Eun-woo's eyes were burning. He hadn't slept all night because of the man he shared a cell with.
He feared that if he closed his eyes, the Guide would take advantage of the situation to sink his teeth into his neck.
He couldn't afford to let his guard down.
Eun-woo continued to watch, studying, the man who had stolen his bed.
He was wearing the same uniform as him: a gray cotton T-shirt and pants. Only, unlike Eun-woo, who was barefoot, the Guide had socks and a pair of slippers. The ones Eun-woo had stopped fitting him 2190 days ago.
The Eun-woo's gaze shifted to the tiny window, where dozens of raindrops were hitting it.
Eun-woo had never been in the rain before, but thanks to the books he'd read in the basement, he knew what it meant. Or at least, he had a notion of it.
The clouds were like trouser pockets, they filled with many drops of water and then dropped them to the ground.
He wondered if he was a raindrop. After all, his parents had let him be taken away without showing remorse or resistance.
They let me fall out of their pockets and never looked for me…
A knock sounded. It was the Guide, awake, and he had dropped to the floor with the grace of a cat. This intimidated Eun-woo even more.
The Guide turned his attention back to Eun-woo, examining him.
He's touching me with his gaze.
Eun-woo's face drained of color.
Please don't look at me like prey.
"What's your name?" the Guide asked, tilting his head.
Eun-woo's heart sank, and he blinked rapidly and inhaled in an attempt to calm himself. He didn't like being the center of attention for a Guide, nor did he know how to interact with someone he'd just met for the first time.
It was no surprise that he felt close to death.
"Why… why…" Eun-woo sighed, still not used to the sound of his own voice. "Why are you here?" he asked to deflect the question.
He preferred that the Guide focus on himself and not on him.
The Guide sat down on the bed, crossed his legs, and softened his expression slightly, keeping it monotonous but friendly.
Eun-woo got the feeling he was trying, or maybe pretending?, not to be threatening.
"You're afraid of me," said the Guide.
Eun-woo looked down and began to play with his toes, somewhat embarrassed by the statement. He wanted to pretend to be something he wasn't, a strong person who wasn't afraid of the Guides, but he wasn't.
"You're wrong." Eun-woo was surprised by his own words.
The Guide snorted and sank down onto the metal, swinging his legs in the air and raising his hands as if reaching for the ceiling.
The sky.
Three knocks sounded against the door, the Guide stood up, looking alarmed while Eun-woo just stared at the door grille.
"Breakfast," he explained.
Eun-woo had eaten 4731 breakfasts and still didn't know what he was putting in his mouth.
It looked like mashed potatoes, but with a gelatinous consistency, a putrid smell, and an indecipherable taste. Sometimes it tasted very salty, and other times... he preferred to leave it to the imagination.
As time passed and hunger grew, he managed to ignore the source of his breakfast and simply ate. It was that or die.
The Guide jumped out of bed and stealthily approached the door, slowly slid the grate open, and reached out with the intention of taking the tray of food.
Eun-woo just stared at him with his mouth half open.
I should warn you, he thought. But by the time the words were slipping out of his throat, it was too late.
"Shit!" the Guide exclaimed as he dropped the tray. His hand immediately turned crimson. "Shit, shit!" he repeated, rolling his injured hand into his shirt. He clenched his jaw tightly.
He had burned his hand.
"You have to wait at least 180 seconds to take it..." Eun-woo muttered, hiding his face between his legs. He felt guilty for letting his partner get hurt.
"What a surprise, you can talk," said the Guide, furious.
Eun-woo raised his head, avoiding the Guide's gaze, and pressed his lips together. If he answered, it would only make him even more enraged, he had to restrain himself.
Eun-woo's vision blurred, his eyes brimming with tears, he raised his head and looked at the marks on his hands.
If only they had told me.
Everything he knew was the product of trial and error. He had burned his hands so many times that the pain was already living in his skin.
How many times had he screamed?
Now that he had a cellmate, Eun-woo had to protect him so he wouldn't go through the same thing he had. It didn't matter that he was a Guide. Pain was universal and Guides could suffer too.
Eun-woo had to be good to him, even if the Guide tore him to pieces one day.
"Aren't you hungry?" the Guide asked, this time in a softer tone of voice. Firm, but not sweet.
He looked worried.
"No." Eun-woo's response was direct and evasive. He didn't want to talk to him.
"Do you think I can have my portion now?" The Guide stroked his injured hand with his fingertips.
"Adorable," Eun-woo thought and immediately retracted his thoughts.
A Guide was anything but adorable.
"Wait another ninety seconds."
Seconds in Eun-woo's life were everything, if he had no notion of them he would die.
***
When the Guide finished eating, the door opened. He stood up and looked at Eun-woo in confusion.
"Will they let us out?" he asked in surprise.
Time is running out.
Eun-woo stood up, grabbed one of the corners of his partner's shirt, and led him out of the cell. A dark hallway greeted them, with not a soul in sight.
"What's wrong?" the Guide asked as Eun-woo began dragging him down the hallway.
"Today we have to take a bath."
Once every seven days, the door would open, allowing them to use the showers. However, Eun-woo was the only one who went there and back. The Specimens in the other cells never left.
He didn't know if it was because they weren't interested in their personal hygiene, because the Men in White had hurt them too much for them to walk, or because they were aware of the danger of going out.
Twenty-four steps straight ahead, turn right, sixty-four steps, turn left, stop and enter the navy blue door.
The Men in White did not appear during this time period, and time was clocked. If you did not return to your cell, you were at the mercy of the Butchers: half-human, half-something creatures.
They were thirsty for blood and were the infallible security system of the place.
It took Eun-woo twenty-eight days to adapt to this rule. He was locked out of his cell three times, and twice he nearly died. To survive, he had to cut his arm and spread the blood in the corridors to confuse the Butchers.
Once inside the showers, Eun-woo let go of his partner's shirt and reached into his pants pocket to pull out a piece of soap. He dipped his fingers into the object and cut it asymmetrically.
"Open your hand," he ordered. The Guide obeyed, and Eun-woo gave him the largest piece of soap. "From the moment the water starts running, we have only 120 seconds to bathe before the supply is cut off."
"What do I do with my clothes?" the Guide asked.
"You have to take it off."
Eun-woo gulped when the Guide burst out laughing. He wasn't sure if it was a gesture of amusement or annoyance.
"I already know that, I mean, what do I do with it so it doesn't get wet?"
Eun-woo looked away at the keys.
"Try not to get it wet."
And without further ado, he let the water run.
Eun-woo followed the routine he already knew, with mechanical movements he took off his shirt, pants and underwear, throwing them behind his back so they would fall near the wall and thus prevent the humidity from doing its thing.
With quick movements, he scrubbed some key areas, such as the groin, armpits, and hair. Since they didn't have towels, the trick was to avoid getting too wet, otherwise they'd have to survive pneumonia. He knew that well enough.
If only someone had guided me.
Record time. Eighty seconds later, Eun-woo had already turned off the tap. He nimbly put his clothes back on and glanced at his companion. The Guide had finished dressing, he was a fast learner.
Eun-woo smiled, at least he wouldn't have to rack his brains trying to teach him.
A buzzing sound echoed throughout the hallway, the doors were about to close.
Without further explanation, Eun-woo grabbed the hem of the Guide's shirt and led him back along the path he'd already memorized. The door to his cell closed after only a second inside.
Just in time.
Eun-woo sank into his corner. His bed, pillow, and blanket now belonged to the Guide. He wrapped both arms around his body to keep from shivering.
The room was so cold that with any luck, he'd manage not to get sick. The times he'd caught colds had been terrible, with the fever barely allowing him to keep down any fluids.
It was a miracle that he had survived for so long without help.
Unexpectedly, the Guide took the blankets and placed them on Eun-woo's shoulders. He was returning his blanket to him, and also…
He's giving me his blanket.
"I apologize for acting like an idiot," the Guide said, not looking directly at Eun-woo. His eyes focused on the wall behind him. "I..."
"You established a hierarchy," Eun-woo replied. "I understand."
"My name is Rhys."
Rhys? That's a nice name for a dangerous creature.