Wretches & Kings

Over a week passed and Hyun Ae's wounds were slowly healing. Her body began to flesh out, bones disappearing underneath more muscle and fat. Her eyes brightened, like the sun had escaped from behind its cloud cover. Though physically, she was becoming fitter and healthier, internally she was still wounded.

Scars that could not be seen left her wary of anyone and kept her inside her room. She would pace the room for hours, trying to get the exercise Daesung recommended. Daesung would try to coax her out, but she stayed put.

Hyun Ae formed an unlikely alliance with the blonde-haired, bright man that made her feel better every time he came to dress her wounds or check her vitals. It'd been years since she'd been this close to another human being, able to interact and converse with one. She felt an attraction towards him; not of love, but either way it scared her. The years of abuse and torture raged war against her resurfacing, human emotions.

To trust or not to trust?

Her cautious state and silent studying as he worked was something Daesung was used to. Not only was he one of the medical personnel in the crowded chambers of BigBang, he was head of it all. Patient after patient was seen by him, and even though he knew them all by name and cared for each of them how they needed to be, it was the newest addition to his list of dependents that kept his focus.

“Why am I so special?” Hyun Ae finally demanded as she watched Daesung remove the stitches from her arm.

He looked up at her from under his corn-silk bangs before returning to his work. “You escaped on your own. And with the shape you were in, that should have been impossible.”

“Adrenaline and luck does a lot for someone who needs it,” the young woman answered.

Daesung smiled at that and Hyun Ae found herself shadowing the expression before she could stop herself. Daesung finished his job and rose to his feet, moving the tweezers and scissors to the sink. “Hyun Ae...” he said softly, making her bristle at his change in tone. “There's something we need you to do. But only when you're ready.”

“'We'?” she questioned.

Daesung turned from the sink. “G...our leader wants to meet you personally. And he'd like to soon.”

“G-Dragon wants to meet me?” asked Hyun Ae dubiously. “Why?” She tried to cover her fear with curiosity.

Just like BigBang, its leader was a supposed legend. A foul and ruthless man who had climbed from the sewers to feast on anyone who wandered far from the 'protection' of the City with his mutated cohorts. Hyun Ae shivered.

“Because you escaped on your own and how you did it could be valuable information. Anything you might have could be intel for us.” The healer put the tools away and turned again to Hyun Ae. He studied her face for a moment and sighed. “He's not a mutated cannibal from the depths of a sewer if that's what you're thinking.”

Hyun Ae blushed and ducked her head. “That's not...”

“Its alright,” Daesung chuckled. His chuckle was more like the average person's laugh. “But we won't go until you're ready, I made sure to let G-Dragon know that.”

“Daesung!” Hyun Ae let out a shriek when a bloodied face suddenly appeared in her doorway. “Where have you been? I've been waiting fifteen minutes for you to come stitch me up!”

Daesung sighed and Hyun Ae saw his eyes roll under his bangs. “The world doesn't revolve around you, Seungri, I'm sorry to tell you. And you're scaring my patient.”

Seungri seemed to notice Hyun Ae—who was cowering in the corner. His face looked like it'd been through a meat grinder. One of his eyes was swelled shut, his nose was crooked and bleeding, and nasty gashes ran up and down and across his face. “Sup?” he asked, nodding to Hyun Ae. The woman only stared and Seungri looked at Daesung. “She's not much of a talker, is she?”

“Get out!” Daesung demanded, shooing the younger man away. He looked back at Hyun Ae. “I'll be back later. After I take care of this idiot.”

“Hey!”

“Do you want your face restored to its former ugliness or not?”

“I'm beautiful, what are you talking about?”

“Not like that, you're not...”

“I'd like to see you take on five men on your own!”

“I'd like to see you do it too...”

Their bickering was droned out by the sounds outside. It was always noisy outside Hyun Ae's room. The clang of metal, the hissing of steam, the constant din of machines, and the chattering of hundreds of people. It was almost unbearable to first couple of nights, but Hyun Ae became adapted to it. Now it was sounds of machines and steam that lulled her to sleep when consistent nightmares kept her from dreamland.

–

“I can't do this.”

“Yes, you can,” Daesung said, gently prompting her forward. But Hyun Ae stayed put, standing right inside the doorway that lead into the massive, noisy walkway.

“There's too many people,” Hyun Ae argued.

“And they're not going to hurt you. Do you really want to stay in here for the rest of your life?”

“Yes.”

“Well, that's not an option,” her caregiver said and—abandoning all former passiveness—shoved her out the door.

The young woman stumbled and froze where she was, eyes locked on the people around her. Her heart sped up at the number of bodies around her. None seemed to notice or care for the trembling girl standing in the middle of the wide, low hallway. However, the only thing that did notice was the large mass of fur that came thundering towards her.

Hyun Ae let out a scream and retreated, flashes of Jug-eums going before her eyes, but a hand grabbed her arm, keeping her in place. “Its okay,” Daesung's voice said in her ear. “Its just a dog.”

Hyun Ae refocused on the large beast in front of her. Forcing her panic to ease, she saw that it was indeed not a mutated canine creature. It was large, but only came to her thigh and was covered in wavy, black fur. Its nose was more pointed and its eyes were the kindest that Hyun Ae had ever seen. It sniffed at her and Hyun Ae instinctively backed away, but Daesung held her still. “He's saying hello,” he said, smiling. “He's not going to hurt you, Hyun Ae...” His hand grabbed hers and stretched her arm towards the dog. Hyun Ae resisted at first, fear injecting itself into her veins again. The dog came forward, sniffing her fingertips, which trembled, before beginning to lick at her hand gently.

Hyun Ae let out a long breathe and slowly began to stroke the dog's soft fur. “I've never seen a dog before,” she admitted at last. “Only Jug-eum.”

“Well, these guys are much friendlier,” Daesung smiled, releasing her hand so she could have control of it. “See, its not so bad.”

A small smile touched Hyun Ae's lips, but Daesung noticed it still didn't reach her eyes. That was expected. Slaves became so emotionally detached over time they literally had to learn to feel again. He could see Hyun Ae was someone with a lot of heart; they would just have to dig around to find it.

“So when will I get to meet G-Dragon?” Hyun Ae asked, squatting level with the dog.

Daesung took this action into note, the most affection he'd seen her show yet. They were making slow progress. “Whenever you're ready to,” he answered. “He's looking forward to meeting you.”

“And he won't eat me?”

Daesung laughed. “Don't worry, I'll hold him back if he tries.”

“That's not funny, Daesung.”

“It'll be when you meet him,” the blonde grinned.

–

Hyun Ae got up from the cot and paced back and forth. Then, she sat down again. Then, paced some more. Daesung's voice carried over the commotion outside and Hyun Ae quickly tried to figure out how she should present herself to the leader of BigBang. She knew nothing about him and what he'd consider 'presentable'.

Legs becoming shaky with nerves, she sat down on the cot again and tried to take slow, even breathes like Daesung instructed when she began to have a panic attack. Her hands clasped tightly in her lap, she waited as Daesung's voice steadily grew closer until it was on the other side of the curtain that shielded her from the hubbub outside. The curtain suddenly drew back and Hyun Ae flinched.

She cocked her head to the side, a look of curiosity crossing her face at the body that stepped into the room. His face looked stuck between boy and man, innocent and young. Dare she say he was...cute? His hair was pitch black, one side hanging to his shoulders, the other shaved off. The jacket that hung from his thin and wiry frame was sleeveless and brushed his heels. He was wearing nothing underneath it, which gave view to the tattoos inked on his skin. A pair of leather pants clung tightly to his thin legs. His neck was adorned with a few chains and ears with studs.

“So you're Hyun Ae,” he said, kneeling down to her level and holding out his hand. When her's was in his grasp, he bowed his head and looked up at her with a mischievous look that made him that much more innocent looking. “Its an honor to finally meet you.”

“You're G-Dragon?” Hyun Ae asked before she could stop herself. Immediately, she flushed it. “Its just...”

“You were expecting a mutated cannibal?” G-Dragon chuckled, making Hyun Ae's cheeks turn redder. “Or just someone taller?”

“Someone taller,” she answered quietly, dropping her eyes.

Daesung and his leader both chuckled. “Yeah, I get that a lot.” Hyun Ae's lips upturned in an unexpected smile. G-Dragon gestured to the spot beside her. “Can I?” Hyun Ae nodded and the leader took his seat.

She was still processing that this man—boy?—was the leader of the rebellion. He was just so...unique. That was the only word she could think of at that moment. He was far from what she expected.

“So...” the leader started, leaning his elbows on his knees. “I was wondering if you could tell us how exactly you got away from Dakeu Jeon-won. I know its hard to think about, but it could really help us out.” He sounded like he'd had to say similar things before.

“I...” Hyun Ae swallowed. “Why would me escaping help?”

“Because no one who escaped has ever gotten past the Wall without help,” explained G-Dragon.

The Wall was a massive barrier between the city and the blank wilds beyond. People said it was unbreachable. No one could get over or through without the gates opening, which they rarely did.

“Well, there was one person,” Daesung said, giving a pointed glance at his leader.

“I don't count,” G-Dragon argued, keeping his eyes fixed on Hyun Ae.

“Were you a slave?” Hyun Ae asked, eyes flitting to the young man beside her.

G-Dragon sighed and ran his hands down his legs. “I was born into it,” he said and Hyun Ae cringed internally. She could hear an unpleasant story about to unfold. “Twenty-some years ago, the policy against slaves wasn't as strict. Both my parents worked in the labor fields.” He wasn't looking at either person in the room anymore. Instead, his eyes were fixated on the opposite wall as he conjured scarred memories. “Ever since I could remember, I wanted nothing more than to be free. For my parents to be free, to see my mother smile. And I was determined to do something about it.

When I was twelve, I tried to escape, but the Wall was in my way...And instead of killing me, they executed my parents in front of me.” Hyun Ae's heart was gripped tightly with sympathy at the leader's words. Something so horrible to happen to someone so young, she would have never been able to face such a thing. “After that, I was more determined than ever. I spent the next couple of years planning and when I was fourteen, I tried to escape again. And succeeded.” G-Dragon's eyes met Daesung and one corner of his lips lifted. “After a few days on my own, I ran into a group of homeless children living in the old subway tunnels. They had the same desire as me, to destroy the Dakeu Jeon-won, and we put that desire to work. And as they say, the rest is history.”

“You did that all at fourteen?” Hyun Ae questioned.

“Yes, he did,” said Daesung. “And he about got us all killed more than once.”

As if to justify endangering his comrades, G-Dragon leaned closer to Hyun Ae with a cheeky smile and whispered, “I'm charismatic.”

“And crazy.”

G-Dragon smirked in agreement. “So you ready to tell me your story?”

Hyun Ae's dark eyes once again dropped from his and she inhaled deeply. “I was working in the building section, like I always did.” Labor slaves were used most often to build more buildings and monuments in the City. “Suddenly, these men came for me and took me into the complex where we were staying...” She paused and bit at her lip. “I've always had somewhat of a resilience against the drugs like...I'm more aware of what I'm doing than others are, but no one knew that. Anyways, these soldiers took me into the complex and stopped to discuss with another one. They weren't paying attention to me because I was supposed to be incoherent.

There was a cart with Kkaeuda on it. I had no idea what the soldiers had planned for me, but I figured it wasn't for my own good. So I took a dose of Kkaeuda.” She looked up at the two men who were staring at her, engrossed. She continued. “I was expecting them to catch me, but they weren't paying attention. I injected myself with half of it without them noticing...I wasn't supposed to be able to work on my own. They led me out of the building, we were by the south entrance gates. They were taking me on the other side of the Wall.” Blurry, incoherent pictures flashed through her mind like a melting film strip. “The gate was opening and the extra Kkaeuda was beginning to take effect...” Hyun Ae trailed off and looked at G-Dragon, eyes wide with a memory that was almost too disturbing to think about. “Have you ever been shot up with Kkaeuda?”

The leader shook his head.

“It...it does things to the way you think,” Hyun Ae explained. “It makes you feel a thousand different forms of pain and brings up the most painful memories all at once to the point it drives you crazy...One of them had a knife,” she went on, hands tightening on each other. “I saw it and...” Hyun Ae could feel her emotions unraveling like they had that day. Her almond eyes brimmed with tears. “All the anger and pain I had been forced to keep quiet all those years was released. I didn't know what I was doing.” The tears spilled down her cheeks. “I—I killed two fully trained soldiers like it was...like it was nothing. The drug just took control. I...I didn't know what to do. So I ran.”

A hand rested gently between her shoulder blades as she tried to regain herself. “Don't blame yourself, okay?” G-Dragon said, moving his hand to her shoulder. “You did what you had to do.”

The young woman wiped her cheeks, embarrassment coloring her cheeks again. “I'm sorry I'm not more help,” she breathed after she'd gathered her tears under control. “It was just luck and...and adrenaline that got me out.”

“You were very lucky,” Daesung agreed.

“You don't know why they were taking you out of the City?” G-Dragon asked and Hyun Ae shook her head. “Thank you still, Hyun Ae.” His hand dropped from her shoulder and he gave her a reassuring smile. “I'll be back to talk to you again soon. That alright?”

Hyun Ae nodded and he got to his feet. He walked to the doorway, but Hyun Ae called him back. “G-Dragon?” The leader turned, a sympathetic look on his face. “How do you live with it every day?” she asked softly, looking him in the eye for the first time.

G-Dragon smiled sadly. “There's some days I can't,” he said.