ACT I ; SCENE VIII

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The loud sound of gravel against brick awoke Jungkook from his haphazard sleep. His wrists burned and ached from pulling at his restraints, and his neck and back practically screamed from being all slouched over for so long. His eyelids were heavy with grogginess and hopelessness, and when he first heard the deafening scraping sound, he thought it was the sound of the bars being swung open and the guards were here to take him to whatever painful execution laid ahead of him.

Rather, when the reality of the situation settled over him like a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head, his vision focused in on the metal bars, only to do a doubletake when he realized the door to the dungeon wasn't moving. He stared at it for a few seconds, wondering if his sleep deprived and starving mind was playing tricks on him as the sound persisted. Was he going crazy? Hallucinating, possibly? Hoseok would occasionally see things or wake up in cold sweats whenever it had been far too long since he had eaten. Was this what it was like?

Jungkook was genuinely beginning to consider the concept of going insane, until he heard a loud, raspy cough that startled him out of his thoughts. He jumped, chains chafing against the raw and bloody skin of his wrists, his head colliding with the stone wall behind him. Jungkook laid eyes on the source of the cough, and no longer just wondered if he was crazy. He was pretty freaking sure he was out of his mind.

Standing next to a hole in the formerly normal wall was an old man. His beard was down to his knees, but Jungkook assumed it only reached that far because of how hunched over he was. His shaky hand held a cane, and the other clutched his lower back. He looked up at Jungkook, his face etched with lines of old age and spots of discoloration from the sun. Prominent frown lines were clear around his mouth and forehead, and his entire demeanor seemed to sag.

"I'd appreciate a little help, boy. It was a lot of work to get down here." He said, his voice sounding as if his vocal chords had been dulled down with sandpaper. Jungkook stared at him, open mouthed and still firmly questioning his sanity. "Well, are you going to help me? Or are you just going to stand there?" He asked again, his voice much louder, initiating another jump from Jungkook. He awkwardly held up his shackled hands, wincing as the metal brushed against the tender skin. The old man simply rolled his eyes, hobbling over. "Ugh. Do I have to do everything myself?" He grumbled, and before Jungkook could really process, the old man was withdrawing a set of keys from a pocket in his raggedy tunic and unlocking the chains.

Jungkook gasped and rubbed at his wrists, wiping away the dried blood carefully. Was he dreaming? He couldn't tell, and he didn't have time to think about it. The old man tossed the set of keys into the air, and despite his frazzled state, Jungkook caught them. "Well? Make yourself useful, boy! Unlock your feet!" The old man barked, and Jungkook knelt, shakily opening the shackles around his ankles. "You're lucky I need you, boy. You don't seem very bright." Jungkook took a few hesitant steps, enjoying the relief of being able to bend his limbs and stretch his muscles.

"Who are you?" Jungkook asked, his own voice surprising him with how hoarse it sounded. It took him a few seconds to remember the raspiness hadn't been acquired from screaming, rather, the meaty hands of the head guard looped around his neck. The old man laughed, a laugh that sounded more like a wheeze than anything.

"That doesn't matter. The only thing you need to know is who you are." The old man said, bending excruciatingly slow to retrieve the loaf of bread on the ground. Upon a closer look, the head of the old man's cane was decorated with the head of a snake. He handed it to Jungkook, and all of the questions on the tip of his tongue were replaced by the bread as he ravenously tore into it. "The Diamond in the Rough." This made Jungkook curious enough to pause his eating.

"The what?" He asked, dark eyes shimmering with curiosity. The old man smiled, a smile that looked more like a grimace and showcased the old man's lack of teeth.

"Fancy prophetic talk meaning this: you, Jungkook, are someone special." The old man said. Jungkook's ears perked up at this. All his life, he had been told that he was the opposite of special: a deadbeat, useless, a street rat. Never special.

"Sir, what do you mean? How do you know my name? How did you even get down here—"

"I told you, none of that matters. What does matter is what I need you to do for me in return for setting you free." The old man said. Jungkook's instincts from his years of living on the streets heightened. Something about this all seemed too good to be true, and Jungkook wasn't about to involuntarily accept a bargain he couldn't fulfill. "Right this way." The old man gestured to the hole in the wall.

"Hold on a second. Tell me what I need to do, or I'm not going anywhere." Jungkook said firmly. The old man raised his eyebrows.

"Talk to me like that again and I'll leave you down here, boy." The old man warned. Jungkook trusted his gut.

"You wouldn't. There must be some reason you came all the way down here to rescue me. I'm special, remember? You need me for whatever it is you want. So tell me what I have to do, or you won't be getting it." Jungkook said, his mind almost working faster than his mouth. That was another reason his hyungs always sent him to the marketplace for food: Jungkook was extremely good at talking himself into getting what he wanted. The old man laughed, a humorless, cynical one.

"Fine, if you must be so stubborn. There is a cave. The Cave of Wonders. Inside of it is all of the riches you can imagine, along with a lamp. The only one who can open the cave is the Diamond in the Rough. You. I need you to bring me the lamp. All I want is the lamp." The old man explained. Jungkook was leaning towards the fact that this man was batshit crazy, but his curiosity couldn't be contained.

"What's so special about a lamp?" Jungkook asked.

"Oh, you know." The old man chuckled. "Sentimental value." He replied. Jungkook raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Sounds a little unrealistic." Jungkook said, debating if this man was telling the truth or not. At this point, he couldn't tell who might be crazier: himself or the man.

"Well, I have something that might sweeten the deal." The old man continued.

"Go on." Jungkook prompted.

"All the riches besides the lamp are yours." The old man's lips twisted up into a shit-eating grin. He reached out his free hand, shaking and dirty. "Have we come to an agreement." Jungkook eyed his hand, going over his options. He could either stay in the dark, dirty dungeon and wait for his imminent death, or he could follow the old man and possibly become wealthy enough to support his hyungs. It seemed like a no-brainer, and what more did he have to lose?

He reached out his hand and took the old man's knobby one into his own, giving it a firm shake.

"Lead the way."


THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE LONG AND EVENTFUL I PROMISE THERE IS JUST A LOT OF PLOT DEVELOPING GOING DOWN RECENTLY SORRY

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⏰ Last updated: Jul 25, 2018 ⏰

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