined pizzas into my friend's motorbike carrier and he got the blame when he showed up for his shift"
"What? How could you do that to your friend?" Felix asked, his voice laced with playful indignation
"But it got worse believe me" Jae-bum insisted "That friend of mine eventually found out. He dragged me to this expensive restaurant by force and made me eat a ton of food and he ate a lot too! Then he even took leftovers for his family. When the check came he just slid it across the table and said 'You'll pay' I had to pay for all of it! It was like twice the cost of the ruined pizzas!" Jae-bum explained, shaking his head at the memory
Suddenly Felix burst out laughing, a joyous, unrestrained sound that he rarely allowed to escape in this place. He clutched his stomach, doubled over "Now that's what you call karma!"
"Hey! Don't laugh at me!" Jae-bum protested, though his own lips were curving into a relieved smile
"Why not? At first, I felt sorry for your friend but honestly you totally deserved that!" Felix laughed again, wiping a tear from his eye
"You little boy!" Jae-bum responded affectionately. He reached out and gently ruffled Felix's blond hair, a familiar, easy gesture
Jae-bum felt a pure, profound happiness seeing Felix smiling and laughing so freely. In that moment he felt a powerful urge, a silent pledge that he could and would do everything in his power to keep that light in Felix's eyes
A little higher up near the guard tower, Hyunjin was standing, his posture arrogant. He was talking to one of the correctional officers as if the uniformed man were his own personal servant
Then his gaze drifted downward and locked onto Felix. That smile that unburdened laughter and the way the midday sunlight seemed to catch Felix's blond hair, making his face shine even brighter was utterly startling. It was beautiful, possessive and immediately made Hyunjin furious. He placed a cigarette in his mouth his eyes narrowing as he watched the pair intently
Just as he was about to light it, Felix happened to look up. His smile instantly vanished, replaced by a flat, cold expression. Felix immediately looked down and continued his conversation with Jae-bum, pointedly and utterly ignoring Hyunjin's presence
"That little brat is ignoring me again, huh!?" Hyunjin muttered under his breath, the cigarette unlit between his lips
"Did you say something?" the guard asked, his tone deferential
"Nothing" Hyunjin said sharply. He dropped the unlit cigarette onto the ground, ground it under his heel and abruptly walked away, his muscles coiled with frustration and simmering rage
Hyunjin was sitting in the dimly lit, small utility room the secluded space they routinely commandeered for their illicit activities. As was often the case, a boy was on his knees before the chair, his attention entirely focused on sucking Hyunjin's dick
The familiar rhythm of the act was suddenly broken by a memory. Hyunjin saw, clearly and sharply that day when Felix had stumbled upon this very scene the boy's shocked, terrified and utterly disgusted expression. A cold, vicious smirk stretched across Hyunjin's face, finding pleasure in the past fear he had inspired
But the smirk instantly vanished. It was replaced by the vivid, agonizing image of Felix smiling, genuinely and brightly, in the yard moments earlier, his head thrown back in laughter for Jae-bum.
A cruel realization settled over Hyunjin: lately, his efforts to instill absolute terror were falling short. Felix was still afraid, yes but he hadn't broken. It wasn't that Hyunjin felt any soft emotion or love for Felix; his motivation was far simpler and colder. He was the undisputed power here and he demanded total, unequivocal submission from everyone. But Felix was different. He possessed a stubborn resilience that refused to shatter and that fact ignited Hyunjin's fury to new, dangerous levels
His control snapping, Hyunjin forcefully grabbed the back of the boy's head with both hands, his large fingers digging into the scalp and brutally forced himself deeper into the boy's throat
"Suck it nicely or I'll kill you, you bastard" Hyunjin snarled, his voice a low, chilling threat, projecting the violence he truly wanted to inflict onto the innocent boy beneath him