Yeonwoo's head was racing with so many thoughts, that his head almost felt empty. Quite the paradox, right? But Yeonwoo simply couldn't find another way to describe his predicament. He was able to come up with so many things he could do in this situation but all of them pretty much had the same ending.
Getting caught by the imperial regime's special force and being shot in the head.
Upon hearing his colleague's declaration on finding a "rat", another officer walked over, wearing the same olive-green uniform, silver belt and a rifle strung over his shoulder.
While the man who had initially spoken to him seemed like a middle-aged man around the age of 35 to 40, Yeonwoo was genuinely surprised to see that this other man looked no older than 20. He was probably younger than Yeonwoo!
The young man was also quite handsome. With neatly kept hair and clean-shaven face, his almost perfectly shaped lips and eyelashes stood out the most. His features were quite feminine but for some reason when they were all put together, there was no doubt that the person standing in front of him was striking young man.
The man barely spared a glance at the messy Yeonwoo. It wasn't the most appropriate time to think about this, but he felt like the young man was judging him based on his unkemptness and despite the situation they were in, Yeonwoo almost wanted to give the man a piece of his mind by saying he'd probably also be quite a looker if he were not an outcast from the streets.
But Yeonwoo restrained his sharp tongue. Now was not the time to get riled up over such inane things. After all the man was not only younger than him but also an imperial special force officer.
"What do we do with them? Kill them like the rest?"
Yeonwoo's could almost feel his blood running cold at how nonchalantly the young man uttered those words. Is taking others' lives a game for you?
The older officer scratched his head. "Uhh, you really do scare me sometimes."
Hah, so this one is indeed a special nutcase, thought Yeonwoo, somewhat relieved.
"We've already killed so much today. From the looks of it, we'll also be to get rid of their hiding spot so probably another 10 people dead. Don't you think it's enough bloodshed for a day? Plus, the both of them look like able-bodied men, instead of killing of them, I think they could be better used as slaves."
Whatever relief Yeonwoo had felt had instantly disappeared and the familiar feeling of dread had come back. The officers were still standing in front of Yeonwoo, where he was found hiding so Yeonwoo had no idea whether Reno was listening in or not. And if he did, he had no idea what kind of face Reno was making.
Reno probably didn't even know that the intruder these officers were questioning was Yeonwoo.
The younger officer merely nodded blankly at the older officer. "Yes, sir."
The older man cracked his knuckles as he stretched and yawned. The audacity. "It's already late, tie this fellow up with the other young man."
The man glanced at his watch. "We'll leave in three hours." And he left.
Yeonwoo almost wanted to ask what the time was. It had barely been half an hour since he was caught, and he could already see the stark difference between the lives they lived and the lives Yeonwoo and the rest lived.
However, Yeonwoo wasn't particularly annoyed about this discrepancy in status or living conditions. He was livid at the fact that despite having all this authority and luxury, they wanted to take innocent lives, they wanted to snatch away lives from people who fought so hard every day to just stay alive.
The younger officer roughly grabbed Yeonwoo's arm and dragged him. There was literally no need for him to treat Yeonwoo roughly, Yeonwoo had the strength to get up and walk on his home but from the look of it, this young man seemed hell-bent on torturing Yeonwoo.
Finally, Yeonwoo was brought directly into the light. It seemed like these regime officers had placed a couple of light-posts around, illuminating the area. Yeonwoo immediately squinted at the sudden brightness, especially in the middle of night. As his eyes adjusted, he finally got to see Reno.
Yeonwoo himself wasn't sure what condition he was expecting to find Reno in. Maybe looking at this young officer who treated him roughly, he expected to find Reno in a completely battered state, beaten up and bruised.
However, much to his surprise, Reno seemed fine externally. His face was bloated, his eyes puffy. It was obvious he had been crying for hours. He probably still felt like crying, if his eyes had any tears left in him. His hands were handcuffed behind and he was kneeling on the ground, his feet tied tightly using a rope. Other than these restraints, Yeonwoo felt slightly relieved that he hadn't come across a bloody sight.
Nonethless, the relief was short-lived. Reno was safe as for now, but what about the rest of his members?
Reno looked up, sniffling. His eyes widened when he caught sight on Yeonwoo.
"Y-yeonwoo!" said Reno, his voice cracked and parched.
Yeonwoo gave a small smile in return and was about the say something when the young officer behind him gave him a kick.
"So y'all know each other, huh? Must've been hiding in the same rat hole."
Yeonwoo gave a side glance at the man. He really looked hell bent on playing a villain role. Is that what happens when good-looking men are giving important positions?
"Well doesn't matter." Said the officer.
He proceeded to drag Yeonwoo towards the area where Reno was. In an instant, without even being the chance to resist, Yeonwoo found his hands and feet bound. Young or not, the officer sure knew how to get his things done swiftly.
The officer dusted his hands after he was done with Yeonwoo and stood in front of him, staring.
"We'll leave for the closed gates in 3 hours. I don't have to tell you this, it's obvious, but trying to escape is useless. We've grated you the grace of being alive so be grateful for it. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the rest of your members. The imperial regime has no tolerance for pests after all."
The officer turned around seemingly on his way to the make-shift tent that was set up. He looked back at Yeonwoo and Reno as a sadistic smile came over his face. "That includes rats."
And he walked away.
Yeonwoo let out a breath that he didn't even know he was holding. They had reiterated it over and over again that Yeonwoo simply couldn't escape the fact anymore. All the people he's been caring for will die.
Or they're probably dead.
Hyuk, Ming-Hae…everyone.
Tears welled up in Yeonwoo's eyes. Were they tears of desperation, or were they tears of frustration or tears of helplessness? Yeonwoo had no idea. All he felt was crushing weight on him and he couldn't stop crying.
Reno watched Yeonwoo helplessly. He was also aware that there was nothing he could do to help Yeonwoo, to drag him out this miserable reality. He knew better than anyone since he had spent the past few hours doing the exact same thing. He had thought that even Yeonwoo was dead.
But Reno also knew that the burden that Yeonwoo bore was different from his. Reno was the one who wandered outside carelessly and his capture was the consequence of his own actions but he knew that wasn't the case for Yeonwoo. Yeonwoo would've most likely stepped out, in the dead night, in order to search for Reno.
Reno's bottom lips trembled, his eyes watering, threatening to spill tears. He didn't know what to feel. He felt guilty for dragging Yeonwoo here but…
But…if Yeonwoo hadn't come to search for him…maybe he would've also been shot dead.
Just like the others.
Reno had kept a small hope in heart. A small hope that their competent leader Yeonwoo would've moved all of them to safety. He would've relocated all of them. He had hoped that that would be the case. Which is why when he saw Yeonwoo in front of him he felt a feeling of relief and dread wash over him.
From this distance, they probably wouldn't be able to hear the sound of gunshots. He would only know what happened when the rest of the patrolling squad came back.
Yeonwoo was still helplessly sobbing. Weirdly enough, he felt slightly relieved that he was able to cry out loud like this. It was hard to think when you're sobbing your heart out and that was precisely what Yeonwoo wanted at this moment.
But eventually rationality would win over, and a person would slowly calm down. After a few minutes of crying, Yeonwoo felt himself calming down. He could feel Reno's presence beside him, silent but breathing. He was grateful that Reno had kept his distance while he cried but now, he needed information.
The whole situation seemed absurd now that Yeonwoo thought about it. It should've struck Yeonwoo from the time he heard the reckless idea of Hyuk and Reno going out to sneak in alcohol and porn magazines. Yeonwoo understood searching for alcohol to some extent. It was easier to find after all. But porn magazines? They all had lived so far without it, what was the need to go out on a search? And the fact that the day Reno went missing was the exact the day the patrol team went out for surveillance.
Weren't the coincidences too huge?
Yeonwoo looked at Reno. An indescribable feeling came over him. Was it distrust? Betrayal? He had no idea, and he didn't want to jump into conclusions without proper answers.
"Reno. What happened? I think you owe me a proper explanation." Yeonwoo said, his voice steady and calm.
Reno looked at Yeonwoo, his face laced with despair. "I swear…I swear this isn't what I wanted."
Yeonwoo narrowed his eyes. The feeling of dread was growing bigger inside him. He tried to ignore, he wanted to calmly listen to Reno's experience without any restrictions.
Reno seemed to have noticed not only the change in Yeonwoo's facial expression but also in his demeanour, he immediately flailed his arms around, "Wait, Yeonwoo don't get me wrong. I wasn't actively trying to get us killed or something neither do I work for this imperial dogs. But if you ask me whether I'm the same as you all, I will say no. Ans yes, it was never about getting those magazines."
Yeonwoo merely stared at Reno, waiting for him to continue. He didn't want to jump the gun and draw conclusions on his own. He wanted Reno to give him a reason to trust him because at this point, Reno was the only one he had left. If Reno turned out to be exactly as Yeonwoo's worst fears, he really had no idea what he would do.
"I often went out, especially whenever you went out. Of course, I waited until you were some distance away, before I stepped out. But the main reason we never crossed paths is because you and I were searching for different things. You were searching for essentials, things to survive while I was searching for clues."
Yeonwoo's brows frowned. "Clues?"
Reno looked at Yeonwoo, a different look in his eyes that Yeonwoo couldn't really place a finger on. "You've been alive as long as I have. We're not like Ming-Hae or the younger ones. We know what this place used to be like. We're not like the older ones either, who've seen enough of the old world who can think of it of our current reality as a long, long nightmare. We're the one whose lives were snatched right in front of you. Haven't you ever wondered how things changed so drastically so fast?
Is living really all about just surviving every day? Just eating the bare minimum, sleeping on the cold floors, having no idea of what the actual time. It almost feels like we're not even humans anymore at this point. I don't understand it, how have you never felt the urge to break out of the cycle?"
Yeonwoo turned away. Break out of the cycle? While Reno was right about this sort of change being extremely sudden, Yeonwoo never thought about it as an anomaly. When this drastic change came about, he just merely adapted to it. He accepted his fate and instead of pondering about this why this happened, he just looked at ways to survive it.
Yeonwoo turned his head back to Reno. He cast a side glance at the officers tent but looked away when he noticed no signs of movement.
In a hushed whisper, his eyes widened, Yeonwoo said, "Are you a Panchen?"