Used to the Darkness || DoTae

Chapter Three

Please refer to the end of this chapter for trigger warnings if you require them.

Friday, April 8th 2158, 16:57.

Cheongnam, South Korea.

The Lim Family office was accessible via a cramped alleyway parallel to the Geumdong River, and the neighbouring bar Ilchul was no different. A sign swung above the door in the gentle breeze that managed to slip down the narrow road, alerting each curious passer-by to the small bar's presence. Doyoung doubted that it was particularly popular, given the sheltered location, but he could see through the window that there were indeed people inside. It made sense that Lim Kangdae would choose such an inconspicuous location to unwind, and he could see the appeal.

Beside him, Taeyong was about to walk straight into Ilchul, but Doyoung reached out and grabbed him by the collar of his denim jacket and pulled him back. He didn't understand how the older man could be so witless as to walk straight into a bar that he knew was under the Lim Family's protection. His position as Captain meant nothing while the whole of the Namjeong Clan blamed him for Lim Kangdae's murder. "Are you stupid? You can't just walk into there as though nothing has happened!"

"What do you expect me to do? I told you I was coming with you, whether you like it or not. Plus, your Chief told you to let me tag along, yeah? Insubordination isn't tolerated in the Namjeong Clan, so I'm damned sure that it ain't allowed in the country's secret service," said Taeyong.

"You're insufferable. If you walk in there right now, how many Namjeong Clan men do you think will be inside? We don't know whether the owner of Ilchul has agreed to give up your location if they see you. You could be shot dead within minutes," said Doyoung, reaching into the pocket inside of his blazer. "You've got gloves, right? I know you hitman carry around your equipment like it's a fifth limb, so put them on. Take off your eyepatch, too. I have some sunglasses that you can wear."

Taeyong snickered, shaking his head as Doyoung presented a pair of cheap sunglasses. "You've got no class, Kim. I've seen homeless people with more expensive possessions than you have."

"I'm not interested in materialism, Lee Taeyong. Life cannot be reduced to the items we own or the money we burn—we need to have a reason to strive for the best in ourselves. Wealth is the Devil's game, and I have no interest in playing it," said Doyoung, watching as the gangster put on his gloves, consequently hiding what was showing of his cybernetic limb.

"Oh, I get it now. You're a preacher, yeah?" asked Taeyong, making the other man furrow his brow. "I have a question for you. It's serious, I promise. Do you ever think about having sex with somebody in a church? Hear me out—don't you think that would be exciting? It's just you, them, and the big man himself. You can't get much more affectionate for your God than putting on a show for his eyes only."

"I thought I told you that I didn't want to hear any of your blasphemous ideas?"

"You never specified blasphemous, Kim. I'm just having a bit of fun," said Taeyong, pulling his eyepatch from around his head.

Doyoung couldn't help but catch a glance of Taeyong's face as took away the black fabric, though the latter didn't give him much time to gawk, as he quickly replaced the eyepatch with the sunglasses and fixed them onto his face. Taeyong's eye region was undeniably unsightly, even if he couldn't see the hollow socket as the older man's split eyelid hid it from the world. His scar was even thicker where it joined over the perimeter of the empty socket. Doyoung assumed that Taeyong's eyelid had either been stitched together, or in a miraculous feat of the human body, it had healed following the trauma.