“Hello, and welcome back to the Seoul Scoop! In news this week, a new villain is on the rise! At Banks all over the city, mass robberies have been carried out by an up-and-coming villainous threat, calling himself Paladin.”

The news reporter beside her hummed, stacking his papers together. “Yes, Miss Minji. This man certainly is a mystery! He’s never appeared to the public eye before now, but according to key witnesses in the case, he is no novice! Since his first heist at the Shinhan bank, he’s successfully evaded all attempts to detain him. Not even the A-class superhero, pheroman, was able to get the job done.”

“He has the makings of a proper supervillain, that’s for sure. There is something very interesting about him though, Mr. Changmin.”

“And what’s that?”

A small photocard appeared near her head; a grey silhouette, with a question mark through the middle. “Despite the fame he’s racked up recently, the media has failed to obtain a single photo of the Paladin! Aside from eye witnesses, nobody has a clue what he looks like.”

He whistled In awe, facing front. “Incredible. This really brings to question how powerful the Paladin really is. Many have theorized that he possesses the power of ‘technology manipulation’. Both, because of the mystery behind the lack of photo’s, and as well because of the weapons he uses to carry out his heists. Two metal gloves, which have reportedly changed form before the eye!”

“Very interesting.” She added. “Not only is he mysterious and powerful… But according to many online forums discussing the case, there may be a deeper story to the Paladin than any of us could have imagined. A user named ‘super-fudgel’ was the first to make the connection, posting their discovery to the online villain discussion platform ‘blackguard’.”

The screen cut to graph spanning out over the past few weeks, portraying two, interluding statistic lines.

“As you can see here, following the date of each of the Paladins bank heists, various children’s charities around Seoul have been receiving anonymous donations of a similar magnitude. All of the evidence is leaving many to wonder... Could this anonymous donor be the Paladin himself?”

The man hummed, speculating. “It certainly does seem too stark to be coincidence, and after being shared and reposted by hundreds of thousands on social media, many have begun come out in support of the Paladin! Coining him a ‘modern day Robin Hood’, among other admirable nicknames.”

“Admirable indeed” She replied, expression turned serious. “Some have even gone as far as calling themselves his ‘fans.’ However, with the influx of support… has also come an overwhelming wave of backlash! Shinhan Bank in particular has put out a statement confirming that the Paladin had stolen a total of 5.4 million won from the first location alone. And no matter where the money ends up in the end, it has been stolen from their loyal clientele! Many customers of the banks who have fallen victim to the Paladin are in outrage over this.”

The camera cut to the man again, smiling handsomely for the camera. “And yet, many more continue to stand with him. Although we have seen underground supporters for Villains in the past, hardly any support has escalated to this magnitude before… So, the question everyone is asking stands. Is the Paladin really a benevolent do-gooder as they’ve claimed? Or is he simply an outlaw with luck by his side? More on this, at five-.”

Jihoon shut off the television in a panicked motion, cringing. “benevolent do-gooder? Jesus…”

Seokmin grinned at him. “It’s amazing, Jihoon! I knew what we were doing was gonna gain some traction, but I never imagined this much.”

“This never happened when I was the Vulcan… Why the hell do people suddenly like me? I’m still stealing their like usual.””

“Well, you did have fans as the Vulcan, actually.” Seokmin paused, feeling a bit shy. “But… now thanks to Dr. Yoon pulling some strings, you’re not just a thief. You’re a modern day Robin Hood!.”

Jihoon frowned, crossing his arms. “I thought I was supposed to be wreaking havok through the city to gain attention. This seems… So cheesy.”

Seokmin chuckled, flipping through the pages in his bulletin. “It’s all according to plan, just trust in doctor Yoon. Anyways, I have been instructed to inform you of the information on your next heist. It will be conducted tomorrow afternoon, at Hana bank on Chungmuro.”

“Same as usual I’m assuming? Get the money, get out, and don’t kill anyone?” Jihoon sat back on the couch with his legs crossed, peering at Seokmin’s clipboard curiously.

“Well, about that… The doctor has informed me that Mansae is going to begin taking serious action against you. Which means, they will almost certainly be sending an S-class hero this time around. If he’s right, then this is going to be the last heist before the next step of the plan. You… understand what this means, right?”

He hummed. “There aren’t a lot of S-class heroes at Mansae, are there?”

Seokmin flashed a smile. “You’re right. This means that assuming all goes according to plan, you’ll have to face Sergeant Coups as an enemy one last time… Before having to become his partner, that is.”

“Oh, goodie.” He mocked, feeling his stomach churn at the reminder.

Seokmin chuckled awkwardly, waving his arms in denial. “Sorry, I know you’re not that excited about it... But, I do think it will be interesting for you to face him again like this.” He flipped through his pages with a nervous gesture, checking to see if he had anything more to report. “I mean, when you see him again, you’ll see him as your long-running rival… But, he’s not going to have a clue. Seems dramatic, right?”

Jihoon scoffed. That’s right… The next time he faces Sergeant Stupid, he’s not going to be the Vulcan anymore. How should he act in front of him now? What kind of a character should Jihoon play?

“Well, that’s everything to report.” Seokmin stood up, stretching his arms. “I’ll get going. Text me if you need something.”

Seokmin stopped just as soon as he’d begun to walk away, looking back with an open mouth. Jihoon was staring up at him with round eyes, holding onto his sleeve to stop him.

“When am I going to be able to see the doctor?”

Seokmin offered a regretful smile, patting him on the shoulder. “I’m sorry Jihoon, but, you can’t see him; not until you get enrolled in the program. That’s why I’m here, so you two can keep contact until then.”

“...” He fell silent for a short moment, dropping his hand from seokmin’s sleeve. “Here’s the thing though, Seokmin. When I agreed to do this, the doctor made me a promise to me. I just, I need to know that he’s going to keep his half of the deal. I need to confirm that with him.”

“Oh, you mean about your brothers?”

Jihoon looked up wide-eyed. “He told you?”

“Well… He told me not to mention it until after the heist tomorrow… So, I’m not sure if I should say anything.”

“Please, Seokmin.” Jihoon stood up, taking the man’s hands in his own. “Are they okay?”

He stared down, biting his tongue. This poor kid. “The doctor has already set up their arrangements… They’re going to be just fine, Jihoon.”

“By that you mean… They’re being sent to good homes? Everyone?”

He retreated his hand. “Yes, nothing but the best. And the doctor made special arrangements with the school, for the oldest one. They’ve been fully taken care of.”

Jihoon sighed, falling back against the couch. He hung his head, staring down at the floor. “This is going to be better for them, right?”

“They’re going to have good lives. Don’t worry about them, okay? The doctor has put extra care into assuring this.”

Jihoon said nothing, breathing out as he rubbed his palms against closed eyes. Seokmin stared down at him pitifully, feeling an ache in his chest persist. This was a job… He wasn’t here to be his friend. He had to remember that.

“I’ll… get going. Text me if you need me, okay?”

The door closed behind Seokmin, and Jihoon crumbled as he found himself alone in this big, stupid hotel room, feeling his eyes sting red against the tight press of his palms.

they were going to be okay… this was for the best. These were the only things he could think to keep himself from running after them.

Were they ever going to understand why he’d done this? Of course, they wouldn’t ever know why exactly, but at least they should remember that Jihoon only ever did what was best for them. Everything he’d ever done was for their sake. The Vulcan? And now this whole mess with the Doctor? His whole ing career had been struggle to keep them floating above water in this dangerous, corrupted excuse of a country.

He wished more than anything to be able to see them one last time, all together. But, that was impossible now…

Jihoon up his emotions, rubbing his eyes roughly once more.

At least until his deal with the doctor was fulfilled… His brother’s were going to have to forgive him.

~

Chan stared into the papers in his hand, a heavy feeling weighing him against the couch as he read through it again, and again, and again. Until the tears in his eyes welled up heavy enough to blur his vision, falling in splattering droplets against the letters, and smearing the ink. The room was silent, the lights dimmed to conserve what little energy they had left in the generator.

More important than that… He was alone.

Chan clenched his fists, crumpling the papers together in frustration.

It was game over… The government had found their hideout somehow, everyone was taken away, and he was completely and utterly powerless to stop them. He’d never even had a chance.

When he’d gotten home from school today, there were three letters posted against their entrance. The first was an eviction notice. Their hideout hadn’t been ‘approved’ by the city, and was going to be destroyed. He had to leave within a week, or he’d be forcefully removed.

The second was a letter left by social services… Saying that all the children were being kept here ‘illegally, against their will, and in dangerous conditions.’ So… they were taken away to be relocated. Sent to foster homes and orphanages, right back to phase one. Everyone except for Chan.

The third was from kaist University… He’d been accepted against all odds, and offered a full ride. Room and board included. Chan only wished he were able to celebrate, but there was nothing joyful about this. Not when he had nobody to share the news with.

He dropped his papers on the table. There was absolutely no point in sitting here, staring into his university acceptance letter, when Jihoon was still nowhere to be seen. Every single text and call had been ignored, day after day since he’d gone missing. Chan had waited patiently all this time, understanding that Jihoon had a habit of running off for days at a time… But, this was the last straw. He needed to know what was going on… They needed to figure this out together.

He headed over to the computer with stride, logging into his personal account on the desktop.

He honestly never believed he’d have to use this… With Jihoon always running off in the Vulcan and getting into trouble, he worried he might have to come running after him one day… So, he may or may not have put a tracking implant in his cellphone. But until now, it had never come in handy. Jihoon had always managed to find his way back.

Jihoon brought his phone everywhere, despite not having a huge assortment of friends to call. Chan was certain that he would have it with him… He had to, or else there was absolutely no hope.

He opened up the program he’d created to connect to the implant, setting up the connection.

“Come on…” He tapped the desk nervously as the program attempted to establish a signal. Please, please work..

At the beep of confirmation, Chan lit up, clicking the screen rapidly as he honed in on the fluctuating red dot on the screen.

He’s.. in the middle of Seoul. What the hell is he doing out there?

Chan transferred the information to his cell phone with a simple download. He grabbed his jacket as he left out the sewer exit, pulling his hood over his head.

He was going to get to the bottom of this…

~

“It’s a hot topic that’s taking the internet by storm this week. Who is the Paladin? And how has his presence created such a windstorm of debate?”

The woman on the television crossed her legs, red-painted lips smiling mischievously. “It’s indeed created quite the stir! A supervillain for the sake of Charity? His debatable motive sparked the up-rise of deliberation, and now much of the buzz is pointing to one mysterious factor in the Paladin debate… His face! Or, lack there of.”

“That’s right!” The other girl exclaimed. “It’s no secret that the media has been unable to capture any photo identification of the Paladin thus far, which has blanketed the case with mystery since his first appearance. However, there are key witnesses who have come forward, and helped to map out a description for the press. Here that is now.”

On the screen appeared a rough sketch, of a man with long black bangs, shadowing dark eyes. Everything below that concealed, adorned with a bulky mask with slits. His outfit was promiscuous as well; Taut and leather from head to toe.

“Discussion forums have been going nuts over this supervillain! And some say, for all the wrong reasons.”

“How so?” The woman questioned.

“Simply because of the unexpected wave of support he’s received! This may be the largest growing villain ‘fan base’ since past supervillain ‘The Ace’, who since being detained in Mansae’s maximum security centers in 2017 has lost nearly all of his open supporters-”

Seungcheol shut off the TV in frustration, dropping the remote to the table. “Fan clubs? For criminals?… This world has really gone to hell.”

Vernon chuckled. “Hyung, plenty of those guys have fans. You can’t just hog all the love for yourself you know.”

“That is… Definitely not the point.” He leaned back against the couch of the break room, loosening his tie. “They’re murderers, thieves, and rapists. Yet there are people fawning over them as if they’re just a bunch of misunderstood celebrities…” He squinted, thinking back to the sketch they’d shown on the news. The first words that came to mind were ‘steampunk e’, and he honestly couldn’t find logic in the appeal. “What’s so different about this Paladin guy, anyways?”

Soonyoung came through the door huffing, tossing his mask aside as he joined them on the couch. “What’s the hot gossip today, boys?”

“Talking about that Paladin guy.” Vernon mumbled through a mouth-full of chips.

“Oh, the cute one?”

Seungcheol raised an eyebrow. “Please don’t tell me you’re one of his fans, too.”

“Of course not. But hey, I’m not about to call 300 witnesses a bunch of liars.”

He ran a hand down his face, disbelieving. “How the hell could someone take the time to notice that kind of thing when they’re being held at gunpoint? Honestly… They’d be dead before they had the chance to properly check him out.”

Vernon leaned forward, speaking eagerly. “Actually, hyung, apparently he hasn’t killed anybody. People are even saying he’s some kind of modern day Robin hood. You know, like… stealing from the rich, and giving to the poor? I was reading about it the other day on Blackguard.”

“Do you actually read those things?”

Vernon leaned back on the couch with his arms crossed, pouting. “Geeze, what’s wrong with keeping up to date on the news?”

“I think as a superhero, you might have some more important things to focus on than nonsense criminal forums.” Seungcheol tugged at the first button of his suit with idle fingers, resting his arm over the back of the couch as he scouted the room. “Speaking of wasting time, why’s the break room so full?”

“The city’s dead quiet today. Nobody’s gotten called in for anything.” Soonyoung huffed, tussling the gel of his hair into messy spikes.

“Then why the hell are you so out of breath?”

“Ever heard of running?”

Seungcheol quirked an eyebrow, dubious.

He huffed. “Just on my way here, there was this cat, and a speeding bus and-Well, that’s not important, anyways. Did you hear? The head-ups are gonna send someone from S-class to take care of Paladin next time he strikes.”

“Oh, awesome.” He sighed. “I thought Junhui went after him last time? What happened?”

He chuckled. “The geniuses in call operation forgot to take into account that the Paladin wears a fricken mask. Jun’s pheromones were no match.”

“Figures…” He huffed. “Who do you think it’s gonna be then?”

“Do you have to ask? Obviously you’re gonna get called in.” Soonyoung sneered, relaxing against the couch. “The Paladin’s outsmarted the whole strategy team. Nobody has any idea how he’s been manipulating the media to keep his face hidden, or rigging the security at all the banks. I think brute force is the only way we’re gonna take this guy down.”

Seungcheol scoffed. “And that means me?”

“Bingo, Sergeant brawn.” He smirked. “Although if they picked me, I wouldn’t complain. I kinda wanna see what the fuss is all about.”

Seungcheol grimaced. “I can see why they wouldn’t be sending you, I guess.”

Soonyoung smirked, feigning indifference… although he wished nothing more than to pull the stick out of Seungcheol’s right then and there. “By the way.. Did you check out that thing I gave you?”

“Oh, uh…”Seungcheol whipped his wrist up, interrupted by the violent buzzing of his pacer.

Hana bank, Chungmuro

36 suspects kept hostage since estimated time of 3:37pm, security tampering suspected, damage unknown, civilian status unknown, status of suspect unknown

Suspect: Code name Paladin

“Speak of the devil…” He grumbled, getting up quickly as he pulled off his suit jacket. “Gotta run, Soonyoung.”

Before he could get another word out, Seungcheol had blasted past him in a flash of blue, leaving a flurry of tattered clothing falling against Soonyoungs lap. He rubbed at his temple. Did he have to destroy his clothes every time he got called in? Honestly…

Seungcheol watched as the buildings around him distorted into thin lines of colour, stretching past him as he flied at godly speeds through the city. He caught the sight of the bank’s green logo with a skillful gaze, and bee-lined for the entrance.

This was a hostage situation… So he would have to be tactful with how he went about it. he didn’t know how this guy ran things, but judging by reports, he tended to avoid killing. Maybe this would be a somewhat civil fight, in the least.

First, he supposed he should try to talk him out of hurting the hostages.

He took another dubious glance towards his pacer, reading it over again. Usually they gave him more information than this… Feels like he’s charging in blind.

He took a scan of the building, quickly. The security shutters were closed, all but one which seemed to have malfunctioned; the skylight. Before centering in on his entry, Seungcheol crouched down, breathing steadily as he got into character.

It’s show time.

In a flash, he was kneeling on the tiled floors of the interior, his gaze following the space around him, as shards of glass rained like snowflakes, disappearing against shadows. The room was dark, aside from the thin stream of light coming down from the window he’d blown through. All the other entrances were out. They’d said this was a hostage situation, but it was quiet. Too quiet.

“Up here big boy.” A voice echoed, grabbing his attention from above.

Seungcheol shot to his feet from where he’d been kneeling, his eyes trailed up the shadow of a figure looming over him, sat precariously upon a ledge. The boy uncrossed his legs, flashing a glimpse of tight shorts, before crossing them over again. A leather boot nodded along to the silence of the room.

“Paladin.” Seungcheol spoke up, taking a defensive stance.

The boy’s eyes narrowed, his stature oddly casual.

“Well, if it isn’t the famous Sergeant Coups.” He teased, voice echoing through the quiet room with an inhuman vibrato. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Seungcheol scoffed. “Don’t play dumb, Paladin. The whole world knows what you do. If your news stories are any indication, then I doubt finding you in a bank means you’re making a simple withdrawal…” He glanced around sharply, a nervous feeling pooling at his gut. Where was everyone?

“You insult me.” He quipped, voice droning. A waft of vapor spilled from the slits of his mask, rising around his face in a cloud of grey. “What do you take me for? Some kind of villain?”

“According to my info, you’re holding people hostage.” He stated simply, ignoring the sarcasm. “Let them go free, first. Then you and I can have a dance.”

Seungcheol smiled up in confidence, extending a hand to the boy above him.

“How can I refuse an offer like that?”

In a moment, the boy had dropped from the ledge he was sitting on, catching the Sergeant off-guard as he landed before him, taking the outstretched hand in his own in a gentle grip. Seungcheol’s gaze followed him as he landed to the floor. he was… much shorter than expected.

“Fortunately for us, your information is wrong. There’s no one here but us.”

In a brief wave of confusion, his eyes locked onto the soft brown gaze of the boy before him. His coat fluttered as it settled around his frame, veiling what Seungcheol remembered on the news to be some kind of steampunk get-up.. He should have taken that very moment to plow his face in… But, he froze, staring into his face.

Why did he feel as if he’d met those eyes before?

His confusion shattered, the moment he registered that the hand he was holding was now adorned by a wrist-held machine gun.

..

Seungcheol jumped back, avoiding the spray of bullets that followed him across the walls, sporadically precise. Although usually he wouldn’t so much as break a sweat at that type of attack, he found himself tripping up left and right until eventually finding his footing, dodging behind a concrete pillar for shelter.

“So that’s how you play, huh?” Seungcheol scoffed, peaking side to side as the bullets ceased.

“Oh, no, I haven’t even gotten started playing with you.”

His voice bounced around the silence of the room, making it difficult to find the source. “Oh really? Well, don’t hold back on my account.”

A laugh sounded, echoing. “I wasn’t planning on it.”

As Seungcheol jumped from one pillar to another, a spray of bullets followed him. He crouched down, looking around. Their little banter felt odd to him, almost like deja vu. And the racing of his heart did nothing to help the steadiness of his gaze. Seungcheol took a moment to strategize. The criminal didn’t seem to be physically strong, and judging by the long-distance weapons and all the bouncing around, the best way to go about this was to get up-close and personal… Lucky for him, that was just was Seungcheol was best at.

He eyed around the pillar, searching for movement.

“What’s this we’re playing, hide and seek?” The boy teased, voice drawling, reminiscent of someone talking into an electric fan, just magnetized.

“Only if I’m seeking.” He clapped back, scoffing. “I don’t hide.”

The Paladin appeared to be skipping past him, but only his shadows, which illuminated by what little light the room filled, made it appear as if there were multiples of him. A clutter of steps past his front, creaking above, a pattering on the railing above, ! Seungcheol felt like he was going crazy.

Seungcheol whipped his gaze from figure to figure, focusing. Did he have the power to multiply?

“Why don’t you come out and fight me, Paladin? I’m not here to waste time.” He shot his eyesight to one of the shadows and went with his gut, driving his fist into the pillar it ran past, which crumbled to the ground in shattered marbling. Why was he so quick? Seungcheol couldn't recall ever meeting someone who could evade his punches so easily.

“Neither am I.” The voice mocked. Seungcheol lunged forward to duck another barrage of bullets, landing behind wall.

Feeling irritated, he went after another shadow running past him in a show of punches, and another, and in a fit of frustration, kicked the front desk of the bank for good measure, whipping his head around. “What kind of tricks are you playing at, paladin?!”

The paladin chuckled, as another collage of shadows moved past. Seungcheol was about to lose his ing mind.

Until…

he realized, watching a faint, almost undetectable stream of colour coming off the shadows, into the air, and connecting to the other side of the room.

They weren’t shadows or multiples… They were ing projections.

Seungcheol took a step back and watched, focusing his attention to take note of patterns. It wasn’t only the multiple holograms, he could hear his boots squeaking and echoing through the halls from multiple feet, pulling his attention to the speakers lining overhead which he’d failed to take notice of before.

But… They couldn’t possibly have recordings of his voice, right? He'd been answering him this whole time.

“Hey Paladin, think you can run and hide all day?” he tested.

The voice chuckled back. “I could ask the same of you.”

Seungcheol took note of the reverb, and odd filtering of his voice. Although his responce echoed, there was no multitude. It came from one source… The real Paladin.

He called out again, keeping it up as if they were conversing casually, as he strained his ears to pick out the source among all this noise. “Justice never runs from a chance to serve criminal scum like you.”

“Always the motivational quotes from you, Captain crunch. Do you come up with these on the spot, or does your management team write them?” The boy chuckled at his own joke, as Seungcheol looked up through the reflection of a metal name plate, which had fallen near his feet when he’d kicked in that teller desk. He was up on the balcony, which made sense. Seungcheol had been moving slower simply because he hadn’t known where to throw his punches. Slow enough for someone sitting at the edge of a balcony peering down to aim and fire precisely, every time he reared his head.

“I only say the truth, paladin. Not that a criminal like you would know anything about telling the truth.” He sneered. The paladin took longer to answer this time, curiously. Had he hit a cord with him?

“Oh, off, you’re the last person I need a lecture from right now.” He snapped, shooting off a spray of bullets at Seungcheol’s general direction, clearly out of frustration.

Definitely struck something there. He could work with this. “You’re a criminal, Paladin. You should know I don’t believe one second of the news they write about you. A criminal for charity? Modern day Robin Hood? All you Villains do is Lie, steal, and hurt the people around you.” He watched carefully through the reflection, waiting for a chance, digging his heal into the ground. “You’re nothing but a liar, and a lucky one at that.”

The boy stood up in a fit of anger, firing off wildly. “You don’t know anything about me!”

When the bullets stopped, the boy looked around in confusion, waiting for the dust to settle so that he could get his eye back on the target, who seemingly disapeared in the mayhem.

A voice came behind him suddenly, whispering at the shell of his ear with a deep, whispered response. “You’re right about that.”

The boy whipped around in shock, too slowly, and Seungcheol was driving a fist into his ribs before he’d even gotten a chance to retort. There was a satisfying ripple of cracks as the boy fell from the balcony, onto the floor, feet below. The gun on his right hand shattered upon the impact, and the Paladin gasped as he fell against concrete flooring, knocking the wind out of him.

Seungcheol dropped down casually, grabbing the other hand before it could act, and crushing the barrel in his fist. “I’ll tell you this first, paladin.” He spoke carefully, eyes illuminating an icy blue through the darkness of the room. “I don’t do this job to get chummy with people like you.

The paladin huffed out panicked breaths, holding an arm over his broken ribs as he attempted to crawl backwards, away from him.

Seungcheol landed a boot against the boy’s wrist, who cried out in pain. “I don’t do this for a chance to play cat and mouse with a coward like you.”

He stared down at the boy without a hint of remorse, leaning forward. “And I certainly don’t do this, just to see lying bastards like you being called a hero by people who have no ing idea what it means to be one.”

The Paladin stopped at that, a strange expression forming in his eyes, something like a loss of courage and a break in his stature, which led Seungcheol believe he’d gotten his point across firmly. The boy seemed to give a final heaping of fighting strength as Seungcheol threw a final punch, by throwing his arms up to protect his face.

What appeared to be a phone in his right hand shattered to dust, along with the mask which had veiled his face this whole time. The pieces fell in chunks, and the boys head dropped to the side, completely unconscious.

Seungcheol adjusted his face with a gentle push of his palm, admiring the boys features for a brief moment of odd familiarity. After which, he held the boy up in his arms, ironically, much like carrying a princess. Really, it was just so the guy wouldn't suffer any more critical damage, broken bones and all. He was small in stature, so it wasn't difficult.

He remembered after a moment that he should page headquarters for backeup, but before he could even attempt to do so the shutters of the bank began to open, almost on queue. Seungcheol walked out in confusion, as from the outside, camera’s flashed brilliantly, and onlookers cheered. He worked up a smile for the media, carrying the Paladin towards the truck of the collection crew, who had oddly been waiting outside.

He smiled and waved once his hands were free, berated with requests for pictures, and autographs, cheers and celebration. Although he kept up face, he couldn’t help but wonder… What the hell was going on?

~

2 hours earlier

Jihoon pulled on his jacket, scarf, and hat, attempting and failing to draw up even an ounce of courage for today. This was it, the last step of part one of this dumpster fire of an operation.

And, if he was being completely honest with himself… he was nowhere near ready for part two.

He checked out at the front desk, handing a wad of cash to the clerk as compensation for wiping his record from the check-in books. They’d done that at all the places they’d stayed at, for security. Not that Jihoon thought the hotel staff really cared what went on in their dingy rooms, but the doctor was a stickler for perfection.

He pulled up the scarf around his face as he left, walking swiftly to avoid the gazes of others, not that there were many people around to stare. The city was eerily quiet, which left Jihoon with an itching that nothing happening today would be mere coincidence.

All according to plan, he mocked in the doctor’s words, huffing.

At the street before the bank of the operation, Jihoon ducked into the closest ally-way, playing the plan over in his head.

Get in, clear bank-goers out of the building, and wait for signal. Once Sergeant Coups was in there, all he needed to do was buy time.

The doctor already handled all the security issues, he just needed to dance with him until he got word… He already knew that in this state, he was no match for Sergeant Coups. Hell, He was hardly a match for him when he was the Vulcan. It wasn’t his job to win this fight, just keep it going as long as he was able to. When he got a text from the Doctor, he’d destroy the phone, and whatever happened next was out of his control.

Hopefully, in the least, he wouldn’t die.

He huffed, straightening his shoulders as he stepped forward.

“Jihoon!”

He froze in place, not turning. His breath caught in his throat as his mind raced at the familiarity in that call. That wasn’t… Chan’s voice. No, It couldn’t be. He didn’t look, pulling his scarf over his face nervously.

“J-Jihoon… Hyung, it’s you, right?” Chan was huffing, as if he’d ran there.

But… how did he even know how to find him here? Jihoon had covered his tracks meticulously. no notes, no hints, nothing but a cold trail. Had Chan chipped him or something?

“Hyung?”

The boy stepped forward, and Jihoon stiffened, feeling his heart race.

“Don’t come any closer.” He snapped, holding a hand up defensively.

Chan stopped walking, his breath steadying, slowly. “What?... Hyung, where have you been?” He sniffed. “Do you even know what’s happened, Hyung? Th- the kids, and the hideout, everything’s been-”

“Chan, if you know what’s good for you, just leave me alone.”

There was silence between them for a moment, an air of disbelieving.

“What?”

Another tentative step forward, and Jihoon held his stance firmer, voice raising . “Stay away from me, Chan!”

Chan seemed to stop to find the words to say, his emotions catching in his throat, plugged up with doubt. “Hyung… I know… I know I haven’t always been the most useful person to you… And, I know, it’s been hard f-for you, losing the Vulcan, But.”

He sniffed again, choking back what Jihoon could only assume were tears.

“But, didn’t you always tell me, Hyung? As long as were together.” He breathed, wiping his sleeve across his face. “Together, we can get through anything, r-right? Let’s go back together, I’ll help you, and we’ll get them back, I know we can, we have to.” He began to step forward, quickly, closing in on the boy with just a few steps.

Jihoon snapped. “Oh, off with your sob story!”

He stopped again, hand hovering over the boy’s shoulder. “Wh-what?”

Jihoon huffed. “Do you honestly still think this world is a fair game? Where people’s spoken words are all true and right and never used to lie? Never spoken to manipulate? Honestly, I never thought I raised such a moron.”

“Hyung…” Chan pulled his hand away, taking a step back. “What are you saying?”

“I’m, saying, Channie, I'm not going back to help. I used you, okay? I used all of you kids for my own gain. And now, I don’t need you, am I making myself clear?”

“No… You’re lying!” Chan countered. “We’re brothers, Jihoon. You made a promise to us!”

“And what did you expect from a Villain, Chan? I’m not some kind of antihero, this isn’t a ing fairytale! I’m telling you…” Jihoon took a breath, steadying his tone and speaking clearly, concisely. “You’re not my real brother, and I’m telling you to leave.”

There was silence for a long time, absolute disbelief between them. Until after that deafening silence seemed to pass so slowly, so painfully, Jihoon could hear Chan’s steps moving away from him, walking back towards the other end of the alleyway heavily.

He stopped at the end, turning back. “You… you told me you’d always come back. I always believed that you would.”

It wasn’t an argument, or a protest, as much as it was the stab in the chest that Jihoon needed to completely break. He began to walk forward, choking on the words he felt the need to say, to make sure Chan would never follow him into this hell-whole.

“Don’t believe in people like me.”

When Jihoon kept walking, Chan didn’t follow him.

A/N: Sorry for the wait, but I'm back for now hahaha. :) Lets go jump into this dumpster fire together