Part 10
Felix ran a hand through his damp hair, smoothing it down, as he rose from the edge of his cot. The air in the barracks was stale and dense, smelling faintly of sweat and industrial cleaner. He glanced across the narrow space at Jae—bum
"Are you sure you aren't coming, Hyung?" Felix asked, his voice holding a hint of hopeful anticipation. He looked at Jae-bum who was meticulously polishing his boots
Jae-bum snorted not looking up "No. I never read books so I'm not coming" He spat the word "books" out as if it were distasteful
Felix felt a rare, fragile warmth bloom in his chest after hearing the old prison library was finally reopening. The thought of shelves even dusty, old ones filled with forgotten worlds was a powerful lure, a temporary escape he desperately needed. He clung to the anticipation, determined to visit, even if the building and its contents were still musty and neglected from decades of disuse
The prison library had only just reopened after two years of renovation. Felix walked through the narrow aisles, searching the low shelves. He knelt down, leaning close to the bottom row, and reached for a heavy, leather-bound book hidden deep inside a locker-like cubby. At the exact same moment, a hand shot out from the opposite side of the shelf, fingers brushing Felix's own as it snagged a volume directly in front of him
Felix froze, a chilling shock running through his veins
Hyunjin rose fluidly, the book a thick anthology clutched loosely in his hand. He glanced down at Felix, his expression vacant before turning and walking a few steps away to lean against a central pillar. Felix let out a shaky sigh of relief, his shoulders slumping
Then a heavy, acrid smell invaded the quiet space. Hyunjin had lit a cigarette. He drew a deep, slow drag, the tip glowing dangerously
The smoke hit Felix's throat, making him cough a harsh, immediate hacking sound
Galvanized by defiance and the sting in his lungs, Felix stood up, his book falling forgotten to the floor. He walked quickly toward Hyunjin, his jaw tight
"Don't smoke" Felix said, his voice quiet but firm
Hyunjin raised his head, a slight, confused crease appearing between his brows. He looked down at the shorter boy, the cigarette dangling from his lips
"What did you say?"
"This isn't a smoking area so stop smoking here" Felix repeated
Hyunjin let the cigarette drop from his lips, catching it easily with two fingers. He raised himself fully from the pillar to tower over Felix. He ran his tongue slowly and deliberately over his bottom lip, the movement unnerving. He closed the distance
Hyunjin didn't speak. Instead, he took another deep pull from the cigarette, held the smoke in his lungs and then forcefully exhaled the concentrated, hot plume directly into Felix's face
Felix gasped and recoiled, clutching his chest as a violent, uncontrollable coughing fit seized him
"Who are you?" Hyunjin said, his voice dangerously low, his eyes dark and challenging "You piece of shit"
Felix swallowed, tears streaming from his eyes from the smoke and fear, but he held his ground "You know ... the rules" he countered, trying to sound authoritative "I wonder how someone as big a bastard as you even knows about books"
Hyunjin's face instantly hardened. His eyes flashed with cold anger. He gripped the cigarette tightly between his fingers and, in one swift, punishing motion, jabbed the burning tip against the soft skin of Felix's neck
"UGGH!!!" Felix gasped, a choked, involuntary cry of pain, snapping backward as the immediate, searing agony of the burn blossomed on his skin. He clapped his hand instantly to his neck, pressing hard, his eyes wide and watering from the shock
Hyunjin didn't even flinch. He let the cigarette fall to the floor, crushing it under the heel of his boot with a slow, grinding twist. He glanced down at the anthology in his hand then back up at Felix, his eyes lingering on the fresh, red mark already forming on Felix's throat
"Watch your damn mouth" Hyunjin stated, his voice a low threat. "You never know what I might teach you next"
The pain was quickly becoming a throbbing, fierce heat, dominating Felix's senses. He couldn't speak; he could only stand there, hunched and gasping, trying to suppress the instinctive tears that stung his eyes.
Hyunjin gave a contemptuous smirk, then turned and walked away, disappearing behind a high shelf, the heavy silence he left behind more menacing than any noise
Felix stood frozen for a long moment, his chest heaving. He slowly pulled his hand away from his neck. The skin was blistered white and crimson already beginning to swell. He quickly snatched his history book from the floor, his movements clumsy. He turned and fled the library, walking rapidly down the corridor, one hand still clamped over the burning, throbbing skin of his neck
Hyunjin stalked back toward his cell, the day's frustrations the remembered smoke, the fresh hatred in Felix's eyes etched into the rigid set of his shoulders. The common area had been loud, the air thick with tension and the smell of cheap disinfectant and all he craved was the sparse, cold silence of his bunk but just as he reached the heavy, scarred door, one of the guards blocked his path, his shadow falling across the floor
"Boss," the guard said, his tone impersonal "I've been looking for you. You have a call"
Hyunjin's jaw locked. A call usually meant more problems, more tentacles reaching into his enforced isolation
"Who is it?" he asked, his voice flat and laced with a familiar, weary irritation that bordered on menace
The guard glanced down at a slip of paper "Says it's your father"
A heavy, reluctant sigh, thick with resignation, dragged itself from Hyunjin's lips. He didn't argue just gave a curt nod and pivoted violently on his heel, his footsteps echoing dull and predatory on the linoleum as he was led to the row of phone booths. The receiver felt cold, institutional, and grimy in his hand. After a moment of listening to the static-filled line, he heard the connection click
"What do you want?" Hyunjin bit out, dispensing with any greeting. The words were sharp, deliberate shrapnel
On the other end, there was a staggering pause as if the bluntness had landed like a physical blow. Then a voice, older and softer than his own, filled with a hesitant, desperate warmth, came through "I just wanted to hear your voice, son. I've been worried about you"
"I'm fine so you don't need to waste your energy worrying, father" Hyunjin replied, his tone cold and utterly dismissive, erecting an immediate wall of ice between them
He could almost feel the pained cringe on his father's face through the thick silence that followed. Then the older man spoke again, his voice dropping, becoming more earnest, almost pleading "Hyunjin... don't you want to get out of there? Please, if you're willing, I can do anything. I'll move heaven and earth"
The offer hung in the stale, cramped air, thick and heavy with unspoken obligation. But instead of gratitude, it only seemed to stoke Hyunjin's cold, internal resentment "I'm fine right here," he stated, his voice unwavering, final. Then, he abruptly slashed the sensitive topic, seizing control "Where are you now, anyway?"
"I'm in China for a business trip," Mr. Hwang answered, the formality of the statement a stark, clinical contrast to the emotional plea that had preceded it
"Well, then I won't infringe upon your precious schedule any longer. Goodbye, father" Hyunjin said, the words rapid and final. Without waiting for a reply, without giving his father a chance, he viciously slammed the receiver back into its cradle. The sharp, shattering clang of the phone cutting off was the only goodbye he offered, leaving him standing alone in the booth, the silence now feeling more aggressive than before the call had even begun
The prison dining hall was a cacophony of rattling trays, rough shouts, and the steam rising from massive vats of stew.
Felix and Jae-bum sat at a worn metal table near the far wall, their conversation muted, trying to eat quickly amidst the noise. Felix was pushing a meager portion of rice around his tray, his appetite nonexistent, his neck still tender from the burn
Jae-bum was speaking, his voice gruff. "You need to finish that. You didn't eat anything this morning"
"I'm not hungry, Hyung" Felix mumbled, instinctively lowering his chin to hide the injury
Before Jae-bum could press the issue, a shadow fell over their table, and the surrounding noise seemed to recede, replaced by a sudden, ominous quiet that signaled Hyunjin's presence
Hyunjin stood beside Felix, looking down at the tray with a bored, superior expression. He held his own tray loosely in one hand. Without a word, he casually tilted his tray, sending a glistening, thick stream of gravy and lukewarm beans cascading directly over Felix's rice and vegetables
Felix let out a sharp, involuntary gasp of shock and disgust. The ruined food instantly made his plate a sickening mess
"Oops" Hyunjin drawled, the sound entirely insincere "Didn't see that coming"
Jae-bum's chair scraped back loudly as he shot to his feet. His face, usually stoic, was contorted with immediate, blinding fury.
"You arrogant bastard" Jae-bum roared, his voice cutting through the noise of the entire dining hall, silencing conversations across the room.
Hyunjin simply smiled a cold, triumphant flash of teeth "Look who finally grew a spine. Got something to say, Jae-bum?"
The atmosphere instantly detonated
Jae-bum didn't answer with words. He lashed out, his fist moving with the speed and weight of a sledgehammer, aiming straight for Hyunjin's jaw.
Hyunjin was faster. He jerked his head back just in time, the blow whooshing past his cheek, close enough to ruffle his hair. He dropped his tray, which clattered deafeningly onto the floor, scattering metal and food
Hyunjin immediately retaliated. He drove his elbow hard into Jae-bum's ribcage, followed by a brutal right hook that struck Jae-bum's temple with a sickening thud. Jae-bum staggered back, but his bulk kept him upright.
Chaos erupted. Tables scraped back, inmates scrambled to get out of the way, and guards shouted from the periphery
Jae-bum lunged, grappling Hyunjin in a savage bear hug. They went down, crashing heavily against the metal table, sending it careening across the floor. They hit the cold concrete with a shocking impact, immediately rolling, a tangled knot of muscle and rage, delivering sharp, punishing blows to ribs, kidneys and faces
Felix sat utterly still, paralyzed amidst the rising tide of violence, his eyes wide and fixed on the brutal, desperate struggle happening only feet away, knowing this fight was entirely his fault.
But as Hyunjin used his superior speed to briefly gain the advantage, pinning Jae-bum and delivering two rapid, concussive blows to the head, Felix broke. He knew Jae-bum, driven by protective rage, would keep fighting until he was seriously injured or worse
Felix scrambled from his seat, ignoring the stabbing pain in his back and the throbbing burn on his neck. He threw himself onto the edge of the writhing mass of men, shouting uselessly
"Hyung! Stop! Stop it, please!"
He grabbed Jae-bum's thick, muscular arm, digging his fingers in desperately. Jae-bum was blind to everything but the fight, his muscles hard as rock,
and Felix's smaller frame was simply dragged and tossed like a ragdoll as the two men rolled again
In a moment of pure desperation, Felix saw his chance. As Jae-bum momentarily broke free and lifted his hand, ready to deliver a crushing punch that would surely disable Hyunjin, Felix shoved his entire body between the two men
"Jae-bum! STOP!" Felix screamed, his voice raw, looking up at Jae-bum's bloodied, furious face
Jae-bum's fist froze mid-air, mere inches from Felix's head. His eyes, dark with adrenaline, slowly registered who was blocking him. The sight of Felix small, shaking and visibly terrified finally punctured the veil of his rage
Hyunjin, breathing hard, his face scraped and swelling, seized the opportunity. He shoved Felix violently aside and scrambled backward, creating distance
"Don't move, Jae-bum! Don't you dare move!" Felix cried, clinging to Jae-bum's arm, his eyes locked on the approaching guards who were now closing in, batons drawn "It's not worth it Hyung, Please!"
Jae-bum's massive chest heaved with the effort of control. He looked at Felix, then at the ruined food, then at the cold, calculating look Hyunjin was giving them from across the few feet of spilled stew. With a visible, painful effort, Jae-bum let his arm drop, his head bowed in defeat
The moment he stopped, the guards swarmed them. Two immediately wrestled Jae-bum into restraints, while three others grabbed a smirking, panting Hyunjin
Felix stood there, shaking violently, tears blurring his vision, watching Jae-bum dragged away, all because of him.