In his unconscious state, Junho returns once again to that day. The cold rain and the large pools of bright red blood merges into a river of blood right before his eyes. He could hear the roar of the inquisitive crowd of onlookers, the vulgar berating, the painful howls, the livid accusations, they all form a ball of noise and grew, and grew into a thick rope. Somehow that rope wraps around his neck, tightening till he could no longer breathe. He struggled, clawing at the rope helplessly. To his intensifying horror, the rope turns into a large python, which hissed and spew blood at him.

And yet, it did not occur to him to scream for help.

“Go away!” Someone growled lowly. It is strong powerful voice filled with authority. The python turns into dry straws and fell away from his body. The river of blood disappears too and Junho finds himself standing on a green prairie. A gentle brook runs at his feet as he enjoys the quiet peace embracing his being. Opening his arms like a soaring bird, he allows himself to fall back, the soft grassy ground caught him and lull him into a dreamless sleep.

The next time he woke, he opens his eyes easily. Intense sunlight has invaded the room and stops just at the edge of the mattress he is lying on, leaving him in relative shadow. He stares at the blue ceiling in confusion.

Where am I? He asks himself uncertainly.

Turning his head slightly he studies the room. Simple whitewashed walls, basic furniture, a bookcase filled with books. No dressing table, no makeup. This is a man’s room. On the study table sat a calligraphy set.

This is Taecyeon-hyung’s room.

Coming to that conclusion, Junho sinks back into the mattress with ease. The door yawns open abruptly and he looks at it nervously. Through the narrow crack, he caught sight of a pair of bright twinkling eyes staring at him. Judging from the height, he could easily see that it is a small child. The door is pushed a bit wider and he saw that his visitor is a little girl.

“Hi there…” He attempts awkwardly.

The girl ignores him, instead walking into the room and sitting down next to him. She continues to stare at him unabashedly. She is a cute little 8 or 9 year old and under her unflinching stare, Junho grew restless.

“Do you want something , bunny?” He attempts to ask again.

The little girl only replies him with a big watermelon grin.

Junho hesitates a while longer before clearing his throat, wanting to try communicating with her again. Before he could open his mouth, heavy footsteps could be heard thumping up the stairs. The little girl sprung up from where she’s crouching, eyes darting wildly about.  She hesitates for a moment then open her arms wide to hug him before running out of the room.

The door opens again and this time it is a very tall man. He completely fills the entire doorway.

Junho’s heart almost stopped, he thought he caught a glimpse of Kim Minjun standing before him. The moment passes and he saw that he was wrong.

The stranger is easily 1.9m tall. He has to bend slightly to pass through the doorframe but it’s the facial features that caught Junho’s attention. It is a classic example of the famous “resting face”.

Wearing a longish crew cut, the face is a well-defined rectangle, skin taut to the point that the cheekbones are jutting out at sharp angles. The features are ratio-perfect and pleasing to the eye but also aloof and strict, especially that pair of long thick brows pulled together in a frown and the pair of thin tightly pressed lips. Junho appraises the other’s tight and well-toned body with interest. Even though he worked with S.W.A.T. members on a daily basis, none of their physiques could compare with t