Chapter 2: Not Quitting
YOUMIN
"Five laps."
His dark eyes glint when I shift uncomfortably.
"Six laps. Start running."
My eyes go wide. But he doesn't look like he's playing at all, so I grind my teeth and start moving my legs.
This is all because of that Haein guy.
It's night, and we're running on mud.
My feet sinks in with every step, and just after one lap, I'm breathing like I'd run a mile.
Actually, one lap might be a mile.
Even though I keep in front for the first two rounds, I start to eventually fall behind.
"Faster."
"Faster."
I feel half-dead by the time I start my last. That stupid Haein man is already finished, his cheeks stained red.
I hear Instructor V tell him to go back to sleeping quarters, with a harsh warning.
Dizziness rips through my head.
The second time that happens, I double over and start coughing furiously in the middle of the muddy track.
"Who said you could stop."
I don't even feel it when he hits me on the side.
My body topples over to the ground, and I lie there for a beautiful second until he jerks me up by the collar.
"If you can't even do this, then I suggest you leave."
I shove at his chest.
He releases me with a click of his tongue, and I force myself to move again. It's only pure anger that's making me run now, just pure anger.
I'm going to prove him wrong.
But I only get another half mile out of me before I collapse for the second time.
I push myself up.
Sweat pours down my back as I growl, full-blown cursing at the instructor in my mind.
I'm gonna do this and rub it in his face.
I'm going to...
My chest violently heaves. I stumble over my feet, everything in my path as I fall down roughly on my hands.
Frustrated tears sting at my eyes.
"The bell is right there." He muses darkly as I scrabble. "I can even take you there if you want, trainee."
I've never wanted to tell someone to shut up as badly in my life.
"I'm...not."
"Not what."
I suck in a ragged breath, and then glare at him straight in the eye.
"I'm not quitting."
The amused look in his face disappears. His voice is colder than before as he draws back.
"Then prove it."
My entire body's trembling by the time I drag myself over to the finish. I've run out of curse words, run out of energy.
I fall unconscious the moment I cross over.
_________________________
"Hey."
It hurts to open my eyes.
But when I finally get them open, I see that Haein guy. He's crouched next to me, rubbing at the back of his neck.
I'm about to scowl at him when he does the last thing I expect.
"I'm sorry."
Wait, what?
"For picking a fight with you." He says, and I stare at him stupidly as he chews on his lip. "I shouldn't have done that. I just—"
He offers me a hand. "I just shouldn't have. I'm sorry."
Is he playing with me?
But I take his hand, and he helps me up to my feet. I realize we're standing right outside the sleeping quarters.
"Who— who brought me back?"
"The instructor." He says, and I frown as I remember. I'd collapsed like a rock. "He told me to get you in."
Instructor V?
When I get in, I notice that bunny man from earlier awake and sitting up on his bed. His face brightens when he sees me.
"You're not dead!"
I blink.
"I— I mean, I'm glad you're back." He says, tips of his ears flushing. "I thought you wouldn't."
He stares at Haein.
"Did you say sorry to him? It really wasn't nice, what you did."
I almost laugh.
"I'm Shian." He smiles, and I smile back widely. "Are you my hyung?"
"I'm twenty-two."
I freeze. My real age had just slipped out of my mouth. Jimin was only twenty years old.
"Oh, so you are older." Shian says, frowning to himself. "I was hoping— never mind. I'm nineteen."
I grin.
"Hoping for what?"
He blushes when I press him. It's kind of cute, seeing a grown man go red like this. Or was he like a child still?
Shian turns his head away. "I, uh, because I'm always the youngest. In my family, and even in my— um, with my cousins too."
I laugh.
Not even a child. A baby.
"Have a good night, Shian."
He looks up, his doe eyes glistening in the dim light. "You too, Jimin hyung."
_________________________
Killer sores.
My legs feel like they're going to tear apart when I get up the next day, my hair messy and eyes blurry with sleep.
It's only five in the morning.
"Everyone up."
With that, Instructor Kineul breezes back out of the door. He looks kind of cranky too, with the early awakening.
I barely climb down the ladder to the bed, trying not to groan as I drag myself over to get ready.
Shian's eyes widen when he notices me.
"Hyung?"
"Nothing— fine."
With that, I stumble into one of the stalls to change into training clothes. It hurts to move, hurt to even breathe now.
I'd flew over my limits last night.
Pushing the military cap deep over my head, I follow the others outside as best as I can. I try to move as quick as possible, but I still get there last.
I should've known.
"Last trainee. In the lake."
Pressing down my curse, I look up to see who said that.
Instructor V.
Humiliation burns through my body when I come out of the water soaking, shivering in the morning wind. Shian keeps looking over at me with a worried expression.
Until that damn instructor catches on.
"Jeon Shian. You too."
My eyes slit into furious daggers. He'd been far from last— and was one of the top trainees.
And he'd just been punished for looking at me worriedly.
"Each of you." Instructor Kineul says, pointing his finger to a pile of backpacks on the ground. "Take one. We're going on a hike."
Hike?
I'm about to thank God that we weren't running when I try lifting one of them.
I nearly topple to the side.
"Each of these packs weigh thirty kilograms." The instructor adds, and I glare at him sidelong for not saying that earlier.
He even has a devilish smile on his face.
"There's a trail through the forest." He continues, pointing to a dirt path into the woods. "This is also ranked. Whoever comes out last gets a punishment."
At that, all the trainees break into a run.
I try my best to keep up, I really do. But I'm cold, sore— and this backpack.
It's heavy as damn.
Soon I'm falling behind so much that I lose sight of them completely. Frustrated tears well up in my eyes as I push my legs to move.
Think of Jimin.
He would be doing this if you weren't.
It even starts to rain.
The dirt path soon turns into mud, which makes it a hundred times more harder to run. I can't even walk properly.
I want to cry.
Are you going to be a little baby?
No.
Biting down on my lip, I push down the pain of my legs and just run. I run until I catch sight of the second last trainee.
And then it's like I just lose myself.
My mind goes black, and the last thing I see is my vision tilting to the side— towards the edge of the steep slope.
Shoot.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone