Sempiternal: •Broken• || Book 2#

20. The leader favorite (First Date)

"Where are the others? How is Jin?"

"You are a born leader when it comes to caring for his troops."

Namjoon didn't wait a moment to ask. Defensive and determined to get something. No matter how small. Junghwa kept him for a damn week stuck in that room of less than three square meters. He has an insufferable feeling of claustrophobia and anxiety. Junghwa rises from his seat behind the desk and with a gesture dismisses the guards.

"Your partner with the gunshot is fine. He's taking a while to get better despite the good prognosis," he announces. Namjoon pursues him with his eyes. "Dehydration, weakness, stress... It's keeping him unconscious and consuming supplies they haven't compensated for."

"There's a hospital full of supplies down the road, mile fifty-six or so. Go get them and matter solved." concludes Namjoon simply. Junghwa stops standing in front of him.

"The manpower? The guards? The knowledge?"

"So you're the kind of guy who looks for any excuse to squeeze every last drop of sweat out of others?" enunciates Namjoon with a squint. "What a surprise." he ironizes.

Junghwa stares at him. He grabs him by the face with one hand and tries to pull him close, give him a kiss. Namjoon pushes him away instantly, his expression puckering and grumpiness commanding more forcefully. Junghwa gives an unfunny laugh, passing him by.

"You're never going to end up making it up to us."

"Excuse me?"

"Your friends are doing what they can" he mentions taking a place on a couch. "In the kitchen, cleaning the pigsty and doing some entertaining in this place. The only one not helping is you" he comments patting him armrest of the couch "You have a very simple job."

"Don't- Don't make me laugh" scoffs Namjoon incredulously. "That's not going to happen."

"It will," assures confidently and firmly. "I've dealt with more things than you. More complicated. You're an Idol. You're not going to last a month stuck in that room.... Or bitch of any of them" Namjoon approaches him with a bad face, ready to hit him, insult him, claim. Who knows. How short Junghwa enjoys his state of crisis. "I'm in charge for a reason."

"For being a motherfucker escaped from a FUCKING PRISON!" shouts Namjoon.

"I'm a Second Division General!" he announces. "One who did what it took to keep soldiers obedient" Namjoon furrows his eyebrows. "And was found guilty for it? I saved and built back this place by taming the savages in that prison" Junghwa explains. "To the pedophile I gave a girl; to the homosexuals, all the students they wanted; to the degenerates, the trainee and so on until-"

"I REMEMBER! YOU'RE THE ONE WITH THE SCANDAL TWO YEARS AGO! You-"

Namjoon cuts himself off with an expression distorted in shock and panic. He remembers that there was a big news story about a high-ranking military man, one who was taken to prison for atrocities against his squadron. Mostly soldiers who were doing the military service required. It was striking, because they all stayed in the army after finishing it, despite the fact that many of them expressed their refusal at the beginning. It was strange, nobody complained until one confessed and leaked what was going on: Junghwa not only tortured them with training, but also in every possible way.

From humiliating each other to mutilation. Many were castrated, many were kept naked and slept with hunting animals; what was not left over were the confessions of sexual abuse that followed. A network of prostitution of the younger ones and forcing them to stay so as not to release the videos of what they were doing. Junghwa was the only one publicly imprisoned. Of others who helped him, no one knows.