back on my hc bs

Once his pulse reaches normal limits again, Hanseo releases a long sigh and leans forward, pressing his forehead against the cool glass. In his hand is an empty whiskey bottle, but he’s not drunk. There was little more than a shot or two left from previous nights spent here. He finds he doesn’t really need the buzz enough to go looking for another bottle, however.

Whenever it is Hanseok decides to come out to the living room, he’ll undoubtedly have another one ready for the both of them, anyway.

For now, Hanseo closes his eyes and attempts to reign himself in yet again. He’s always like this when Hanseok calls him. Not unlike the storm raging outside, Jang Hanseok is impossible to predict. He might come into the room smiling, but that doesn’t mean he’s in a good mood, and it takes very little to make him put his temper on full display. Hanseo, to this day, has no idea what exactly the trigger is that sends his brother over the deep end.

He's exhausted of being involved with it. It’s even harder now that his cover as CEO of Babel has been blown and Hanseok is free to show his face as he pleases. Hanseo has to be more careful—to remind himself that he’s far more disposable now. He may live in a constant state of fear and apprehension, but that doesn’t mean he wants to die. Had he wanted that, he’d have let the drugs take him all those years ago.

On top of that, Hanseo tried to kill him. Hanseok has been…surprisingly forgiving of that. Now that he’s out of the hospital, Hanseo treats every interaction like it’s about to be his final one. Not that he’s ready for it at any given time.

The cold from the glass worms its way beneath the skin of Hanseo’s forehead and creeps down the rest of him, cooling him in rivulets as if the rainwater is seeping through. It feels nice…relaxes his taut nerves. He takes in another deep breath, and releases yet another long sigh.

His eyes pop back open when he hears the sound of liquid pouring into a glass somewhere nearby on his right side. His pulse picks up, and he turns to regard his brother, who is now standing directly next to him. Hanseok, having just gotten out of the shower, is sporting pajama pants and a tee shirt, his wet hair dangling over his face. He looks strangely placid. There’s no towel wrapped around his neck, so Hanseo knows at least one weapon is out of the equation.

“I don’t like storms…do you remember?”

At first, Hanseok’s words shock Hanseo, but just as he’s about to shake his head and answer honestly, his mind surprises him. He briefly finds himself over twenty years in the past, back when he and Hanseok shared a bedroom as children. At the time, it had been a recent development for them, as Hanseo had only been introduced to his half-brother a couple of months prior. With their beds across the room from each other, it had still been a little awkward to suddenly be living with a stranger.

However on that night, Hanseo had awakened to panicked whimpering from across his room. Hanseo himself had never been all that afraid of storms, but he could see the dark outline of his brother quivering in his bed next to the window where the storm had been raging outside. He had simply crawled out of bed and made his way over, questioning if Hanseok was afraid of storms. Hanseok had stammered out for him to shut up, but when Hanseo had gestured over to his own bed with a nod and offered to let Hanseok sleep away from the window, the older brother had practically leapt at the chance.

Hanseo’s last recollection of that night had been taking notice of how Hanseok had been buried under the blankets with his head covered. Looking back, he’s surprised he’d forgotten that memory. Then again, it’s kind of hard to retain the sweeter ones when the more violent ones keep him in a chokehold.

At the same time, it’s memories like that that give Hanseo the ever-present bittersweet feeling that if Hanseok had been given the help he’d needed, maybe he wouldn’t have turned out the way he is today. As a victim himself, Hanseo knows that Hanseok’s actions are his own, but still. Hanseo is probably far too nice for still loving his brother despite everything, but that’s just how it is. Even with a gun pointed at Hanseok, Hanseo had wished their father had been a little less cruel to them and little more of a parent.

That new memory fresh in his mind, however, Hanseo smiles a bit solemnly. “Mm.” His grunt of acknowledgment is followed by a soft nod of the head. “In your defense, hyungnim, you can’t predict what will happen in a storm.”

Hanseok seems eerily calm. Hanseo isn’t sure how to take it. He’s so used to treading on eggshells that he’s ready to jump back any second in response to an outburst. Still, he watches Hanseok raise his glass to his lips and take a big drink. “Seriously…why do you like staring at this shit? What if you got struck by lightning?”

Hanseo gives the question some genuine thought. Raises his hand to the collar of his shirt. Loosens it a bit. “It’s not likely. But if it does, I guess that’s what I get for putting myself in its path.” He can feel his brother’s eyes on him, before the bottle in Hanseok’s other hand slides into his periphery. He takes it in his own free hand and downs a quick swig—whiskey, as expected. Swallows down the burn. Clears his throat. “Is this why you called me?”

“Please.” When Hanseo looks over at Hanseok once more, his brother is scowling out the window. No…it’s not quite scowling. It’s more like…pouting. He knows he’s been called out but he’s not about to admit it. Hanseo isn’t about to push, either. “What am I? Five?”

“You weren’t five back then, either.”

Hanseo tenses when he realizes how easily that little retort slipped from his lips. His eyes go wide as Hanseok’s own bore right into them. He drops his gaze apologetically. “I-I didn’t mean it that way, hyungnim—”

“Could you not get all jumpy right now?” Hanseok questions, his voice irritable, but also still that almost uncomfortable flavor of calm Hanseo isn’t used to. “You make me crazy sometimes when you act like I’m gonna kill you.”

Hanseo bites back the split second of fury that almost escapes his lips. How in the hell is he not supposed to worry that he’s going to be killed? Nevermind the gunshot—Hanseo has been at Hanseok’s mercy for most of his life. Instead, though, he shakes his head and mutters another apology.

Not surprisingly, Hanseok doesn’t look all that impressed by his brother’s gesture. He scoffs and snatches the bottle back, downing more of the booze straight from the mouth of it. Hanseo notices he hasn’t finished off what he poured into his glass, but he either doesn’t notice or simply doesn’t care. When he swallows down the burn, he grunts out, “Just figured a shitty night like this is a perfect one to watch a movie—something funny, yeah?”

Quite frankly, Hanseo isn’t that trusting of his brother, but he can’t bring himself to refuse either. Hanseok is making it more and more obvious by the second that he’s trying to find a way to get his mind off of the tempest raging outside. It’s been years since Hanseo last saw him like this over a storm. He can’t help but wonder what’s got Hanseok acting that way now.

Maybe it’s some weird plan to get Hanseo to relax around him or something so that he can get him back for shooting him, but…Hanseo isn’t so sure. Hanseok really does look uncomfortable…

It’s not like he’d get away with refusing, anyway.

Which is how Hanseo finds himself in Hanseok’s living room with his television blasting some American comedy movie the older brother swears is absolutely hilarious. Hanseok is generous enough to put the subtitles in Hangul so he can at least somewhat understand the humor. But it’s still not all that funny to Hanseo. The general premise is a group of friends getting wasted in Las Vegas and waking up with everything that could have gone wrong going absolutely haywire.

Hanseo, perhaps judging a little too harshly, wonders if this is so entertaining to his brother because of the amount of misfortune the guys in the movie are suffering. He also wonders if that’s the reason he’s not all that crazy about it. Or maybe it’s because for a brief point in Hanseo’s life, he had regularly inebriated himself to the point of blacking out and not remembering any of the previous night.

No…he’s overthinking this. He needs to calm down and enjoy the movie.

Wait…is that a tiger?

And a baby?

Hanseok has laid out a bowl of gummy bears on the table where they can both reach it. Hanseo damn near chokes on one when the character named Alan puts sunglasses on the baby and straps him to his chest. Okay, that’s kind of funny.

Soon enough, Hanseo is laughing right along with his brother. He has relaxed completely, utterly absorbed in the movie, the handful of gummy bears he’s slowly chewing away at, and the whiskey bottle being passed between the two brothers. It feels unlike any experience Hanseo has had with his brother in years. It’s a much-needed breath of fresh air. The ever-cautious Jang Hanseo knows this is likely the calm before the storm—he crossed a line recently, after all—but he’ll take what he can get. And god, he needed the chance to just breathe.

Just as the movie’s characters are about to meet Mike Tyson, lightning flashes so brightly it grabs both their attention. Immediately after, a thunderclap follows so loudly that it rattles the penthouse.

The power flickers and the home goes completely dark.

“Fuck!”

When Hanseo turns toward the armchair where Hanseok is sitting, the older brother is rigid in the chair, sitting bolt upright. The lightning is their only source of illumination now, but it flickers so frequently that Hanseo can see the way his brother looks petrified. This whole situation is so odd, and Hanseo shouldn’t feel the pang of sympathy wrenching in his chest, but he does. He wants to comfort his brother.

So he thinks quickly and scoots away from the arm of the couch, where he pats the spot where he once was. “Hyungnim, come here.”

He fishes his phone out of his pocket and unlocks the screen. Thunder claps again and he literally hears his brother tense from his chair. “Why?”

“Because we’re gonna keep watching.” Hanseo shrugs. He’s not the least bit afraid. Not of the storm, and certainly not of Jang Hanseok in the current moment. He should probably be laughing that his big, scary, murderer brother is afraid of storms, but he wants nothing more than to reassure him that it’s going to be alright.

So it’s a relief when he sees Hanseok concede defeat and climb off of his armchair. He shuffles cautiously to the couch. By the time he’s seated next to Hanseo, he’s managed to find the same movie they’d been watching and skips to the part where they left off. He grabs the bowl of gummy bears and plops them into Hanseok’s lap and then hits play on his phone.

And it surprisingly works. Mike Tyson starts singing, and Hanseok starts chortling again, and Hanseo breathes another sigh of relief. He finds himself absorbed in the movie all over again, and going by the way Hanseok’s only movements are the occasional grab for gummy bears, he must be too. He definitely doesn’t feel as tense as he looked in that armchair a while ago.

Hanseo thinks back to that. To the outline of Hanseok, frozen with fear in the darkness of the storm. To the younger version of him whimpering in his bed all those years ago. Jang Hanseok is reckless and fearless and malevolent. He’s terrifying and brutal and doesn’t really know when to draw the line.

But he’s also, on some level, a human being. Hanseo is probably the only person who has ever taken the time to acknowledge that. Even their father had deemed Hanseok too much of a hassle to find help for him.

Hanseo’s brow furrows. He’s not about to say he regrets pointing that shotgun at Hanseok, but that’s…just the fucked-up nature of their family. There’s no escaping that, and Hanseo hasn’t deluded himself into thinking that things are suddenly going to be different tomorrow. But for now…

“Are you doing okay now, hyungnim?” He dares to ask.

“The hell kind of question is that?” Hanseok grunts, though his tone is bland, clearly too absorbed in the movie. Conveniently enough, it thunders then again and Hanseok jumps visibly.

Hanseo laughs a little, and Hanseok takes the moment to shove a whole handful of gummy bears into his mouth.

“Laugh again and I’ll kill you,” he growls. “You’re supposed to be watching the movie.”

The gummy bear move was a good one, because Hanseo has to spend several movements chewing and rearranging the little treats in his mouth until he can finally swallow them down. By that time, Hanseok has regained his focus on the movie, and Hanseo uses his better judgment this time, choosing not to say anything else.

It’s best to just weather the storm through comedy movies. Apparently, there are two sequels, and so long as they don’t have power in the house, Hanseo has a feeling they’re going to be continuing on.

So be it. Hanseo’s okay with this. If the battery on his phone lasts that long, they’ll be golden. If not…well, he’ll cross that bridge when he gets there. He knows without having to confirm it that Hanseok is seeking comfort and a distraction from the storms he claims to hate. In the moment, he’s not out for blood. In the moment, he needs his dongsaeng.

so the concept of these three things existing in one universe is actually not??? terribly??? impossible??? vincenzo is literally a part of the italian mafia and just a couple tweaks might put the cassano family after kinn rather than the group we get in the show--just...with less creepy gross comments from old mob bosses please.

there's also the alternative of kinn following his father's orders to work with vincenzo on dealing with yohan. could be they were hired by the chaebols to get the job done--we all know how loaded the lot of them are, and money is one of the fundamentals of the organized crime world. in a dystopia, i imagine the underworld is even more volatile, too.

but i'm not gonna get into all the details because that's a lot more kinks than i care to work out and i just want to talk about the stuff you mentioned for now. if i go off, you'll never get me back lmfaooo.

i think that vincenzo and kinn would get along surprisingly well. on some level, vincenzo would have some respect for kinn's boldness and his tendency to take matters into his own hands while at the same time still trying to operate as a responsible heir to the family. he gives off that same badass energy that vincenzo has too, plus the comedic aspect of being easily caught off guard by extremely simple things (see also: love interests doing ridiculous shit that leaves them flabbergasted).

porsche wouldn't like vincenzo at all. he might fancy him a bit of a badass, but unlike kinn, vincenzo doesn't relax as easily. in canon, vincenzo literally has to be dragged into group settings with everyone before he finally starts to unwind and accept that he's a part of their family. once he does, he's committed to them with his whole heart, but the difference between him and kinn is that kinn has an easier time relaxing even when he should be maintaining an appearance. porsche would not have warmed up to kinn as quickly as he had if not for how chill the guy was, regardless of if there was alcohol or tea involved lmao. but i digress--porsche would probably identify vincenzo as a coldhearted torture machine and be heavily against the operation he's being dragged along with kinn to help out on.

that said, i feel like porsche would be very protective of gaon. he can literally see the same naivete his own brother has in the way gaon views things, as well as the big heart gaon has that reminds him of porchay. if there's drama and second thoughts about how they're going to deal with yohan, it starts because porsche is trying to convince kinn to rethink their plan. if he winds up meeting/learning about elijah some way or another (with how protective yohan is of her, i doubt it), he'll be even more insistent.

and considering kinn is very aware of porsche's feelings about things (the torture scene in ep 3), he would begrudgingly give it some thought. on that same note, i feel like kinn would have some level of respect and admiration for yohan. depending on how deep in the tdj canon we are here and if the live courtroom is still a thing, i feel like kinn would appreciate and respect many of the verdicts yohan has come to in those cases. on top of that, yohan is a man who gets shit done, which is a trait kinn respects about vincenzo too.

on top of that, whether you headcanon yohan bisexual or gay, kinn would appreciate the representation. he seems to have a decently strong gaydar lol.

that said, i do agree with you that there would be some envy from both sides of those ships about the other. gaon and yohan are so very strongly emotionally invested in one another but so busy with what's going on during the course of the drama to actually do anything about it. it's obvious that you could cut the tension with a knife, but who has time for that right??? and kinn and porsche on the other hand have no issue getting handsy, close, talking intimately with one another. however, there are barriers keeping them from getting too emotional about it, and it makes perfect sense that they'd want a little of both worlds. it gets me in my feelings tbh.

and then there's vincenzo lmfao: the poor dude was just trying to do his job when these other people and all their feelings and attachments started happening, and depending on if any of the canon vincenzo storyline has happened, he might be forced to reevaluate things himself because now he too has attachments.

i know for sure he doesn't like porsche. they're probably at each other's throats constantly. and by that, i mean porsche says a little too much and gets incapacitated and kinn has to drag his unconscious ass out of the room and explain to him why he should stop risking his balls to argue with a member of the cassano family.

we already touched up on his opinion on kinn, but i also feel like vincenzo would have some level of respect for yohan. they wouldn't get along because yohan would probably already know he was a target and he simply doesn't trust like that, and vincenzo evaluates him as a target and keeps him at arms' length because he also knows yohan isn't just any old bullseye. there would be a mutual understanding that they're both businessmen and have work to do, but they wouldn't ever cross that line and allow much in the vein of friendship.

especially considering vincenzo likely can't stand gaon. gaon is a liability to yohan, and vincenzo can't for the life of him understand why yohan would keep him around with how reckless his emotions are. unless, of course, he's already gotten feelings for chayoung/hanseo (you decide lmfao) and not unlike kinn, understands the way yohan looks at gaon.

i definitely think that vincenzo would feel like he has his work cut out for him, but i also know they ain't leaving with a dead kang yohan as per their mission. if anything, kinn and porsche would have a greater understanding of what an emotional bond looks like through gaon and yohan and kinn and porsche would have done the drama equivalent of the "now KISS" meme to try and get them to just fuck about it already. while vincenzo tries to figure out what they're going to do about their failed mission when they get home or how they can make it look like they didn't fail.

but let's not talk like he doesn't get something out of all of this either. kinn, porsche, yohan, and gaon all have their redeeming and their frustrating qualities, but they all also have something to offer in terms of learning. vincenzo probably picks up a great deal of experience from the lot of them. as well as an appreciation for just how normal the plaza crew is compared to them lmfao.

i feel like the plaza would make a good hideout. it doesn't get a lot in the vein of human traffic, so zombies wouldn't be all that drawn there. which could make it very much a target of babel and wusang still. it's basically like a residence all on its own and considering the different shops all packed into one building, supplies and food won't be hard to come by at first.

so yeah, the plot shifts from 'take down the corrupt business and its psychopath ceo' to said psychopath ceo and his underlings now want the plaza to build the post-apocalyptic babel tower from, and the fight is on.

one thing i really enjoy about all of us are dead is the fact that drama and comedy can and will coexist in the same space, and vincenzo has that same power. with the plaza residents, vincenzo, and the hongs (dad is still alive fight me) squaring off against the jangs and wusang, there is ample space for comedy and high tensions as well.

give me the same brawl they had in front of the plaza that mirrored that renaissance painting but with hanseok, hanseo, and wusang at the mercy of everyone. give me non-infected biting, hair-pulling, wrestling, comedic screaming...

and then give me hanseo grappling with his crippling fear of his brother and eventually defecting to help vincenzo. maybe he starts out wanting to do so for the sake of having a place to stay in the plaza as well, but he warms up to vincenzo and chayoung and the others. soon enough, he's on team cassano and helping fortify the walls of the plaza.

bonus points if he doesn't die, because hanseo ABSOLUTELY deserves to live.

and my hancenzo shipping heart can't help but fantasize about a scene where hanseo makes vincenzo sneak out of the plaza with him one night and takes him to the hockey rink he's always playing at in canon. vincenzo getting to see how he lights up like a christmas tree playing hockey. vincenzo taking an interest in the sport itself after a while.

on top of that hockey jerseys are hella thick and padded, so they'll bring home a stash of jerseys and sticks and pucks to keep any invaders and zombies at bay.

and dear god, please give me one scene where chayoung gets to beat the everloving shit out of myunghee. where hanseo gets to absolutely wreck hanseok with a hockey stick. where vincenzo and the entirety of the guemga plaza family lives and thrives even amidst the apocalypse with hanseo amidst them. mr. ahn living his best life fighting zombies alongside a mafioso...

and all of this isn't even including the possibility of HAMBIES. oh my god HAMBIES. hanseok would probably be very much like gwinam in that sense--he's crazy enough that i can almost see him being glad he got bitten because now he's stronger and faster than vincenzo and the others. which also leads me to wonder if hanseo did wind up getting 'killed' by hanseok again, would he be a hambie too? waking up and just...fighting his brother off left and right. suddenly strong enough to hold his own against hanseok...ugh, my heart.

another thing i thoroughly enjoyed about all of us are dead is just how inventive the kids were. with the different unique minds of everyone at the plaza, i've no doubt they'd come up with some pretty neat zombie-redirection methods, as well as ways to provide for themselves when it comes to food and warmth and all of that.

They're in the living area of Hanseok's widespread penthouse, with Hanseok pacing about. It's very clear he's still quite worked up. He probably will lash out again, but for now, Hanseo feels safe enough. If Hanseok doesn't want him to die, he definitely doesn't want to kill him on his own. That speaks volumes in itself. It may be a bit twisted from an outsider's perspective, but it's the best news Hanseo's heard in years if you ask him.

He waits until Hanseok has cooled off enough to stop pacing before he speaks up, at least. As he watches his older brother from a cautious distance, he clears his throat. Hanseok is in the middle of grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge when Hanseo finally asks his question.

"Are you afraid to lose me?"

Hanseok pauses with his hand atop the door of the refrigerator when those words reach his ears. He's facing away from Hanseo, which makes the younger brother a bit nervous, but soon enough, Hanseok closes the door and turns around, dark eyes honing in on his sibling's. For a very short second, Hanseo thinks he sees some of the faux innocence of his brother's Joonwoo persona, but it dies the instant Hanseok scoffs.

"What the hell kind of question is that?"

Hanseo imagines he should continue to be careful with his words, but he feels an odd amount of reassurance that Hanseok isn't going to snap on him right now. It's not necessarily intuition that tells him, but something else. Hanseok just...isn't dangerous right now. Or at the very least, he's not as dangerous.

"You saved my life," Hanseo answers simply, his tone soft. On pure muscle memory, he searches his brother's face for any hint of a reaction. Hanseok doesn't look patient so much as he looks as if he's humoring Hanseo. It's motivation enough to keep going. "And then you went off on me because I was stupid enough to go out on my own like that."

During the period of silence that follows Hanseo's words, Hanseok's expression does several things. First, it's just a dull stare directed toward Hanseo's eyes. Then, his nose wrinkles and his brow furrows. And then he starts laughing--it's a less aggressive version of the howling, twisted excitement he often laughs with. It's obvious he's trying to ridicule Hanseo for such a question.

"Let me ask you this, dongsaeng," Hanseok starts, pacing toward his younger brother. Hanseo doesn't move. Sometimes, backing away results in a harsher reaction "Who do you think is going to take the fall for me if you're dead and gone?" He cocks his head to the side, smiles, and in English, adds, "it's not that deep."

Hanseo still disagrees. No, actually, he knows better. But this is a discussion he isn't going to win directly, so he decides to let it go and instead folds his hands in front of him and offers an apologetic bow. "Alright, hyungnim, I understand. Sorry for being presumptuous."

Hanseo then moves toward the kitchen to grab himself a bottle of water as well. As he passes by his brother, however, Hanseok catches his wrist and pulls him back. A spark of anticipation shoots up and down Hanseo's spine and he freezes, bracing for impact.

They're standing side by side as Hanseok leans in close, the threat obvious in his next words. "If you go and put yourself in danger like that again, I'll kill you myself."

Don't get Hanseo wrong--he's going to heed that warning, and he believes it with every fiber of his being. He doesn't have the slightest doubt in his heart of hearts that Jang Hanseok will literally tear him limb from limb if he disobeys him.

But he also knows Hanseok was worried. There's truth to his words about how Hanseo can't be his scapegoat if he's dead, but Hanseo also knows that he's right--that his brother was afraid he might lose him today.

It's in the not-quite-certain grip Hanseok has on his wrist, and in how he has yet to throw anything at him or try and throttle him. Hanseok may be acting tough, but Hanseo knows him better than anyone else here. The only person who knows him better than Hanseo is Jang Hanseok, himself.

In his own misery, Gaon has sought frantically to follow in Soohyun's footsteps and look into whatever it was she had started digging up on Yohan and the night of the fire. He trusts Yohan on some level, but it's a lot more complicated than that. As of the past several weeks, Gaon has been…stretched very thin. People from all angles have told him to see things one way or the other, to help them or to do this or that. Yohan is no better than the Professor or even Soohyun. Gaon is starting to realize that he hasn't really been given the opportunity to think for himself.

Or rather, he hasn't given himself the chance to do so. Which is partly why he has started looking into whatever Soohyun was digging into. He wants to know why she was targeted, with the Professor's words still ringing heavy in his ears and rife with accusation toward Yohan, Gaon just…isn't certain anymore. He found a man who had spoken to Soohyun before and discovered someone with injuries all over his body. Someone who had claimed that Yohan had sent someone to threaten him with his life over CCTV footage that he had been sworn to protect.

So yeah, Gaon is naturally going to be suspicious of that, and of course he's going to target Yohan for answers. He's well aware of the fact that the last time the two of them spoke, it had been over Gaon's betrayal of him. Gaon truly is sorry for that, but he did what he had to do. Even now, with suspicions high and his hackles standing at full attention, Gaon doesn't want Yohan to turn out to be the monster everyone thinks he is. He doesn't want that. God, he…

Honestly, he's hoping against all hope that whatever truth he uncovers in speaking to Yohan tonight doesn't disappoint him. He wants to believe in Kang Yohan so badly that it makes him emotional.

"You haven't," Gaon responds, his tone unwavering despite the constant state of wavering in his heart. Seeing Yohan does that to him. He should have known he would be uncomfortable from the start, because he knows he wants nothing more than to just…stay here again. He can't, however. So he steels himself and keeps his eyes locked fiercely on Yohan's.

"I have," Yohan answers back. The present scene isn't unfamiliar. Gaon, welcome as always in the Kang household (even after having 'betrayed' Yohan, too), stands before the older man, who is seated at his desk with his nose in yet another book. The study is familiar territory to Gaon. This discussion, however, isn't. He's not accusing Yohan of anything this time--he simply wants answers. Why is it so hard to get those?

"Do you think I'd be here in front of you if I agreed with you?" Gaon questions. He can't hide the elevation in his tone or how angry he sounds. Yohan is the master of drawing that emotion out of him and bringing it to the surface. He talks like he's so smug, but it's the walls he puts up that irritate Gaon more than anything. Why is he so bound and determined to keep everything to himself?

"I'd love to know why you're here," Yohan answers around a sigh. The impatience is there on his face. It usually is. The next step will probably be him abruptly rising from the desk, and then he'll attempt to physically silence Gaon from his persistent questions. For now though, the chief judge doesn't move. His brown eyes stay focused ever-precisely on Gaon's. "Considering the last time you spoke to me, you were convinced it was goodbye."

Gaon can hear it--the betrayal in Yohan's tone. He's composed, however, and it's obvious he's not trying to throw what happened in Gaon's face. He likely is just as curious to know why Gaon is here as Gaon is surprised he's even here.

"It's like you don't see why I did what I did," Gaon responds around a sigh, finally breaking eye contact to look about the study and compose himself for a moment. "Not that it matters right now. What I want to know is why there's a man hiding CCTV footage for you, and why you sent someone after him to threaten him recently."

Those words hit the mark, and Gaon can tell by the way Yohan gives pause. Yohan doesn't often hesitate, so it must be a surprise to him that Gaon even knows about that. He'd worked hard to make sure it was a secret, after all. Hard enough that he had threatened the poor guy with his life. Gaon is angry just seeing the truth in Yohan's eyes.

And even more so when Yohan offers a response.

"Why would I have need for threats?" Gaon thinks he sees concern in Yohan's expression as he questions him, but he also doesn't care at this point. "What happened to him?"

Screw Yohan standing up and attacking first. Gaon wants to lunge across the table at him. For now though, he tries to keep his cool. It's the only way he's getting answers about something Yohan is still trying to conceal from him. He lets his eyes fall shut, scowls, releases a long sigh, and clenches his anger into two fists at either of his sides. "He said it himself, you know. There's no point in playing dumb."

The exasperation on Yohan's face almost--almost--makes Gaon falter. It's the way he looks up at him. How his feelings look hurt, almost as if they were rehashing their discussion from so long ago and he's about to tell Gaon that it hurts his feelings that someone with that face would say something like that to him. Either way, Yohan lowers the book down to the desk. He has yet to lash out. Gaon wonders why he's suddenly so capable of keeping his own outbursts at bay.

"Gaon-ah," Yohan starts, and the emphasis on Gaon's name is wounding. His hands tremble while he waits for Yohan to continue. "When have I ever played dumb with you? I've declined to tell you things, but I've never acted as if I didn't even know about them. Let me ask you again--what happened to this man?"

"You can start with his name," Gaon tells him. "If you're not pretending you don't know anything, what's his name?"

Yohan sighs. "Jung Joseph," he compromises. "He's concealing footage for me--you're correct about that. But I wasn't aware that he did anything that warranted a threat."

Gaon frowns. He can tell Yohan isn't lying to him at this point. He's not going to ignore the burning desire for more information about the footage, but he supposes it's his turn now to uphold his end of the deal. "He said you sent people after him because he copied the footage--that you took it from him."

That's when Yohan gets to his feet, but it isn't in a violent outburst. It's with a shocking sense of urgency. Gaon is genuinely startled by it, and as Yohan speeds around the desk and makes for where he has his coat hung up, Gaon wheels around to watch him.

"Where are you going?"

Yohan shrugs on his coat. "With you. You're going to take me to Jung Joseph."

Gaon doesn't move. "You don't know where he is?"

"I know where he is," Yohan responds curtly. "I need you there to reassure him that I'm not about to kill him. We need to find out who took the footage."

Yohan's movements are nervous and urgent. Gaon has a feeling that if he does ride with Yohan to find Joseph, they're in for one hell of a race the whole way there. But what is it about that footage that has him so on-edge all of a sudden?

As Yohan makes out of the study and down the hallway, Gaon races to catch up. He only barely reaches Yohan at the door in time to stop him, and he does so by catching hold of Yohan's wrist. The speed at which Yohan wheels around and shoots Gaon a sharp glare is as fearsome as it is shocking, and Gaon's grip falters on pure instinct.

"What?" Yohan demands, his expression more fury than impatience. "We have to go."

No. Gaon can't back down now. He's so close to the answers he needs. He's so close to finding out what Soohyun died before she could. He has to do right by her. That in mind, he rights himself and makes his demand perfectly clear. "I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's on that footage."

"You don't need to know--it has nothing to do with you." Yohan's words are curt and he tries to open the door again, but Gaon stops him once more by his wrist.

"I don't care who it's about," Gaon snaps back. "Why are you so hell-bent on keeping it a secret that you'd threaten a man with his life? You may not have done it this time, but I know for a fact you did before."

"I told you--" Yohan sweeps in closer, eyes wide, obviously trying to threaten Gaon. It's obvious he's lost his patience. "I've given you everything you need to know. The rest is none of your business."

"You're on the verge of being accused of murder--"

"I DON'T CARE!" Yohan's physical reaction comes in time with his verbal one. In seconds, he has Gaon flat on his back against the nearby corridor wall by two fists in the front of his shirt. He pulls him close and then slams him back against it one more. "You'll never see that footage, do you understand?" He takes advantage of Gaon's disorientated state and leans in so close that Gaon can feel his breath on his face. "I don't care how you or anyone else view me, but it isn't me I'm trying to protect right now."

It's in the way the venom dies from Yohan's words there that Gaon knows exactly who it is. Nobody else would understand, but Gaon does. Yohan likely doesn't expect him to--maybe he feels as if he's shared enough to cool Gaon down, but not enough to worry Gaon further. But Yohan's panic suddenly makes so much more sense to him now. He's only ever this frantic when it comes to one person.

"…Elijah," Gaon acknowledges aloud. His lips fall open, and his heart sinks in time with the slumping of his arms and shoulders, fingers loosening away from the sleeves of Yohan's coat. "Yohan…what happened to Elijah?" Suddenly, it's less about getting the truth and more about making sure Elijah is alright. And it also makes even more sense now why Yohan cares so little about being perceived as the devil.

Of course he would be the devil to protect Elijah. Gaon has seen it himself. Yohan loves her so much that it aches to see it in his eyes. And now that Gaon is letting that sink in, he realizes that he's not so sure he wants to know. At the same time, he's so worried that he feels the information is vital.

And Yohan is once again trusting him to help--even after he betrayed him during the most recent court case. Gaon feels guilty and sick to his stomach. His obsession with doing right by Soohyun replaces itself instantly with the understanding that she wouldn't want anything to happen to Elijah, either. If there was anyone other than Gaon who she was trying to protect in all of this, it was most likely Elijah.

Yohan looks visibly devastated. Whatever is going on that has to do with Elijah, he was desperate for Gaon to not find out. Why? It's certainly hard to believe that she could harm anyone with anything other than her words…

Now isn't the time, though. Yohan wants to protect his niece. Gaon wants to protect her. He'll decide how much he wants to know later. For now, he swallows down nervousness and ignores the emotion in his throat as he speaks up. "Joseph and I found dashcam footage from someone parked near his house." He digs into his pocket and extends the little SD card out to Yohan. "Whoever threatened him is probably on this footage. I doubt he'll open the door if you're there, so let's start with this."

Yohan takes the object and nods quickly. He looks as if he might be having some difficulty breathing. He's probably panicking. But he does relent somewhat and reach out to clasp Gaon's shoulder. Gives it a squeeze. Drifts his hand up to cup his cheek. Swallows down a lump of anxiety, and then nods once more. "Elijah first, alright? I'll think about whether you need to know what's on the footage and get back to you later."

Honestly, that's fair. Gaon will take it. He owes Yohan that much after everything that happened. Gaon still doesn't think giving citizens the power to carry out an execution is right, but that isn't the point right now. Despite having felt utterly betrayed by how Gaon handled it--by being publicly exposed as a manipulator--he's still asking for help now. Whatever it is, he's desperate.

And Gaon won't deny that his faith in Yohan is restored just a little by the bit of understanding he's gained today. He'll take what he can get.

He prays to a god he doesn't believe in that Yohan and Elijah come out of all of this alright. When the delicate object keeping everything from going crazy happens to be one piece of video footage, Gaon isn't so sure what the future holds. But he also thinks that if anyone can find a way to keep anything devastating from happening to Elijah, it'll be Kang Yohan.