Incarnadine | Prequel to "Viridescence"

35

14th January
2015

A few hours after running away from his father's dead body, Hongjoong came back to the house check if Jangmi was there, but to his despair, police tape was wrapped all around the house. She's moved once again.

It hurt a lot for him to have been so close and still miss her. But now he's decided to move on. He will keep trying.

Hongjoong, Seonghwa and Yeosang sit at the dinner table together, having a meeting like they do every month.

"Hwa, how's the construction going?" Hongjoong asks Seonghwa to start the meeting. "It's going well, I talked to the workers and they said the house would be ready to live in within a month. I went to take a look at it yesterday and it really is perfect. It's in the middle of the countryside like you wanted, and the nearest village is extremely run-down and not a threat at all. I still met with the police department anyway and now they are officially on our side," he explains.

Hongjoong claps out of delight. "This is why you're the team's ace, I knew I could trust you!" he exclaims.

"Our 'team' only has three people though," Yeosang bluntly interrupts. Both Seonghwa and Hongjoong shoot him a threatening glare, causing him to shrink back in his seat.

"Anyways, I found a buyer for this house so they'll be moving in next month too. I've met with some more politicians and it looks like we have a lot of powerful people on our side. I was told to not worry about having to stay secretive, but if there's any conclusive evidence against us then we'll be investigated, but they also said that they'll let us go after investigating. So basically, we're unstoppable," Hongjoong announces next.

The three laugh excitedly. "That's amazing news! And how are your studies going, Yeosang?" Seonghwa wonders.

"They're going good, the work experience is also really helpful. Thank you for arranging that, Hongjoong," Yeosang smiles. Hongjoong pretends to be nonchalant but he feels happy after the praise. Even Hongjoong has warmed up to Yeosang in these years, the three of them now being quite close.

"And thank you for letting me do the extra language course as well, Seonghwa. I'm glad I can do what I've dreamt of at the same time as being a doctor."

Now it's Seonghwa's turn to grin and genuinely feels warm inside to hear that his friend is much happier with his life right now. Truthfully, it was Seonghwa that convinced Hongjoong to allow Yeosang to complete his studies and anything else he wants before he fully dedicates his time to helping the pair.

Hongjoong wasn't too amused with this idea, only having taken Yeosang into the team to use him. He scolded Seonghwa for being too soft, but still ended up listening to his requests in the end.

Ever since Harin came and left his life, Seonghwa has been facing intense anger issues. Anything and everything makes him angry now. When someone accidentally shoves him on the street, he snaps at them. When faced with a threat, he doesn't hesitate before lashing out at them, a lot of the time physically.

Hongjoong feels mild in comparison, but doesn't mind. As much of a fiery ball of rage Seonghwa is outside, he is still the sweetest friend at home. He reserves his cool mind for his close ones, and at the moment there's no one that can help him with his anger issues, especially since he doesn't want to be helped.

"Speaking of courses! Joong, I found some potential candidates to be our scientists. I'll need a while to observe them and see if they're alright or not, but I can watch them when you're out to look for Jangmi for the next while," Seonghwa declares.

Hongjoong's eyes light up and he nods. "I look forward to hearing the result."

19th January
2015