Payback AU: What If

Act 8 - FALLEN

"Turning over a new leaf".

It was usually something that happened after a dramatic change in someone's life. A family member's death, for example.

Thankfully, for Yoohan, it happened with a chance meeting in a dirty alley. No one had to die. No one had to be hurt. Well, some people got hurt, but fortunately not him.

Ever since that fateful summer day, Yoohan had felt his life changed a lot. He had thought that meeting someone as weird and as crazy as Yoon Jay would just bring his already chaotic life into more chaos. Unexpectedly, his life had never been this orderly.

He woke up early, working the only job a middle schooler like him could do. And then he went for a run. Training for that competition had got him a habit of running, aside from his usual exercise. He finally wore his uniform properly, attended class in time, pay attention to class, and even attended club...sometimes.

He was still quiet in school, but he talked a lot more at home. Or rather, his little brother talked more with him. Ever since the rent incident, Hansoo had been more at ease with him, and always tried to chat him up whenever Yoohan's home. And Yoohan tried his best to talk with him. Seeing his two sons interacting like a proper sibling, in turn, made their mother happier. Sure, they were still in a tight place, but at least they pulled through with a lighter mind. His mother was especially happy with how Yoohan always came home clean, without bloodied knuckles or nicked skins.

Yoohan had once come over to the corner street's kids and asked why it had been calmer these days. But the only answer he got was a weird look that was a mix between bewilderment and fear. Like they were somehow feeling afraid of offending him. Which was absurd. But they said nothing and just told him to not think about it much.

There was only one answer Yoohan could derive from that reaction. Those people had the same eyes as the kids in his school. And one day, Yoohan vaguely heard someone muttered a familiar name in dread.

Yoon Jay.

Was all this peace and fight-less life he had been enjoying the work of that guy too?

Yoon Jay had been, ever since they met, showered him with benefit after benefit. Money, stuff, tutoring—a chance for revenge. Even though Yoohan still had no idea how he could feel that "revenge" with just living properly like Jay said, things just seemed to happen that sent him into this "turning over a new leaf" path. And it could only happen because he chanced a meeting with a crazy high-schooler.

Now, Yoohan had what one would call a "normal" student life, where he realized he wasn't as dumb as he thought, that he had a talent in anything involving moving his body. That he didn't have to act as if he was at war with the world.

It couldn't be helped before though, for Yoohan had been so sick with mockery and bullying and the only thing he learned from elementary school was that the only way for him to escape the trouble kid was to become one. And he hadn't had the chance to prove otherwise until he met Jay.

Being with Yoon Jay, somehow, gave him the leeway to act his age. To sulk and then be merry. To feel giddy and experience joy. To act childish and be pampered. To be flustered and feel a butterfly on his stomach.

And then to feel scared that everything going to end someday.

***

Friday had become their favorite evening. It was when they were confined in a room, just the two of them. And since the new semester begin, the tutoring session had been moved to Alice's labyrinth, before or after their usual movie screening started.

Yoohan had become so familiar with this place that the club's employees even knew him, although except for the back door security, no one really knew his name. They called him "Young Master's little friend" which Yoohan despised—not sure because of the "little" or "friend" or because the whole young master thing made him cringed.