Chapter 6: A Choice

Jihoon didn’t say anything before acting. As long as he was at the disadvantage, verbal confrontation was useless.

“Bag his head.” The man ordered to his colleague behind them, who began to step forward, holding a burlap sack forward.

In the moment’s the man was distracted attempting to bind his hands with, what felt to be duct tape, Jihoon lunged backwards, using the weight of his body to knock him to the floor. The man looked up the moment his hit concrete, briefly bewildered, giving Jihoon a chance to take a deep breath, rolling his wrists and stretching the tape behind his back as he spun to face them.

“Who the hell are you?” Jihoon spat, tensing his wrists subtly, holding eye contact as a means of keeping control of the situation. If he kept engaged, they would not feel rushed to catch him. Unless they were smart enough to see through Jihoon’s diversion’s, which he highly doubted.

The man said nothing, expression hidden behind the tint of his sunglasses as he pulled himself off the concrete. He nodded to the others, who began to step forward with an aura of irritation.

Jihoon didn’t so much as flinch at their approach, calming himself with a breath. After building a layer of slick between his skin and the glue of the ducktape, his wrist slipped out with ease. He booked it towards the alleyway exit without another thought, only to be pulled back in by the hood of his sweater, gasping out a choke as the collar yanked against his throat.

“Be smart, kid. It’s better for the both of us if you do as we say.” The man whispered against the shell of Jihoon’s ear in a low voice, holding Jihoon still as he ran his fingers against black hair, grasping at the strands.

Jihoon felt his head yanked back by the hair in the man’s fist, forced to look up at his captor with a pained glare. He shifted his feet against the grain of concrete below, staring up with dark eyes. “Who the are you calling kid?”

The man chuckled, turning and nodding his head to signal the other’s without a shred of caution. Was this guy serious? Who was he expecting to intimidate with such a cute face? It was laughable.

A sudden tug against his hand had him looking down with a smirk, fully expecting to see the boy struggling. Quickly, though, as he stared at the few strands of tattered black hair in his grip, ends ripped from the roots, his smile dropped. “What the fu-“

Jihoon shot up from beneath, holding his fist tight as he drove it into the underside of the man’s chin. A crack ricocheted, tossing him back against the concrete. He cried out in a low voice, unintelligent jabbling as he gripped his jaw. It was most definitely broken, seeing as the strike had hit the very center of the jaw hinge, while his mouth had been open, so Jihoon supposed he could excuse him for sounding like a moron.

Nonetheless, he silenced him with a swift kick to the side of his head, slamming it against a close-by wall.

The man’s struggles ceased instantly, falling unconscious against the concrete.

Jihoon looked up with a glare at the two other men in the alleyway, who were now standing stark, their disbelief clear even through the tint of dark sunglasses. Jihoon knew exactly what they were thinking. ‘How the hell could a little guy like that take down a six foot tall baddie like me?’ Really, it took him busting up their boss to take him seriously? He could deal with the attempted kidnapping, but to be underestimated? That just pissed him off.

“Well?” Jihoon taunted, shaking out the tension in his fingers as he stared up at the men. “Which one of you are next?”

After an exchange of glances, the men stepped forward cautiously, arms held outwards in a fighting position. They lunged forward one by one, and Jihoon dodged to the side, duking down and utilizing the difference of sizes by slinking behind the men with ease.

He elbowed one man in the small of his back, stepping back as the other spun to catch up with his movements.

There were a few problems with the men he was facing. For one, they were stupid; relying solely on brute strength rather than technique. In this sense, Jihoon held the advantage. Because they had made assumptions based on his apearance since the beginning, he could take them by surprise. But, overall, Jihoon was simply better than them.

Sure they were tall, and muscular, and they dressed cool, but what was the use of it all? Jihoon was practically dancing around these s.

They fought back clumsily, throwing heavy swings in hopes of taking him down in one blow, but Jihoon was smaller, faster. He dodged with ease, albeit painfully. His foot was still sprained, so he did his best to land on his good foot at all times.

That also meant he couldn’t prance around the problem much longer. He had to find an opening to finish this…. He couldn’t take them both down together, but separately, he had confidence. He needed to pull them apart.

Jihoon thought quickly, feeling the brush of the mans fist glide, skimming his shoulder as his dodged slowed. He took his surroundings in as quick as he was able to, in the split second it took to wrap his fingers around the wrist of the one man, pulling his body weight forward to yank him back, knocking the other man, who had been coming in from behind.

As they stumbled together, Jihoon changed positions, back towards a nearby collection of metal trash cans. He steadied his breath in preparation as the men approached. They were clearly irritated, breath heavy after that childish game of cat and mouse. Although Jihoon did his best to control his breathing, he couldn’t deny that he was feeling it too.

“What’s wrong? You boys tired already?”

Jihoon was starting to wonder if the first guy had been the only one who wasn’t mute. Besides the grunts and breathing, he had yet to hear the other two say a word. No matter, conversation was unnecessary. He was about to end this.

Although they attacked together, one of the men came at him faster, at a sprint, exactly as Jihoon had hoped he would. As they’d faced off, he’d taken notes. This one was more confident, a bit more full of himself. Jihoon used his eagerness to his advantage. As he came forward, Jihoon moved precisely, feigning a direct engagement. The man grunted, kicking powerfully in some kind of a stiff, round-house stance.

From the blunt way they moved, Jihoon could tell they weren’t fit for fighting like this. They were meant to apprehend him using brute strength, not agility. Honestly? They were ing slow. It didn’t take much effort to divert the kick, ducking, throwing the man off-balance. Before he could regain his stance, Jihoon ducked behind, back-kicking him in his moment of unsteadyess, causing him to crash against the piles of trash Jihoon had been standing by.

Jihoon spun to face the other man, who was approaching just behind, spinning on his heal in a-

“Aak-!” Jihoon felt a spike of pain, leg giving out the moment he had attempted to pivot. His ing ankle! Stupid, cheep- cast.

Without even being given the chance to recover, the other man was on him in an instant, tackling him to the concrete face-down.

“Get the hell off you-mffff!”

His voice muffled into the fabric of a cloth, pressed tight against his nose and mouth. The other man, who had been tossed into the trash, collected himself quickly, walking over within Jihoon’s peripheral vision, pulling the burlap sack from before off the floor.

His vision blurred, chest thumping sporadically.

He felt his head yanked up by the neck to face him, felt a brush against his cheek, a ticklish sensation. As his vision cut to black and his mind began to fade, one sensation lingered until the end.

That sickly sweet smell.

~

Is it…. Morning?

It’s too dark, he’d probably fallen asleep under the Vulcan again.

No… The Vulcan broke. Ah-, the generator… He’d never filled it. The power was just off, wasn’t it? Where’s the kids? They must be ting themselves…

Jihoon opened his mouth to speak slowly, biting in confusion against something soft, stuffing his mouth full, making any literate speech impossible.

“Were my orders not clear? I told you not to ing hurt him!”

A voice… Slightly unclear, words echoing against his skull. Who is that?

Jihoon attempted to turn his head, groaning against the gag as he felt the spike of a headache rattle, pulling his hands up to grasp at his scalp uselessly. They were bound behind his back, sweating beneath the bonds… It was smooth, like metal, clasped tightly around his wrists.

“Yes, sir, but we had no choice… He’s-”

“-I don’t want to hear your excuses. I warned you before that if you hurt him there would be consequences, did I not?”

Jihoon’s world was spinning, slowly coming to a stand-still. He scrambled to remember… He’d gone to the store to get generator fuel, he fixed a sticky cash drawer… He went to get a taxi, and then…

Right! Those s in the ing alleyway!

Jihoon pulled against his bindings, twisting his wrists in an attempt to find a lock. He needed to get out of here, this was bad.

“But sir, he was like a monster... You saw what he did to Jiyong! He cracked his skull against the bricks and then smiled at us. I mean, are you sure this is a good idea?”

“I’m the one who decides whether something is a good idea or not. Frankly, your tone makes me think I never should have given you a role in this operation. Shall I revoke your position? Send you back to working as a dog for those-wait, shush..”

“Sir, I-”

“-Shut up, he’s awake.”

Jihoon flinched, halting his struggles as footsteps approached from the front. The light that shun against his vision once the blindfold was removed was blinding, he squinted in order to get a proper look at his captors.

And honestly, he expected some dingy basement, dudes in bloody pig masks wielding jagged carving knives… But, his surroundings were pristine. The walls were spotlessly white, the room empty besides a few metal storage shelves, an office chair, plus the two men before him.

Even without his sunglasses, he immediately recognized the first one. Tall, and well built, in a speckles black suit, black hair. He was one of the men from the alleyway.

“You’re dismissed.” The man beside him spoke, calmly.

‘Suit and tie’ turned to him with wide eyes. “Are you certain?”

“leave, Seunghyun, that’s an order.”

After a moment of hesitation, ‘Seunghyun’ left, bowing at the door respectfully before shutting it behind him. Leaving Jihoon and the mysterious man alone.

“How are you feeling, Mr. Lee?” The man spoke, pushing his glasses up on his nose bridge with long, slender fingers. Jihoon looked him over with dark eyes, following as he took a seat in front, crossing his legs as if he were having a casual conversation with a co-worker.

He was a unique-looking man. Whispy, sort of bobbed blonde hair, lying neatly against high cheekbones. His skin was bright and pale, big, deep-set eyes, blinking quizzically behind round glasses. It was notable to point out that he was also wearing a lab-coat, but… Jihoon would admit, his looks were distracting.

He might even go as far as saying he had nearly perfect symmetry, something Jihoon would have admired, if not for the whole gagged-and-bound situation. He ignored the question, too busy analyzing him to even comprehend what he had said.

The man chuckled as he stood, leaning forward to Jihoon. “Right, I suppose this makes it a bit difficult to speak. Sorry about that.”

Jihoon flinched back as the man leaned in close, untying the rag and pulling it out from his mouth gently, staring down with bright eyes. He stretched out his aching jaw with a pained expression, never once looking away from the stranger.

“You don’t need that, anyways. This room is sound-proof, so calling for help would be useless. I think it’s unfortunate that we’ve had to meet this way, but I think it’s pretty safe to assume you wouldn’t have agreed to come otherwise.” He bowed, an oddly respectable gesture, considering the fact that Jihoon was his hostage. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Lee; my name is doctor Yoon.”

Jihoon felt dumbfounded. He furrowed his brows, looking around with what little range he had. Was this some kind of hidden camera show? “I can’t say I feel the same way.” He mocked, expression unchanging.

The man didn’t take offense, he simple leaned forward, an almost fascinated expression hiding behind professional eyes. “Do you know who I am?”

“I’m afraid the list of people who have threatened to kidnap and murder me is a bit too long for me to remember the specifics.” He scoffed, eyeing the doctors name-tag with a knowing frown. “You’re not just any kidnaper though, are you, Doctor? You are a rather famous scientist, being a head at microbial identification technology in Korea, or most notably… head scientist at MANSAE.” His eyes narrowed, nodding his head to the side in a scrutinizing manner. “I thought that was just a codename since I’d never found any photo identification, honestly. Who knew the infamous Yoon was such a pretty-boy.”

The doctor leaned back in his chair, smug. “You flatter me, Mr. Lee. I could say the same about you.” He watched intently at Jihoon’s expression, flickering in curiosity. “Who knew the Vulcan Thief would be so charming.”

Honestly… It wasn’t surprising that MANSAE knew who he was. Still, Jihoon couldn’t help the spike of anxiety he felt at those words. He huffed, holding his nerves by the neck to suppress a show of weakness. “I’m assuming you didn’t drag me all the way here to flirt with me, so get to the point, if there is one to all this.”

Yoon chuckled, cupping his chin. “You’re correct, I’m sorry… I don’t mean to waste your time. I’ve just been hoping to meet you for a long time now, so I didn’t want to rush things.”

This guy’s insane, isn’t he? He’s some kind of corrupt, MANSAE employee, the toes of the criminals to sate his own ed up fascinations… Or, something along those lines. Since when did it become protocol to have a friendly ‘get to know you’ chat with the criminals? Jihoon grimaced. “Unfortunately, my patience was thin the moment I woke up bound and gagged to a metal chair. If you want to talk business, then untie me first. Don’t you think this is a bit unprofessional?”

“I wish I could, but after seeing the work you did on my men, this was a necessary evil. I’m surprised, Jihoon. When I read your profile, I wasn’t sure what to look forward to… But, you’ve certainly exceeded my initial expectations. Not only are you a genius, but it seems like you’re quite skilled in fighting, even out of the suit.” The doctor leaned forward, brushing a gentle hand against Jihoon’s cast. “If not for this, I don’t think my men would have even had a chance.”

Jihoon only noticed now, staring down in disgust, at the shiny new cast adorning his injury; much more professionally done, he might add. “It didn’t help that you sent a trio of land whales to do your dirty work.”

Yoon laughed, leaning back in his chair bemusedly. “You’re a funny guy, Jihoon. I suppose I could have expected this after listening to your quips with the Sergeant, though.”

"I’m glad you find the situation amusing, because I’m not exactly falling out of my chair over this. Why don’t you tell me why I’m here, doctor Yoon, because none of this feels like it’s following the boy scout code of conduct to me. Either MANSAE needs to tighten the reigns on their employees, or… MANSAE doesn’t know about this at all, so which is it?”

Jihoon’s eyes tracked the doctor as he crossed his legs, tapping the tips of slender fingers rhythmically against his knee. “You’ve very observant, Jihoon... And you’re right. This has nothing to do with MANSAE.”

“And I’m just supposed to take your word for that?”

He pushed his glasses up on his nose quietly, smile holding. “You said it yourself, this isn’t protocol. The reason you are here is because, I have a proposition for you.”

Jihoon couldn’t help but think, in different circumstances, he would have been able to enjoy an intelligent conversation with the doctor. He was obviously much smarter than he put on… Albeit a bit strange. But Jihoon would be damned if he was about to agree with whatever ed up request he was about to lay out. He couldn’t deny that he was curious, though. “it’s not like I can refuse to listen, so shoot.”

There was a moment of silence between them, as Jihoon wriggled in his seat to ease the kink in his arms, and the doctor seemed to be taking a dramatic pause for the theatrics of the situation.

“I want you to join to help me start a revolution.”

“… A what?”

“Ah, that’s kind of a leap to say… Allow me to reword, I want you to help me with something that, I believe, is in the best interest for us both.”

Jihoon raised an eyebrow, dubious. “And that would be?”

“To put it bluntly, I want to take down MANSAE’s strongest superhero, and I think you’re the perfect person to help me do it.” Yoon finished, a quaint hint of satisfaction behind his smirk as he watched Jihoon’s mind puzzle.

“I guess since you assume I’m gonna jump on this opportunity, you mean Sergeant underwear.”

Yoon looked away, snickering. “Man, you really are a fresh breath of air, Jihoon. When people talk about Sergeant, there’s always some level of respect, a bit of fear… but you just really don’t care, do you? You don’t have the comical cockiness of most villains, or the anger of some.. It’s genuine. I knew my intuition would be right about you.”

“You’re right that I don’t care, so I don’t see why you think I’d be interested in this. If I could kill that leotard-wearing lunatic, I would have done it a long time ago. But, I really gotta ask, why the are you trying to take him down, Mr. Head scientist? In fact, why should I trust you at all?”

There was a strange tension between them, not hot or cold, but lukewarm and uneasy. Jihoon could feel the doctor’s eyes raking over him… unlike the way he generally felt men look him up. It was in a manner of simple observation. The way a scientist would watch a specimen in a jar, as if Jihoon were the most fascinating person he had ever seen. However, despite him being the one tied up and examined, that level of respect the doctor had displayed since the beginning still held. At first he may have dismissed it as act, but this far in, Jihoon could tell that wasn’t the case.

His simplest of gestures; the gentle touches, the anxious tapping, the way he fiddled with his glasses, and spoke at an octave much higher than his natural voice (judging by the way he’d spoken to his employee before.) It all suggested that the doctor was suppressing some levels of excitement. Whether this excitement was of some filthy fantasies of tying someone to a chair, or of a genuine respect for Jihoon himself… remained up for debate.

“I suppose that is a bit confusing… But, I don’t want you to think of me as ‘head scientist at MANSAE.’ Really, that whole scenario is just a cover-up for me. Instead, I want you to see it like this; I have infiltrated the inner foundations of MANSAE operations. I see who goes in, I see who goes out, I know identities, secrets, weaknesses, you name it.” The doctor’s eyes were wide as he spoke, determined. “I want to be your ally, Jihoon… In fact, I’ve already been helping you for a while now.”

“… How so?” Jihoon questioned, unwilling to give in to his exaggerations so easily.

“Well, you're smart. Even for me, it’s taken a long time to figure out who you are, but I’ve deducted some key points during the time that I have been watching your activity. I estimated since the beginning that you were likely below 170cm, so I informed the research group that you would be above. I unscrambled your voice filter and heard your real voice, and then altered it so that MANSAE would never know. And haven’t you wondered why your face hasn’t been released, Jihoon? Why since MANSAE got their hands on your suit, your criminal profile hasn’t been plastered on billboards around the country?”

Of course he was, but the way Yoon put it only made Jihoon feel pissed. If this guy knew so much, he should understand that these ‘snobby, know-it-all’ types were Jihoon’s least favorite kind of person. Jihoon simple glared, clasping his mouth into a thin line.

“I have the authority to access the government database. I am in charge of keeping the technology up to date, after-all. This is how I finally found you, Jihoon. And nobody aside from me saw your file.”

Jihoon scoffed. “So what did you do, lie to them? I’m sure there’s plenty of scientists at MANSAE other than you, somebody would check eventually.”

“You’re right.” He smirked, interlocking his fingers together against his knee. “Which is why I deleted you from the database. As of now, Lee Jihoon doesn’t even exist. You’re a ghost in the system, it’s impossible for anyone to find you without my help.”

“Is that a threat?”

“No! God, no. Even if it was beneficial to me, I would never give you up to MANSAE. As it stands, I believe you’re the key to setting my plan into action. I need your help. And, with the way things have played out, I believe you could use someone like me.”

Jihoon searched earnestly for signs of dishonesty, for a hint of malice… Discluding the possibility that Yoon was a genius of body language, he seemed to be genuine in his words. “So, you’re a proposing a give-and-take situation of sorts? I help you, you return the favor, and the two of us skip merrily into MANSAE headquarters, blow it up, and live happily ever after?”

“Yes… Well, not exactly how you put it, but yes.”

“And how exactly do you expect us to do this, doctor? What exactly are you proposing?”

“I want you to become close to the sergeant. Gain his trust, enough that he’ll let his guard down, enough that he will tell you something that he hasn’t told anybody, not to the world, or to his company, or to even his closest friends.” Yoon smiled, leaning forward. “His weakness.”

“… His weakness? Really? I thought the ‘kidnapping me in an alleyway’ thing was bad, but this? We have exceeded dangerous levels of cliché, Yoon.” Jihoon felt himself growing increasingly doubtful, each time the doctor opened his mouth. “Besides, what makes you think I’d be able to juice the secrets outta him? Hate to break it to you, but me and the Sergeant are kind of infamous for our public fights. He’d sooner punch me through a skyrise than open up to me.”

“I know! It’s a strange thought, right? On the outside, anyone could see that you’re enemies… but in fact, I think out of everyone, you’re the closest thing to a friend he has. If you met him out of uniform, you would see it the way I do, I’m sure. He has a wall up around him that nobody, not even his closest colleagues have been able to get over. Yet during a fight with you, it crumbles in an instant! He gets angry at you, he quarrels, he breaks face… And I don’t think it’s just because you know how to rub him the wrong way.”

Jihoon’s mouth hung open, hesitant to argue as the doctor spoke so passionately.

“Believe me, if I could have done it, I would have by now. I’m MANSAE’s counselor for god’s sake. I have the deepest, darkest secrets of the company on file, but he won’t crack even for me! I don’t know what it is about you exactly, but I think you’re the only one who can do it.”

“Even if I said yes to helping you, and that’s a big ing if… How would you expect me to get close to him? I’m the most wanted criminal in the city right now, just leaving my house this morning was a risk.” Jihoon quirked his head, squinting. “Regular people don’t just ‘get close’ with Coups. Plenty of superhero’s have their true identity public, but that guy is practically kept on lockdown. Trust me, I’ve looked into this; I don’t even know his real name. What do you expect me to do?”

“I want you to join CLAP.”

Jihoon blinked a few times, disbelieving. “You want me to what?”

“Think about it. If you joined the program, I have the ability to rig the system from the inside. It pairs superhero’s and inmates based on a randomly generated personality match, it’ll be easy to make it match you and the sergeant. And then he’ll have no choice but to get close to you.” Yoon brushed hair behind his ears, collecting himself back to the calm doctor he had appeared to be in the beginning. “There is one reason why we call Sergeant Coups the best, and that is because he has never been beaten; nobody knows how to. But everybody has their kryptonite, there’s simply never been anyone close enough to the Sergeant to discover his. So, what do you say, Jihoon? Will you help me?”

Jihoon stared up at the doctor with a heavy gaze. “What if I refuse? What will you do, kill me?”

“No, certainly not.”

He squinted, dubious. It wouldn’t make sense to go through all of this, and then simply let him go free. Jihoon thought for a moment, possibilities waving through his mind as the doctor’s carefree smile loomed over him.

Yoon kept his face calm, but Jihoon could sense him becoming tense. His nails dug into his knee, eyes shifting. There was something he wasn’t telling him.

“I’m going to be honest with you, doctor. Your plan sounds far-fetched, and as much as becoming buddy-buddy with Sergeant sounds like the best damn time of my life, I doubt he feels the same way. But, I know you’re not stupid, you’re not just going to let me go if I say no… So what’s the catch, Doctor?”

Doctor Yoon breathed out, focusing his gaze on Jihoon. “…I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this, but if you really won’t comply, I’ll have no choice.” Jihoon watched carefully as the doctor stood from his chair, turning towards the file cabinet behind him. He rustled through the drawers, pulling out a file from within.

As he sat back down, Jihoon noted the change in expression. His smile had dropped, replaced with a solemn frown as he turned the first page of the file towards Jihoon.

He wasn’t sure what he had expected to see. But a picture displaying Chan certainly hadn’t crossed his mind. Jihoon’s mouth hung open, pupils shaking.

“Lee Chan, born Febuary 11^th, 1999. He registered into the same orphanage as you at the age of 5, two years after you arrived. He’s currently finishing his senior year at Kwangwoon electronics Technical Highschool, and has dreams of attending KAIST for university, but is unlikely to be accepted due to his background. Sound familiar?”

“If you touch him I’ll ing kill you!” Jihoon yanked at his bindings with as much force as he could muster, startling the doctor before him, who flinched back.

“Calm down, thrashing is useless... you’ll only hurt yourself.” He explained, coughing out the break in his voice. “I’m not going to lay a finger on him. However, if you are to refuse my request, I cannot guarantee the authorities wont.” Yoon turned the next page towards Jihoon, displaying pictures of security footage from multiple locations… Chan captured in each one. “Here, Chan is shown stealing tools from an electronics shop near his school. Here, he’s shown stealing groceries from a store not too far from there. Here, he’s shown pick-pocketing a boy from his school. They’re all low-level crimes, honestly, but added together they become a much bigger issue. If acted upon, he could face fines of up to three million won… Which I’m sure, based on the constant theft, he wouldn’t be able to pay. In which case he could face two to three years of jail time.”

Jihoon bit his tongue, eyebrows furrowed together in fury.

“This much time in jail is nothing… But for Chan, it’ll ruin his chances of getting into a respectable University. It only takes a few years to steal the innocence of a youth in jail. I’m sure that’s not what you want, is it Jihoon?”

“You bastard… You are one evil motherer, aren’t you? How does it feel exploiting the future of a kid for your own gain?” Jihoon hissed, feeling his face heat up under his anger.

The doctor’s face fell, closing the files. “It’s up to you what happens… But, if you agree to my terms, I can assure you that I will keep up my end of the bargain.”

“If I agree, you won’t touch him? That’s the deal?”

“Yes, I won’t involve him in this at all.”

Jihoon considered it for a long while, weighing his choices on a seesaw, as the silence between the two of them grew deafening. He had no choice, did he? This had been the deal since the beginning… he wasn’t going to let the kids take the slack for anything he did. No matter if Chan was committing some miniscule crimes, it was Jihoon’s influence that drove him to that, he was certain…

He couldn’t be sure that Yoon would keep his promise, though. As far as he knew, the moment Jihoon agreed, this Yoon guy would have MANSAE authorities breaking down their doors.

No, this seems to be a long-term agreement… If at any point Yoon broke his promise, Jihoon would be able to back out, right? Yoon didn’t gain anything from punishing Chan, it would make no sense for him to take such a risk.

Jihoon sighed, meeting the doctor’s eyes. “Let’s talk terms.”

The doctor smiled, physically exuding relief. “I’m glad you’ve come around.” He pulled a paper from his file, reading through it. “There are a few thing’s I want to make clear before anything is agreed upon. For one, you will follow my order’s during this operation. As I am working as the company counselor, mission reports will take place in the form of counseling appointments… Aside from that, contact with me will be kept minimal. You will have whatever range of freedom the company grants you, but you are absolutely forbidden to have outside contact. Meaning; friends, family, or anybody who may have known you as the Vulcan.”

“No. I’m not going to leave Chan alone, he needs me…” Jihoon prevented himself from mentioning the others, unsure if the doctor even knew about them, yet. “If I must keep it a secret from him, then rest assured I will, but I’m not abandoning him.”

The doctor sighed, placing his papers on his lap. “Unfortunately, I can’t allow that. This is a delicate operation, I can’t risk anyone leaking our plans. As of right now it’s fine to continue contact as normal, but once we begin the operation you will no longer have contact with Chan, or any of the other orphaned children, for that matter.”

Jihoon gulped, feeling his forehead growing nervously slick at the mention of the others. This Yoon guy knew everything… he supposed it wasn’t surprising for a person who was known for his skills in identity technology, but it was still ridiculous. “They’re just kids… They need me.”

“You won’t have to worry about them anymore, I’ll make sure each and every one of them is well accommodated. I have connections, I can assure you that they’re taken care of.” Yoon offered a sympathetic expression. “I know Dino’s a bit too old for a new family… But, I can guarantee him a spot at KAIST, a free ride with room and board. He’s a gifted student, I’m sure he’ll excel there.”

Jihoon felt his heart dropping in his chest… Those kids were his family. From the very beginning, it has been him and them against the world. Sure, it’s never been exactly luxury, but… They’re happy. Just being with them has been enough to motivate Jihoon to keep going all this time. How could he just leave them like that? How could he break his promise?… “What would I tell them, Yoon? I can’t do that to them, I just can’t…”

“I know this is hard for you… But, you will see very soon that this is for the best. For them, as well as you. It’s safer this way, Jihoon.”

Jihoon met his eyes, pupils shaking as his mind ran through his options. He was trapped, physically and figuratively. Would this really be better for them? Sent to live with strangers, people who could never understand the struggles they’ve been through… Forced to conform.

Yet, then again, with a stable family, they’ll never have to worry anymore… They would always have food on the table, they won’t have to wear hand-me-down clothes, or worry about whether or not Jihoon's gonna come home after a heist. They won’t have to worry about him dying anymore… Isn’t that what’s best for them? Honestly, they’ll probably hate him for it, especially Chan. But as long as they were safe, Jihoon could bear the resentment. All that mattered to him was their futures.

Jihoon opened his mouth to speak, cut-off as the phone in his back pocket began to buzz.

… Chan...

His eyes widened as the doctor leaned forward, running his hand along Jihoon’s back until he felt the phone, slipping it out to see the displayed name. Jihoon was only now regretting setting his name to ‘Channie.’

Yoon held the phone forward with a smile. “Go ahead, talk to him. You can give me your answer through this.” He swiped the answer button, holding the phone against Jihoon’s ear.

As his voice came through, Jihoon couldn’t help but feel he didn’t have a choice.

~

Chan bit his nails, pacing the floor as the phone rang through. It picked up on the fourth ring, the line buzzing against his ear. Chan haulted his steps, sighing. “Why do you take so ing long to pick up?”

“Ah… I just didn’t feel it ring, sorry.”

Chan chuckled, leaning against the desk behind him. “It’s getting late, what are you doing? Hurry home before the power shuts off, the kids are getting antsy. Did you get the fuel?”

“yeah, I got it…”

Jihoon’s voice was quiet, unusual compared to the way they usually bantered over the phone. It was only a bit worrisome for Chan, who had only moment’s ago been pacing the floor wondering why Jihoon hadn’t called… “You’re okay, right? If your leg hurts, just let me know. I can meet you wherever you are, and-“

“-No... I’m fine, Channie. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be home soon, okay? I’m just catching a cab now.”

“Oh, okay… You sure?”

Jihoon’s voice brightened up audibly, humming. “You worry too much, you know that? I was just helping out Janghoon around the shop and lost track of time.”

Chan chuckled. “I told you to call when you got there, stupid. Whatever, just hurry home. Bye, Hyung.”

“Bye Chan… I love you.”

“W-what?” Chan coughed, standing up from the desk in embarrassment. “Are you sick?”

“I’m teasing Channie, don’t be so frigid. Bye dude.”

“Don’t call me that!”

The phone hung up from the other end, line buzzing against Chan’s ear. He smiled to himself as he put the phone down, leaning back against the desk.

Why did he ever bother worrying about that guy?