Part 21
Jae-bum stood up angrily from his bunk, glaring furiously at Hyunjin
"What kind of person are you?! I'm not going to any other cell so you'd better back off" he shouted, his voice shaking with protective rage
"Follow the orders or you'll be punished" the guard commanded sharply
"I said I'm not going! This is my cell and I'm staying here" Jae-bum shouted again, defiant
"Wow, you idiot! you want to be punished?" Hyunjin said with mocking indifference, enjoying the spectacle
Felix raised his head and looked at Hyunjin, then quickly averted his eyes and looked at the guard
"I don't want to stay here either... with him" Felix said weakly, gesturing toward Hyunjin
"Do you think this is a hotel or something? Where do you think you can just go wherever you want?" the guard shouted, annoyed by the resistance
Hyunjin's dark eyes turned toward Felix as he spoke but Felix couldn't hold his gaze any longer and immediately lowered his head
"He doesn't agree either so this transfer is meaningless..." Jae-bum stepped forward, ready to confront Hyunjin physically
"Jae-bum Hyung!" Felix cried out, his voice a sharp plea, making Jae-bum stop instantly "Go... I'll be okay"
Felix forced himself to say those words, the lie a necessary shield, while his heart trembled violently with fear
"See? It looks like my new cellmate likes me too" Hyunjin smirked, his eyes burning with ownership
Jae-bum was furious and wanted to throw a punch but the guard quickly stopped him and called out for other guards to come and forcibly remove Jae-bum from the cell
"Please leave him alone" Felix said weakly, forcing himself to stand despite the agonizing pain, trying to de-escalate the situation
Hyunjin walked over to Jae-bum's bunk, lay down, placed his arms under his head and watched the chaotic scene unfold as if it were a movie being staged purely for his amusement
After a while, Felix managed to calm Jae-bum down with immense difficulty. Jae-bum took some of his essential belongings and looked at Hyunjin one last time "This isn't over, you better know that"
Hyunjin smiled and waved a dismissive hand "Bye bye"
The guard was waiting by the door for Jae-bum. Felix and Jae-bum stood near the exit
"Don't be scared. If he does anything to you tell me" Jae-bum said with wide, worried eyes, placing his large, warm hand on Felix's cheek
Felix nodded in agreement and managed a small, strained smile. Hyunjin watched the entire intimate farewell with his cold, dark eyes and Jae-bum stepped away and was escorted out
Then everything fell silent. Felix couldn't bring himself to turn around and look at Hyunjin. He clenched his fists tightly, tears threatening to spill
"So are you feeling better now? Do you still have pain? I think I was a bit rough, huh?" Hyunjin's voice cut through the silence, laced with a clear mocking tone
Felix closed his eyes, a wave of despair washing over him. He wanted to run away from here right now but where could he possibly go?
"You don't want to sleep, hmm?" A whisper cut through the silence, startlingly close to Felix's ear. He flinched, he hadn't even realized Hyunjin had left his bunk and moved near him
Felix immediately clapped his hand over his ear and spun to face Hyunjin. In his eyes, there was only coldness and pure hatred directed toward Hyunjin, nothing else
Then he walked quickly to his own bunk, lay down and violently turned his back to Hyunjin, desperate for distance
Hyunjin clicked his tongue in annoyance and frustration but then smirked, accepting the resistance as part of the game. He went to his own bunk. After a while, the lights went out, plunging the cell into shared, tense darkness
In the early morning, before the official call for breakfast, Hyunjin's eyes snapped open. He immediately glanced at the opposite bunk and saw that Felix wasn't there and his bedroll was already neatly made
He let out a sharp sigh of annoyance and stood up "Of course, he's probably with that jerk now" he muttered, his mood instantly sour
He headed out to the yard, the gravel crunching under his feet. He took a cigarette from one of his men and the man quickly lit it for him. Hyunjin sat down heavily on a large, worn wooden chair, establishing his usual command post
He kept scanning the surroundings, his eyes moving with restless impatience, looking specifically for Felix but he was nowhere in sight. Jae-bum wasn't there either, which annoyed Hyunjin even more. There was still some time left before breakfast. It was a bit chilly outside but that didn't bother Hyunjin, he actually found the crisp, cold weather appealing
In the quiet, dim light of the prison chapel, Felix sat slumped on a wooden pew. With tired eyes, he looked up at the crucifix and the image of Jesus
He looked utterly broken, his complexion was desperately pale and despite the throbbing pain in his back and legs, he sought the solace of the pews to pray
He was alone, his face buried in his hands, when suddenly a loud, broken sob escaped him and echoed in the silence. The weight of his recent traumas was simply too much for his innocent spirit. He never imagined life could become this dark. He had always believed his mother's death was the most painful event but now he felt this place was the ultimate hell that had blackened his entire existence
"I can't... take it anymore, Mom" he whispered into his palms
Then a large, warm, comforting hand landed gently on Felix's shoulder. He immediately looked up, staring at the man in confusion
The man was wearing a priest's robe in this prison, inmates with sufficient religious knowledge were sometimes allowed to serve as priests alongside the actual clergy. The man had some white hair, was around fifty years old, and was tall and imposing
"It seems this life has caused a great deal of suffering for this beautiful young man" the man said calmly, sitting down beside him
Felix stopped crying and quickly wiped the tears from his eyes
"I always see you come here when you are enduring too much pain" the man observed gently
Felix stared ahead at the altar "I wish I were dead... I want to die" he finally confessed in a choked whisper
The man looked at Felix, a flicker of deep concern mixed with sternness crossing his kind face "How can you speak such words? If God has not yet taken your soul, it means there is still a purpose for you in this life, my son. He hasn't called you to Himself because He knows there is something greater ahead for you"
Felix remained silent, his fingers clenching into tight fists "But what if that purpose is just to suffer?" he finally choked out, the question full of venomous despair
"Suffering refines the spirit, my son. It does not define your worth. You are not meant to be broken by the evil in this place" the man countered firmly
"My son, you must fight. Fight until your last breath. That is what life is truly about. You must stop blaming yourself for the cruelty others inflict upon you" the man instructed, placing a heavy, grounding hand back on Felix's shoulder
The man then stood up and Felix watched as he walked away, disappearing into the chapel's shadow, but he couldn't bring himself to speak
For a moment just for a moment, he felt a profound sense of peace as if his own father had just spoken words of enduring strength to him