Chapter 2

Dappled

 

Yoojin’s eyebrows creased together as she peered over to the hallway for the umpteenth time that morning. That patch of wood just before the door…

She turned away, clutching her mug as a shudder ran through her being. Ever since that night a week or so ago, things weren’t the same again. Her apartment felt colder than usual now. Darker as well. Almost as if it hadn’t been inhabited for a long time. Everything seemed familiar as well as foreign at the same time. All because of that one incident that unfortunate night. All because of that man.

The scowl on her face deepened. She swore that if she ever saw him again, she’d beat him to within an inch of his life. Superpowers or not.

She hated feeling like this. Feeling powerless at the fact there was something in this world that was unsurmountable no matter how hard she tried. What made things worse that she had never been aware of such a thing. She had never been more thankful to her ignorance before. But now that it was gone, she found herself missing it terribly.

She glanced at her plate, still laden with food; pancakes with a side of bacon and a small bowl of yogurt. The mere sight of it made her stomach churn with nausea but she knew it wasn’t because she didn’t like the food.  

It was the fear and her wounded pride that was the reason for her loss of appetite. The rational part of her fear was mostly apprehension over whether the fallen goons’ brethren would come thundering through her door to seek vengeance. As skilled as she was, she knew she’d have a slim chance of victory when it came to fighting more than one opponent. This was, however, quenched quite instantly when there was no sign of a second attack three nights after the incident. Although, it left her feeling not quite right at the thought that the two men, as evil as they were, were so easily replaceable that no one seemed to care enough to look for them.

Now the irrational part of her fear was what really frightened her. Night after sleepless night (much like the previous one), Yoojin found herself curled underneath the blankets, hands tucked against her chest as it heaved with every laboured breath. Her eyes cautious, not fearful, would stare at the closed door of her bedroom, waiting, dreading for those tell-tale muffled splintering of wood and low creaks on the floor as the fallen goons in their bloodied suits would rise from under floor, seeking blood; her blood.

Other times, the nights she tired herself to sleep, high strung in her paranoia and her work, she would wake up in cold sweat and stuttered breath, images of the nightmare playing in her mind. Images of darkness, the cold feeling of cold, hard wood as it engulfed her body, cocooning her and the icy, emotionless eyes of that man staring down at her as he stood over her, watching her in her last moments of life.

The fear has gotten to her to such an extent that her eyes almost never left that place whenever she was home. Curled up on the couch, the television blaring in front of her and she would find her eyes drifting towards that place. Or standing over the kitchen counter cooking and she would catch herself staring again and tear her eyes away just fast enough to not completely burn her food.

Her paranoia undoubtedly lead to her pride taking huge blows; as if it hadn’t been hurt enough when she went head to head with that dark haired man. This wasn’t like her, she kept reminded herself, scolding herself. Yoojin was strong, proud and had the skills to back it all up, thus making her fearless. The Yoojin that kept staring at some patch of wood and was too scared to sleep in her own bed, in her own house was humiliating and Yoojin wouldn’t have that.

She straightened up from where she was hovering over her mug of now lukewarm coffee and looked over to the hallway once again, but this time her gaze was resolute, unwavering. She stood slowly, smoothening the invisible creases on her blouse and heaved a sigh. She picked up her uneaten breakfast and her mug of coffee and chucked the food into the waste basket and emptied the beverage into the sink and opened the faucet, letting the water drained the remaining liquid. There was no reason to keep the food when she had no inclination to eat it.

Washing the dishes and putting them to dry, strode toward the door and stopped before the space connecting the hallway to the door. This cannot go for any longer, she decided. She was going to put an end to it. Cowering around like a fool is just plain humiliating and wasn’t going to do her any good.

With a quick flick of her wrist, she check the time on her watch.

Good, I have almost an hour and a half left before reporting to work. Which meant she had an hour to get over this stupid, childish fear of hers; or at least start the process.

Having made the decision in her mind, she plopped down on the floor, next to shoe rack and pulls her legs halfway to her chest, feet flat on the smooth floorboards. Sitting there, she waited before the stupidity of it all caught up to her and began beating her feet on the floor, the dull pattering sending vibrations through the planks. Leaning back, she left herself fall on her back, hands on her chest as her feet mimicked the fast paced percussion of her heart.

Roughly five minutes later, she sprang up and got to her feet. Taking a step forward she stood there, waiting for nothing to happen. Something to put her mind at ease so she could get to doing her thing. Slowly, she rocked back and forth, purposely making the floorboards creaks under her weight. She face the ceiling, trying to keep a straight face. The absurdity of it all was enough to make herself burst into giggles but if it works, then it works.

Her hammering heart was beginning to steadily calm down, going back to its normal mellow rhythm, but she still wanted to make sure; just as a safety precaution. Before long, she was walking in small circles in that tiny space, eyes glued to the floor, wanting to catch any movement (or the lack of it) until the dizziness caused her to trip over her own two legs and she would’ve been sent sprawling on the floor if she hadn’t braced herself against the nearest wall.

She stayed plastered on the wall for a good amount of time, trying to catch her breath, calm her heart which beat away against her ribcage in response to the vertigo, and get rid of the dizziness. That short span of time was good enough to convince herself that there would no zombie gangsters coming for her from under the floor in the dead of the night. If they were to come after her, they would’ve already done so.

There. There really was nothing to worry about now, was there?

She stood straight, head high and shoulders strong and smoothened her hair. It was like a weight had lifted off of her shoulders. Obviously, she might feel a pang of panic when she opens the door later but there will be no more ambiguity behind the ‘what ifs’.

Skipping across the living room, she picked up her backpack and made a 180 to head back to the shoe rack to pull out her shoes. Once she had her shoes on, she got to open the door and was out the door in the next moment, not turning around once; something she did without fail after having two men buried in her hallway.

---

Jaehwan was down to his fourth KitKat when the door finally clicked open. He turned around to see Hakyeon stride into the living room in that haughty gait that he seemed to be born with. Jaehwan spied Taekwoon trudging behind him, brooding as always but Jaehwan figured it was probably cause of the lack of caffeine. He was proven right when the elder made a beeline to the coffee machine.

“Oh, me too, Taekwoonie!” the tanned man chirped as he took his seat next to the dark haired man. The only response he got was a low grumble but it would suffice.

Hakyeon turned to Jaehwan, a pleasant smile plastered on his face before he spotted the crumpled wrappers on the counter and his smile morphed into a sour frown. “You are going clean that up, aren’t you?”

Jaehwan simply nodded, his cheeks bulging out due to the chocolate within as he dusted is fingers off carefully so the crumbs would only land on the wrappers and not the counter.

“So, how’d it go?” Hakyeon asked, his tone taking on a serious and authoritative tone. Taekwoon sauntered over with two mugs of coffee, both happening to be lattes. Jaehwan waited for the elder to be seated before he began.

“Same as always. They said they wanted to make an alliance but from the way the negotiation had gone, it was clear that they were looking to take over our turf the moment we agreed,” Jaehwan was already in the process of opening another packet of the wafered chocolate.

“I hope you did what I expected you to do,” Hakyeon’s voice was a low and dangerously calm as he brought his cup to his mouth and sipped the warm liquid. Jaehwan glanced at him to find him staring out the glass window which extended from the floor all the way to the ceiling. There was a storm brewing behind his eyes and his overly calm disposition only convinced the other of just how angry the leader was. 

“Of course. When Hongbin and I were done with them, we took careful measure to dispose of them and we sent one back with the appropriate message. All we have to do wait for them to reply. Or not. As long as they understand the terms and conditions.”

Hakyeon remained silent as he continued to sip at his drink. Taekwoon next to him made no motion to speak. He didn’t have to say anything when Hakyeon was in charge.

“This seems to be happening too often,” Hakyeon sighed and set his mug down, his authoritative tone had vanished. Right now, it just seemed like three friends sitting around and talking about their woes.

“We’re broken and it makes us weak, Hakyeon. It cannot be helped,” Taekwoon’s silky voice cut through the short silence and that is all it took. Hakyeon frowned but refrained from saying anything. There really wasn’t anything to be said when the truth was already out there.

“It’s alright, you know. We’ll keep fighting them as we are right now and sooner or later, they’ll know better than to mess with us,” the youngest reassured, smiling at the leader. As flimsy and vague as it sounded, Jaehwan ardently believed that all that they are doing right now would finally pay off. He sincerely hoped that one day they didn’t have to fight as much. Or better, at all. And, therefore, to make it happen, he had already decided he’d do what it takes to make it happen.

His words seemed to have an effect on the eldest as his rosy lips stretched in a small smile. Jaehwan immediately reciprocated with an even wider and bright grin and had Hakyeon mimicking it as chuckles spilt out of the latter’s mouth. The youngest caught Taekwoon’s gaze and winked at him when he caught gratefulness in those sharp eyes.

“Ah, that’s right! What happened to the kid who had to be shipped to China?” Hakyeon asked, blinking at the dark haired man, waiting for an answer.

“Wonshik said it all went smoothly. He even went back a couple of days later to see if there had been anyone following them that day. Luckily no one saw them. No one really expects us to help anyone when we’re too busy helping ourselves.”

“Did he get back okay? There’s a lot riding on his safe return for us.”

“There’s one only who knows,” Jaehwan was already getting up as he spoke. He already knows what the order is going to be but heard it out nonetheless.

“Take Bin with you. Go meet the good doctor,” N stood up after him and stretched his arms above his head, ready to head back into the study room he had emerged out of.

Jaehwan nodded, picking up his coat and his car keys and as he is headed to the front door, he hears the leader call out, “Pick up some banana milk for me, will you!”

---

 Nurses and doctors and receptionist focused on the constant wave of patients moving in and out of the building, injuries ranging from simple cuts and nosebleeds to heart attacks. The ironically pleasant din of the hospital put Yoojin’s mind to peace, getting her head out of the murky, stormy thoughts that had been plaguing her. Thoughts that involve a strange intruder and even stranger powers.

“Well, Mrs. Han, with these pill inside you now, you’ll be feeling drowsy in no time so just lay back and rest, okay? You know what to do if you ever need anything,” Yoojin smiled her trademark smile and patted the middle aged woman’s wrist as the latter’s eyes fluttered close, a smile on her lips.

Yoojin sighed, picking up the tray and stacking the medicine cups on top of each other and walked out. Setting the tray on the steel carts by the wall just outside the room, she ran a hand over face. Even though most of her fears plaguing were dwindled due to the little exercise she did that morning, it still didn’t make up for the lost sleep and appetite.

Nor did it make up for the unanswered questions.

Yoojin stopped dead in her tracks, a light frown featuring her face and she leaned against the beige walls, back pressed against the sturdy surface and let her head tip back until it rested against the wall.

A billion thoughts ran through her mind. A billion questions. A billion theories. And it caused an annoying ache in her head to sift through them again because she knew, no matter how many times she untangled the messy clump, it would all be a tiresome, unproductive task.

All she knew was that the intruder was the only one with answers and the sleazy swine bolted out the door even before she could gather her wits. 

Look at me, she scoffed sarcastically, closing her eyes to block out the bright lights. Acting like a pubescent girl mooning over a teenage heartthrob…

She blinked her eyes open, puckering and flattening her lips in contemplation. He was very well capable of being a teenage heartthrob, judging by his looks. Especially his abnormally large nose and weird ears and those plush lips-

She suddenly frowned, eyes gaping at the too bright ceiling as a thought crossed through her mind. Was he even human?

“Was who even human?”

Yoojin jumped, turning towards the source of the words and found the good doctor beamed down at her, a clipboard on his hand resting on his shoulder. She mirrored his smile, feeling genuinely glad and relieved to see him and ignored the fact that she had been caught thinking out loud.

Suddenly, Jinki scowled and wagged a finger at her and said, “If you’re skipping work, you’re gonna get spanked.”

Yoojin raised an eyebrow before letting a throaty chuckle. “That sort of thing should be done in private and with a willing accomplice, should it not?” Linking arms with the elder, she smirked up at him and they began walking together down the vast hallway.

The doctor sputtered, sporting an adorable flush that made Yoojin burst in hearty guffaws. The other soon joined until the mirth dissipated from his face and his smile turned somewhat wistful. But it wasn’t something that could be missed and Yoojin felt the urge to ask. To know about the Jinki that was alive before he came to the hospital. Before they had met.

But she didn’t, swallowing down the curiosity harshly. She didn’t know if she could handle the pain on his face if she were to prod into his past again. All she knew was the incredibly handsome man in the old, frayed photograph and she didn’t even know who he was; not even a name.

“Did Tao get back okay?” she asked, trying to sound casual and looked up at him as she waited for an answer.

“Oh? Ah, yes!” Yoojin fought to contain a giggle when Jinki’s voice rose, clogged with glee at the mention of the blonde boy. He hand dipped into the pocket of his coat and fumbled around for his phone and Yoojin waited silently as her eyes followed the action. Finally, he whipped out his phone, tapped it a few times before shoving it so close to Yoojin’s face that she had to leaned back to see the screen properly.

When her vision settled on the screen, she saw a picture of Tao holding what looked like steamed dumplings on chopsticks in one hand and brandishing a thumbs up with the other hand. His cheeks was protruding outward with food and there was some soy sauce in the corner of his bottom lip although, form the looks of it, he seemed to have lathered it on rather purposely.

Yoojin chuckled fondly at the picture, her heart clenching. She really was going to miss the ball of sunshine.

“He sent me that the moment he got off the ship in China. He wrote something in Chinese as well,” Jinki explained as he pocketed the device. “Cheeky brat knows I don’t know the language…” he huffed.

“I’m glad he got back home safe,” Yoojin chimed in happily as she beamed up at the doctor, eyes crinkling. The doctor reciprocated the gesture and agreed.

He tightened his hold on Yoojin’s elbow and whined, “Ah, what are we to do now that Tao has gone? Will I ever get to taste the deliciousness of danger again?” he pouted and pressed his cheek against Yoojin’s head.

The nurse had to bite her lip to keep the words from spilling out. She wondered how the doctor would react if she told him about the incident from a week ago. Would he be concerned? Shocked? Would he even believe her? Because she knows for a fact that she wouldn’t believe herself.

Instead she just patted his cheek comfortingly as he whimpered dramatically to the touch.

“Come on, I have to attend to Mr. Choi and I don’t think I’ll make it out of the room without killing him if I’m alone.”

“Is he really that bad?”

“He accused me of misdiagnosing him when all he had was a bit of gas…” Jinki made a face that could have been a grimace or a pout, Yoojin didn’t know.

Yoojin winced and made a sympathetic noise which only elicited more whimpers from the man beside. Together they walked down the length of the corridor.

---

Jaehwan supposed that it had been watched a million times already and witnessed once, but the video never got old or unfunny.

Riding the elevator up to the designated floor, Hongbin and Jaehwan had found themselves in an empty albeit slow elevator which prompted the younger to whip out his phone to alleviate is boredom. It wasn’t a second later when the dimpled young man was chuckling catching Jaehwan’s interest and Hongbin waved the phone screen at the former, the familiar video ready to play.

        The two were still chuckling away ever after the video ended, clutching their stomachs as if that would ease the pain. As the doors opened followed by the familiar ding, the grins automatically faded but a pleasant smile still graced Jaehwan’s face, relishing in the stiffness of his facial muscles and the two walked out.

That particular video was a favourite of Jaehwan’s as it one of his most cherished memories. It was a sliver of normalcy amidst the blood, battles and the death. He strived to make sure his dongsaengs would be able to experience moments such as these and more often than not, he was successful.

The video was one taken one lazy Sunday afternoon when the eldest two weren’t present. Hakyeon had to take care of issues in the headquarters and Taekwoon accompanied him just as any loyal second-in-command must. The day had started out pretty good until Sanghyuk had challenged (or rather, bullied) Wonshik into sticking a fork into a toaster.

Normally, anyone in the right mind and a sense of responsibility would have objected to that and put a stop to it but Jaehwan was the type to come up with such asinine and potentially dangerous ideas (the only thing he regretted that day was not coming up with it himself).

Seeing as how Sanghyuk wasn’t going to back down until he got what he wanted, Wonshik was left with no choice but to comply. And the rest was history.

Jaehwan mused occasionally that if he hadn’t reacted fast enough to erect three walls to minimize the damage to their home, there wouldn’t have been a home to return to. The intensity with which Wonshik was thrown towards the opposite wall and coupled with his superhuman strength, Jaehwan was sure that the former would take the whole building down with him.

Wonshik had torn through nine inches of thick wood like it was made of paper and Jaehwan could still remember how his chest lightened as the panic dissipated when the former hit the opposite wall with a light thud. They stood in stunned silence for a good few seconds before Sanghyuk burst into loud laughter, holding his stomach as he doubled over, wheezing between guffaws and hollers.

Hongbin, who had managed to film the entire thing, was soon to join and Wonshik followed, standing on wobbly legs, his hair sticking up due to the static. The room smelled like burnt bread and Wonshik’s shirt had a few holes in them, browned in the edges and slightly smoking.

Jaehwan had taken it upon himself to cover up the crime as he cleared the debris and disposed of the toaster. He had run to the nearest electronic shop and bought another toaster to make up for the ruined one, not bothering to match the model or even the colour. When Hakyeon and Taekwoon had returned, Jaehwan simply lied and told them that the previous one was busted and beyond repair.

What he had forgotten about was the big black spot of soot that blossomed on the kitchen wall, around the fried electric socket.  

“Hyung, how do we get inside?”

“Hm?” Jaehwan asked absentmindedly, not really registering the question. When it sank in, he made a noise of acknowledgement and looked around the waiting area. There weren’t many people waiting around. He took his time scanning each and every face. There weren’t many serious patients, just a case of nosebleed, a fever, a minor case of arthritis (just by the man’s age, the cane and the way kept rubbing his knee).

Without another word, he took off in the opposite direction of the reception, having already a destination in mind.

    “Hyung! Where are you going? Hyung!” Hongbin hissed impatiently behind him as he jogged slightly to catch up to the elder. Ignoring him, Jaehwan kept striding down the long hallway and once he spotted what he was looking for he didn’t waste time before ducking inside.

“Seriously, hyung? If you wanted to pee, you could’ve have just said so,” the younger huffed exasperatedly as he stepped into the washroom with the other.

Jaehwan ducked down to check if all of the stalls were free when he was interrupted by the younger once again, “Hyung, what are you doing? Can’t we just meet with the doctor and get it over with and go home? I have a ton of homework to complete and I have a photography assignment due next week and-”

“Bin-ah, for what I’m about to do, let me-” the sound of the flush made them both jump and a stall in the far corner opened and a small man in a doctor’s coat emerged out of it. Jaehwan had turned towards the mirror, pretending to fix his hair as the doctor moved to stand beside him and washed his hands. Tentatively, the man looked up to glance at Jaehwan and Hongbin and was greeted with a pleasant smile by the elder. Hongbin, on the other hand, stood to the side awkwardly, eyes darting around the tiled space and his palms patting awkwardly at his thighs.

With one last glance towards the men, the doctor walked out silently and Hongbin breathed a sigh of relief only to frown in bewilderment. Why had he held his breath in the first place?

Jaehwan tip toed to the storage locker in the bathroom, rummaged around for a while and snickered in triumph when he found what he was looking for. He opened the door and after glancing out in both directions quickly, he placed the bright yellow sign that read “Cleaning in Process” in big, bold letters. Closing the door, he locked it before turning to Hongbin.

“Now, let’s go to meet the doctor, shall we?” He strode quickly to the opposite end of the washroom and stood in front of the tiled wall. He turned around, half-looking at the younger and said, “Hongbin, despite what I’m going to do, I just want you to know that I’m not crazy.”

Hongbin frowned at the odd statement and the twisted smile that graced his lips but even before he could respond, Jaehwan was lifting his arm, hand coiled tightly into a fist.

In the next moment, he swung, his fist colliding with the wall and Hongbin started at the action. The elder stood immobile before retracting his fist with a hiss, shaking off the dust and pieces of ceramic, ignoring the broken tiles as they cluttered to the ground breaking into even smaller pieces. The wall now was missing a few squares, revealing the grey concrete underneath smeared with streak of glistening red.

Jaehwan ‘tsked’ ignoring the throb of pain and Hongbin’s stuttered protests, clearly not satisfied at the result and proceeded to swing again. This time his fist connected directly with the cold, hard concrete, resulting in a dull ‘crick´.

“Hyung-”

Hongbin choked on his words, knowing that they would be spent uselessly for the deed was already done. Calmly, Ken swiped his palm over the expanse of the broken tile wall and when he retracted it, the wall was whole with all tiles in place, as if it had never been assaulted by a fist.

Taking a sharp breath, Jaehwan turned, his dislocated and bloody hand cradled by the other, and smiled pleasantly at Hongbin. The obvious disjunction between is injury and his face sent pangs of fear and pain in the younger’s chest. He figured that they are going to have to talk it out later.  

---

“Do you think I’ll get a candy when we’re done?”

“Only dentists do that, hyung”

Jaehwan made a noise that was equal portions disappointment and acknowledgment. He swung his legs back and forth. “I can get him to get me candy with my undeniable cuteness~!” he sang and made kissy faces at the younger.

But Hongbin remained sour, squinting at him in equal parts of disbelief and disapproval. He crossed his arm and glared at Jaehwan from the couch placed next to the door. “I can’t believe you did this to yourself. All we had to do was lie to the lady at the reception and-”

“And wait hours until our turn comes?” Jaehwan quirked an eyebrow. His bloody wrist throbbed dully and he paid no heed to the pain; he had gone through much worse. Which is what he couldn’t understand. Why would Hongbin make such a fuss over such a small thing? “With the possibility that by the time it’s our turn, the doctor’s shift might just end. We’d have wasted too much time. Time which we cannot afford to lose.”

Hongbin continued to stare at him but this time, his warm brown eyes were laced with concern. Jaehwan found himself dreading the next moments.

“But hyung, you didn’t-”

For the millionth time, Hongbin was interrupted when the door opened and a familiar voice spilled into the room that made Jaehwan stiffen and gape at the doorway in shock, his jaw going slack, eyes wide and brows raising in bewildering disbelief.

---

Yoojin strode along the hallway, her stride light yet fast and firm. She held a first aid kit in hands. Soo Yeon at the reception had told her of someone with a dislocated wrist and asked her to take care of it. It wasn’t such a big an issue that a doctor had to counsel. Most nurses here had a rapport of being well trained and extremely hospitable and, as a result, were trustworthy.

Besides, the doctors were busy as it is trying to take care of some bug that had screwed with a lot of stomachs. They had just begun to curb the contagiousness of it and the patients were on the road to recovery.

Jinki wasn’t with her this time. Both of them had broken protocol of tailing each other like puppies when they were reprimanded by a senior doctor being joined at the hip. The not so subtle expression of disgust the senior doctor had displayed did nothing to elicit the expected reaction as Yoojin tried her best to stifle her laughter as the doctor’s reprimand flew right over her head. Jinki, on the other hand, pretended to feel guilty and made hollow promises of act more to his senior’s expectations.

All it took for doctor’s anger to dissipate was Jinki’s sheepish smile which accentuated his boyish features. No one could hate the young doctor.

Yoojin smiled at the memory of her friend’s pout when the other man had turned his back on them but abruptly halted when she passed the designated door beyond which her patient with the dislocated wrist was awaiting medical assistance.

Feeling a bit embarrassed despite the lack of human presence, she quickly shuffled towards the door and with a prepared smile and opened the door.

“I hear you dislocated your wrist,” she stepped into the room, in no rush to look at her patient and went to place the instruments on the little table by the bed. “It’s a bit unfortunate that most doctors have their hands full at the moment but rest assured, you’re in capable hands. Let’s take a look at that hand, shall we?”

And when Yoojin finally looked up, the smile on her face melted right off. constricted and her face was taut and frozen, eyes wide, eyebrows furrowed in disbelief and lips parted slightly as a quiet, and an involuntary gasp escaped.

“I didn’t think I’d see you here of all places,” he ended the sentence with a small laugh, as if that was the response appropriate enough such an unexpected turn of events.

The words set forth something inside Yoojin; a strange concoction of fear and rage. Memories of that night rushed at her; the sheer horror that transpired in the matter of an hour, the fear that a innocently, handsome face had inspired, the paranoia that succeeded in the nights that followed, the dreaded powerlessness Yoojin abhorred and never wished to feel ever again.

Yet, that man was sitting just in front of her and she knew that she won’t be able to land a scratch on him. And the realization was enough for the rage to rip her pride to shreds again.

“You,” she seethed through gritted teeth, her fists clenched so tight, she could feel her nail sinking into the flesh of her palm. She didn’t try to steady her quivering voice and didn’t care to either. “What are you doing?”

Not a moment after, Yoojin caught movement in her periphery. There was another person in the room with them. She turned to find a breathtaking beauty, this one more ethereal than the one on the bed. His skin was the milky white with a pearly glow, much like the intruder. His face was long and angular with a jaw line that looked like it could cut cheese. He was tall, just as tall as his friend with broad shoulder and a narrow but firm waist. It gave his physique a perfect V-line. His hair was a mop of a rich chocolate color falling over his forehead in a wavy mess.  

His eyes were big, contributing to his overall handsomeness. Some part of Yoojin couldn’t help but muse at the similarity of their eyes, or the shape of their ears but the thought was soon dismissed. It seemed too trivial in light of current circumstances.

He seemed confused and alarmed, his doe eyes flitting between her and the comrade. His shoulders were stiff and his posture poised for action. It didn’t take much for her to figure out that he too was… different like the other.

Despite the stormy rage brewing inside her, she found herself to be strangely calm and it somehow disappointed her. What is this? Being smart? Resignation? God forbid, it be the latter.

She turned to the other one, sitting on the bed. Was it weird to harbor such strong feeling for someone whose name you didn’t even know? To her, he always ‘that man’, ‘that intruder’, or ­‘him’. However, the knowledge of his name was something she could do without. Such familiarity, she suspected, might just be dangerous.

When their eyes met, the big nosed lifted his hand in which his other hand rested, wrist dislocated and the knuckles bruised and bleeding. The gesture was almost sheepish, if not awkward and Yoojin wasn’t sure if he was just pretending or if this who he really was.

“The reason is pretty clear, don’t you think?” his voice was light, like he was talking to a friend but the words were laced with a slight mock, like he was questioning her intelligence. Yoojin’s anger spiked to a new level but she couldn’t bring herself to express it.

“Do you really expect me to believe that? Do you really want me think that you’re here without any ulterior motives?” she scoffed, quirking a skeptical eyebrow and folding her hands whilst cocking her hip to one side.

The man’s shoulders slumped and he squinted in exasperation at her. “What other motives do I have to come to a hospital with a broken hand?”

“How do I know you didn’t do this to yourself?” the man’s flickered to his companion and she turned just in time to see him shoot an incriminating look at the other which would have been hilarious on normal basis. She squinted at the unnaturally handsome man, trying to shake the feeling that she was being played with.

“Besides, I’m sure someone like you would have someone just ­waiting to be absorbed into the floor. Or is it the walls this time?”

The succeeding silence was a tense one. Her intruder’s eyes flitted to his friend and this time she didn’t turn to look; the guarded look in his eyes said it all. She kept her eyes on him as the man’s eyes searched the floor for an answer.

“That was an unfortunate incident. But if I hadn’t done, you wouldn’t be alive right-”

“What are you? I won’t let you leave or take care of your wrist unless you tell me.” Her voice came out flat and brusque.  

“So you’re entirely okay with forsaking your oath and your professional integrity in exchange for a few answers?”

Oh, how she hated the man…

But he was right, she knew that. No matter who the patient was, they were still under the care of the nurses and doctors in this hospital. It was up to them to bring them back to perfect health.

And that is why Yoojin closed the distance between them with a couple of quick steps and held his wrist as gently as possible, observant to his expression of discomfort and the slight hiss that escaped past his lips.

 One hand was secured gently but firmly just beyond his wrist and the thumb of the other was placed flatly on his wrist and the rest of her fingers pressed against the heel of his palm. She stayed holding his hand for a few seconds, waiting for the stings of pain to subside by glancing at his face. She couldn’t help but take note of the warmth and softness of his hand. No matter how she looked at him, she couldn’t see anything besides a human being in front of her.

When her intruder took a deep breath and looked up at her, she said, “On three. Brace yourself.” And when he nodded at her, looking slightly confused, she tightened her hold on his arm just a little. She took a deep breath and started the count, “One.”

In a sharp, quick flick of both her wrists, the bones were set back in their places with a dull ‘crick’. She let go of the man’s wrist as his back arched, his eyes screwing shut and his legs flailed trying to subdue the pain in any way he can, and fetched a frozen ice pack and placed it on the wrist.

“You said, on three! How was that on three?!” he shouted through gritted teeth at her, glaring viciously.

Yoojin resisted the urge to smirk and instead said, “The wait only makes matters worse.” She cleaned and dressed his bleeding hands and then stood back and folding her arms over her chest, “So now that I’ve bandaged your wound, tell me; what are you and what are you doing here? If you’re intent on hurting someone here, then you’ll have to get past me.” Although, that won’t take more than five minutes…

She cast a quick glance at the other man in the room who stood silent, eyes trained on his friend all this time. She turned back at her intruder and found his eyes trained on the floor again. He was rubbing his bandaged his wrist, more in contemplation than anything else.

“What I am…,” he started slowly, and Yoojin heartbeat quickened. She felt like a kid on Christmas morning. “…is not something you can fathom.”

He met her eyes for a moment and she saw the hardness of his words in his dark orbs. Even before she could register what he said, the man gave a short nod to his friend who shuffled in front. She caught the movement a little too late and when she did, her eyes widened and she whirled around and gasped, “No-”

But before she could get away from him, a hand was already on her shoulder.

It was then that her surroundings started to spin. The small room of white and drab steel and all the things in it were reduced to thin horizontal streaks. As if she was the one being spun with her eyes wide open.

At first, they were just deformed representation of what they once were, until they were merely thin streaks, the distinction between object and background gradually blurring until it all merged together.

And then there was darkness. There were no more people or things. No more streaks. Nothing save the endless void of darkness.

Thankfully, the darkness lasted but a moment and the lights and colors and the streaks returned. This time the streaks grew thicker and thicker until they started to form parts of her surroundings. It was like watching what had happened prior to the darkness in rewind.

However, this time, she didn’t find herself in the same room with the two men. She was hit by a violent gust of wind, whipping her uniform against her body and strands of hair that escaped from her ponytail to hit against her face. The air around her no longer smelt of stale air and medicine, but was more light and fresh.

The first thing she saw was the infinite blue, dappled by wispy cottony clouds. Cold, hard concrete replaced the marbled tiles under her feet. She was caged in by wire mesh fence on three sides and she knew that if she looked back, she’d find a white painted steel door behind her, closed and bolted from the other side.

She was on the rooftop of the hospital.

Somehow, the intruder’s friend had left her here and it didn’t come as a surprise to her; they were, after all, friends. She considered herself lucky that it was the rooftop of her workplace and not some small island infested with cannibalistic tribes, or in the middle of a shark infested ocean.

She trudged over to one of the many benches littered about the expanse of the rooftop, old rusty metal cemented to the ground and stared at the clear blue sky. Since many people came to adopt the rooftop as a sanctuary, away from the death and blood, or just to smoke a cigarette, it only seemed appropriate to build them.

She sat herself down on one with a loud and drawn out huff. She was suddenly drained of all energy, the ious fire now completely extinguished. She finally realized how stupid she was. Why must she rush headfirst into danger without any thought? Why was it that her skills in combat made her so haughty?

But she wasn’t to blame, was she? All her life, Yoojin refused to believe that there was anything beyond human comprehension. Everything could be explained. There just wasn’t enough information to support claims and hypotheses.

So when she came across someone who could… do things like her intruder did, the only logical response was to know more about said man’s abilities. Or was it to run and hide? Why must such knowledge be refused to her? Was it because he thought she might tell someone? But if that’s so, then who would believe her?

But now she knew that there were some things beyond the seams of Yoojin’s reality. The realization conceived a number of questions. Questions like whether the knowledge of such beings something she needs to know? Did she have the right to know? Why does she want to know about them so much? Was it plain curiosity or was it something more?

Yoojin took a deep breath, let it out and uncurled her palms and lifted them up from where they were cradled against her lap to her face. The burning sun behind her illuminated her palms and she inspected the specks of dried blood blankly.

The blood was a pretty color dappled against her palm, his blood was.

She played the memories of the two encounters she had with the supernatural men and there was one thing, she found with a shudder, in common in both of those instances. When she was left alone in the silence of her apartment long after the man had departed and when she in the middle of the vortex of color and darkness.

It was the fear.

The fear that made her heart beat frantically against her ribs, threatening to break them. The fear that made her skin crawl and break out in cold sweat. The fear that made her want to scream for help for anyone but she didn’t dare open , afraid that the source of it all would come crawling back for her. The same fear that made her eyes prickle with tears and reduce her to a whimpering and sobbing mess.

There was also another thing in common. She thought back to what she heard just before she was swept away to the rooftop. A syllable she thought was just a product of her imagination (although, she wasn’t sure now either).

“Sorry.”

---

Jaehwan waited for Hongbin to get back. He resumed swinging his legs lightly from the edge of the bed. The bed wasn’t so high and his legs were long as well so every swing made a shuffling noise against the marble tiles. He was thankful for the sound. It helped him from dwelling in his thoughts too much. He wasn’t even aware of his hand rubbing the bandaged one in small, slow circles.

There was a light ‘whoosh’ and Jaehwan straightened up. The sounds was indicative of Hongbin’s return. The process is quite fast, Jaehwan mused, all of it happening in a blink of an eye, but Jaehwan has witnessed long enough to be able see each stage clearly.

The wall towards his right constricted, like someone pinched from the other side and turned it. Then for a split second, there was a moment of nothing, much like the blank space between two frames in an old film. The blank space spat out a tall figure and went to being what it was previously.

Hongbin straightened up and Jaehwan looked away before their eyes could meet, already dreading the inevitable.

“Hyung…”

“Let’s find the doctor already. We’ve wasted enough time as it is,” he hopped off the bed and made for the door in quick steps.

Before he could reach the door, however, Hongbin’s hand shot out and grabbed Jaehwan by the scruff of his neck; a spot that was a weakness to the elder. A shiver ran down his being and suddenly Jaehwan immediately froze in his spot.

Damn, this man…

“Hyung, how do you know that nurse?”  Jaehwan tried squirming out of the younger’s hold but when the fingers tightened pressing on that same spot, Jaehwan gave up with a silent huff.

“It’s a long story, alright? I’ll tell you when we have time,” Jaehwan tried to keep the exasperation out of his voice. For some reason, this entire situation was irking him and being asked to explain himself was not helping.

He turned around and saw Hongbin staring right back at him. The younger was squinting skeptically at him. “You’re… won’t lie to me, will you?” he asked slowly.

Jaehwan gasped in mock horror and croaked like an old woman, “How dare you say that to me?!” Then changing his voice to that of a toddler, he slapped Hongbin lightly on the shoulder and said, “Hyungie wouldn’t keep anything from widdle bean-bean!” He puckered his lips and made wet sounds at the other until he heard a groan.

The younger looked like he was ready to kill the person who told Jaehwan that the elder’s aegyo was endearing. Probably Wonshik. He was gonna have to talk to with his friend later.

---

“Oppa, can I ask you something?”

Jinki looked up from where his nose was buried into his bowl of noodles. His cheek bulged out with food and his widened eyes made him look like a hamster and Yoojin barely managed to hide a smile at that.

He quickly chewed his food and swallowed it, his brows crinkling at the effort. If she didn’t know him better, she’d have thought that he was choking. “Sure, go ahead,” his tone was light but careful for it wasn’t common for Yoojin to be so formal as to ask permission to pose a question. He pushed the half empty bowl away and leaned in close to hear over the din of the customers around them in the little restaurant.

She stared back at him, deliberating whether or not she should go ahead with her enquiry. Then, with a decisive sigh, she pulled the chopsticks out of which she had been nervously nibbling on, placed it on the table and straightened up.

“Oppa,” she started, choosing her words carefully. “Do you think there are people in this world that are different? Different from how you and I are?”

The doctor blinked once, then twice before cocking his head back, slightly taken aback. It was weird question to ask, simply because Yoojin was smart enough to the answer herself. Jinki figured she wanted to know his thoughts and decided to humour her.

He tilted his head to the side in contemplation and began, “Well, of course. Isn’t everyone like that? We all are different from each other, aren’t we? Some of us have qualities that the other does not.” He lifted a finger in the air as if to emphasize his point and continued, “And it is that difference that makes the world work so efficiently. Our differences, rather than separating us, brings us together where everyone’s uniqueness is complimentary to the others’.”

Yoojin shook her head, letting out a small chuckle. It died out instantly and the serious mien slid back in place. “No, no. What I mean is different, as in not being fundamentally human…” she trailed off, scrutinizing the man’s face, not really knowing what to search for.

At first Jinki frowned, trying to make sense of Yoojin’s words. Then, as Yoojin watched, the easiness on Jinki’s face melted away, replaced by something hard, heavy and positively intimidating. Yoojin froze in her seat, her heart hammering as she saw the doctor’s eyebrows twist into a scowl, his lips stretched into a thin and accentuating his sharp jawline. His eyes were like hot embers burning into Yoojin.

She found that had gone dry but didn’t dare make a move. The many conversations floating about the restaurant seemed to be muffled as all of her senses focused on her friend, trying to discern the sudden change. Onew looked more frightening than he did when they came across Baekhyun and Chanyeol that night.

   Suddenly, a loud, boisterous burst through the noisy air, immediately muted against the existing racket. Yoojin started, blinking for a few moments when she heard it come from the doctor.

“Yoojin, you don’t mean superheroes, do you?” he managed to utter from between guffaws.

She stared at him in unmasked disbelief. It was as if the man he was just a few moments ago had never been there. The man in front of her was the same happy, caring and ditsy Onew she had always known. She was beginning to wonder if she had imagined it all. Certainly, such a reaction to her question was completely baseless.

Onew laughter slowly died out when he mistook Yoojin’s disbelief for embarrassment and cleared his throat, “If that is what you mean, then I assure you, they do not exist. I cannot imagine a world with them in it,” He pointed a finger at Yoojin in warning and continued, “Don’t believe what the comic books tell you!”

Unbeknownst to her, the ends of twitched into a smile until her shoulders were shaking in quiet laughter. I don’t know what I expected… The thought pranced around her mind.

But really what was she expecting? For Jinki to deny the existence of people like her intruder when she witnessed twice what people like him were capable of? Or for him to confirm it and fling her further into the disorienting vortex of confusion and fear?

“Are you going to begin on your rant about how life is boring without anything out of ordinary in it?” Onew said as his teeth ripped through a piece of fried chicken; a bribe Yoojin gave in order to get Onew out of the hospital and its less than satisfactory mess food.

“No, but you have to agree with me on that! It is so boring…”

---

Yoojin’s boots made contact with the asphalt noiselessly, adding to the silence around her. It was some time past midnight. Yoojin flapped her coat around her, feeling the cool drift of air around her body, jostling her sense into alertness. She shook her head roughly from side to side as the split second of dizziness calmed her mind.

Her steps were light and deliberately slow for she wanted to stay out as much as possible. It wasn’t every day that she found herself on a street so beautifully deserted, the waning moon peeking out of a veil of dark clouds like a seductress. The air was still as if it was slumbering, much like most of humanity around this time.

It was all the more important to enjoy this night since Yoojin was actually livid enough to remember it. Most of the time, she would be home by the time the sun was just over Seoul’s skyline, or she would stay back so late that the journey home would just be a fuzzy memory and her mind would be too exhausted to form any coherent thought.

 Yoojin released a long breath, trying to get comfortable with the weird feeling in her stomach. The feeling one gets when they eat way too much and engages in exercise soon after. However, the whole affair, or rather, the fuss with dinner was quite fun.

Earlier today, sometime during the late morning, Dr. Lee had suddenly flung an invitation to dinner at her. It was the time ever that the good doctor invited her over to dinner and judging by Onew’s general clumsiness with cleaning things around him, Yoojin hesitated at first before eventually agreeing.

In retrospect, she thought it a regrettable decision to have declined the invitation, even though there was a growing styroform palace in the corner of his apartment smelling of fried chicken. Jinki tried to make dinner for the two of them but when he burned the spaghetti noodles on the fire and Yoojin couldn’t find any salvageable ingredients, they resigned to ordering pizza, fried chicken and some coke.

 They talked of trifling things and other more important issues alike. But the two never ventured past the line where things got too personal. They knew and trust each other to come out with it when it was time. The simple meal and the company of a friend made her feel worlds better than she had felt in a long time.

She spied the entrance of a familiar park, a long detour towards home. Forsaking traffic safety rules, she sipped lightly across the road without looking both ways and came to a silent stop in front of the park entrance. She shimmied her way into the small rusty iron gate and sauntered in.

She wandered about the park, going nowhere in particular. The park was a huge expanse of grass, hedges growing around it. Beyond it was a thin pathway, flanked by a thicket of bushes and trees on the other side. There was a small playground tucked into one corner.

Walking down the long pathway cluttered with benched and streetlamps beside them, Yoojin thought of a lot things and of nothing at all. She thought of Jinki’s strange invitation to dinner even though it was clear that he could not cook. She knew it was just her over thinking things but regardless, there was always a reason to every one of Onew’s uncharacteristic actions.

She looked over to the playground and thought of her childhood. She thought of the times when she played on the swings and the monkey bars and slides and jungle gym and waved goodbye to her friends who ran to embrace their parents, leaving her to trudge back to her aunt’s house alone.

She thought of the empty memories that were her forgotten seven years. The seven years in which she had lost her family; a mother, a father and a brother. A forgotten home that no doubt was cold and empty, mourning for the lost family that inhabited it. Or was it giving shelter to another family? She hoped their fate was different from the previous residents.  

She thought of the years when girls fussed over their hair and which one of the boys in their class would be the best husbands when she poured all of her time and energy into martial arts. All she fussed over was how she would get her washed uniforms to dry in time for the next class.

With a bitter chuckle, it dawned on her how useless all of that had been when it was obvious she couldn’t even win against people who others into the ground or abandon them in places across the world in the blink of an eye. Perhaps, she would have been better handling a hair straightener than a Bo staff and thought of dating boys into of wiping the floor with them.

She hadn’t realized that, in her thoughts, she had stopped walking. She body swayed by the weight of recollection and the feeling that came flooding along. The streetlight, an old one of Victorian design, somewhere behind her cast a dark and long shadow in front of her and she found herself staring stuporously at it, watching it move in tandem to her body.

And just like it was the past week, she thought of her intruder. His face, too, looked like her shadow; so dark and devoid of any human semblance as he pushed the pleading man’s face further into the floor with the sole of his shoe.

A dull thump threw her out of her thoughts and she looked over to the streetlamp where a lot of insects were throwing themselves against the murky glass. She, then, realized that her face was scrunched into a deep frown.

What an idiot am I? Thinking of that man and giving him the reins to my emotions! But she knew that no reprimand would deny the fact that when he stepped into her life, she was given a peep into a world so frightening she wanted to run and hide.

Only two encounters with the man and her life was turned inside out. Suddenly, she was given the vision to gaze beyond the seams of the familiar and out into the darkness and seemed to want to swallow her whole. Suddenly, she was left alone in the cold, torn away from the warmth and security of her ignorance and her pride left in tatters, making her feel more powerless than when she couldn’t save a life in the surgery room. For at least in the surgery room, she knew she had tried her hardest and that she made every effort to try and turn the situation into a better one.

Yoojin froze, eyes set intently on her shadow as she listened. There was a slight wind, rustling the leaves on the branches. She heard the chains on the swings creak as they were agitated by the night breeze.

But despite that, she could still hear the sound of approaching footsteps.

Sure enough, she could make out an approaching figure on the other end of the pathway. She shrugged it off, reasoning that if she could enjoy midnight strolls, anyone could. She, too, began walking, deciding that it was getting too late and she had work tomorrow.

She walked at a slow pace, her eyes fixed on nothing in particular but occasionally glancing over at the person walking towards her. She could make out that that the person was a man for the lack of hair and his overall build. He was tall, taller than her with broad shoulder, a lean waist and hip and long legs. As he approached closer, she could make out the chiseled jaw line, high cheek bones, brown hair, fluffy and soft, falling over his forehead and a big nose.

She stopped dead in a tracks as her heart and stomach sunk deeper down her body which left her feeling lethargic. The fear wasn’t there to be left but she would worry about it later.

All he knew was that she didn’t want this. Not after what she had just resolved to do.

Third time’s really the charm, isn’t it?

 He, too, stopped short of a few meters when he saw her, his eyes bulging wide. For some reason, that always made his already big nose look even bigger. The reaction truly was comical but Yoojin couldn’t bring herself to laugh. Although, she wanted to chuckle bitterly at the cruel joke fate was playing on her.

Unlike her, the man did let out a low chuckle and strangely, it made Yoojin feel a tad bit better. The frown on her face dissipated and she looked at the ground, shuffling her weight from foot to foot.

They stood in silence for about a minute or two, a million thoughts racing through Yoojin’s mind until she stopped at one thing in particular which gave her the resolve to look back at the man. He looked at her with eyes gleaming with light expectance and eyebrows slightly raised and attentive.

Yoojin looked back into his eyes, adjusted the strap of her backpack on one shoulder. She gave a short bow of acknowledgement and resumed walking, passing by the man who frowned, blinking in confusion.

She in a deep breath, striding fast and sure. Well, that’s done with.

She didn’t make it far when his voice rang out loud and clear through the night air, “I thought you wanted to know who… what I am.”

She stopped, turning on her heels and saw the man facing her. He had one foot forward and leaned his weight on it, as if he was about to stalk after her. She noticed, a tiny glimpse of regret that passed across his half illuminated face.

She stood there, trying to not seem as utterly bewildered as she felt. Once again, she took to looking at the ground, trying to calm herself down and react in a way that seemed appropriate. She her lips, biding her time and then said, “I decided that I don’t want to. Living in ignorance is such a bad thing, apparently.”

And for the first time since meeting him, she smiled. It was a resigned sort of smile.

He was quick to return it, and his hands moved, fingers hitting lightly at the side of his thighs. A rustling was heard and Yoojin’s eyes flicked down to a polythene bag dangling from one his hands. “Is that so? That’s… That’s a shame, I suppose. Is it weird that I am a bit disappointed?”

“I don’t know,” she shrugged, although she did find it weird.

Silence befell the park once again. Neither of them moved an inch, even though Yoojin knew she could just leave and he wouldn’t be able to stop her. But here she was, waiting for him to say something just after finally deciding to not involve herself into this…business anymore.

“Do you like banana milk?” Yoojin’s eyes snapped up at the man in front of her as he held up the ploythene bag and shook it a little.

---

What the hell am I doing?! What the hell am I doing?! Why am I here?! Why did I say yes?! I don’t even like banana milk!

Yoojin swallowed and fought to keep a straight face as her hands wrung painfully at the metal links holding the swing. The one next hers was creaking slightly as her big nosed companion swayed lightly on it. He didn’t dare look at him, lest he find how utterly and abnormally absurd this situation was playing out to be. It look all of her willpower not to just bolt out of that park right then and there.

“You must be feeling a bit uncomfortable sitting here like this, I guess?” the upward tilt in his voice made the sentence sound like a question. She pursed her lips and blinked at him dumbly.

Would sitting in an abandoned park in the dead of the night swinging away with a dangerous, murderous big nosed man be considered as uncomfortable? Well… she couldn’t really say.

“I mean, you wouldn’t be feeling exactly at home right here and now. How weird is this? Even I’m feeling rea-”

“Wasn’t there a promise of banana milk somewhere in this whole affair?” Yoojin cut in, staring deadpan with a raised eyebrow. She didn’t mean to cut him or nor was she having any hankering for banana milk. She was hoping the question would ease the tension a bit. It all came down to whether the other man picked up on it or not.

And when he smiled, plush lips spreading to reveal pearly white teeth and his eyes crinkling into happy crescents, she turned away quickly because it would rude to stare.

He handed her one bottle and a straw and took one out for himself. They drank in silence. The drink wasn’t cold but chilled enough to be refreshing. Yoojin asked, “What’s your name?”

The man cocked his head back and frowned at her, “I thought you didn’t want to know about me.”

“What’s wrong with knowing your name?” she frowned back at him and blew bubbles into the plastic container. The man blinked at her for a while as if trying to decide whether to disclose him name or not.

Finally, he said, “Lee Jaehwan. Yours?”

“Seo Yoojin.”

Jaehwan nodded in acknowledgment and the silence crept back like spilt water on the ground.  

“Why the sudden decision to not bother anymore?” Yoojin kept sipping at her bottle, contemplating when the sudden gurgling sound indicated that the bottle was empty. She leaned down to set the empty bottle on the ground and when she straightened up, she found another one inches away from her face, and Jaehwan smiley face beyond it.

Quietly, she took it and poked a hole with the straw before inching it in. “As much as I thought I could handle any danger to my life, I can’t fight that which is on a completely different level than anything I know. And I treasure my life,” she finished and took a sip, before continuing, “Isn’t this what you wanted? Then why do… this?” She gestured vaguely about her but Jaehwan understood what she meant.

Jaehwan tilted his head to one side, shut his eyes and made a thoughtful noise that sounded partly like a moan. “I guess…,” he started, “I wanted to apologize. I shouldn’t have involved you in something you didn’t understand and that which made you so afraid.”

Yoojin wanted to argue that she wasn’t afraid but it was useless. She was afraid. She still was.

She kept her gaze on him waiting for more as it looked like he was still holding something back but he didn’t say anything and kept a steady gaze at the streetlamp on the opposite end of the park.

This time, when the silence settled, there was a sense of finality to it. Like she was reading the fast few sentences on the last page of a book. She gave Jaehwan a sidelong look and wondered if this was the last she was ever going to see him.

Jaehwan...

But she didn’t have to wonder. She knew this was it. So why not commemorate this moment?

“Apology accepted,” she smiled a genuine, happy one and watched his eyes widen slightly before he too reciprocated the gesture. Turning towards him in her seat, she held out her half full bottle and said, “Here’s to never seeing each other again.”

“Never seeing each other again!” he repeated loudly that sounded a tad bit forced. They clinked bottles before Jaehwan ripped the covering off the bottle and downed the contents with a ‘whoop’. Yoojin raised an eyebrow but followed nevertheless.