Glitchers

Chapter 2

“Jimin, you are late today!” Jin opens his arms wide for the younger.
“Hyung! Today I had to keep dancing for 5 hours straight. The Perfects told they have to make some observations. So, I had to dance for such a long time. It drained away all my energy." The younger pouts, "They didn't even give me anything to eat after that. I dragged myself to the nearest vending machine and some rebels seemed to have broken it. There was nothing left there. I walked back very slow as I don't have any energy left.” Jimin is about to fall down but Jin holds him before that.
“There is some food at the house. Eat it.” Jin takes him inside their house.

Jimin is a dance prodigy. The Lords thought of this behaviour as a possible threat to them. So, they kept him in close observation, away from the Glitchers when he was a child. As he grew up, Jimin proved to have a pleasant personality with a good heart. So, the Lords released him to live with the Glitchers. He is made to teach dance to the Perfects and they note down his movements with thorough observation. For this, he is paid a lot of money and he uses it to take care of the house's expenses along with Jin.
His work is exhausting. Sometimes, he has to dance for hours together without any food intake. But he withstands everything, else the house will be out of enough money.

***

"10 days Joon, just 10 days and you'll be out of here." Hoseok says to his best friend Namjoon, who is imprisoned.
Namjoon nods as he sighs.
"Still feeling guilty over everything?" Hoseok asks his friend as he gives him some food packets.
"Yeah. How can I not be?"
Hoseok sighs, "Namjoon, you did not commit any mistake. You question their methods and the Lords put you here."

But his friend shakes his head, "I questioned their methods to such an extent that they snapped. They took away your job and threatened to hurt you if I don't shut my mouth and then they put me in jail as a trade for your freedom."
"Yes, but you will be free in a few days-"
"You were the peacekeeper and the moment they removed you from that position, I felt like I destroyed everything. You were the only chance for the Glitchers to have a good life... and I ruined it!" Namjoon angrily punches the bars that are dividing them.
"Joon! You did something brave. It is the Lords' fault that our lives are terrible. They removed me from my job because they want us to suffer. They put you here because they want to threaten other people who would even think to question them. It is because of them that I don't make any money now." Hoseok's eyes are filled with tears of sorrow and anguish.
"H-how's the house?" Namjoon calms down and asks dejected.

"Not good." Hoseok looks adown at his palms. "I asked a hyung in the next town for help with some of our housemates. He is a kind hearted one. So, he agreed immediately but I feel guilty for making things difficult for him.
Namjoon has tears down his cheeks. If he had not questioned the status quo, then both of them could have earned enough money for their house and the situation of the Glitchers could have been better. He feels that blaming himself is the only thing he can do now. "Who is the hyung that helped us?"
"Seokjin-hyung, he is from the town Opal."

***

After spending some time with Namjoon, Hoseok starts walking to his house. For as long as he could remember, he is best friends with Namjoon. They have always been inseparable. They played, laughed, cried and fought together.
The house that took them in when they were infants, had kind housemates. Hoseok was inclined to keeping everyone happy whereas Namjoon was interested in knowledge.
When an elder in their house became a peacekeeper, Hoseok decided that he wants to become one too, when he gets older. He strived a lot for that. He solved Glitchers' problems, took care of people, saved a lot of newly produced Glitchers from dying and brought them to his house. He is named as the shine in their lives by the people around him. Eventually, he became the peacekeeper. He then made the Glitchers in his town, Jasper, lead a very decent life. On the other hand, Namjoon became a teacher at the school in his town. He reads a lot of books and that made him doubt the way they are living. He then started to question the Lords for their actions. At first, he was just ignored. But as he kept questioning them constantly, the Lords tried to catch and punish him. He hid himself and when the Lords couldn't find him, they captured Hoseok instead, and removed him from his role as a peacekeeper. The house is left with very less money as the two can't earn anymore and in order to save his housemate from the misery, Namjoon appeared in front of the Lords and they put him in jail, releasing Hoseok. Namjoon's job had been taken away and both of them are left with no source of income.

"Why are the Lords cruel?" A kid who is his housemate asks Hoseok as he returns to his house. Hoseok crouches down to the kid's level and ruffles his hair, "Are we out of food?"
"Yes!" The kid's eyes become teary.
Hoseok looks away trying not to get affected by the tears in the kid's eyes, "Go inside. I'll fetch something for us."

Hoseok walks towards the nearest vending machine. With the last amount of money left with him, he gets a day's worth of food from it. The thought of tomorrow clenches his heart.

'Is there any hope left?' He wonders in despair and walks back to his house.

***

Taehyung gets released from the jail and walks out of the patrol station, mocking Jungkook.
"Till next time." He sarcastically waves and walks out of the station in a normal pace.

When he is a few hundred metres out of the station's view, he starts running. There is someone whom he has to save. He is in dire need of Taehyung's help. So, he runs through the streets as if everything is a muscle memory. He is hungry and in need of money but he wants to run to the person.
He falls down when someone gets into his way, running at high speed.

"What the-"Taehyung clenches his fist as he gets up but he sees another person shouting, "Catch him! He's a thief!!"

Taehyung then captures the thief and prevents him from running away.
"Thief??" He raises an eyebrow.
"Leave me. I have to run-" The thief tries to get himself free from Taehyung's grip but he fails.

"Thank you. That's my hard-earned money he was trying to steal." The person takes his money from the thief and turns to face Taehyung, "Please take this money for the help." The person offers him the money enough for five meals and walks away.

Taehyung starts walking towards his destination but stops as he sees the crying thief. He bites his lower lip and approaches the thief.
"Here, take this." He gives the thief enough money for a meal, "I know what hunger is!" And walks back.
"Wait!"
Taehyung stops in his place when he hears the other.

"Aren't you a rebel? Why are you helping me?" The their asks him.
"I question the system and fight against the Lords... I am not heartless." He begins his pace towards his destination.

'Hyung! Hang in there. Now, I have some money to get food for us.' He thinks as he walks towards a vending machine. He collects four packets of food, enough for him and his hyung for today.

***

Hoseok gets up from his sleep when there is a knock on the house door. He grunts a little as he fell asleep after a stressful day and he doesn't want to wake up now... but the knocking persists. So, he gets up and mumbles something on the lines of 'when will I get some peace?!'. He rubs his eyes as he walks unsteadily to the door.
As he opens it, he feels a hand close his mouth to not let him scream, he look at the other person's face asking him to be quiet. The person pulls him outside the house and closes the door, leaving Hoseok to come to his senses.

"Lord Aoki, what brings you here?" Hoseok asks him in surprise.
"I am bored!" He says casually and starts walking away from the house, gesturing Hoseok to follow him.
'The Lords can do anything!' Hoseok thinks in defeat and follows him.

After a quite dramatic pause for a moment, Hosepk hears the Lord saying, "Why don't we break a vending machine?"