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“Changmin, wake up,” calls a voice, interrupting his sleep, “It’s five o’clock, you are going to be late.”

He let out a sigh, knowing that today was just another day, just another Friday, the same routine, day after day. He can’t complain, though because it’s the same for everyone that lives in this village; they all wake up at the same time, eat at the same time, go to work at the same time, and sleep at the same time.

“It’s better this way,” they all say.

Changmin gets up out of his bed and begins his routine. He makes his bed, 5:03AM. He brushes his teeth, washes his face, and puts on his new clothes for the day, 5:16AM. He greets his parents and makes himself breakfast of rice and eggs, 5:39AM. He bids farewell to his parents and walks to the fields, 5:54AM. He checks into work and heads out to the fields to be assigned his job for the day, 6:00AM. One hour gone, fifteen hours to go.

His work in the fields lasts from 6:00AM-6:00PM. Changmin spends his work time collecting wheat, rice, and other grains. Everyone in the village works together to produce food and other supplies for one another. At the end of the day, the supplies go to the great office in the center of the village, and the workers there redistribute food to everyone else, the same food and equal portions for everyone.

At six o’clock in the afternoon, he gets ready to leave work. He collects his work and heads to clock himself out of work, 6:07PM. He takes the same path home that he takes to work, 6:22PM. He heads inside the house to take a shower and wash up from the day’s work, 6:39PM. He goes out to greet his parents before having dinner and is scolded by his parents for being late. The same lecture at the same time, every single day, 6:46PM. They sit down and eat dinner together, 7:00PM. Another hour of routine, gone.

Changmin is constantly waiting for something to happen to him. Something out of the ordinary, as though if he obeys the rules, someone will finally notice and help him get out of his mindless routine.

After dinner, he heads out to the tree that looks out upon his neighborhood. He climbs up the branches and waits for his neighbor and childhood friend, Yunho. As Changmin waits for his friend to come out, he glances out to his city to the great gate that lies in the front of the city. This gate is called 'the entrance' because, to put it simply, things come in, but nothing ever come out.

Once Yunho finally arrives, Changmin waits for him to climb up the tree and they exchange a small hum to acknowledge the others’ presence.

They both fall silent as they are finally settled in. At first, a “how was your day?” was uttered, but after time, they realized the answer was the same each time. They don’t know why they meet on the tree every day, but each time, they don’t have to speak to converse with each other. The silence was peace to them because they depended on each other to silently let out their bottled-up emotions without speaking. They understood each other. Everyone understood each other. Their lives were all the same.

They sit and think for a while as the breeze drifts through the air and plays with the leaves in the trees. They think of their lives and what they have been sent on this world to do. For their entire lives, they have been taught that they live to keep regularity in the village. They depend on one another to survive, to make clothes for each other, to make food for each other, to be company for each other. They think of the world outside of the village. Does everyone else live like this? If they don’t, how else can they live?

Changmin does have one vision of the outside world, though. Once every two months, the village plays music on the loud speaker for an hour, and for that one hour, the routine breaks. People from all over the village are seen outside playing with one another. Everyone from the young to the old is seen with smiles plastered on their faces. Changmin and Yunho practice dancing during this time, and they even have smiles etched upon their faces. The ability to freely move their bodies and have music coursing through their veins brought them “happiness”. This happiness occurs twice a month, six times a year, an hour each time, and every time he goes to sleep, Changmin dreams of a world where every day was like this.

He has the same thoughts every day, and Changmin is sick of it.

Today, everything is going to change, Changmin thinks to himself.

“Yunho-hyung,” a hum comes in reply, “Do you ever wonder what’s out there? Outside the gates. I have dreams of myself exploring the rest of the world out there, and I think that they’re trying to tell me something,” Changmin looks out to the gate, expectantly.

“I think we all have, Changmin,” the elder responds with a sigh, as though he’s had this conversation a billion times before, “But you know it’ll never happen, so don’t get your hopes up too high. Like everyone says, it’s better this way. Knowing everything that happens in our lives is better, isn’t it? It’s just better this way.” With that statement, the warning call for curfew called around the city.

Yunho looks at his watch and give another sigh as he jumps down from his spot on the tree, “Come on, Changmin, it’s 8:55. We better go back inside.” He tugs at Changmin’s pant leg, trying to get him to come down from the tree, but the younger male stays dormant, looking up into the sky.

“Have you ever wondered what happens if you don’t go inside in time for curfew? Truthfully, though. Not all those stories about the monsters coming out and eating anyone that’s left outside,” Changmin half-questions, not truly expecting an answer from his friend.

“Yes, Changmin, now let’s go back inside, it’s almost 9:00PM, we’re going to get in trouble,” Yunho tugs again, harder this time, but Changmin glues himself to the tree.

“I’m going to find out what happens. I’m going to find out today,” he shakes his head, a hint of hesitation wrapped around his voice.

“Changmin, please-,” Yunho pleads this time, trying to pull his friend out of the tree without injuring him, but again, Changmin resists his actions and stays tighter onto the tree.

“RETURN TO YOUR HOMES. 8:59, RETURN TO YOUR HOMES,” the voice on the loudspeaker booms throughout the streets of the city.

Yunho slowly walks away from the tree and runs back into his home, looking back one last time to his unmoving friend. As Yunho shuts his door, the mix of a stifled plead is mixed with the nine o’clock call, and the wind carries away all the noise, leaving the village to fall silent.

Changmin sits there for a few minutes, embracing the silence of the village.

Hah, and Yunho-hyung said I would get in trouble, Changmin smirks to himself as he leaps off the tree. He makes his way back into his house when he takes one quick glance back at the great gate. He squints his eyes when he sees a man standing in the distance who is standing there, seemingly waiting for Changmin.

The man speaks up, “You can either head inside now and we can both forget that this happened, or you can make a deal with me,”

With this, Changmin stops in his tracks.  He ponders the thought of listening to this odd man, but he is stopped by himself.

He sighs heavily and continues down the path to his house.

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Constructive criticism is always welcome ^^