The Sun to my Moon

Chapter 41: Deep breaths

When Go Haeri emerged from her office, her face was pale and she was carrying two letters. She handed them to Tae-ung. "Can you give these to my brother and mother?" she said quietly.

Tae-ung tucked them in the breast pocket of his jacket. "Ne, Timjangnim. Will do."

"Gomawoyo." She took off her cross necklace and handed it to Hwa-sook, who was seated at her desk. "Snow white, I want you to give this to my brother for me."

Hwa-sook looked stricken. "Are you sure? It could be… you know, comforting, to have it with you."

"I'm sure," Haeri said. "I wouldn't want him to, uh, take it from me." Cha Dal-geon grimaced at the thought of Samael ripping this symbol that represented so much of who Haeri was away from her. The rest of the team was equally appalled. "My brother should have it," Haeri said hastily, in an effort to get past the sticky moment.

Hwa-sook looked unhappily at the necklace in her hand. "I'll make sure he gets it."

"Gomawoyo. Will you do one more thing for me?"

Hwa-sook looked up and met her eyes. "Name it."

Haeri smiled wryly. "Teach him how to knock down someone twice his size for me, will you?"

Hwa-sook looked to be on the point of tears. "Sure thing, Timjangnim," she managed, ducking her head to conceal the tears welling in her eyes.

Haeri put her hand on Hwa-sook's shoulder. "Gomawo."

Keeping her head down, Hwa-sook reached up and blindly patted Haeri's hand with her own, muffling her quiet sniffles with her other hand.

Haeri's hand slipped from Hwa-sook's shoulder and she looked at the rest of the team. "Okay. Kaja."

___________

They all rode to the old theater together. The brief moment of peace the card trick had afforded them was over, and the tension had returned to the group tenfold. Tae-ung drove. Haeri was in the front seat, with Dal-geon and Hwa-sook in the middle and Se-hun in the back. Dal-geon rather wished Haeri was the one next to him.

Hwa-sook was doing her best to contain herself, but she was inclined to be weepy. She was understandably upset that this was probably the last time the team would ever be together before the fatal loss of two of its members, but Dal-geon found the experience of witnessing someone grieve for him before he'd actually died rather uncomfortable.

Haeri, on the other hand, was sitting in tense silence. For once, Dal-geon had no idea what she was thinking. Nonetheless, he would have appreciated having a few moments of being close to her before they walked to their deaths together.

When they pulled up to the theater, the parking lot was empty, and the place looked gray and desolate.

Tae-ung parked near the edge of the parking lot, away from the main entrance of the theater. He cast a glance around the abandoned theater. "The valet here sucks," he remarked.

Haeri choked out a startled laugh, and Dal-geon felt the sound pierce his chest like a knife. Would this be the last time he ever heard Haeri laugh? He'd catalogued a thousand of her smiles in his memory palace, but had he ever thought to take the time to parse the distinct tones of Haeri's laughter? Surely he had, but why was his mind a blank? She had a wonderful laugh. He hastily tried to commit the sound to memory, but he'd been unprepared- the echoes were already slipping away.

Haeri got out of the car, and the rest of them followed suit.

Tae-ung checked his watch. "Quarter to four."