#advwooseok

Finally. Finally a lead!

Yuto made his way through the busy streets of Seoul, wandering, looking out for that mug of a guy that fit the description. The person said that he was tall, really tall and had doe eyes. A kid, maybe? He didn't know. But he chanced upon this old lady that told her that if it was information he sought, that man or boy was the perfect person for him to find. "The one guy who had all the answers" that was the words that the lady said and it got Yuto's heart pounding. Eager to learn something new. Maybe this was it. This was what's going to help him find his sister.

He clutched at the strap of his messenger bag as he walked along the long stretch of an alley. It wasn't littered with people and it wasnt' very safe either. Inside his bag was his weapon, concealed, but he was weary enough that he wanted to reach for it and swing it around. His sharp eyes looked at each person that walked passed him, keeping a low profile as he did. Controlling that pounding excitement. It has been a while since he last found a lead afterall.

"Have you seen a guy who was this tall?" Yuto asked one of the passersby that didn't look like he was going to rob him, his voice low, his accent heavy as he tried to describe the person in Korean that was easily understood. Ah the difficulties of being a foreigner stuck in another country. When the man said no, he bowed and thanked the man before moving onto the next, asking around. This guy had to be somewhere. Of course, as the lady stated he wasn't going to be easily found and that in inteslf was a challenge. Seoul was crowded and huge to find one person. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

It's been hours since he started his search, he checked his watch. There wasn't much time left, not that he had curefew, it was just that he didn't want to be stuck here when the night was damp and dark. He didn't want to risk it. His tired feet told him to rest for a moment, taking a deep breath as he bought some mandu and egg bread from one of the stands and found a place to settle down to rest for a moment.

Just a moment until his search would resume.

@advwooseok

Every step forwards is a silent battle, every thump of his foot meeting the ground sounds awfully like disconcerting screams begging him to turn back. There are invisible weights on his chest, constricting every intake of breath, and Kang Joon’s tongue feels too dry and too large in his mouth.

Perhaps there is something about facing one’s biggest fears that reduces the man to a melodramatic mess.

It all started when Joy put the idea in his head. He had confided in the girl during one of their many ramen meetups, telling her that he missed his parents dearly and often wonders how they’re doing, but he is far too afraid to reconnect with them after having abandoned them. What if they hated him for what he had done? What if they finally connected the dots and realised that their son was a monster—a murderer—on top of forsaking them? Of course, he had given thought to spying on them from afar, but Kang Joon is hardly skilled in the act of sneaking around.

And so Joy suggested that someone could sneak around for him, someone who excelled in it mainly because it was their mutation. Kang Joon had shaken the thought off, because there’s no way he could ever hire a private eye to lay waste to his parents’ contentment with a normal, private life.

(And yet, here he is, on his way to the address Joy had hastily scrawled on an unused napkin before she had continued talking about a topic that escapes him.)

@advwooseok

Joy does not keep a calendar, for an assortment of reasons. Schedules rarely cooperate with her, and besides, her memory’s good enough to keep track of what few dates should be important to her. For example – today is Wooseok’s birthday, 31st of January.

She’s never really seen him celebrate his birthday; what she can remember of their childhood doesn’t recall very many parties, which is perhaps to be expected. But even now, she rarely sees Wooseok celebrate it. Their lives clash, frequently, shifts irregular and unpredictable but this year she’s actually free and she knows the boy is only just holed up in his room. For once they might actually be able to celebrate his birthday.

Of the few things she cares about in this place, Wooseok is one of the most important, right now. There’s the question of his feelings and she determined to avoid them for as long as she possibly can but it doesn’t change the face that she cares about him. She’s going to celebrate his birthday; she’s not too good with presents but by god will she try. The sweater she’d bought is all wrapped, tied up in a bow with her attempt at a handmade card. It’s a safe sort of blue, she thinks, and at least it’ll be practical – he can always use it for warmth, even if it turns out that he doesn’t like it.

@advwooseok

(...)

wooseok closes his eyes, ignoring the sound of footsteps approaching him, ignoring the possibility that they might belong to the same men who had fatally injured him. he was too exhausted to move. when the footsteps stop right in front of him, he peeks open an eye, mildly surprised to see an unfamiliar face staring down at him. frowning, wooseok lashes out at the stranger, “what, never seen someone bleeding to death before?”

god, can’t he just die in peace?

surprisingly, he wanted to sleep. surprisingly, he was laying down in the comforts of his pitch black room. it wasn't a normal spectacle, not for the man who barely sleeps. somehow, days became more tiresome and taeyong's weakened body had no other option than resorting under the dusty sheets of his bed (apparently, it hasn't been washed for days now).

he could hear the music of silence lulling his heavy eyelids to shut tight and with one last sigh, he knew he was already fast asleep. but the subsequent noise downstairs bombarded his ears. taeyong's body shot up from the matress, his senses were alerted. it wasn't just his strong gut feeling that told him somebody had entered his house; he knew it. anything could happen and it might just be the final day of his life... or his time as a free man.

he can't lose now, or any day. never.

he walked down the staircase slowly with a knife in one hand. he was careful not to attract attention but the deteriorating architecture of his house, it was a lost cause. despite that it was impossible for anyone to see in that kind of dark, taeyong found himself locking gazes with a figure in his doorstep. the figure, clutching a part of his midriff, seems to be injured gravely, as taeyong could only guess from the other one's behavior. it was later confirmed when the other one started speaking.

it was just a boy, he could tell from the youthful arrogance coating the younger one's tone. taeyong probably indulged too much in his fears that he almost fell for a maimed, harmless person. or not. "not in my house, obviously." he monotonously answered. for all he knew, the boy could be a threat to him. he might be a police asset, a ghost of his past, a person who knew him back in seoul.