Chapter Text
“I said it once, and I’ll say it again, you aren’t going to believe me.”
“And I’ll say exactly what I told you last time, I get to decide that, not you.”
Goo groaned inwardly and tilted his head back.
They both agreed to talk outside so that Gun could sleep. They sat on the steps in front of the house. The only light was the street lamps lining the road, and the small light illuminated their doorway.
Shingen was his painfully patient self, watching him with that face that didn’t betray anything, while Goo rubbed the back of his neck anxiously.
How was he supposed to say this without sounding insane? It was going to sound crazy no matter what. Should he sugar coat it? No, it wouldn’t do anything.
…
Ugh, fine.
“I’m from the future.”
Shingen stared at him, blinking once. Then twice. Then his head slowly tilted a few inches to one side. Whatever he had been expecting. It probably wasn’t that.
“Like a decade in the future. To clarify, I didn’t lie about anything. I don’t know how or why I’m here. The last thing I remember is blacking out and waking up in Japan in an alley.” Goo intervened before Shingen could say anything. He didn’t want Shingen to think he lied.
Shingen’s mouth opened and closed a few times before speaking. “You‘re telling me… you're from… the future?”
“…yeah.”
Shingen stared at him for a stifling few seconds.
“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“I KNEW IT. I knew you wouldn’t believe me-!”
“I never said I didn’t believe you.”
Goo’s mouth snapped shut, stopping his rant before it could get too far. He stared right back at Shingen.
“Old man, you're too gullible. Are you really going to believe me saying something impossible without proof?”
“Of course not, which is why you're going to answer any question I ask. It’s called the benefit of the doubt.”
“…if I tell you I’m a god, will you do anything I say?”
“Don’t push it, Joongoo Kim.”
Goo tched when his full name was used, and he leaned back.
“So, say you did come from the future-“
“Wow, it sounds so cringy when you say it out loud- okay, I’m shutting up now ,” Goo muttered as soon as he saw the warning look Shingen was giving him.
“Why are you making it your mission to take care of Gun?”
Goo froze instantly. Of course, that was going to be the first question he asked—not about the revolution but about his son.
“…uh. Well…”
How the fuck was he supposed to word this. I was your son's partner/friend/rival/whatever the hell their relationship was, with the future version of your son, and then tried to stab him in the heart? Yeah no.
“Okay. So when I was in middle school, and recently released from the detention center where I was, this guy found me. Absolutely asshole of a human being. He wanted to make me his partner, and he tested me. I beat the shit out of him and he just said he wanted more. But… he was the strongest person I had ever met. And that man’s name… was Gun.”
Shingen paused. Goo watched the gears turn in his head, and watching them click was satisfying. The man in the pictures, every rant about Jonggun, wasn’t a stranger. It was the same boy sleeping inside the doors.
“You hooked up with my son's future self?”
“Mother fu- THATS WHAT YOU’RE WORRIED ABOUT?!”
”Yes. Answer the question.”
“…yes, I did. But it was more of a situation ship, not an actual relationship. I’m sorry, but he had the emotional intelligence of a rock. But don’t you worry, I’m fixing that for any future partner he might have.” Goo looked proud as he said that. Shingen was staring at him like he was crazy.
“Continue with your story.” He muttered, rubbing his hand over his face.
“Right! Anyways, I would have totally won that fight, but I agreed to work for this guy. His name was Charles Choi, a really arrogant man. I gave him a straightforward set of terms, and he agreed to pay me big bucks. Then, cue my rise to fame. Gun and I were partners. We created something called the Four Major Crews. You had Hostel in Gangdong, God Dog in Gangbuk, Big Deal in Gangseo, and Workers in Gangnam. They had to make money for us legally, if they didn’t-“ Goo made a slicing motion near his neck.
“You two ran them?”
“Yup. It was great! We were loaded with cash. We bought a penthouse and everything. But nothing good ever lasts. Some teenage brat went through the crew and started taking them down. I didn’t care as long as I still got money. And Choi decided to break the terms of our deal.”
“What term was that?”
“He started getting too big-headed. Took the credit for all our work. Treated me like a subordinate and not a partner.” Goo’s lips pulled back into a sneer, eyes burning at the memory. “So I decided it was time to leave. So I started making my own group of people, just the guys I liked. Didn’t care about their origin as long as they did what I said. And then I backstabbed Charles… I asked Gun to go with me.” Goo’s grin faded into a sad look he masked with annoyance.
“He said no?”
“Not just that!! That bastard didn’t even look at me. He drank with me once, but he gave me a long-winded speech that ended with no. So I left, and we agreed to kill each other next time we met.”
“Why?”
Goo glanced at him. Shingen looked absorbed in the story now; he was genuinely curious. That was a… good sign?
“Because we were friends at least, best friends in my opinion, but he wouldn’t admit it. I would wake him up when he’d get nightmares and patch his dumbass up when he punched so hard his knuckles bled. We had some level of respect for each other. I wouldn’t be mad dying by his hands IF HE WASN'T A DICK, and show up the fight HALF DEAD.”
A hand clamped over his mouth. “Shhh, you're going to wake up the entire neighborhood.”
Goo clutched at his hand and managed to turn it enough for Shingen to see him roll his eyes, but he nodded. Shingen released him
“He’s an asshole.” He muttered in a quieter tone.
“So I’ve gathered.”
“You already know this story, I think, or maybe that was Gun I told it to, anyway. We fought, I won, then he went full UI, I used my last resort, which was stabbing myself, but he snapped the tip of my sword with his teeth, so it failed, and then he beat me a foot into the ground. I passed out, woke up in an alley, tried to find a hospital, and found my partner's younger self instead.” Goo said all in one breath. “Got it?”
“For the most part. I don’t know how you could have gotten away with making four crews that control the different parts of Seoul, but Gapryong would never have allowed that.”
Goo stared at him, swallowing thickly, and averted his eyes. That told Shingen all he needed to hear.
“…that’s not possible,” Shingen said, his voice tight.
“Welllllll.”
“That’s not possible. No one in the world can kill him.”
“Well, nobody really knows who killed him. But I’m pretty sure it’s more than one person. I know who it might be.” Goo leaned forward like he was revealing a secret, grinning from ear to ear.
Shingen was curious enough that he even leaned too, even if it was just slightly.
“I’m pretty sure Charles had something to do with it, that, and a guy named James Lee. He worked with us, and he was under Charles before we were. I don’t know for certain, but James always got prickly whenever Gaprying Kim was brought up, and Charles definitely has something over him. I heard Gapryong’s eldest was suspicious too. He worked for the Mexican cartel. I talked to the guy once, and I was supposed to meet him, but I ended up here.”
“Why would Charles have something to do with Gapryong Kim?”
“Because Charles used to be Elite,” Goo said, grinning. Shingen looked surprised—well, as surprised as Shingen could get. Goo loved talking gossip; he was having the time of his life.
“…when will he die?”
“Oh, jeez- uhhhhhh, maybe when Jake’s like- fifteen or sixteen.” Goo didn’t know the date that old geezer died, so sometimes around there? He just heard about it and didn't attend the funeral or anything.
Shingen fell silent, his gaze shifting off him.
“Hey now, you're not thinking about doing anything stupid, are you? Only one of us can mess up the timeline, and I’m doing it.” Goo reached over and jabbed him repeatedly in the arm.
“I was thinking about it. What do you mean, you messed up the timeline?”
Goo rubbed the back of his neck, tugging at the strands of hair. Here comes the part he was nervous about. “Well, Gun’s supposed to be in prison by now. He’ll stay there until Charles recruits him. But as you can see, he’s not.”
“So he escaped Japan alone?”
“Uh-huh. He didn’t tell me too much about the trip, or else I would have braced myself for a dip in the ocean.” He muttered the last part under his breath.
“And what happened to me?”
Goo didn’t say anything for a second. He was pretty sure Shingen already knew the answer to that question. Goo told him anyway. “You died that day. I dunno how, probably sacrificed yourself like an idiot. I know Gun became the head of the Yamazaki at some point but for whatever reason, he stuck with Charles.”
Shingen was silent, his face turned towards the ground. Ah, did he say it too bluntly? He thought Shingen would be annoyed if he sugarcoated it.
Goo jolted out of his thoughts when a heavy hand dropped on his head and roughly ruffled it before smoothing it back with something Goo might have called affection, leaving him looking baffled.
“Why-“
“So why are you sticking to Gun’s side?” Shingen cut him off, leaving him mentally reeling. Shingen was changing the subject! He’d let it slide.
“Cause I don’t want him to go with Charles. I don’t know why he was with Charles, but I know he’s super emotionally stunted, so that means trauma. I don’t really know what to do, so I’m trying to make him happy. That’s why I stopped you from dying.”
“Because I make him happy?”
Goo nodded his head. “I wasn’t intending to bring you; I did it for Gun, so don’t get a big head.”
“Mhm.”
Goo’s eyes narrowed on the way the corners of Shingen’s mouth twitched. Did this jerk think he was funny?
“Not to brag or anything, but I’m doing a great job! My Gun never would have allowed himself to be vulnerable and hug me like he does. My Gun acted like he hated every ounce of affection I gave him, but that kid is a little leech!”
“Yes, he is a lot different from the way he was when we first met.”
Goo beamed at him, looking and feeling pleased with himself.
“Man, I wish I had baby pictures of him. He must’ve been the cutest baby. Can you imagine him? He’d be able to fit in one hand and would just flail around because he couldn’t control his limbs and sleep all the time.”
Shingen made a humming sound, imagining it, and nodded. “Yes, he would have been.”
“I don’t want him to grow up; he’s going to lose those squishy cheeks and innocent gaze in a few years. He’s going to get grouchy and moody like all teenagers. Luckily! He’s got his mother's genes, and he won’t get taller than 6’2.” Goo grinned and nudged Shingen in the ribs with his elbow. The older man didn’t seem impressed. “But I will always be his aniki .”
“You like that title way too much.”
“Yes, I do. I do think we should get that boy therapy as soon as possible.” Goo immediately switched the subject, pursing his lips.
“Therapy?”
“Shingen, that kid watched his father go crazy and tear people’s arms off like they were butter. I watched you punch your fist through a man’s chest and worse. I’m gonna have nightmares about that for months, it was an entirely different level of brutal.”
Shingen frowned. “Was it really that bad?”
“Yes. It was.”
He looked guilty now, brows pinched together. Goo patted his arm softly in condolence. “It’s okay, big guy, at least you're here. And you care. That means more to him than you ever know. That brat is just happy whenever you look at him. Sadly, your parenting manuals are gone.”
“I still don’t know how you found those.”
“I saw you shove one into a drawer at the speed of light and decided to poke around a little.”
“Rat.”
“Hulk.”
Shingen tried to swat at him, but he just ducked, looking smug.
“How many people have you killed?”
“Too many to count.”
“Why?”
“…I don’t really care whether or not people die. Lack of empathy or whatever. All I care about is Gun, and you too… I guess.”
“Why do you only care about Gun?”
“I trust him. He makes me happy. He’s someone I trusted.”
“I thought you said he was an asshole.”
“He is.”
“I’m getting mixed signals. Do you love him or hate him?”
“Yes.”
Shingen rolled his eyes, but he didn’t really seem mad. Goo just liked being difficult, and Shingen knew that.
“So you knew about the revolution. Why didn’t you tell anyone?”
“I have no evidence. Prying information out of Jonggun is like prying out teeth. I knew there was a revolution, a smaller revolution before that, his dad was a no-show, but something changed, and he sacrificed himself for him, and Gun somehow got to Korea. I didn’t know any dates or anything, just a rough timeline.”
“You could have told me instead of looking like a paranoid wreck of a person the last couple of months.”
“I’m not used to being paranoid. You wouldn’t have believed me anyway. Like I said, it's ridiculous, and I have no proof. You don’t really believe me, do you?”
Shingen was silent for a couple of seconds, as if he were debating whether or not to believe what Goo was saying.
“Do you know why Charles killed Gapryong?”
“Nope. I’m not that smart. Plus, I don’t care about reasons as long as I’m paid. Charles basically collected a bunch of prodigies, most teenagers or younger, some adults, and we worked for him.”
“How many of you were there?”
“Ten in total. The Ten Genius, he called us. There was me, Gun, James, Crystal, Kouji, Eugene, Byeon, and then…” Goo made a disgusted face. “Charles Choi, Jinyeong Park, and Tom Lee.”
“You worked with Tom Lee and Jinyeong Park?”
“That’s right. Medicine Genius and Fighting Genius.”
“What were you and Gun?”
“Weapons Genius and Training Genius.”
“…I blacked out when you fought Shintaro, I missed the fight.”
“You sound upset there, Shingen, wanting to see me fighting semi-seriously that bad?” Goo poked at him again, smirking.
“Yes.”
“Well, if you wanted to figh,t you could have just asked.”
“You wouldn’t take me seriously.”
“Definitely not, but you can try.”
The raven sighed at him, closing his eyes. Goo loved pushing his buttons. Gun was easy to get a reaction out of, Shingen’s were more subtle, more fun, and much more satisfying. Torturing him gave Goo a challenge.
“Next question!”
“No more questions.”
“…ah?” Goo’s smile dropped, looking surprised, then confused.
“I’m done for the night. I want to process everything.”
“So you believe me?”
“I don’t know what to believe, that’s why we’re stopping.”
Goo shifted anxiously as Shingen stood up. The lack of reaction was getting to him. He expected disbelief, disgust, accusations of lying, maybe being sent to a mental institution or a hospital to get his brain scanned.
Shingen paused, hand on the doorknob.
“I take that back, I have one more question.”
Goo stared at him, a little relieved, Shingen said something. “What is it?”
“I’ve seen a couple of photos months ago… but does Gun look like me when he grows up?”
The blonde looked him up and down for a second.
“Kind of, yeah. He’s got your hairline, your eyes. I don’t know what you looked like when you were younger but he’s not going to be seven feet tall. He’s like 6’2? One inch taller than me. Why? Do you want him to look like you?”
“I’m just curious. We’ll see if you're right. If Gun does end up looking like your Jonggun.”
With that, Shingen reached down and grabbed the back of Goo’s T-shirt, lifting him easily and setting him on the ground.
Despite the sudden movement his hand lingered a few seconds to make sure he had his balence before nudging him towards the door.
“Why do you always manhandle me?” Goo huffed softly, keeping his voice down this time.
“You won’t listen to me otherwise. It’s bedtime, so stop whining and go brush your teeth.”
“What?? You're giving me a curfew?” Goo said, admonished. Shingen didn’t look impressed by his dramatics.
“We have to look for jobs tomorrow, and you're still healing.”
“You should take your advice, old man. You're the one missing an arm.”
“I am,”
“You're so bossy.”
“And you always have to have the last word.” Shingen gave him another push inside, and Goo muttered something under his breath, padding softly to the bathroom.
That went… a lot better than he expected. Well, he was expecting something entirely different. Shingen was good at hiding his emotions, and Goo didn’t really know what to think.
Shingen seemed stressed and disbelieving. Goo didn’t blame him; he’d laugh at anyone who said they came from the future.
Goo tore himself away from the mirror and went to the doorframe, toothbrush dangling from his mouth. He found Shingen crouched near his son, pulling the blanket up to his chin.
“Hey, Shingen? Why are you believing me so easily? Or believe me at all.”
Shingen glanced at him from where he was crouched.
“…you wouldn’t hide your reason for months just to tell me a lie.”
“How do you know? I’m not exactly the most trustworthy person. I’ve backstabbed a lot of people.”
“Not ones you care about.”
“You sound confident.”
“You wouldn’t have risked your life for Gun if you didn’t care. I saw it in your eyes when we first met, you would've fought the entire family if they tried to hurt him. And you did.” Shingen said it so confidently that it left no room for hesitation. Goo didn’t… understand it.
“…you're such a weird old man.” His words didn’t quite match his tone. The slight tilt of Shingen’s head proved that, but Goo ignored him and ducked back into the bathroom.
It was a weird feeling to be believed. None of the terrible stuff he envisioned actually happened.
He wondered if he had told Shingen sooner, if things could have been avoided. Gun could have stayed in Japan, Shingen would still be the head, and keep his arm.
He spat white froth into the sink with a sigh and rinsed his mouth.
There was no use in regretting past actions. He did his best. Gun was safe, Shingen was alive. He was doing stuff that mattered.
And he was being honest, too. Opening up or something like that. If Shingen was sticking around, which seemed likely, then it would be easier to get along with him.
Goo… wasn’t very good at opening up. He could make passing comments but would shut down anything that got too personal.
But that might not fly if both of them were taking care of Gun. We’ll see how trustworthy that old man is.
…still, it felt nice to be trusted.
So maybe he wasn’t too bad.