"Bloody bum!" A man cried out, his hand knocking the plastic cup out of Seok's hand, the metal coins scattering around him. Just another day in Seoul.
Taking his hoodie off to reveal his buzzcut, a messy DIY project, the boy gathered the spare change for the third time today. If being homeless has taught him anything, it was to have thick skin. He had been in Seoul for a month now, trying to get by on spare change and kind employees on not throwing the merely 15 year old boy out into the mid-November rain. It was rough, every day a struggle as he tried to survive each hour, unsure where he would end up in the future if he continued like this.
The amber alert for him was still active, although the police probably gave up looking for him after 72 hours, the statistics showing there was barely a 15% chance he would be found alive. He was alive though. Somehow. His looks had changed drastically, his personality gone and the last remains of what used to be Jong-hoon on the verge of existence. He exchanged his curly black locks for a buzzcut, his slinky body shape for anorexia and his glasses for blurry vision. What else do you do if you murdered your own father then decided to run away from your foster home? Someone with more experience probably had a good answer to that.
Weeks went by and his state only got worse. It wasn't until his 16th birthday that he was mugged and threatened with a knife to his throat, the scar still visible as he tried to escape the man's grip, that he knew he had to change something.
With nothing left, the boy made one single new year's resolution: to find Change. He snuck into libraries, searching for answers, a guide, anything to help him with being homeless. What he found instead was a guide to steal someone's identity. And that was just what he did.
Kim Seok was born on June 15th, 1996 into a wealthy upper class family in Gangnam. Captain of the football team, womaniser. Unfortunately for him, he met his fate on December 2nd, 2011 in a fatal accident he caused while drunk driving. He was the only son to Kim Hwan, an entrepreneur who shortly convicted for fraud and was sentenced for 2 years. He was the perfect persona.
So the boy cleaned himself up and got himself a small amount by shoplifting, earning him just enough to buy a secondhand suit and fake ID. A fake ID that was the vital key to his survival. One of Jong-hoon's hidden talents was hacking, something he could do from just about any computer, the public library serving as his main outlet. He could find out anything about the real Kim Seok, all his transactions and memberships, his emails, accounts... all at the click of his fingers. And that's what had saved him; his intelligence and skill and of course; the idiot rich boy who decided '123titties' was a great password.
And so his days went by sweet talking staff and giving them the bullshit story about how he had lost his membership cards, the cards that gave him free meals or hotel stays. In the dead of the night Kim Seok changed to Hwang Jong-hoon, part of the underground fight club where he gained most of his money, winning half a million won a night due to everyone doubting the weak and fragile boy. The same weak and fragile boy who murdered his father with cold sweat and set it up as an armed robbery gone wrong.
Life eventually turned to shit once a bitter loser of the club decided to give an anonymous tip to the police, Seok leaving in handcuffs and spending a night at the local station, the policemen believing every last detail of his persona and fake documents, too blind to see that Kim Seok's death report had been deleted from the system, letting him go as someone had bailed him out. The boy walked out into the cool air, his mind unable to process someone had actually paid the bail, the emphasis being on the word someone since he didn't have anyone left.
As soon as he turned his head, he saw a figure leaning against the brick wall. He'll never forget the moment Hansol kicked himself off it and walked over to him. Seok still had dried blood all over his clothes, bruises scattered across his skin like watercolour drops and deep cuts across both arms. None of this had bothered Hansol. The leader of the Lost Boys simply smiled, praising his fighting skills and ability to scam. Seok was extremely frightened but intrigued at the same time, jotting down the location the older male gave him before he disappeared, leaving the boy standing there alone with a piece of paper.
Curiosity got the best of him and the boy showed up at the entrance to the Underground barely 5 hours later. He didn't know where he was, or why he was there, but as he kept checking the address to make sure he was at the right place, the boy felt like he had a chance to belong somewhere yet again. All his fears vanished as hope sparked in him. Worst case scenario: they kill him or rob him, not like he had anything left to lose.
After a long pep talk and introduction by the second in command, Minho, the boy started the initiation process almost immediately, acing it with flying colours. He could fight and disarm any opponent despite seeming small and weak. He didn't even know the gang yet, but had no trouble with the loyalty part of the process, not talking despite being tortured and even disarming the alleged "rival gang leader". The boy even showed his worth through his hacking and intelligence, the perfect deal. Seok gave his very best to be a part of the Lost Boys and it didn't take him long before he was out his official task.
The only inconvenience was the huge secret he was hiding; his identity. He was too scared to give them the truth and figure Hansol knew already. Seok never in his right mind thought it could eventually bite him in the arse.
Hansol: i'm not saying u planted a bomb, i'm saying maybe you set s/t small on fire and it got out of hand.
Seok: If you won't believe I wouldn't light my own gang up then believe I wouldn't light myself up.
Seok: yeh a pyro who knows exactly how to control a fire. This was a sloppy case, I would never give my name to such a horrible set up and plan. Frankly, I don't even think they had a plan just threw a match and splashed gasoline everywhere.
Minho: Well, you didn't have to go through thinking he was dead...it wasn't pleasant
Minho: Everyone thinks his dead, he's basically invisible, doesn't exist. There's no one watching him which means that he can work on finding out who did this to us without having to worry about getting caught.
Seok: Well everyone thinks it was me so I bet I'm gonna be interrogated again
Seok: do you think I look like someone who could blow their own gang up?
Hansol: Did you know that your ass put everyone in danger?
Hansol: I can't speak right bc of it.
Seok: jfc y does every1 always pin everything on me?
Seok: do you really think I'd plant a bomb in the warehouse to become permanently deaf to my right ear and risk the lives of 100 ppl including my own gang? The only ppl I have left?
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