Crescent // ATEEZ ✔

53 [human]

Eric searches for the answer among the stacks of profiles, scanning up and down for what he's supposed to say. When he receives no light he looks up, eyes trailing every movement of Kim Hodong.

Hodong stops pacing and fixes his reading glasses that have slipped down on the bridge of his nose. "The Motus module - the one to test for your ability to not show any emotions. They may be trained to be good actors, but they can't act all the time; they have their limits."

Eric gulps. Of course, he has never been subjected to any of the modules because he's merely a staff overlooking the operations in the training facility, but he has heard of the infamous training module. Apparently one of the toughest modules, yet in what comparison he doesn't know as he feels that every module provided in the training facility has their own level of complexity.

The Motus module - where instead of physical ability, the trainees are tested for their mental capacity - whether they are capable of controlling their emotions while being put under different situations and pressures. Apparently, the 9 trainees fail so badly that there were even talks of wanting to immediately drop them from the facility, but Kim Hodong somehow managed to keep them here.

"Choi San, Park Seonghwa and Kang Yeosang- they almost turned the whole training facility upside down after they went through the Motus module, remember? They ran rampant because they were resisting against the module, and that is why these three were given a 'high' lethality level. They are among the hardest trainees to mould to the system."

"The rest of them besides Lee Eunbi aren't high-ranked trainees, sir. Do you still plan on taking them in? If you want to assemble a team to start a... riot, wouldn't it be a better bet to assemble all the high-ranked trainees instead?"

"Never underestimate them, Eric. Being given labels like low or medium doesn't mean they're not capable of doing. I told you that what I need is a team of humans, not robots. They are more than perfect candidates for this. They are capable of thinking for themselves and not simply being slaves to the system. As for Choi Jongho and Song Mingi-" he goes over to the table and plucks out their profiles, "-Choi Jongho always tries to secretly help others when they can't go on with the training anymore, helping them walk and finish the courses without being asked to. Song Mingi protects weaker trainees from getting battered by other stronger trainees, even though he can barely protect himself."

"What are you trying to say?"

He fixes his glasses again; it seems to be sliding down more often as he's sweating a lot. The air conditioner proves to be useless. "They are trainees who are willing to step out of line for others; they're not selfish. They don't think about themselves first, but rather the wellbeing of others. They are not scared to show their emotions- something that we don't allow in this facility."

"You're putting them into danger, sir. The other Bifidensis board members are not a force to be messed with; you know that very well. Look at what happened to Mr. Lee Kyung because they decided that he was a betrayer to the system. His whole family wasn't spared."

He gives a weak smile. "True, but unlike Lee Kyung I have nothing to lose anymore. I'm willing to sacrifice myself to bring this whole complex down, but my old body can't do this alone. To bring a change, I need a team behind me and these trainees are perfect in my opinion. They display humanity, which is what seems to be lacking here."

"Not everyone can make it out alive, sir."

His eyes turn downcast as he drops his head, sighing hard. "That is the problem, Eric. A problem I don't know how to tackle."

"You've been planning for this for a very long time... if it were to fail one day it would be a pity."

"That's why I'm trying to see this through. It may take a longer time before I can actually convince the other Bifidensis board members to allow these trainees to be released, because only then I'll be able to continue. It may not be now but one day, I'll believe that the KTC and the Bifidensis will be nothing but rumours people pass around."