Part 13
Felix finished obsessively cleaning his cell, scrubbing away the greasy residue of the spilled food until the concrete floor was sterile and clear. He then walked over to the washroom area to clean his face. He gently splashed the cold water over his skin, the icy touch stinging his injured, swollen lip like fire
"I have to be strong. I have to be strong," he whispered, squeezing his eyes shut, trying to drill the mantra past the fear
The next day at breakfast, Hyunjin's gaze was fixed relentlessly on the entrance, watching for Felix. When he finally saw him enter the dining hall, Hyunjin gave a slow, sickeningly satisfied smile, like a predator spotting its prey
"The little fool thinks he's so brave, huh? Choosing death over my kindness," Hyunjin murmured darkly under his breath
"Did you say something, sir?" a nearby inmate asked nervously, keeping his head low
Hyunjin simply waved a dismissive, impatient hand. As soon as Felix sat down at a table, Hyunjin stood up, moving with predatory grace, carrying his cup of water with him
Felix reached for his plastic spoon, his hand shaking slightly with anticipation. He was ravenously hungry, the gnawing emptiness in his stomach a constant reminder of his missed meals
But the sudden sound of water sloshing violently over his tray made him snap his head up. His meager meal was instantly ruined
"What do you think you're doing now?" Felix demanded, slamming his plastic spoon down onto the metal tray with a clatter of pure, frustrated rage
"Hmm, I assume you aren't hungry, seeing as you rejected my generous meal yesterday" Hyunjin mocked, his voice full of calculated amusement
Felix shot up, facing Hyunjin across the ruined tray. Every inmate in the surrounding tables was watching them with a mixture of fear and fascination
"Stop tormenting the people here! Leave us alone!" Felix stated, his voice trembling from the effort but firm with moral indignation
"I don't think I'm tormenting them at all" Hyunjin said, placing a hand beneath his chin in a thoughtful, theatrical pose "I'm just playing a very engaging game with them. Hey, why are you so angry? Haven't you ever played a game, Felix?" He then gave Felix that chilling, predatory smile that promised pain
"You are nothing but a disgusting, pathetic demon" Felix hissed with pure contempt, his eyes blazing
As Felix tried to turn and retreat, Hyunjin swiftly and deliberately extended his leg, placing it directly in Felix's path.
Felix crashed heavily onto the cold concrete floor, the shock vibrating through his bones. Most of the inmates, save a few terrified individuals, burst into cold, cruel laughter
"Oops. You're still not strong enough " Hyunjin said, dropping down to Felix's level with an unnerving speed and roughly seizing a handful of his hair "So you need to keep building your inner strngth if you want to stand against me" He whispered close to Felix's ear, his voice a sinister caress "I'm bringing a proper meal to your room later today. Don't dare challenge me by refusing it again"
Hyunjin stood up and casually strolled away, hands in his pockets, leaving Felix sprawling. Felix swallowed a thick, bitter gulp of bile and slowly, painfully pulled himself up, his muscles aching, retreating toward his cell
He clenched his fists so tightly his fingernails dug into his palms as he walked. What should he do? His mind was a battlefield. Should he refuse the food again and guarantee a much more brutal beating? Or should he simply endure the humiliation, accept the forced gesture and survive?
He sat down on his cot, deeply conflicted and physically exhausted. Only about five agonizingly slow minutes passed before Hyunjin arrived, breathing heavily from the quick walk
"Ta-da! I brought you food, Felix" Hyunjin chirped, the fake cheeriness grating on Felix's nerves as he stepped inside
Felix was visibly trembling but fought hard, clenching his jaw to mask his fear. Hyunjin sat down on the cot, placing the tray between them
"How old are you?" Hyunjin asked, dangling a spoonful of rice toward Felix's mouth
"I can feed myself" Felix said resentfully, his voice tight
"Yaa. I don't think you want me to ask a question twice, do you?" Hyunjin's voice dropped to a dangerous, low register
"Eighteen" Felix mumbled, defeated
"Wow, you're just a baby" Hyunjin offered a diabolical smile, putting the spoon down and dramatically clasping a hand over his mouth in mock surprise
"As if you're so old" Felix scoffed dismissively, meeting his gaze
"Huh? No, I'm twenty-five. Look at how far apart we are" Hyunjin paused for effect, waiting for the contrast to sink in.
Felix offered no reply, staring blankly at the wall
"C-can you leave? I'm uncomfortable with you here" Felix finally spoke up, trying to regain some territory
Hyunjin let out a short, impatient sigh "You are incredibly rude, Felix. Respect your elders. Weren't you taught that?"
"I believe not everyone earns or deserves respect" Felix countered instantly
"Does your lip hurt much? I guess I hit you too hard yesterday" Hyunjin said, slowly moving a hand toward Felix's lip. Felix violently flinched, turning his face away "Ha! But I should have hit you much, much harder right Felix?" He smirked
Felix stared at Hyunjin, realizing how truly terrifying that smile was and in the depth of those black, hellish eyes, he understood there was absolutely no trace of human mercy or compassion
"What is it, are you scared?" Hyunjin taunted. Felix stayed silent "Fine, eat your food and then I'll leave" Hyunjin raised the spoon again
"Please... I can do it myself" Felix pleaded softly, his voice cracking with humiliation
Hyunjin remained motionless as a statue, staring only at the spoon, his patience clearly gone. Felix knew there was no way out of this ritual. Hesitantly, he opened his mouth in a gesture of utter, painful defeat
Hyunjin smiled in a rush of victory and slipped the spoon in "Always be a good, obedient boy like this. See how easy it is when you just follow instructions"
Tears instantly pricked the corners of Felix's eyes and he struggled to stop his weak body from shaking violently
"Open wider" Hyunjin instructed, his voice growing husky
Felix swallowed and forced his mouth open wider than before. Hyunjin brought the spoon forward again
But just as he was about to feed him, Hyunjin stopped, his eyes scrutinizing Felix's face. The tears gathered in his eyes and the forced submission on his lips seemed to fuel Hyunjin's dark desire to inflict intimacy and control. He only enjoyed people when they were weak and subservient before him
Then with a sudden, frustrated yell, Hyunjin violently slammed the tray to the floor!
Felix stared at the spilled food in shock, utterly bewildered, knowing he hadn't done anything wrong this time
Felix looked up at Hyunjin in confusion "Why did you..."
"Damn it" Hyunjin muttered, his face suddenly taut with an unreadable mixture of frustration and lust
In one blindingly fast movement, Hyunjin closed the distance, grabbed the back of Felix's head with unexpected force and crushed his lips violently and possessively against Felix's own
Felix was completely shocked and paralyzed. He immediately placed his hands on Hyunjin's chest, pushing with desperate futility to force him away.
Hyunjin pressed in harder, devouring Felix's lips with punishing intensity, his breath ragged as if he wanted to consume him whole
"Hngh!"
Felix dug his fingernails hard into Hyunjin's neck, leaving thin, stinging red lines but Hyunjin didn't stop. He shoved Felix back onto the cot and crawled on top of him with heavy weight
"Agh!"
Felix's wounded lip began to bleed anew. Hyunjin deepened the kiss, the loud, wet sounds of the contact filling the small room, a terrifying soundtrack to the violation. At that moment, Felix's tears burst free like a floodgate, streaming down his temples and into his hair
Felix realized that whether he fought Hyunjin or obeyed him, the outcome was the same. his world was irrevocably hell and Hyunjin was the sole, relentless warden
Hyunjin pinned Felix's struggling hands tightly to the bed, immobilizing him. Felix's blood mixed with the saliva in the kiss. When Hyunjin finally pulled away, the thread of their connection was visible for a chilling instant a thin strand of saliva breaking. He then lifted his head slightly and looked into Felix's wide, tear-drenched eyes
"Yaa!! Didn't I say I love playing games? So why don't you just relax and enjoy yourself? It was inevitable, wasn't it?"
Felix violently averted his gaze, turning his face away in humiliation. Hyunjin saw a drop of blood tracing a path from Felix's lip. He leaned down and tenderly, possessively licked the blood clean
"S-stop! Just stop it!" Felix sobbed, the words choked with tears
Hyunjin looked at Felix for a long moment, his eyes burning into him then glanced at the food spilled on the floor. He realized his desire had hardened, and he needed to rectify the situation before he lost control. Felix could definitely feel Hyunjin's rigid erection pressed firmly against his body. Hyunjin then rolled off Felix with a grunt, allowing him to sit up slightly, shaking
"I guess this place got a bit messy. I'll have them clean it later" Hyunjin smiled, straightening his jumpsuit "Did you enjoy your little meal, Felix?" His diabolical expression returned as he ran his tongue across his lower lip
Felix only stared at him with burning, absolute hatred. Hyunjin turned toward the door, and without turning around, he stretched out a hand and said "You are still too weak"
Felix wiped his tears away with the heel of his hand, leaned back against the cold wall and closed his eyes, his world spinning
The next day, the anxiety of his solitude and the lingering fear from the kiss forced Felix to action. Ignoring the exhaustion, he sought out the same guard in the yard to ask about Jae-bum
"When exactly is prisoner number 0034 being released from solitary confinement?" Felix asked, his tone cold and brittle
The guard sighed heavily, rubbing his temples "How many more times are you going to demand the same thing, boy?"
"Until Jae-bum is out then I will stop asking, of course" Felix retorted with a stony, unwavering gaze
"Maybe tomorrow or the day after. Just leave it" the guard answered curtly, trying to end the interaction
"What?! Why? Isn't solitary only supposed to be for a maximum of one day? Why should Jae-bum be in there for nearly five days?" Felix shouted, his voice cracking as the injustice ignited his fury
"Hey! Lower your voice, you disrespectful pest! Who do you think you are, making a scene?" The guard stood up abruptly, towering over Felix, yelling back
The commotion instantly drew every eye in the yard. Hyunjin, who had been sitting casually on a sun-drenched wooden bench, simply smiled a slow, deliberate smile as Felix approached, trembling with raw anger
"You told them to extend his punishment, didn't you? This is your doing!" Felix screamed, pointing a shaking, accusatory finger directly at Hyunjin
"Who are you to raise your voice at him?" one of Hyunjin's hulking subordinates growled, stepping threateningly toward Felix
"Back off" Hyunjin commanded his man with a single, sharp word, his eyes never leaving Felix
Hyunjin then stretched his long legs out, leaning back and spreading his arms across the back of the bench, adopting the posture of a king presiding over his court
"I believe I did. Do you have a problem with that?" Hyunjin said, his voice smooth and unnervingly calm
"Get him out of there! He doesn't deserve this!" Felix demanded, his chest heaving with righteous rage
"And why would I do that?" Hyunjin countered, his eyes calculating" Is there any profit in it if I do?" he drawled, pushing the transaction
Felix understood the game immediately. It was a negotiation and the currency was his despair "What do you want?" Felix asked, the question tasting like bile and utter defeat
"You," Hyunjin replied instantly, the word hitting Felix like a physical violation. A triumphant, sickening smile stretched across his face, cold and uncompromising "I want your body and then I will release him"