Bullets & Promises ✔️

40. Anger Issues & Discoveries

The doctor peels his eyes shut, ready for the next blow but it never comes. Instead, Dae Ho clambers away with shocked eyes and mouth agape.

"If I ever go berserk again, please leave me alone. I can't bear the consequences after it if I hurt someone. It happens with me at times so don't worry, I can handle myself." Dae Ho's previous words ring in Haneul's mind and he dashes out of the apartment to protect himself, the door closing with a loud thud.

The fighter breathes shallowly, his hands curling into tight fists, knuckles turning white. He's done it again. Assaulted Haneul without any restraints. He keeps messing up and it's all his fault. Why is it so hard to control his emotions? It's either he's numb or overwhelmed, there's no in-between. Another day added to his long list of shame and guilt. There's nothing he can do now, what's done is done. But he at least needs to apologize for his actions. So, he sends Haneul a message and quickly slides the mobile phone away from him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hit you"

Dae Ho brings his folded legs to his chest and drops his head on them, arms coming to hug himself. He lets the events of today calmly replay in his mind this time, trying to search for clues or if they had overlooked anything. His head hurts, despondency taking over. He needs a drink. He stands up to get a bottle when he sees the wallet and car keys Haneul had given him earlier. The fighter walks towards the items and inspects them. It's been so long since he'd seen them. He opens his wallet and goes through the cards in it, chuckling at how he's never needed them when being underground. A criminal has his way of getting by without any legal identification.

A nostalgic smile stretches across his lips when he holds the keychain. A simple rectangular metal piece with the name 'Han Jisoo' engraved on it. Although it's not his, it holds a special place in his heart since it's the only thing he has from his past, the past he still can't remember to this day. He feels the cold metal and runs his thumb over it, putting it down to get the drink he wants.

For now, he wants to drown himself in nothingness, hoping for a sleep that'll ease his mind. The booze that'll help him forget the face that'll soon be bruised because of him.

He's about to lie on the couch when he freezes, the hand holding the neck of the alcohol bottle in midair.

"It's not yours but yours, hidden in its heart is the key to unending power."

Park Seonho's words, the very statement that has been haunting him for years, the helplessness he felt when he couldn't figure them out knew no bounds. But now, his fingers tremble at the hope that instills in him. A wave of anxiety engulfs him as he walks back and picks up the piece.

The keychain.

It's his but not his since it practically belongs to his twin, Han Jisoo.

Hidden in its heart is the key to unending power.

Dae Ho grabs a Swiss knife tucked in his pocket and lodges the blade between the edge of the keychain and the middle piece that has Jisoo's name, snapping it open the next second by chucking it into the air, the metal falling with a clank on the tiled floor.

Dae Ho's breath hitches at the sight of a USB taped inside. His legs feel jelly and his throat clogs at its presence.

Four whole years. He searched every nook and cranny of each item or place he owned and flipped them upside down but nothing came up. He had completely forgotten about this keychain. It's so ironic that Dae Ho wants to cry. Kim Haneul had the key to all his agony, literally. He appeared out of nowhere and just handed him answers he himself didn't know of. His mind is bombarded with 'what ifs' just like it usually does.