{ D - 171 }
"Soonyoung, there is no way I'm working with these children," Jihoon scowled as the two stood in front of the Childcare Center.
"We don't have a choice," Soonyoung pleaded, "Our newest recruit volunteers in there and we need to convince him to join our team!"
Jihoon groaned as he trudged behind Soonyoung into the building. Once they got inside, they were greeted by the sound of screaming children and the smell of clean baby powder. They walked over to the front desk, signing a few papers that would allow them to volunteer for the day. Once they were done filling out the wavers, the were directed towards the male changing rooms, where they changed into grey colored vests that were supposedly "vomit-proof."
"Of all the places he had to volunteer at, it had to be here?" Jihoon muttered, slipping on the vest, "Why didn't he volunteer at, like, the Health Center or something? I mean he is skilled in medicine and everything."
"I don't know. Why don't you ask him when we find him?" Soonyoung grinned, making Jihoon threaten him with a punch.
They entered inside the Childcare Room, where all the children were running around and playing with all sorts of toys. Soonyoung was immediately put to work in the kitchen, where they prepared the children's Second Meals. Meanwhile Jihoon was assigned to help take care of the four-year-olds with other volunteer workers.
"Good luck!" Soonyoung told him as he made his way to the kitchen, "You'll need it."
The sound of his laugh echoed down the hallway and into the kitchen, leaving jihoon with dozens of menacing kids. He scanned the room, looking for the recruit he needed to speak with. His eyes widened with excitement once he saw a young blonde-haired boy sitting down on the floor with a few children, smiling as he cradled a little boy in his lap as they stacked up little building blocks together with the others.
Jihoon glanced around the room before subtlety making his way over to where the young man was, greeting the boy and the other kids with a bow. The young boy looked up at him and his eyes began to sparkle with delight, his smile growing wider.
"Look everyone!" He said cheerfully to the little group of children he was watching, "We have a new volunteer! Everyone say, 'hello sir!'"
The little children turned around and looked up at Jihoon, all saying "Hello sir!" like the volunteer told them to. Jihoon forced a smile on his face, waving at all of them. He quietly sat down on the floor next to the other volunteer worker, immediately being bombarded with children begging to play with him.
"Welcome to Childcare," the volunteer greeted, "I'm Seungkwan; it's nice to see someone new come in and play with the kids."
"I'm Jihoon," the older introduced himself, now cradling a little girl in his lap.
Seungkwan smiled before looking down at the little boy in his lap. The child was now hiding his face in Seungkwan's grey vest, clutching onto the older's clothes tightly.
"What's wrong, Doyoung?" Seungkwan asked, but the young boy only nuzzled his face even more.
Seungkwan chuckled, scooping Doyoung up to look him in the eye.
"I know you're shy when you see new people, but remember, these people are nice! They're here to play with you."
Seungkwan looked at Jihoon, slightly hinting at him to say something. Jihoon took the hint and nervously scooted closer to them. He leaned in closer to look at Doyoung.
"Hi, D-Doyoung," Jihoon stammered. He looked down at what Doyoung was holding in his hands, a toy bicycle.
"Do you like bicycles?" Jihoon asked with a smile, "the one you're holding is very nice."
Doyoung didn't say anything to him. However, he managed to nod towards Jihoon and give him a small smile before hugging Seungkwan again shyly. Seungkwan cooed at how adorable the child was, gently patting his back and whispering 'well done' in his ear.
Jihoon continued to play with all the other children until it was time for their second meal. The volunteers all lead them to the small tables where they would eat, each of them taking a seat in the tiny chairs. Seungkwan was sitting next to Doyoung, feeding him spoonful after spoonful of his food. Across from him, Jihoon sat next to the little girl he had held in his lap earlier, spoon-feeding her some soup.
His gasped once he saw Soonyoung march out from the kitchen and into the room with a tray of cups filled with water, greeting the children with a smile. He placed a small cup down beside each little tray of food, earning a small thank you from each child. Once he reached Seungkwan and Jihoon, he placed a cup next to Doyoung's tray with a grin. Jihoon watched as Soonyoung slowly stood up, mouthing some words to Jihoon. The black haired male couldn't read his lips, mouthing "what?" back to the latter. Soonyoung gave him a look before mouthing bigger words.
"Have you talked to him?" He mouthed clearer, causing Jihoon to let out a silent "ahhhh," before shaking his head.
"Later," Jihoon mouthed back, causing Soonyoung to sigh quietly and walk back to the kitchen, shaking his head disappointingly.
After second meal was nap time; and while the young children were brushing their teeth in the bathroom, a few other careworkers and volunteers laid out small futon mats, pillows, and blankets for the kids. When the kids came back, they all lay down in their designated futons, and some workers tucked them in and helped them fall asleep.
Jihoon draped the small blanket over the little girl. He gently patted her stomach, soothing her until she fell fast asleep. Quietly, he stood up and made his way back to the door. Before he opened it, he watched Seungkwan tuck in Doyoung, quietly laying next to the little boy on his side, stroking his head. The volunteer stared at Doyoung adoringly, his gaze filled with so much warmth and care for the child. Once Doyoung was asleep, Seungkwan slowly stood up and made his way towards where Jihoon was, at the door.
"Lets go to the lounge," Seungkwan smiled, quietly opening the door.
The two stepped outside, closing the door behind them before walking down the hall to the lounge room, a room just for full-time workers and volunteers to rest during breaks. Seungkwan collapses onto a chair, a big smile on his face; Jihoon did the same, only sighing with exhaustion.
"So," Seungkwan began, "what made you want to start volunteering here?"
Jihoon glanced around, noticing a few employees were still in the room, conversing with one another.
"I just thought I'd try something new," Jihoon lied, "I've never really volunteered at the Childcare Center before. Thought I'd give it a try."
"And what'd you think?" Seungkwan asked.
Jihoon thought for a moment, quickly stealing glances at the workers leaving the lounge.
"It was... enjoyable," he admitted, "not as difficult as I thought it would be."
Seungkwan smiled, satisfied with Jihoon's reason.
"Why do you volunteer here?" Jihoon asked.
"Isn't it obvious? I like working with kids."
"I can see that," Jihoon said, "But isn't there another reason? I know you're incredibly talented in the medical field; you could be improving your skills by volunteering in the Hospital or at the Healthcare Center. So why here? Of all places?"
Seungkwan was quiet, trying to think of an answer. They had been alone in the lounge room for quite some time now, no employees in sight. His gaze turned away from Jihoon and up at the ceiling, a sad frown growing in his face.
"I needed a break," Seungkwan confessed, "From the medical field."
He began to fiddle with his fingers, still not looking Jihoon in the eyes.
"Don't get me wrong; I love working with medicine and first aid. It's just everyone's always busy and rushed, and being surrounded by people who look so... empty... it's terrifying."
He leaned back and slouched in his chair, his head slightly hanging off the rim.
"Coming here, playing with the kids, and helping them enjoy their childhood rejuvenates me in a way," he explained, smiling subconsciously, "seeing them genuinely have fun just gives me a lot of energy and comfort. They're not like the people out there, who walk around like robots, with apathetic smiles and no concern for anything outside their daily lives."
"So you must know about the pills then," Jihoon said, crossing his arms over his chest, "and what they do."
Seungkwan nodded, rubbing his hands together nervously.
"It's awful," Seungkwan said, "A cruel method of keeping order."
"Then why don't you leave?" Jihoon asked.
Seungkwan stared at him, confused. He looked like he was questioning the words that came out of Jihoon's mouth.
"There's no way to leave this place," Seungkwan muttered, almost whispering, "We're all trapped here."
"What if I told you there was a way?" Jihoon said, " a way to escape."
"What do you mean?" Seungkwan asked, even more confused.
"I'm part of this team," Jihoon explained, "We're planning on escaping here during the Age Ceremony. We're going through training and everything; we're even planning out a route to take in order to escape. All we need is an expert in the medical field."
Jihoon scooted up to the edge of his seat. He propped his elbows on his knees and leaned closer towards Seungkwan, his eyes focused the younger.
"We need your help, Seungkwan. What do you say?"
Seungkwan looked down at the coffee table in front of them, feeling uncomfortable making eye contact with the older. He thought for a moment, their conversation growing silent for a few seconds.
"Another reason I come here is for Doyoung," Seungkwan spoke, a smile growing on his face, "He has trouble speaking, like no matter how hard he tries, no words our sounds will come out of his mouth. The doctors say it's some kind of disability, one prevents him from properly communicating."
He subconsciously began to chuckle to himself, the tone of his voice weak and sullen. "
"The thing is, Doyoung does communicate properly." Seungkwan continued. "He tugs on my pant leg when he wants my attention, lifts his arms up when he wants to be picked up, points at things he wants, nods his head for yes, and shakes his head for no. In a way, he reminds me of someone; but not matter how hard I try to think, I don't remember who he reminds me of."
Seungkwan looked back up at Jihoon, serious yet frightened.
"Jihoon, they might eliminate him before he even has a chance out in society," Seungkwan said, his voice shaking, "If I'm going to help you all, I want to take him with us. That's my only request, please."
The request was a lot to handle. They'd have to make a few changes with the plan and go through a lot of trouble just to kidnap one single kid and bring him with them. However, they needed Seungkwan, which meant Doyoung would have to come along too. Jihoon let out a sigh, leaning back in his chair and stretching out his legs.
"Alright," he agreed, "you've got yourself a deal."
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