The lives of five different men take a dark turn when they're each approached by Choi San, the enigmatic owner of 'The Garden'. A twisted playground where free will is an illusion and desires of the flesh is encouraged.
"I want to go to the ball Lee...
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XV. Ambivalence • Kim Hongjoong 9 hours until dawn
One thing that Hongjoong had going for him was that he knew The Garden like the back of his hand. Even though his mind was moving a million miles a second he found his feet following along a familiar path. Years of being a prisoner within its walls definitely had its advantages. He let out a noise of relief when he found his way through the maze of corridors and opened the door to the second floor bathroom.
It was a long shot, but there could still be a prescription of oxy that belonged to his uncle hidden in the dark recesses of the medicine cabinet. This vice had been the only thing that had saved him in the beginning. He'd never be able to numb the pain and humiliation he suffered at the hands of that man otherwise. Being back was slowly eating away at the tenuous grip he had on his sanity and if he was going to have to hunt down his uncle he wanted to be as high as possible while doing it.
He'd never be able to face him sober.
He flipped on the switch and the sconces lining the walls filled the bathroom with a warm glow. He ran across the marbled floors and wretched open the doors to start searching through the shelves. Only the sounds of bottles clattering onto the floor and his rapid breathing bouncing off the walls in the empty room could be heard.
"No..." He rasped feeling his throat closing in as his eyes scanned label after label. "No, no no! Fuck this!" He screamed as he swept an arm over the entire shelf. It's contents tumbled to the ground in a crash and Hongjoong grabbed fistfuls of hair. He wretched at the roots hoping that the pain would keep him grounded in reality.
It was like shards of glass were tumbling around inside his skull leaving his brain shredded in their wake. Soon enough they would slice him open, revealing things he couldn't, and shouldn't remember. Hongjoong had barely managed to keep himself alive long enough to escape the hell he had found here. If he let this place burrow back under his skin he knew wouldn't survive it. Not this time, this time it would eat him alive.
Amidst cursing up a storm he didn't register the door opening and closing behind him, not until he heard someone clear their throat.
"Looking for something?"
Hongjoong whirled around, nearly tripping over the bottles that littered the floor. His eyes widened when he recognized the beautiful boy who had spoken to him earlier. He languidly leaned against the doorframe effectively trapping him inside the bathroom. He crossed his arms over his chest with an amused expression on his face, kicking at one of the bottles by his feet. Hongjoong's mouth went dry as he tried to push down his anxiety. "It's none of you goddamn business." He snapped.
