"You're so dead, freckle boy!" A short boy let go of a taller boy and picked up a handful of mud, throwing it at Daleun, but he was quick to dodge it.
"Mud fight!" One of the the, yelled and he picked up a handful of mud, hitting the shortest blurred figured and the tallest at the same time.
"Felix, you're a lifesaver!"
Another flashback, his head started to hurt before he could conjure up questions of the flashback, having Daleun curl up on the floor, groaning in agony.
"Hey," A blurry figure, somehow paler looking than the rest, awkwardly greeted, "good morning, Felix, sunshine."
Then all of a sudden, the blurred faces revealed themselves, having Daleun gasping in shock and confusion as he continued to suffer the pain that his head has been giving him.
Suddenly, everything went dark.
"Daleun? Daleun?" Moti tried to shake Daleun, but no response, "Help! Help! The president's cousin has lost consciousness!"
"He has restored his memories, alright, some of them," Daleun heard blurred out voices in the dark, he heard a female's voice first, then he heard Moti's, "He should take about one 300mg pill for thrice a day to prevent the headaches, and he needs rest."
"Thank you, Doctor Komatsu..."
"Should I say that you should be the one to tell the president about this later?" Dr. Komatsu trailed off, "The man seems very busy, perhaps find the perfect timing to tell him this news."
"Yes, I will," Moti nodded.
Daleun slowly opened his eyes, somehow seeing the cherub painted ceiling of his room, he slowly turned his head and saw Moti bidding his goodbyes to the doctor that quickly came to see Daleun earlier.
"Mo...ti..." Daleun croaked, but it was loud enough for Moti to swing his head towards Daleun's direction and quickly go back beside him.
"You alright, kid?" Moti asked, face painted in a worried expression, the following words coming in quick in a panic, "You suddenly were screaming and gasping, I didn't know what to do- and you fainted, which felt like I was about to faint too but-"
"Moti," Daleun coughed, then breathed, cutting off the older male in the middle of his sentence, "I'm alright, I just got a great amount of flashbacks today."
"You can tell me about your restored memories later," Moti said, taking a pill from the bottle the doctor gave him earlier, and gave it to Daleun, "but for now, you need to recover, especially when the party is close, you don't want to be absent on that event, do you?"
"Of course not," Daleun then drank the pill in one go and he lied back down with a sigh, eyes wandering around the painted ceiling, while Moti was trying to contact Taeyong. "Moti..." He called.
"Yeah?"
"Could you please not tell Taeyong that I had flashbacks today?" Daleun asked, requesting.
Moti hesitated at first but then he nodded assertively, "Sure, sure, kid, anything." What Moti didn't know was that Daleun's flashbacks didn't just consisted of Chan's team including a few others that he didn't see, but Taeyong was part of the flashbacks.
"Hey, Moti," Daleun sat up on his bed and backed up a bit so he could lean back, "in my flashbacks, they called me Felix, but... I'm Daleun, Lee Daleun, wherever did I get the name Felix?"
Moti pondered for a few seconds, it had been a while since he last heard that name, the first time he heard it was at an unpleasant time.
"Hey, Daleun," he called, having the man on the bed turn his head to him, "I wish I could tell you everything, but..." he paused, then sighed, full of remorse, "I need you to find out everything on your own."
"So you know everything all this time?" Daleun's brows met at the middle as he sent Moti a look of confusion.
"Not everything," Moti answered with all honesty, "I just don't want to tell you all I know when there's no certainty if what I know is actually true, that's why I let you slip out of the palace, that's why I always cover for you."
"Whose side am I supposed to be?" Daleun asked, fidgeting with his blanket.
"That's up to you to find out," Moti replied.
"Am I on the good side?" Daleun asked once more.
"That's still up to you to find out." Moti answered, making Daleun chuckle.
"Then what am I allowed to know about?" Daleun asked, lying down on his bed, "I don't know if I'm on the right side and whose side is the right side."
"Well, I can tell you that your name is not really Daleun," Moti began, looking at Daleun with kind eyes, "and I can tell you that when you are able to choose a side, I'd follow you and be loyal to you and trust your choices."
▂ ▃ ▄ ▅ ▆ ▇ █ █ ▇ ▆ ▅ ▄ ▃ ▂
On the course of three days of organizing new obstacles and evaluating amphitheater beasts, Daleun's mind had been trying to figure out his memories, as if they felt like a fever dream to him, to him, it felt like they were the most unbelievably real things that happened ever in his life from when he gain consciousness.
His memories did confuse him, but they also made him feel...safe. Daleun felt like he was home as he tried to replay the restored memories in his head. But it was inevitable to question why his cousin's sworn enemies and prisoners, were part of his life prior to his coma.
"You're in a daze again," Moti spoke with an amused smile playing along his lips, "what's bothering you again? Is it the memories?" He asked.
"Yeah," Daleun's shoulders slumped at the thought, his cloak slipping off of his left shoulder as he did so, "not only that, but I'm feeling extra anxious, for the tattoo," he added, a sheepish smile on display for Moti to see, "I mean, it's just a tattoo, what harm could it cause me?"
Moti shrugged and the action brought Daleun to glaze his eyes over each and every visible tattoo that he has on his arms.
"Does it hurt?" Daleun asked and this didn't come unnoticed to Moti, Daleun's eyes were trained on his ink covered arms.
All that the latter could do was chuckle, and with a reassuring pat on Daleun's shoulder and a smile of encouragement sent his way, Moti replied, "The question that you should ask is 'How painful is it?'"
"Oh," Daleun's cheeks flushed for a few seconds before returning to their natural color, "then how painful is it?"
"Depends on what part of the body you're gonna get your tattoo," Moti replied instantly, "but since you're gonna be probably talking while getting it done, I suppose the pain would be tolerable when you're distracted."
With a sigh to calm his nerves and a determined look to himself on the mirror, Felix stood up and took his satchel, later on fixing his cloak and putting on his mask.
"I'll probably be gone for a while," Daleun said as he stood by the makeshift rope, "I hung a 'Do not disturb' sign on the door knob, and I also locked the doors, but if anyone tries to enter, tell them that I'm not feeling well and that they can try to reach me tomorrow."
With a nod from Moti, Daleun swiftly climbed down, sure that no guards were on duty by that hour, and with no struggle, he had climbed over the wall and faded into the city, all out of Moti's sight.
Moti went out of Daleun's room, locked the door as soon as he was sure that he had a spare key with him and hung a "Do not disturb" sign over the knob. He walked down the quiet and lengthy corridors, giving no attention to any of the manipulated and strangely large portraits of Daleun with Taeyong and his family, knowing well that Daleun wasn't even a part of those in the first place.
Unfortunately, for Moti, he also had some business for that night, surprisingly, an old friend of his wanted to meet up with him at a sketchy low profiled bar, not that he didn't trust the man, but it had been years since they last talked to each other.
"Maniacal Minx," Moti muttered to himself as he saw the signage of the bar, the security guard instantly recognized him and let him pass.
Moti instantly started searching for a face among the people inside the bar, unlike high profile bars, this one was quite peaceful, no crazy crowd dancing to the music, no trouble lurking at every corner, no scandalous scenarios unveiling, just people talking and drinking peacefully, very civil.
Striding up to the counter, Moti approached the bartender first, "I'm looking for a guy named Kang Daeho," he whispered, careful so no one else would hear him, aside from the bartender.
The bartender didn't say a single word, he only gave Moti a note that stated a room number. He thanked the bartender shortly before walking towards the corridor full of doors.
Knocking on the door for about three times, Moti heard someone from the other side of the door say, "Come in."
And so he did, entering the room and shutting the door along with the noise and commotion happening outside.
"Old friend," Gaho stood up with arms wide open ready to greet his long time friend with an embrace.
They both share a hug and both settled down on the couch, drinks were already prepped as well as some food.
"Long time no talk," Moti said as he poured himself a drink, "I never got the chance to talk to you until now."
"Yeah," Gaho chuckled as he settled back on the couch, "just wish we could have meet up in better circumstances, not like this, not while I'm still a prisoner."
"Well, it doesn't matter, you're still one of my best buds," Moti smiled before taking a short swig from his drink, "and I didn't just call you out to meet up just for catching up."
Gaho's happy expression morphed into a worried and serious expression at the indirect mention of this meet up to not be just a normal old friends meet up.
He should have trusted his own guts the moment that Moti sent an e-mail to the tattoo shop's e-mail address.
"What's up?"
"It's Felix..." Moti said after a few moments of silence, taking Gaho aback, he certainly didn't look like he was expecting Moti to say that.
"Yeah? What about him?"
"He's alive."
>>>>+<<>>+<<<<
"Ah, Daleun, right on time!" Hyunjin greeted Daleun as he entered the shop, others were there, minding their own business, "Chan is waiting for you, you can leave your stuff here and you can strip off your shirt at his booth."
"Thanks." Daleun smiled, setting his bag on the counter before heading to a corridor with doors, all either closed or open with the names of the tattoo artists.
Daleun reached the third door and saw Chan setting up his booth. The older male noticed Daleun's presence. Chan looked up, and smiled narrowly at him.
"Hey, so you're Daleun, nice to meet you," Chan said as he held out a hand in order to formally shake Daleun's, "I believe we haven't formally met, if that includes meeting you at the last amphitheater event where-"
"Where Taeyong introduced me, yes," the younger male cut off with a sigh.
"You know who I am, but why do you pretend, Bang Chan?" Daleun though to himself, aware that the latter had been masking in front of him the moment their eyes met, "What was I... What was Felix to you?"
"You get your shirt off, make yourself comfortable; get a pillow you like and maybe a blanket, some snacks, and we'll get started," Chan said, putting on his gloves.
Daleun then proceeded to strip off his upper clothing, exposing his shoulder and chest sprinkled with freckles. He then went and laid down with a pillow.
"Are you comfortable?" Chan asked the younger male, hand hovering over the back of his waist, "Do you need anything else?"
"I'm quite comfortable," Daleun reassured with a nod, "I don't need anything else, thank you, and you may start whenever you're ready."
Chan smiled narrowly and nodded, picking up his materials.
"I just need you to know that this will not be painless, and that we can take breaks too," Chan informed, "I just need you to relax your body, and do anything to help you relax, I won't be so difficult to talk to."
"Thank you," Daleun said gratefully.
Chan then sanitized Daleun's back, put the stencil of the tattoo on, and switched his ink gun on, and was about to start, when the needle touched Daleun's skin, he flinched but kept his composure, breathing evenly so calm down.
Chan noticed Daleun's expression of discomfort, so he started to think of a conversation to distract him.
"Are there any things that you're currently interested in, Daleun?" Chan began, looking at Daleun for a split second before he continued.
"I can't get my mind off of the fact that you are still under a sentence but still working, it seems unfair," Daleun muttered, drumming his fingers.
"You're against Taeyong's governance?" Chan asked, not quite surprised since he believes that Daleun and Felix are the same person, and if they are, he's right here, in the same room with him.
"I think it's his corrupted and twisted way to entertain himself," Daleun replied as he sighed, "besides, I only agreed to be part of Amphitheater because he's been taking care of me."
"Taking care?" Chan questioned, "Sorry, what do you mean?"
"Oh, he said I was in a bad disaster made by your gang, some debris hit my head, I was in a coma and now I'm awake, with no memories to restore," Daleun explained nonchalantly, "but you guys don't seem like that," he added, "you all seem so nice."
Chan hummed, working his way on the single lines before he could proceed to the shadows.
"I'm sure it was all a misunderstanding," Daleun kept talking, Chan not minding at all, "but even so, you don't have much evidence if you did it or not."
"You could've just called your own personal tattoo artist," Chan spoke, "why go all the trouble escaping the comforts of the government palace?"
"I'm on my mission to restore my memories," Daleun answered, "most of those memories are outside of the palace, so I escape when I get the chance."
"I'm guessing that choosing the tattoo shop of the high profiled criminals of the districts, who might I add, was the cause of your amnesia, was your first choice to dig up your memories." Chan said, slightly catching Daleun by surprise at his supposed guess.
"You just guessed that?" Daleun raised an amused brow at Chan.
"I wanted to take the guess with the highest chance of being correct, so maybe," said Chan, shrugging his shoulders with a smug grin gracing his lips.
"Well, yes," Daleun answered, "my flashbacks last night seemed like they weren't mine, I can't get my head get used to the name Daleun after finding out what I used to get called."
"And that is..?" Chan looked at Daleun with curiosity.
"Felix," Daleun answered, "in my flashbacks, my friends called me Felix," with that, Chan was taken aback, but to hide it, he kept his cool and continued on Daleun's tattoo.
>>>>+<<>>+<<<<
"What do you mean he's alive?!" Gaho sprung up from his chair, "I saw him die– At... At least that's how I saw it."
"He did go to your shop, didn't he?" Moti raised an impatient brow at Gaho, annoyed by the fact that the latter is a sceptic.
"Yes, my friends said they saw him themselves, but..." Gaho said down with a sigh, "I'm not sure, maybe they're being paranoid."
"Lee Daleun's masked at his introductory ceremony for a reason..." Moti insinuated, "It wasn't even for fancies," he added, taking a sip from his drink. "Taeyong doesn't wanna stir up drama that soon, the man loves theatrics, should have been a ring leader instead of being one of the rulers of this forsaken country..."
"Then if Felix is alive an well, where is he now?" Gaho questioned.
"At that tattoo shop you and your friends built up," Moti nonchalantly answered, "look, he's just temporarily free and out, he wants to look for ways to restore his memories."
"And you think Chan helping him restore those is gonna work?"
"I know it will work." Moti said in confidence before drinking down his liquor, "Things are gonna be so interesting from here on out."
a/n
Missed me?