The sun went down, the wild darkness slowly covered the prison. Inside that sturdy cage, Jeonghan crouched on a white bed, gave his soulless look to the two bodyguards, who were guarding outside. The needle marks, the wounds from violence made his he felt like his tiny body was being stucked in a desperate nightmare.

A gust of cold air blew in, bringing a little feeling of coolness. Looked at the beef rice dish on the table, feeling empty in hopeless. Like a toddler, stepped to the table in weakness. He pick up the cup of water, swigged and threw the cup directly to the wall. The sound of glass-broken echoed, the riddled hand had some more bloody trauma. But Jeonghan felt no pain, his bared foot just slowly stepped back to the bed then fell down.

A bodyguard looked at the room, made sure that small body had completely laid down because of distress, and then went in to clean up the debrise on the floor. The other pushed the cart with another dish of beef rice and aid-kit on. He carefully put the dish and a cup of water on the table, then stepped fast to the small motionless body. Jeonghan trembled because of the stinging pain from antiseptic, but his eyes couldn't open. That body seemed to have no strength left to resist, surrendering to the guard as he bandaged the wound

After finishing, they left him in that lightless room with a little of moonlight, stepped out to continue their guard work. Jeonghan curled up, using the last bit of strength to open his eyes and look toward the ray of light streaming through the small window. Whenever he felt despair or tired, he would force himself to gaze at the stars in the sky, as if that could ease his mind and help him fall into a sleep more easily.

He just fell into deep sleep again like that. All the sorrows of the day drift away with the breeze, entwined with the ache of the body and soul.

Outside, after the sound of door locked, the two bodyguards stood on either side of the door, continuing their guard duties. Yet, they found themselves exchanging glances, shaking their heads in silence. One of them cast a deliberate glance at the small figure inside, a bittersweet ache welling up in his chest, as he softly whispered to his companion.

"A person like him shouldn't stay in a terrible place like this"

The other seemed to share the same sorrow, but they couldn't do anything exclude watching the heartbreaking scene of the child being dragged pitifully onto the experiment table. Despite the desperate cries, despite the struggling arms and legs, there was no escape from the blood-stained needles.

"Was being kinaped here at the age of five. By the time his family found out, they were blinded by the lure of money"

He took a look to Jeonghan and continued.

"Can you believe? Jeonghan's parents are greedy people. He liked a tool for them from the early ages. I've heard whispers that while Jeonghan turns eighteen, they'll take him to the auction house for those vile predators. With that body, selling him would fetch enough money to they live comfortably for a lifetime. However, his own life after would plunge into an endless abyss"

Saw that little surprised eyes from the companion, he just took a smile and kept saying.

"His life looks like a movie with a predetermined script. He thought he was born into the right family, only to fall into a cruel hell. His parents are the directors, guiding his life until he's eighteen, when they'll hand him over to someone else. But the handover happened sooner than expected, didn't it?"

"How can we change it ?" he sneered, looking at the opposite person. "That's the fate that God has set for him. I wish something could happen to alter his destiny, so he wouldn't have to suffer." His eyes, filled with sorrow, gazed at the bright moon, his heart aching for the cruel fate of the small one living in the shadows of hell.

What can be done now? When no one loves that small, fragile body anymore? This child was meant to live a comfortable life with a happy family, not be abandoned and turned into a puppet for mad scientists. Every year, a large amount of blood is drained from him with needles, and sometimes he's dragged onto the experiment table to test drugs. If it's mild, he only feels dizzy, but if it's severe, he nearly meets death.

Jeonghan's body, beyond just containing blood and cells, is filled with countless strange unidentified drugs. Every night, he was tormented by those drugs. Even though he knows for certain that one day, he will lose his life right here in this dark place.

While the two bodyguards was talking, the figure of Dr. Egan appeared, faintly emerging from the cold night, his lab coat slowly approaching Jeonghan's room.

The two stopped instantly, the whole bodies stood up straightly with the guns at the side of the waist. Seemed like the doctor glanched in the room, a bodyguard said immediately.

"Sir, Jeonghan still didn't eat anything and just drunk some water today"

The doctor's face seemed calm, but those eyes flashed with a rare anger. He then spoke in a hoarse voice.

""If he doesn't eat, then so be it. Tomorrow at eight in the morning, bring him in for the drug trial." 

Without waiting for either of them to protest, he turned and walked away. 

They exchanged a glance, then simply shook their heads, silently praying for the child's fate.

_________________

8 AM next morning

He inserted a glass vial containing anesthetic gas in the smoke form into Jeonghan's hand.

"You'll go through two rounds of testing. When the first one ends, seize the chance to unlock the cuffs, then throw them on the ground. The anesthetic smoke I took from Egan's room will only be effective for thirty minutes. So, while everyone is deep in sleep, run as fast as you can to escape.

Remember this, Yoon Jeonghan."

Before he could hear any response from Jeonghan, the other guard, who was assigned to watch the door, called out.

"Get out here, he is going to appear soon"

"I know"

He looked back for the last sight at Jeonghan, then turned back fast, and left Jeonghan with hundreds of questions inside.

Why did he help Jeonghan? Did he choose to do this for what reason? Does he have any plans?

But before Jeonghan could even think, the figure of the mad Dr. Egan, with his familiar lab coat, slowly walked in. He approached and observed Jeonghan's body for a moment before delivering a harsh slap across his cheek.

"You..." Jeonghan stared at him in shock. In response, Egan just shrugged and said.

"That's the punishment for you to let that empty stomach of yours stay that way."

He walked over to the equipment table, grabbed a syringe, and took a vial of strange green liquid, filling the syringe. He flicked the needle a few times and then approached, injecting half of it into Jeonghan's arm.

Soon after, his body began to change rapidly. An uncomfortable sensation surged through him, as though his airways were being constricted. His body twitched slightly before going still, but the feeling of suffocation still lingered.

"It seems to be more effective than I thought"

He remarked while he stepped over and removed the four cuffs that were tightly binding Jeonghan's arms and legs.

"You can rest for a bit. The second round of testing will be in five minutes."

After speaking, he turned and began cleaning all the experimental equipment.

Jeonghan glanced at the vial of anesthetic gas tucked by his side. Hesitating, he gripped it tightly. Indeed, the past seventeen years buried here had drained him of his strength countless times. His frail body had been drained of blood to the point of exhaustion. If he could escape, he would be welcomed with warm embraces from a family that cared.

But life is never like a dream, is it? When he learned the truth about that family, it felt as though he lost faith in everything. No one needed him, no one loved him anymore—they abandoned him for money...

But I couldn't allow myself to be buried deep in this place forever. I had heard stories about the world outside, how there was so much beauty and wonder beyond these walls. A kind-hearted researcher once told me, "If you get the chance, you should try to see the world outside." And so, I had dreamed for so long about the beautiful world beyond.

Gripping the glass vial of anesthetic in my hand, I made up my mind to take the risk. This would be my first gamble, and perhaps the most dangerous one yet. My fate depended on this vial.

I closed my eyes, gathered all my strength, and slammed it down onto the floor. Immediately, the anesthetic gas was released, filling the entire lab, spreading like a fog that covered everything.

When Dr. Egan heard the sound of breaking glass and turned around, the anesthetic gas quickly infiltrated his body, causing him to collapse. Jeonghan tore off a large piece of cloth, enough to cover half of his face. Holding it tightly in place with his hand, he began to slowly move his legs, running quickly toward the emergency exit.

He kept running until he saw a door slightly ajar, a sliver of light streaming through like the future the guard had once spoken of. It was the light of hope, the light to begin a new life.

Jeonghan moved forward and threw open the door. The light outside shone in, making him squint. The sky was lightly covered with dark clouds, and a few raindrops fell softly to the ground.

His bare feet touched the outside world for the first time in seventeen years. Jeonghan looked back one last time at the research facility before summoning the last bit of his strength and running quickly into the city.

A new chapter in Yoon Jeonghan's life had officially begun.

End of Chap1

...

Why beef rice? Well, cuz beef is helpful in increase blood cells (•‿•)