His Voice (2/?)
Title: His Voice (2/?)
Pairing: Onkey, HyunMin (ot5 appearance)
Rating: PG-13 (for violence. but that's about it)
>Summary: Key can't get his voice out of his head.
Disclaimer: My story, my idea...sadly, not my boys T_T
"Rule number one at KA Academy," JongHyun said. "Never, never, disobey the General."
Kibum blood ran cold as he recalled those foreboding words. He tugged at the metal restraints with even more fervor, breaking the skin along his wrist- but that would be nothing compared to what the General could do.
"Kim Kibum."
Kibum immediately froze, eyes bulging in terror. He could feel his heart rapidly pounding, threatening to break free of his ribcage and explode. Blood dripped in thin lines from his wrists as silence filled the room.
"Do you know why you are here?" the voice continued. Kibum held his breath.
"Answer me, Kibum."
He remained unmoving, only the occassional tremor that ran through his body from fear. His breath came out in uneven hiccups, turning into empty gasps as tears ran down his cold cheek.
There was a movement to his left as a man in scrubs walked over. Grabbing Kibum's arm, the man injected a needle into his vein. Immediately, Kibum's body arched in horrible pain as foreign chemicals invaded his bloodstream. It was the blinding sensation of a thousand daggers, slicing open his skin by the layer- slow and agonziing. The torturous pain dug deeper and deeper, as Kibum screamed, begging for mercy. White and red clouded his vision, as the pain slowly subsided. Kibum's mind slowly shut down, his eight-year old body unable to handle the stress and agony any longer.
"Now, Kibum...let's try this again. Do you know why you are here?" the voice broke through his hazy mind.
Ice cold water stung Kibum's body as it was thrown upon him. He blinked slowly, and looked up to see a man gazing at him through the glass. He wore a dark suit with a red tie, and was clean-shaven. If not for his reputation, the General would have appeared as a normal businessman- nothing cruel or insane about him at all.
The man gazed at Kibum longer before nodding his head once. Another man in scrubs entered the room, holding yet another injection needle. Kibum's mind shouted in panic and dread.
"Wait!" Kibum cried out, tears streaming down his small face. The General held up a hand, stopping the men in scrubs.
"I-I'm here...because I was bad," Kibum whispered.
"And what did you do that was bad?" the General continued. His voice lacked pity or sympathy- in fact, it held a trace of humour and entertainment.
"I-I-I...." Kibum took another breath, gasps rattling through his tiny frame. "I...I killed the man."
*Flashback- Four Days Ago*
"Are we training in weapons today?" JongHyun asked, yawning as he sat down at the breakfast table. He greeted the other trainees before ruffling Kibum's hair. The latter pouted and shoved JongHyun's hand away before observing the schedule.
"Nope. You've got Persuasion 101. I've got...Techniques: Muerte today," Kibum replied, squinting at the writing. He had never heard of that class before.
"Is that Spanish or something?" Kibum wondered. When he didn't get a response, Kibum glanced over at JongHyun to see him staring, a half-eaten bagle hanging out his mouth.
"Um...hyung? What...are you okay?" Kibum asked, poking the older boy's cheek. JongHyun started and quickly shook his head.
"Oh. It's nothing...just.." JongHyun said, looking at Kibum again. Sighing, he ruffled the younger's hair affectionately before getting up. "Just...no matter what, do whatever they say, all right?"
Kibum raised an eyebrow, before shooting his hyung a bright grin. "Of course, hyung! When have I ever disobeyed a command?"
Within the next four hours, he would find himself contradicting those very words.
"This is Techniques: Muerte right?" Kibum asked the kid next to him. The boy nodded before giving him a shy grin.
"My name's Minho. You?" the boy asked. Kibum beamed and grabbed the seat next to him.
"Kim Kibum. Bunk 4A. Eight years old. I just entered this Academy a few months ago," he answered, shaking the boy's hand.
"Choi Minho. Bunk 4B. Eight years old as well," the other replied. "My parents thought this was an elite soccer academy. Guess they were wrong..."
Kibum gave a rueful laugh. "Yeah. My parents thought this was a study-abroad European academy. They were tricked into this as well." He smiled sadly in remembrance of his parents. If they only knew what this place really was. Instead, they were still in belief that Kibum was safe and sound, learning English on a daily basis.
"But, I'm not complaining much. I mean, this place is pretty cool- I already know how to disassemble a machine gun and build one from scratch!" Kibum added excitedly, eyes glinting. Minho chuckled and nodded in assent.
"Trainees!" a voice barked out. The leading instructor entered the classroom. Immediately, all twenty children in the room stood up in attention and saluted their superior. Not one child so much as flinched as his narrow eyes traveled around the area in inspection.
"Today, we will begin Muerte Techniques. This will be the ultimate test for your preparation as vital instruments in KA Academy's assassination program. It will determine whether you are strong enough for an actual mission," the instructor said. Excitement buzzed in Kibum's blood as he eagerly listened to the superior's words. This was finally his chance to join the elite. If he could just prove his worth in this test, then Key would be able to do whatever it was that JongHyun did. That dinosaur kid was always bragging about cool missions he had, the weird gadgets he used and all.
Just you wait, Kim Jonghyun...I'll be joining you soon, Kibum thought. He sat up straighter and focused his entire attention to the front of the room.
The instructor observed his class one more time before motioning to the side of the room. A soldier dragged in a man and strapped him to a chair. Kibum took in the man's tattered appearance of torn clothing and the remants of what seemed like a red plaid shirt. His black pants were stained with blood and deep cuts, which continued up across his body and to his face. The man's cheeks were hollowed from lack of food, and eyes with dark circles underneath them. As Kibum regarded the man, he was startled by the intensity of his eyes: dark, horrified, and full of fear.
"Kim Kibum," the instructor said. His sharp eyes picked out the boy from the back of the classroom. "Come up here."
Kibum gave Minho a grin, who returned it with a thumbs-up, before eagerly walking up to the front of the room. The man in the chair seemed to shrink away from Kibum's arrival, desperately pulling at the straps that bound him down. Soldiers gripped the man's shoulders and held him still.
"As you might have noticed, this class is about death techniques," the instructor began, addressing the entire class now. "But not any kind of death. You all know about physical killing. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, you've already finished that course. This class is about death of the mental form."
The entire class was still, taking in the superior's words. Kibum cast a puzzled glance at Minho, who merely shrugged his shoulders, equally as confused. The instructor waited a few more moments before speaking again.
"Your main mission as a KA assassin is to destroy the target, but there are times when you need to glean information from the individual as well. To do this, you cannot kill the victim physically...at least, not at first. You have to kill them up here"-pointed to his head- "to kill them here" -pointed to his heart- "A mentally broken man will sing like a bird once provoked. Because by that point, nothing will matter anymore, and tightly-held secrets are the least of their worries." He paused before continuing. "You must torture them, drive them insane, stab them...anything necessary." He waited a heartbeat. "And you must never give kill them until you have recovered the required information."
The instructor turned to the man strapped down. "This man was captured outside our perimeters, taking pictures of our base and students. From his identification, we determined that he is a member of the government's spy orgainization." The instructor placed his large hand on Kibum's head.
"Your job, Kibum, is to find out exactly why he was sent here. What is he looking for, what was he planning?" he said. Kibum slowly nodded his head and was about to move, when the instructor held him back.
"Wait, you will need a few tools," he murmured. Nodding his tersely, the instructor signaled for a large tray to be brought it. It was covered with needles, hammers, electric shockers, spikes, and lastly a small pistol.
"Use them to your advantage. And no matter what, do not kill him," the instructor commanded. Letting Kibum go, he stepped back.
Kibum walked his way over to regard the "tools" more carefully. Personally, the whole torture thing never appealed to him, but an order was an order. Picking up a needle, Kibum peered curiously at the blue liquid inside it. It didn't look very hamrful.
"Please..." the man grunted, eyes pleading wide. Kibum jumped back slightly at the man's plea, small hands clutching the needle in surprise. "Please...don't do this to me."
"Why are you here?" Kibum whispered. Tears trailed down the man's face as he shook his head. "I can't," the man mumbled, straining at his bonds. "I can't...please..."
"Hold him down," the instructor commanded to two soldiers. Turning to Kibum, he continued. "Inject him with that, Kibum."
Kibum nodded once before lightly grasping the man's arm. He struggled and tore himself from Kibum's grasp, only to be held down again by the guards. Hesitation gripped Kibum, just as he was about to insert the needle.
"Do it, Kibum," the instructor commanded. Driven by the order, Kibum gingerly inserted the needle, watching as the blue liquid flowed into the man's body.
Almost immediately, the man reacted by emmiting a horrid scream. His eyes bulged in sync, chest heaving up and down, scream after scream crashing out from his lungs. Deep red veins jumped out from his neck and arms, as his back arched in intense pain. Kibum gringed away from the sight, covering his ears to block out the terrible shriekd the man emmitted. He looked over to see Minho, along with the rest of the class, with equal looks of terror.
"Ask again," the instructor proceeded. Kibum trembled, as he waited for the man to stop spasming. "Wh-why are you here?" he whispered. The man's head rolled back and forth, deep gasps escaping from his mouth.
"Inject him again," the instructor said. His voice was cold and hard, like steel cutting on ice. There was no acknowledgment, not even the tiniest flinch, of the prisoner's agony. Instead, he regarded the man in dark indifference.
Kibum quickly grasped the man's arm and whispered intensly. "Why are you here?" he aske desperately. "Please tell me, or this will go on longer." The man looked at Kibum with sad eyes before shaking his head once more.
"Again," the instructor commanded, his voice a little harder this time. Kibum froze, before slowly injecting the needle again. A tremor wracked through the man's body before he let out another loud scream. Howl after howl shook through the man, imprinting its sound within Kibum's mind. Tears flowed down Kibum's face as he listened to the tortured shrieks.
"This is taking too long," the instructor muttered. "The prisoner's stronger than most. We'll finish on our own." Sighing, he moved aside Kibum before grabbing a hammer from the tray.
"Now, let's try this again, shall we?" the instructor murmured, almost affectionaltely, to the prisoner. "Why are you here?" There was no response. The instructor blinked before bringing down the hammer on the man's left pinky finger in a shattering crunch. Another agonized howl echoed around the room. "Again. Why are you here?"
Kibum watched in horror as finger after finger became crushed, blood dripping down and staining the floor. "Ever persistent," the instructor muttered. He put down the hammer and, to Kibum's dread, carefully picked up the spike. He weighed it in his hands before turning back to the prisoner. "Let's see if you can handle this one," the instructor said. There was a gleeful, insane glint in his eyes.
"Please kill me," the man choked out. The instructor barked a short laugh. "Oh, not yet," he cooed, his face twisted in an ugly smirk. But the prisoner was not addressing the instructor. Instead, his tired, pained eyes focused on Kibum who flinched away. "Please," he said again. Kibum felt his chest tighten.
The instructor slowly brought down the spike into the man's shoulder, driving it deeper ever so gradually. The loudest, more tortured scream filled the room, as the spike was calmly grinded and twisted in. "PLEASE! KILL ME!" the man yelled, blood dripping out of his mouth. His crazed eyes fixed on Kibum. Shock and terror scarred the young boy's eyes.
"PLEASE!!" the man cried out. Another scream, as another spike found its way into the man's legs. Suddenly, a gunshot rang out, enveloping the entire room in deadly silence. Everyone watched as the prisoner slowly lurched forwards, a single gunshot wound in his head. His eyes focused on Kibum. The young boy stood shaking, tears streaking down his pale face, and a single pistol in his trembling hands. Smoke drifted from the muzzle, lightly flitting away to the ceiling.
"Thank you," he whispered, his eyes glazing over.
*Back to the Present*
"So Kibum, you spared a man from his agony," the General commented wryly. He walked around the glass screen. Grabbing a metal chair, he sat down to regard the frightened boy before him. Kibum shivered at the sight of his dark eyes, mesmerized by their empty, nonchalant stare. The General adjusted his tie, brushing off a few flecks of lint from his pants, before continuing
"A KA assassin must never show mercy," he said. "Displaying such...weak emotions meddle with the mission. And defeat is never accepted here."
The General got up and paced in a circle around Kibum's chair, occasionally stroking the boy's hair in almost paternal manner. He finally placed a soft hand on Kibum's shoulder, and leaned down to whisper in his ear.
"Trainees who show such outbursts are eliminated. You defied a direct order." He paused before stroking Kibum's hair again. "But...I am willing to forget this incident."
Kibum let out a huge gasp as relief coursed through his body. He wasn't going to die. At least, not yet. Eyes wide in quesation, he looked up at the General again.
"You have shown impressive progress in all other classes, exceeding the highest standards and garnering many compliments from the instructors. And for that, I would think you too valuable to die over such a trivial matter." The General fixed his gaze on Kibum with a small smile on his face. Rather than soothe him, the smile filled Kibum with misgiving and dread.
"I'm going to assign you your mission. As long as you succeed in the end, I think we can overlook this entire episode." With a final pat on Kibum's head, the General relocated to his original position behind the glass wall. He pressed a few buttons before the glass wall transformed into a huge monitor. Kibum's tired eyes followed the many numbers, symbols, and letters floating across the screen. His brows furrowed in confusion as unfamiliar images appeared. He had never encountered such programs, not even in his advanced encrypting and hacking classes.
"From the moment a trainee enters KA Academy, he is assigned to a target for life. For ten years, the trainee will study this target, learning everything there is to know, from private biography to the person's favorite items. You will memorize your target, every aspect of the person's life, and leave nothing out. However, you will only study your target from the confines of KA Academy. You will never meet with your target. Is this understood?"
Kibum quickly shook his head, eyes still focused on the screen before him.
"You will have abundant sources to learn from here. We have every possible data available: yearbooks, government documents, photo albums, and even live satellite recordings. Nothing is hidden from us."
More numbers flew across the screen, and then suddenly paused. The General gazed at Kibum.
"After those ten years, I will send you out to find your target. Once you have located your person, become close to the individual, become the best friend, the lover, the secret admirer- whoever the person so desires. Because only then will the opportunity to kill the target present itself."
The General paused. "You must complete the mission, Kibum. Do not make me regret sparing your life." He pressed a final button. "This is your target."
Target name: Lee Jin Ki (이진기)
DOB: December 14, 1989
Current Age: 10 years old
Gender: Male
Blood Type: O
Birthplace: Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
Ethinicity: Korean
Approximate age of death: 20 years, 1 week, 4 days, 3 hours, 45 minutes, 32 seconds
********************************************************************************
Omagawd! I finally finished. And about time too. T_T
Anyways, I just felt the need to comment/ask people: HAS ANYONE ELSE FOUND KEY SEXY IN THE PAST FEW PERFORMANCES?!?! I mean, really?
Did you guys check out his Muzik performance? I think I might have died five million times. I think YouTube is about shut me down because of how many times I've clicked replay on that video.
And then there's his hair. I'll admit, I was worried about it at first, because...it's like a helmet. But he's rocking it, and I'm so in love with his Christmas hair right now, along with that star/lightening streak on his cheek. Like SHINee stylists, please let him keep that, even past the New Year. Which reminds me, Happy New Year everyone! Love you all~
Pairing: Onkey, HyunMin (ot5 appearance)
Rating: PG-13 (for violence. but that's about it)
>Summary: Key can't get his voice out of his head.
Disclaimer: My story, my idea...sadly, not my boys T_T
"Rule number one at KA Academy," JongHyun said. "Never, never, disobey the General."
Kibum blood ran cold as he recalled those foreboding words. He tugged at the metal restraints with even more fervor, breaking the skin along his wrist- but that would be nothing compared to what the General could do.
"Kim Kibum."
Kibum immediately froze, eyes bulging in terror. He could feel his heart rapidly pounding, threatening to break free of his ribcage and explode. Blood dripped in thin lines from his wrists as silence filled the room.
"Do you know why you are here?" the voice continued. Kibum held his breath.
"Answer me, Kibum."
He remained unmoving, only the occassional tremor that ran through his body from fear. His breath came out in uneven hiccups, turning into empty gasps as tears ran down his cold cheek.
There was a movement to his left as a man in scrubs walked over. Grabbing Kibum's arm, the man injected a needle into his vein. Immediately, Kibum's body arched in horrible pain as foreign chemicals invaded his bloodstream. It was the blinding sensation of a thousand daggers, slicing open his skin by the layer- slow and agonziing. The torturous pain dug deeper and deeper, as Kibum screamed, begging for mercy. White and red clouded his vision, as the pain slowly subsided. Kibum's mind slowly shut down, his eight-year old body unable to handle the stress and agony any longer.
"Now, Kibum...let's try this again. Do you know why you are here?" the voice broke through his hazy mind.
Ice cold water stung Kibum's body as it was thrown upon him. He blinked slowly, and looked up to see a man gazing at him through the glass. He wore a dark suit with a red tie, and was clean-shaven. If not for his reputation, the General would have appeared as a normal businessman- nothing cruel or insane about him at all.
The man gazed at Kibum longer before nodding his head once. Another man in scrubs entered the room, holding yet another injection needle. Kibum's mind shouted in panic and dread.
"Wait!" Kibum cried out, tears streaming down his small face. The General held up a hand, stopping the men in scrubs.
"I-I'm here...because I was bad," Kibum whispered.
"And what did you do that was bad?" the General continued. His voice lacked pity or sympathy- in fact, it held a trace of humour and entertainment.
"I-I-I...." Kibum took another breath, gasps rattling through his tiny frame. "I...I killed the man."
*Flashback- Four Days Ago*
"Are we training in weapons today?" JongHyun asked, yawning as he sat down at the breakfast table. He greeted the other trainees before ruffling Kibum's hair. The latter pouted and shoved JongHyun's hand away before observing the schedule.
"Nope. You've got Persuasion 101. I've got...Techniques: Muerte today," Kibum replied, squinting at the writing. He had never heard of that class before.
"Is that Spanish or something?" Kibum wondered. When he didn't get a response, Kibum glanced over at JongHyun to see him staring, a half-eaten bagle hanging out his mouth.
"Um...hyung? What...are you okay?" Kibum asked, poking the older boy's cheek. JongHyun started and quickly shook his head.
"Oh. It's nothing...just.." JongHyun said, looking at Kibum again. Sighing, he ruffled the younger's hair affectionately before getting up. "Just...no matter what, do whatever they say, all right?"
Kibum raised an eyebrow, before shooting his hyung a bright grin. "Of course, hyung! When have I ever disobeyed a command?"
Within the next four hours, he would find himself contradicting those very words.
"This is Techniques: Muerte right?" Kibum asked the kid next to him. The boy nodded before giving him a shy grin.
"My name's Minho. You?" the boy asked. Kibum beamed and grabbed the seat next to him.
"Kim Kibum. Bunk 4A. Eight years old. I just entered this Academy a few months ago," he answered, shaking the boy's hand.
"Choi Minho. Bunk 4B. Eight years old as well," the other replied. "My parents thought this was an elite soccer academy. Guess they were wrong..."
Kibum gave a rueful laugh. "Yeah. My parents thought this was a study-abroad European academy. They were tricked into this as well." He smiled sadly in remembrance of his parents. If they only knew what this place really was. Instead, they were still in belief that Kibum was safe and sound, learning English on a daily basis.
"But, I'm not complaining much. I mean, this place is pretty cool- I already know how to disassemble a machine gun and build one from scratch!" Kibum added excitedly, eyes glinting. Minho chuckled and nodded in assent.
"Trainees!" a voice barked out. The leading instructor entered the classroom. Immediately, all twenty children in the room stood up in attention and saluted their superior. Not one child so much as flinched as his narrow eyes traveled around the area in inspection.
"Today, we will begin Muerte Techniques. This will be the ultimate test for your preparation as vital instruments in KA Academy's assassination program. It will determine whether you are strong enough for an actual mission," the instructor said. Excitement buzzed in Kibum's blood as he eagerly listened to the superior's words. This was finally his chance to join the elite. If he could just prove his worth in this test, then Key would be able to do whatever it was that JongHyun did. That dinosaur kid was always bragging about cool missions he had, the weird gadgets he used and all.
Just you wait, Kim Jonghyun...I'll be joining you soon, Kibum thought. He sat up straighter and focused his entire attention to the front of the room.
The instructor observed his class one more time before motioning to the side of the room. A soldier dragged in a man and strapped him to a chair. Kibum took in the man's tattered appearance of torn clothing and the remants of what seemed like a red plaid shirt. His black pants were stained with blood and deep cuts, which continued up across his body and to his face. The man's cheeks were hollowed from lack of food, and eyes with dark circles underneath them. As Kibum regarded the man, he was startled by the intensity of his eyes: dark, horrified, and full of fear.
"Kim Kibum," the instructor said. His sharp eyes picked out the boy from the back of the classroom. "Come up here."
Kibum gave Minho a grin, who returned it with a thumbs-up, before eagerly walking up to the front of the room. The man in the chair seemed to shrink away from Kibum's arrival, desperately pulling at the straps that bound him down. Soldiers gripped the man's shoulders and held him still.
"As you might have noticed, this class is about death techniques," the instructor began, addressing the entire class now. "But not any kind of death. You all know about physical killing. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, you've already finished that course. This class is about death of the mental form."
The entire class was still, taking in the superior's words. Kibum cast a puzzled glance at Minho, who merely shrugged his shoulders, equally as confused. The instructor waited a few more moments before speaking again.
"Your main mission as a KA assassin is to destroy the target, but there are times when you need to glean information from the individual as well. To do this, you cannot kill the victim physically...at least, not at first. You have to kill them up here"-pointed to his head- "to kill them here" -pointed to his heart- "A mentally broken man will sing like a bird once provoked. Because by that point, nothing will matter anymore, and tightly-held secrets are the least of their worries." He paused before continuing. "You must torture them, drive them insane, stab them...anything necessary." He waited a heartbeat. "And you must never give kill them until you have recovered the required information."
The instructor turned to the man strapped down. "This man was captured outside our perimeters, taking pictures of our base and students. From his identification, we determined that he is a member of the government's spy orgainization." The instructor placed his large hand on Kibum's head.
"Your job, Kibum, is to find out exactly why he was sent here. What is he looking for, what was he planning?" he said. Kibum slowly nodded his head and was about to move, when the instructor held him back.
"Wait, you will need a few tools," he murmured. Nodding his tersely, the instructor signaled for a large tray to be brought it. It was covered with needles, hammers, electric shockers, spikes, and lastly a small pistol.
"Use them to your advantage. And no matter what, do not kill him," the instructor commanded. Letting Kibum go, he stepped back.
Kibum walked his way over to regard the "tools" more carefully. Personally, the whole torture thing never appealed to him, but an order was an order. Picking up a needle, Kibum peered curiously at the blue liquid inside it. It didn't look very hamrful.
"Please..." the man grunted, eyes pleading wide. Kibum jumped back slightly at the man's plea, small hands clutching the needle in surprise. "Please...don't do this to me."
"Why are you here?" Kibum whispered. Tears trailed down the man's face as he shook his head. "I can't," the man mumbled, straining at his bonds. "I can't...please..."
"Hold him down," the instructor commanded to two soldiers. Turning to Kibum, he continued. "Inject him with that, Kibum."
Kibum nodded once before lightly grasping the man's arm. He struggled and tore himself from Kibum's grasp, only to be held down again by the guards. Hesitation gripped Kibum, just as he was about to insert the needle.
"Do it, Kibum," the instructor commanded. Driven by the order, Kibum gingerly inserted the needle, watching as the blue liquid flowed into the man's body.
Almost immediately, the man reacted by emmiting a horrid scream. His eyes bulged in sync, chest heaving up and down, scream after scream crashing out from his lungs. Deep red veins jumped out from his neck and arms, as his back arched in intense pain. Kibum gringed away from the sight, covering his ears to block out the terrible shriekd the man emmitted. He looked over to see Minho, along with the rest of the class, with equal looks of terror.
"Ask again," the instructor proceeded. Kibum trembled, as he waited for the man to stop spasming. "Wh-why are you here?" he whispered. The man's head rolled back and forth, deep gasps escaping from his mouth.
"Inject him again," the instructor said. His voice was cold and hard, like steel cutting on ice. There was no acknowledgment, not even the tiniest flinch, of the prisoner's agony. Instead, he regarded the man in dark indifference.
Kibum quickly grasped the man's arm and whispered intensly. "Why are you here?" he aske desperately. "Please tell me, or this will go on longer." The man looked at Kibum with sad eyes before shaking his head once more.
"Again," the instructor commanded, his voice a little harder this time. Kibum froze, before slowly injecting the needle again. A tremor wracked through the man's body before he let out another loud scream. Howl after howl shook through the man, imprinting its sound within Kibum's mind. Tears flowed down Kibum's face as he listened to the tortured shrieks.
"This is taking too long," the instructor muttered. "The prisoner's stronger than most. We'll finish on our own." Sighing, he moved aside Kibum before grabbing a hammer from the tray.
"Now, let's try this again, shall we?" the instructor murmured, almost affectionaltely, to the prisoner. "Why are you here?" There was no response. The instructor blinked before bringing down the hammer on the man's left pinky finger in a shattering crunch. Another agonized howl echoed around the room. "Again. Why are you here?"
Kibum watched in horror as finger after finger became crushed, blood dripping down and staining the floor. "Ever persistent," the instructor muttered. He put down the hammer and, to Kibum's dread, carefully picked up the spike. He weighed it in his hands before turning back to the prisoner. "Let's see if you can handle this one," the instructor said. There was a gleeful, insane glint in his eyes.
"Please kill me," the man choked out. The instructor barked a short laugh. "Oh, not yet," he cooed, his face twisted in an ugly smirk. But the prisoner was not addressing the instructor. Instead, his tired, pained eyes focused on Kibum who flinched away. "Please," he said again. Kibum felt his chest tighten.
The instructor slowly brought down the spike into the man's shoulder, driving it deeper ever so gradually. The loudest, more tortured scream filled the room, as the spike was calmly grinded and twisted in. "PLEASE! KILL ME!" the man yelled, blood dripping out of his mouth. His crazed eyes fixed on Kibum. Shock and terror scarred the young boy's eyes.
"PLEASE!!" the man cried out. Another scream, as another spike found its way into the man's legs. Suddenly, a gunshot rang out, enveloping the entire room in deadly silence. Everyone watched as the prisoner slowly lurched forwards, a single gunshot wound in his head. His eyes focused on Kibum. The young boy stood shaking, tears streaking down his pale face, and a single pistol in his trembling hands. Smoke drifted from the muzzle, lightly flitting away to the ceiling.
"Thank you," he whispered, his eyes glazing over.
*Back to the Present*
"So Kibum, you spared a man from his agony," the General commented wryly. He walked around the glass screen. Grabbing a metal chair, he sat down to regard the frightened boy before him. Kibum shivered at the sight of his dark eyes, mesmerized by their empty, nonchalant stare. The General adjusted his tie, brushing off a few flecks of lint from his pants, before continuing
"A KA assassin must never show mercy," he said. "Displaying such...weak emotions meddle with the mission. And defeat is never accepted here."
The General got up and paced in a circle around Kibum's chair, occasionally stroking the boy's hair in almost paternal manner. He finally placed a soft hand on Kibum's shoulder, and leaned down to whisper in his ear.
"Trainees who show such outbursts are eliminated. You defied a direct order." He paused before stroking Kibum's hair again. "But...I am willing to forget this incident."
Kibum let out a huge gasp as relief coursed through his body. He wasn't going to die. At least, not yet. Eyes wide in quesation, he looked up at the General again.
"You have shown impressive progress in all other classes, exceeding the highest standards and garnering many compliments from the instructors. And for that, I would think you too valuable to die over such a trivial matter." The General fixed his gaze on Kibum with a small smile on his face. Rather than soothe him, the smile filled Kibum with misgiving and dread.
"I'm going to assign you your mission. As long as you succeed in the end, I think we can overlook this entire episode." With a final pat on Kibum's head, the General relocated to his original position behind the glass wall. He pressed a few buttons before the glass wall transformed into a huge monitor. Kibum's tired eyes followed the many numbers, symbols, and letters floating across the screen. His brows furrowed in confusion as unfamiliar images appeared. He had never encountered such programs, not even in his advanced encrypting and hacking classes.
"From the moment a trainee enters KA Academy, he is assigned to a target for life. For ten years, the trainee will study this target, learning everything there is to know, from private biography to the person's favorite items. You will memorize your target, every aspect of the person's life, and leave nothing out. However, you will only study your target from the confines of KA Academy. You will never meet with your target. Is this understood?"
Kibum quickly shook his head, eyes still focused on the screen before him.
"You will have abundant sources to learn from here. We have every possible data available: yearbooks, government documents, photo albums, and even live satellite recordings. Nothing is hidden from us."
More numbers flew across the screen, and then suddenly paused. The General gazed at Kibum.
"After those ten years, I will send you out to find your target. Once you have located your person, become close to the individual, become the best friend, the lover, the secret admirer- whoever the person so desires. Because only then will the opportunity to kill the target present itself."
The General paused. "You must complete the mission, Kibum. Do not make me regret sparing your life." He pressed a final button. "This is your target."
Target name: Lee Jin Ki (이진기)
DOB: December 14, 1989
Current Age: 10 years old
Gender: Male
Blood Type: O
Birthplace: Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
Ethinicity: Korean
Approximate age of death: 20 years, 1 week, 4 days, 3 hours, 45 minutes, 32 seconds
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Omagawd! I finally finished. And about time too. T_T
Anyways, I just felt the need to comment/ask people: HAS ANYONE ELSE FOUND KEY SEXY IN THE PAST FEW PERFORMANCES?!?! I mean, really?
Did you guys check out his Muzik performance? I think I might have died five million times. I think YouTube is about shut me down because of how many times I've clicked replay on that video.
And then there's his hair. I'll admit, I was worried about it at first, because...it's like a helmet. But he's rocking it, and I'm so in love with his Christmas hair right now, along with that star/lightening streak on his cheek. Like SHINee stylists, please let him keep that, even past the New Year. Which reminds me, Happy New Year everyone! Love you all~