EunGyul
Finito (maybe Reposts and Continuations on on tumblr!!)
Joon and I have been on the road ALL DAY and I have to say I was getting a little agitated. Joon, who usually stays calm in almost any situation was now fidgeting uncontrollably. I felt bad for him. This isn't what he wanted, I'm sure, but I can't help but think that he's feeling responsible for all of this. "Joon it's not your fault..." I tell him, because it wasn't.
"Yeah." Is all he says.
I sigh as we pull into Chief's oversized parking lot. "How long do you think they'll be?" He asks me. I know that he only wants to see Rachel. I could tell how much he truly missed her though he tried not to show it. I'm sure she missed him just as much.
"Probably a couple of hours. They're coming all the way from Seoul." I tell him. He nods. "Yeah..." He agrees unbuckling his seat belt. I don't move, I just stare at him. "You want to talk about it?" I ask him.
"Talk about what?" He asks in confusion.
"Rachel. Let's talk about it."
"Why would I want to talk about that? Who would I talk to?" He asks, obviously playing with me.
"Talk about it with your best friend. Obviously." I tell him.
"Yeah? Well let me know when you find him!" He jokes hopping out of the car before I could get ahold of him. "Ya! Get back here you bastard!!" I say through gritted teeth, hurrying to unbuckle my seatbelt and catch up with him.
As we enter the North wing we notice that all the guards are gone. We spend about 2 hours exploring the entirety of the North wing and we found nothing. No one at all either. It's super weird and it makes me automatically tense up. "Where is everybody?" Joon asks, lifting and empty pizza box off of a table. "Where are the guards?"
"Should we check the South wing?" I suggest kicking over a couple of empty soju bottles. "It seems like everyone left in a hurry."
Joon nods. All of the guards assigned to Chief's wing were most likely with him. "Maybe these were the guys who kidnapped Taemin." He says. "They better not hurt that kid." He adds. I shake my head. "I don't think they'd do that...he means too much to Alex. They'll use him against his father." I tell him. Joon and I make our way down to the South Wing, which surprisingly was also empty."All of the guards are gone??" I ask unbelievably. I turn to Joon who also seems shaken by this news.
"Alex is finished." I say what he couldn't. Chief brought this many men to go against one?
"No he isn't. He's Alex. They can't bring him down. Forget the numbers." Joon assures himself, but it was clear that he knew the truth. As much as he wanted to hate his oldest brother, his love for him overcame it all.
"That kid is going to be left without a father." I tell him. "We have to talk him out of this."
Joon walks past me heading for the East wing, where the real gangsters hung out.
"Where do you think you're going??" I ask him. We weren't allowed to go to the East wing. They were members of gangs other than our own, two-timers, I'd call them. They did all the murdering and dealing, but if we stepped into their territory, they no longer have to follow Chief's rules.
"I'm going to check out the East wing." Joon says, not turning back once. I grab his arm, stopping him in his tracks.
"Absolutely not." I tell him.
"Why? Scared?" He asks back.
"How about the fact that we aren't even supposed to be here and you have a girlfriend on the way with other members of your family? You really want to draw the East's attention and put the people you love in more danger? Are you not thinking straight again?" I remind him. He yanks his arm free from my grasp.
"EX girlfriend." He corrects.
Just then we hear a car pull into the nearby parking lot. Joon hurries over to the nearest window and peers down cautiously. "They're here!" He exclaims. I can't help but notice the immense excitement on his face as he hurries out the door and to the stairwells. I follow him out to the lot, watching as Rachel, Jisoo and a little boy hop out.
"Joon! EunGyul! I--" Rachel exclaims, rushing over to us. She can't even get a full sentence out before Joon engulfs her in a huge, apparently much desired, hug. She looks shocked at first but doesn't pull away. Instead she wraps her arms around him as well. "Some love you're showing for an EX girlfriend." I murmur jokingly. Joon ignores me and pulls away from the hug, cupping her face in his hands.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere? Why'd Alex kick you out?" He asks, bombarding her with questions. She smiles. "Are you seriously worrying about me right now? We have bigger problems." She responds. Joon looks around at all of our disgusted faces and pulls away clearing his throat. "Yeah, uh, right. Of course." He says, coming back to his senses. "How about you kid?? I heard you took a vicious beating." Joon nods towards Jisoo. Jisoo just rolls his eyes. "I'm 22." Is all he says earning a chuckle from his older brother.
Just then a door to the car they came in flies open once more. I'm curious to see who else could be with them, and when I do. My palms get sweaty. Doyoung was here. At first Joon didn't notice...and I was scared to see what he would do when he found out. They hated each other. Why was he here? When Joon finally looks up his face goes cold. "Joon..." I try to get his attention but he's already made his way over in that direction, Rachel following closely behind latched onto his coat sleeve.
"What are you doing here??? Why are you all together?" Joon asks Doyoung. I could tell he was trying hard to keep his hands to himself. Doyoung looks at Joon with patient eyes. "I'm here to help." He says blankly.
"Why?? Do you think that will redeem what you've done?? I think if you want to make it out of this alive it's best for you to go. Now." Joon instructs. Doyoung looks down with a smile. "I'm here to help you. What happens to me happens because of me. Why can't you accept that?" He asks. Joon looks at him like he's crazy.
"You tried to kill my brother-"
"And I've apologized over and over again for it! I've moved on, why can't you?"
"ITS EASY FOR YOU TO MOVE ON BECAUSE YOU WEREN'T THE VICTIM! THIS HAPPENED BECAUSE OF YOU!"
"You weren't the victim either. Jisoo was and he's forgiven me as well. You're the only one stuck in the past." Doyoung replies calmly. Joon looks at Jisoo in complete shock. "How could you--"
"Hyung...I-I think it's time we moved on. I'm fine and he shouldn't be continuously punished for something he can't change. He's sorry, and I believe him." Jisoo explains. I couldn't help but applaud the kid. He had a good head on his shoulders. Then Doyoung decides to speak up again. "Joon, I completely understand why you feel the way you do. I would react the same as you if someone did what I did to Jisoo to my sister. I'm not asking to be friends, but I would like to make things right. I was a dumb teenager, but now I'm not..." He begins. "I'm sorry."
Joon just stares at him. He did seem sincere....but would Joon accept it? "Whatever....just don't get too close to me." He says before walking off. We all watch him leave and when he does, Jisoo leans over to Doyoung.
"I think he accepts." He tells him.
When we all get inside we gather in Chief's office so they could tell Joon and I everything they've gathered. When they're done explaing, Rachel motions for me to step outside earning curious glances from Joon. I follow her out the door and she closes it behind her. When we're alone she reached into her coat pocket and pulls out a thick letter.
"What's This?" I ask her, examining the envelope in my hands.
"Clarification. Maybe you'd like to look through it with your best friend." She suggests. But I'd rather look at it now. I see that it's already torn and just pull out all of the photos. They were photos of our high school days in Busan and within this gang. I could feel Rachel looking at me with what seemed to be sadness, but I kept flipping through. There were pictures of me and my parents. My mom's murder scene, and the event as it happened, Joon and I on our way back to Chief's headquarters after school, and the truck wreckage of the night my father was murdered. The following photos shocked me the most though. They were of Joon and I in our secret hideout junior year. I thought no one knew of that place other than us two. Not even Jisoo or Alex. And these photos in particular were from the night I told Joon my fathers plan to escape the very next day. I feel tears streaming down my face as the brutal memories all come back.
"Where...How..." I couldn't even get my questions out. This entire time I blamed Joon, and like he said, it wasn't his fault. We were being watched. All the time and in such secrecy we never even suspected it. I even shot him. I shot him for something he didn't even do...
Just then the door opens and Joon comes out curious as ever. When he sees me he looks genuinely concerned. "EunGyul-ah..." He asks looking from me to Rachel in confusion. I don't even look at him. I just swiftly scurry away before he could ask anymore questions. "What the heck did you say to him?" I hear him ask Rachel, but I don't stop.
I needed time to think.
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