Johnny had left the room for some peace.

He had been watching calmly, Jaemin setting fire to the papers while Jaehyun was yelling that it was needed “in the name of science!” but Johnny agreed that some things were better left unread. He smiled, watching his wife finally closing her eyes. She had been weirdly calm and he knew that it would take time for his father to fix her, but it put him at ease that it could be done.

In the end, she was special with the Marvel-U drug and unlike her other Seasonies.

She seemed tired, the way she sat, and all Johnny could think of was how proud he was of her. When he met Dana, she was selfish. She would have put herself first and there was no doubt that she still loved herself very much—there was just a shift in her morals. Johnny patted his pockets to grab a cigarette and a lighter, going out to the balcony.

It was a scenery, overlooking Linjin and he knew that he would have to make sure that the town was properly recovered. With Kun, Taeyong and Doyoung’s help, maybe he could find a place for the people of Linjin and bring them away from the place. It was a place of trauma and it was dangerous.

He saw figure in the rice fields and when he squinted carefully, by the clothes—he could see that it was Minghao. He seemed to be catching crickets and Johnny found himself laughing, at ease at how Minghao was finally able to tell people that he was actually not blind.

He sighed.

This was the last mission.

He knew it.

For some time, the past year, he was still on guard and Johnny knew his instincts were strong. He lit up the cigarette when there was a shuffle and he turned to see that it was his father. He still could not see his features, but when Doctor Jongho spoke, Johnny tensed up.

“Relax, John,” his father said, stepping up to stand beside him but Johnny couldn’t help it. He tore his eyes away from his father, keeping his eyes on the rice fields when his father spoke. “I can’t remember the last time I stood beside you like this. Now you’re taller than me.”

His comment made Johnny frown, the male chewing on his bottom lip, not knowing what to say.

“I have been talking to Jeffrey,” his father said and Johnny continued to listen. “He told me that you can’t see faces.”

Johnny let out a deep breath. This was something he didn’t want to talk to his father about.

“He said that the MRI showed no physical damage,” Doctor Jongho said, clearing his throat. “He said that he believes that it was psychological. He said that you told him that it started since your mother and I divorced.”

Johnny kept silent when his father hit it right on the head.

“Do you blame me, John?” he asked, Johnny exhaling before looking down. “Do you blame me for everything—”

“Dad, I…” He paused. “I do.”

Doctor Jongho sighed and Johnny lifted the cigarette up to his lips, inhaling in the smoke so it filled his lungs before blowing it out.

“Do you know how many times you’ve used the Neuralyzer on me?” he asked and his father shifted. “If you didn’t do it so many times—”

“You were always so sensitive when you were a child,” His father suddenly said, his voice soft. “You cried over a butterfly dying, you know? I told you mother once—I told her, John is such a soft child. He feels too much, he’s always so scared. What did we do wrong?”

What was he talking about?

“I told her, maybe it was best we don’t explain to him why we aren’t going to be together. Maybe it’s best we don’t explain that it’s normal to fight like this.” His father kept ongoing. “I didn’t know that being ignorant to your feelings would lead you down this road of hatred for us—”

“Dad—”

“Because, John, you were a child. And people are shaped by their childhood. And I…” His father paused, turning to stare at him but Johnny refused to look at him. “And I understand that the blame game is easier for you to handle but tell me one thing. Out of all the people who I tried the Neuralyzer on, name me one person who is affected by it long-term. I’m a scientist, Johnny. And I know using it on children was bad, but SM made me do it yet those children and adults were fine.”

Doctor Jongho adjusted his glasses.

“Do you know how many times have I used the Neuralyzer on you?” his father repeated his question back to him. “Eight times. Eight times, John. I know because I counted.”

Johnny wondered where this conversation was going, his father sighing.

“And nothing is wrong with your brain,” his father said more to himself. “So, tell me, John. If I used the Neuralyzer on you eight times, how many times did you use it on yourself?”

Silence.

Johnny was