_____ threw open the curtains, hearing a strange noise. A peculiar sound you weren't expecting to hear in this hideaway tucked away from the rest of the world. Past the foggy, dusty glass window, past the shelving of layered rock, the rev of an engine turned to be just what you had feared.

“Taekwoon,” you ran and shook him awake. Pulling the blanket from his face, he squinted up. “Something’s wrong. I think someone’s coming.”

Pawing the tiredness from his face, his exposed chest stretched up to condone the rest of his sagging diaphragm and posture. Intellect filled him then, whipping him into reality. Gritting his teeth at the sound of a vehicle’s motor putting to a fervent stop, he leapt up and took you with him.

Not even before reaching the front porch, Taekwoon’s hair had the sheen of caramel, which, once the light struck it, became a citrus blonde that sat is ruffled tuffs. You had no time to shove a weapon into your pocket. Yet the instinct to fight had been fought right out of you long before the realization struck. A wave of humidity greeted the two of you outside on the shore. The vehicle, a steel cart of power, steaming from the under belly, lolled to a halt.

You knew the power and hate was building in Taekwoon, ready to unleash on whoever unlucky soul stepped out of the car.

The doors slid open. Taekwoon barred his teeth, his grip on your hand becoming sweaty. Two men fell out of the truck, one hanging limply onto the other’s shoulder. The echo of another door slamming filled the motionless, empty atmosphere. Hongbin trembled across the sand with the other clutched dearly to him like a precious artifact. He fell to his knees in front of you and Taekwoon, panting outrageously, and an unconscious Hakyeon sprawled out. A tall figure stood with his back against the hood of the truck. The sun reflected an oasis off of the sand, the farther out you looked, the distance became more of a blur.

“Well, we’ve come to take you up on your offer for working together,” wheezed Hongbin, falling back onto his hands against the sand. “I’ll explain more later, but for now, can I have some water?”

Taekwoon eyed Hongbin with the closest you’ve seen him come to annoyance. And true speechlessness. “Why are you in only your underwear?”

The man off in the distance by the car remained like a foreboding statue.

“That’s just a minor detail,” Hongbin waved his hand, sweat beading on his eyebrows and around his hairline.

Taekwoon’s eyes shut and he sighed long and hard. He rattled a log of vulgar threats under his breath.

Letting Hongbin inside, Taekwoon took it upon himself to help Hakyeon up, an easy feat for someone with strength to rival the pressing heat. It was quite a humid day. As you took a seat on the rickety, water washed chair on the porch, you turned towards the sea and thought. The curl of the water, the shifts, the moans as it struck the sand’s edge, in a way that was no more gentle than the batter of a kitten. The man came closer, revealing that it was a teenage boy. He took a seat in the chair next to you.

Solitarily, the two of you watched the sun at it’s highest peak and the gulls that circled around it in the sky. The chatter from inside spilled out of the cracks from the boarded up windows.

“You recognize me, don’t you?”

“How could I not?” you replied.

“I was so afraid then. Now, I feel invincible. Do you know the feeling?”

You nodded. “Yeah. I felt that way for my whole life. Until I opened my eyes. You’ve changed a lot since back then.”

He smiled and it almost looked sweet.

Hongbin came out shortly with the news that Hakyeon was in a peaceful slumber until further notice. Only being the two chairs, you excused yourself to let Hongbin take your seat. From out the front window, you watched the pair’s backs. You listened through the thin glass. Sanghyuk tucked a piece of his brazen, firewood brown hair behind his ear, looking unblinkingly into Hongbin’s eyes. Both of their legs were planted lazily. You could still replay the first day you’d met Hongbin in that office, that aura of non maskable confidence, friendliness, charm, in full effect. You still wondered about why he had your pocket knife at that time.

Sanghyuk’s eyes were dark black and his side profile looked more mature than last time.

“It must have been so hard for you, brother.”

“You said the same thing in the car, Sanghyuk. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Ever since you’ve woken up, something inside of you has been ticking a little differently, Hongbin startled himself at the realization.

“With the ability to look into your thoughts, your secrets, your fears, I wonder what mus