Gone To Hell | Seventeen

XXVI.

"Raejin, I need to talk to you."

Hyunjoon had a serious appearance on his face as I entered his office, shutting the door behind me. I looked at the calendar on his desk which said today was January 23rd. Today marked my fourth day being in Bucheon, away from the group. I wasn't completely comfortable here, but I was getting used to it.

"Yea?"

Hyunjoon and I had become closer as 'friends' within those few days. Of course, I wasn't fond of him much, but after I had a couple conversations with him away from his group, he really did seem just like a normal survivor who missed his family and was hurt. But then I remembered who he killed, what he put us through, why I was here, and I knew he wasn't a good man.

He wanted me here cooking, cleaning, working, testing, maybe sex, and answers about my group. So far, I had helped out in the kitchen a little, helped clean up the trash cans up and down the street, assisted him in his office, and gave him little to no answers about my group, but he had yet to test on me or rape me.

Myself, I was getting skinnier. I hadn't eaten a whole lot. Truthfully, I was a little afraid to pass his office and go get food when some people went to the breakfast hall, so it wasn't like he was forcing me to starve. I had eaten what was in my room, which wasn't much, and got a few more drinks from Jaewon when he came up to talk to me. He never told me everything like he said he would, but he was probably waiting for a good time.

I glanced at myself in the mirror on the other wall in his office. I was pale, sickly looking, with the darkest bags I had ever seen under my eyes. I resembled a mix of a mental patient and a rotter. More so a rotter but without the decaying skin. The eye bags were right, too. I was very tired, sometimes afraid to sleep knowing that Hyunjoon's living space was on the floor above mine.

"I decided I need more answers." He stuck a hand out to gesture to the chair across from his desk, "Have a seat."

I did as told, sitting down slowly. Again, due to my state, I wasn't as quick on my feet as I used to be.

"What can I help you with?" I responded, keeping the sarcasm I wanted to use out of my voice.

He took in a deep breath, a very stern look on his face, "How are Mijeong and Jeongsoo doing?"

I wasn't sure if this was a trick or not. Most of his questions before were asking where they were, or who was closest with them. He asked a lot about how many weapons we had or how much food we ate a day, but he never asked a genuine question like that.

Since there was someone in the group telling him everything he needed to know, I knew he knew our location and who was still in the group. This seemed like something he'd already know as well. "Didn't the traitor tell you?"

"My conversations with him don't last very long because he doesn't want anyone to catch him." He said, "I know he doesn't want to help me but I haven't given him too many options."

"Well, Mijeong and Jeongsoo were doing fine last I saw them." I gave him half of a smile, "Mijeong's 8 now, and Jeongsoo's 6."

"Are they aging well? Still good looking like their mother?"

Such normal questions, yet something still felt off about the conversation.

"Yes, they are very attractive children." I confirmed, then continued. "We taught them to swim."

"That's amazing. I could never even get Jeongsoo to go near the water, let alone in it. He wouldn't even put his feet in."

I remembered the first time we used the pool and held back a large grin, "They both put their heads in the water before and sat with their feet in it while the rest of us were washing off. Maybe they just didn't feel safe with you and Gyeongha."