Chapter Text
The dark gray hallways are bleak with security cameras in every corner, and the metal doors make the atmosphere even colder. Once every thirty minutes, guards patrol the halls with firearms ready to go if anyone steps out of line. This has to be one of the most uncomfortable environments to live in.
And yet, Mingi walks down the hall with his friends and a soft chuckle as they chat about what they just had for lunch. His light and dark ombre hair is brushed back, his scuffed gray jacket is halfway zipped, revealing the uniform black spandex short-sleeve shirt beneath, and his booted feet tap on the concrete floor. His heart is neutral even in the prison he lives in.
His friend Sunoo walks between him and his other friend, Wooyoung. Mingi smiles along with the conversation until his left shoulder bumps into someone else's. He looks up into the eyes of another young man known as Yunho. Mingi pauses to observe and possibly apologize. With sweaty black hair and a stoic expression, Yunho hardly spares the ombre-haired boy a glance as he continues around the corner from where the other three just came from.
Mingi keeps looking back, pondering the simplest thing. If he's trying to get lunch before the meal slot ends, he needs to run.
At the same time, Wooyoung, with dark red hair and a wide grin, spots a strong ravenette up ahead. His eyes glitter mischievously, and he's moving automatically. His footsteps are surprisingly quiet as he dashes forward and successfully launches himself onto the unsuspecting boy's back.
"Jongho!"
"Ah!" Jongho instinctively grabs Wooyoung's thighs to hold him, but he still complains, "What the hell?! Get off!"
They spin around in Jongho's strange attempt to wrestle the redhead off his back. Still standing beside Mingi, Sunoo giggles at the fight. While Jongho seeks freedom from the added weight, his passenger views it as a game. Wooyoung laughs excitedly, overjoyed by the physical contact.
However, their awkward tussle ends with Jongho's victory. He shakes Wooyoung off, but the redhead tumbles back into a pair of strong arms. Turning his head, Wooyoung gapes at the owner of the hard chest he landed on. The taller male makes sure he stands properly before letting him go and offers a teasing dimpled smile.
"Watch it," the new ravenette says, but there is no bite to it.
The name "San" is sewn into the sleeve of his gray jacket.
Wooyoung is speechless, lost, looking at the sharp and handsome features of a boy he's never properly spoken to. Jongho analyzes the situation, glancing between the two, and his expression hardens subtly. Then, he takes Wooyoung's hand and pulls him forward.
"Sorry," Jongho mutters to San with a small nod.
Seeing the other two moving down the hallway, Sunoo finally notices how distracted Mingi is. He softly tugs on the taller boy's sleeve. "Mingi?"
Mingi blinks and turns to him. "Hm?"
"Let's go."
Nodding, Mingi's gentle smile returns. Together, they follow their friend and Jongho without much attempt to actually catch up to them. It's back to training for them all. That's their daily routine. Wake up, eat, train, eat, train, sleep. If they find a chance to chat and be silly, they do so. They might go crazy otherwise.
Since the moment he opened his eyes within the Funhouse Facility, this has been Mingi's life. As far as he knows, this is all that he's ever done. He has no memory of anything before waking up here half a year ago. At least he thinks it's been half a year; it's impossible to tell how much time has passed within the facility. In fact, he only knows his name because it's engraved on the jacket they gave him in the very beginning.
And he's only seen about two seasons, he thinks, so that's why he doesn't believe it's been a full year yet. Maybe. However, he's unsure of how much the facility is capable of. Thinking about it too hard gives him a headache, so he focuses on what's most important:
Whether or not his name gets drawn for the one-versus-one battle held every five days.
Supposedly, their names are picked randomly by the "Headmaster" of the facility, but there are reasonable rumors floating amongst the prisoners that the rotation is rigged. After all, they're surveilled in almost every room with little privacy, so the Headmaster can easily create a more intriguing show in the arena by picking certain people. Mingi never bothers too much about that idea, though. It doesn't change the fact that one of them dies every five days, and the survivor is left with that guilt.
Guilt. Given how frequent deaths are around here, everyone has gotten pretty used to that emotion, as if it's just a part of their skin. Forget about feeling bad for killing. We barely have enough time to heal from our injuries sometimes. Mingi sits on one of the bench presses in the gym and sighs. His eyes land on an old scar on his forearm from one of his first battles.
In the beginning, many died just from fear of action. Either they refused to participate and were shot down by the guards, or they let their opponent win because they were too clumsy to put in a ruthless effort. They've all just accepted that this is their life now, no longer questioning anything.
"Mingi!"
Mingi flinches and sees a smiling redhead in his face. Wooyoung's hand is on the taller boy's shoulder, and he grins playfully. "Wanna skip training for a bit and sit in the scenery room?"
Pouting just as playfully, Mingi warns, "Jongho is going to kick your ass if you skip again."
"He's all talk! Besides, when else are we supposed to find time to use the scenery room when all we do is train anyway? Let's go!" Wooyoung bounces.
"Sure." Mingi gets up and follows the redhead's lead.
He doesn't know how old the others are—their ages weren't included in the information they were given at the start—but he has a strange feeling that Wooyoung might be a bit younger than him. Some are quite obvious, such as a childish duo he frequently sees running through the halls together; Jongseob and Soul, according to their jackets, are visibly younger than the rest of them.
Jongho is a mystery. He comes off as older, but sometimes younger, too. However, Mingi isn't too close to him. The main reason they even interact is because of Wooyoung.
Heading down the hall, they find the sign for the scenery room. Inside, it's all white with an octagon-shaped console in the middle. A remote rests on the edge of the metal, nearly falling off. Wooyoung catches it and starts playing with the buttons. Leaning back against the console, Mingi stares at the ceiling as the whole room switches between green fields, starry nights, ocean waves, and animal-infested jungles.
Wooyoung hums for so long that Mingi almost zones out. The redhead finally asks, "What are you in the mood for?"
"A second meal," Mingi grumbles.
Wooyoung cackles and settles on a rocky beach theme for the room. Putting the remote down behind him, he groans dramatically. "I need something new to happen."
Mingi nods musingly. "Like what?"
"Like—like—like something to get my heart pumping, you know?"
"I don't know."
Wooyoung clicks his tongue. "I don't know how to explain it. I just crave something, but I'm not sure what it is. My body aches for it!"
Seeing the shorter male lift his balled fist in determination, Mingi chortles, "You're lucky to be surviving right now, and here you are asking for more."
"Aren't you the same?" Wooyoung tilts his head.
Mingi exhales, blinking slowly. "I guess. However, I don't think I have whatever you've got going on."
Wooyoung slaps his hand on the console and leans closer. "What? My hot looks? I know!"
Before Mingi can come up with a silly response, the door opens. Jongho stands there with a scowl, eyes staring directly at Wooyoung. All he does is sigh.
"Seriously…" the ravenette mutters.
"How'd you know I was in here?!" Wooyoung shrieks.
"Sunghoon told me you had disappeared when he transitioned to the rock climbing room." Walking in, Jongho takes the redhead by the hand. "Let's go."
Wooyoung whines as he's dragged. "No! It's just one day! A few hours! You damn tyrannical bear!"
Jongho pauses and turns with a serious expression. "Did you forget? Names are drawn tomorrow. What if you get chosen?"
Wooyoung's shoulders sag, and he goes quiet. Tension rumbles in the room, a sudden thunderstorm over the rocky beach they imagine themselves at. Training—truthfully, no matter how much of it they do, they'll never be as prepared to go into battle as they'd like. Still, it's like an unspoken rule to train twice as hard the day before names are drawn.
And when names are announced, those two chosen ones push their limits in the gym until the second they're called into the arena the following day.
Wooyoung squeezes Jongho's hand. "Right."
Inhaling, Mingi forces a smile and joins the pair. He swings his arm over the redhead's shoulders. "Come on. Let's go train. Even if we don't get picked, we shouldn't slack off too much and let the others get stronger than us!"
They file out of the room, leaving the scenery unchanged until the next person comes around to use it.
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In the monitor lounge, forty-three youths gather around to peek at the announcement on the two large screens against the wall. After a day of anxiety and extra hard workout routines, they crowd around the televisions with prayers that their names won't appear. Some of them couldn't even bring themselves to eat during the two mealtime slots of the day because they were too nervous.
Near the front of the right monitor, a stunning blonde young man with a prominent birthmark and a lip ring stands with his arms crossed tightly over his chest. Besides slightly shaking eyes, his expression doesn't give away his feelings. Beside him, two girls latch onto each other and whisper their obvious fears. Their jackets name them as Umji and Seulgi. A short male with spectacular muscles silently nudges a puppy-faced boy on his right.
On the left side, Sunoo roughly bites at his thumbnail until Sunghoon steals his hand away and rubs the tender skin to soothe him. He whispers calming words in the other boy's ear and pulls him into a reassuring side hug. Standing near the edge is San and two other particularly strong-looking males, as well as a feline-like young woman with short hair. Closer to the front are Jongho and Wooyoung, the redhead nervously nibbling his bottom lip. Mingi shifts to the side so Jongseob and Soul can get a better view.
Of course, there are those who are completely unfazed by the horrifying routine. Somewhere behind Mingi and his friends is a young man with short brown hair and several piercings adorning his ears. His arms are crossed yet relaxed, and he looks like he couldn't care less whose name is announced, even if it's his own. His jacket says "Hongjoong." Beside him, a taller male with pretty and defined features holds the same cold expression. His jacket is tied around his waist, but one can just make out the name of the sleeve if they tilt their head enough: Seonghwa.
And then there's Yunho, who walks in a bit late and takes a spot on the edge of the gathering by the left screen. Among the ones who don't seem to fear his name popping up on the screen, he exhales patiently.
Many more young men and women await the announcement with racing hearts, though most won't ever admit it. Finally, the screens light up, a blank white, and the room goes still with halted breaths. Wooyoung winces prematurely, digging his nails into Jongho's arm. An ominous boom sounds around the monitor lounge. The names appear.
Mingi vs. Wonwoo.
Hitched breaths are released, and murmurs start amongst the crowds. Cracking an eye open, Wooyoung exhales in relief and glances at the taller boy to his right. "Oh."
Mingi remains outwardly calm. Looking around the room, he curiously scouts his opponent for tomorrow. The name "Wonwoo" catches his eye, and he lifts his gaze to lock eyes with the other male. Wonwoo nods once and gently pushes his way through the others to leave the room; he's going to train, silently exclaiming his desire to win. It's obvious because that's what they all do, what they all should do.
As the room slowly empties, some prisoners loitering in various spots, Sunoo and Sunghoon wander over to the other three. The smaller ravenette looks at the tallest warily. "Mingi, Wonwoo is pretty strong."
"Hey, Mingi's strong, too!" Wooyoung cheers, slapping the chosen one on the back. "And there are plenty of guys here that are way stronger than Wonwoo. I'd say Min's got a good chance."
Jongho adds, "I agree. Wonwoo's still recovering from a leg injury, so he'll be at a disadvantage."
Mingi nods thoughtfully. "That's right. He got pretty fucked up in his last battle…"
"So, there's nothing to worry about?" Sunghoon says hopefully.
"It'll be a quick one," Wooyoung chirps.
"I still shouldn't let my guard down. Relying on stuff like that can easily become my death," Mingi mumbles.
Smiling brightly, Sunoo encourages, "Good luck tomorrow!"
"Thanks." Mingi returns a half smile.
Eyes on Sunoo's bloody thumb, Sunghoon intertwines their fingers and says, "Let's go get you a band-aid."
The couple leaves, and Wooyoung puckers his lips mischievously. "Sooo, this means I can skip training for the rest of the day, right?"
Jongho narrows his eyes. "How did you come to that conclusion?"
"I wasn't picked! I'm not loyal enough to join Mingi's extra exercises!" Peeking up at the chosen one, Wooyoung winks. "Sorry, Mings!"
Mingi shakes his head lightheartedly. "No issue."
However, Jongho prepares to get stern. "Woo—"
"Ah!" Wooyoung sprints away, latching onto a certain blonde boy heading toward the exit. "Yeosang! Heading to the scenery room?!"
Yeosang nods once. "Yeah..."
"Cool! I'll join!" Wooyoung turns back to stick his tongue out at Jongho.
Jongho wants to take a step forward, but he refrains. His eyes briefly meet Yeosang's from afar, but the blonde quickly looks away and leaves with the redhead hanging on his shoulder. Jongho rolls his eyes exasperatedly at Wooyoung's intentional choice of victim. And Mingi just chuckles lightly at the whole exchange, thankful for the entertainment before his big day.
Despite having made it this far, Mingi can't deny the apprehension he feels whenever his name is on that screen. He believes it's natural, although there are plenty of others within the facility who rival that thought. He hardly sleeps through the night, and his body instinctively wakes up early to fit in more training in a quieter environment. He does this every time his turn comes around.
Lying beneath the thin blanket on the bottom bunk, one of many bunk beds in the male barracks, Mingi stares up at the metal holding the top mattress from dropping on his face. Everyone else is still sound asleep in the darkness. Throwing the blanket aside, he grits his teeth through the chill of the room and clumsily finds his way to his locker.
He slips into the large bathroom and changes in one of the shower stalls before making his way to the first gym door he sees down the long hallway and around the corner. Extra training doesn't guarantee a win, but it makes the chosen ones feel a bit more confident. His uniform jacket hangs off his shoulder as he opens the door with a yawn.
And his eyes immediately land on Yunho at the bench press. Mingi pauses only for a moment as the only one who feels the awkward atmosphere, or at least is the only one to acknowledge it. Closing the door, he shuffles farther inside toward the chest press machine. The ravenette doesn't acknowledge him at all, focused exclusively on his exercise.
Mingi wants to ignore him the same way, but his extroverted soul despises the silence between them. He can't pay attention to what he's doing because he's too conscious of Yunho's presence. His eyes keep drifting over to the only other person in the room. In all the time they've been here, however long that actually is, they've never really interacted.
Where Mingi goes out of his way to befriend others and find enjoyment between battles, Yunho is the opposite. He's almost always eating alone, Mingi noticed, and while he speaks when spoken to, he doesn't seem to be interested in socializing. Mingi's never tried speaking to Yunho—until now, because the silence is more likely to kill him than this evening's battle is—because his friends keep him thoroughly occupied.
But now, nothing is distracting him, and the awkwardness is about to eat him alive.
Abandoning his workout, he timidly approaches the bench press and looks down at the grunting ravenette. "Do you want some help? I can count your reps."
Yunho stops and looks up into Mingi's eyes. His voice is icy and monotone when he replies, "No."
"Right, no, I'm sure you've got it. Um…" Mingi looks all around the gym for another topic. "Do you normally get up this early?"
"…Yeah."
"Does it help?" Mingi continues.
Yunho sighs and gives up his time on the bench press. He carefully sits up and wipes his forehead with a white cloth. He has no intention of responding to the question.
Mingi tries to smile. "Sorry, it's just that we're the only ones here this early, so I thought a bit of conversation would make it more…"
"Why are you wasting time talking to someone who may never see you again after today?"
The harsh question has Mingi's breath catching in his throat. Yunho rises and glares at him like he's an alien. Being so openly judged about his attitude, Mingi can't say he's too surprised, and it's a valid remark. He came here to strengthen his body and build a bit more confidence in his survival, but instead, he's trying to make conversation with someone who clearly doesn't want to talk. He can't help himself, but Yunho's words bring him back down to reality with an insulting bite.
He says it like he doesn't think Mingi will be the victor.
Escaping the contrasting personality, Yunho picks up his water bottle and heads for the exit, presumably to find respite in another gym room. Mingi swallows thickly and turns to the retreating back with newfound tenacity.
"I'll win," he states loudly.
Yunho stops and turns around. Mingi meets his eyes earnestly and says, "I'm going to stay alive, at least for today. So… don't dismiss me like that."
Subtly scanning the slightly shorter boy, Yunho doesn't say anything. After a moment, he still leaves the room. Mingi releases a heavy breath. Oddly, the ravenette's rude words have become encouragement for Mingi. That wasn't Yunho's intention by far, clearly, but that's how the chosen one decides to absorb it.
He returns to his workout with vigor, his survival being the only topic on his mind for the next several hours, except when Wooyoung and Jongho drag him to eat during the morning mealtime.
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Mingi's friends wish him luck, planning to watch from the monitor lounge, as he's escorted to the arena by two armed guards. The tunnel leading to the arena is dark; the only lighting is a couple of wall lamps here and there, along with the bright sunlight at the very end of the tunnel. On the other side, an enclosed stadium roars with an eager audience. Sunlight pours through the glass ceiling, and this is one of the only ways for Mingi to tell what season it is outside.
He exhales deeply, closing his eyes to solidify his prayers. With an impatient nudge from one of the guards, he steps out into the battle arena. Wonwoo comes from the opposite tunnel, and the crowd cheers as they meet each other in the middle of the sandy field. To the left, a large wall and table display various weapons for them to choose from. Once they decide, they can't change it.
Metal bats, knives of different sizes, screwdrivers, hammers, a shovel, clubs with and without spikes, chains, brass knuckles, a nail gun, crowbars, a boomerang with razor-sharp edges, a hatchet, and many more intimidate them. An obnoxiously chipper voice rings out from the speakers.
"Welcome to the Funhouse Facility! Here's to another exciting battle! Fighters, please select your weapons!"
Ignoring his heart palpitations, Mingi walks over to the weapon display. His eyes scan seriously over the options, knowing that his choice can make or break his chances. A weapon is just as good as its user, but picking the right one for certain opponents also makes a difference. Wonwoo chooses a medium-sized knife and returns to the middle of the arena.
Mingi sighs through his nose and picks up a mini sledgehammer, weighing it in his hand. Nodding, he instills his hopes in the weapon and joins Wonwoo. They lock eyes, and for the briefest moment, they share telepathic sympathies. Neither of them wants to do this, but all revolts end in death anyway. A jarring buzzer blares overhead, and all peace is crushed.
It begins.
Wonwoo runs at him immediately, and Mingi leaps away to dodge the lunge. They circle each other with sharp eyes, watching for every slight movement that could signal a threat. Wonwoo strikes again, and Mingi narrowly avoids the hit. He drowns out the ruckus of the disgusting crowd.
"You're moving like you're scared," Wonwoo remarks.
"Aren't you?" Mingi replies.
That earns him a small smile, his opponent silently agreeing. However, that expression falls when Wonwoo moves a bit too swiftly and slices Mingi's right arm. Blood seeps through his jacket sleeve. Hissing, Mingi blocks out the pain of the deep cut. The sledgehammer swings toward Wonwoo's head.
Wonwoo ducks and aims for Mingi's torso, but the latter drops his arm to block with the sledgehammer. The short screech of their weapons meeting doesn't faze them. Both young men get more aggressive with their attacks, either blocking or just barely missing each other. The sun beats down on them, increasing their nervous sweat.
Finally, Mingi spots an opportunity to bring the sledgehammer down onto Wonwoo's leg, right where his hidden injury is still recovering. Wonwoo drops to his knee in shock, but he still manages to block a third hit toward his head after a second one strikes his leg again. Groaning, he tries to slice Mingi's calf, but the latter times his jump perfectly to escape it.
During the landing, Mingi is caught off guard by Wonwoo's free arm wrapping around his leg and dragging him down. Mingi lands in the sand, and his opponent crawls over him with the intent to violently stab his chest. Mingi blocks and pushes back on the attack with the sledgehammer.
Mingi successfully knocks him back and tries to get up, only to suffer another blow to his right arm. He cries out and lands back on his knees, but he catches Wonwoo's wrist before he can land a visceral hit in his neck. Then, he swings the sledgehammer upward with his other hand and bashes Wonwoo below the jaw.
Blood runs down his arm in an alarming amount, but he keeps fighting. While Wonwoo is disoriented from the brutal blow, Mingi aims for his leg again. Wonwoo shouts, exciting the audience with his pain. Desperate, Wonwoo raises his knife and aims for Mingi's face. The latter swings the sledgehammer into Wonwoo's wrist just in time.
Wonwoo's wrist trembles, his bone surely broken, and he involuntarily drops his blade. Mingi tackles him to the ground and straddles his waist. Fingers twitching, Wonwoo reaches for the knife, but the sledgehammer meets his head. Temporarily blinded by survival instincts, Mingi bashes Wonwoo's head repeatedly.
A pool of blood oozes onto the dusty ground. The left side of Wonwoo's face is beaten in, black and red, and his eye is mashed into pulp. Mingi delivers one final hit before registering his opponent's death. Breathing heavily, he sits back with his head to the sky, bloody mini sledgehammer still in his fist.
"I'm sorry," he mutters.
That damn buzzer blasts, his victory is announced, and the crowd goes wild. The dead body beneath him burns into his memory, where it will stay until the day he dies.
After his win, Mingi accepts the hoots and hollers from his friends, mainly Wooyoung. However, he skips the mealtime that occurs immediately after the battle. He always does after his battles, choosing to brood over his victories in solitude. Truthfully, he's just waiting for the nausea to pass.
He sits in the barracks on his bottom bunk bed, staring into space. His right arm is bandaged, but it still burns. Perhaps it wasn't cleaned well enough, or perhaps it's the slight guilt. As neutral as he behaves about the whole thing most of the time, it's still not a nice feeling to take someone's life, especially when they're in the same boat as him.
But he wants to live, and that's the price to pay. He's gotten far too used to it, and yet he hasn't at the same time.
The sound of metal against metal catches his attention, and he lifts his head in surprise to see Yunho walking into the dimly lit room. They don't speak at all, and Yunho doesn't appear to acknowledge him. The ravenette beelines to his locker, grabs a clean black uniform shirt, and heads right back to the door.
But then he suddenly stops. Yunho turns around to look at Mingi, and the latter flinches. Awkward tension builds as he waits for the unknown. Mingi gulps and blinks confusedly.
"Congrats," Yunho says after a moment.
Stunned, Mingi can't respond fast enough. Just like that, Yunho is gone, leaving today's victor to reflect more. The unexpected kudos feel like an important acknowledgment, as if Yunho held onto Mingi's statement in the gym and waited to see him fulfill it. Mingi hangs onto it for a while longer.
Hearing that from Yunho, of all people, strangely cures his nausea.