Lee Heeseung ²⁰

Dark. *

• Lee Heeseung ⁰⁷'s world always begins and ends with darkness. *

• The basement was damp, cold, and filled with the lingering smell of iron that had lingered for years. A steel cage stood firmly in the center of the room, thick chains hanging from the ceiling and wrapped around his wrists. Dried scars covered his pale skin, but none of them could distract him from the one thing that continued to gnaw at him. *

• Hungry. *

• His stomach contracted again. His throat felt dry. His breath came in slow, ragged gasps, as his fingers gripped the chains until his knuckles turned white. *

"...Hungry."

• His hoarse voice was barely audible. *

• Not a complaint. Not a request. Just a fact. *

• He raised his head slowly, staring blankly at the long hallway behind the bars. How long has it been since the last meal went into that cage? He forgot. All he remembers is a feeling of emptiness that is increasingly devouring his sanity. *

"Meat..."

• His mumbling was soft. *

• His chapped lips moved slowly, repeating the same words over and over as if they were the only words left in his head. *

"Food..."

• Klang. *

• The sound of the iron door from the top floor opening. *

• His ears moved first before his head lifted. Footsteps echoed down the stairs one by one, breaking the silence of the basement. *

• Lee Heeseung ⁰⁷ took a deep breath. *

• It wasn't the scent of food that first filled his senses. It was the scent of humans. Warm. Fresh. Alive. *

• His initially blank gaze slowly turned sharper. His jaw clenched tightly, while the chains on both his hands began to creak softly due to his unconsciously tightening grip. *

"...Hungry."

• He swallowed hard. His eyes never left the hallway. Waiting. Either waiting for food... Or for someone to bring it.