9 June, 10:27 A.M.
"...Haneul helped you break through your shell. Let him in."
"...he's looking for closure, I don't know what happened on the night you disappeared, but he blames himself for it."
Dae Ho slumps into the leather chair, his eyes fixed on the wall clock. For years, he's avoided Haneul like a plague, hoping to never see the man after he had promised himself to stay away from the doctor and not to involve him more than he already was. But the odds aren't in his favor. They never have been. One incident has led Haneul back into his life, making Dae Ho uneasy. "I need to do something about this," the fighter mutters, a quiver rising in his stomach. It's unnerving to not have the reins of his fate in his hands.
Choi Yoon constantly talking about Haneul irks Dae Ho, almost making him want to fire the hacker and find someone new. He's been using a new strategy to soften him for Haneul, blabbering about his current days or about Dae Ho's memories with him. Be it a casual conversation or in the middle of planning, he doesn't fail to bring the doctor up. Dae Ho has warned him but the other repeats the cycle even after he agrees to keep shut about Haneul. He knows what Pandora is trying to do, but Dae Ho will make sure Haneul stays away.
"You leave me no choice." Dae Ho sighs, trying to come up with a plausible scenario where Kim Haneul would cut himself off from him completely without any further persuasion.
❛ ━━━━━━✦❪✥❫✦━━━━━━ ❜
17 June, 11:56 A.M.
"Mr. Kim, are you still uncomfortable with dating again?"
Haneul shakes his head. "I'm not worried about that anymore," he replies meeting the eyes of his therapist. The room is as cozy as it could get, always feeling comfortable under the soft golden light and the warm shades of sky blue and cream colors on the walls blending and giving him a serene and calming feeling. The psychologist sits with a paper pad and pen in his lap, noting down important points to go over later.
Haneul takes a sip out of his almost-finished coffee, the one Mr. Jung always offers in his sessions. "I'm thankful you've helped me through this. But for now, I'd like to focus more on myself and Soomin. If destiny allows it, I'll find the one who'd want to stay with me for a long time. I'll let things happen naturally, and even if I don't find anyone, oh well." Haneul shrugs with a smile. If someone had asked him the same question months ago, he'd have hesitated and later beaten himself up for not being enough.
"I'm proud of how far you've come," the man gives a small smile, moving his spectacles over the bridge of his nose. "For our next session, I want you to do something that used to make you happy. Something you enjoyed doing but had to stop because of Naeun. Is there anything you'd like to try again?"
"Hmm." Haneul tilts his head with a pensive expression. He ponders upon the question, there have been many things he altered or stopped because of his ex-wife, but now nothing is holding him back. "I used to love dying my hair!" The doctor quips when it clicks.
The psychologist lets out a chuckle observing the way his eyes light up. "Then I hope I'll be seeing you in a new color for the next session." The timer placed on the wooden table rings, indicating the hour session coming to an end. "That'll be all for today."
Haneul bows to the man before leaving his room. "Thank you, Jung-ssi." He steps out of the room with a grin and pulls at his dark locks, already excited to go for a change. And that's where he heads, directly to the hair salon.
"Kim Haneul, to what do I owe this pleasure?" A woman wearing green overalls with auburn hair and red highlights gawks, her hands spreading wide to welcome him. Her plump lips are stained in dark brown, a septum piercing in her small nose and chubby cheeks littered in glitter. "It's been years since I saw the last of you."
"I—I want to dye my hair again," Haneul answers, accepting the hug the stylist offers. "And what better way to get it done than you, the great Lisa."
"Keep the compliments for later," Lisa snickers, "you'll be signing off half of your property when I'm done with you." She chuckles, motioning the doctor to take a seat.
Haneul laughs wholeheartedly, head shaking. "You never change, do you?"
Lisa is a bold and independent woman, who dropped out of high school and worked her way up to open a salon after years of hard work. Haneul met her the first time he dyed his hair when he was a teen. He was nervous but the lady just ruffled his hair and cracked a joke. "Relax, pretty boy, I am not going to steal your property, just upgrading your hair." A poor joke but it was all it took for Haneul to go through with his impulsive decision to dye his hair. Since then, he had always let the woman work on his hair.
"And Haneul?" Lisa calls out, the doctor turning to her.
"Yeah?"
"Laugh more often like this, that's your best asset. The hair color is just a bonus to your handsomely carved face."
Haneul's heart swells, his lips stretching into the widest smile he can offer. "Thank you." He beams and closes his eyes after he chooses a color, letting Lisa's fingers do their job.
And two hours later Haneul is home, looking in the mirror, ruffling his freshly dyed hair, and pressing his lips together to stop a grin from escaping. It may be a little change but he revels in the feeling that the color brings. Happiness is not an opportunity, it's a choice that one needs to make. Naeun always complained about how Haneul's outrageous choice of colors was embarrassing when he walked next to her, so he stopped dying his hair. It was hypocritical since the woman also dyed her hair regularly. Now checking himself out in the mirror feels liberating. But there's a hesitation in his mind. 'Was this a wise decision?'
"Appa, You look like my favowaite cotton candwy!" Soomin jumps in awe when she sees her father sporting a new style and Haneul's doubts are no more. The girl unknowingly manages to pull her father out from his insure thoughts. She's a lifeline for whom Haneul would do anything.
The daughter takes short steps towards him to get a better look. Haneul sits on the bed and her small hands card through his hair. "Appa is cheating," she pouts, tugging his strands. "You're blue, I want pwink hair," Soomin whines, climbing into his lap.
Haneul chuckles, holding her on the sides. "Do you like Appa's hair, huh Minnie?"
"A lot!" Soomin wiggles in her father's grip. "Can I do it too?"
"When you become this big," Haneul drawls, lifting his hand in the air as far as his fingertips can reach. "For that, you'll have to drink lots of milk."
"Hmph," the girl frowns, moving away. "I don't like mwilk."
"Then no pink color for Minnie."
Soomin lowers her head, eyes giving Haneul a not-so-intimidating glare. "...okay, I'll drink mwilk."
"Minnie, appa is going out with a friend for dinner and Uncle Binnie is going to take you to the amusement park with Bora." After leaving the salon, Haneul called Yoon to meet him at Korean Bullseye for dinner, to celebrate his little achievement.
Soomin jumps in excitement, already leaving the room with the father trailing behind her to get her ready. He picks out a pink Givenchy frilly tee with some washed-out jeans for the girl and a pair of black denim jacket and pants for himself, to accentuate his hair color tone.
Every time he passes by a mirror or a surface reflecting his hair, Haneul curls his toes and glee. The feeling is addicting. When the father-daughter duo is ready, they head out to their destinations, Soomin to Hanbin's house, and Haneul to the restaurant.
"You look younger with that color." Yoon wipes the sauce from the corner of his lips with the back of his hand, setting down his cutlery.
"If you didn't get the memo all these years, let me remind you. I am young and attractive," Haneul deadpans, pulling the locks over his forehead. The electric blue dye is not as bright as the one he had years ago, this being a darker shade.
"I like the confidence, pal," the florist chortles, sipping from the cold glass of mojito placed in front of him. "It takes guts to pull off something like that."
"You better appreciate me, I'm the one paying for the dinner."
"That's only because you wanted to flaunt your new look and fish for compliments."
"Whatever." Haneul shrugs and cuts a piece of the steak, dropping it in his mouth after dipping it in barbecue sauce. "I was meaning to ask you something."
"Go ahead."
"How's Minji?" The doctor asks.
"Minji?" Yoon squints and jerks his head backward in question.
"Park Minji, Dae Ho's younger sister."
"Oh...her! I-I'm sure she's doing fine. I h—" Yoon's mobile phone rings, interrupting him mid-sentence.
"Hello, boss. What's up?" he hums, "I'm having dinner with Haneul— why? Have you finally decided to talk it out with him?"
Haneul presses his lips and stays silent till Yoon finishes up with the call.
"The time has come!" Pandora claps his hands together after disconnecting the call. "Dae Ho said he'll finally meet up with you." He pockets his mobile phone, standing up from his chair. "Let's go."
Haneul doesn't move from his place, too appalled to process the florist's words. "... are you sure he said...that?"
"100% positive. But there's a little problem."
"And what would that be?"
"I need you to wear a blindfold until we reach the place."
"What?" Haneul shivers, raising an eyebrow. "Wow, that doesn't sound shady in the slightest," he bites in sarcasm.
"Well, it's a place he wouldn't want to be discovered."
"And wouldn't people on the road find it suspicious if a blindfolded man is sitting in a car?"
"Don't worry, it's just a sleeping mask but you have to promise to keep it on. If not, Dae Ho will have my head."
"Alright, let me message hyung to keep Soomin at his place and I'll pick her up later." He sends a message to Hanbin and quickly switches on his GPS tracker, eyes darting at Yoon to check if the man is looking at him. He isn't stupid enough to just walk into something without having a backup plan, even if it is meeting Dae Ho. It's unfortunate but Haneul does not trust him anymore. They're going to blindfold him, it's evidence enough to know how dubious the meeting will be.
Haneul gets into Yoon's car and puts on the blindfold as instructed. When the darkness shrouds him, the doctor can hear his heartbeat, his senses heightening. The other man keeps him engaged in conversation and he doesn't know how long passes until the florist guides him into a room, removing his blindfold right after. The doctor squints at the light, taking a few seconds to adjust to his surroundings.
"Wait here, I'll get the boss. Don't move."
Haneul takes a seat on the couch, observing the room. It's a simple setup with a desk table and a chair, along with a cupboard on the side, something Dae Ho would have. He's always liked simplicity. He scrolls through his messages, sending a thumbs-up emoji at his brother's reply.
The door opens, and Haneul whips his head to take a look. He expects Dae Ho or Yoon but only finds an unknown man.
"I'm here to escort you to the boss," the brunette says a finger scratching his ear.
"Where's Choi Yoon?" Haneul asks instead. He feels uncomfortable being left hanging in an unknown place that he's sure is not safe.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to do anything. You're our guest after all." The man grins, his crooked teeth on display, sending an unnerving chill through Haneul's spine.
The doctor licks his lower lip, hands twisting together. "...okay."
The man leads him to a staircase, Haneul's brows furrowing in confusion. "Weren't we already on the ground floor?"
"There's something called underground floor too," he snarls, walking down the path. It's wide enough to fit three people walking side by side, the walls unpainted and still not covered with proper cement. They reach a metal door, and the man knocks on it before entering. "I've brought the guest, boss." He bows and leaves.
Haneul stands face to face with Dae Ho, his eyes locking with the younger's. It hasn't been a long time since he's seen him but there's something off about Dae Ho. Haneul's nose scrunches at the smell of alcohol and looks around the room. It has weak lighting, empty, except for the chair in the corner. The doctor hears a whimper, only then do his eyes fall on the two men who have their hands and feet tied up. His heart beats faster, stomach dropping at their beaten-up faces and dirty clothes. Their sunken cheeks and dark skin under their eyes scream of their maltreatment.
"I welcome you with my whole heart, Kim Haneul. Today, I'll show you how our worlds are different." Dae Ho claps, grabbing the doctor's attention. He walks with a stoic expression, sweat trailing down his forehead and charcoal hair sticking to it. Haneul flinches when the metal door behind him creaks and closes, Shadow standing in front of it. The shorter man sighs but doesn't say anything, silently folds his arms over his chest, and leans on the wall beside the door, feline eyes momentarily glancing at him and then at Dae Ho.
Where is Choi Yoon? He is supposed to be here since he's the only one who apparently cares about his well-being.
"W-what is going...o-on?" The blue-head takes a step back.
"A reality check." Dae Ho's voice is void of any familiarity, his body as if it's a hollow shell, possessed by some spirit. Haneul can smell the overpowering alcohol on him and he fists his palms, his body involuntarily starting to shake.
"Let us go!" one of the men yells, "You don't know who we work for!"
Dae Ho ignores him, reaching out for the gun from his blazer and spinning it between his fingers like it's a child's toy. "Do you remember what I said the last time we met?" He places the cold metal against Haneul's cheek, patting it where the bullet had grazed him at their last encounter.
Haneul staggers, his legs feeling jelly. "Wh-why are you holding a gun w-when you're clearly drunk? That's just wrong."
The fighter throws his head back, laughing maniacally. "Is that the question you're supposed to be asking right now?" He grins, combing his sticky hair and wiping his face with his other hand. "And wrong, you say. The lines of right and wrong have long been blurred for me, it doesn't matter anymore. I have stopped caring about trivialities a long time ago. All that's important for me is whether I'm getting what I want, morality be damned!"
Haneul wants to run away. He wants to punch the man who stands in front of him, like a maniac who's lost their mind. He hates how Dae Ho's emotion-void eyes stare into his, loathing the crooked, mocking grin tearing through his face. He doesn't know the man standing in front of him right now. The doctor gulps audibly when the fighter holds the gun firmly, pointing it at him. 'What...is he...doing?'
"You're going to pay for this, Bullet!" The same man curses with acidity. "I will kill you once I escape from here!"
But Haneul couldn't care less when he's the one at gunpoint at the moment. His eyes are impossibly wide, staring into Dae Ho's with sheer horror, the walls of his throat constricting around the breath that is caught in his pipe. He is frozen in his tracks, the fear too palpable to move, chaining him to the ground under his feet. "Y-you wanted t-to talk! That's what Y-Yoon said..." the doctor stutters, his insides begging him to escape but his body is immobile. What in the world does Park Dae Ho want from him? If he wanted to prove his hatred for him, or whatever threat he posed to the man, was four years of alienation not enough?
"I warned you last time to stay away from me." Dae Ho pokes the muzzle of the gun at Haneul's cheek, reminding again of the last incident. "How could you come running at one call?"
The doctor is baffled, tongue-tied at the vicious audacity of the younger. But he is right too. He shouldn't have come here, especially with the creepy way he had been brought. Dae Ho threatened him with Soomin being fatherless in the future but he had forgotten of the detail when Yoon excitedly told him about Dae Ho asking for him to meet. "F-For old times sake, l-let me go..."
"You know, Kim, only you're foolish enough to come here searching for a past that has already dispersed into thin air. A deadweight is all it is." Dae Ho clicks his tongue in annoyance, pushing it against the inside of his left cheek. He pulls the barrel, loading the gun with a click. "This is it for you and me."
Bang!
Bang!
The bullets stitch an inky stain across his shirt, passing through his chest with a meaty splat, painting the wall behind him in crimson.