Dandelion | ATEEZ Hunger Games!AU

2: Wandering Paths

Wooyoung sighed as he slumped in his chair.

It had been some time since he had been instructed to sit in the rather uncomfortable leather seat. He could feel the clammy material sting into his skin the longer he waited while the almost suffocating heated air inside the compartment seemed to claw at him as time passed. As a child, he hated to wait. He hated for precious time to be uselessly spent, and naturally, the longer it took for his Mentor to arrive, the more irritated he became.

It didn't help that his District partner was not the talker, to put it in light words. As she sat next to him, a dark-skinned girl with beautiful dark curls to pair with, there seemed to be no break in the silence. Instead, the girl, Raven Astor, as he could remember from what he had heard during the Reaping, kept her eyes on the window. He could see how she was idly tracing the passing surroundings outside of the moving train with her eyes, and although he couldn't blame her for not wanting to talk, he had hoped for a more talkative partner. He had a feeling that in the long run of the Games, it would benefit them greatly to be seen as 'close', knowing of the Capitol's hunger for drama on the scene, and it would've definitely helped him to make the time pass much faster in the moment.

However, as Wooyoung fiddled with his hands, he came to the thought that it was just the way life's games operated. None could have it all. One could earn eternal glory and still not be satiated by the feasts it offered. Such he found himself to be; he was a Volunteer, but for what reason? Perhaps he had many, and through the density of it all, he failed to find one in particular. Or perhaps he simply yearned for a purpose, a gaping hole that needed to be filled.

Coming from District 1, he had grown up surrounded by wealth and privilege, as well as being raised with the pride that came from the Games. He was aware that, in essence, it was a brutal show, targeted to the richer people as a means to get money and to the poorer people as a means to strike fear, but it was also a gateway to something greater. Something Wooyoung strived for. If he were to win them, perhaps it would become the exact reason he had been looking for all this time. The reason why he had even volunteered in the first place. The Games, as cruel and perilous as they were, would perhaps give him the reason he could come home again, though this time with a rekindled sense of himself.

Whether or not he would be able to find that reason, the Games were the only way to even get back home in the first place. He had volunteered himself, despite his mother's wishes, and through his father's urges, he raised his hand. The boy from whom he took his place didn't seem all too displeased with his interference. In fact, as Wooyoung passed the boy coming down from the stage, he swore he could see a glimpse of relief. Wooyoung had found it a tad bit strange, as volunteering was a very common and rather honourable occurrence in the more developed Districts of Panem. It was a way of showing dedication and pride to one's District and the highest honour one could get if the crown would be placed upon their heads.

In the poorer Districts, such as 11 and 12, where the people were more often fighting to get things by at the end of the day, volunteering was an extreme rarity. But in the Districts where wealth was greatly abundant and people could afford a little more than needed, it was an honour. Such was taught to Wooyoung. Naturally, from a young age, he began to train, as did all children in his District like him. Despite the controversial reputation the Games held elsewhere in Panem, it was an entirely different matter from where he came from. In his District, it was a chase for glory. Children were trained to become great fighters, to become resilient and favoured. It was no secret that most Victors came from the luxurious Districts, after all. And Wooyoung wanted to be one as well.

Surprisingly, this year, the Volunteering process was easy. Wooyoung had known that, during most Reapings, there would often be an overshot of children who'd want to volunteer. Whenever that would happen, the selected Tribute would then be decided by a series of challenges and comparisons of the children's attributes to come up with the most able Tribute to represent their District. Fortunately for him, the matter had been quickly decided, and with cheers all around him, he became District 1's male Tribute.