TR | MW [✔]

03.

Wonwoo had been inside for four days, and he knew one thing for certain.

Kim Mingyu hated him.

He tried to strike up a safe conversation, but Mingyu always argued against him. He jokingly complained about the sausages being rubbery, and Mingyu called him ungrateful, told him he'd get the inmates serving to spit in his food.

When he complimented the sun in the sky, Mingyu growled that it was too hot for him and held his towel over Wonwoo's face until he was gasping for breath, each inhale bitter with Mingyu's sweat.

Any opinion, food, films, books, games, Mingyu had the opposing one. There was no common ground, and the four days felt a lot longer, more like four weeks of constantly hitting a brick wall, constantly being forced back until Wonwoo changed his opinion to coincide with Mingyu's. Four days, and he was exhausted.

Outside the cell, he stayed close to Beomgyu and Captain. The three of them were their own group—one of many. Jaesuk had his group, and Mingyu had his, but it was clear Mingyu had control over the wing. Any argument or scuffle, the inmates looked to him for guidance. He was nothing sort of a Caesar looking down from the top walkway. He'd call out 'enough' or tell the inmates to 'settle it in the gym', which Wonwoo found out meant boxing until someone forfeited and admitted defeat. The guards didn't intervene—they allowed the controlled fights to go ahead.

*****

Another scream woke Wonwoo, and he sat upright, pressing his hand to his heart. Captain's calls echoed, but nothing he said ever made sense. It was garbled, and muffled, and it made it even more unnerving.

"Poor bastard," Mingyu mumbled.

"I know."

"You should convince him to see the doc."

"He doesn't want to, said he deserves to suffer."

Mingyu laughed lightly. "Can't he find a way to suffer in silence, you know, not take us all down with him? How long's he in for?"

"Five years."

Mingyu smacked his lips together. "Is that all? I wonder what he did."

"No idea."

"It's funny, isn't it..."

"What is?"

"No one asks what each other is in for. They ask about the time, the sentence, but never the crime, but we all find out anyway."

"Maybe some people are ashamed, or they fear they'll be targeted for their crimes."

The bed shook, and Wonwoo clutched on. He felt safer when Mingyu was below him, but when he stood naked in front of the bed, his heart started thumping.

"What did you do?"

"What?"

"There's that word again," Mingyu huffed. "Eight years, for what?"

"Drugs."

"Drugs?"

"Smuggling, selling..."

"Using?"

Wonwoo shook his head. "No, I didn't use it. I knew what was in it."

Mingyu laughed. "Yeah, I bet. You know what I'm in for, right?"

He leaned closer, and Wonwoo shifted his head along the pillow to keep their distance.

"How would I know?"