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Chapter Text

"What's going on?", whispered Mi-joo excitedly, although she was so excited it was not so much a whisper as a shout.

Since the bbq incident, it seemed that her and two other of their colleagues had decided Dong-sik was their new best friend. He wasn't quite sure why he was being dragged away just as he was about to leave the restaurant and go home, but neither the team leader nor Park Jae-ho looked too happy to be put to the side.

"What are you doing? Go home!", even shouted the team leader, before Jae-ho ushered him in the car.

"What is...?", repeated Dong-sik, confused. "Ah, just a moment", he added, as his phone buzzed.

He hurried to take it out, a bit embarassed under his colleagues stares, and turned it on, checking the notification.

'Hotel Parc Chalet, Winners Club, 8 PM tomorrow.
Seo In Woo.'

"What is it?", asked Suk-hyun, curious.

"This?", reacted Dong-sik, instinctively holding his phone up, before realizing that having a meeting with their director might be badly seen by others. "It's nothing, nothing-"

"Is this-!", noticed Jung-ah.

The three of them exchange a glance, which didn't look easy to do -Jung-ah tried to look at Mi-joo who was looking at Suk-hyun who was looking at Jung-ah, and it took them a second before they could all meet eyes and then turn back to him-.

"Director Seo In-woo?", asked Mi-joo for clarification. "Our director Seo In-woo?"

He would've lied.

If he had thought of it.

"Y-yes", he answered, a bit anxious as he tried to put his phone back in his bag, missing the pocket a couple times.

The three of them exchanged a look, this time more synchronized, with a very clear expression of 'I told you so'.

"What is it?", worried Dong-sik.

"Look", said Suk-hyun, and he even grabbed him by the shoulder for emphasis, letting out a heavy sigh before going on with his sentence, "we think that... that..."

"That the director has a crush on you", finished Mi-joo for him.

It took a very, very long while until the words finally hit. Director... director... has... has... a crush... a crush... on you...

Once the words finally made sense -although how could they ever make sense when they were saying that the director had a crush on him-, he gave Mi-joo a startled look, and she looked at him in return.

He looked at Suk-hyun, who looked at him in return.

He looked at Jung-ah, who looked at him in return.

His first impulse was to laugh it off, in a chill and smooth way, but Dong-sik had not been chill nor smooth since birth, and so instead his attempt at a laugh came out more like a disgraceful croak.

"That's", he said, their stares more and more heavy on him, "that's ridiculous-"

"What did he text to you about?", asked Jung-ah.

"A meeting tomorrow-", he said, before realizing what he said. "Wait, but that doesn't mean-"

"Is he the one who told you about the stocks?", intervened Mi-joo.

"Yes, but-"

"We all saw how he was looking at you", interrupted Suk-hyun, turning to give the other two a look, "right?"

They gave a solemn nod.

"Huh?"

"When he came to make his announcement", said Jung-ah, glancing around quickly to make sure no one was listening in -no one was, everyone minding their business and ignoring the four adults gossiping on the sidewalk-, "he was devouring you with his eyes."

"That's true", agreed Suk-hyun.

Mi-joo also nodded firmly.

"And in the restaurant right now-"

"He kept staring when you were talking to Mi-joo", finished Suk-hyun.

Mi-joo's face froze into a terrified expression.

"Do you think I made the director jealous?", she whispered, panicked.

"We will protect you", said Jung-ah in return, giving her a gentle pat on the back.

"That can't be right-", tried to argue Dong-sik, but doubt was slowly growing in his mind.

Just what if...

"And he rarely comes to dinner meetings, apparently", added Suk-hyun. "I talked to someone in his previous department, and they were very surprised to hear he'd be coming with us-"

"And when he said 'what about you, Dong-sik'!", pointed out Mi-joo.

Dong-sik's mind was a blank space by now.

They probably all had more dating experience than him -which wasn't hard, considering he had 0-, and they sounded very sure of themselves. And there was the matter of the stocks: why would a director give such news to a mere employee?

But predators shouldn't mingle with prey. Even if Director Seo did indeed have tender feelings for him, he should never ever show any signs of returning them, ever-

"What should I do?"

"Date him", came the answer from his three colleagues, all at once.

"I can't", he protested, with a shake of the head.

"Why not?", asked Mi-joo, confused. "It's so romantic!"

"No, he's right", agreed Jung-ah. "What if it doesn't work out in the end and they still have to work together? It'd be terribly awkward."

Mi-joo and Suk-hyun made 'oooooooh's of understanding.

"How terrible for Director Seo", still said Mi-joo, sighing. "Falling for an employee!"

They all came to the conclusion that, while it was blatantly obvious that Director Seo was head over heels for Dong-sik, Dong-sik had a responsability to not let things escalate -although why was he responsable, and not Director Seo, that, he didn't understand-, but should still go to the meeting -which they'd already labelled as a 'date'- on the following day, where, if the occasion presented itself, he would let down Director Seo gently.

"He's a reasonable man", said Jung-ah, "he'll understand."

That's why, the following day, armed with his diary, fragments of courage, and the thousand of messages his colleagues kept sending him -recommandations, encouragements-, he stood at the entrance of the Hotel Parc Chalet.

He felt like throwing up. He'd spent the entire night debating whether or not the director might be in love with him, slowly rewinding every interaction, taking in every expression and every word that he could remember. At 1 AM, he was convinced that this love theory was ridiculous; at 2 AM, after going through multiple 'how to tell a guy likes you' articles, he thought it wasn't so ridiculous; at 3 AM, he was convinced Seo In-woo was madly in love with him; at 4 AM, he started wondering 'well, how do I feel about him?'.

He barely knew Director Seo, but everything he'd done so far showed that he was not a hunter. Whether it was the way he approached him, his feeble attempt at touching him -he finally understood why he had acted that way, why his fingers had lingered over his suit, it was love, it had to be-, or how he allowed himself to be pulled by Dong-sik in front of everyone, only giving a laugh in response, everything revealed a gentle temper and timid attempts at courting. No, if Dong-sik had to fall in love, it'd be rough and tough, with someone who'd understand him completely. He couldn't play with the director's feeling this way.

However...

At 6 AM, he fell asleep, his mind as restless as it was when he first realized that the director might have feelings for him.

And now he stood frozen in place, as Director Seo noticed him, his whole face lighting up like a kid on their birthday.

"Yook Dong-sik", he greeted, hurrying towards him.

'It doesn't mean anything', thought Dong-sik, very hard.

"Should we go in?", asked Director Seo.

"Ah- yeah, yes", reacted Dong-sik, a second too late, before rushing behind him as Director Seo started moving towards the building.

He was beginning to regret not looking at the multiple Pinterest boards of suit ideas Mi-joo had sent him -although to pay for one like Director Seo's he's probably have to sell his appartment and soul first-, especially as the guards gave him a glare and tried to stop him, while Director Seo strolled into the club.

"Oh, I", tried to argue Dong-sik, a bit lost.

Director Seo turned around as he noticed the absence of Dong-sik, understanding the situation.

"He's with me", he clarified with a hand gesture.

Didn't he consider that Dong-sik did not look like someone who'd go there, and that the guards would stop him? Or did he forget that Dong-sik and him weren't of the same world, and that he was a director while regular employees did not go to places like that?

Dong-sik glanced around the room as the guards let him through, chandeliers and all these fancy things on display.

"Where-", he started asking, as if Mi-joo hadn't sent him a dozen articles about the club earlier in the day.

"People here wouldn't bat an eye if I told them the tip I gave you before", answered Director Seo easily, glancing at him.

Dong-sik quickly looked away.

"The useful connections and information", continued Director Seo, also giving the room a look, "don't leave these grounds."

This was even more prestigious than what Mi-joo's articles stated.

"Ah", he reacted awkwardly, "but am I allowed here then?"

"You'll get used to it soon enough", assured Director Seo.

Alarm bells started ringing in Dong-sik's brain. Warning. Warning. What the hell does he mean.

"After all", continued Director Seo, his stare lingering down for a second too long before he looked up at Dong-sik's eyes, "you'll be here often with me."

No alarms were loud enough for this. Had Director Seo gotten on one knee and proposed right here and there, Dong-sik probably couldn't've been more stunned.

He'll be here often? With him? Wasn't the director being a little bit too assertive? Didn't subtelty exist?

Well. If it wasn't for his coworkers, he might not even have noticed, he admitted to himself.

"Ah", pointed Director Seo, his hand extending towards Dong-sik's bag, "you can leave that with an employee."

"Oh- oh that's alright", protested Dong-sik hurriedly, backing away. "I feel weird without it."

And he couldn't risk losing the diary.

Director Seo let out an amused chuckle -thanks to the Heavens, he wasn't offended- and gestured towards the room.

"Let's go in."

He introduced him to a fancy couple and even touched his waist as he led him to a table.

Dong-sik tried to find another reason for his behaviour: anything that would explain the way he acted, as if Dong-sik belonged in this place with him.

He could think of none right now, as Director Seo lightly bumped his knee against his, sitting next to him.

"Joo Young-min!", noticed Director Seo, waving at someone.

A terrifying thought came to Dong-sik, as the young man that'd been called started walking in their direction.

What if he was there to make one of Director Seo's exes jealous?

But he ended up dismissing the idea: everyone here was dressed like their grocery list cost his entire yearly salary, and the apparently-meek employee Yook Dong-sik would probably not provoke any big jealous display.

It looked like he'd barged into a friend group, with how casually Joo Young-min greeted everyone, settling down in his seat before he noticed Dong-sik.

"Who is this?", he asked, as Dong-sik gave a polite greeting.

"Oh, this is In-woo's guest", clarified one of the friends. "Yook..."

Dong-sik waited for the end of his name.

"Anyways, Assistant Section Chief Yook", dismissed the friend.

That made Joo Young-min grin.

"Assistant Section Chief?"

He had a very punchable face.

"This isn't like you", said Joo Young-min to Director Seo. "You never bring over people from your company. And a subordinate at that..."

"He's my subordinate, not yours", replied Director Seo, his voice monotonous. Dong-sik glanced at him: he did not look happy. "Be polite."

Dong-sik felt a brief burst of gratitude, before remembering that, as a dangerous murderer, he should not be concerning himself with such discussions.

"He's much more important to me than you are", finished Director Seo.

As it usually did when he heard something his brain did not want to understand, Dong-sik's cognitive abilities took a while to catch on his words.

Did he just say that?

A desperate part of Dong-sik's mind kept clinging onto the 'HE CAN'T MEAN IT LIKE THAT' while the rest went 'did he say that? Did he really say that?'.

"Oh", nodded Joo Young-min, a false look of understanding on his face. "Maybe he's his lover."

Maybe the ground should open in two and swallow him whole.

The friends started laughing at that, while Director Seo's face somehow became even more closed than it initially was.

Dong-sik glanced at Director Seo's hands, under the table. They were clenched to the point of his knuckles becoming white.

Joo Young-min soon started coughing to dispel the obvious awkwardness that came with Dong-sik and Director Seo's prolonged silence, waving his hand around muttering 'bad air quality'.

"Well, we're here for In-woo's promition", said someone else, "cheers!"

Everyone toasted, and the conversation soon turned to Seo Ji-hoon, which, as unpleasant as the topic was -Dong-sik's first failed murder attempt- at least took the focus off Dong-sik and Director Seo's potential romantic endeavors.

He did almost choke to death when someone mentionned a rumour that Seo Ji-hoon had been tortured by some murderous creep.

"That sounds outrageous", said Director Seo, his voice casual, as if they weren't talking about his younger brother getting tortured. "Don't you think, Dong-sik?"

"Sorry?", replied Dong-sik, still dying from coughing -his father would be so ashamed by the way he died, he might even skip the funeral-. "Ah, yes."

He had no idea what he'd just said.

But Director Seo was still staring at him and he could feel his own ears burning, so he blurted out a 'excuse me-', ready to make a run for the toilets.

"Make yourself comfortable", interrupted Director Seo, and every thought left Dong-sik mind, as the man put an arm around his shoulders.

He was definitely not beating the lover allegations.

"All the things here", continued Director Seo, leaning in so close Dong-sik could feel his breath against his cheek, "look impressive on the outside but there's nothing inside."

"Okay", answered Dong-sik. He had no idea what he meant by that.

He started pulling away, Director Seo offering him a gentle smile before he got up and left.

What kind of explanation could there even be to a situation like that? Dong-sik'd never been courted or wanted like that before, but he was pretty sure that he'd just gone on a date with his boss. A double date. Whatever those were. Should he have rejected him earlier? Well, no, his friends were there, it'd be embarassing for him. Should he say he wants to go home? That'd make him sound like a twelve years old at a birthday party gone wrong.

He fell down onto a chair at the bar, asked for anything strong -hopefully he wouldn't have to give up his mortgage just to pay the bill-, and started regretting every event that'd brought him here, until a shout woke him up.

When he turned his head, he was faced with

1. Joo Young-min pouring a drink onto a waitor's head

2. Joo Young-min shouting 'move it' to said-waitor

Now, Dong-sik had done waitressing before. At his parents' restaurants. He knew a shitty customer when he saw one.

And in that moment, he decided that he really, really wanted to punch Joo Young-min.

He'd just downed one glass of alcohol that was still burning his throat, but he managed to at least not trip on his way down from the chair, walking towards Joo Young-min.

He had a plan.

A very solid plan.

He put on the biggest, goofiest smile he could think of, and ushered the waiter away.

"Ah", he called, "ah, you know... the thing you asked about earlier..."

Joo Young-min frowned, and Dong-sik feared for a moment that he was thinking about the relationship rumor rather than the 'Seo Ji-hoon got tortured' rumor.

"I think I kind of get it."

"What?", reacted Joo Young-min.

Dong-sik coughed again.

"You were right, the air quality's really bad here", said Dong-sik, while Joo Young-min stared at him in confusion. "Can you, can you lend me your ear?"

Joo Young-min clearly thought he was a lunatic but let him step closer.

Dong-sik lost his smile as he lowered his voice.

"You were wondering what happened to Seo Ji-hoon?"

Young-min turned his head just a little.

"I did it", whispered Dong-sik. "I was going to play around a bit and then just kill him, but he kept sobbing and begging for his life."

Young-min didn't look like he knew how to breath anymore.

"Why did I do it?", continued Dong-sik. "I can't stand it when punks show off because they think they're powerful. Punks like Seo Ji-hoon and you."

Young-min finally exhaled.

"What-", he spat out, "you insane bastard-"

Dong-sik grinned at that.

"I'm sorry, but I'm perfectly sane. It seems you don't understand me, so let me break it down for you."

Shit, shit, shit, what should he say next.

His brain flipped through his movie list, before finally settling on something. American Psycho.

"I think of two things when I see punks like you", he said, leaning closer. "One. Wow, he must be doing well for himself. Two."

He picked up the skewer that Young-min had been holding.

"How would he feel if I stick an iron skewer in his head?"

Young-min looked on the brink of tears, and Dong-sik used the moment of shock to pop the skewer in his mouth, giving him a last smile before walking away.

Pathetic bastard, not even worth his energy.

He was feeling exhausted, all of a sudden, as he sat down.

Was he getting tired of hunting already? Is that why he wasn't able to kill Seo Ji-hoon?

He stared at the table gloomily, until the voice of Director Seo startled him.

"My friend back there..."

He gave him a panicked look, as Director Seo stood in a corner of the room, looking down at a bottle.

"...he's an executive at a firm much bigger than ours."

Oh.

Oh no.

Director Seo had asked him out. In only twenty minutes, Dong-sik had managed to get the man's friends to mock him, and then had proceeded to humiliate one of them. That couldn't be good.

"I apologize", he said, and started getting up, before a painful headache sent him falling back down onto his seat.

He kept his gaze down, as he saw Director Seo's shoes enter his field of vision, moving closer.

"No need to apologize."

Was he that enamoured?, regretted Dong-sik. Even an insult to one of his close friends left him unmoved.

"I know how you feel", added Director Seo.

Dong-sik repressed a 'so do I'. This whole night had only proven his colleagues' statement: somehow, his director was in love with him.

"You're angry", said Director Seo, sitting down. "Because a worthless punk like him is acting like this."

Well, fair enough. But right now Dong-sik could barely think about anything except 'is he gonna confess his feelings now?'.

"He doesn't even realize who the true predators are", added Director Seo.

Huh.

Huh?!

Dong-sik looked up quickly enough to snap his neck, giving Director Seo wide eyes.

Predator.

That's the word he used.

Dong-sik watched him sit down, grabbing a glass.

"Now I'm sure of it", said Director Seo, as he picked ice cubes. "You and I are cut from the same cloth."

Dong-sik tried to gather his thoughts. He embarassed one of Director Seo's friend. Somehow, that made Director Seo very sure of his feelings about Dong-sik.

He wished Mi-joo, Suk-hyun and Jung-ah were there to advise him.

"We could even", continued Director Seo, now pouring himself a drink, "have some fun together?"

One of Dong-sik's few prides had always been his ability to remember scenes from movies. As a teenager, he often added 'that's just like in that movie-' in the middle of the conversation, drawing confused looks to himself -although with the whole amnesia debacle, he had no memory of it-.

Right then, as very explicit scenes suddenly started playing in his mind, the words 'have some fun together, have some fun together, have some fun together' repeating in the background, he really wished he could get amnesia again.

"Some- some fun?", he repeated carefully, as Director Seo slided the glass towards him.

This was it. The perfect moment for rejection.

'He's a reasonable man', had said Jung-ah. Surely he'd understand that they should keep their relationship professional.

Dong-sik stared at Director Seo, mouth open as he searched for the words.

'Thank you, no thanks', 'hahahaha', 'what' were all options that flashed through his mind.

In the end, he only made a strangled sound.

Director Seo chuckled, and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, as he seemed to be thinking.

"You might not feel like it just yet", he said, and he looked up at Dong-sik, "because you don't know me very well yet."

That was true. Until the day before, Dong-sik thought he worked in stocks.

"To tell you the truth, I have a special hobby-"

Before the conversation could escalate any further, Dong-sik cleared his throat, a bit too loudly considering how confused Director Seo looked.

"Ah, yes", he said, his throat now feeling rough, and he even gave a smile that he hoped to be compassionate. Director Seo might be very kind, very rich and quite honestly, very attractive, he did not feel like learning about his 'secret hobbies' quite yet. An unfortunate viewing of 'fifty shades of grey' had told him more than he needed to know about wealthy CEOs and their hobbies. "I understand."

Director Seo's eyebrows went up.

"You do?", he asked, his voice as slow and smooth as usual.

"You're right, I don't know you enough", added Dong-sik. "We shouldn't hurry like this."

Seeing how Director Seo's expression brightened, he understood he'd fucked up.

"I mean", he backtracked, "I've never really done anything like that with someone-"

His words died in his throat, as Director Seo earnestly grabbed his hand, clutching onto it.

"We can learn from each other", he told him, looking overwhelmingly sincere.

No way.

Dong-sik's jaw almost dropped. Director Seo was also a virgin?

"You too-?", he hesitated.

"As I said", said Director Seo, his thumb rubbing over Dong-sik's knuckle, "we'll learn from each other."

Dong-sik very much felt like fainting. His skin was burning where Director Seo was touching it, and he worried for a moment that he might be having an allergic reaction to him. Now wouldn't that be embarassing.

But Director Seo was so honest with him, and, really, it felt nice to be looked at with these kind of eyes. Dong-sik couldn't remember the last time someone'd stared at him with such a captivated expression. If nothing else, it was a real ego boost, and Director Seo smelling like those fancy men perfume ads -the ones usually labelled with 'ciprus forest' or 'dark reunion' or whatever- was not helping the situation.

It was becoming harder and harder to remember the rejection speech he'd prepared at 5 AM.

"But you're the director-", he tried faintly.

"You're the only person I would ever consider my equal."

Now wasn't that a whole new can of worms.

"Equal?", he repeated, giving a doubtful look to his obviously very expensive clothes.

Director Seo nodded.

"Can I think about it?", Dong-sik blurted out.

Director Seo slowly pulled his hand away, leaving Dong-sik's fingers horribly cold.

"Of course", he assured.

Director Seo suggested he drive him home but Dong-sik said something about prefering the bus -he hated the bus- and Director Seo walked with him to the station, completely empty at this hour of the day.

"Thank you for the invitation", remembered to say Dong-sik.

He hesitated.

"My parents have a restaurant. I could pay for your dinner there..."

Director Seo's mouth stretched into something of a smile.

"I would like that", he said.

After that, they stayed quiet for a moment. Dong-sik wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to do, but in every romantic movie he'd seen, there'd usually be a kiss at the end of the date, if it went well. Did it go well? If Director Seo didn't have any experience with dating either, they might not kiss.

Still, he felt it would be relevant to bring it up.

"Would you-", he started saying.

Director Seo patiently waited for the end of his sentence, as Dong-sik risked a glance towards his lips.

How did he get them so pink? Was he constantly carrying chapstick?

Dong-sik's own inability to finish his sentence was starting to annoy him. He was at the top of the food chain, a predator hiding amongst preys, and he couldn't even talk about kissing?

Suddenly emboldened, he grabbed the sides of Director Seo's face, who seemed momentarily startled.

"May I kiss you?", he asked, as quickly as he could get the words out.

Director Seo's eyes widened comically.

"What?"

He didn't know what he was doing, holding his face like that, but now that he was already there, might as well dig his own grave further.

"Don't you want to?", he asked, panicking slightly.

Every human emotion seemed to go through Director Seo's eyes before he suddenly leaned in.

Dong-sik only had enough mind to meet his lips halfway, bumping their noses, as he felt Director Seo's hands come to rest on his waist.

It might've been a good kiss. Or a horrible one. He kept his eyes open the whole time and it ended in only a few seconds, Director Seo backing away, looking to the side and avoiding his eyes.

"Well, good night", wished Dong-sik, a bit pathetically.

Director Seo had to clear his throat before he could answer.

"Good night, Dong-sik."

With that, he seemed about to add something, but thought better of it, leaving in long strides.

Dong-sik kept staring in his direction, long after he'd disappeared into the night.

Chapter Text

His sleep schedule was wrecked.

After spending a whole night debating whether his boss was in love with him or not, he spent the next night staring at the ceiling mournfully, as he started considering writing a book called 'I kissed my boss and I think he hated it'.

He'd checked the diary again and again, but there were no mention of dating, except for a small mention of 'the president set up a blind date for me'.

He'd called his sister immediately, who took a few minutes before answering.

"Who is it?", she'd yawned against the phone.

"Did our father ever set me up for a blind date?", he asked hurriedly.

"Did you wake me up to say that?", she said, sighing, before adding, suddenly jolted awake, "wait, can you remember that?!"

"Did it really happen?"

"Of course! You never dated anyone, so dad decided to invite the daughter of one of his friends over. But then you accidentally spilled an energy drink all over her and she threw water at your face, so we don't talk much about it anymore."

That... was what she said.

Dong-sik quickly blurted out a "sorry, good night" and hung up, mortified.

He probably hadn't even kissed anyone in his life. No wonder Director Seo had ran for the hills as soon as he could.

And since that call, all Dong-sik could do was moan about his own situation, tossing and turning in his bed.

He should be a terrible horrible heartless murderer, but it seemed that when it came to romance, he really sucked at it.

Had he been so focused on the killings that he never even tried to date?

The next few days he tried not to make his despair too visible, even if his coworkers kept staring at him, which probably meant he was doing a terrible job. Director Seo did not make an appearance in the department, and when Bo-kyung took Dong-sik on one of her murderer hunts, he was glad for the distraction.

But things, as they usually did, turned bad very quickly, as proven by the swarms of cops surrounding him.

Honestly, cops were just too quick these days: couldn't he even get rid of people in peace? How did he even do his job before his accident?

Dong-sik, sitting in a cop car, thought, rather bitterly, that he'd be going to prison without ever even holding hands or saying "I love you" to his partner or any of those things that rom-coms taught him about. His sister had a child and a husband, his little brother would probably be getting into some sort of highschool romance -or not, well, Dong-chan had always been rather averse to romance, so who knows- and here he was, having fucked up his chances with his boss by being very bad at kissing.

Even worse, everyone would soon know about him being a murderer, and then what would they all think? Should he be proud that he was able to trick them all? Then why did it feel so awful to imagine days going by, no one coming to visit him?

As he reflected on his future as a prisoner, the door to the car opened, a cop showing his face, an apologetic smile on his face.

"Come on out", he said, and when Dong-sik made no signs of moving, he started pulling him out of the car.

To Dong-sik's surprise, he was uncuffed.

"I'm sorry", said the cop, as Dong-sik rubbed his thumb over his wrist, wincing a bit as he felt a scratch -in his eagerness, the police man had been a bit brutal when cuffing him-. "I just heard the witness' statement, they said you were helping out one of the workers. I rushed without thinking, I'm sorry."

"Ah", said Dong-sik.

He suddenly felt so light, he was surprised he didn't start floating.

"Ah, it's nothing", he added.

Freedom!

Home!

Thank you, misunderstandings!

"You're quite impressive, deciding to save him like that", continued the police man, chuckling, "I wonder if I should get your autograph. Oh, there's a bit more procedures to go through, so please hang on."

"Yes", said Dong-sik, while the word "autograph" echoed through his brain. So that's how he tricked cops, even before his amnesia. His disguise as a wolf in sheep's clothing worked even better than he expected-

"Dong-sik!"

Dong-sik startled as he looked back, Bo-kyung rushing towards him, her ponytail moving as she ran.

"What happened?", she asked, as soon as she reached him.

He could only admire her endurance. Since his accident, he couldn't even climb a flight of stairs without being out of breath.

"Ah, Corporal Sim", he greeted, a bit awkwardly. "That, that is-"

"Dong-sik?"

Dong-sik's head moved so quickly it actually hurt a bit.

Hovering over them, a surprised look on his face, was no other than Director Seo.

Suddenly, a replay of their date started running through Dong-sik's head. Have some fun together... maybe he's his lover... may I kiss you...

"Director Seo", he greeted back, hoping he didn't look as red as he suspected. Had he been teleported to a sauna, he probably couldn't've been more warm than he was now. "What are you doing here?"

"You two know each other?", asked Bo-kyung, surprised.

Had this taken place only a few days ago, he could've just said "he's my boss". But with the situation being what it was, he had no idea what to say: normal boss-employee relationships didn't involve kissing and barely disguised suggestions to have sex.

"Ah", he said, "that is..."

He didn't know what he would've said, if someone hadn't scream at that moment "they found a body!", but the moment he understood the words, he paled.

Bo-kyung immediately started sprinting again -she definitely had a healthier set of lungs than him- and he followed soon after, Director Seo behind.

There was indeed a corpse. Once the cops identified it, Dong-sik, still a bit shaken -he wasn't sure whether it was because of the smell of decaying bodies, or because of the deceased's friend sobbing, or because, well, now the police was closer to finding out about him- was told that he could go home, although the words fell on deaf ears, as he only clutched onto his hand -he'd injured himself earlier in the night, and his wrists now hurt too-, not a single thought in his head.

"Dong-sik?", called Director Seo, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Dong-sik looked up, wide eyed.

"I'll take you home", said Director Seo.

"I, I-", started Dong-sik, although he had no idea what to say. I didn't kill the man we found in the mountain? I am a very dangerous man so let go of me? I'm sorry that I suck at kissing?

Director Seo's hand moved to hold onto his arm, a bit higher than his wounds, as he gently pulled him to the car. Bo-kyung had already gone into one of the police vehicules, saying "I'm going to the autopsy before leaving them".

The ride to Dong-sik's house was quiet, the silence only broken with his indications as to the path to take.

There was still a throbbing pain coming from his hand -it'd only been bandaged quickly, just to avoid him dying of blood loss-, and he rubbed at it a couple times, staring outside, until he could recognize his own street.

Director Seo slowed down the car, and then it came to a stop in front of his building.

"Thank you", managed to say Dong-sik, reaching for the door handle.

"I was a bit surprised when I heard that you were investigating this company", said Director Seo, Dong-sik freezing. "You have an impressive timing, to arrive just in time to save that worker."

"He gave me his number", clarified Dong-sik.

Director Seo hummed.

Dong-sik, almost against his own will, looked up to his face, trying to read his expression.

"How do you feel about that corpse?", he asked, his face emotionless.

"The, the corpse?"

Director Seo turned his head, meeting his eyes.

He had two different eyes. Dong-sik found that he could not answer the question, as he stared at those eyes, the color of them drowned out by the lack of light in the car, attentive as they looked at him.

He felt like he'd been stripped bare, in front of such eyes.

"I didn't expect my night to be like that", he finally said, with a nervous chuckle.

He didn't like looking people in the eye, but he couldn't help following Director Seo's eyes, as he looked down, his stare stopping on Dong-sik's injured hand.

"Does it hurt?", he asked.

"No, no it's fine-"

"It's obviously not fine", said Director Seo, and he reached for his hand, careful not to touch the wound.

His fingers fluttered against Dong-sik's skin, as he raised his sleeve, revealing light bruising and scratches, where the handcuffs had been.

"Wait a minute", he said, and he motioned for Dong-sik to stay seated, as he leaned forward, aiming for the glove compartment.

Dong-sik froze, as Director Seo's head moved right in front of his, although his face was turned towards the compartment.

Impeccable hair, and the light scent of men's perfume.

Director Seo straightened up again, closing the compartment, now holding a small first-aid kit -how did it even fit in there, Dong-sik had no idea: he could only remember his viewing of Mary Poppins and her gigantic bag, from back when he was a kid-.

Director Seo opened it carefully, taking out a small bottle of disinfectant, and gesturing for Dong-sik's hand.

Dong-sik raised it in the air.

"Not like that", corrected Director Seo, and he grabbed it again, laying it down on his own thigh. "I need it to be stable."

Dong-sik didn't know how stable his hand could be, when it was litteraly resting on his boss' lap, said-boss now taking off the bandage carefully, before starting to apply the disinfectant.

Usually, Dong-sik would've looked away.

But he couldn't help but focus on Director Seo, as he cleaned the wound gently, his eyelashes fluttering as he focused on the wrist next.

Dong-sik felt like throwing up a bit. Well, it was probably nausea. He felt very warm and very aware of his body, and his throat was all caught up and he could see his hand shaking, as Director Seo's fingers held onto it. And his stomach was feeling all kinds of things, which probably wasn't good. Did the wound get infected already? Was he dying? Was that why he felt the way he felt?

Director Seo finished bandaging the wounds, and sat up.

"Done", he said.

"Thank you", said Dong-sik, adverting his gaze, instead staring at the wheel, feeling Director Seo look at him. "I'll, uh, I'll go now..."

He turned away to open the door, almost expecting Director Seo to speak out again.

He'd just pulled the handle when he glanced at him.

"Did I...", he started, already regretting his words before they even came out.

Director Seo raised an eyebrow.

"Was my kissing very bad?", said Dong-sik, quickly, before he could regret it.

Director Seo looked wordless for a moment, his mouth opening a little, no word coming out.

"It was...", he said, after a moment of silence. "Unexpected."

Dong-sik's heart sinked.

"But I like when you do unexpected things", added Director Seo, and he smiled, "Dong-sik."

"Ah", only said Dong-sik, and he opened the car door a bit abruptly, getting out in a hurry -he forgot his seatbelt and almost strangled himself, unbuckled it, and ran out in embarassment-.

As he waited for the elevator, he suddenly held a hand up to his heart, frowning at the frantic pace of his heartbeat.

Was he really dying?!

Chapter Text

"And then?", asked Mi-joo, whispering.

The four of them were huddled together in the coffee room, speaking in whispers, checking every 5 seconds that no one was listening in.

Since they'd made him realize Director Seo's feelings for him -he felt just a tiny bit warmer every time he thought that, like oh wow, Director Seo is actually kind of in love with me- he had decided that he could trust Mi-joo, Jung-ah and Suk-hyun with his romantic life: even if he was a scum, a pathetic excuse of a human being, a ruthless killer, it would always be better for his colleagues to think he was nothing more than a timid coworker navigating his relationship with his boss.

For now, he was recapping the most recent events, which included meeting Director Seo in the hallway a few minutes ago.

"And then that's it", he said, with a shrug. "What do you think?"

His three colleagues shared a look -they had gotten better at it, with practice-.

"I think it's time for you to take the next step", finally said Suk-hyun.

The other two gave a nod of approval.

"Next step?", repeated Dong-sik.

"Well, he took you on a date already and introduced you to his friends", explained Jung-ah. "And you said he met one of your friends. So now you should see if the chemistry goes well when it's just the two of you", she glanced at the other two to get condirmation, "and after that, if it goes all well-"

"You meet each other's family", added Mi-joo.

"Ah", said Dong-sik, awkwardly. "But wouldn't that be a little...?"

"Do your parents not appprove of...?"

To be honest, he was pretty sure his family would be jumping up and down if they found out he was close to the son of a wealthy chairman.

However, In-woo's family...

"You should be the one taking him out on the next date", said Mi-joo. "This way, you can show him that you're also interested."

She paused, hesitating.

"You're interested, right?"

If interested meant that his palms got sweaty whenever he saw Director Seo, that he startled everytime someone said his name, and that he sometimes rubbed at his bandage while looking into the distance, then yes, he was maybe a bit interested. And, since he'd never dated, what better partner than someone who also didn't have a lot of experience, so they could, as Director Seo put it, learn from each other?

"What kind of date should it be?", he asked.

To that, the three frowned.

"Um..."

"Well..."

"With Director Seo, probably..."

In the end, they didn't have the slighest idea of what Director Seo might like as a date: most things that came to their mind were way over Dong-sik's financial means.

Instead, he stayed a bit later than usual in the office, looking up '100 date ideas' on his phone.

"What are you doing here at this time?"

Dong-sik almost fell off his chair, and hurried to his feet, giving a small bow to Director Seo.

"Sir", he greeted.

He noticed Director Seo eyeing his phone, where 'murder mystery night' was written in big bold letters, and quickly turned off the screen.

"Any problem?", asked Director Seo.

"No, nothing", said Dong-sik, shaking his head.

He grabbed his coat and his bag, holding them up as proof.

"I was about to leave."

"So was I. Should we leave together?", suggested Director Seo. "It's going to rain tonight, did you bring an umbrella?"

"Yes", said Dong-sik, before realizing there were two questions. "No. Yes. No."

Director Seo raised an eyebrow.

"I don't have an umbrella", clarified Dong-sik.

"We'll share mine", suggested Director Seo.

This was the moment.

Well, maybe not, but this felt like the right time to ask him out.

"Actually", said Dong-sik, and he took a deep breath, "wouldyouliketogoonadatewithme?"

"Sorry?"

Dong-sik grabbed his phone instead of answering, and quickly typed 'cinema' in the search bar, before showing the screen to Director Seo.

"Movie?", he asked.

Director Seo blinked.

"But you probably have plans already-", said Dong-sik, a bit miserable.

"I would love to", cut Director Seo.

Dong-sik gave him a hopeful look.

"We should see a movie together", added Director Seo.

The nearest movie theater was only a few minutes away, and they hurried under Director Seo's umbrella. Once Director Seo had said that he was fine with any type of movie, and Dong-sik had noticed the poster for what looked like a very bad horror movie, they went to buy the tickets -Director Seo seemed amused at Dong-sik insisting to buy tickets for the both of them- and popcorn before going to the room where the movie played.

The movie was either incredibly bad or the weather was too terrible, but in any way, the room was empty.

"What row?", asked Director Seo.

"One of the first ones, please", said Dong-sik. Despite getting an operation for his eyes, his eyesight still failed him occasionally.

They sat in the middle of the row, putting the popcorn between them.

"I've never seen a theater so empty", said Dong-sik out loud, looking around them.

The goal of the date was to spend time alone, but he didn't expect them to be so alone.

The ads starting to play caught him by surprise, and he heard Director Seo snicker as he jumped in his seat.

Dong-sik had always watched horror movies the way his sister watched romcoms. He fell asleep in front of the screen, he yawned during jumpscares, and he had fun trying to figure out where the monster would be coming from, or analyzing the scenes. When Dong-chan was nine, he accidentally traumatized him by watching The Exorcist right as Dong-chan went into his room. That was the kind of watching Dong-sik did.

But he had no idea how Director Seo would react to the movie.

The whole thing was about an abandonned convent: two minutes in, a nun that came back suddenly got decapitated by an invisible blade.

Director Seo chuckled.

Reassured that Director Seo wasn't the squeamish type, Dong-sik grabbed a handful of popcorn, leaning into his seat.

It quickly turned out that not only Director Seo was the type to actually laugh during gruesome death scenes, he was also oddly talkative.

"To your right", he muttered, as an evil priest walked into a room, the main character hiding under the bed, on the right side of the villain.

Dong-sik gave him a surprised look, but, head supported by his hand, staring at the screen, Director Seo didn't notice his expression.

Later, Dong-sik was once again surprised by an exasperated groan coming from Director Seo, as the villain comically missed his target.

"Is he so incompetent?", said Director Seo under his breath.

"He's possessed", reasoned Dong-sik. "Maybe that's why he's so bad at this."

Director Seo glanced at him.

"Maybe", he admitted. "But the way he throws his axe... aish, he's going to hurt himself instead-"

Afterwards, Director Seo kept commenting on bad usage of weapons and ridiculous behaviours coming from the characters: Dong-sik didn't answer all the comments, instead giving hums, wondering why his boss seemed so concerned about the villain being unable to kill people efficiently.

But this was nice. Probably. He couldn't remember ever going out to the theatre with anyone. Maybe because of the amnesia, but still: this kind of meeting felt incredibly normal, unlike the investigations he kept being taken on, unlike the awkward dinners with his team. He could almost trick himself into thinking he really was like Director Seo -that whole "you and I are cut from the same cloth" speech was stuck in his head-, a nice guy hanging out with his crush.

Once the dead evil priest had reappeared at the last second, and the credits rolled, Dong-sik and Director Seo started gathering their things, getting out of the theater. Director Seo threw away the popcorn box on their way out and opened the umbrella, as they stepped out under the rain again.

"What did you think?", asked Director Seo, as they started walking towards the nearest bus station.

"Wasn't very scary", shrugged Dong-sik. "And the killer's method started getting old quickly."

From the corner of his eye, he could see Director Seo turning his head towards him -which was pretty risky, considering they were walking, what if he ran into a pole?-.

"Really?", said Director Seo. "How would you have done it?"

Dong-sik thought about it.

"I would've used the torture device", he ended up saying. "The one we see at the beginning, it was kind of impressive, I was a bit disappointed they didn't show it again. Or used the moment when they were unconscious to-"

Dong-sik hadn't realized how close he'd been walking to the wall until Director Seo more or less shoved him against him -thankfully his head didn't hit anything, Director Seo's hand protecting it-, kissing him like he'd die if he didn't.

For a few seconds, Dong-sik stayed frozen like a deer in the headlights, until he had enough mind to reciprocate it, feeling Director Seo suck on his lower lip.

Good Heathens.

Once tongue started to get involved, Dong-sik's braincells decided to take a break -"sorry, see you later, we'll let your instincts take over this one"- as he clutched onto Director Seo, this time actually closing his eyes.

Director Seo finally pulled away after a while, leaving Dong-sik panting like he'd just climbed a flight of stairs.

"I'm sorry", breathed out Director Seo, his lips even more pink than usual.

His shirt was slightly wrinkled where Dong-sik had held it.

"Ah, n-no", stammered Dong-sik, definitely feeling light headed.

He felt terribly warm, and he glanced around, but with the rain pouring like that, there wasn't anyone else in the street.

He definitely did not expect Director Seo to be this passionate.

And he had no idea what even triggered this whole makeout session.

"It was fine", he added.

He needed to write it down in his diary. Dear diary, today I made-out with my boss and it was great.

"The bus station is right there", added Director Seo, pointing to a direction. "I need to get back to the office for my car. Is that alright?"

"Well", said Dong-sik, with a chuckle, "I can defend myself."

Director Seo's eyes shined.

"I know you can", he said, his lips stretching into somewhat of an enigmatic smile. After that, he handed the umbrella over to Dong-sik, and left.

Only once Director Seo had disappeared and Dong-sik had reached the station, he felt his legs give way, falling down onto the bench.

He touched his own cheek, and it was burning.

"Well", he said, out loud, to no one in particular.

Well wasn't that something.

His coworkers would be so proud.

Chapter Text

'How to tell your partner you have amnesia', he typed in the search bar.

The results were rather disappointing.

It was close to midnight, and Dong-sik had finally decided to tell Director Seo about his amnesia, before things escalated any further: relationships were built on trust, and since he couldn't reasonably say "hey, I'm a murderer by the way!", he should at least tell Director Seo that much.

Since there were no good result, he deleted half the sentence. How to tell your partner...

He frowned at the first suggestions ('how to tell your partner you have herpes', 'how to tell your partner you're pregnant') and turned off his phone, sighing.

In the end, he decided that the sooner he told him, the quicker he'd be done with it: he grabbed his phone again, and sent a quick "I have something to tell you" by message to Director Seo, before putting his phone away and falling asleep.

As soon as he came in for work the next day, he felt a hand reach for him.

"Dong-sik?"

"Sir", he greeted in return.

The greeting was starting to feel a bit weird, now that he'd had Director Seo's tongue down his throat.

"You said you wanted to speak?", said Director Seo, frowning.

They were still in plain view of everyone else, which definitely wasn't how Dong-sik was planning on breaking the news. Seeing Mi-joo walk into the building, and give him wide eyes as she noticed them, wasn't helping.

"Later", he said, quickly.

"Later when?", insisted Director Seo.

"My house", blurted out Dong-sik. "After work."

That seemed to satisfy Director Seo, although his frown stayed there, and Dong-sik hurried to his department.

He'd said the first thing that came to his head: it'd be easier to tell Director Seo in a private setting, yes, but he'd rarely ever invited anyone over to his house. As he sat down in front of his computer, he realized what that meant: having to cook dinner for two.

He left work early that day, went grocery shopping, wincing at the price he was told: came home with his arms full, the upstairs neighbour shouting "boss, let me help you with that!", as soon as he saw him.

Thankfully, Chil-sung did not insist when he dodged his question as to why he bought so many things, instead saying loudly "of course, boss is always ready", before leaving in his usual cheerful mood.

Dong-sik layed everything on his kitchen table, and let out a discouraged moan. Why did he suggest something like that?

Thankfully, Director Seo had notified him by text that he couldn't come earlier than 9 PM, which was late enough for him to get everything done. Hopefully.

At 8:59 exactly, there was a knock on the door.

"I'm here!", he said, turning the stove off, running to the door.

He almost bumped against a cardboard box, and cursed himself for not thinking of cleaning the whole place thoroughly before Director Seo's arrival.

He turned the handle, opening the door abruptly.

"Hello, sir", he greeted, already a bit breathless.

Then he realized that he'd just greeted his maybe-boyfriend -what were they now, since they'd gone through multiple dates and even kissed?- by calling him "sir" once more and he almost closed the door in regrets.

Director Seo was standing there, wearing one of his long coats, holding up a bottle of wine.

"Dong-sik", he greeted in return. "Thank you for the invitation."

"Ah, it's nothing, it's nothing", mumbled Dong-sik, getting out of the way to let him through. "The kitchen is right there-"

"Vosne-Romanée."

Dong-sik glanced at him, confused.

"The wine", clarified Director Seo, extending it towards him.

"Ah, right."

What the hell was a Vosne-Romanée.

Still, holding the wine bottle in one hand, he closed the door with the other, as Director Seo got rid of his coat and shoes, before walking into the appartment.

Dong-sik put the bottle on the table, even if he didn't and never had had any wine glass to go with it, and stared anxiously as Director Seo considered the place.

"You really like horror movies", he noticed.

"Uh, yes."

Director Seo glanced at the bedroom, before going back to the kitchen, sitting down.

Dong-sik took it as his sign to start taking off the lids.

"I, I might've made too much...", he admitted.

Twenty minutes before Director Seo's arrival, he'd taken a picture of the meal and sent it to his sister, asking if it was enough for two people: she'd called him immediately.

"Are you feeding the whole neighborhood?", she shouted in his ear. "Do you want to take over dad's restaurant? How is anyone going to eat all that?"

Actually, she was probably right. Half the pans didn't even fit on the table.

Director Seo glanced at the meal, before muttering a "thank you" as Dong-sik started handing him the plates.

"Enjoy this meal", remembered to say Dong-sik, bowing his head.

"Mmh", answered Director Seo.

He brought the spoon to his lips, eyeing it carefully, as Dong-sik waited in nervous silence, his leg bouncing a bit.

Then, he finally put it in his mouth.

Dong-sik didn't even dare look at his expression, suddenly fascinated by the stain on the table.

When he looked up, Director Seo's face was frozen.

Oh no.

He'd poisoned his boss-also-maybe-boyfriend.

Director Seo would fall down against the table in a few seconds, he'd have even more blood on his hands, and he'd have to hide the body -although he couldn't do that, what if he'd told someone else he was coming over?- and then the police would start investigating him and in a week Bo-kyung would come knock at his door to arrest him for manslaughter and he'd go to jail just because he invited his boyfriend over for dinner to tell him about his amnesia-

"Director-", he risked.

"It's very good."

"...eh?"

Director Seo's arm suddenly stretched, as he started scooping things quickly, suddenly in a hurry to get everything in his mouth all at once.

"Very good", he repeated, chewing.

Dong-sik almost fainted from relief.

"Please take as much as you want", he offered, helping add things onto his plate, as Director Seo took huge bites.

Director Seo barely said anything for ten minutes, busy grabbing everything he could possibly eat: he only interrupted himself to help Dong-sik open the wine bottle.

Dong-sik watched the meal, supposedly big enough for a whole family, start vanishing, only eating a bit himself -he always insisted on tasting the food at every step of the cooking process, and sometimes, well, tasting meant chewing off more than half the thing in a hungry impulse-.

His sister wouldn't believe him.

"I was surprised when you invited me", said Director Seo, finally catching his breath. "What did you want to tell me about?"

"Sir-"

"Call me In-woo", corrected Director Seo. He took a sip out of his glass, before adding: "We're close enough for that, aren't we?"

When Dong-sik gave him a mortified look -although he was right, they shared saliva so first name basis should probably be a given- he answered with a gentle smile.

"What is it you wanted to talk about?", he asked again.

"I", started Dong-sik.

Maybe his cooking skills would be enough to convince Direct- In-woo not to break things up with him.

"It's, uh", he tried again.

Dir- IN-WOO, HIS NAME WAS IN-WOO, reached over the table, covering his hand with his, in what was probably supposed to be a reassuring gesture but only made him sweat more.

"I have a secret", he finally blurted out.

In-woo raised an eyebrow.

"You do?"

"I didn't want to tell you", added Dong-sik, "because I was afraid you wouldn't want to..."

With his free hand, he made a vague gesture, trying to take in their relationship. It looked more like he was chasing away an invisible fly.

In-woo kept looking at him, waiting.

"I..."

He looked down at the table, rather than at him.

"...got hit by a car."

"What?", said In-woo, loud enough to startle Dong-sik, who glanced back at him.

"Ah, but, but it's alright", added Dong-sik quickly, "that's-"

"Who did it?", asked In-woo, clutching his hand a bit tighter.

"Officer Shi-", started Dong-sik, before shaking his head. "That's not important. What I'm saying is that..."

He winced. If only In-woo could read his mind, things would be easier.

"I have memory problems."

In-woo blinked.

"It's not very problematic", clarified Dong-sik, "I had a diary before so I can just read that, but-"

"Is this why you didn't remember who I was the first time we met?"

"Huh?"

Dong-sik thought about it.

"Ah, probably."

In-woo nodded, but didn't remove his hand or make a run for the door.

It seemed that, against all odds, he didn't care much about Dong-sik having amnesia.

"We should clean up", he said instead, after a moment of silence, gesturing to the empty plates.

Dong-sik felt a bit teary-eyed at that. What did he do to deserve such an understanding partner?

As they started piling up the dishes, In-woo spoke out again.

"I'm glad you told me about it. In the future", he glanced at Dong-sik, "we should trust each other more. Right?"

"Right", said Dong-sik, nodding enthusiastically.

In a burst of confidence, he almost blurted out "by the way, how do you feel about murder", but held himself back: In-woo might be understanding, but not that understanding.

Once the sink was drowning under dishes, Dong-sik tried to figure out his next course of action.

He couldn't possibly just tell In-woo to get out, right? But he also couldn't tell him to stay. Well, he could. He could take the couch and In-woo could take the bed. But that would be weird wouldn't it? And what if In-woo took it the wrong way? What if he thought Dong-sik wanted to have sex already and was only using his amnesia as bait to get him in his bed? What if that made him run away? Or what if he did want to have sex then what? Or should he just ask-

"I'll be leaving then", said In-woo, casually.

"Ah, yes."

He followed him to the door, In-woo putting on his shoes, before turning around, facing him, as he stood outside.

Dong-sik stared right back at him.

He was about to ask if they should kiss, when a sudden "BOSS!" echoed across the corridor, both of them turning their heads, to find Chil-sung standing there, looking at them with wide eyes and an open mouth.

Realizing just how close he was to In-woo, Dong-sik impulsively pushed him away, sending the man stumbling back.

"Boss, who is he?", shouted Chil-sung, already looking ready to charge at In-woo.

"Boss?", repeated In-woo.

"He's a friend!", clarified Dong-sik, for both men.

That didn't clarify much, as they only looked at each other suspiciously. Chil-sung was getting bad vibes from In-woo -the whole stylish-man-that-hunts-people-as-a-hobby aesthetic was seriously disturbing him-, and vice versa -Chil-sung's gangster habits were very visible to anyone with eyes-. Both wondering 'who the hell is this and what does he have to do with Dong-sik'.

"I have decided to devote my life to Boss", finally said Chil-sung, introducing himself first to establish dominance, "in his ruthless and bloody path-"

Dong-sik slapped his hand over Chil-sung's mouth, shutting him up.

"Ha-ha", he fake laughed, while staring at him like 'one more word and I will use you as a leather bag'. Or at least that's what he was trying to convey. "Well it's very late, you should leave now..."

In-woo, however, seemed completely bamboozled by Dong-sik's proximity with Chil-sung, staring at the hand like it'd personally offended him.

If Dong-sik was able to read his thoughts, he would've seen in big, bold letters 'someone else knows about him?', as every sound nearby was drowned by In-woo's overwhelming and very sudden jealousy.

But Dong-sik was not able to read his thoughts. Instead, he grabbed both men by the arms, and started dragging them to the elevator, using Chil-sung's obedience and In-woo's frozen state to push them in.

"Good night!", he wished them.

And with that done, he went home, satisfied.

Blissfully unaware that

1. Chil-sung was staring at In-woo, trying to decide whether or not he was a threat to his boss

2. In-woo was considering the most efficient way to get rid of Chil-sung. Permanently.

Chapter Text

"Is everything alright?"

Assistant Joo's voice broke through his thoughts, and he glanced up, plastering on the standard 'everything is fine' smile.

As usual, Assistant Joo wasn't convinced.

"Is it because of a personal matter?", she added, with some hesitation.

By which she meant 'are you going through your second break-up of the month?'.

The thing about Assistant Joo was that she had always been too perceptive: in order to avoid saying 'I am in a bad mood because I like hunting people down as a hobby and I haven't had the chance to do that in a while', he usually made vague statements that somehow ended up in her being convinced that her boss was some kind of womanizer that got his heart broken almost every month.

In this situation, however, a romantic relationship was involved, at the same time as another murder plan.

The relation with Yook Dong-sik had not gone as planned. While he started really taking notice of Dong-sik after he tried to murder his brother -a moment In-woo still recalled fondly, remembering Ji-hoon being tied like a ham hanging in a butcher's shop-, he only planned on having fun with him occasionally, finally finding someone similar to him who might also find pleasure in killing people in fucked up ways.

But somehow, it'd ended up with Dong-sik kissing him at a bus stop.

Which had led In-woo to a realization he probably should've had earlier: that Dong-sik was infatuated with him.

It explained multiple things. His tendency to run away every time they met; him deciding to torture In-woo's annoying baby brother; and his overall behaviour. As for the few bits he didn't understand, they could easily be explained by Dong-sik's recent amnesia.

And someway somehow, Dong-sik having a crush on him led the both of them to be now dating.

At least, that's what he thought they were doing. He didn't have a habit of shoving his tongue down anyone's throat. But maybe Dong-sik did. He already hadn't noticed his amnesia, so who knew what else he missed about Dong-sik.

"What would you do", he said, after thinking for a while, "if you thought you were the only one who knew something about your boyfriend, but then it turned out someone else knew already?"

"Excuse me?"

He made a dismissive gesture, sighing at his own behaviour.

"Ignore this. What did you come to s-"

"I would tell my boyfriend."

In-woo's eyebrows went up.

"I'd tell him that I want to be special to him", she added, "and that seeing someone else know something like that makes me jealous."

"Jealous?", snickered In-woo, in disbelief.

She bowed her head.

"That's my opinion, sir."

He gave a nod, and she put down the files she'd come to give him, before walking away, her heels clicking against the floor.

Jealous? Him? He didn't get jealous. When his brother got all their father's attention and each of his mistakes was excused, all he felt was anger. When Ji-hoon got the job that should've been his, all he felt was anger. When Dong-sik panicked being seen with him and pushed him away, before his friend revealed that he also knew of Dong-sik's murderous ways...

He stood up abruptly, sending his chair stumbling back, and grabbed his phone, typing on it with more force than usual, before putting it to his ear.

He'd killed someone for Dong-sik, just a few weeks ago (Young-min had come into his appartment, saying he had something to tell him about Dong-sik: he'd ordered In-woo fire him from Daehan, just because Dong-sik had threatened him with a skewer. Today, Young-min's company thought he'd ran away after stealing money, and Young-min himself was burnt in detached pieces). He'd killed someone again, only a few days ago, after they blurted out nonsense about Dong-sik, and mimicked his killing style, even if they weren't anything more than amateurs (that someone like that thought to be his equal was laughable, and seeing him get ran over was very satisfying). Yet now things turned out like that?

"Yes?", said Dong-sik, on the other end of the phone, sounding surprised.

"Let's meet up", sighed In-woo. "Tonight. At your family's restaurant."

"You want to see me at my family's restaurant?", repeated Dong-sik, visibly baffled.

"Why? You don't want to?"

"No, no, of course", said Dong-sik, and it sounded like he'd started walking. "Uh-"

His voice dropped.

"Is it okay for you to meet my family so early?"

"Should we wait longer?", asked In-woo, leaning against his desk.

"No, I'm fine with it. I'll send you the adress then? Ah, I have to go-"

In-woo looked down at his phone, the words 'call ended' on the screen.

He allowed himself a satisfied smile.

He was ready to bet that gangster-style friend of Dong-sik never met his family.

He couldn't possibly cancel all his meetings in the evening that day, and he had to send Dong-sik a message saying that he wouldn't be free until 7 PM, before walking into the meeting room. By 7:05, the meeting hadn't finished yet, despite him repeatedly and visibly looking at his watch, hoping the others would get the message.

At 07:11, he suddenly stood up, everyone at the table shutting up.

"Ah, I'm sorry", he said with an apologetic smile. "I have important plans later in that evening."

"Of course!", hurried to say a few people, also starting to pack up.

A couple of them gave him a knowing smile, and he thought he heard one of them say "someone sounds like he has a clingy wife..." but he paid them no mind, as he hurried out towards the parking lot.

He found a spot near the restaurant, and quickly checked his hair in the mirror in the car, before stepping out.

Dong-sik was standing in front of the restaurant, staring at his screen.

He didn't even seem to notice In-woo, until he asked "what are you doing?".

"Director!", blurted out Dong-sik, before quickly correcting, "I mean, In-woo."

He glanced at the screen.

'Who is the predator killer?' said the news article Dong-sik had been reading.

In-woo felt a feeling of pride, similar to that of a child looking at the macaroni necklace they made for mother's day, as Dong-sik seemed to be researching about him, without even knowing it.

"What do you think about it?", he asked, gesturing towards the title.

"I have no idea", lied Dong-sik, putting his phone back into his pocket. "Should we go in?"

As soon as they stepped in, a man that couldn't be anyone else but Dong-sik's father suddenly charged right at them, shouting "welcome to our restaurant!" loud enough to startle other clients.

"Dad, please", groaned Dong-sik.

His dad didn't seem to listen to him, as he grabbed In-woo's hand, shaking it vigorously -that explained Dong-sik's surprising strength, during the elevator incident, it seemed to be in his genes-.

"Dong-sik called us earlier to tell us you'd both be coming here", he explained.

"Dong-sik did?", said In-woo, shooting Dong-sik a glance that said 'what does he know about me?'.

"I just said that you were my boss", said Dong-sik, looking like he would've liked to escape his own body and run out of the restaurant right here and there.

Boss?

Not boyfriend?

Well, maybe his parents didn't tolerate things like that.

"Ah, yes", said In-woo, pulling his hand out -his fingers hurt a bit after shaking hands with the man-. "Nice to meet you, I'm Seo In-woo. I'm in charge of the asset management team until my brother, the director, is back."

Which was, hopefully, never.

"I see", said Dong-sik's father, visibly overjoyed with having a director in his restaurant. "Well, I'll give you two the best table, follow me..."

As soon as they were seated, another member of Dong-sik's family popped up.

"I heard from my husband that you're Dong-sik's boss?", she said, with a very big smile.

Dong-sik's mother?

"This is my step-mother", introduced Dong-sik.

"Ah, nice to meet you-"

"Dong-sik's boss?", said another woman, appearing from nowhere.

"My sister", explained Dong-sik.

"Ah, nice to meet you-"

"Dong-sik brings friends here so rarely, it's such a pleasure to see you", kept going the sister, "we're so glad that you take good care of Dong-sik-"

"I'm Dong-sik's brother", said yet another person, looking no older than a student.

"Ah, nice to meet you-"

"We'll just take some water to drink", said Dong-sik, interrupting the introductions.

His family seemed to get the message, hurrying away.

"Your family seems very friendly", commented In-woo.

Dong-sik buried his face in his hands in response, letting out a tired sigh.

"Is it rare for you to bring people here? Who did you bring here?", asked In-woo, hoping to sound casual.

"Uh? Just some coworkers", said Dong-sik, straightening up.

In-woo pursed his lips, trying to keep the question down his throat, but it came out anyways.

"What about your friend from yesterday?"

Dong-sik wrinkled his nose.

"Chil-sung? No, he never came... well, he did come here once", he corrected.

In-woo's smile froze into something that looked more like someone that'd just biten into a lemon and was trying very hard to look normal.

"Really?"

"It was before we became friends", said Dong-sik, putting his hand over the grill to check the temperature. "Mi-joo, Jung-ah and Suk-hyun were also there."

"And what happened?"

Dong-sik removed his hand, instead scratching the back of his neck, a bit embarassed.

"Well", he said, "things just happened."

That explained nothing, but Dong-sik's father appeared again, holding plates of meat.

"Did Dong-sik tell you about our restaurant?", he asked, seemingly out of nowhere.

"Uh", said In-woo.

He glanced at Dong-sik.

"No?"

"Well, to explain to you a little about our restaurant", started Dong-sik's father, who seemed to have been waiting for an occasion to talk about this topic, "I go to the market every morning to get the best ingredients, with the best meat-"

In-woo tried not to think too hard about Dong-sik chopping up a carcass in the kitchen to prepare it for the barbecue. In fact, it was better to not think about anything that might get Dong-sik's hands bloody, for his own sanity.

"Uhm, Dad-", tried Dong-sik.

"I know, I know, no rambling", said Dong-sik's father, making a dissmissive gesture. "Now, look at the marbling on this meat-"

In-woo's mind wandered, as he stared at the raw meat. Would he be fine if he married into this family? Or would he have to go through a lesson on curated meats every sunday?

"Your director looks so handsome", suddenly cooed Dong-sik's sister, appearing on his left, as she set down a plate in front of him.

"If you need anything, just tell us", added Dong-sik's step mother.

Did they always move together as a crowd?, he wondered. Was that how normal families worked? Sticking together like this? Being nice to absolute strangers and complimenting their looks?

"Yes, sure", he said, offering them a grateful smile.

Well, being in a family like that would be nice. They seemed easy and eager to please, even if they were somewhat suffocating, surrounding them like that. Dong-sik, however, seemed to have grown tired of their presence already, as he hissed a "we get it, please go already" between his teeth.

Dong-sik's family finally retreated towards the kitchen, sending them very non-discreet glances while whispering amongst themselves.

"Your family seems to care for you so much, I'm getting jealous", teased In-woo.

"Aigoo", chuckled Dong-sik. "Do they?"

In-woo watched him place the meat on the grill, deciding not to do anything -Dong-sik was clearly the superior cook in their relationship, he would let him take care of that-.

"I worked here when I was a teenager, so the meat should be good", said Dong-sik, noticing In-woo's focus on the meat.

"Did you?", said In-woo.

"My father says so", shrugged Dong-sik. "That I prepared the meat and all that. Well, I can't remember it..."

Do not think about Dong-sik with blood on his hands. Do not think about Dong-sik with blood on his hands. Do not think-

"Why did you want us to meet up here?", asked Dong-sik, interrupting his train of thoughts.

"Ah, yeah", said In-woo, straightening up and shaking his head, clearing his thoughts. "Well, just because."

"Because...?"

"I was curious about your family."

He paused.

"Isn't it normal to be curious about your partner's family...?"

Dong-sik, who had just helped himself to some water, started coughing abruptly.

"Are you okay?", worried In-woo.

"Ah, yes", coughed Dong-sik.

In-woo gestured to the grill.

"The meat is burning", he noticed.

Dong-sik's hand was shaking slightly, as he took the meat off the grill.

"I was wondering", he said, avoiding In-woo's eyes, as he gave him some of the meat, "are we really... you know..."

In-woo took a bite out of his food, and gave him an encouraging nod.

Dong-sik leaned forward, despite the burning oil leaping off the grill.

"Boy-", he started saying, his voice low, and he winced, "b- boy-"

He took a deep breath.

"Boyfriends?"

In-woo's heart sinked down to his stomach.

"Aren't we?", he asked, suddenly very unsure of himself.

"I'm not saying we aren't-"

Is that why Dong-sik pushed him away? Weren't they dating? Did he overstep? Did he misunderstand Dong-sik's behaviour? Had he somehow got it all wrong, from the start-

"In-woo?", called Dong-sik.

"Yes?", said In-woo, only slightly overthinking, his leg bouncing nervously.

"I need to-", said Dong-sik, and he made a vague gesture towards the toilets.

"Ah? Yes."

Dong-sik stood up, hurrying to the toilets.

It took In-woo's brain two minutes before it suddenly flipped into panic mode, and he stood up abruptly, knocking his leg against the table, as he hurried behind him. What if Dong-sik made an escape out of the restaurant?

By the time he reached the toilets, Dong-sik was already coming out, his family rushing to him, and he impulsively hided behind a pillar.

"Our Dong-sik has finally become successful!", boasted Dong-sik's dad, as In-woo eaves dropped. "I'm so proud of you, son!"

"You brought the director with you!"

"Right?", encouraged the sister. "You two seemed really close!"

"Well, it's just", said Dong-sik, and In-woo leaned even closer. "Never mind that", he added, and In-woo deflated like a balloon at a child's birthday party. "Eight years ago, when I left home for a month, does no one know where I went?"

In-woo frowned. What did that have to do with anything? Was Dong-sik concerned about his amnesia?

"Why do you keep asking us that?", asked the brother.

Eight years ago, eight years ago, why did that sound familiar...

Ah, right. His first murder. Good times.

"Has something happened?", asked the step-mother. "You mentionned it before."

Dong-sik sighed.

"No, it's nothing."

Reassured, most of his family went back to the customers: In-woo stayed hidden, as the sister stayed with Dong-sik.

"You know something, don't you?", asked Dong-sik.

"Well", sighed his sister. "You probably went to Gwangju."

In-woo's legs almost gave way under him.

Eight years ago?

Gwangju?

He killed someone eight years ago in Gwangju.

Why would Dong-sik happen to be there too? Why was he asking about it?

And also, were they, for fuck sake, dating or not?

Listening in would probably only make him more confused, and so he went back to his seat, staring at the burning meat.

What was going on here?

Chapter Text

Being friends with Bo-kyung was fun until he was reminded that she was a cop.

It was usually whenever he started getting comfortable and helped her in her investigations that he suddenly remembered 'ah, yes, I'm helping her find a murderer. A murderer that is me'.

For example, when she called him saying "I'll pick you up and we'll go to Gwangju together" he said "ok" and then he hung up and he thought 'wait what if it turns out I also killed someone in Gwangju?'. Ever since he'd started to suspect that his first murder dated back to eight years ago and that it coincided with his mysterious disappearance, he was growing more and more paranoid, and clearly, being best friends with a detective wasn't helping.

"Trouble in paradise?", asked Bo-kyung suddenly, startling him.

"Huh?"

"Don't worry, I was just joking", added Bo-kyung, her voice teasing. "It's just that, well."

She glanced at him.

"Are you dating someone?"

Someone more awake and alert than Dong-sik would've taken some time to think about the answer.

But Dong-sik was tired, and instead he opened wide eyes:

"How did you know?!"

"Well, I'm a cop after all", she chuckled.

And yet she didn't notice that a dangerous murderer was sitting next to her.

"So? Do I know them?", she kept going.

"Well...", he hesitated.

"You don't need to tell me if you don't want to", she reassured. "Do they treat you well?"

Dong-sik remembered, a bit saddened, how In-woo had more or less fled the restaurant just the day before, looking deep in thoughts as he left. He hadn't called nor texted since.

"They do", he finally said.

"Do they know about...?"

"I told them about the amnesia, yes."

"I meant", corrected Bo-kyung, "the fact that you're helping me investigate."

He gave her a confused look.

"Dong-sik", she sighed, "are you so oblivious? Don't you think they might get suspicieous if you disappear like that with another woman?"

"Really?", he said, surprised.

Would In-woo get jealous? He did act weirdly ever since he saw Chil-sung, but that might just be because Chil-sung talked about Dong-sik going on a 'ruthless and bloody path'. But he knew Bo-kyung too, he'd understand that they weren't doing anything weird together.

Just in case, Dong-sik grabbed his phone, typing a quick 'I'm going to Gwangju with Officer Shim. We will not do anything weird together. See you at work', and, satisfied, sent it.

He was not expecting the immediate 'call from Director Seo In-woo' that followed.

In a panic state, he refused the call.

"Who was it?", asked Bo-kyung. "Should I pull over so you can answer?"

"No, it's fine-"

'Incoming call from Director Seo In-woo'.

"Actually yes, please", he corrected.

She pulled on the side of the road abruptly -he bumped his head against his seat, which, thankfully, didn't lead to anymore amnesia-, and he hurried out, accepting the call this time.

"Where are you?", asked In-woo.

"On the way to Gwangju", replied Dong-sik. He checked that Bo-kyung wasn't listening in. "Is anything wrong?"

"What did you mean 'weird things'?"

Dong-sik frowned.

"Well, we're not..."

He made a vague hand gesture, even if In-woo couldn't see him.

"You can even come and check", he added.

"In Gwangju?", said In-woo in disbelief.

"I'm going to my mother's cinerarium, do you want to come along?"

"No, what-?"

He heard In-woo take in a big, exhausted breath.

"I mean", said In-woo. "I'll come to Gwangju. We need to talk."

Very few sentences, in a relationship, can be as scary as 'we need to talk'.

He put his phone back in his pocket, walking back to the car, and sat down, buckling his seat.

"Is everything okay?"

"If someone tells you 'we need to talk', what does that mean?", asked Dong-sik instead.

Bo-kyung gave him a sympathetic look.

"If you break up, I'll bring you ice cream", she promised.

He could barely focus on the investigation afterwards, busy moping about the possibility that Bo-kyung would soon find out that he was a murderer, and, even worse, that he might break up with In-woo before even knowing if they really were dating.

"Excuse me", he said, as Bo-kyung said she wanted to visit a suspect, "I actually have a place to go to..."

"Where?", she asked, curious.

"My mom's cinerarium..."

He got lost three times on his way to the cinerarium, and, once he arrived in front of it, he almost ducked behind a trash can.

In-woo was standing in front of the building, hands in his pockets, frowning at the sky.

Dong-sik's father's voice rang in his head. Man up! Go to him! Don't be a coward!

With shaking legs, Dong-sik started marching towards his maybe-future-ex-boyfriend-that-might-have-never-been-his-boyfriend-in-the-first-place.

He gave him a pat on the shoulder, once he was near him.

"Ah, Dong-sik", said In-woo, his expression loosening up.

He gestured to the building with his head.

"Should we go inside?"

"Didn't you want to talk to me?"

"It can wait."

Dong-sik shuffled behind In-woo, as they went into the cinerarium.

His mother's remains weren't too difficult to find.

"Should I leave you alone with her?", asked In-woo.

"It's fine", said Dong-sik, staring at the small glass display.

Did he come to the cinerarium, eight years ago, or was he busy with his first killing?

As he stared at his mother's face, and she smiled back at him, he wished her ghost would come and give him actual answers.

"I'll leave you with her for a moment", said In-woo, after Dong-sik stared at the picture for a while, something of a pathetic expression on his face.

In-woo walked away, and Dong-sik let out a long, sad breath.

"Why am I the way I am?", he asked out loud.

His mother, just like the Mona Lisa, only gave him an enigmatic smile in response.

And then he noticed the envelope, tucked in there.

His heartbeat picked up its pace.

Should he ask someone so that they'd take it out for him?

But what if the letter wasn't from him? What if he only moved around his mother's belongings uselessly? Or what if it was actually his confession to murder, hidden in there-?

"Dong-sik?", camed In-woo voice, startling him.

"Yes!", he said back, giving the envelope a quick look.

He'd come back for it later. He'd make sure to remember, and he'd come back to check it.

(And then he forgot. And never came back to read it. This is why you should always take notes of important things and never just hope that you'll remember it.)

"Are you okay?", asked In-woo, as Dong-sik hurried back to him.

"Yes", nodded Dong-sik. He couldn't remember his mother, but she probably wouldn't've liked a murderer to linger around her remains. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Let's go outside first."

'Going outside' ended up being 'getting food from the supermarket and sitting in In-woo's car to eat while looking at the pigeons fighting in front of them'.

"So...?", tried Dong-sik, once he'd finished eating, and it seemed the right time to talk about their possible break-up.

"I think it's not going to work like that", sighed In-woo.

Dong-sik really shouldn't've eaten before the conversation, because his sandwich was starting to feel a bit uneasy in his stomach.

"What do you mean?", he stammered.

"We need to clarify things", explained In-woo. "This whole confusion is giving me a headache... why did you come here today?"

Dong-sik couldn't reasonably tell him "well Bo-kyung is investigating a murder that took place eight years ago, and I'm following her because I think I might be the murderer".

"I think something important happened to me eight years ago", said Dong-sik instead. "I wanted to try and figure out what it was."

In-woo's breath caught in his throat.

"Something important?", he repeated. "Such as?"

"I don't know", said Dong-sik, shaking his head. "My family said I ran from home back then, and my sister thinks I only came to see my mother's grave."

"Maybe it is the case."

Dong-sik let out a defeated sigh, leaning against his seat.

"What about Officer Shim, why was she with you?"

"Because she's investigating a murd-"

Dong-sik cut himself off in the middle of his sentence.

"What?", said In-woo, leaning towards him a bit, tense.

Was this okay information to give? Surely, this wasn't enough for In-woo to figure out he was a murderer, right?

"She's investigating a murder", said Dong-sik, hesitantly, "that took place eight years ago."

"But the suspect was arrested", argued In-woo.

In their mutual state of anxiety, neither of them noticed that, somehow, In-woo had known exactly what case Dong-sik was talking about.

"She thinks he might be innocent", explained Dong-sik. "And that he might've seen something, maybe seen the killer."

Both of them realized the weight of his words at the same time.

There might've been a witness.

Something in In-woo's eyes shifted as he took the words in, something in his expression becoming colder.

Even if Dong-sik wasn't the most observant guy in the world, he still felt a shiver down his spine, but then the hardness on In-woo's face disappeared as quickly as it'd appeared.

"Well", said In-woo, changing the subject, "that isn't the only thing I wanted to talk about."

Dong-sik nodded, ready to hear the next sentence.

"Does your friend... the man we saw at your appartment... does he know about your secret?", added In-woo.

Dong-sik's brain froze.

Which secret?

Option A. His amnesia.

Option B. His tendency to kill people in gruesome ways.

Option C. His maybe-relationship with his boss.

"He doesn't know", said Dong-sik, hoping In-woo was talking about Option A and C, the most logical ones.

(In-woo was not talking about Option A and C.)

In-woo visibly relaxed.

"I see", he said, and even turned his head to face the other way, allowing himself a victorious grin -Dong-sik did not have any partner in crime!-, before composing himself again, and turning back to Dong-sik. "Then, about what you asked yesterday. Are we dating?"

"Are we?", echoed Dong-sik.

"That's what I'm asking you."

"But I asked you first."

"But I'm asking you now."

"Shouldn't you be the one answering?"

"Why should I?"

Internally, Dong-sik thought 'you're the one who was in love with me first, so you should know if we're dating'.

Internally, In-woo thought 'you're the one who was in love with me first, so you should know if we're dating'.

"Look", decided In-woo. "On the count of three, we'll say if we think we're dating or not, at the same time. Alright?"

"Okay", nodded Dong-sik.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes", lied Dong-sik.

In-woo cleared his throat, and straightened up.

"One."

Dong-sik's palms felt very sweaty, as he wiped them on his trousers.

"Two."

He kept glancing at In-woo's eyes, mentally asking him 'are you going to say yes?', but the eyes didn't answer him.

"Three", exhaled In-woo. "Yes-"

"Yes-"

Dong-sik and In-woo both stared at each other, visibly startled by the other's agreement as to their relationship status.

Dong-sik's anxiety suddenly started melting, like Olaf from Frozen under the sun. In-woo agreed to date him, they were dating, they were a real, normal couple now-

"Then", said In-woo, with some hesitation, "if we're dating... should we start hunting together?"

Chapter Text

Some days were good, and some days were mondays.

Dong-sik came to work in the morning, dragging his feet, eyebags so impressive that Chil-sung shouted 'boss, did you sleep recently?' when he saw him.

The truth was, he'd spent the entire night pulling at his hair -he actually ripped a few strands by accident- and moaning in despair, as he tried to figure out what the fuck In-woo meant when he said 'hunting together'.

His first reflex, when asked, was to say "yeah, sure", too happy and focused on the fact that he was in his first romantic relationship.

Then, a few seconds later, he realized what he'd just said.

"Huh?", he'd startled.

"What is it?", worried In-woo.

But Dong-sik, out of cowardice, decided to not ask anymore questions that might lead In-woo to rethink their relation. He would ask later, when it would be relevant.

Still, once In-woo had dropped him home, he couldn't stop thinking. Hunting together? Was that a CEO thing? Did wealthy people really go hunting as a hobby?

Well, he was, after all, a predator. Hunting animals shouldn't be a big deal.

Was it a family tradition for In-woo?

He ended up typing 'what do rich families do for fun' on the search bar, and going through many, many articles, to come up with the conclusion that maybe his boyfriend wasn't as gentle and delicate as he seemed to be. Which was, honestly, a relief: however terrible it was that he thought of it this way, it still felt better if his boyfriend had a tiny bit of blood on his hands too.

And so he came to work exhausted, and the first thing he saw was a big sign saying 'team building monday'.

"Huh?", he reacted, frowning and rubbing at his eyes, as if he might've misread.

But no.

It was really there.

And even more confusing, all the desks had been moved and his colleagues were sitting in a circle, In-woo's neck almost snapping from how fast he looked up, as the team manager shouted "ah, you're finally here!".

"What...?", he started saying.

"Sit here", invited Jae-ho, patting the seat next to him, and Dong-sik sat down instinctively.

Thankfully for Jae-ho he was a very oblivious man, and did not notice the glare he received from In-woo who was sitting across from them, a free seat next to him.

"Our first game today is Murder Wink", started Team Leader Gong Chan-suk, redirecting the attention. "Everyone knows the rules, right?"

Dong-sik did not. And also he had gotten like, twenty minutes of sleep maximum, and he hadn't drank any coffee yet, so his memories were even worse than when he first woke up after his car accident. For some reason, it seemed that he kept getting more unlucky: not only did he have to deal with an enigmatic boyfriend, accept his own murderous urge, and avoid getting caught by the police, but now he also had to participate in a team building.

"What are the rules?", he heard Jung-ah whisper to Mi-joo, and he leaned in to hear.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the circle, Director Seo discretely took his phone out, typing 'what is murder wink' in the search bar.

"Well, there's a killer, and there's a detective", explained Mi-joo. "The detective has to leave the room as we choose the killer, and then come back. The goal is for the detective to find out the killer, while the killer's goal is to get rid of everyone. So to kill someone, the killer just has to...", she winked, "while looking at someone, and then the person dies."

"Kill- killer?", repeated Dong-sik, opening wide eyes.

This looked a bit too much like his life, and he was already starting to dislike it.

"Yes, that's the game", confirmed Mi-joo.

"We should add an assistant!", suggested one of their colleagues.

A few people turned to look at them.

"I mean, there's so many of us", added the person, "we could have two killers instead of one?"

The idea was approved, and Team Leader Gong was picked to be the detective, because litteraly no one wanted to see his face. He was sent to another room, as they now had to choose a killer.

"I vote for Mr. Yook", said someone. "Our Team Leader will never guess it was him."

This person had obviously not heard of the bathroom incident, where Dong-sik threatened to kill the Team Leader using a toilet lid, leading Team Leader to grow very suspicious (read here 'very scared') of him.

However, only Jae-ho, Mi-joo, Jung-ah and Suk-hyun had heard of the bathroom incident, and so it was agreed that Dong-sik would be the murderer, thanks to his puppy looks and lost expression -he tried to protest, saying "no, no, I won't be good", but was ignored-.

Next, they had to pick an assistant: and, because only one person in the room could be considered as trustworthy and nice as Dong-sik, everyone turned to In-woo.

"Me?", he repeated, a bit amused. "Alright."

He glanced at Dong-sik, who was currently panicking about his own predatory nature being so obvious that people chose him as the murderer for a game.

"Can I come back in?", shouted Team Leader Gong, from behind the door.

Team Leader Gong was allowed back in and sat down, looking very serious about his role, as everyone waited for the first death.

Dong-sik's palms were sweaty, knees weak, arms were heavy, he was nervous and on the surface neither calm nor ready. He gave In-woo multiple looks, like 'can I do it? Should I do it now?' while In-woo only looked at him with a Cheshire cat smile, thinking that this would be nice training for when they actually started hunting together, now that Dong-sik had actually agreed to it.

Finally, Dong-sik glanced at another colleague, trying a discreet wink.

The person dramatically fell down their chair.

"The first kill!", noticed someone.

Sitting on the chair opposite to Dong-sik, In-woo felt a shiver of anticipation, as he watched him look around the room, searching for a new victim.

Another person let out a theatrical gasp, closing their eyes and playing dead.

One by one, every employee started dying, while Team Leader Gong shouted "what, who?! Who is doing this?!" as if the whole purpose of the game wasn't him figuring it out.

In-woo did kill a couple -a wink to his assistant, Mrs. Jo, who only closed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, and a wink to a very annoying Team Leader-, but he mostly watched Dong-sik get more and more giddy, as he realized that there were only two people left and he had not been caught yet.

"Yook Dong-sik! Tell me who's the killer!", suddenly shouted Team Leader Gong.

"It's not in the rules", said In-woo patiently.

Around them, the area was decimated, only Jung-ah, Dong-sik, Team Leader Gong and In-woo left.

"It's Mrs. Han", finally said Team Leader Gong, although he sent a quick look to In-woo, clearly suspecting him. But since he wanted a promotion, he figured that getting on Director Seo's good side would be a better idea.

At that moment, Han Jung-ah closed her eyes, leaving no one alive but the killers and the detective.

"Game over!", immediately shouted Mi-joo, and everyone opened their eyes again, starting to clap at the killers' win.

"What?", shrieked Team Leader Gong.

"The killers were Director Seo and Mr. Yook", clarified another coworker.

Meanwhile, Dong-sik was turning red under the praise of some of his colleagues, saying "ah, well..." when complimented about how discreet he was -he wasn't, anyone with any observation skill would've guessed it was him, but Team Leader Gong had the observation skills of a corpse-.

Everyone agreed that this team building was more fun than the previous ones were -no one said it, but they all, except for Dong-sik, remembered the infamous 2016 team building, which ended with too much blood sweat and tears for what was supposed to be a friendly event-, and they decided to start the second game.

For that, Mi-joo and Suk-hyun put themselves in Jae-ho's way, making it impossible for him to reach Dong-sik -they'd noticed In-woo's glare when Dong-sik was stolen away from the seat he'd kept for him-, as Team Leader Gong announced "the next game is played in pairs".

"Ah, excuse me", said In-woo immediately, and before his assistant could ask him if he'd like to do it together, he was hurrying through the crowd to get to Dong-sik.

Immediately, a sea of employees looking for a promotion started surrounding him, clinging to him like an omelet to an ungreased pan, but he was a man with a mission and he finally managed to reach Dong-sik.

"Dong-sik", he greeted, as soon as he was next to him. "Nice hunting."

"Huh?"

In-woo didn't elaborate on that -his tendency to say odd and mysterious things without clarifying them afterwards really was becoming a hinder in their relationship-, instead leaning against the desk Dong-sik was standing in front of, as they waited for the next instructions.

"The next game is based on how you see the other", explained Mi-joo, who apparently knew the most what was going on. "One of you starts, and tells the other what their strongest impression of the other is, and then one thing they're curious about. After that, we will change the pairs, and then we'll do the last game."

"Strongest impressions?", repeated Dong-sik, giving In-woo an uncertain look.

A few coworkers immediately started talking, while others, like Dong-sik and In-woo, just stared at each other awkwardly.

"Should I start?", asked In-woo gently.

"Please", sighed Dong-sik in relief.

In-woo leaned against the desk more, getting more or less at Dong-sik's eye level.

"Well", he said, "Yook Dong-sik."

"That's me", confirmed Dong-sik, trying not to let his nervosity show.

"My impression of you is...", said In-woo, giving him an up and down look, as if trying to guess his impression from that. "You're a very impressive person."

Dong-sik's jaw dropped.

"Am I?", he reacted.

"You hide who you are well", nodded In-woo, "and you're creative in ways that I admire."

For reference, In-woo was thinking of Dong-sik tying up his brother and asking him ridiculous questions like 'how to get a farmer, a cabbage, a sheep and a wolf across a river' while sawing off the legs of the chair that were keeping Ji-hoon from being strangled to death.

"What I'm curious about...", continued In-woo, visibly thinking.

"Yes?"

In-woo curled his finger, inviting him closer.

Dong-sik did a full 360° to check no one was looking at them, before leaning in.

In-woo also moved forward, until his lips were only a breath away from Dong-sik's ear.

"Who would you like to kill first?"

Dong-sik's eyes went wide, and he managed not to shout "HUH?", instead opting for a very fake-sounding laugh.

"Ha-ha, ha", he fake-laughed, and In-woo's lips stretched into a dangerous smile -if such a thing exists-. What a funny boyfriend he had, even if he almost gave him a heart attack with this question. "Ah, yes, very funny..."

Jung-ah shot them a confused look, but In-woo gave her a polite smile, and she turned back to Mi-joo.

"So? Don't you want to answer my question?", teased In-woo.

"I'll just give you my strongest impression of you", hurried to say Dong-sik.

Well, what could he say after being told that he was impressive and admired and creative.

His first idea, which had been to say 'you're nice and very understanding', probably wouldn't do it.

What else did he think of In-woo? Well, he was definitely a great kisser -although considering his lack of experience, he was maybe biased-. He talked a lot during movies. He was nice to Dong-sik's family even when his dad rambled about the restaurant. And Dong-sik couldn't remember anyone ever getting jealous over him, or looking at him the way In-woo did.

"You're, uh", said Dong-sik. "You're very focused."

As proven by In-woo staring at him intently.

"And you're a very passionate person", added Dong-sik.

For example, In-woo suggesting they have 'fun together' on their first date.

"And, yeah", he said.

He felt a light touch against his small finger, and looked down.

In-woo had curled his finger around his, while keeping their hands out of the others' view.

Dong-sik gave their fingers a surprised look, but In-woo gave an upwards nod, taking in the rest of the office.

"Don't focus on it or they'll notice", he said, his voice low.

"Okay", let out Dong-sik, his heart beating a bit faster, as In-woo tightened his grip on his finger. Like that, they could hold hands -well, little fingers- and hopefully no one would notice.

"What are you curious about, then?", said In-woo, casually changing the subject.

"Well", hesitated Dong-sik. "When you say 'hunting together', what do you-"

"Is everyone done?", called Mi-joo, startling the both of them, and Dong-sik instinctively moved his hand away from In-woo, hiding it in his pocket. "You can change partners now!"

Dong-sik's next partner was Jae-ho -who struggled to find anything to say at first before saying "well you're a really nice person"-, then Mi-joo -whose question was a timid "are things going well with you and...?"- and then two people he couldn't remember ever talking to and had to make up things about. 

The last game would be based on a prompt they'd pick out of a box, and they'd have to find a way to work their way around the problem. Mi-joo gave an early warning that some of the prompts were a little weird, and that they could do the exercise with whoever they wanted.

Dong-sik grabbed the first paper he could get, and immediately started searching for In-woo -which, thanks to the man's height, wasn't too difficult-.

"Together?", he asked.

"Sure", nodded In-woo. "What prompt did you take?"

Dong-sik started unwrapping it, and paled.

'How would you get rid of a body.'

"We- I can go take another-", he started saying.

"I like this one", said In-woo, grabbing it.

Dong-sik gulped down with some difficulty.

"Well", said In-woo, glancing at him, "how would you do it?"

"Get rid of it?", stammered Dong-sik. "Completely?"

"It doesn't say. Why, do you have multiple ways to do it?"

"If it shouldn't be found at all..."

Dong-sik's cinemaphile brain started working.

Snatch, 2000.

"I would give it to the pigs", added Dong-sik. "They eat anything."

Thankfully, he didn't have access to In-woo's thoughts.

Otherwise, he might've been disturbed by In-woo's sudden and very intense need to make out with him, mixed in with the repeated thought of 'I want him I want him I want him'.

"Otherwise", said Dong-sik, remembering what his diary said, "I would fake a suicide note and pretend they, you know."

He gave a vague head gesture, and glanced at In-woo.

In-woo who looked like he'd been hit by a truck, knocking all the air out of his lungs, as he stared at Dong-sik like he'd never really seen him before.

Oh. Shit.

Had he revealed too much?

"I see", said In-woo, blinking, the expression vanishing. "Well, I would... I'd probably do the same."

"You would?", asked Dong-sik, doubtful.

"But where would you find pigs?", asked In-woo, loosening his tie a little, thinking that the room had gotten really hot.

"Well, my dad knows a few farmers", explained Dong-sik. "I could probably find the farms easily."

"I see", said In-woo. The only thing he was really seeing is that he really wanted Dong-sik, right now, and he had to look away to avoid doing something reckless like grabbing him by the lapels of his jacket and starting to snog Dong-sik senselessly.

"Did everyone find an answer to their prompt?", asked Mi-joo.

"Time for lunch break!", intervened Team Leader Gong, and the few colleagues that hadn't managed to find a partner or didn't know how to talk to them let out relieved sounds.

Dong-sik, however, wasn't entirely reassured that In-woo didn't suspect him of being a murderer now.

"Should I have answered another way?", he worried, as others around them starting leaving for lunch.

"No", said In-woo, shaking his head. "It was perfect."

He gathered his coat on one of the seats, and gave Dong-sik a smile slightly bigger and more sincere than the ones he usually gave in public.

"I'll see you later", he promised.

"Alright", nodded Dong-sik.

When he remembered that he had to forgotten to ask In-woo about the hunting thing, it was too late. In-woo had already disappeared into an elevator, and he sighed, accepting that he'd have to ask later.

Chapter Text

These days, it was becoming harder and harder to avoid raising Assistant Jo's suspicions.

While it was usually very convenient to have someone who knew him well and could finish his sentences, it was quickly becoming threatening, as she kept giving him knowing glances and randomly saying things like "so are things good with your partner?".

Things were good, and also not. Despite insisting a few times, In-woo hadn't been able to get Bo-kyung to tell him why she kept taking Dong-sik on investigations, nor why he was so interested in the predator killer. In addition to that, Dong-sik's colleagues gave him a false hope by saying that Team Leader Gong had been intolerable during their last group dinner, and that Dong-sik had decided to take him home: unfortunately, it turned out that Dong-sik had not used the opportunity to kill Team Leader Gong, and so he kept having to see his face around the office.

But things were also not so bad. He sent a message each morning to ask Dong-sik if he slept well. When they came to work at the same time, they stood shoulder to shoulder in the elevator. While both were busy, In-woo had been checking his calendar every day, trying to find a date for their first hunt together.

And Assistant Jo seemed to have noticed that his mood was maybe slightly better than usual.

"You spend a lot of time here", she said, when she found him standing in the Asset Management office, looking from afar at Dong-sik, who was sharing coffee with his coworker. He'd come to ask Team Leader Gong for some documents, but he'd come back later, since the man was busy filling a cup of coffee for Dong-sik.

How had he not noticed Dong-sik earlier? He'd checked the records, and Dong-sik was employed in Daehan Security for long enough that he should've taken notice earlier. Although, after many nights thinking about it, he'd started developing a theory: what if Dong-sik's behaviour had only truly emerged after his amnesia? After all, all his coworkers said he'd changed recently...

"Uhm?", he said, before noticing that Assistant Jo was expecting an answer. "Yes, well. What's going on?"

"You have a guest", she explained. "They're waiting for you in your office."

"Guest?", he repeated. "I didn't plan on meeting anyone."

"He came forcefully and said if he gave his name, you'd meet him right away."

In-woo fully turned towards her, frowning.

"What's his name?"

"He says his name is Park Moo-seok."

In-woo legs started moving before his brain could catch up, as he hurried towards his office, leaving a confused Mrs. Jo behind.

As expected, the bastard was inside already, making himself comfortable in one of the couches.

The crooked detective.

Of course he should've known that just cutting ties with him wouldn't be enough.

"You have a nice office", said Mr. Park, all smug, his hands resting on his stomach.

"I'm sure I told you already. We've never seen each other and have nothing to do with one another."

"That's disappointing."

In-woo briefly wondered just how quickly it would take to strangle the man to death, and how he might cover it up afterwards. Mrs. Jo might remember seeing him, but Mrs. Jo's silence could be bought. Who else might've seen him? The receptionists? And how would he get rid of the body, when it was in his office?

"It's been a long time, at least offer me tea", suggested Mr. Park, putting his hand into his jacket. "I have something you'll like."

In-woo watched, as he took out a few pieces of paper.

Pictures.

"When the man you asked me to find died, I figured it was just a bad coincidence", said Mr. Park, as In-woo stared at a picture of himself, his shotgun aimed at the copycat killer -good quality photo, really-. "But it turns out the great Seo In-woo is the infamous predator murderer."

"Do you want to die?"

"Are you going to kill me here?", taunted the ex-detective.

In-woo worked his jaw, thinking.

"Does anyone else know?"

Mr. Park's smile widened.

"How would I be able to collect my cut if that were the case?"

What a moron, not telling anyone. This would be the reason for his early death.

"I'm not interested in being righteous. I came to do business."

"That's the reason why a skilled person like you got fired from the police force", sighed In-woo. "Blackmail?"

Mr. Park made a dismissive gesture.

"If you help me out this time, I will retire completely."

In-woo chuckled, almost impressed by the man's obvious idiocy.

"Tomorrow by 4, ten big ones", he added. "The location where we always meet. There's a plaza near there, right? Since there should be a lot of people there at that hour, you won't be able to do anything."

He stood up, and glanced at the pictures.

"You can keep these ones, I have the original."

With that, the door closed behind him.

In-woo looked down at the pictures.

He was shaking. When he reached for them, his hand was trembling so bad, he almost let go of them.

He stuffed them into his jacket, and tried to take in a deep breath, hurrying to his desk.

He grabbed the phone, typing in the number.

"Mrs. Jo, come right away", he managed to say.

He put down the phone, a very nasty feeling growing down his stomach, turning into a very urgent need to throw up.

He tilted his head back, taking in another deep breath, and exhaling slowly.

This was fine. This would turn out fine.

When Mrs. Jo came, he asked her to cash out ten million out of his stocks.

As soon as she left, his phone started buzzing.

His movements still a bit frantic, he managed to take it out, checking the notification.

'Do you have time today?', asked Dong-sik.

Dong-sik.

In-woo felt a sudden wave of shame -while Dong-sik wasn't suspected by anyone, even hung out everyday with a cop without her doubting him, made friends with his colleagues, he on the other hand was getting found out by noisy detectives who couldn't keep their greed to themselves-, followed by a simple question that came to his mind.

Would Dong-sik help him get rid of Mr. Park?

When he thought about it, it didn't sound too ridiculous. Dong-sik was meticulous, creative and bold, as shown by him kidnapping and psychologically torturing Ji-hoon. He'd liked In-woo for a while, considering his urge to kiss him on their first date. And he had his own ideas as to how to get rid of a body: the suicide masquerade wouldn't work now that the cops thought they'd found the predator murderer, but Dong-sik would probably have an idea.

He just needed to find a way to ask him.

Dong-sik added to his text message by saying he would be free tonight, and In-woo suggested they meet at the end of the workday, outside of the office.

As soon as he was done with his work, he packed his things and hurried downstairs, finding a spot to wait for Dong-sik.

Dong-sik arrived ten minutes later, noticing him from afar, and starting a small jog towards him.

"Sorry, I had something urgent to finish", he said, already panting.

"Don't worry", said In-woo, giving him a somewhat tense smile. "Should we walk?"

They found a food truck nearby, In-woo buying for the both of them -Dong-sik promised he'd buy their food next time- before they went to sit down on a bench.

The sky was already getting dark and the weather colder, winter settling in.

In-woo glanced occasionally at Dong-sik as he ate, noticing the way his cheeks puffed, not unlike a hamster, and the satisfied noises he made at the food.

"Is it good?", asked In-woo.

"Want to taste?", suggested Dong-sik, holding his food out for In-woo.

In-woo took a bite, and nodded.

"It is good. Want to try mine?"

Once they were done eating, Dong-sik volunteered to throw away the packaging, and In-woo waited for him, putting on his gloves, keeping his eyes on Dong-sik.

Dong-sik came back soon, sitting down, his breath creating small clouds of warm air.

"I had something to tell you about", blurted out In-woo.

"Yes?", reacted Dong-sik, turning his head towards him, curious.

He kept rubbing his hands together, and In-woo took them gently, holding them between his own gloved fingers.

His thumb stared rubbing over Dong-sik's hand, as he tried to figure out a way to say it.

"Well", he started, wincing a bit, "it's... no, nevermind."

"What is it?", insisted Dong-sik.

"I just have this thing but..."

How embarassing would it actually be, to tell Dong-sik he didn't even know how to take care of one annoying detective? That he, of all people, was getting blackmailed?

"Tell me", encouraged Dong-sik, giving him a light shoulder nudge. "I, uh, might no be able to help, but, you know. Maybe you'll feel better if you tell someone."

"Mmh", hummed In-woo, focusing on the circles he was drawing on Dong-sik's skin.

He sighed.

"Someone came into my office today. He..."

He clenched his jaw a little, and forced himself not to tighten the pressure on Dong-sik's hands.

"He knows about me", he added.

When he glanced at Dong-sik, Dong-sik was only frowning.

"About...?"

"He has pictures", clarified In-woo. "Of me..."

Saying "of me threatening someone with a shotgun in the middle of a busy road" would probably sound very stupid -because it was very stupid-, so instead he gave Dong-sik another look, hoping he'd understand thanks to their mutual connection as ruthless killers.

Unfortunately, it was their mutual connection as boyfriends that worked, and Dong-sik opened wide eyes and a wide mouth, as he thought he understood.

Oh no, thought Dong-sik.

Someone caught them making out and took pictures of it.

"You understand what would happen", continued In-woo, "if the pictures came out."

With the way he spoke, it didn't look like Dong-sik was in the pictures, but Dong-sik still felt despair all the same. In-woo's family, if they were all like his brother, did not seem to be the type to be very appreciative of their son's preferences. Not only that, but if someone in their office heard about it, his reputation would be ruined, all because of pictures.

"Do you know the person?", asked Dong-sik.

"I met up with him in the past-"

An angry ex?!

Dong-sik, nice, sweet Dong-sik, who had never hurt anyone -except for the mental damage inflicted on both Team Leader Gong and director Seo Ji-hoon-, felt something very much akin to jealousy, quickly replaced with anger.

"Did he give instructions?", he asked, his voice shaking a bit.

"To meet him at the park near our usual spot, tomorrow, at 4."

They even had a usual spot?!

"It will be crowded", added In-woo.

Dong-sik's dream of strangling the blackmailer to death momentarily froze.

How could he get him out of the public's eye? Should he reuse the same place as before?

"What do you think?", urged In-woo, after Dong-sik stayed quiet for a while.

"I'll meet him instead of you."

"What?"

Dong-sik's eyes had turned cold, as they usually did when he really got into his predator killer role -back in his highschool days, he did a few theater classes, in a failed effort at socializing: it seemed that today, those skills still clung to him-.

In-woo's breath caught in his throat, his hands still clasped around Dong-sik's, as he took in the change in attitude.

"Don't worry", added Dong-sik, his face quickly changing to put on his usual goofy smile, "you won't have to think about him anym-"

"I want to kiss you", breathed out In-woo.

"-ore... huh?"

The streetlamps had started lighting up, one of them reflecting in In-woo's eyes.

Dong-sik gulped down nervously, and turned his head, checking the surroundings.

They were, mostly, hidden by the big tree standing near their bench. And there weren't many passerbys around here, most of them too focused on something else.

He looked back at In-woo, and gave a small nod.

One of In-woo's gloved hand moved away from his, coming to cup his face, and Dong-sik froze momentarily, before he felt In-woo's lips on his.

What if that blackmailer guy saw them again?, wondered Dong-sik briefly.

In-woo's captured his lower lip between his teeth, biting very lightly, before his hand moved to Dong-sik's neck, pulling him closer.

Well, reasoned Dong-sik, as he closed his eyes, allowing himself to enjoy the kiss, he'd get rid of the blackmailer tomorrow anyways.

Chapter Text

"Is something wrong?", asked Chil-sung, worried. "Boss, did you get bitten by a mosquitoe?!"

Dong-sik instinctively slapped one hand over his mouth and another over his neck, both unnaturally red-ish.

"I didn't", he tried to protest, but Chil-sung grabbed his arm, forcing it away from his mouth.

"You definitely got bitten by something!", insisted Chil-sung.

"I'm telling you I didn't!", argued Dong-sik.

Couldn't he, a grown man, come home after a make-out session without getting a full interrogation by his neighbour? So what if In-woo had to apologize multiple times once he'd pulled away, noticing that in his enthusiasm, he'd actually left visible signs of his affection on Dong-sik's skin? Couldn't he just live with them in peace without being asked about them?

Chil-sung let the topic go, instead asking him how his day went, as they moved into the building.

"Ah", remembered Dong-sik, as he pushed the button to call the elevator, "how would you take care of a blackmailer?"

"Blackma- are you being blackmailed?", panicked Chil-sung.

"No, not me", corrected Dong-sik, shaking his name. "Just. A friend."

Chil-sung frowned, thinking.

"Well, with these kinds of thieves", he said, stepping into the elevator after Dong-sik, "you can't give in to what they say. If you give them money, they will just ask for more, and more, and you'll be trapped- Boss, should I ask some of my guys to take care of this?"

Dong-sik hesitated. Having someone else do it would probably be more safe, indeed.

But it wouldn't be good for too many people to be involved in this kind of things, and if anyone stumbled across those pictures, it might lead to more annoying situations.

"No need", he said, shaking his head.

"Ah, are you going to take care of it yourself?", approved Chil-sung. "As expected of you, the brave hero defending the innocent- where are you going?"

"This is my floor", indicated Dong-sik.

"Ah, right."

Chil-sung still followed along, even in Dong-sik's appartment, as Dong-sik checked his recent mail. Just ads.

"So, how should I do it?", asked Dong-sik, looking back at Chil-sung.

"Isn't it obvious?", scoffed Chil-sung. "You just need to-"

He ran his thumb along the line of his neck, in an awkward imitation of Dong-sik, from their first meeting.

"And then they can't bother you anymore", he added.

"Right", sighed Dong-sik. "I should probably do that."

Chil-sung gave him a slightly teary-eyed look, seeing his neighbour be so courageous, when faced even with evil blackmailers.

"If you need my help, you only need to ask me", he assured.

"Thanks", nodded Dong-sik. "Well, good night."

Chil-sung straightened up, giving a military salute.

"Good night, boss!"

And with that, he left.

Dong-sik waited until he couldn't hear his footsteps in the corridor anymore, then checked his phone.

In-woo had sent him the adress.

That's right. He should help out his boyfriend, even if it meant doing what he was hoping never to do anymore, which was to take a human life. At least, this time, he could convince himself that he had a righteous cause: he'd be doing it for In-woo.

He took out his diary and a paper, starting to think about his plan.

The next morning, he put on a big hoodie and a coat, and sent In-woo a message saying 'don't worry, I've got this', before checking he'd taken everything, and leaving the house.

He reached the park at the given time, and looked around. In-woo had spoken of a man in a black suit, before sending a blurry picture.

He'd stared at it for more than five minutes, in disbelief.

Was that... In-woo's type in men...?

Well, he did look kind of evil. Maybe In-woo was into that. Maybe he only dated scumbags. This made Dong-sik's self esteem hurt a little, but the main point was that he knew what he looked like, and that he had a foolproof plan.

After walking around the park multiple times, he finally noticed a man that fitted that description, sitting on a bench.

Actually, there weren't that many people around the park. He'd probably be able to get rid of him here. But, just to make sure he didn't get caught, he had to follow his very safe, very smart plan.

Dong-sik took a bottle out of his backpack, and suddenly started staggering, his eyes dropping as if exhausted.

Hiding a few steps away, knife ready in case of trouble, In-woo gave him a confused look. Even if Dong-sik kept telling him he'd take care of the problem for him, he'd decided it wouldn't hurt to follow along, just in case.

While Dong-sik, until then, had only looked nervous, now he seemed completely drunk.

Even Mr. Park gave the obviously drunk man stumbling towards him a weary look.

"Sir!", shouted Dong-sik, and he tripped over his own feet, falling down over Mr. Park.

The detective let out a swear word, as some of Dong-sik's bottle spilled over him.

"What the-", he said.

Dong-sik suddenly let out a broken sob, wrapping his arm around him like some sort of humanoid octopus.

"Ah, sir", he sobbed, "I'm so sad-"

"Get off-", tried to protest Mr. Park.

Dong-sik's sobs were only louder.

Hidden behind his tree, In-woo was growing more and more concerned.

He couldn't make out every word, but Dong-sik seemed to cry some more, before holding up his bottle to Mr. Park's mouth.

To In-woo's surprise, Mr. Park took a gulp out of it, before wincing and throwing it on the ground, starting to say "no move away you drunk-", suddenly stopping.

And -and this made In-woo's eyebrows go so up on his forehead they almost went to his hairline-, Mr. Park's head tilted forward, his eyes closed, and he was now deep asleep.

Dong-sik's eyes, however, opened wide, and he stood up quickly, putting one arm under Mr. Park's shoulder, and helping him stand up, as he started dragging him out of the park.

"Ah, sorry", heard In-woo, as he quickly followed Dong-sik, who was apologizing to a woman who looked very startled by him and Mr. Park, "my friend is drunk, you see..."

This was such a weird plan that In-woo couldn't help but let out a chuckle of disbelief, before suddenly wondering where Dong-sik was thinking of doing, carrying a man like that.

Well, it turned out Dong-sik had managed to acquire a car in the last 24 hours, and he put the man down onto the pavement, as he struggled to open the passenger seat, before starting to try and pull Mr. Park into the car.

At this point, In-woo was properly giggling at the view, as Mr. Park's head repeatedly hit the car door, while Dong-sik struggled.

Finally, Dong-sik got the whole body into the car, and moved to sit down on the driver seat. Seeing that, In-woo sprinted to his own car, quickly following behind him.

Dong-sik didn't notice him, and they soon arrived at the same warehouse he'd tortured Ji-hoon in.

Dong-sik stepped out, his hands very sweaty, feeling incredibly uncomfortable in his clothes.

He kept glancing around, expecting Bo-kyung to show up shouting 'hands in the air!'.

He'd filled an empty bottle of soju with water and sleeping pills he had in his bathroom, and hoped it would do the trick again, as it had with Seo Ji-hoon. Then he'd pretended to be drunk and tried to convince the blackmailer that if he just drank with him, he'd leave him alone afterward. It seemed to all have worked, but now it was very difficult to drag the sleeping man out of Chil-sung's car, taking him inside the warehouse.

He even hoped that the dosage was strong enough that he'd die like that, facilitating his work.

This time, he wouldn't hesitate like he had with the copycat killer and In-woo's brother, and he'd kill him quickly. And after that, he would go on to live a normal life, and be a normal boyfriend to In-woo, and an average citizen.

Meanwhile, In-woo was peeking into the room, as Dong-sik sat the man down on a chair, and started searching for the knife he'd brought with him.

He's wait until the man woke up, threaten him until he revealed where he put his copies of In-woo's pictures, and then kill him.

And then figure out if he should take the risk of masking it as a suicide and potentially having Bo-kyung investigate, or feed him to the nearest pig farm -both options made him wince, but the last one had made him throw up twice the night before, when he was preparing his plan-.

The problem was, that Dong-sik, even if he watched many horror movies and was convinced of being a serial killer, was actually an amateur.

Mr. Park wasn't.

And Mr. Park had actually spitted out the spiked drink, as soon as he'd recognized the smell that came from the bottle.

He had expected to be taken to Director Seo: he wasn't expecting, when he opened one eye slightly, that the man was actually planning on killing him alone.

As Dong-sik let out a groan, realizing he'd forgotten to pack his knife, Mr. Park suddenly sprung into action, giving him a punch that sent Dong-sik hitting the floor, before sprinting away, out the door.

Unfortunately for Mr. Park, In-woo was actually there.

And very unhappy to have witnessed his beloved get punched by the man who was blackmailing him.

As soon as Mr. Park ran through the door, he was stopped, letting out a pained exhale, as he felt a knife go right into his stomach.

In-woo gave him a very big smile with a lot and a lot of teeth.

"If you wanted to live", he said, as he pulled the knife out, before stabbing him again, holding him by the shoulder with one hand, "you really", stab, "shouldn't've", stab, "done that."

He was getting blood all over his clothes, but he honestly didn't care, as Mr. Park's legs gave up, and he fell heavily.

In-woo gave him a kick in the stomach, for good measure, and looked up, into the warehouse.

Dong-sik, a hand holding his cheek where he'd been punched, laying on the floor, stared at his boyfriend, bloody and grinning, a knife in his hand and a body at his feet.

Chapter Text

"Dong-sik, what happened to you?", worried Bo-kyung, as she grabbed his face, tilting it to expose his bruised cheek to the light -she accidentally put pressure on the wound, making him wince-. "Did you get into a fight?"

Dong-sik let out a pathetic sound in response, tears in his eyes from the pain.

"Officer Shim, please", intervened In-woo, pulling her hand away.

She gave him a confused look, but he didn't seem to notice it, a worried frown on his face.

"What happened?", she asked him instead. "Were you with him when it happened?"

"He wasn't", protested Dong-sik, before making a face, his cheek still too painful.

Mr. Park certainly didn't pull his punches.

In-woo had more or less carried Dong-sik into his car, taking an ice pack from God Knows Where, saying "I'll take care of this and then we're going to the hospital" before rushing away.

After hiding the body and changing his coat to one that didn't have blood stains, he was driving Dong-sik to the hospital.

No damages done to the bones, but it would take some time for the bruise to reduce.

Except for a tearful "it hurts", Dong-sik hadn't said much.

"Where were you when it happened?", asked Bo-kyung to Dong-sik. "Who did it? If you give me a name, I can go catch them now-"

"Officer Shim", said In-woo, raising his voice, interrupting her, "please, he can't speak right now. If you have any questions, I'll answer those I can."

With that, Officer Shim agreed to leave Dong-sik with his sister, who'd come to the hospital as soon as she got the news, and followed In-woo outside.

Dong-sik and his sister were quiet for a moment, before Ji-yun spoke.

"Are you okay? Does it still hurt a lot?"

Dong-sik made a non-committal noise.

"Should I take you home?"

Dong-sik made a more-committal noise.

Wrapping one arm around her brother's waist to guide him, they started making their way outside too, Dong-sik's head wrapped like an Easter Egg, an ice pack against his cheek.

Bo-kyung and In-woo raised their head when they noticed them.

"Where...?", started Bo-kyung.

"We're going home", explained Ji-yun. "If there's anything else you need to ask him, please wait until he's recovered."

With that, she gave a polite nod, and kept guiding Dong-sik towards the exit.

In-woo kept his eyes on Dong-sik, even as Bo-kyung started asking questions again.

Ji-yun buckled Dong-sik's seatbelt despite his weak protest that he was no longer a baby, and started the engine.

Dong-sik poked her arm.

"What is it?", she asked.

"Phone", he managed to say.

Not only had he forgotten to bring a knife to a crime scene, but he also hadn't taken his phone with him.

"Here", she said, handing him hers.

He gave a grateful nod, and went on the search engine, typing 'how to know if you had a hallucination'.

"Did you have a hallucination?", panicked Ji-yun. She grabbed his head, making him let out a pained shout. "When? What kind? Should we go back in the hospital-"

"No, it was nothing", he tried to argue.

She took him back to his appartment and left him there, after asking "are you okay?" about a dozen times.

He took off his shoes and his coat, and moved to the couch like a zombie, sitting down and staring at the empty screen.

What had just happened?

In front of him, in plain view, layed his knife and phone.

He blinked, as his phone buzzed, and lit up.

He reached for it, and then sat down again, reading the message.

In-woo. 'Are you home?'

Dong-sik let out something that sounded somewhere between a sob and a something else, before typing 'I'm sorry for everything. Where did you leave the body? I'll take care of it'.

After that, he set his phone down, and tilted his head back, looking at the ceiling.

Well, it was probably that. The punch. He was in pain, and imagined things. It was ridiculous: In-woo wouldn't grin after killing someone, he probably followed to make sure Dong-sik wasn't getting hurt, and, seeing his ex flee, reacted on instinct and took him out. If anything, a scared civilian was more skilled than a skilled predator in this situation. And because of him, In-woo had to be dragged into the dirty world of hiding bodies and getting blood on his hand... the least Dong-sik could do was try and wrap things up for him.

In-woo's new message arrived just as he heard loud knocks on the door.

"Boss!", shouted Chil-sung.

Dong-sik suddenly remembered the car he'd left near the warehouse, and, mortified, ran to the door, opening it just as Chil-sung prepared himself for another knock.

A bit surprised, Chil-sung almost fell over, before looking up at Dong-sik.

"Something wrong?", he asked, noticing the bandage around his head.

Dong-sik's voice was shaking a bit when he spoke next.

"I need a favor."

Chil-sung agreed easily tp the favor and left, already shouting 'ya, you bastard, answer the phone when I call! I have something for you to do-' into his phone, his voice echoing in the hallway.

Dong-sik only sent 'it's been taken care of' to In-woo, then turned off his phone, and went to look for something to eat.

Once he'd eaten and taken his shower, he layed down in bed, and, exhausted -in one day he'd drugged someone, tried to kill them, gotten punched, accidentally forced In-woo to commit murder, went to the hospital, and with all that he once again hadn't been able to complete an assassination-, closed his eyes and fell asleep.

He did not sleep well.

As dreams usually went, he found himself in a building under construction with no idea how he got there, walking slowly and carefully towards a stack of wood and metal bars, big enough to hide him.

"Help me-", he thought he heard, coming from behind the stack, as he stopped.

He tried to peek in, but he couldn't see much, and he suddenly heard a swooshing noise.

He looked down, as an object slided to his feet.

Red, small, familiar-looking diary.

Now, something about this dream didn't feel right. Usually, Dong-sik's dreams involved a lot of office work, being stuck on an assignement, or running late for his nefew's birthday party. And it rarely looked as real as that -even if while dreaming, he was ready to accept anything, this felt like some odd memory that he would've rather kept tucked away.

He bent down, picking up the diary.

"You filthy-", he heard someone hiss. "How dare you do something like that?"

"Help...", begged someone, their voice barely more than a whisper.

Anxiety chewing at his stomach, Dong-sik leaned forward, trying to hear better.

"Help, me, please-", said a voice, repressing a sob, and, yes, he could see someone now. Layed down on the ground, another person kneeling next to them, hiding part of the body.

The man on the ground looked towards Dong-sik, his eyes widening as he noticed him.

"Help-"

The plea turned into a scream, as the other snapped their arm abruptly.

"Who are you calling?", said a familiar and monotonous voice. "There's no one else there."

Dong-sik's heart stopped beating, as he saw movemeng. The person had turned their head slowly, looking around for a potential witness.

Dong-sik didn't even think to move, as dark eyes found him, lips stretching into a smile.

"Dong-sik", called In-woo, standing up, a body at his feet.

Dong-sik woke up abruptly, sitting up on his bed, his heartbeat racing as he panted.

He looked around the room in a hurry, but it was empty. It was still the middle of the night.

He took in deep breaths, his fight/flight/freeze reflexes still not completely soothed yet.

Once he didn't feel like something was about to come out of the darkness and eat him as a late night snack, he finally layed down again, one hand over his chest, regulating his own heartbeats.

He could remember the man laying on the floor. It'd been his last victim, the one from the night of his amnesia. But as for In-woo...

He sat up again, but this time burying his head in his knees, angry at himself.

How could he be so evil that he tried to reimagine things, putting In-woo in his place? How could he blame In-woo for the murders he'd done himself?

He thought back to one of the conversations he had with Bo-kyung.

She'd said she had hallucinations sometimes. When he'd asked 'like ghosts?' she'd answered with something about the images being more alike repressed subconscious. Things she needed or wanted, but had forced herself to ignore.

Could it be...

Maybe...

That he subconsciously wanted In-woo to also be a serial killer?

He slapped his hand over his own mouth, shocked by his own evilness. In-woo? He wasn't satisfied being a monster all by himself, now he wanted In-woo to join in?

Well, he must've been lonely, growing up in a family that didn't understand him fully, without much friends or anyone close, working a boring job and occasionally killing people. He probably just wanted to feel like someone would finally understand him. Still, that was no excuse: he shouldn't involve In-woo in his dirty lifestyle. He'd already done too much.

His decision taken, he grabbed his phone, clicked on In-woo's number, and started typing a message.

Only once he sent it, did he realize what he'd actually done.

"What have I done", he breathed out.

And, on the other side of the city, In-woo looked away from the diary he'd been scribbling in, glancing at his phone notification.

He clicked on the message.

And paled considerably.

The next morning, Mrs. Jo walked into Director Seo's office to the sound of the news.

"The victim, which the police identified as being Park Moo-seok, a former detective that was fired from his job after taking bribes, was found by passerbys early this morning. While the police is following the lead of one of Seoul's most violent gang, the chief, Kang Yeo-"

Mrs. Jo cleared her throat, standing in front of In-woo.

He'd been focused on the news on his phone, and looked up.

"Yes?", he asked, clearly irritated.

She struggled a bit to find her words, as she took in his appearance.

His tie was crooked. A few strands of hair escaped from his usually neat hairstyle. His eyes looked like a kid who'd spent hours staring at the TV when his parents couldn't watch him -which means very red and puffy eyes- and she was pretty sure he was wearing the same jacket as the day before.

What could've looked, to someone else, like a brief moment of negligence, seemed way more disturbing to her.

Director Seo was clearly losing his mind.

"Rough night?", she said.

"It's nothing", he dismissed, sighing as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "What is it?"

"The documents for the DocCorp investments you asked me about."

He took them wordlessly.

"Also...", she added, after some hesitation. "Yook Dong-sik was in the same elevator as me, he should be at his desk now-"

In-woo stood up abruptly, making a few things on his desk fall, and, to her surprise, sprinted out of his office.

She was vaguely reminded of that documentary her niece showed her recently, about the fastest animals in the world.

Well, at least she guessed right. It did look like Director Seo and Mr. Yook were dating.

While she contemplated on his relationship tastes, Director Seo was burning calories by rushing through the corridors, only slowing down as he came near the assets management's office.

He took in a calming breath, and stepped in.

The office was already busy, people typing and wandering around, but he walked straight to Dong-sik's desk, which was... empty. No Dong-sik in sight.

"Where is Dong-sik?", he asked Mrs. Han.

Mrs. Han opened her mouth, visibly hesitant.

"Well-"

"We haven't seen him", intervened Mrs. Oh.

Despite Dong-sik's coat and bag being there.

Like.

Right there.

In-woo glanced at Jung-ah and Suk-hyun, who shared their weird three-way-look, before nodding in agreement with Mi-joo.

"Alright", said In-woo, straightening up. "Well..."

Since he had nothing left to say, he gave a polite nod, and turned around, leaving the office.

Meanwhile, Mi-joo had grabbed her phone, quickly texting 'DO NOT COME OUT OF THE TOILETS YET' to a confused Dong-sik, who, seeing her message, let go of the toilets' door.

After he'd come with red eyes to work, it'd only taken Jung-ah's gentle "how are things between you and...?" before he started bawling his eyes out. Between two sobs, his coworkers managed to understand this: he'd broken up with In-woo, for unknown reasons, and now even if he clearly regretted it he refused to cancel the break-up, still for unknown reasons.

And then Suk-hyun had offered him a tissue and led him to the toilets, before going back to join Jung-ah and Mi-joo in brainstorming.

As soon as Director Seo had left the room, they started brainstorming again.

"Maybe he's afraid of getting in trouble with Director Seo's family?", whispered Jung-ah.

"It is nearly Christmas, maybe Director Seo invited him to meet his father and he got scared", nodded Mi-joo.

"Or maybe it's Dong-sik's family that doesn't approve", added Suk-hyun.

They gave a collective sigh of compassion, for Dong-sik who had become so entangled with his boss, all because they strongly hinted at Director Seo's hidden feelings for him.

The brainstorming was cut short just as Suk-hyun started saying "did you see the bruise on his face, you don't think that...?" by Team Leader Gong appearing to bark "what are you doing? Don't you have work to do?".

However, the three of them agreed that since they'd started this whole mess, they should do something.

Cue in Bo-kyung.

Bo-kyung who'd just found out that Chil-sung, Dong-sik's best friend, was linked to the gang who potentially got rid of ex-detective Park Moo-seok.

And who was now striding into the office, looking around for Dong-sik.

"Where is Dong-sik?", she asked, as soon as she reached the asset management group.

"Toilets", indicated Suk-hyun.

"Thank you", she said, already turning back to go there.

However, Mi-joo stood up abruptly, scaring the other two.

"Can I speak to you?", she blurted out.

Officer Shim seemed to know Dong-sik well, and she'd seen them together more than once.

"Sure", said Officer Shim, surprised.

They moved to a sitting area, Jae-ho following, for some reason -ever since he'd found Dong-sik's suicide note, he felt midly concerned about him, and, despite Mi-joo looking at him like he was a very persistent mosquitoe, he still sat down with them-.

With him there, Mi-joo shifted in her seat uncomfortably, searching for a way to phrase thing. While Jae-ho was supposedly Dong-sik's friend, she'd seen him reletentlessly use Dong-sik as his personal coffee errand boy, throwing work at him, all because he could. He would probably react to the news of Dong-sik dating their boss by complaining about not knowing earlier, snitching to higher ups, or, even worse -she shivered, imagining Jae-ho trying to insert himself as a third party in the relationship-.

"Dong-sik", said Mi-joo, weighting her words carefully, "had something happen to him this weekend."

"What...?", asked Officer Shim.

If Jae-ho hadn't been there, she would've taken a chance and blurted out "he's going through a bad break-up". But Jae-ho was there.

"I'm not sure", she said, "but it has to do with someone close to him..."

Mi-joo pictured Director Seo, hoping Officer Shim would picture the same person.

Officer Shim did not.

Officer Shim thought of Chil-sung, Dong-sik's suspicieous and weirdly devoted friend.

"Yes...?"

"Dong-sik asked him something... that he now regrets...", continued Mi-joo.

"And...?"

"I wish you would talk to him", finished Mi-joo. "He's really torturing himself over this, and I'm afraid of what he might do."

By which she meant that Dong-sik might call in sick the next morning after spending a night crying over ice cream while watching shitty romcoms, and then realizing what a mistake he did dating his boss he would impulsively decide to quit, except the job market was really tight right now so he wouldn't find any job, and he'd spend Christmas worrying about money-

Meanwhile, Bo-kyung remembered the report of Park Moo-seok's autopsy, and felt some vague discomfort, as her instincts started ringing warning bells.

"I will", she promised.

As if on cue, Dong-sik finally came back from the toilets.

"Thank you", said Bo-kyung quickly to the two coworkers. "Dong-sik!"

She somehow convinced him to go for a walk -he'd already spent more than half an hour in the toilets but what was half an hour more of not working-, and they left under Jung-ah, Mi-joo and Suk-hyun's worried gaze.

Dong-sik, very confused, agreed to sit down with her outside.

"Dong-sik", she started saying, hesitant, "I heard that you asked a friend a favor recently?"

Fortunately for Bo-kyung, her phrasing made Dong-sik think of Chil-sung immediately.

"What?", he blurted out. How did the police know that?

"Did you?", she insisted.

When he only stared at her with big, confused eyes, she started going through her pockets.

"Did you ever hear of Park Moo-seok?", she asked, as she managed to take out her phone, going through her photo gallery. He shook his head. "He looks like this-"

She held up the phone to his face, a picture of Park Moo-seok's identity card showing.

Dong-sik, who'd been sitting on the bench with her, was startled so bad he actually fell of the bench.

"Yook Dong-sik?", she worried.

But Dong-sik only stared at the picture in horror, as the dead man's eyes stared into his soul.

"Do you know him?"

He tried to say no, but only managed to shake his head.

"Do-"

"I, I'm sorry", he stammered, and got up hurriedly, "work-"

With that, and with no further explanation, he turned around and rushed away.

Bo-kyung was left with her mouth agape, very confused.

Well, Dong-sik obviously knew him.

Meanwhile, Dong-sik called in sick, and fled to his apartment, leaving in the office both his coat and bag.

Mrs. Joo learnt about the surprising phone call, saying Dong-sik didn't feel good and had gone home, right as she came back from her lunch break.

She hesitated for a moment to tell Director Seo -what if he fled to Dong-sik's place in the middle of the workday, wouldn't that be embarassing-, and decided, for his own mental sake, to keep quiet.

Which was probably good, because In-woo was already going through his own existencial crisis in his office.

Dong-sik had broken up with him.

He'd probably gotten that gangster friend of him to clean up the scene, and then he broke up with him.

In-woo buried his face in his hands momentarily, fingers digging into his gelled hair, as he tried to figure where he'd gone wrong.

Was it that Dong-sik was too embarassed? Did he feel so bad that he wasn't able to kill Park Moo-seok himself that he would rather never see In-woo again? Well, he would've felt pretty bad, if he were the one who failed in his killing attempt. Back when he had to track down that man who'd stolen his diary, it'd felt very humiliating.

Or was it -and that was the scariest theory- that Dong-sik resented him?

That he considered In-woo to have stolen his prey? That he preferred having that gangster as partner in crime?

In any way, a simple discussion would surely fix this (because it worked out so well before).

With that in mind, he decided to pay Dong-sik a visit, later in the evening.

Everything would be just fine.

Chapter Text

Dong-sik's appartment had never seen much people, since he started living in it.

His family helped him move his things in, and afterwards only his sister came by, usually to drag him to events.

His coworkers went once, when Dong-sik got too drunk and they couldn't decide on who would bring him home.

Then Bo-kyung, Chil-sung and In-woo had also come by.

But Dong-sik's appartment wasn't exactly made to house more than one person. The couch was too uncomfortable for someone to sleep there soundly -he did fall occasionally asleep there, but he would've fallen asleep standing if he was tired enough-. The bed was made for one person. The kitchen was so cramped that no more than a single person could work in it, otherwise there'd be too much bumping into each other. Dong-sik, while his father insisted that a man should get married before his 30th birthday, had never had a girlfriend, and never had much friends, and so his appartment was never made to welcome people for more than a few minutes.

He reflected on that in a semi-awake stage, as yet another person came by his house.

First, it was Chil-sung. He'd seen him coming home early from afar, and had rushed to check on his health. He only left after Dong-sik swore that he'd take his pills and go to sleep.

Then, it was Bo-kyung. She was worried about him since he'd fled so quickly and called in sick, and forced him to get in bed once she realized how pale and shivery he was. She only left after noticing the big knife that Dong-sik had kept on the table by negligence, but he couldn't bring himself to care that she saw it, too busy praying that no one else would come disturb his sleep.

And now it was his coworkers. Mi-joo, Jung-ah and Suk-hyun were too many to all fit on the kitchen chairs, so Suk-hyun and Mi-joo sat down on chairs, and Dong-sik and Jung-ah sat on the couch.

"Did Director Seo hurt you?", asked Mi-joo first, hesitantly.

Dong-sik's cheek had turned from red to blue/purple, despite the ice he kept applying on it, and overall the bruise looked very nasty.

"He didn't", he replied, thinking of his comfortable bed. His head was hurting, his stomach was doing all kinds of things, and he would've rather been sleeping rather than having to answer questions about his sad relationship.

"Did you get in a fight?"

"That's not it."

"Did he frame you for murder?", joked Suk-hyun.

"Of course not."

"Then why did you break up?", asked Mi-joo.

Dong-sik shrugged.

"Opposite personalities."

See, that answer kind of made sense.

In Dong-sik's point of view, he was the big bad wolf and In-woo was just the unlucky guy who found himself with him.

In reality, Dong-sik was a very unlucky guy, who somehow caught the attention of the big bad wolf.

However, in Mi-joo/Jung-ah/Suk-hyun's point of view, their very nice coworker was dating another very nice coworker, which made that idea of "opposite personalities" sound like complete nonsense.

"Opposite personalities...?", said Jung-ah, confused.

"Dong-sik", intervened Mi-joo, "I think you and Director Seo are more alike than you think."

"You think?", he croaked miserably.

"You're like Bonnie and Clyde", said Suk-hyun, rather unsuccessfully, considering Bonnie and Clyde were known to be a murderous couple, which was exactly the situation Dong-sik wanted to avoid.

Jung-ah and Mi-joo gave him a "wtf are you on" look, and he muttered "first couple that came to my mind".

"The point is", intervened Jung-ah, "that you should talk to him when you take a decision like this. Relationships are built on trust and communication, alright?"

After that they said other things that Dong-sik's fever-riddled brain didn't quite catch, before leaving with the feeling that whatever happened, they had done their best.

Dong-sik watched them leave with relief, and finally moved back to his bed, ready to get some rest.

That was before someone knocked again.

This time, he stayed under the blanket for a while, hoping that if he stayed quiet enough, the person would go away.

They didn't. They kept knocking.

Dong-sik rolled out of bed, wondering if he could argue "your honor, I was sick and tired" when he'd be on trial for murdering whoever was on the other side of the door.

Once he was close to the door, the knocks stopped, and, his eyes barely staying open, he pushed the handle.

In-woo gave an apologetic smile, holding up what looked like a thermos.

Dong-sik's first reflex was to close the door, but In-woo's foot got in the way, In-woo wincing as the door slammed against it.

"We need to talk", he said, keeping his foot here.

"About what?", asked Dong-sik, a bit teary eyed. The lights from the corridor were unsufferable and for once, In-woo's cologne was too much for him and his migraine. He just wanted to go to sleep and pull a Sleeping Beauty, resting for the next hundred years.

In-woo suddenly raised his hand, placing it on Dong-sik's forehead.

"You have a fever", he noticed. "Let's go inside."

With a defeated sigh, Dong-sik opened the door fully, muttering an apology for In-woo's foot and asking if he would like an ice pack for it -In-woo politely declined-, as In-woo got rid of his shoes and coat.

"I brought soup", said In-woo, setting the thermos on the table.

Seeing Dong-sik wobbling, he took him by the arm gently, pulling out the chair for him and helping him sit down.

"Spoons?", he asked.

"First drawer on the right", answered Dong-sik.

In-woo pushed his chair near Dong-sik's, and opened the thermos, handing him the soup.

"Thank you for the meal", said Dong-sik. Then, because he was polite, he started eating, even if he really really just felt like sleeping.

The burning soup did kind of soothe his stomach ache -this is what he got for not eating for hours straight- and he only left a little, before pushing the thermos away from him.

"What do you want to talk about?", he asked, ready to get rid of the conversation quickly and get some sleep.

"Does the light bother you?", asked In-woo instead.

"A bit?"

In-woo stood up, moving to turn on a smaller lamp, before turning off the big ceiling lamp.

That did actually feel a bit better.

"You should brush your teeth and go to sleep", added In-woo, walking back towards him. Dong-sik stared at the long legs that'd stopped in front of him. "You don't look like you'll be able to have a conversation right now."

Dong-sik felt like bursting into tears and say "yes please let me sleep", but even if he felt like he was slowly drifting to a slow and painful death by migraine, he still had manners, and only gave a vague nod.

He brushed his teeth in the bathroom in complete darkness, spit out the toothpaste, and walked back into the kitchen, finding In-woo still there.

"I'll turn off the lights when you're in bed", said In-woo, when Dong-sik looked at him in confusion.

Dong-sik felt a sudden overwhelming affection for In-woo.

In the past months, In-woo had taken him out to fancy restaurants, watched over him, been about the kindest person Dong-sik knew. Even now, he showed just what a great person he was. And in response, all Dong-sik had done was involve him in a murder and broken up with him.

That is why, once Dong-sik was in bed and the last light was turned off, and he heard In-woo's footsteps go to the door, he let out a plaintive, instinctive "stay, please".

In-woo froze.

Never, in the history of being Seo In-woo, had anyone asked him to stay anywhere. If anything, it was usually the opposite.

He let go of the coat he'd been reaching for, and walked back to the bed, his eyes getting used to the lack of light now.

"What did you say?", he asked, his voice low.

Dong-sik's hand reached out blindly in the direction of the voice, until he found what he identified as In-woo's arm.

"Just stay", muttered Dong-sik, before stifling a yawn, his thumb resting on In-woo's wrist, over his pulse.

In-woo blinked.

"Alright", he said. "Do you have another toothbrush?"

He grabbed one of Dong-sik's pyjamas and a new toothbrush from under the sink, and locked the bathroom door, turning to the mirror.

Why was he acting like this?

Why was he letting Dong-sik break up with him and then ask him to stay, accepting it all so casually? Didn't he know better than to act like an obedient puppy, all for the promise of being less lonely?

He leaned onto the sink, looking at his own reflection, eyes staring back at him.

Well, he was already there anyways.

He took off his tie, unbuttoned his waistcoat, then his shirt, then his trousers, making a neat pile that he placed on the stool near the shower. Dong-sik's clothes were a little small, but he managed to wash his face and brush his teeth and hair without ripping any seam, so that was a win.

He walked out on tip-toes, trying to be as quiet as possible, in case Dong-sik had fallen asleep already. He felt ridiculous like that, hair unstyled and clothes that didn't fit him, and he halted his steps as he noticed that Dong-sik had turned the bedside lamp back on, laying on his side.

"Dong-sik?", he called.

"So you don't fall", answered Dong-sik in something of a groan, his eyes closed, visibly prepared to sleep. He stretched an arm, patting the side of his bed blindly. "There's space here, it's better than the couch."

"Alright", said In-woo, and he moved to the bed, climbing in it.

Dong-sik opened one eye, glancing at him.

In-woo froze, a big 'here's Johnny!' written on his shirt.

"I'll turn off the light", only said Dong-sik.

"You do that", sighed In-woo in relief, laying down, pulling the blanket over his body.

The light went off, and he felt Dong-sik move a little, the bed too small for them not too touch.

"Good night", wished Dong-sik.

"...good night."

With that, it only took seconds before Dong-sik's breathing slowed down, while In-woo kept staring at the ceiling.

Dong-sik probably didn't resent him, if he asked to share a bed with him.

...

Right?

Despite his concerns and the bed being way too small, he finally fell asleep, hopefully to dream of nice things -which, in his case, most likely involved too much blood and guts-.

Dong-sik did not get to dream of nice things.

If you've never have a fever dream, it's kind of like asking your four year old nefew to describe the plot of a Christopher Nolan movie while constantly distracting him. Nothing makes sense. Chaos rules. God is dead. Every time you wake up, you're in another reality altogether.

He woke up at 5 in the morning with the very vivid memory of being chased by a chupacabra, 'All I want For Christmas' playing in the background, while he had to answer a client's call, the client's voice being muted by the song, and he opened his eyes with fear still coursing through his veins and the sticky feeling of sweat clinging to his body.

Also, someone was holding onto him.

For a short terrible second, he was convinced that the chupacabra had gotten to him, but when he looked down, the arm wrapped around his waist looked human.

It looked really nice, actually. Slender fingers and all that. And there was definitely someone hugging him.

The problem was, he had no idea who.

He moved a little, earning himself a groan from the mysterious stranger.

"Hello?", he whispered towards them, turning his head to try and glance and them.

"Ji-hoon stole my Grandizer toy", mumbled the person, probably sleep-talking.

"Huh?"

Dong-sik finally managed to get a look, finding himself to be very tightly held by none other than his boss/ex/In-woo. Whose eyes were close, and who seemed to be deep asleep.

"Not the Grandizer", complained In-woo in his sleep, and he sighed, burying his head in the crook of Dong-sik's neck again.

Well.

A bit reassured that he wasn't being hugged by a chupacabra, although he couldn't recall how In-woo got in his bed, Dong-sik decided that that was a problem for morning-him, and he resolutely closed his eyes, ready for more fever-induced dreams, with the protection of In-woo's arms around him.

When he woke up again, not only was In-woo's arm still thrown over him, but his leg too.

Dong-sik blinked, confused as to what woke him up when he was so comfortable where he was, before his phone alarm started ringing again.

He reached for his phone to turn it off, In-woo making a noise of protest as he moved.

Already time to go to work.

He didn't feel like throwing up, his head was fine, and overall, he felt great.

The only problem was that he had no idea how to get out of bed, when the blankets were so unbelievably warm, and In-woo was holding onto him so tightly that he'd probably rip his shirt if he tried to just free himself by moving abruptly.

Dong-sik attempted to undo In-woo's grip on the front of his shirt, but the fingers wouldn't free themselves easily.

"In-woo?", he tried to call.

"Mmh."

"It's, uh, time for work."

"Mmh."

Dong-sik hesitated.

"If you let go of me, I can make us breakfast."

In-woo's tired brain must've somehow remembered really liking Dong-sik's food that one time he came over, because he let go of his shirt immediately, allowing Dong-sik to wiggle out of bed.

Dong-sik's diary said that he never ate breakfast because all food tasted dull and he apparently liked to be miserable, but since he'd gotten amnesia, his brain probably changed a lot, because now he actually liked breakfast.

He was in the middle of flipping a scallion pancake when In-woo finally appeared.

"Oh...", let out Dong-sik, taking in the sight of In-woo.

In-woo looked so not-In-woo that he had to blink twice to make sure it was him.

"Can I use your bathroom?", asked In-woo-that-did-not-look-like-In-woo.

"Ah, yes", said Dong-sik, still staring at In-woo.

Half his hair was hanging in the air like an odd bird nest, and a few strands fell over his forehead. The 'Shining' shirt looked like it was holding on for dear life, and the trousers that usually came down to Dong-sik's toes were stopping way over In-woo's ankles. His eyes were still blinking a lot and he even stifled a yawn, a gesture way too human.

Dong-sik watched with wide eyes, as In-woo stumbled to the bathroom.

Maybe he wasn't a morning person.

He remembered his pancake as the slight smell of burning food hit his nostrils, and hurried to take it out of the pan and onto a plate.

When In-woo came back out, this time in his suit and with his hair done, there were two plates on the table and Dong-sik was already gulping down the contents of his.

"You didn't have to", said In-woo, sitting down, "I don't usually eat breakfast."

"Why not?", asked Dong-sik, mouth full.

"Food tastes dull and I don't have the time", explained In-woo.

"I used to think like that too", nodded Dong-sik, "then I got hit by a car."

"That's an extreme way to change tastes."

"Yeah, I guess it is..."

He eyed In-woo cautiously, as he brought his chopsticks to his mouth, taking a bite.

He waited, watching as In-woo chewed.

This time, he'd tasted the food first, so he didn't worry too much about it being accidentally poisonous.

"It tastes good", finally said In-woo, having swallowed it.

"It does?", brightened up Dong-sik.

"Mmh. Not bland at all."

"Then I can cook it for you again-"

Dong-sik cut himself, as In-woo gave him a hopeful look, and he remembered that he'd broken up with him just the day before.

"How do you feel?", asked In-woo, after several seconds of awkward silence.

"Much better", assured Dong-sik. "Totally recovered."

"That's good to hear", said In-woo, taking another bite out of his food. "Should we go to work together today?"

"In your car?"

"It's not the first time you went in it."

Dong-sik's heart bled from In-woo being so nice while he'd been treating him like this, and so he gave a hesitant nod.

"Alright."

He got dressed while In-woo checked his emails, and they put on their shoes and coats before going outside.

Dong-sik's door closed behind them, and In-woo turned to Dong-sik, opening his mouth to say something.

The words got blocked in his throat when he noticed the look of pure horror on Dong-sik's face, as he stared at something over In-woo's shoulder.

He did a 180°, looking at the other end of the corridor.

Dong-sik's gangster friend's eyes looked like they were about to pop out of their sockets, mouth agape, standing right there.

Chapter Text

"Boss! Boss!"

"I'll explain to you when I come home!", shouted Dong-sik, half his body out the window, as he answered Chil-sung's desperate pleas. The only thing keeping him from flying away was In-woo holding onto him, keeping him in the car.

"Boss is he kidnapping you-" were Chil-sung's last words, before the car was too far from him to hear anything.

Dong-sik sat back in his seat.

"Who is he?", asked In-woo, who was starting to get slightly irritated at Dong-sik's weird gangster friend, who didn't know that he was a serial killer but still helped him get rid of bodies, and who came to check on him too regularly. He'd gone to Dong-sik's house a total of two times and each time, this guy showed up.

"He's a friend", said Dong-sik, which explained nothing.

"How did you meet, exactly?", asked In-woo.

"I threatened to boil his face", remembered Dong-sik. He'd considered for a moment mentionning when he threatened to kill Chil-sung during an elevator ride, but in the end, his mouth spoke before his brain had caught on.

Fortunately, In-woo had slowed down, as they were near a stop sign: otherwise, he might've pushed the brakes hard enough to cause an accident.

"You did?", he asked, giving Dong-sik a surprised look.

"It wasn't that bad", tried to justify Dong-sik, but In-woo had turned his face away, fighting off his laughter by biting on his lower lip really hard. "It just happened..."

In-woo forced himself to get serious again, and nodded.

"Ah, yes. Things like that happen."

And honestly, he could understand that gangster guy now. He, too, would've become weirdly obsessed with Dong-sik, if he had seen Dong-sik's murderous side -in fact, that's exactly how he got weirdly obsessed with Dong-sik, what a coincidence-.

"Then", he said, changing the topic when he remembered the reason he came to Dong-sik's appartment in the first place, "do you resent me for what happened the other day?"

"Of course not!", said Dong-sik quickly.

In-woo's shoulders loosened a little, relief washing over him, at the realization that Dong-sik did not hate him for killing his prey.

"Then why did you do it?", he asked. "Why did you send the message?"

"Honestly", sighed Dong-sik. "I..."

He closed his eyes, which was a bit dramatic.

"I'm a horrible person."

He waited for either the usual uncomfortable "no you're not you're such a good person Dong-sik" that he got each time he said that to someone, or a "yeah you suck so bad I hate you and I want you out of my car and my life".

"Does it matter?", said In-woo instead.

Dong-sik opened his eyes again.

"Good, bad", chuckled In-woo, "does it matter anyways?"

He glanced at Dong-sik, before focusing back on the road.

"I wish you'd show me how horrible you can be", he added.

See, now would've been a good time for Dong-sik to think "I have such an understanding (ex)boyfriend" or "his morals are fucked up and we shouldn't be dating".

Instead, he remembered their very first date, when In-woo had been weirdly into him humiliating one of his friend.

And even before that, when he pulled In-woo's arm and talked down to him, or when he threatened him in the elevator.

To tell you the truth, I have a special hobby, had said In-woo on their first date.

Was In-woo... into that kind of behaviour... and sexual things...?

Dong-sik's jaw dropped as he looked at In-woo, considering for the very first time that his (ex)boyfriend might have weird kinks.

"We're here", announced In-woo as he parked, blissfully unaware of Dong-sik's thoughts.

Dong-sik went out of the car with wobbly legs, following In-woo without a word, too focused on trying to find hints he might've missed as to In-woo's sexual preferences.

Unfortunately, if In-woo was into him since their first meeting, then that meant that not only was he attracted to people who ignored him, but also people that threatened and accidentally humiliated him.

Dong-sik felt like crying, as they stepped into the elevator, other employees refusing to come in with them, as usual.

How hadn't he noticed earlier?

"Dong-sik", called In-woo.

"Uh?"

In-woo gave him an embarassed smile.

"I'd like to", he started saying, "give our relationship another shot."

Dong-sik blinked.

"Huh?!"

Even after In-woo saw him kidnap someone? Even if he had to kill the man to avoid him reporting them to the police?

"If we just communicate", added In-woo, "I think it can work."

This was a very baseless hypothesis. The last time they communicated without a misunderstanding was exactly never.

Dong-sik only blinked at him.

"What do you think?", pressed In-woo.

"Ah, yeah", he said, instinctively, because saying "ah, yeah" usually helped him whenever he had to give a standard answer.

In this situation, the "ah, yeah" did not help him.

In-woo's lips stretched into a wider smile, revealing perfect white teeth, just as the elevator stopped.

"This is your floor", he said, nodding towards the door. "See you later."

"Ah, yes", repeated Dong-sik in response, and he stepped out, a bit lost.

The doors closed behind him, and he turned to the nearest wall, slamming his head against him, repressing a sob.

What the fuck was he supposed to do, now?

As he moved away from the wall, both his cheek and forehead hurting now, and went to his desk, he decided that he couldn't jump to conclusions about his ex-now-not-ex-anymore-?-boyfriend's special hobby.

He would test his hypothesis first.

He tried not to think about it too much during the workday -he did google 'what if your partner wants you to be a terrible person' during his lunch break and was left with unsatisfying results- and just as he was considering calling In-woo to test it out, his colleagues kidnapped him for an impromptu team dinner, in honor of him not being sick and dying anymore.

While he was getting dragged to a bar, In-woo was sitting down in front of Bo-kyung at a grocery store's table, confused.

"Why did you ask for me?", he asked, opening his own package of food.

"Ah, sorry about that", she said, with an apologetic smile. "I just wanted to ask you something, since you're close to Dong-sik."

He stopped his movement, glancing up at her.

"What about Dong-sik?"

"It's nothing bad", she hurried to say. "I was just wondering, since you work in the same building, if maybe you could give me your impressions of him."

"My impressions?", he repeated, as he picked up a bit of food with his chopsticks, taking a bite and chewing. Bland. "Well, he's..."

What would someone else say about Dong-sik?

"He's a very nice person", he decided on saying, since that was how Dong-sik pretended to be. "Why are you asking?"

"I don't know how to say it", she admitted, with an embarassed chuckle, "but Dong-sik and I..."

He tensed up a little.

"We've been investigating a bit, you know, and I don't think I should be telling you this, but..."

"But...?"

She took in a deep breath, closing her eyes as she considered her answer.

"We've been hunting the predator murderer", she finally said.

The store wasn't exactly a quiet place. The owner was humming a song, at the counter, while typing on their computer. A group of school girls were chatting excitedly amongst themselves, while picking out energy drinks. A woman was arguing with her partner on the phone, her voice rising and rising. The door swung open every few minutes.

Yet the store felt very silent, as In-woo stared at Bo-kyung, tasteless noodles feeling a little uneasy down in his stomach.

"What?", he reacted.

"That's why he was at the scene where we found the body, and why he's with me so often", she added. "But lately I've realized that I didn't even know much about him, so I wanted to get some opinions on him."

In-woo wasn't even sure he was listening to anything she was saying.

His hands had began shaking, and he hided them under the table, trying to gather his thoughts, all screaming and rushing past him in a confusing mess, as she kept speaking.

Dong-sik was after the predator murderer.

Dong-sik was after him.

What had Dong-sik said?

He'd almost boiled that gangster to death.

He'd tried to kill Park Moo-seok.

He'd attempted to get rid of Ji-hoon.

Dong-sik hunted monsters.

And it seemed that his present target happened to be In-woo.

Chapter Text

"Who is he?", whined Chil-sung. "Boss, is he blackmailing you or something?"

"It's nothing like that", assured Dong-sik, taking off his shoes, Chil-sung following him.

"Then what is it? Why is he always coming out of your room at weird hours?", insisted Chil-sung.

Dong-sik took in a big breath, as he considered his response.

"The thing is...", he started.

"Yes?"

"Me and him..."

"Yes?"

Dong-sik flustered a bit, tucking an imaginary hair behind his ear -his hair was not actually long enough to do that, but the intention was there-.

Since In-woo had said that he wanted to give their relationship another shot, that probably meant that they were dating again now, right?

"We're", he said, and he raised his hands, using his fingers to form a heart, "like this."

That was, quite obviously, not the clearest way to announce his relationship.

"What?"

"Well, we're..."

Dong-sik cleared his throat, trying to figure out a way to say it.

"Well we are... we, uhm..."

"Yes?"

"We're dating", he finally said.

Chil-sung stared at him in stunned silence for a moment, before bursting into laughter.

"I'm not joking!", protested Dong-sik.

"Boss, you're so funny", giggled Chil-sung, very amused. "You and him-"

He doubled over in laughter, which was, honestly, a bit offensive now.

"I'm not kidding!", insisted Dong-sik. "We even kissed and slept together, isn't that en-"

Chil-sung's laughter died abruptly, as he looked at him with concern.

"Boss", he said, in a worried whisper, "did you use protection-"

"Hey!", shouted Dong-sik, slapping a hand over Chil-sung's mouth, "we didn't sleep like that!"

"Sorry boss", said Chil-sung, despite the hand covering his mouth.

Dong-sik took it away, and relaxed a bit. Now that he'd actually told someone about his relationship, he did feel kind of better.

"Should I call him boss-in-law then?", asked Chil-sung.

"Don't!"

He sent a message later notifying In-woo that he'd told Chil-sung about their relationship, leaving In-woo chuckling and humming happily as he took his shower.

That's right. Dong-sik probably didn't know who he was after. They could just keep going as they'd been doing so far, and he'd convince Dong-sik to let go of the predator murderer. And now with that gangster out of the competition, he didn't have to fear any rivals for Dong-sik's affection.

In-woo finished rinsing his hair, very glad that things were turning out this way.

'Should we tell more people then?', he sent by text, as soon as he'd stepped out of the shower.

Dong-sik sent a thumbs up, before adding a 'I'm going to sleep, good night', reading In-woo's 'sleep well' before turning off his phone.

The next day went by smoothly, his good mood giving his colleagues reassurance that things had gone well with him and Director Seo.

When Bo-kyung sent him a message in the evening, asking 'can we meet up?' he didn't even feel the usual rush of fear and anxiety at the idea that she might've found out about him.

He should've.

Bo-kyung, having noticed his reaction at the picture of Park Moo-seok, and the knife left in plain view on his table, had been growing more and more suspicieous. A brief discussion with her boss had convinced her: if she wanted to make sure that Dong-sik wasn't involved in any way in the murder of Park Moo-seok, who had a few strands of hair left on his jacket -from when Dong-sik had been pulling him to the warehouse, and accidentally got his hair caught in one of the buttons that adorned the front of the ex-detective's jacket-, she needed to get some of his DNA.

He arrived to his father's restaurant a few minutes after her, being stopped at the door by his father.

"Is she your girlfriend?", asked his father with enthusiasm.

"Who?", reacted Dong-sik.

He peeked in. Bo-kyung was sitting alone, drinking.

"She isn't", he answered.

His father gave him a light punch to his shoulder.

"What is an man your age doing without a partner?", he disapproved. "Do you want to finish your days alone? What about marriage?"

Well, even if he did have a partner, he doubted him and In-woo could get married anyways. Or maybe they could fly to Las Vegas and get married there?

Anyways, that wasn't the point, and he shouldn't take things too fast. The last time he did that, he broke up with In-woo on an impulse, which was definitely not one of his most glorious moment.

"Yeah, yeah", he only said, and walked in.

Bo-kyung greeted him with a wide smile.

"Dong-sik, please take a seat", she said, gesturing towards the chair.

"Ah, yes", he answered, sitting down. "You wanted to talk to me...?"

"It can wait", she assured, evidence bag ready in her pocket, as she started filling his glass. "Drink up, drink up..."

The plan was simple. She'd grab the glass he put his fingers on, get the DNA checked, and if that didn't work, she could always cut some of his hair instead, or use the saliva on his chopsticks.

Hopefully, the result would prove that Dong-sik had nothing to do with Park Moo-seok's death, and she'd finally be able to sleep.

She grabbed some meat with the chopsticks, and suddenly presented it to him.

"Open up", she said.

"Wh- what?", he reacted.

"I'm feeding you", she clarified. "You've had it rough these past few months, so let me treat you. Here, say 'ahh'."

He chuckled nervously.

"I'll eat it myself, don't worry-"

"Don't be so cold with me", she insisted. "Here. Ahhhh-"

"Ah- ahh", he tried, feeling very uncomfortable now. Wasn't she the one who said his partner might be uncomfortable if they knew how close she and him were? What would In-woo think if he heard of this?

In the end, he grabbed the meat from her chopstick with his, gulping it down.

"I'm sorry", he apologized, as he chewed, "I wouldn't want this to get misinterpreted-"

While Dong-sik fought for his reputation as a loyal boyfriend, outside, his father was busy fighting against Chil-sung, who, noticing Dong-sik sitting in the restaurant, had decided to come say hi.

"You can't come in!", shouted Dong-sik's father.

"I just want to say hi!"

"Actually", said Dong-sik, as Bo-kyung stared intensely at him, trying to find a way to get his DNA, "I wanted to tell you..."

If he told her he was dating In-woo, surely she wouldn't act like that?

"Dong-sik, a gray hair!", she suddenly noticed.

"Huh?"

"I have to get it out", she decided, standing up.

"No, no, there's no need-", he tried to say.

"What are you talking about, you should protect your hair", she insisted.

"I'll pluck it out later!", he pled, as she got dangerously close.

"Dong-sik your gray hair!", she protested, pulling his head against her chest.

If there was a contest for most realistic statue, Dong-sik could've won the gold medal easily.

"Oh my! Boss! What are you doing?", shouted a familiar voice. "This is too much!"

Someway somehow, Chil-sung had just burst into the restaurant.

"Not at all! Dong-sik, I'll take care of this guy, so don't worry and just continue what you were doing", argued Dong-sik's father.

"Is this how you treat people?", argued Chil-sung.

Bo-kyung took a step back, sighing.

Chil-sung ended up joining them for dinner, Bo-kyung leaving for the restroom.

As soon as the door closed behind her, Chil-sung lowered his voice.

"You need to listen carefully to what I'm saying now."

"What?"

"Does anyone know... that you took care of Park Moo-seok?"

"No..."

Well, In-woo did.

"Anyways", brushed off Chil-sung, "what's important is that Officer Shim... she suspects you."

"What?!"

"The thing is", continued Chil-sung, "she asked me about Park Moo-seok recently and what you were doing the day he died and things like that!"

"Well, it's probably because I got injured that day..."

"She asked you to have dinner with her, right? What a sly fox. She wants your DNA."

"What- this is nonsense-"

"And why did you let her hug you like that? What if Boss-in-law had seen you? Do you want to have a misunderstanding?"

"We're just friends", he clarified, as Bo-kyung came back to the table.

She sat down, raising her glass.

"Should we have a toast, since we haven't met in a while?"

"Ah, yes", he started saying, raising his glass, but Chil-sung grabbed it instead, gulping it down.

"Ah", he said, with an apologetic smile, "I quit drinking but I suddenly felt like it-"

"Oh, I didn't realize there were only two glasses, let me get one", she suggested.

She came back to the table soon, filling all the glasses.

"Should we make a toast together?"

"Cheers!", said Chil-sung.

Dong-sik set his glass down after taking a sip.

"We should go now", he said.

"Officer Shim should go first", intervened Chil-sung.

"Why me?"

"Why not you?"

"Let's just go", begged Dong-sik.

Chil-sung started getting up, but suddenly tripped on air, almost falling over the table, sending the glasses rolling.

"Ah, sorry", he said.

Changing the glasses discreetly.

After saying their goodbyes, they all left, Dong-sik feeling really exhausted now. Surely, Officer Shim didn't suspect him, right? He'd promised In-woo he'd take care of everything...

Right after leaving them, Bo-kyung raced to the laboratory, handing Dong-sik's glass.

"Give us a moment", said the expert.

She sat down on a bench, gathering her thoughts.

She was probably wrong. The test would prove that the DNA from Dong-sik and the DNA on Park Moo-seok didn't match, and...

"They don't match", said the expert.

"Really?!", she brightened up. "Thank you so-"

"But the DNA you brought came from an ex-convic, Jang Chil-sung", he frowned. "And the DNA on the body wasn't archived. I thought you'd ruled out ex-convics already?"

She paled.

How could she have mistaken the glasses?

Again, she did not sleep well that night.

The next morning, Dong-sik sent In-woo a cheerful 'happy Christmas!', In-woo responding with a more simple 'good morning. What are you doing today?'.

'I'm meeting my family for lunch', answered Dong-sik.

He hesitated.

'Do you want to come?'

Maybe he could try to ease his family into accepting the fact that he might not get married, but still could have a romantic relationship.

'Sure. Your family's restaurant?'

In-woo was already standing in front of the restaurant when he arrived, holding a box.

"What is it?", asked Dong-sik, curious.

"I thought I should bring a gift", answered In-woo. "I can't stay long, I have a family dinner afterwards."

"Well we should go in then", nodded Dong-sik.

Everyone greeted Mr. Handsome Director with cheerful surprise, Dong-sik's stepmother repeating multiple times how honoured they were of having him here on this special day.

"You should've brought your friend from yesterday too", mentionned Dong-sik's father.

In-woo's head snapped in his direction.

"His friend?", he repeated.

"A young woman, they were all-", said Dong-sik's father, before grabbing his wife by the waist, earning a giggle from her, "all over each other like that-"

"We weren't!", panicked Dong-sik. He turned to In-woo, shaking his head frantically, "we really weren't!"

"Ah, who are you kidding?", criticized Dong-sik's father. "At your age, you should have a wife already, look at your sister who already had such a healthy son-"

Ji-yun's son, sitting on his father's lap, starting crying as he was mentionned.

"We really weren't doing anything like that", complained Dong-sik. "She's only a friend..."

"Then how come you still don't have a girlfriend?", insisted Mr. Yook.

"Dad, stop bothering him with that, we have a guest-", tried to argue Ji-yun, pulling her father towards a chair.

"I don't need a girlfriend, because-", started Dong-sik.

He glanced at In-woo, who was still staring at him with eyes wide like 'you did what?? With who??'.

"I'm already in a relationship", he finished.

"Yes? Then who is she? Where is she-"

"If I may", intervened In-woo, taking a step forward, placing himself in front of Dong-sik.

He gave the whole family a glance, a small smile on his lips.

"Dong-sik was waiting to formally introduce us", he continued, before giving a polite bow. "Merry Christmas. I am Dong-sik's boyfriend."

When he rose again, the whole restaurant looked like it'd frozen in time.

Mr. Yook looked startled. Mrs. Yook looked startled. Ji-yun looked startled. Ji-yun's husband looked startled. Ji-yun's son looked startled. Dong-sik looked startled. Dong-sik's brother... well, he didn't actually care much.

"Really?", finally managed to say Ji-yun.

"Yes", nodded In-woo.

"You... and him...", breathed out Dong-sik's step mother. "Oh my..."

"You-", started Mr. Yook.

Mentally, he started evaluating In-woo.

Good looking. Polite. Wealthy. Stable career. Obviously had some guts, to say something like that.

Overall, a much better son-in-law that Ji-yun's weak noodle of a husband.

"You should take a seat", he said, his mood lifted once again, as he patted In-woo's back, gesturing to a chair. "Here, and I can take your coat for you, and Dong-sik sit down next to him-"

Dong-sik's step-mother couldn't stop thanking In-woo once he offered them the pasteries he'd bought, and once the initial shock had started to vanish, everyone was quick to ask them about their relationship.

"Who confessed first?", asked Ji-yun.

"Who asked the other out?", asked Dong-sik's step mother.

"What does your family think?", asked Dong-sik's dad to In-woo.

"In-woo did all that", clarified Dong-sik.

"My family doesn't know yet", answered In-woo. "We wouldn't've kept dating if you didn't approve" -that was very clearly a lie, but it made Dong-sik's father satisfied-.

The only unhappy one was Ji-yun's son, who kept crying when he saw In-woo -babies are very sensible to murderer's vibes-, but overall it was a very light hearted Christmas dinner, everyone pleading for In-woo to stay longer, when he announced he had to go.

"My father is probably waiting for me", he clarified.

"Do you want more cake?", still offered Dong-sik's step-mother.

"No, thank you very much, I really have to go-"

"Dong-sik, see him out", ordered Dong-sik's father.

"I will", nodded Dong-sik, standing up, following In-woo outside.

He was parked near the restaurant, stopping near his car to turn towards Dong-sik.

"I'll call you once I'm done with the family meeting."

"Sure", nodded Dong-sik. "Ah, could we meet up later?"

In-woo raised his eyebrows.

"Why?"

"It's a surprise?", hesitated Dong-sik.

He couldn't possibly test his hypothesis in front of his family, but it was fine. He'd try later.

In-woo frowned, but nodded.

"Yes, sure."

He hesitated, his hand on the door handle.

"Should we kiss goodbye?"

"Huh?"

"There's no one else in the street", assured In-woo.

Dong-sik glanced around. Indeed, no one near.

"Sure", he agreed, and In-woo leaned forward, leaving a quick peck on his lips.

Dong-sik felt himself grinning like an idiot.

"See you later", added In-woo, opening the car door, stepping in.

"See you later", repeated Dong-sik, a bit flustered.

Chapter Text

See, if In-woo's father had always been good at something, it was ruining his mood.

Back when they were in highschool, Ji-hoon's mother insisted her son join a volleyball team. In-woo was already part of the school's racing team. On the day of his final race, when he came to his father's office, giving a polite bow and saying, now seventeen and growing, "sir, I have an event this saturday-", his father answered "I know. Ji-hoon's tournament is that day, so you'll have to go alone". He came back with a gold medal, but didn't get any of the congratulations that Ji-hoon did, despite Ji-hoon's team losing.

Even now, when he was more than thirty and no longer was part of any ridiculous competition, his father seemed to take pleasure in stomping on him like a miserable bug that'd invaded his house.

He left the family gathering with the cake he'd brought untouched, and burning anger making him shake, as he sat down in his car.

His father suspected him of killing Park Moo-seok.

Thanks to Dong-sik, everyone accepted that Park Moo-seok was killed after offending a gang, and yet his father still looked him in the eye and accused him.

He treated him like a meer subordinate, as he'd always done, finding In-woo's interests and pleasures childish, pointing out any mistakes he could find.

In-woo tried to take a calming breath, his hands gripping onto the wheel hard.

This was fine. He was fine.

He reached blindly for his phone, clicking on Dong-sik's number.

He held the device to his ear, as it started ringing.

"In-woo?", said Dong-sik's voice.

In-woo's shoulders loosened, and he slowly let go of the wheel.

"Dong-sik", he breathed out.

"Did everything go well with the dinner? You only left an hour ago, is everything fine?"

"I..."

He closed his eyes, thinking.

"We should meet up now."

"Now?"

"Yes. I'm really craving a drink. I know a bar near your house, should we go there?"

"Ah, yes, sure", agreed Dong-sik. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, yes", sighed In-woo. "I'll send you the adress."

"Okay."

It wasn't difficult to slip a few bills to the bar owner to get a private room, and he sat down, waiting for Dong-sik, a couple bottles in front of him.

Dong-sik soon arrived, hair even messier than usual, panting like he'd ran a marathon -he probably ran a few meters-.

"Dong-sik", greeted In-woo, quickly standing up to pull Dong-sik's seat for him.

"Ah, thank you", said Dong-sik, sitting down and looking around. "This looks pretty fancy."

In-woo nodded.

"Want a drink?", he asked.

"Yes, sure."

He filled both their glasses, and started sipping from his.

Dong-sik gave him a cautious look.

"Are you alright...?"

"My father."

Dong-sik gave an encouraging nod.

"Yes?"

"He..."

In-woo closed his eyes, tightening his grip on the glass.

"Sometimes, I wish he'd just die already", he sighed.

Dong-sik made a noise of understanding, nodding.

It looked like In-woo's family was even worse than just Ji-hoon, if one meeting with his father left him like that.

"I could kill him for you", he suggested suddenly, waiting to see if In-woo would take the bait and reveal his secret obsession for people that lacked morals.

In-woo opened his eyes again, his lips stretching into a smile.

"I would like that."

Okay, that was a positive sign.

"Why do you want him to die?", asked Dong-sik, curious.

"I'm his oldest child", explained In-woo, fidgeting with his glass. "When my brother was born, I didn't matter anymore. All I could do was get stronger..."

He stared at the bottom of the glass.

"Until I could crush my brother."

That actually made Dong-sik feel even worse for not torturing Ji-hoon more.

"Your father sucks", commented Dong-sik, and reached for the bottle, filling their glasses a bit more.

"Cheers", nodded In-woo.

As Dong-sik stared at In-woo, he wondered how he'd actually feel if his father did die. He'd promised himself, after the catastrophe that had been his last failed murder attempts, to live a comfortable life as a good citizen, but he was starting to get the feeling, more and more, that In-woo might not be as much of a good citizen as he thought.

"The first time we met...", he started saying, In-woo glancing up at him, "why did you give me the tip?"

"Ah, that?", answered In-woo. "Well, I told you. You were the biggest obstacle to my brother... I wanted to see you beat him."

He gave Dong-sik a wink, as he raised his glass to take a sip.

"You got rid of him anyways, didn't you?"

"Wha- what?"

"I followed his car that night", said In-woo, setting his glass back down. With the tip of his finger, he traced the edges of it. "I saw how you tied him up."

"Ah- ah that- it was just-"

"Don't worry", added In-woo, meeting his eyes, as he brought his finger to his lips, licking off the drop of alcohol he'd gathered, before wiping it on his napkin. "I'd never tell anyone."

Dong-sik's chest felt a bit tight all of a sudden, like he was suffocating or the room was getting too small.

In-woo had seen him?

In-woo had known, before they even started dating, what kind of human being he was?

I bet I know a lot more about you than you think, had said In-woo, after the welcome drink they had, following Ji-hoon's disappearance and In-woo replacing him as director.

For all this time, he knew?!

"Sorry", blurted out Dong-sik, suddenly. "But can, can... can I try something?"

"Right now?", said In-woo, surprised. "Yeah, sure."

Dong-sik stood up so fast he actually heard his knees crack a little.

"If you dislike what I do", he added, "please tell me."

In-woo frowned.

"What are you going to do?", he asked.

In response, Dong-sik only grabbed his glass, gulping it down in one go, before setting it on the table, making a loud sound.

He closed his eyes, gathering his thoughts.

Tonight... tonight he'd know who In-woo really was.

In-woo watched, confused, as Dong-sik took in a soothing breath, exhaling slowly.

When he opened his eyes again, something had changed.

In-woo looked, as Dong-sik straightened up, his eyes as cold as they'd been in the elevator.

His next step was quiet, muffled, like a predator approaching his prey, or a five years old getting ready to trick their sibling.

His eyes didn't look away from In-woo, his fingers brushing against the surface of the table, as he slowly made his way around it.

"Dong-sik?", called In-woo, his breath catching in his throat a little.

"Shhhh", was the response, and In-woo's brain definitely stopped functionning, as Dong-sik's arms came to trap him in his seat, placing both of his hands on the chair's armrests.

In-woo swallowed.

"So you knew all along?", asked Dong-sik, his voice devoid of any of the confused tone that usually backed every word that came out of his mouth.

One of his hand left the armrest, fingers fluttering over In-woo's chest, before landing on the top of his tie.

In-woo only stared at his face, how unlike Dong-sik it was, no emotion showing, as if he'd only been looking at a midly interesting ant, wondering how he might kill it.

Dong-sik's fingers went down In-woo's tie, before suddenly grasping onto it, pulling a little.

In-woo let out a sharp inhale.

"You once said we're alike", continued Dong-sik, keeping his grip on the tie. "That we're equals."

He chuckled, something more like a Disney villain than the nice gentle Dong-sik he showed himself to be.

"We're not. You only want to crush those weaker than you..."

The tie wasn't even wrapped so tightly, but In-woo could barely breath, captivated by the crinkle of Dong-sik's eyes, his smile nothing alike what it usually looked like, more full of teeth, more threatening.

"I toy with my preys", he said, noticing every twitch, every blink of In-woo, a euphoric streak of 'I think it's working I think it's working' running though his mind. "I make them beg me for their life."

He took a dramatic pause, searching In-woo's eyes.

"Should I tell you what I'm going to do to you?"

In-woo's eyes were wide, no fear to be found on his face, only anticipation, as Dong-sik leaned even closer, a smile stretching his lips, until his lips were almost against In-woo's ear.

The Shining, 1980.

"I'm not going to hurt you", he whispered. "I'm just going to bash your brains in."

With that, he pulled away, trying not to show his worry -had he pulled it off?- as he tried to take in In-woo's expression.

Ba-doom-ba-doom-ba-doom-ba-doom.

In-woo's heart was racing, the pounding echoing through his head. Was that what terror was like? Or something else. He couldn't tell if Dong-sik had figured out who he was, if he'd finally revealed his true colors, or why else he would do this. He couldn't think of anything, but the pounding of his heart. Dong-sik's fingers still held on tightly to his tie.

Badoombadoombadoombadoom-

Dong-sik's mouth twitched very slightly, and the next thing he knew, In-woo's hand was on his neck, pulling him into a hungry kiss.

Dong-sik almost lost his balance, accidentally tugging In-woo's tie -he'd soon really be strangling him-, but if anything In-woo only deepened the kiss, snogging like he forgot that he needed to breath every once in a while.

Leaning like that was starting to hurt Dong-sik's back, and even if he very much did like getting eaten out like that, he was not looking forward to back problems.

"Get up", he moaned in pain against In-woo's lips, tugging at the tie more gently this time.

In-woo's hand slid down to Dong-sik's waist, as he obediently stood up, his mouth moving to leave hurried kisses against Dong-sik's jaw and down his neck.

Dong-sik found himself pressed against the table -the glasses shook a bit, the bottle almost falling-, which honestly felt much better than having to bend forward, and he allowed himself to chase after In-woo's mouth, letting go of the tie to grab both sides of In-woo's head, holding onto it like it might fall off if he kissed him too hard.

That proved that In-woo was attracted to murderers, didn't it?

Chapter Text

Once they were done exploring each other's mouth, In-woo actually took a step back, catching his breath.

"Are you going", he said, trying to come back to a normal breathing pattern, "to kill me now?"

"I would never", assured Dong-sik, shaking his head. "I was just... testing a theory..."

In-woo stared at him for ten long, awkward seconds, before starting to laugh.

Dong-sik had never seen him laughing.

Someone less infatuated than him might see In-woo's maniacal laughter and run the other way, but for Dong-sik, he was living life with pink-tinted glasses, and he was still dizzy from minutes of making out with barely any breathing, and so his thinking was more along the lines of 'wow I don't remember ever seeing him laugh before' than 'my boyfriend laughs like a hyena' (no offense here, hyenas are amazing animals).

"A theory", he finally said, once he'd managed to stop laughing, although he still let out a last chuckle. "Well, did you prove it?"

Dong-sik nodded solemnly.

"You're very into me", he said confidently.

In-woo, who'd been reaching for his glass -that was behind Dong-sik and had, miraculously, not been knocked off the table during the kissing- and taking a sip, accidentally coughed out what he'd just drank.

"Are you okay?", worried Dong-sik.

"I guess", coughed In-woo, "you're not wrong."

He grabbed Dong-sik's glass, handing it to him.

"Well, cheers", he added.

"To our relation", suggested Dong-sik.

"That."

They both gulped down their drink, before Dong-sik moved back to his seat, In-woo filling their glasses again.

"Is this safe? How will you go home if you're drunk?", asked Dong-sik.

"You're here", only explained In-woo. He threw his head back, as he downed another glass, and started filling it again. "I know nothing will happen to me if you're here."

Well, that would be if Dong-sik was actually a competent serial killer. But since apparently, Dong-sik had only threatened him as a weird insight joke, he probably didn't know he was the predator murderer, or he didn't care, which was very reassuring.

"Did you really know who I was since the beginning?", asked Dong-sik, curious. "That I..."

He wasn't quite sure exactly what In-woo knew about him, actually.

"I didn't think you'd actually try to kill Ji-hoon", admitted In-woo. "And then to let him live, only to humiliate him in public... I was impressed."

That was not how Dong-sik remembered it. In his memories, he failed to kill Ji-hoon, and then Ji-hoon attacked him in front of all of his coworkers and tried to beat him up, until Bo-kyung and her colleague stopped him.

But In-woo's version sounded way better.

"My friend also told me you threatened him", added In-woo, as he helped himself to more alcohol. He had started this evening determined to get drunk, and he would. He usually never drank in public, but with Dong-sik, he tended to lose all his self-control.

"And you don't care at all?", asked Dong-sik, a bit hesitant.

In-woo shook his head.

Well, that was a bit concerning, wasn't it.

"Since we're talking about this", added In-woo, the bottle emptying and emptying, "Officer Shim told me you were helping her investigate the predator murderer?"

Dong-sik sighed.

"It'd take too long to explain."

"We have time."

"I just..."

Dong-sik hesitated.

Should he reveal that he was the predator murderer?

"It just happened", he ended up saying.

In-woo didn't get anymore clarification, and instead decided on filling their glasses once more.

Meanwhile, Bo-kyung and her colleague weren't having a very good time, being on night patrol.

They'd been doing rounds for hours now without anything more noteworthy than a cat crossing the street, forcing them to stop abruptly, and Bo-kyung was exhausted. She was driving, she hadn't been able to sleep properly in the last few days, haunted by the question of who had killed Park Moo-seok and why did it look like Dong-sik had done it, and also she hadn't drank any coffee in hours and was starting to feel twitchy.

"Should we take a walk?", suggested Taek-soo suddenly. "My legs are starting to hurt.'

"Good idea", she sighed. Fresh air might do them some good.

She parked in the street, and they got out, deciding to check the nearest park. Parks at night could be dangerous places, after all.

After two minutes of walking, all she could think of was how much she wanted to go home, and they hadn't found anything that made it worth losing sleep doing patrols like that.

"You should sit down, you look really tired", noticed Taek-soo.

"Do I?", she yawned.

"Sit here, I'll just go throw something in the trash and then I'll be back", he swore.

She nodded, her eyes already closing, as she more or less fell onto a bench.

Sleep.

So tired.

For a few, blissful seconds, Bo-kyung felt the tension in her body disappear, and her mind move to brighter dreams, exhaustion finally getting a hold of her-

"Bo-kyung! Bo-kyung!", said Taek-soo, shaking her awake.

"What?", she groaned.

"There's someone drunk nearby!"

She opened her eyes immediately.

Public disturbance? At night? It's more likely than you think.

"Let's go", she said, her energy restored.

"I saw them when I was on my way to the trashcan-"

They hurried towards the exit of the park, and, yes. There were two figures, both wearing big coats, one of them leaning on the other, clearly drunk and stumbling with every step, while making sounds they couldn't quite understand from the distance.

"Hey!", shouted Bo-kyung, starting to trot towards them.

The closer she got, the more she could distinguish the words.

"I wanna know know know know", seemed to be singing the person, their voice muffled, probably because they had their face buried in the other's shoulder, as the other person half-carried them, "what is love-"

Were they really singing 'What is Love?' by Twice?

"Hey!", shouted Bo-kyung once more.

The one carrying the other finally stopped, and turned their head abruptly, to look at the two cops.

"Oh my...", realized Taek-soo. "Mr. Yook Dong-sik?!"

Bo-kyung's jaw dropped even further.

"In-woo?!"

In-woo raised his head a little at the name, cheeks pink and eyes unfocused.

"Ah, officers", greeted Dong-sik, visibly embarassed, adjusting his grip on In-woo's waist. "Sorry, we're just going back to my house. Is anything wrong...?"

"Is In-woo drunk?", pointed out Bo-kyung.

"I am not", lied In-woo.

The very polite, put-together man she'd met before had been changed into a complete mess, with his tie astray and his eyes blinking a whole lot, as he looked up to Dong-sik, hanging to him, waiting for him to confirm his lie.

"He drank a lot", nodded Dong-sik.

"In-woo, do you like Twice?", asked Bo-kyung, a bit amused.

In-woo straightened up briefly, standing to his full height, which was kinda threatening, considering just how tall he was.

"I will not say anything...", he started saying, "without my attorney."

"He even knows his rights", laughed Taek-soo. "Mr. Seo, do you want us to take you home?"

"No", refused In-woo. "Dong-sik is already... Dong-sik is... Dong-sik..."

"I'm taking him to my house, since it's near", clarified Dong-sik.

"Let us help you", suggested Bo-kyung, moving to take In-woo from him.

In-woo immediately moved away.

"Do you want to die?", he asked, in a low, suddenly very cold voice.

"In-woo, it's just Bo-kyung", she argued. "We know each other."

In-woo only gave her a rather terrifying glare.

"I think it's safer if I take him home", added Dong-sik.

In-woo nodded, visibly satisfied.

"He'll kill everyone who gets in our way", he said proudly.

"I won't!", hurried to say Dong-sik.

"Do you know what he did to my brother?", asked In-woo to the two cops. "One farmer has a cabbage, a sheep, a wolf and a boat..."

"We'll just go home now", said Dong-sik. "In-woo, please-"

"My love, my love, my love", sing-sang In-woo, as Dong-sik started manhandling him away. "Dong-sik, my love-"

"I'm very sorry", apologized Dong-sik.

"Get home safely", replied Taek-soo, who seemed very amused by the situation.

"We can escort you at least", suggested Bo-kyung.

"N-no, it's fine, thank you", assured Dong-sik again.

"Cabbage-", started saying In-woo, and Dong-sik slapped his hand over his mouth, shushing him.

"I'll take care of it", he added.

"In that case", said Bo-kyung, hesitant.

Dong-sik suddenly leaned a bit under In-woo's weight, but put on a brave smile, taking his hand away from In-woo's mouth.

"Goodnight, then", he wished.

The two cops repeated the greetings, and Dong-sik and In-woo started walking again.

Unaware of the little, red notebook that'd fallen off Dong-sik's coat when he'd moved.

Unexpectedly, In-woo was a rather demonstrative drunk: when he wasn't mumbling the lyrics to pop songs or saying something like 'we should go hunting', he was staring at Dong-sik, completely disregarding his surroundings.

Somehow they made it back to the appartment with In-woo only running into two poles, and Dong-sik hauled him into the elevator.

"I'll make hangover soup for tomorrow", swore Dong-sik.

In-woo nodded, eyes closed, visibly ready to fall asleep already.

"Is this your time being drunk at all?", asked Dong-sik, curious.

The doors opened, and he grabbed In-woo again, pulling him into the corridor.

Inside the house, In-woo took off his shoes by habit, and then almost face planted as he tried to take another step.

Dong-sik managed to get him all the way to the bed, In-woo then falling on it, still completely clothed.

"Can I take off your waistcoat at least?", asked Dong-sik, considering the clothes.

In-woo propped himself up on his elbows.

Dong-sik prayed that he wouldn't say something like "why do you want me to get undressed" but unfortunately, In-woo said worse.

"Why are you searching for the predator murderer?"

"You asked this before too", complained Dong-sik.

In-woo just stared at him, waiting for an answer.

Well, he was drunk anyways, he probably wouldn't remember it.

"Because...", he hesitated. "I just don't want Officer Shim to catch him."

"Why?"

Dong-sik pursed his lips, thinking of his answer.

"I don't want us to be separated", he said, hoping it was vague enough that In-woo would wake up without immediately thinking 'my boyfriend is a serial killer'.

By 'I don't want us to be separated' he meant: being in prison would suck and I wouldn't see my family or you or my coworkers or Bo-kyung anymore.

By 'I don't want us to be separated', even drunk, In-woo understood: I know that you're the predator murderer and I'll make sure you won't get caught.

"I see", he said, with a satisfied sigh, as he layed down onto the bed. "Well, we should be careful then."

"Yes", nodded Dong-sik.

He gave up on trying to help In-woo out of his uncomfortable clothes, as In-woo seemed to fall asleep only seconds after their discussion, rolling onto his side.

He would probably wake up feeling horrible. Dong-sik made a mental note of preparing hangover food in the morning, before changing into pyjamas, and slipping into bed next to In-woo.

"Good night", he wished.

"I should've killed him more", was the answer.

Dong-sik turned, a bit surprised, but In-woo's face was completely devoid of worry, eyes closed and lips slightly parted, as he seemed to really be sleeping.

"You can do that tomorrow", joked Dong-sik, and he turned around again.

His alcohol tolerance was good enough that he did not wake up feeling like throwing up his intestines, and this time, In-woo wasn't clinging onto him, since he'd half fallen from the bed in his sleep.

Dong-sik went to prepare breakfast, and In-woo opened his eyes suddenly -too suddenly: the light coming from outside was very painful-.

"Are you awake?", called Dong-sik, hearing the rustling of bedsheets.

Internally, he prayed. Please don't remember what we talked about last night. Please don't remember what we talked about last night.

In-woo tried to open his eyes again, more slowly.

Unfortunately for Dong-sik, he did remember everything.

Chapter Text

Let's go back in time real quick.

While Dong-sik and In-woo were going their own unsteady way, Bo-kyung only had to look down to see a familia-looking red notebook.

She picked it up, and, yes, it did look like Dong-sik's diary.

"Isn't it Dong-sik's?", remembered Taek-soo. "Should we go give it back to him? They can't be that far yet."

"No", she said, maybe a bit too quickly, considering the way he looked at her. "I'll give it back to him tomorrow."

She had no intention of giving it back to him the next day.

She went home half an hour later, moving to her bedroom, clutching onto the diary.

As she searched for a mirror -she could remember Dong-sik holding it up to a mirror-, she wondered what she was doing. Wasn't it an invasion of privacy? How could Dong-sik ever trust her again, if he found out what she did?

'Just three pages', she thought. Three pages, and then if there was nothing compromising, she'd give it back to Dong-sik and pretend she had no idea what was in it.

She turned on the light next to the mirror, took in a deep breath, and opened the diary at random, before holding it up to the reflection.

Dong-sik had a terrible handwriting.

She moved closer, as she tried to read the tiny words.

'Today, In-woo kissed me again', said the book. 'It was nice but then he added tongue, and I didn't know what to do-'

She closed the book abruptly, her face suddenly very warm.

She had her doubts about their relationship after seeing how In-woo looked at Dong-sik, and hearing Dong-sik say he was dating, but she certainly didn't expect to find something like that.

Okay. That was the first attempt.

Wincing, she opened the diary again, this time at another page.

'I think he might be into those kinky things like Google describes-'

Nope, nope, nope.

She threw the book onto the desk, as if the cover had burnt her. Absolutely not. She wanted proof that Dong-sik was a murderer, she thought she'd find some in this, but it was obviously not the case, and she would not read any further. She would already never be able to look at In-woo in the eyes again, after reading that.

She would go to Dong-sik's house the next day, give him back the diary, and then that would be it.

Unfortunately, when she woke up the next morning and left for Dong-sik's house, knocking at his door, no one answered.

Again, let's go back in time real quick, but this time back to Dong-sik and In-woo.

Once In-woo didn't feel like he was both about to throw up and have his head explode out of pain, he could finally focus on his memories from last night, and the subsequent revelation that Dong-sik knew who he was, and had been trying to save him from being investigated by Officer Shim.

"Dong-sik", he called, as they finished breakfast.

"Mmh?"

"Should we go over to my house?"

Dong-sik gave him a surprised look, his chopsticks halfway to his mouth.

"Why?"

He glanced around at his own home, before focusing back on In-woo.

"You don't like it here?", he asked.

"No-", corrected In-woo, "I just thought that I should show you my house too."

He reached over the table, his thumb brushing over the knuckles of Dong-sik's free hand.

"I want this relationship to be serious", he added, giving him a look. As in, let me show you my murder room and all the cool weapons I have.

Dong-sik blinked owlishly, but nodded.

"Alright..."

Because it had happened once, it had happened twice, it had to happen three times: as usual when In-woo came by Dong-sik's house, they were greeted by Chil-sung, as they left the appartment.

In-woo repressed a groan, recognizing the gangster.

"Boss!", greeted Chil-sung, straightening up.

Then, he turned to In-woo, and with just as much energy, he shouted:

"Boss-in-law! Good morning!"

Both In-woo and Dong-sik stared at him in confusion, before Dong-sik's brain caught up.

"Why would you say that?", he lamented. "What are you even doing here?"

"Boss-in-law?", repeated In-woo, giving Dong-sik a surprised glance.

"Don't pay attention to him", pled Dong-sik. "What", he added towards Chil-sung, "what is it?"

"The thing is", started Chil-sung, and he gave a deep sigh, "that I need to talk to Boss-in-law."

"Who?", reacted In-woo.

"You", sighed Dong-sik. "Why would you need to-"

"Did your parents give him the shovel talk?"

"No?"

"That's what I was thinking. Come with me", he added, grabbing In-woo by the sleeve.

In-woo gave Dong-sik a 'can you believe this?' look but Dong-sik only mouthed 'just go', with a little hand gesture.

Well, since Dong-sik wanted that.

In-woo resigned himself, as he followed the man to the staircase, where he stopped.

"What?", he asked, irritated.

"Boss already told me that you and him were close", clarified Chil-sung. "As Boss' brother in spirit, I thought that I should talk to you in person."

"Brother in spirit?", snorted In-woo.

"Don't laugh. You wouldn't understand our bond", said Chil-sung, rather dramatically.

He grabbed In-woo by the front of his shirt suddenly, making In-woo close his eyes, mentally remidinding himself to not strangle Dong-sik's weird friend.

"Boss has many enemies", hissed Chil-sung, and In-woo's eyes snapped back open. "I saw Officer Shim try to take some of his DNA recently, and she's been snooping around. I'm afraid if he's not more careful, she might find something."

"What kind of thing?", answered In-woo.

"Don't make me laugh. Boss might be naive, but I've seen guys like you. I don't know why you're involved with him, but if you can make sure nothing happens to him, then I'll be indebted to you forever. Otherwise, if you even hurt him a little bit, I have connections. Even if it's the last thing I ever have to do, I'll make sure you'll never live another day without pain. Understood?"

"I mean-", started In-woo, before cutting himself, trying to organize his thoughts. In the end, he decided on saying, sighing, "I'll keep an eye on Officer Shim."

Chil-sung seemed satisfied with that, and stopped wrinkling the front of his shirt -which was already in a very sad state after In-woo slept in it-, taking a step back.

"Also", he added, "use protection. STIs happen quicker than you think."

"What-"

"Are you done?", asked Dong-sik, peeking in.

Chil-sung turned to In-woo, and made a gesture as if zipping his own lips.

In-woo gave him an offended look in return.

"Yes, we are", added Chil-sung, giving Dong-sik a bright smile. "Have a good day, Boss!"

"Yes, you too", replied Dong-sik, giving In-woo a 'what happened?' look.

In-woo, too shocked by the whole discussion, only vaguely shrugged, as they started making their way downstairs.

In-woo's car was still left at the bar so they had to walk there, Dong-sik keeping the conversation going by rambling on about his favorite horror movies -In-woo only had to ask him what the quote on the shirt he'd worn last time meant, and Dong-sik had gone down a rabbit hole of explaining The Shining and then the Exorcist and then this or that other movie-, while In-woo half-listened, and half-considered what to do with Officer Shim.

It turns out that Dong-sik could go on for a while if In-woo asked the occasional question, and so even after driving through half the city and arriving at the bottom of In-woo's building, he was still talking about the ending of The Sixth Sense. In-woo even wondered if anyone'd ever let him ramble for as long as he did now, considering the occasional looks and 'sorry, I'm talking too much-' that Dong-sik said at the beginning, until he seemed to understand that In-woo was perfectly happy to just listen.

"Is this where you live?", suddenly said Dong-sik, interrupting his own sentence, as he looked out the window towards the huge building.

"It is", confirmed In-woo.

Dong-sik was in awe as he saw the underground parking lot, even more in awe when he saw the shiny clean elevator that even worked -it was a miracle if his building's elevator didn't stop between two floors-, and by the time they reached the appartment, In-woo was starting to wonder if letting him in wouldn't make Dong-sik faint or something like that.

Still, he turned the handle.

"This is my house", he introduced, letting Dong-sik go in first.

He didn't actually spend much time outside of the bedroom and murder room, sometimes the desk, and it showed. Dong-sik took off his shoes and found himself in what looked like an appartment that was about to be sold, all expensive furnitures, empty walls and artistic things that might look good in a modern art gallery, but here seemed completely alien.

The sun came in through the pristine windows, yet Dong-sik still felt a shiver go down his spine.

"Do you really live here?", he asked.

Now, he felt kind of sad for his boyfriend. Was that what rich people spent their money on? Houses that felt as comfortable as an art gallery? What about spending money on secret passageways or cool swords?

"Yes", nodded In-woo. "Should I give you a tour?"

Even the fact that he could give a tour of the appartment was impressive. His kitchen was probably already bigger than Dong-sik's entire house.

Starting the tour, Dong-sik discovered that, indeed, the kitchen was at least bigger than his own kitchen and living room added together. But it was also hauntingly empty. No ustensils hanging. When he opened the fridge door, there only seemed to be small bottles lined up. No food whatsoever.

Dong-sik was starting to wonder if he hadn't accidentally been dating a ghost this entire time.

"How do you even eat?", he asked, as he inspected the space under In-woo's sink. Completely empty.

"I go out", answered In-woo. "And my father hosts a lot of family dinners."

That must be why he was so appreciative of Dong-sik's food, if that was the only home prepared food he tasted in a while.

(Meanwhile, Bo-kyung had reached Dong-sik's house, knocked, rang, shouted 'Dong-sik!' until Chil-sung, who was lingering around, informed her that he was out for the day.)

In-woo's bathroom was also very clean, with the razor, toothbrush, toothpaste, hair gel, moisturizer, etc., all lined up perfectly on the sink.

His living room was a bit more colourful, with an entire bookcase that went all the way up to the ceiling.

"You read a lot", pointed out Dong-sik, a bit uselessly.

He passed by the desk, giving the books a look.

A lot of the titles were in english.

"Feel free to look", said In-woo, standing behind him, as Dong-sik stared at the books. "I have something to show you aft-"

A phone buzzing.

Bzzz.

Bzzz.

"What now", muttered In-woo, grabbing his phone.

He clicked his tongue, clearly unhappy with the name he was seeing on his screen.

"Sorry, I have to take this", he said.

"Yes, no problem", replied Dong-sik, nodding.

In-woo turned on his heels, accepting the call as he left the room, answering "Mrs. Jo, this is a weekend-".

Dong-sik listened to his voice move away for a moment, before looking back at the bookshelves.

The more he stared at it, the more convinced he was that either In-woo bought all of them without looking, or he had very random taste. For example, what was Twilight doing next to On The Origin of Species? What type of classification was he using here?

Dong-sik kneeled down next to the shelf, reading more of the titles, but his gaze kept going back to the same book.

"Darwin", he read the name of the author out loud.

Survival of the fittest. Only the strongest survived.

Well, that's what he remembered of Darwin anyways -he didn't know much about Darwin, having failed his exam on evolution, years ago-.

He raised his hand to take out the book, just as In-woo came back.

"Sorry it was-"

Dong-sik looked up, his hand still on the book.

"Yes?", he asked, wondering why In-woo had frozen in his tracks.

"You found it already."

"What?"

In-woo gave a head gesture.

"Pull out the book."

Dong-sik frowned, but started pulling at 'On The Origin Of Species'.

The creaking sound that followed definitely wasn't coming from the book.

Dong-sik let out a surprised sound, as a door slowly revealed itself.

"Secret passageway?", he managed to say.

"Want to see the inside?"

Dong-sik's first primary instinct was to shout 'yes!' and hurry in, like a toddler being allowed to roam free in a playground.

Dong-sik's second instinct, born from the permanent trauma that was watching 50 Shades Of Grey by accident, really did not want to see inside. As far as he knew, he hadn't even ever went beyond kissing with anyone, so going into a sex dungeon was absolutely not in his to-do list.

For a few seconds, both of Dong-sik's curiosity and his fear battled each other fiercely, as In-woo gave him an inquisite look, until the curiosity finally got him and he stood up, dusting his trousers.

"Yeah, sure", he said, even if he gulped down with some difficulty.

He glanced at In-woo, who was waiting for him to go in.

"Should I...?"

"Go ahead", invited In-woo.

Dong-sik closed his eyes instinctively, as he took a step in.

He heard In-woo brush past him, also going in, with the familiar click of the lights being turned on.

"You can look", called out In-woo.

Dong-sik did not know if he wanted to.

But, after taking a deep breath, exhaling up to 1, 2, 3, 4, he finally opened his eyes.

And was met with...

A taxidermied raindeer.

For a moment, he stared at the raindeer, and the raindeer stared back at him.

Okay.

Well.

That didn't seem very sex dungeon.

Slowly, as if his movements might set off some unknown alarm, he looked at his surroundings.

A desk -how many desks did In-woo have in total?!-. More couches -did In-woo know that he was allowed to have more furniture than just desks and couches?-. And, uh.

"Are they real?", asked Dong-sik, just to make sure, as he took in a big, no, a huge, no, an enormous amount of weapons.

Shotguns. Katanas. Hatchets. All types of knives. Dong-sik was pretty sure half the weapons he saw in horrors movies were right here, in this room.

In-woo only hummed in response.

So rich people DID actually have secret passageways and cool swords.

"You can take any you want", added In-woo. "What is mine is yours."

Which seemed to be his very weird way to say 'mi casa es su casa', but that was fine by Dong-sik: he hurried towards one of the shelves, hesitating as to what to look at first.

Sword.

He'd always dreamed of having a sword.

Even if he didn't have his memories back, there is something about chasing around your sister with a wooden sword as a child that you can never quite forget.

"Can I...?", he hesitated again.

In-woo nodded, a pleased smile on his face, as Dong-sik was litteraly beaming seeing the weapon and picking it up.

It was way heavier than he expected, but he still looked at it with big wide eyes.

"That's all yours?", he asked, for clarification.

"It is."

In-woo gestured to the unfortunate raindeer.

"I hunted this", he then pointed to the shotgun, "with one of these, a few years ago."

So he was very into hunting. And weapons.

Still, Dong-sik put the sword back down, something strange in his guts -some might call it instinct, some might call it stomach aches- flaring up.

As he glanced at In-woo, who gave him an expectant look, waiting to see what weapon he would go to, a question echoed through his head.

Who the hell was he dating?

Chapter Text

Once they were done examinating In-woo's appartment -apart from the secret passageway, the odd choice of books, the empty kitchen and the abundance of couches, he also had a bedroom that looked about as joyful as a fancy cell, and a wardrobe big enough to host a party with twenty people in it-, In-woo decided to actually change out of his clothes -he was already unbuttoning his shirt before Dong-sik panicked and hurried out, going into hiding in the kitchen- and came back wearing a red turtleneck.

Which did look good, but Dong-sik stared at him like he'd grown a third eye, almost as weirded out as when In-woo wore his Shining shirt.

"I usually wear this during the week-end", explained In-woo.

"Ah", said Dong-sik, very cleverly.

"What do you think of the appartment?"

Dong-sik couldn't actually say the truth here, which was "I'd rather sleep in a haunted cemetary than here", or, more moderately, "how many bodies are you hiding in this place", or even more moderately "I've seen waiting rooms that look more comfortable than here".

So instead he glanced around.

"It's...", he hesitated. "Nice. Very nice. Yes."

Sure, he was lying, but he couldn't honestly tell In-woo that he'd be having nightmares about this empty kitchen.

"You should buy food", he added.

"Food?"

Was In-woo secretly an alien? That would explain a lot of things.

"For your fridge", added Dong-sik. "Most people have food in their fridges."

Humans usually did.

In-woo seemed to consider the statement, before nodding.

"We should go buy something", he agreed. "There's a grocery store nearby."

And like that, they were now on a hunt to make In-woo's kitchen look more livable.

Because In-woo didn't look like he would even know how to cook rice, Dong-sik decided that it was his duty to write the grocery list. As he reached into his jacket to search for a stray paper, he came to a very important realization.

The diary.

Was not there.

"Is something wrong?", asked In-woo.

As Dong-sik started patting his pockets frantically, he added:

"Did you lose something?"

"My-", started Dong-sik, "I- I don't know where I put it-"

"It's probably still at your house", reasoned In-woo. "Should I drive you there?"

Dong-sik pat his pockets once more, before shaking his head.

"I can check later."

It had to be at home.

It just had to be.

They ended up using Dong-sik's notes app on his phone to make the grocery list, with basic ingredients. Unfortunately, it looked like Dong-sik would be spending the night in In-woo's fancy haunted house, and so he resigned himself to the idea while thinking of recipes, in the elevator taking them to the bottom of the building.

The grocery store was right around the corner, In-woo glancing at the list.

"What should we buy first?", he asked.

"Well the vegetables are right here", noticed Dong-sik.

In-woo was very efficient at grocery shopping: Dong-sik only needed to point the vegetable and In-woo grabbed it and checked the weight, before sticking the price onto it. The hunt for carbs and sauces went similarly, and Dong-sik thought, as he strolled through the grocery aisles, In-woo looking at the items like he'd never seen food before, that this kind of domesticity was actually pretty nice.

"Should we buy this?", asked In-woo, as they went buy the meat section.

"Oh, this looks pretty good", agreed Dong-sik.

Which somehow led In-woo to say, completely unprompted:

"My father drinks animal blood when hunting."

Dong-sik, who had been reaching for the package, stopped in his movement to instead give In-woo a very confused look.

"Your father did what?"

"I drank some when I was a kid because I wanted to be just like him."

Dong-sik had no idea why In-woo was suddenly either confessing his big dark traumas or making his coming out as a vampire in the middle of the grocery store, but the key to any relationship was to be supportive, and so he gave what he hoped to be a supportive nod.

Truth was that In-woo had just decided that since Dong-sik knew about his identity already, he should start sharing things with him and deepen their bond this way.

Unfortunately, he had no idea how, and the meat had been the only thing that came to his mind.

Considering Dong-sik's nod, it seemed that his attempt had worked.

"My father used to make me cut the meat at the family's restaurant", he said, to try and stay on the 'father-food' topic.

"You said that once before", noticed In-woo.

Dong-sik blinked.

"You remembered?", he said, a bit surprised.

"I remember everything about you."

That was probably a lie. In-woo did not remember anything about Dong-sik before they first met on the rooftop.

"Pork or chicken?", asked Dong-sik, instead of furthering the conversation about In-woo clearly being very obsessed with him.

In-woo paid for everything and, since they'd woken up late and had eaten only hours before, they decided to just go home, put everything in the fridge, and watch something on the TV like the tired grown-ups that they were.

In-woo didn't even have a TV, so they had to move his laptop's screen to face the living room, and turn the couch, before they could settle down.

"What should we watch?", asked Dong-sik. In-woo didn't even have any streaming service. What the hell did he even do in his free time.

"I don't know much about movies", answered In-woo.

"Have you seen Psycho?"

It sounded like a very bad joke -a serial killer watching Psycho- but since In-woo had the culture of a newborn when it came to horror movies, Dong-sik put on the movie, sat down next to In-woo on the leather couch, and got ready for In-woo's movie commentary.

The introduction alone was long enough for him to start feeling tired, and he blinked to stay awake, before glancing at In-woo, who had started, not very discreetly, moving to Dong-sik's side of the couch.

When his tactic was found out and Dong-sik gave him a surprised look, In-woo cleared his throat loudly, standing up.

"Do you want a blanket?"

Dong-sik did want a blanket.

In-woo came back with a blanket that was probably worth Dong-sik's monthly rent, and this time clearly sat down next to Dong-sik, their elbows bumping against each other, as he carefully draped the blanket over both of their legs.

The movie started with the characters making out, which Dong-sik had temporarily forgotten.

As they watched the characters make out, Dong-sik was already growing more and more conscious of the fact that him and In-woo were not making out. How did that even work? Were they supposed to make out based on In-woo's kink for Dong-sik's murder side flaring up? Should he suggest kissing every once in a while, so In-woo wouldn't feel like he was the only one who wanted to make out?

"What is she doing", tsked In-woo, making Dong-sik realized he'd been worrying all by himself for the past five minutes.

He tried to refocus on the story, but it was actually more difficult than he thought. Psycho, unfortunately, was not the kind of movies he could rewatch indefinitely without getting bored, and, as a bonus, he was hyperaware of In-woo's arm and thigh touching his, and so he had no idea what to do with himself.

"Aish", sighed In-woo, shaking his head in disapproval, as a police car appeared on screen.

Should they hold hands? They'd held hands before. Had they? Dong-sik nervously wiped his palms on his trousers, just in case In-woo -who was very focused on the screen at the moment- suddenly decided he wanted to hold hands.

He eyed In-woo's hands carefully, slender fingers and all that. Should he just grab it? Would that be impolite?

"I don't trust this", said In-woo.

Dong-sik looked up like a deer caught in the headlights, but In-woo was busy staring at the screen, unaware of Dong-sik's internal conflict.

As Marion Crane got ready to go into the shower, Dong-sik took his decision.

Right as a shadowy figure appeared from behind the shower curtain, he grabbed In-woo's hand.

The result of the awkward timing that was Dong-sik grabbing In-woo's hand at the same time that the shower curtain was pulled away was that In-woo startled, prompting Dong-sik to let go of his hand hurriedly, burning from shame as the woman on screen started screaming.

"No, I-", started In-woo, noticing that his movement of surprise had embarassed Dong-sik, "I was just surprised, that's all."

He extended his hand, giving Dong-sik an encouraging nod.

Hesitantly, Dong-sik moved his hand, slowly interlacing his fingers with In-woo.

Their hands were kind of the same size, and he hoped that his palm wasn't sweaty anymore. He watched as In-woo's fingers closed over his hand, feeling ridiculously giddy about it.

"I think she's dead", noticed In-woo, as he rested their hands on his thigh.

"Ah, yes", replied Dong-sik automatically.

He gave In-woo's hand a light squeeze, just so see, and In-woo squeezed back.

Well.

This was kind of nice.

After another hour of watching atrocities on the screen, the movie finally ended, and Dong-sik checked his watch.

"Should I start cooking?", he asked. "Are you hungry?"

"Mmh?", answered In-woo, still reading the names of the producers onscreen. "Ah, yes."

Dong-sik started getting up, but stopped.

"You're still holding my hand", he pointed out.

"Ah", reacted In-woo, removing his hand.

Dong-sik's fingers actually felt kind of cramped, but he stumbled towards the kitchen, In-woo turning off the TV before he followed him.

"What can I do?", asked In-woo, as Dong-sik started taking out ingredients.

"We need ginger, gochujang, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce-", started recitating Dong-sik, counting on his fingers as he went.

The plan was fried chicken. In-woo volunteered to beat the eggs, so Dong-sik decided to focus on cutting the chicken.

"At least it's not pork", said Dong-sik aloud. "Less blood."

"Do you dislike blood?", asked In-woo, busy whisking the eggs.

Did he? He probably got covered in a lot of blood, while cleaning up murder scenes.

"I think", finally answered Dong-sik.

"I'll clean up for you then", suggested In-woo.

As in, I'll clean up after you're done killing someone.

Which Dong-sik obviously did not interpret as that, still focused on pork.

In-woo was okay-ish at cooking -he didn't set anything on fire, didn't break anything, but also he couldn't distinguish the bottle for soy sauce and the bottle for sesame oil-, but he decided to let Dong-sik handle the whole frying business, while he set the table.

Dong-sik finally put the plate of fried chicken, pickled radish and rice on the table, sitting down.

"Enjoy the meal", he wished, as he helped himself to some.

"You too", replied In-woo, already digging in.

Outside the window, the sun was slowly disappearing.

Dong-sik thought, a bit sadly, about all the times he came home to eat in front of the TV, and then went to sleep alone. And, according to his diary and what his family said, he probably had a similar lonely lifestyle even before the accident, made of going home all by himself, going grocery shopping all by himself, cooking all by himself, watching movies all by himself, sleeping all by himself.

He gave a big sad exhale.

"Are you okay?", asked In-woo, holding a piece of chicken up to his mouth.

"I-", hesitated Dong-sik.

Perhaps inspired by In-woo's storytime moment earlier in the day, he managed to say:

"I'm glad I'm not lonely anymore."

In-woo stared at him, blinking a few times.

"I'm", he said, still holding his food up, "glad for that too."

Dong-sik felt like doing something dramatic like bursting into tears, but instead he took a big bite, while In-woo muttered about the food being good.

They washed the dishes and In-woo asked if Dong-sik would like to take a shower.

"I can lend you clothes", he added.

He probably wore Armani even in bed. Dong-sik wondered if he'd even be able to repay In-woo if he accidentally ripped one of his expensive pyjamas, but ended up agreeing anyways, curious as to how rich people's showers worked -hopefully, they did get warm water, unlike his-.

In-woo left him after giving a brief explanation of how to turn on the hot water, and Dong-sik closed the door before undressing quickly.

The water was warm, and for a few seconds, Dong-sik just stood there, enjoying having warm water, lots of hair conditioners and body wash available, and a great and wealthy boyfriend.

Then, he figured he needed to wash his hair, and as he leaned forward to grab the shampoo, he noticed something weird in a corner of the shower.

A red-brown stain.

He frowned, and kneeled down, taking a look.

That looked like blood. Like old blood.

Dong-sik stared at it, his instinct screaming at him, but it was kind of like having his head underwater, the words muffled.

Finally, he stood up again, and grabbed the shampoo bottle. It was probably nothing, maybe In-woo's nose bled or something during a shower.

In-woo's expensive pyjamas did feel nice -although he was kind of swimming in them, the clothes a bit too big-, and he walked out to find most of the lights dimmed.

The last two times he and In-woo were in bed together, one of them was in a bad state, which strictly prohibited any potential 'having some fun together'.

Now, however...

Dong-sik stopped moving, considering.

They had been dating -with a brief interruption- for months now. In-woo was introduced to his family. They made-out multiple times. They even held hands.

Would In-woo want to take things to the next level already?

No, no way. He didn't make enough research about it. They didn't have any conservation. He didn't see any condom laying around. Surely In-woo wouldn't...

He took his courage, and quickly moved to In-woo's bedroom.

The lights there were already turned off, but he could distinguish the shape of In-woo, already under the blanket, probably about to fall asleep.

His anxiety, which had been skyrocketing, fell down and crashed.

Well, this was why he needed to communicate with In-woo, to avoid unecessary anxiety.

He turned off the lights outside of the bedroom, and moved to the left side of the bed, settling down.

"Did you turn off the lights?", asked In-woo.

"I did", assured Dong-sik.

In-woo shifted his position, turning around to face him.

Even in the dark, his eyes were still a bit visible.

Dong-sik froze, as he felt In-woo's hand on his cheek.

In-woo's thumb brushed against his cheekbone.

Dong-sik felt himself relax a bit, and raised his own hand to cover In-woo's.

He felt like a romance character. He felt like even their heartbeats were in sync.

He felt like blurting out his love for In-woo.

"I-", he started, "I- I think-"

Only God knows if he would've managed to finish his sentence, because at that moment, a phone started ringing.

In-woo's hand moved away from him as he let out an irritated groan, muttering "who even calls at this hour?" as he searched for his phone on the table by the bedside.

"Who is it?", asked Dong-sik, as In-woo checked the number.

"Officer Shim", said In-woo, sounding confused, and he sat up.

Dong-sik did too, and moved to turn on the light, as In-woo accepted the call.

"Yes?", he asked.

There was a moment of silence, as he listened.

"Dong-sik?", he repeated, and Dong-sik looked at him in alert, mouthing 'me?'. "You can't contact him?"

Dong-sik frowned, and reached for his phone on his own side of the bed.

He turned it on, but the only thing that showed was a little sign 'please charge'.

"My phone doesn't have any battery", he explained.

"His phone is out of battery", repeated In-woo. "Yes, he's with me, why-"

He frowned.

"Alright", he said, and held the phone out to Dong-sik. "She wants to speak to you."

"Why?", asked Dong-sik, confused, but he took the phone. "He- hello?"

"Dong-sik", said Bo-kyung's voice.

On the other end of the phone, Bo-kyung stared at the diary in front of her, taking in a deep breath.

"I need to see you now."

Chapter Text

Dong-sik's 'to-do' list never ever had 'going to prison' on it.

Never.

In fact, if he were to make a 'to-NOT-do' list, 'going to prison' would probably be in the top 5.

He might be a murderer, but that did not mean he was thinking of going to jail at any point.

So when he was forced out of bed -he insisted that In-woo stay home and that he'd be back soon-, had to get dressed, go down In-woo's giant building, take the bus and saw, on his phone -which was holding onto 1% battery- that Chil-sung had sent him a message saying "Officer Shim came by your appartment and said she had to give you back a diary", it felt like getting an ice bucket thrown at his face.

Bo-kyung had his diary?!

It had to have fallen during their interaction the day before: and, knowing her, she had to have read it. Even if she didn't suspect him before, she did like snooping around a lot.

Which meant that she knew that he was a murderer.

And that whatever this meeting was, it wouldn't go well.

His first instinct was to call Bo-kyung and cancel the meeting, but his 1% battery was gone already. His second instinct was to go back to In-woo's place and suggest eloping to the US. His third instinct was to get out and go out in the woods and start a new life there.

In the end, the cold determination of a hardened murderer settled in. Or maybe he was just too tired and could only come up with a wacky plan in this state.

He would get the diary, at whatever cost.

He couldn't let his total disrespect for other human lives get in his way of living his own life.

With that in mind, he got off in front of Bo-kyung's family coffee shop, with no weapon and no plan, trying to convince himself he'd be able to kill his friend.

The bell jingled when he opened the door. The blinds were shut and most of the place was dark, except for the counter, where Bo-kyung was standing, her back turned towards the door.

Unfortunately for her, her mother wasn't done cleaning up earlier, and a whole table was still set, a knife clearly visible.

Fortunately for her, as Dong-sik grabbed the knife, she turned around.

The diary in her hands.

The diary open in her hands.

"Dong-sik", she breathed out. "Is it true?"

Meanwhile, in his bed, In-woo was sitting up abruptly, his spidey-senses tingling -well, let's say his 'Dong-sik is about to do something stupid' detector-.

He already didn't feel sure about this whole meeting, but in his effort at maintaining a healthy relationship with his fellow serial killer boyfriend, he had decided to not immediately follow him. This, in retrospective, was a mistake. Only half a day ago, he was telling that gangster guy that he could keep an eye on Officer Shim, and here they were now.

He rushed out of bed, grabbing his coat and throwing it over his pyjama shirt, put on other trousers and shoes -in his hurry, the socks were sadly forgotten- and ran out of the appartment, car key already in his hand.

For a full breakdown as to what happened between Bo-kyung and Dong-sik, please refer to episode 12.

Here is a brief recap.

DONG-SIK approaches BO-KYUNG threateningly, holding a knife.

BO-KYUNG turns around, holding the diary.

BO-KYUNG: you can't really be a murderer

DONG-SIK: but I am

BO-KYUNG: are you gonna kill me?

DONG-SIK makes a half-assed attempt at killing her. He fails.

By the time In-woo's car was approaching Bo-kyung's family coffee shop, he had to slow down, police cars already surrounding the place.

He parked in the middle of the street and ran out, towards the shop: at the same moment, two cops and Bo-kyung came out, holding onto Dong-sik, handcuffed and shaking.

For a brief second, Dong-sik looked up, meeting In-woo's eyes, as In-woo came to a halt near the police cars.

Bo-kyung noticed Dong-sik stopping and looking away, and followed the direction of his eyes.

Standing near the crowd of cars, In-woo stood there, pale and lost.

"I'll handle it", she managed to say to Dong-sik.

His eyes didn't leave In-woo, as he was pulled into a car.

Bo-kyung jogged towards In-woo, who gave her a look somewhat alike to a child lost in a grocery store searching for their parent.

"What happened?", he breathed out. "Dong-sik forgot something so I came to give it back-"

"He's a suspect", she answered.

He blinked.

"For what?"

"Murder", she said, a bit hesitant, but In-woo was Dong-sik's boyfriend, it was better he learn early. "We... I think... it's possible that he might be..."

In-woo stared at her, waiting for the end of her sentence.

"The predator murderer", she finished.

Chapter Text

No words could describe how Dong-sik felt.

That was, at least, his impression. The thesaurus would probably disagree, using the words miserable, unhappy, wretched, afflicted, agonized, ailing, anguished, and many more to describe how Dong-sik felt.

But the closest one might get to describing his state was that the sky falling down would feel less terrible than what was happening to him right now.

He went through countless questionnings, deciding, early on, to expose the complete and plain truth. This was the least he could do now: be as honest as he could, show good-will, and cross his fingers hoping it might lessen whatever burden his acquaintances would face.

The trial went by the way memories did: quickly, leaving big gaps that he couldn't remember how to fill, while everything seemed to happen completely outside of his control.

He'd tried to kill Bo-kyung.

And failed very badly.

He noticed her in corridors while being dragged to yet another place in handcuffs, and shouted a pathetic "I'm sorry!", but she looked away and hurried his pace.

Right.

That would probably be how everyone would treat him now.

Even In-woo, with his weird interest in unsavory characters, would be disgusted by him now.

Overwhelmed by a mix of intense self-pity and terrible disgust for himself, he contradicted himself through the psychological evaluation, stared off into the distance, didn't know how to answer. Due to economical restriction, he was not allowed more than one evaluation: this alone was enough for the therapist to declare that he showed little regret or emotion whatsoever -the therapist, one might add, was not a very good one, but by the time the evaluation occured, the medias were already busy digging through Dong-sik's ugliest pictures to publish with a big 'SOUTH KOREA'S FEARED PREDATOR MURDERER' written on top-.

He came to the trial with a total of 0 hours of sleep, 0 food consumed, 0 motivation whatsoever.

He tried very hard not to look at the public, even if he could recognize his step-mother's sobs.

"Defendant", he was asked, as the trial came to an end, "do you have anything to add?"

"I don't have anything to say."

"Then, we'll hand down the ruling for the defendant Yook Dong-sik now. With the evidence retained during the trial, having considered every element carefully..."

He stared at the wall in front of him.

"I sentence him to life in prison", came the sentence.

A few cheers erupted, at the same time as Dong-sik's father abruptly stood up.

"Your Honor! My son would never do such a thing! Dong-sik, tell him it's not true! Tell him!"

Dong-sik stared at his feet resolutely, as he was being pulled away.

Life.

In.

Prison.

Little did he know, that there were at least eight people who did not believe him guilty.

One, two, three and four were his father, step-mother, sister and brother. Five was his nefew, who was very confused as to why everyone seemed suddenly incredibly emotional. Six was, although it was more a vague suspicion that an actual certitude, Bo-kyung. Seven was the forever loyal Chil-sung, who, even if he knew about the detective already, would swear on his heart and soul that Dong-sik would never do anything like that.

Eight, and that was the only person close to the full truth in this situation, was, obviously, none other than Seo In-woo.

There are things in life that you cannot expect.

Having your boyfriend arrested for crimes that you commited and that you wrote about, was one of those things for In-woo.

"There has to be a mistake", he'd told Bo-kyung over and over again, "Dong-sik wouldn't-"

"I'm sorry", she told him, every time. "But he confessed already."

And here, there were two questions.

1. What proof did she acquire, except for his testimony?

2. Why would Dong-sik admit to something he hadn't done?

And then a few days after Dong-sik was arrested, the cousin of the wife of the friend of the nefew of the boyfriend of the mother of a cop published, in the local newspaper they worked for 'A DIARY INVOLVED IN THE INVESTIGATION OF PREDATOR MURDERER' along with a very blurry picture of the evidence that was the little red diary.

In-woo's little red diary.

That answered question n°1. Well, kind of. Someway, somehow, Dong-sik had managed to get a hold of the diary. Assuming it was lost during his latest murderous hunt, Dong-sik must've seen him with it, taken it -although he had no idea how-, and then...

And then he investigated In-woo with Bo-kyung, at the same time as he started dating In-woo.

He gave himself intense migraines trying to figure out the 'why' in this case. Why did Dong-sik do any of that? Was he so reluctant to speak to him, at the beginning, because he already knew of In-woo's hobby? Or was he baiting him, also seeking a kindred soul -fancy words to say that he felt lonely and wanted to find another guy that enjoyed killing people-? Could it be that Dong-sik was somehow so in love with him, that he was now ready to take the blame for In-woo?

With all that in mind, he decided to look for more clues.

Starting with the worker that Dong-sik saved, before the body of one of In-woo's victim was found.

"He asked about, about how he died", stammered the worker, once In-woo tracked him down. "I give him the suicide note..."

Dong-sik had received one of the suicide letter than In-woo had forged, but, for some reason, that same suicide letter did not appear in the trial. It looked like Dong-sik had gotten rid of it.

Then, he went to see Dong-sik's colleagues.

"He wouldn't do something like that", assured Jae-ho.

"You must be even more devastated than us", added Jung-ah, full of compassion.

Jae-ho didn't explain his statement any further, although he did look like he knew more than he wanted to tell. In-woo kept that in mind, deciding to interrogate him further later.

Then it was Dong-sik's family -who all cried a lot and said 'he wouldn't even hurt a bug-', Dong-sik's gangster friend -who cracked his knuckles threateningly, saying 'you said you'd keep an eye on the cop...'-, and before he knew it, the trial was ending already, and he was standing in a room watching Dong-sik get sentenced to life in prison, for crime that he had committed.

Failure had never tasted so bitter before.

So far, the only elements were those, that completely went against what he and the prosecution thought they knew about Dong-sik.

Dong-sik was a very kind person.

Dong-sik wouldn't even hurt a mosquitoe.

Dong-sik was struggling with mental health.

That was the more implicit part, but it was clear as day -except for Dong-sik's assigned therapist, who, as we've established, sucked at their job- to anyone who knew Dong-sik for a long period of time that the combination of his father's rough educating practices, his mother's death, his personality and his colleagues' bullying had all led to some type of deep insecurity.

If In-woo had always imagined that that led Dong-sik on a similar path to his, doubt was now growing in his mind.

What if that were not the case?

But, more importantly than any attempt at finding the truth, than interviewing every acquaintance of Dong-sik, more importantly than anything, In-woo was turning into a very sad, very pale copy of himself.

For comparison, let's say this. You're in class -school, university, or maybe at work-. The lunch break is soon. You're thinking about eating ramen at your favorite restaurant down the street, as a treat. The lunch break arrives. You run there. The restaurant is closed. That deep, deep sadness, as you start wandering aimlessly through the street, was the type of despair that In-woo felt.

It's not easy, for someone who walks alone throughout life, and thought they'd finally found the one who would almost trip and fall over their shoelaces by their side, to suddenly get that ripped away from them.

That's why, on a grey, sad monday morning, he waited along with Dong-sik's family and Chil-sung, in the room for prison visits.

"Don't cry", reminded Chil-sung, next to him. "The more you cry the less time you have to talk-"

He didn't listen to any of it. His eyes were only focused on the other side of the room, on the door.

Waiting for it to open.

His mind was a blurry mess, every thought drowned by an anxious repetition of Dong-sik Dong-sik Dong-sik Dong-sik Dong-sik.

Footsteps.

They all went quiet, raising their heads.

The door opened.

Chapter Text

"Dong-sik!"

"Dong-sik are you okay?"

"Dong-sik are you eating enough?"

In less than a few seconds, everyone standing on the other side of the wall was tearing up, pressing their faces as if to get a better look, while Dong-sik stared down at the table.

"Dong-sik, are you okay?", asked another voice he hadn't expected.

Amongst family and friend, In-woo seemed even taller, his face stuck in a worried frown.

"I'm fine", said Dong-sik, looking back at the table.

"Boss, you'll soon be cleared from all charge!", claimed Chil-sung, pushed away by Dong-sik's dad in his attempt to get closer to the wall.

"Right!", said Dong-sik's dad. "You didn't do this, so why would you confess?"

In-woo mentally nodded.

"Those people know", said Dong-sik, and he glanced up, "that I killed a man."

Dong-sik's family all turned towards Chil-sung and In-woo, who suddenly pretended to be very busy studying the walls.

"No", finally tried to protest Chil-sung, rather badly, "that is..."

"I don't know about anything like that", added In-woo. That was, after all, the truth: he'd never actually seen Dong-sik kill anyone.

Dong-sik's family turned back towards him.

"I'm sorry", added Dong-sik. "I have no right to be your acquaintance. So, don't come to see me ever again-"

"No!", said everyone on the other side of the wall, followed by a chorus of sad wails.

While In-woo didn't start sobbing along with the others, he did look like a child whose ice cream fell onto the side walk.

"I have nothing else to say", added Dong-sik, standing up.

"Wait, Dong-sik-", called In-woo.

In vain.

Dong-sik walked out as he'd come in, quietly, head low.

He was taken back to the prison yard, ugly sobs blooming in his throat, and he blinked as he tried to chase away tears.

He should've been nicer in his last goodbyes. This might've very well been the last time he saw his family, and Chil-sung, and In-woo-

No, it was better this way. A murderer like him didn't deserve the happiness he'd had. He was already ruining their lives just by being near them.

Don't cry, he told himself, as he walked through the yeard. Don't cry, Yook Dong-sik. You're not even a human being, so you have no right to be sad.

Fleetingly, he remembered In-woo's statement.

"I'm a horrible person", he'd admitted back then.

"Does it matter?", had said In-woo. "Good, bad... does it matter anyways?"

That wasn't right. It should matter, even if, for a short second, the memory brought a bit of warmth, it soon vanished.

Meanwhile, Dong-sik's cellmates, who were growing more and more distrustful of Dong-sik -all convinced that one day they simply would not wake up, and he would be collecting their bloody fingerprints- were preparing nefarious plans, as he considered the philosophy of good and evil.

"You do it", whispered one.

"Why me? You do it!"

"No you-"

"You-"

"Okay then you-"

"Why me?! You can go-"

"Yes you should go-"

After much arguing, one of them finally grabbed the small cutter they'd managed to sneak into the prison, and started moving towards Dong-sik.

He'd just go in quick, stabstab, and that would be it.

He reached for Dong-sik, ready for the stabbing.

What he did not expect was Dong-sik, on the edge of tears, trying to keep his emotions down, and looking very constipated. Or downright possessed.

In shock, the cellmate's weapon fell to the ground, as he did too.

Dong-sik tried to take in a soothing breath to keep the tears down, but it sounded more like an animal's pained grunt, as warm tears started making his vision blurry.

The ugly sobs were crawling up his throat, as the memory of his visitors came back to him, with a sad montage of all the good moments he had with each of them, and he forced himself to keep the sobs in his mouth, making more disturbing sounds that sent everyone's skeletton shaking.

Dong-sik, his eyes overwhelmed with tears, bent down as he noticed that something had fallen down when the prisoner fell, and tried to hand it back to him.

"I have to hold back", he whispered to himself, blinking back tears, "I have to hold back-"

His emotions reached a breaking point and he suddenly started shaking, and before he could think, he was throwing away the cutter, and running away, feeling both nauseous and overwhelmingly sad, trying not to cry in public, one hand on his mouth, before giving up and letting out a desperate sob.

As shown here, Dong-sik was not doing well.

Meanwhile, Bo-kyung hadn't forgotten In-woo's statement that "he'll kill everyone that gets in our way". While she'd never felt quite right about In-woo -although at first, it was because she thought he was hitting on her, and afterwards because it felt like he was vaguely jealous of hers and Dong-sik's relationship-, that doubt was growing into an ugly suspicion, and she felt an unpleasant feeling down her gut as she agreed to meet him at a restaurant later in the week.

In-woo looked like the polite gentleman she'd seen before, but more unhealthy. His vibes were very off, as they sat down.

"I'm sorry I had to bother you during the week, you must be busy", he said, with his usual smile that kinda look like he was in terrible pain but was attempting to hide it as well -of unwell- as he could.

"I'm not", she assured, "since I got the promotion..."

She stopped herself. Talking about the money she got for locking up his boyfriend probably wouldn't be good.

His smile became even more pained.

"I know the trial is over", he continued, "but I want to convince Dong-sik to appeal."

"Why...?"

"He didn't kill them."

Bo-kyung's eyebrows rose, at the certainty in his tone.

"How do you know that?"

"He was fascinated with true crime podcasts", lied In-woo. "He told me before that he was preparing a book, and using previous odd cases as inspiration, pretending to be a murderer to get in the character's mindset."

Weak excuse, but it was better for Dong-sik to look vaguely fucked-up than to spend his entire life in prison.

"Why did he confess then?", she asked.

"The amnesia."

"What?"

In-woo gave a convinced nod, as if that might convince her too.

"He must've thought it was really him, because of the amnes-"

He stopped halfway through his word.

He must've thought.

That he was really the killer.

When he read the diary.

After having amnesia.

Chapter Text

During the second week in prison, Dong-sik had more opportunities to frighten his cellmates for no reason -for example, when he slepttalked and somehow happened to be quoting The Exorcist, leading to everyone else in the cell to be convinced they were trapped with a demon-, and to miss people from the outside very much.

That's why, when Bo-kyung asked to see him, he didn't actually refuse to see her.

Until he'd walked into the room, seeing her standing there, and remembered his attempt at killing her.

He was already turning away when her voice stopped him.

"Wait", she called.

He glanced back.

"I came because I have something to talk to you about. Sit down."

He did so obediently, staring hard at the table.

"What's wrong? You even tried to kill me. Can't you look me in the eyes?"

"I'm sorry", he blurted out. "I had to tell you-"

"Nevermind the apology", she dismissed. "I saw the suicide note through Jae-ho."

He froze.

Suicide note...?

(For reminders, Jae-ho had been planning on telling him about the suicide letter he wrote on the day of In-woo's promotion. Because Mi-joo, Jung-ah and Seo-yeon got a hold of Dong-sik first, he never found the time and place to tell him.)

"On september 13th, the day Kim Myeong-gook got attacked by the predator, you were attempting suicide", she added, carefully.

Suicide?

Him?

Why?

"I did?", he asked.

She reached into her bag, taking out a piece of paper, and spreading it onto the table.

It'd been stitched together badly, probably after being ripped into pieces. He took it slowly, as if it might get destroyed, and held it up, reading the tiny letters.

It did look like his handwriting...

"That day, you got hit by my car and suffered memory loss", she continued. "And you had in your possession that diary. At that time, we both thought it obviously belonged to you... but what if it doesn't?"

"The diary owner would be someone else?", he said.

His brain tried to take in the words.

Not his.

Not his diary.

Not his murders.

"If, before you got hit by my car, you ended up with the real predator's diary", she kept going, "it means that you might be taking the fall for someone else. If you took the diary by accident... no, maybe you witnessed the scene of the predator's murder?"

"Are you saying", asked Dong-sik, for clarification, because it very much sounded like she was coming up with a bunch of weird ideas -although the suicide letter was there, in a handwriting that was so much more like his than the neat one in the diary's first pages-, "that because of my amnesia... I'm mistaking the real predator's diary... as my own?"

She gave a firm nod.

Did it make sense? Was it even possible? That he wasn't...

No way.

"I've never heard so much nonsense in my life!", he argued.

"Dong-sik!"

"2018, august 25th, 48-year-old, Park Jae-moon, I drowned him and made it look accidental", he recalled. "November 10th, I cut the wrist of Lee Ji-hye and disguised it as a suicide. March 4th, 33 year old, Oh Min-seok, and april 24th, 67 years old, Park Mal-soon, july 8th, 42 year old, Hong Jin-goo, I killed all of them. Septembre 13th, Kim Myeong-gook, at the construction site-"

"Septembre 13th? At the construction site?", she repeated.

"Yes?"

Her whole face suddenly lit up, like a kid figuring out a puzzle.

"What now?", he lamented.

"Kim Myeong-gook died on september 18th!"

He sighed.

"You must be mistaken. I'm gonna go-"

He started getting up, but she slammed her hands against the table, rising so fast her knees cracked.

"Five days after Kim Myeong-gook got attacked at the construction site, he died from a fire at his home."

Five days later?

When he saw him in the street?

Wasn't that just a ghost?

"What- what did you say?"

"If you didn't set fire to his home that day, at least this victim, Kim Myeong-gook, wasn't killed by you", she concluded.

His jaw dropped a little.

"What- what are you talking about?", he protested.

"Visiting hours are over", said a voice, coming from the other side of the room.

He gave Bo-kyung a panicked look, as the guard started pulling him away, but she grabbed his hands.

"Just wait a bit, I'll look into it more and come back", she promised.

He nodded frantically, before letting himself be pulled away.

The next few days, he could barely sleep, as the discussion played and replayed in his memory -the disadvantages of having such a good memory, except for what he'd forgotten thanks to amnesia-.

Someone else.

Someone else, who'd killed all these people.

They must know that he'd taken the fall for him. They probably were laughing right now, living their own life outside of prison, enjoying their days...

Someone else.

The idea didn't leave his head, chewing at his brain.

Was it possible? Or was he just convincing himself, to avoid accepting his own monstrosity?

His train of thoughts was briefly interrupted by an unexpected event, which was him unvoluntarily defending the man that had been accused for one of his murders. Honestly, he was kind of surprised to learn he was still there: with the predator murderer captured, they should've let him out.

In any case, the man wasn't too happy to meet the guy that earned him years in prison, and threw him against a wall, Dong-sik's head hitting it.

Hard.

Very hard.

As his vision became very pixelized and his eyes eventually closed, he heard a whisper.

Help me.

A man, laying on the floor of a construction site, a toolkit next to him.

"Help me!"

He opened his eyes abruptly.

His cellmates had started harassing the guy-who-also-took-the-fall-for-the-predator-killer again, but stopped as he stood up, shaking.

"For a split second", he said, shaking very much, "everything, everything was clear..."

"Is he getting possessed again?", squeaked someone.

"Everything became clear", he repeated, trying to gather his thoughts, but the memories were fleeting, bouncing like the logo on a television screen.

The wall, he needed to knock his head against the wall-

"Hit me one more time!", he begged the crowd of prisonners, rushing towards one of his cellmate. "One more, one more time!"

Everyone looked at him, growing more and more disturbed, but he rushed to the wall, starting to knock his head against it.

One more time, one more time-

Everything had been so clear-

One more time, and surely, he would know who the predator killer was-

Chapter Text

Dong-sik spent an unpleasant night -him and the other predator-murder-scapegoat locked up in disgusting cells, sharing stories about being accused of things they hadn't done, as well as tips on how to escape that Dong-sik had no intention on following- and was dragged the next day to the prison's director.

Said prison-director was a very very greedy man, which, in this case, turned out to be an advantage.

As Dong-sik opened his mouth, ready to ask for a trial, the man interrupted him.

"Your aunt died recently."

Dong-sik gave him a confused look.

Aunt?

"It's been arranged that you would have one day out, to go to the funerals. You're not allowed to tell anyone. Wouldn't want to make anyone jealous, would we?"

Had he told Dong-sik that he had just been elected as president, he couldn't've been more surprised.

Since when did he have an aunt?

And why was he allowed to go to the funeral?

"Take him there", he called out, to the guards. "You remember the instructions, right?"

"Wait-", tried to say Dong-sik, "what do you m-"

Unexpectedly, the prison director gave him a wink.

"Tell your friend that if you manage, he owes me 100 million more", he added.

"My friend...?"

Without further explanations, he was thrown into the back of a truck that really looked more like a food distribution truck than a prison one, and sat there in complete confusion, alone, as they drove away.

Aunt? Friend? 100?

He spent the next hour pondering on whether it was even decent for him to show up, and was very determined on telling the guards that this was a mistake, when they opened the door.

One of the guards appeared, throwing something into the back, before closing the door again.

Dong-sik hurried towards the pile of thing.

Phone.

Clothes.

Key.

It seemed that for some reason, the prison director had decided to make him escape.

No, that wasn't right. He shouldn't be here, he should be in prison. Why would they-

"Get dressed", said a voice from the outside.

"Sorry", he called, "but I'd rather go back in prison-"

"Did I ask for your opinion?"

Sheepishly, Dong-sik uncuffed himself, and changed his clothes, grabbing the phone.

The door opened again, and a guard went in, grabbing him by the arm, as he dragged him outside.

"I'm sorry", apologized Dong-sik again, "but there must be a mistake-"

"No mistake."

With that, the guard jumped back into the truck, and the vehicule started driving away, leaving Dong-sik there, in the middle of the street.

What the...?

The phone started buzzing, and he hurried to take it out.

'Are you out?'

'Who are you?', he typed in return.

He glanced around. Someone had gone through the trouble of bribing the prison director and guards, all to get him out. Could it be...

The real predator murderer?

'No names. Let's meet.'

Dong-sik stared at his phone in confusion, when suddenly, a car honk made him jump in place.

"Yes officers take me back to prison-", he started saying instinctively, as car headlights blinded him.

"Boss!"

He blinked.

"Chil-sung?"

"Boss! It's really you!", cheered Chil-sung, his head sticking out the window. "Come in, quickly!"

Dong-sik hurried to the car, getting in, and Chil-sung immediately started the engine again.

"How did you-"

"I got an anonymous message, saying I might find you here", he explained. "I didn't believe it, but... boss, how did you get out?"

"I don't kn- Chil-sung, I need to go somewhere", he realized.

"I know", nodded Chil-sung.

"You do?!"

"You need a place to rest! You must be so tired, after this escape-"

"No, I need to meet the person who sent the mess-"

Chil-sung started the radio suddenly, drowning out Dong-sik's words.

"I need to meet-", tried to say Dong-sik, louder.

"What?!"

"I need to- whatever", sighed Dong-sik.

He grabbed his phone, sending a quick 'can we meet tomorrow instead?'.

The reply was even quicker.

'Be free at 7 PM.'

"Our building is watched", shouted Chil-sung over the music. "So is your family and Boss-in-law's houses, to avoid anyone attacking them. But I know where we can go, Boss, don't worry!"

"Right", said Dong-sik, who was very much worrying.

An unwanted escape, an actual murderer on the loose, mysterious texts and now Chil-sung telling him not to worry? If this kept going like that, he'd have an anxiety attack before dinner even came around.

That anxiety turned into fear, as he started to recognize the neighborhood they were driving through.

"When you say that 'you know where we can go'", risked Dong-sik, "did you mean...?"

"Officer Shim's house", nodded Chil-sung. "The cops will never think to go there."

Dong-sik let out a desperate sound, burying his face in his hands, but it didn't stop Chil-sung from parking in front of the small coffee shop.

"Put this on", added Chil-sung, gesturing to Dong-sik's hood. "Avoid cameras."

"Aren't you coming?", asked Dong-sik, surprised.

"I'm going to distract the cops in front", explained Chil-sung, before making a gesture, as if dismissing a bothersome fly. "Go now, while it's open!"

Dong-sik glanced outside. There was no one in the shop, except for Bo-kyung and someone he guessed should be her mother. In front, two cops, as Chil-sung had said.

"Go!", reminded Chil-sung, and Dong-sik lowered his hood quickly, before opening the car door and going outside.

The car started immediately, so quickly the two cops standing guards shouted 'hey!' and started running towards it, leaving the entrance free.

He rushed to the door, and, trying not to hesitate too much, pushed it open.

"Sorry, we're closing-", started Bo-kyung, before meeting his eyes. "Dong-sik?!"

Her mother's jaw also dropped.

"Sorry", he apologized, a bit embarassed. "I have... can we talk?"

Bo-kyung told her mom that things were fine -her mom, for some reason, didn't argue, even if they litteraly had a serial killer chilling in their house- and closed the shop quickly, while he sat down.

"What are you doing here?", she asked, walking back to him. "Why- how did you escape?"

"This is why I need to talk to you", explained Dong-sik, and he reached into his pocket, taking out the phone. "This..."

Bo-kyung grabbed it, and turned it on, checking the messages.

"I went to the prison director today", he explained, "and he said something about an aunt's funeral. After that, I was taken in a truck near here, and they gave me this... I don't know who it is."

"Could it be...", she hesitated, as she read the texts. "The real murderer?"

"That's what I thought", he admitted.

"Tomorrow, 4 PM?", she repeated.

"Yes. If I do go... then maybe you can come catch him... you know..."

"But, Dong-sik, you're still considered a criminal!", she argued.

"I know", he complained. "But why would someone break me out like this? Who can even afford it?"

Bo-kyung remembered, in passing, one very wealthy man that seemed to linger around Dong-sik...

"What if we got your memories back?", she decided.

"Ah, this", he remembered. "The other day, in the yard, someone pushed me against a wall, and..."

He pat the back of his head.

"When it touched the wall, for a moment... everything felt very clear..."

"Do you know who the killer is?", she asked excitedly.

"No", he sighed. "But I know for sure that I saw that man... the one who died on september 18th."

"Dong-sik, this is amazing!", she reacted. "If you can get your memories back- we should notify your family, maybe they can help-"

Her sentence was cut by his yawn, and she gave him a surprised look.

"Sorry", he apologized, "I'm just a bit tired-"

"Ah, yes, of course", she nodded. "Well, we can get you something to eat and you can take the guest room, and then we'll see your family tomorrow, what do you think?"

"Sounds great", he agreed, although at this point he was so tired he would've agreed to anything.

The next morning, he called Chil-sung to ask if he could get his family in a place where they could meet up safely: Chil-sung answered enthusiastically.

Borrowing Bo-kyung's mother's clothes -and apologizing profusely for the disturbance-, he came out of the coffee shop, followed by Bo-kyung, who ushered him into the car that was waiting nearby.

"Senior!", called one of the cops on duty.

She closed the door abruptly, slamming it in Dong-sik's face.

"My mom got a cold", she lied, as she was given a confused look, "I'll go take her to the hospital quickly."

"I'll go with you-", he volunteered. "Didn't you hear that Yook Dong-sik escaped from pris-"

"What are you doing?!", shouted Taek-soo, who had just read his text from Bo-kyung saying 'I need to leave the house pls help'. "You're on duty, you're supposed to guard this place!"

"But what I'm saying is-"

While the two argued, Bo-kyung started the engine, driving away, with a disguised Dong-sik in the backseat drowning under layers of scarves and a warm turtleneck.

Meanwhile, Chil-sung was guiding Dong-sik's family into a very suspicious building, filled with even more suspicious people -the perfect secret spot he'd thought of was... his old gang hide out-.

Every member of the family, as they sat down surrounded by gangsters, had the very clear impression that they were about to get executed.

"Please be comfortable", insisted Chil-sung's previous boss. "Sit comfortably, sit comfortably. What kind of tea would you like?"

"It's- it's fine", refused Dong-sik's father, a bit startled. He turned to his wife, whispering "I thought Sergeant Shim was no-nonsense, how come she wanted us to come here with these people?"

She shook her head, just as confused.

That's when the door opened.

For a short second, they all thought that this was it, and the leader of the gang would now come out and order their execution: instead, they were faced with a very awkward Dong-sik.

The last time they'd met -was it already two weeks ago- Dong-sik still thought he was a serial killer, and that he'd never see them again. That was an awkward last meeting, which made it difficult for Dong-sik to find a way to start the conversation. 'Hi, I'm not actually a murderer'?

"Have you", he opted on saying instead, hesitant, "been well?"

The answer was hysterical sobs and his family collectively suffocating into an immediate embrace -even the gangsters seemed about to cry the equivalent to the Niagara falls-.

Once everyone was done sobbing into handkerchiefs, the family sat down for a collective brainstorm, searching for ways to jog Dong-sik's memory, while Chil-sung kicked the gangsters out of their own office.

"So", summarized the brother-in-law, "before your memory loss, you found the diary?"

"Yes."

"Did you see the culprit's face?", asked his sister.

"Probably", nodded Dong-sik. "That's why I need my memories back-"

"Sorry for interrupting", intervened Chil-sung, "but, logically, when you receive a physical shock that takes away your memory, another physical shock will bring back the memory, in my opinion-"

"We're not going to get Dong-sik into another car accident", dismissed Bo-kyung.

Dong-sik's father, however, had grown up with similar values to Chil-sung -punch first, ask questions later-, and immediately stood up, hurrying to Chil-sung's side, since the man seemed to have similar opinions to him.

As they started discussing the advantages and disadvantages of knocking Dong-sik out with a pan, and the rest of the family tried to boost Dong-sik's memory with pictures and old toys, Dong-sik's father suddenly remembered something.

"That day", he asked, getting Dong-sik's attention, "why did you go to the construction site in the middle of the night?"

Dong-sik froze.

Bo-kyung froze.

The suicide letter in Bo-kyung's pocket, had it been able to move, would have also frozen.

"Sorry?", reacted Dong-sik.

"That's right!", nodded his sister. "I thought you went home straight after the birthday party? Why would you go to such a weird place?"

Bo-kyung decided that in another life, she'd rather be a rock. Or a toad. That sounded like a nice, peaceful life. Where you didn't have to stand in the middle of a room, as a guy tried to figure out how to tell his family that he had attempted suicide.

"That day he was with you, dad", recalled his sister. "Dad, what did you tell him back then?"

The dad paled, as the last interaction he had with Dong-sik before the amnesia (for more information, please refer to episode 1) replayed in his head.

"What are you so sorry about all the time?", he'd said. "Because you act like a nice person all the time, you get taken advantage of! What a pitiful punk."

"You", he realized (we're back in the present), "you... you didn't try to... did you?"

"Ah- ah the thing is", tried to protest Dong-sik, "I, I can't really remember well..."

"Were you having bad thoughts?", insisted his father. "You weren't, right?"

"I- I wasn't-"

"Ah!", intervened Bo-kyung, before things escalated, "the thing is, he had a rough day at work on that date, so he probably went to get some air, right?"

"Yes, that must be it", agreed Dong-sik, nodding frantically.

The amount of people convinced was exactly 0.00000000000.

"Oh, Dong-sik, we should take a look at the photo album-", suggested Bo-kyung, trying to divert everyone's attention -which, if you've ever been at a family gathering where someone revealed a very dark thing, you'll know it's an impossible thing to do-.

While they tried their best to look like they would not be applying for family therapy as soon as the whole situation was figured out, Dong-sik's dad went through his own mental crisis in his corner, staring at a wall mournfully while reflecting on his failures as a father.

Chil-sung, who had noticed his interest in his 'knock him out to bring back the memories' theory, used that moment of weakness to sneak closer to him.

"All is not lost", he declared, and held up a pan.

Dong-sik's memories were still not manifesting themselves as he looked at old pictures of himself, and he was soon distracted, as his father stepped closer.

"Since I'm the reason for this situation", declared Dong-sik's father very solemnly, holding the pan up, "I have to make things right."

And with that, he knocked out his son.

For the second time in a week, Dong-sik closed his eyes, falling into Memoryland.

The top of a building.

Raising his leg, looking down at the street below, the tiny cars passing by, humans not bigger than a pinhead.

And then he was walking down a staircase all of a sudden, and then he was behind a stack of wood-

"Help me", hissed a voice, as he bent down to take the diary that'd fallen at his feet.

Even while uncounscious, he frowned. This felt unpleasantly familiar.

"You filthy-", said another voice, cold, so cold, "how dare you do something like that?"

"Help me, please-", gurgled the first voice, and Dong-sik leaned forward.

Peeking in, he could see that person, laid on tarp. He remembered his picture from the trial. Kim Myeong-gook.

The man's eyes widened, as he met his stare.

"Help-"

He let out an ear-shattering scream, as his arm snapped abruptly.

The silhouette kneeling next to him let go of his arm, having snapped it easily, and turned its head.

In-woo glanced around the room, slowly, familiar eyes scrutinizing the space.

And all of a sudden Dong-sik was in the middle of the street, and the headlights of a car were getting brighter and brighter, and-

He opened his eyes abruptly, taking in a big gulp of air, warm tears making their way down the side of his face, as he tried to catch his breath.

His heart was pounding in his chest.

In-woo.

The real murderer was In-woo all along.

Chapter Text

In-woo's week had been pretty busy.

Hectic, even.

Mrs. Jo, at his instance, had looked into the reason why his father had suspected him in the first place, and had come up with the name and picture of the very same detective that'd been in charge of Dong-sik's case. It seemed that, someway, somehow, that man knew about In-woo's murderous hobby, had known all along. And had told his father.

Therefore, and In-woo took his decision very quickly -maybe he should've thought about it twice-, he would have to kill him.

Going into his old routine of tracking-planning-killing was easy, the first two steps making him just busy enough that he didn't have to focus on much else -like the fact that Dong-sik had gone to prison thinking he was him, and that all along their relationship had been built around a ridiculous misunderstanding-.

And one night he got in his car, followed Inspector Ryoo, as he left his father's house.

As he sat in silence in his car, making sure to be just far away enough that the detective wouldn't get suspicious, he tried to direct his thoughts away from Dong-sik. Would his memories come back? What would he do if he knew?

The light turned green, and the detective's car moved away. In-woo waited for him to be a bit further, before he pushed the accelerator, ready to follow-

The truck came crashing in, hitting the detective's car abruptly.

In-woo stopped his own car, his jaw hanging, as he stared at the scene.

What the...?

Well, that was certainly unexpected.

His phone started ringing. Looking away from the accident, he reached for it, checking the name.

President.

He accepted the call, looking back at the car. People were already rushing towards it, taking out their phones.

"Where are you?", asked his father, on the other end.

His father only told him to come to the office after In-woo blurted out "at home" before hanging up.

He turned the car around, driving back towards Daehan Securities. He parked the car -rather badly, but there were barely any cars there at this time of day- and rushed out, fidgeting while in the elevator. Why did his father call for him? At this hour?

There was only one reason he could find for it.

Detective Ryoo had gone to see his father. Since he knew about In-woo, he probably tried to blackmail his father: and then it'd ended up this way.

When he reached his office, his father was already there, sitting behind the desk.

In-woo slowed down, and closed the door behind him, before starting to walk towards him.

He bowed his head.

"The view is great here", said his father, ignoring the greeting. "I'll miss it when we'll move to the new headquarters."

"What did you do to Inspector Ryoo?", blurted out In-woo.

"Did you see him off?"

"You ordered the hit?"

His father finally looked away from the window, glancing up at him.

"Now there's no one left who knows about your nasty hobby, is there?"

So he did know.

"Do you think I got to this position without getting any blood on my hands? People go around calling people like us monsters when we trample them. I told you already, that since you were young, you were just like me. So? Just because you killed a few people, do you think I would've gotten rid of you?"

In-woo only stared at him, as his brain tried to catch up on his words.

"Well, if you didn't know how to clean up after yourself, I might've done that", added his father, "but you took care of things perfectly."

"What do you mean-"

"Yook Dong-sik, is that right?"

In-woo struggled to keep his face emotionless, as he heard the name.

Dong-sik?

What did he have to do with that?

"A king must know when to draw blood", continued his father. "Once you become king, killing isn't for fun, only for profit."

"What...?"

"I'll take care of the succession matters", cut his father. "Your brother hasn't been able to keep his crown. Now it's your turn to try it on."

In-woo's mind was racing. His father thought that he'd framed Dong-sik for his own murders. As a reward for 'cleaning up properly', he was now offering him Daehan... making him the lead of the family business.

"Thank you, President", he hurried to say.

"Why do you keep calling your dad President?", chuckled his father. "I'm sick and tired of being called that now."

In-woo felt like he might've been the one getting hit by the truck as well.

"Your bad habits might surface at the sight of Ji-hoon, so I'll send him overseas", added his father, as a final note. "Don't worry about the legal matters for the succession."

Lost in thoughts, In-woo barely noticed his father, as he stood up, and made his way out.

A chance at proving himself.

He only had to keep convincing his father that he'd framed Dong-sik, and he'd have another chance.

As a child, he'd soon understood that he'd messed up his only shot at making his father proud, when he didn't manage to kill Ji-hoon. Everything that should've been his, as the older brother, was given to Ji-hoon instead.

But now, he would even send Ji-hoon away...

In-woo closed his eyes tightly, trying to think.

No.

He wasn't thinking this straight.

He was more than thirty years old now. With Ji-hoon out of the competition and his father aging, he would inherit the company if only he played his cards right, and that was thanks to Dong-sik. And there were no guarantees that Dong-sik, if he stayed in prison, would never recover his memories and appeal, revealing everything.

And, as a bonus, he did not think he'd be able to go another week without seeing Dong-sik. It'd already come to the point where he looked up every article mentioning him to stare at his pictures, and ate food mournfully while thinking of his cooking. Soon he'd be begging to see him in prison if things stayed like that.

What he needed to do was make sure Dong-sik would not snitch on him, and then he'd figure things from that point on.

His decision taken, he sat down at his desk, turning on his computer. If only he could find the prison director's number...

Only a few days later, having spent more than he was paid in a whole year all to bribe a prison director and a couple guards -who knew helping people escape was so expensive-, he turned on the news to hear "predator murderer Yook Dong-sik currently on the run-".

He checked his watch.

6 PM.

He grabbed his burner phone, turned it on, and went to his messages.

'Don't forget about our meeting', he wrote, and sent quickly.

He stared at his phone anxiously for the next few minutes, before startling when his screen lit up, a notification popping up.

'Where do we meet?'

He sent the adress, and grabbed his coat, hurrying outside, car keys out.

He'd sent the adress of the bar he and Dong-sik went to once, which probably wasn't a good idea, but, well. You know how the saying goes. Love makes you stupid, or something.

With enough money, he managed to convince the owner to keep the place empty for at least an hour, and he sat down at the bar, helping himself to a drink, hands shaking slightly.

He wiped his hands on his trousers, and tried to take in deep breaths.

"What are you doing", he sighed, to himself. "Are you still in highschool? What are you so nervous for?"

Still, he gulped down his drink, and set it down a bit abruptly, before his checking his watch.

6:40.

He was way too early.

He spent the next twenty minutes fidgeting while trying not to fidget, and then 7:00 went by, and then 7:10, and Dong-sik still wasn't there.

He was ready to call him when he heard a footstep.

He turned his head.

Mask covering the bottom half of his face, drowning under clothes, here stood none over than Yook Dong-sik.

"I'm sorry I'm late", spoke out Dong-sik.

Chapter Text

Had this been a romcom, dramatic music would've started playing, there'd be slow-motion, their faces would show every possible emotion, etc.

But this was not a romcom, and anyways, half of Dong-sik's face was hidden, so instead, they just stared at each other.

"I thought", started In-woo, feeling his words stumble on his tongue a bit, "that something happened to you."

Dong-sik looked away from him, glancing around.

"There's no one here", assured In-woo.

He tilted his head, trying to meet Dong-sik's eyes, but, even as he removed the mask, he kept his stare down.

The reason why came with a shaky voice.

"In-woo-"

Oh god no, Dong-sik seemed about to start crying.

In-woo was not prepared for that.

Still, he stood up, moving towards Dong-sik carefully, as if he might take off running at the slightest noise.

He raised his hand, placing it on Dong-sik's back.

"Let's take a seat", he suggested.

Dong-sik gave a little nod, and took a step forward, moving towards the chair.

Okay. Great.

How did he make sure Dong-sik wouldn't start crying?

"Let me get you something to drink", he suggested.

With how much he paid to get the room empty, he could probably afford to take any of the bottles: he pulled one out, and went back to his seat, filling two glasses.

"Did you have troubles with the escape?", he asked, as Dong-sik reached for the glass.

"No", said Dong-sik, shaking his head, still looking down at his feet. "I didn't think... thank you for getting me out."

"Of course", dismissed In-woo. "I mean, it's not like you did any of what you were accused of..."

Did Dong-sik know already?

"Still...", started Dong-sik. "Why would you...?"

"I wanted to see you", blurted out In-woo.

That got Dong-sik looking up at him, his eyes a bit red.

In-woo gave something of an apologetic smile.

"You said", he continued, taking in a deep breath, "that you didn't want us to see you ever again."

"I'm sorry-"

"Don't apologize", cut In-woo.

Hesitantly, he reached for his hand.

Dong-sik startled, instinctively pulling his hand away.

In-woo gave him a betrayed look, and, before he could stop himself, Dong-sik let out:

"I have my memories back."

In-woo's hand fell to his side, and his eyes widened.

"How...?"

Dong-sik raised his hand, patting the side of his head.

"My dad hit my head with a pan", he explained.

That explained exactly nothing.

"When you say you got your memories back...", said In-woo, slowly, "is it all..."

"In-woo", said Dong-sik, a painful look on his face.

His eyes were getting all teary again, as In-woo stared at him even more intensely, waiting for the next sentence.

"Why did you do that?", finally said Dong-sik, his voice shaking.

All of In-woo's body tensed up, his brain already going into emergency mode.

How much did he know? What did he know? Had he brought Bo-kyung with him? Was this a trap?

"What did I do, exactly?", he risked.

"Kim Myeong-gook, september 18th", croaked Dong-sik. "Did you..."

Should he lie?

Something in Dong-sik's pleading look told him it would be useless.

"I did", he decided on admitting, his voice low.

Dong-sik's hand flew to his mouth, as he seemed to try to keep down a sudden wave of nausea.

In-woo quickly reached for an ice cubes bucket on the other side of the bar, ready for any impromptu throwing up scene, but Dong-sik's nausea seemed to subside, although he looked a little pale.

"Why?", he asked, shaking his head. "Why- why would you do that?"

"Didn't I tell you?", said In-woo, setting down the bucket, before leaning forward. "When I see poor, helpless people... it upsets me."

Dong-sik's whole body was pretty much going in full alarm mode, sirens screaming, heartbeat racing like it was competing for the Olympics.

"So I just want to get rid of them, completely", added In-woo, peering at him through his lashes. "Ants that struggle to carry away crumbs... I kill them by squashing them with my finger."

His hand had let go of the bucket, as he made a motion on the table, as if crushing something with his thumb.

"Mayflies that fly around in circles, living their last moments..."

Dong-sik couldn't keep his eyes off the slender fingers, moving on the table like a grotesque long legged creature.

"I burn them alive", finished In-woo.

Dong-sik let out a pained exhale.

"That's the kind of person that I am", added In-woo.

Dong-sik felt sick, like when he was on a boat as a kid on a school trip and the waves would get harsher and harsher until he threw up his lunch over board.

As he looked up at In-woo, his gaze burning into him, he wondered.

Was he going to kill him next?

"Why did you come to me?", he managed to ask.

"You were fighting back against my brother. I wanted to make sure you could take him on", explained In-woo. "And then in the elevator..."

Dong-sik winced, remembering his own word. "Don't touch me, you could get hurt", what kind of bullshit was that.

"I was interested in you", added In-woo. "Even more when you kidnapped Ji-hoon. That's why I asked you out, that day."

Oh.

Oh, no.

What was it, that Mi-joo had said?

We think that the director has a crush on you.

Since the very beginning, he was wrong.

"So that's why...", he realized.

"I didn't think you'd be interested in me in that way, but, well", shrugged In-woo. His lips curled into a smile smile. "I didn't mind it."

"But I- I-", struggled to say Dong-sik. "I'm the ants."

"What?"

"And the mayflies", continued Dong-sik. "The poor, helpless..."

He shook his head.

"I'm not like you."

In-woo's jaw clenched for a moment, before he forced himself to losen up.

"So what?", he said instead. "Since that day, I don't see you that way. Can't I just keep going like that?"

"No", said Dong-sik, shaking his head, "it's not- it's not-"

He really, really wanted to say "it's not right". The word was there, on the tip of his tongue. I don't want to be your exception. I don't want to be the only person you don't imagine killing.

But In-woo was staring at him, with his mismatched eyes, and his curious look and his gelled hair, and he looked like In-woo.

He looked like the guy who sleptalked about stolen toys, who argued with the TV characters even if they couldn't hear him, who kissed him very passionately when he mentionned horror movie killing technics, who held his pinkie in the office when no one else was looking at them.

"It's not-", he tried to say again, but the words got caught in his throat, and he was pretty sure he was starting to cry now, because why the hell couldn't he just say the word, "it's not, it's not-"

"Dong-sik?", worried In-woo.

"It's not right", finally managed to say Dong-sik, a big lump in his throat, "it's not right, it's-"

He wiped his eyes angrily, couldn't he even say that without starting to sob?

Meanwhile, In-woo's worse fear had come true. Dong-sik was crying, and he had no idea whatsoever what to do.

Vague memories from his training in HR came back to him.

"Do you want a hug?", he asked, rather awkwardly.

He extended his arms, a bit like how you might imagine someone being handed a baby acting, completely unsure as to what to do.

Dong-sik wasn't moving, so he poked his shoulder lightly.

"Dong-sik, do you want a-"

"Yes", sobbed Dong-sik, and In-woo blinked, as he suddenly received the full weight of a crying Dong-sik onto him.

Dong-sik actually hugged him so abruptly that In-woo's chair squeaked, pulled towards Dong-sik at the same time as he felt his arms around him.

In-woo blinked quickly, completely oblivious as to what to do. What did people even do during hugs?

Dong-sik was still sobbing over his shoulder, his hair brushing his ear, as he probably left drool and snot all over his coat.

In-woo hesitantly gave a light pat on his back.

"It's okay", he said, rather awkwardly.

A lament answered him.

"Why were you such a great boyfriend", moaned Dong-sik, visibly desperate.

"Right...", said In-woo, still as lost. He was very warm and Dong-sik's hair was tickling him, and he was not used to this type of proximity. It did feel kind of nice. Like having a very heavy blanket on him. A blanket that cried. And spoke. He kept patting his back, hoping it was helping.

Finally, Dong-sik's cries became rarer, more like pained breaths, and he slowly let go of In-woo, sitting back in his own chair, tears still running down his face.

In-woo reached into his pocket, offering him a tissue.

"Thanks", sniffled Dong-sik, before loudly blowing his nose in it.

In-woo waited for him to calm down, take a gulp out of his drink, before he spoke again.

"What do we do now, then?"

Dong-sik shook his head.

"Can I... can I think about it?"

"Sure", nodded In-woo.

He reached for his hand, and this time, Dong-sik didn't pull it away.

"If you ask", he said, leaning a little so he could meet Dong-sik's eyes, "I can get us out of the country forever."

Dong-sik blinked, looking at him with wide eyes.

"Why?", he asked, his voice still not completely assured.

"Because I..."

In-woo stopped himself.

Why would he do that?

The most logical decision, now, would be to ask Dong-sik if anyone else knew about him, and, if he was the only one to know, get rid of him. Pretend Dong-sik had stormed in, tried to kill him, that he acted in self-defense.

So why was the only thing he could remember a ridiculous statement Dong-sik had made, when he'd thought In-woo was too drunk to remember?

"Because", he said, slowly, "I don't want us to be separated."

Chapter Text

Just when Dong-sik thought his life couldn't get any crazier -he'd witnessed a murder, gotten into a car accident, got amnesia, thought he was a serial killer, got himself a boyfriend, went to prison, found out said boyfriend was a serial killer- he got kidnapped by his in-laws.

All his life he'd heard of the wacky situations one could get in with their in-laws, but he'd never heard of kidnapping. Apparently his own grandparents had been pretty harsh towards his father when he asked for his mother's hand, but they'd never gone as far as pulling him into a black car, as he came out of a bar.

To explain the situation, here's how it went: Dong-sik finished crying, In-woo came to realize that he might've maybe become a bit too attached to him, and as they both sat there wondering "what next", Dong-sik finished his glass -and the bottle- and sighed.

"Well", he said, "I'm not going to tell on you, but I need..."

He gestured vaguely.

"I need to think."

"Sure", nodded In-woo. "Do you have a place to stay? Should you come to my house?"

"It's fine", said Dong-sik, shaking his head, "Chil-sung is waiting for me outside, we'll go back to Officer Shim's house."

"Alright."

In-woo squeezed his hand a little, and Dong-sik moved his fingers, interlacing them with his.

His heart didn't go bADUM-bADUM for once. In-woo's palm was nice and warm and not sweaty, and his grip was pretty firm, like even if a tornado came in, he wouldn't let go. Dong-sik, without thinking, slowly brushed his thumb over his knuckles, the chaos of his thoughts calming down, replaced by a soothing silence.

In the end, In-woo was the one who pulled his hand away.

"Go", he said, gesturing towards the door. "I'll come to check no one sees you."

"Thanks", said Dong-sik, and he buried his hands into his jacket's pockets.

They left the room in silence, and Dong-sik put his mask back on near the door, before turning back to In-woo.

"You should stay inside when I go out", he recommended, "so Chil-sung doesn't see you."

"Text me if something happens", warned In-woo.

"I will."

With that, and a last quick glance, Dong-sik stepped outside.

Chil-sung's car was just on the other side of the street.

"Boss, did everything go well?", called Chil-sung, as Dong-sik approached.

Dong-sik took another step.

A black car suddenly stopped abruptly in front of him, and a man hurried, grabbing him by the arm and more or less throwing him into the vehicule, before Dong-sik could say a word.

In-woo, behind the door, started running as soon as he took notice of the impromptu kidnapping, while Chil-sung let out a distressed "Boss!".

They both stared in complete disbelief, as the car drove away -way above speed limits, one might add-.

"That car-", realized In-woo.

As In-woo ran to his own car, Chil-sung started the engine of his, attempting a U-turn.

Another car stopped him.

"What are you doing?!", shouted the owner.

"Sorry", apologized Chil-sung, "I wasn't looking-"

"Do you have myopia?! Do you want to cause an accident?!"

"Please, sir, go ahead..."

By the time the car had cleared the way for him, both the black car and In-woo's had disappeared.

Meanwhile, in the black car, Dong-sik was not having the time of his life.

"It's been a while, Yook Dong-sik", greeted Seo Ji-hoon, turning towards the backseat, grinning.

"You...?!"

"Don't be so shocked", teased Ji-hoon.

He shook his head.

"When I think of what I went through because of you, I want to take revenge immediately", he admitted, "but I'm being patient because someone wants to see you."

"Someone?"

He didn't get an answer.

"Where are we going?'

"Relax, I'm trying to help you", said Ji-hoon.

That sounded unlikely. In the few meetings they had, Ji-hoon had framed him for sexual harassment, Dong-sik had done a whole psychological torture number on him, and Ji-hoon had later tried to kill him. The reasons for him to now want to help Ji-hoon were exactly 0.

Still, Dong-sik kept quiet, and only buckled his seatbelt.

It was already morning when they arrived to the place, a little cabin in the woods, snowflakes falling from a grey sky.

Ji-hoon pulled Dong-sik out of the backseat, and didn't let go of him, as they moved towards a small house.

Once inside, Dong-sik looked around.

Even the couch looked more expensive than his rent.

Sitting in a chair, like a tired king on his throne, a man glanced up at him.

Dong-sik frowned at the gelled hair and the turtleneck, feeling a vague sense of déjà-vu.

"It's nice to meet you", said the man, giving him a piercing look. "I've heard a lot about you."

He'd seen him before, but where...

"Don't just stand there, have a seat", invited the man.

Since he wasn't being threatened and it didn't look like he was going to be tortured, Dong-sik opted on a polite nod, sitting down on the fancy couch.

Expensive furniture, the hair, the turtleneck, and Ji-hoon in the background... no doubt about it, this was In-woo's father.

"I'll keep this short", he said, as Dong-sik tried to sit comfortably. "I know that you and my son were involved together for a few months now. And I know that you're being chased for something you didn't even do."

"You knew...", hesitated Dong-sik, "about In-woo...?"

"I didn't think he'd have tastes like... these", said In-woo's father, giving him a critical look, "but yes, I was aware of the killings and your relationship.'

"Then why didn't you do anything?"

"Why should I?", dismissed the father. "A parent must let their child make their own path. I didn't mind any of it, until, of course..."

He let out a chuckle of disbelief.

"He broke you out of prison", finished the father. "You are aware of In-woo's crimes. I cannot allow you to tell anyone, of course, our company has a reputation to uphold. This is why I'm offering you a deal."

"A deal?", repeated Dong-sik, confused.

"I'll help you escape abroad. You can change your identity", explained In-woo's father, "and live a new life."

"A new life?"

Mr. Seo looked at him like he clearly thought something was wrong with him.

"You can enjoy life and do whatever you want", he kept explaining, "I'll make sure you get enough money to do that. In exchange, you'll need to cut ties with everyone you know... apart from me."

Dong-sik let out a sound of disbelief. What kind of thing was this guy on?

"I don't think you're in the position to consider your options", he added.

Dong-sik stood up, ready to say "thanks but no thanks", but Mr. Seo took out a suitcase, putting it on the table.

"If you take this bag", he said, "you'll be able to live a life like you've never even imagined. If you refuse, you'll always be on the run, and eventually end up rotting in jail."

Dong-sik was starting to wonder if sending someone to another country was the standard method for this family. At least In-woo said they'd go together.

"What about In-woo?", he asked. "What are you going to do about him? You're afraid that he'll keep killing, and that the next person he'll target is you, right? That's why you want to stop him. Do you really think you can do that by getting rid of me? I know him well, it won't work like that. What, are you going to kill him?"

"It's none of your business", simply stated Mr. Seo.

Dong-sik scoffed.

Was this old guy tripping? Was he really considering killing In-woo?

Footsteps caught their attention, as Ji-hoon reappeared.

"Sir", he called out to his dad, an anxious look on his face, "the guards are gone, I think he's here."

Dong-sik felt a bit like a character in a fairytale getting rescued by a handsome prince, except usually, handsome princes did not have the blood of innocent people on their hands.

"Lock him away", ordered Mr. Seo, and Dong-sik barely registered as he was grabbed by the arm, pulled towards the staircase, and then up to one of the rooms.

He's here, he's here, his thoughts kept repeating, anticipation making his heartbeat speed up.

"Stay here and don't move, okay?", asked Ji-hoon, as he pushed him into the room.

Dong-sik stared at him. Ji-hoon was shaking like a laundry machine.

"Okay?!", he repeated, his voice going up a pitch.

Before Dong-sik could answer, the door was slammed in his face.

He immediately reached for the handle, but it wouldn't turn.

Awesome.

He glanced around the empty space.

Window... it would have to do. As far as he knew, In-woo's father was a dangerous man, who probably also liked hunting, in whatever way it was meant. While In-woo seemed to specialize in getting rid of people that were weak, what if his father was harder to take care of? Dong-sik might not be a killer, but he was, if nothing else, a very devoted boyfriend -wait, were they still dating? Was that still going? Probably not, right? Since In-woo was a murderer... well, whatever-.

He rushed to the window, starting to pull at it, trying to get it open. Maybe it was morally wrong to help a murderer...

But how morally wrong could it be to help a lover?

Chapter Text

One of In-woo's earliest memory of his father went like this.

He had a favorite teddy bear when he was a child. He dragged the ugly thing around everywhere, chewed on its ear when he was nervous, and watched over it jealously.

One day, his father decided that his son was too old for teddy bears. He told In-woo to give up the thing once. He told him twice. He told him thrice.

In the end, In-woo came back from the mall one day, and his teddy bear was no longer on the pillow.

"If your will isn't strong enough", said his father, when In-woo came to ask him if he'd seen it, "you force others to take the decisions for you."

In-woo never learnt what happened to his teddy bear.

But his father was trying to teach him a lesson, and he succeeded.

He could take things away from In-woo if he wanted.

And he'd never find them again.

That might've been why he pushed on the accelerator so hard, only slowing down as he came near the family resort. He left his car far away, and walked for the last few meters.

By the time he reached the door, his kill count had climbed up by three.

His father should've been more careful.

He stepped into the house, leaving muddy footprints, having just walked into the snow. Fresh blood starting to dry on his coat.

The back of his father's head was facing him.

"Why did you do that?", he asked, out loud.

"I asked around", answered his father, without even turning his head. "When I learnt that you'd actually been keeping around filth like this, and risked our reputation for him..."

In-woo's grip on his knife tightened.

"You had your chance to put an end to all this cleanly", added his father. "Eight years ago, you killed a boy and came home shivering in fear. I thought you would've matured by now."

"You might think I'm not good enough", answered In-woo, "but I took care of the mess back then, and I still do. I can make sure Dong-sik will stay quiet."

"By what, shushing him with a kiss?", scoffed his father. "The basic rule of business is to reduce your risks, have you forgotten?"

"Tell me, then", said In-woo, taking a step forward. "How will you get rid of the risk standing right in front of you?"

He could see his father's face now, frozen into one of his unreadable expressions.

Staring at him waiting for his answer, he didn't notice the footsteps coming from behind him, until Ji-hoon was stupid enough to speak.

"Dad told me everything."

In-woo turned his head, giving him a look.

Ji-hoon puffed his chest, holding a shotgun, aiming it at his older brother's chest.

"I heard you're the serial killer", he added.

It could've been a dramatic entrance, if his hands weren't shaking so bad, threatening to let go of the rifle at any second.

In-woo chuckled at the sight.

"Why did you bring that out?", hissed their father, looking their way. "Put it away."

"We need to be careful", replied Ji-hoon, although he seemed ready to faint at the slightest movement coming from In-woo. "Who knows what he might do?"

Their father sighed at his insubordination, but decided to play his last card, glancing up at In-woo.

"We have Yook Dong-sik."

In-woo's eyes moved away from the rifle briefly.

"If you follow my orders, nothing will happen."

"You want to keep him as my weakness?", asked In-woo coldly.

"That's our only choice", answered Ji-hoon, and he tried to raise his head, putting on a brave face. "You should do as you're told."

In-woo actually started laughing at that.

While the happy family reunion was going on, Dong-sik finally managed to swing his legs out the window, and began climbing down the house -which, thankfully, had a very climbable surface-, before jumping down -his knees made an uncomfortable sound-.

He jogged towards the entrance -not too quickly, his body was still not adapted for running-, stopping near the cars parked in front.

A bad feeling in his stomach, remembering what Ji-hoon had said about the guards disappearing, he turned his head towards them, slowly, very slowly.

The guards' white shirts were stained with blood, as they layed on the ground, dead eyes looking up to the sky.

Dong-sik's hand flew to his mouth, and he had just enough mind left to run towards the trees, bending over as his dinner came back out of his mouth, his stomach aching.

As Dong-sik threw up all the food he'd swallowed in the last 24 hours, Mr. Seo repeated, more forcefully:

"Ji-hoon, put that gun down."

"Let's take him to the cops instead", suggested Ji-hoon. "Or let's just kill him, wasn't that the plan? You can cover it up anyways!"

"Really?", snickered In-woo. "Are you even able to shoot me?"

"What? Just because you killed a few people, you think I can't do it? If you can do it, so can I!"

Ji-hoon cried when he saw a dead bird in his bedroom one day. He covered his eyes when their father took them out on hunts.

His hands were now shaking even more than before.

In-woo took two steps forward, Ji-hoon's grip on the gun tightening, and their father standing up, alert.

"Did you load the gun?", taunted In-woo.

Ji-hoon's eyes turned towards the rifle's chamber, before one of his hands reached for his pocket.

In-woo took his chance, grabbing the shotgun by the muzzle immediately, aiming it at Ji-hoon, who raised his hands as protection.

"Don't!", he begged. "Brother, please-"

"Brother?", repeated In-woo, spitting the word out. "You even begged Dong-sik to save your life, and then you dare to point a gun at me?"

"In-woo!", called his father.

In-woo glanced back at him, keeping his weapon steady, as his father started slowly kneeling down on the floor.

"I apologize for him", he said, as his knees touched the ground.

"What are you doing?", said In-woo, his expression turning into pure confusion.

"Please don't harm Ji-hoon", pled his father, sitting there, like a kid asking for a lighter punishment. "I'll give you everything you want in exchange for his life."

"What do you think I want?", asked In-woo, testing the grounds.

"Daehan Securities and all our affiliates."

In-woo closed his eyes in exasperation.

This old man.

Even with a gun pointed to his son's head, he couldn't give the answer he wanted.

"Even the slush funds", added Mr. Seo, "you can have everything."

In-woo kept his eyes closed, letting out a frustrated exhale, before he opened his eyes again.

"What did you say", he began, "that I had to do to get what I want?"

He looked at Ji-hoon, whose legs trembling.

"You said I should be strong", he continued, "and have the ability to stomp on others."

He adjusted his grip on the shotgun, Ji-hoon cowering in front of him.

"But you'd give up everything for this wimp?"

"Yes. Take everything."

His father seemed to have a revelation.

"Yook Dong-sik too", he added. "We can find another scapegoat, someone who'll take the blame for everything, and you can live with him if you want. Do as you want, and I won't interfere with your life again."

His voice broke.

"Please... just spare Ji-hoon's life. I'm begging you."

In-woo paused, his finger right over the trigger.

As Dong-sik finally stumbled to the door, a bad taste in his mouth, and turned the handle, a detonation made him jump.

Followed by another one.

He rushed inside, greeted by the sight of In-woo, his back facing him, as he emptied his shotgun's bullets onto his father's body.

Dong-sik watched, eyes wide, as In-woo extended his hand towards Ji-hoon, taking the few bullets left from his palm, before filling the shotgun again, aiming it at Ji-hoon's head this time.

Well.

It didn't look like he needed much help.

Chapter Text

"In-woo, no!"

In-woo's finger froze, right over the trigger.

Both he and Ji-hoon turned their head towards Dong-sik, hair covered in snow, hands raised in protest.

"Dong-sik", breathed out In-woo, and he hurried his way, still holding his gun. "Are you hurt? Where were you?"

"I jumped from the window", explained Dong-sik, as In-woo grabbed his face with two gloved fingers, tilting it to the side to check on any possible bruise. He gave the shotgun a wary look, the muzzle staring back at him. "Could you...?"

"Ah, yes, of course", said In-woo, turning it so it faced the floor instead.

Dong-sik did his best to avoid looking at In-woo's father body, blood pooling around it.

"So, he", he said, and vaguely gestured towards it, while staring at the wall instead, "he didn't hurt you, right?"

"He didn't", confirmed In-woo.

"Then what do we do?"

In-woo hesitated.

He didn't regret getting rid of his dad, but it did leave them in an awkward situation now.

"No killing Ji-hoon?", he asked, just for clarification.

"Please", said both Dong-sik and Ji-hoon, before exchanging a surprised look, both shocked by Dong-sik's sudden protection.

"Alright", sighed In-woo.

He opened the shotgun's barrel, taking out the bullets and stuffing them in his jacket, before setting the weapon against the wall.

"I have an idea", he declared. "Dong-sik, do you trust me?"

Bold question to ask, while standing near his father's dead body.

"No killing?", asked Dong-sik, just to make sure.

"I won't", promised In-woo.

Dong-sik hesitated, but finally gave a nod.

In-woo left the shotgun against the wall, but moved towards Ji-hoon, kneeling next to him.

"If you don't do as I say", he said, keeping his voice low, "I'll kill you no matter what Dong-sik says."

Ji-hoon let out a whimper, and In-woo stood up, fishing for his phone in his pocket.

"Here's the plan-", he started explaining.

About half an hour later, police cars were parking all around the house, officers hurrying in.

Bo-kyung came a few minutes later, telling Chil-sung, who'd drove her there, to park nearby before she ran inside.

Dong-sik had handcuffs on his wrists but otherwise seemed alright, while In-woo spoke to detectives, his hands on his brother's shoulders.

"-came in to find the president threatening Dong-sik", finished In-woo. "If it wasn't for my brother's quick thinking, he'd probably be dead-"

"Dong-sik", called Bo-kyung, stopping in her tracks, "what are you doing here?"

Five pairs of eyes turned towards her.

"Officer Shim?", frowned one of the cops. "What are you doing here?"

"Ah, well, I wasn't too far, and I got the call that Yook Dong-sik had been found..."

"As I explained, this is all a misunderstanding", intervened In-woo.

"What happened?"

"The thing is-"

"Mr. Seo pretends that him and Mr. Yook were in an intimate relationship before Mr. Yook's imprisonnment, that someone forced Mr. Yook to escape jail, and that Mr. Yook was then kidnapped by Mr. Seo Senior, and taken here", explained one of the cops, giving her a clear look of 'can you believe this shit?'.

"I knew of the first two", nodded Bo-kyung, "but In-woo's father...?"

"Wait, it's true?", asked the other detective, surprised, before shooting In-woo an embarassed look. "I mean, not that I don't trust you, sir..."

"Dong-sik never killed anyone", said In-woo, his voice firm. "I didn't believe it when I heard the news, so I looked around. The investigation was based on meaningless confessions, misinterpreted proofs, and we will make sure..."

He reached for Dong-sik's hand, even if it was still handcuffed to the other.

"To appeal", he finished.

"Why would your father kidnap Dong-sik?", protested Bo-kyung. "And what about your brother?"

Ji-hoon raised his head, looking very pale and very sickly.

Well, his dad had just died.

"I'd be glad to help with the investigation, officer", said In-woo, patting Ji-hoon's shoulder, "but I think we should go to the hospital first."

They were put in separate cars to avoid any weird shenanigans, and Dong-sik sat next to Bo-kyung, still handcuffed.

"Dong-sik, what happened?", asked Bo-kyung, worried.

"I'll tell you at the station", he promised, before leaning his head against the window, exhausted -he had, after all, learnt in one day that his boyfriend was a murderer, met up with said-boyfriend who considered humans to be like ants, and then gotten kidnapped by said-boyfriend's dad, before said-boyfriend's dad got killed by said-boyfriend, which really wasn't how he liked to spend his day-.

He slept -more or less soundly, with multiple bumps on the road and an abrupt stop at one point to let a cat make its way across the street- all the way to the hospital, where they found a worryingly high pulse and a slight sprain -in his nervous state, he'd barely registered the pain until the doctor pressed harshly on the bruised zone, making him shout instinctively-, and he stayed there for the night, handcuffed to a hospital bed.

In the morning, still exhausted, he was taken to the station to give his testimony.

Thankfully, as he stepped into the room, followed by two cops, he was met with Bo-kyung's familiar face -she didn't look like she'd had much sleep either-.

"Dong-sik", she said, as he sat down, "In-woo and his brother are fine, but Mr. Seo passed away. There's an ongoing investigation into the death of the detective who was in charge of you case..."

She took in a big breath, and gave him a pleading glance.

"So this is your chance", she added. "Please, say everything that you know."

He gave a small nod.

She sighed in relief, and turned to her computer, ready to type.

"What happened ever since we last met?"

He started with the fight in prison, and gaining some of his memories back. Then the odd transfer out of prison, followed by the messages.

He avoided talking about how he went through the last few days, the surveillance camera blinking at him from the corner of the room, and vaguely said that he'd been sleeping where he could, waiting for the meeting the message was talking about.

"Yesterday morning", he kept explaining, "I fell and hurt my head and then..."

"Then...?"

"I remembered everything", he finished.

"By which you mean?"

Dong-sik looked away from the table he'd been staring at, meeting her eyes.

"I remembered that the day of my amnesia, I saw the murder attempt on Kim Myeong-gook."

Bo-kyung leaned over the table, visibly tense.

"Who did it?", she asked, her voice low.

"I didn't see his face", lied Dong-sik, and she visibly deflated. "But when, when I went to meet the person who sent the message, the bar was empty. And then I left after a moment, and..."

He gestured vaguely.

"Seo Ji-hoon kidnapped me."

"To take you to his father?"

"Yes. Mr. Seo said that... that he'd pay me money if I didn't tell anyone that I wasn't actually the killer, and that he'd help me leave the country."

"Why would he do that?"

"I didn't know. But when I refused, he started getting really angry, and told Ji-hoon to lock me in a room. I managed to escape, but I hurt my leg, and when I came back..."

He took in a big breath to steady his own heartbeat, while attempting to not divert his eyes away from Bo-kyung.

"He-", he started. "He- threatened me."

"Threatened you?", repeated Bo-kyung.

"With a knife. It had blood on it, and he said... he said he needed to get rid of any threat."

No longer able to meet her eyes, he let his head drop to his chest, feeling slightly nauseous.

"If it wasn't for Seo Ji-hoon, I would be dead now."

"What about Seo In-woo?", she asked, not even typing anymore.

"He arrived a few minutes later. He's the one who called the police."

"Why didn't you run away?"

He shook his head.

"In-woo asked me to explain things to him, and said that I should try to appeal rather than run away."

He glanced up at her.

Her expression was visibly suspicious, and he forced a bit the helplessness in his expression.

"So you're saying...", she said, with some hesitation, "that Mr. Seo is the predator murderer... and that he wanted to get rid of you?"

"It looked like that, yes", he nodded, relieved.

"Dong-sik, I'm sorry but... it just sounds a bit unbelievable", she admitted.

In response, he did the equivalent of the Puss in Boots' stare, hoping to be convincing.

It probably didn't work.

In any case, the interview finished here, as he was carried away, his spot soon replaced with In-woo, who'd come in to give his testimony.

Bo-kyung didn't trust this -rightfully so-. The famous detective instinct was ringing alarm bells in her head, ever since she came into the living room to find Dong-sik sitting there with In-woo. There was just something about Dong-sik's boyfriend that she couldn't figure out, and that something was making her more and more nervous, the more she saw him.

"Ah, sorry", she said, as he sat down, and she reached for a box underneath the table, taking it out and laying it between them. "Would you mind being connected to a lie detecting machine while I ask questions?"

"A lie detecting machine?", he chuckled, although his laugh had no humor in it. "That's quite random. Did Dong-sik have a similar treatment?"

"Are you refusing right now?"

"I'm not", he assured.

As they set up the machine, she tried to gather her thoughts. The shotgun only had Seo Ji-hoon's fingerprints, and the knife was a few meters away from the dad, with DNA from the three guards. But this made no sense. Why would Mr. Seo kill his own guards? To hide evidence of what he'd done? And why would Ji-hoon save a guy who he seemed to have hated so much, having even tried to beat up Dong-sik in front of witnesses?

"Are you Seo In-woo, 36 years old?", she asked, glancing at her screen.

"I am."

Not a lie.

"Can you tell me exactly what happened yesterday?"

"My assistant, Mrs. Jo, told me that my brother was back in South Korea. I wasn't aware of it, and, since he wasn't at our family's home, I decided to check on our second estate. When I arrived, the president's... my father's guards were already dead, and so was he. Ji-hoon and Dong-sik explained me what happened."

"And you believed them?"

"Should I have not?"

"What is your relationship to Dong-sik?"

"Until he was arrested", answered In-woo, and the monitor was still going steady, showing no hint of lie, "we were dating."

"And after...?"

"He said that he didn't want to see anyone anymore. I was planning on following this promise."

"Did you think he was guilty?"

"No."

"You've always called your father 'president'?"

"Yes."

"Did you have any reason to resent him?"

"Sorry?"

"You called him 'president' and he gave the company to your younger brother. Did you resent him for that?"

"No."

"You and Seo Ji-hoon have different mothers, right? How do you feel about your half-brother?"

In-woo's stare became decidedly colder.

"Have you ever thought", she said, slowly, remembering the words from the diary, "that his head was filled with udon noodles rather than a brain?"

He only stared at her in response, lips pursed together.

"Won't you answer?", she insisted.

He let out an unamused chuckle.

"Your questions are a little odd. Why are you asking about all this?"

"Isn't it obvious? We have to investigate every lead in this case", she answered.

"Do you think I killed my father?"

She checked the monitor.

"Did you?", she asked.

"No."

No lie detected.

She sighed, but reached into her pocket.

In-woo followed the movement closely, as she put the red diary on the table.

"In the diary, the person refers to their father as 'president'", she said. "Their family dynamics look a lot like yours, Mr. Seo. But they don't really correspond to your father's, do they?"

"Are you saying that...? I don't remember ever saying that my father was the murderer", said In-woo, looking sincerely confused. "I do not know why he wanted to get Dong-sik out of the country, nor any of this. Whatever the reason was, my father took it with him to the grave."

"Yes", she said, sighing. "How inconvenient."

She gestured to the diary.

"Just answer this question. Is the diary yours?"

A second.

Two seconds.

"No", he answered.

The news were soon flooded once again with discussions over the predator killer, as previous suspect Yook Dong-sik was put on trial once more, this time with new elements coming in.

The diary's handwriting changed halfway through, and one part clearly wasn't written by Dong-sik; there was proof that he was away on a business trip during one of the murders; multiple witnesses saw him get kidnapped by a black car; the prison director admitted being bribed into releasing him; it appeared that the detective in charge of his case and Mr. Seo had met up, and possibly framed him together.

By the time the suicide letter was brought in, along with the psychological evaluation that claimed Yook Dong-sik to be completely unable to hurt anyone, even an ant -Ji-hoon and Team Leader Gong were strongly advised to not press charges over the bathroom and warehouse incidents-, the judges were all thinking more or less the same thing.

Guys, we fucked up.

Meanwhile, Bo-kyung was growing more and more desperate, as every clue she thought she had about In-woo seemed to vanish, at the same time as countless appeared pointing to his father's involvement in the murders.

When she came to visit Dong-sik, in the place where he was detained for the remainder of the trial, she was told she'd have to wait, as he was already in the middle of a visit.

She sat down, her leg bouncing nervously.

Inside of the room, In-woo was handing over an enveloppe to Dong-sik, who gave it a careful look.

"What is it?", he asked.

"I found it at the cinerarium", explained In-woo. "I thought it could be used as proof in your trial."

Dong-sik blinked, surprised, but accepted the enveloppe, opening it with some difficulty -he almost accidentally teared it apart-.

"Did you read it?", he asked.

"Well", said In-woo, hesitating slightly, "just to check."

Dong-sik pulled the letter out.

My dear mother. It's now 2011. It's been ten years since-

So he had written a letter for his mother, all those years back.

He read in silence, while In-woo tried to find something to look at, focusing on the bubblegum stuck to the table.

After eight minutes, Dong-sik was still reading. Either he'd read the thing multiple times, or he was an incredibly slow reader.

"Are you done?", asked In-woo, carefully, as Dong-sik let out a sad sniffle. "It's dated, so we could use it-"

"What happened to your mother?"

In-woo paused.

"What?"

"In the... you know", said Dong-sik. "You never mentionned your mother."

"Ah, well."

In-woo tried to go for a casual shrug, but it looked more like a robot very badly trying to look human.

"She died years ago", he finally said. "I don't remember her much."

"Did your father...?"

"He let her die."

And if Dong-sik had suspected so and only asked to feel less guilty about consciously deciding to help cover up Mr. Seo's murder, that was his business.

If he told himself enough times how awful Mr. Seo was, maybe he'd stop remembering the blood pooling around his body, layed down on the carpet.

"I have to go", said In-woo, checking his watch. "This should all be over soon."

He reached for Dong-sik's hand, giving it a light squeeze.

"Yes", sighed Dong-sik, giving his mother's letter a look.

Being nice isn't so bad, he'd written, years ago.

He handed the letter back, In-woo putting it into the enveloppe again.

"I hope so."

Chapter Text

"How are you?", asked Bo-kyung, as she sat down.

He shrugged.

"I'm alright", he lied.

Bo-kyung forced a smile onto her face, reaching to give his shoulder a squeeze.

"It'll be over soon", she promised. "You just have to wait a bit more."

"Yes", he sighed.

She let go of his shoulder, and sat back in the chair.

"I saw In-woo coming out of here", she said, glancing at the door. "He seems very supportive of you."

"He is", nodded Dong-sik.

"To be honest, I feel guilty now", she admitted. "He's been pointing out the obvious, with the differences in writing and such, and I didn't even notice. Dong-sik, I'm sorry."

"Don't worry", he chuckled, loosening up a little. "Well, I thought I was a murderer too, so..."

"Still", she insisted. "I let you down, and I shouldn't have."

"I don't mind", he assured.

He even gave a big grin, hoping to be reassuring.

Her smile was a bit feeble, but it was there nonetheless.

"You still don't have any memory of who the murderer is, right?", she asked.

"No, I'm sorry. Did you ask In-woo's family?"

"We did interview them. Unfortunately, Seo Ji-hoon is still unable to answer anything, and the rest of the family didn't say much. Mrs. Seo did confirm that her husband had Detective Ryoo over before, but apart from this..."

She had a moment of hesitation.

"Dong-sik... it might be inappropriate, what I'm going to ask, but..."

He raised his eyebrows, waiting for the end of her sentence.

"Seo In-woo... you're sure he came in after his father's death, right?"

"What?"

"I mean... I'm sorry, it's your personal relationship, but don't you think he's very... casual about all this?"

"I don't see what you mean-"

"He's the predator murderer, right?", she blurted out.

She stared at him, in anticipation.

Dong-sik's brain decided to momentarily shutdown at the question.

Error 101. Please restart.

"What?", he finally managed to say, before giving a nervous laugh. "I mean, what- what are you even saying? In-woo? I mean, you can't believe that-"

"Dong-sik", she said, her heartbeat louder and louder in her chest, "look at me."

Dong-sik's eyes, which had diverted towards the table, briefly met hers, before looking away again.

"Yook Dong-sik!", she called, pleading. "Look at me."

Dong-sik, slowly, moved his head towards her.

He forced himself to stare into her eyes, right at her eyes, nothing but her eyes.

"In-woo isn't a killer", he answered, his voice very calm.

But the alarm bells that'd kept ringing in her head had gone silent all of a sudden, replaced with an overwhelming conviction.

"Dong-sik", she whispered, "he's going to keep killing more people if we don't stop him."

"Aigoo", he chuckled, "what do you mean by that?"

She grabbed his hand suddenly, in a tight grip.

"He killed at least nine people, maybe more", she insisted, "if you just testify-"

He pulled his hand away abruptly.

"Officer Shim", he said, and gave a confused frown, tilting his head, "I really don't understand what you mean?"

Bo-kyung closed her eyes, taking in a big breath, trying to keep her calm.

When she opened her eyes again, she removed her hand, resting it on her lap.

"So", she said, her voice slightly unsteady, "you're saying that he doesn't have anything to do with this?"

He gave a nod.

"Alright", she breathed out. "Alright."

The final examination of Yook Dong-sik's case took place on a thursday.

His family gave him encouraging thumbs up, as did Taek-soo and Chil-sung, also sitting amongst the numerous journalists present.

The jury went out to discuss after the last arguments were made, and at 3 PM, the presiding judge stood up to give her verdict.

Dong-sik wasn't sure that he understood a single thing she said.

But suddenly there were cheers and disappointed shouts echoing across the room, and he barely registered as his attorney started patting his back, repeating "congratulations!".

He glanced around, confused, until he met In-woo's eyes.

In-woo gave him a knowing wink.

"I'm free?", realized Dong-sik.

He looked around once more, his whole family standing up, cheering.

Oh.

They'd won.

From what he understood, as his family cried over him and all tried to speak at the same time, the charges were dropped for lack of evidence. The predator killer was still, supposedly, on the run, although journalists comparing notes asked each other "shouldn't it be the president of that company who did it...? Why else would he kidnap him?". For now, Dong-sik was a free man, and the handcuffs were finally removed.

As he walked out of the room, journalists started pooling around him.

"Yook Dong-sik, what do you think about the way the investigation was conducted? Will you be pressing charges?!"

"Can you describe what it was like to hear about your release?!"

"What's your haircare routine?!"

"What do you have to say to the families of the victims?!"

"Let us go through!", barked Dong-sik's father, elbowing his way through the crowd. "Don't you have any dignity?!"

They had to take the bus to go home, and Dong-sik already felt like crying, thinking of that crowd following him in the tiny bus station and waiting with him while harassing him with questions.

That was before he noticed one figure standing out amongst the others, In-woo waving his car keys in his direction.

"Excuse me-", hurried to say Dong-sik, and he started pushing his way out od the crowd, while his family shouted "Dong-sik where are you going?".

Seeing him move, the journalists unglued themselves from his family, trying to catch up to him as he ran towards In-woo's car.

"I'll go back with him!", he shouted at his sister, who made an 'ok' gesture with her fingers, before ushering their parents away from the crowd.

Dong-sik jumped into the car, barely having the time to close the door before In-woo was pushing the accelerator.

He buckled his seatbelt quickly, and let himself fall against his seat, still panting.

"Congratulations, Dong-sik", said In-woo, giving him a quick glance, grinning, "you're free again."

"Yes", said Dong-sik, trying to catch his breath.

"Where do I take you?"

"My dad's restaurant, please."

The journalists didn't follow them, and Dong-sik finally let himself relax, closing his eyes briefly.

"They didn't accuse my father, but I'll make sure the investigation doesn't go further", said In-woo. "You did a good job."

"Did I?", asked Dong-sik, a bit regorvirated. "I don't think Officer Shim-"

He stopped.

"What?"

"Nothing", he dismissed.

He tried not to think of Bo-kyung's words too much, that his testimony alone could've reversed the entire situation. That In-woo could be handcuffed now, on his way to prison.

"Will you eat with us?", he asked instead.

"I can't make it today", admitted In-woo, although he didn't look pleased about it. "There's still a lot of paperwork to go through with the company... the next days might be busy."

Dong-sik nodded, and changed the topic to ask what would happen to Ji-hoon now -In-woo currently being on a mission to send Ji-hoon as far away as he could, possibly the United States-.

They made it to Dong-sik's family's restaurant without any screaming journalist suddenly appearing, while Dong-sik enjoyed the feeling of not having his wrists trapped in metal circles.

"We still need to talk about what's next", said In-woo, as he stopped the car. "I think-"

"We should leave the city", blurted out Dong-sik.

In-woo's eyebrows rose high.

"What?"

Dong-sik didn't know exactly how to say "Officer Shim thinks you're suspicious and even if you no longer kill anyone she'll probably figure out that you're not exactly a good Samaritan" without In-woo jumping to the conclusion that he should get rid of Officer Shim, so he didn't say that.

Instead, he said:

"What do you think?"

In-woo seemed to think for a moment, still scrutinizing his face with his eyes, before giving a small nod.

"You're probably right", he admitted.

He glanced over Dong-sik's shoulder, at the restaurant.

"Your family will be there soon", he said, looking back at Dong-sik. "Let's talk about it later."

Dong-sik gave his usual puppy like nod, and reached for the door.

He was about to go out, when he stopped, and turned back towards In-woo.

In-woo gave him a curious look, like "what?".

Dong-sik suddenly reached for In-woo's face, startling him, sandwiching it between his hands, his thumbs resting on In-woo's cheeks.

"Can I kiss you?", he asked, very serious.

In-woo's eyes widened for a moment, before his lips curled into a grin, and he leaned forward, meeting his mouth halfway.

For once, no tongue was involved. Dong-sik did remember to close his eyes and it was very nice to feel In-woo's hand on his neck, rubbing small circles on his skin while his lips moved against his, and he moved away with a dopey grin.

"Well", he said, while In-woo sat back in his seat, "see you later."

His exit could've been smooth and cool, had he not almost tripped as he left the car, and was sent stumbling for a few steps.

"Are you okay?!", called In-woo.

Dong-sik raised a slightly embarassed thumbs up, and quickly moved to the restaurant.

Freedom!

Chapter Text

"Boss, you can't be serious!", pled Chil-sung.

That was pretty much his standard greeting, ever since Dong-sik had announced that he'd be moving away, months ago.

Now that there were about twenty-four hours left before Dong-sik forever moved to the other side of the world -at least, that's how Chil-sung saw it: Dong-sik would actually only be living about thirty minutes away by car, and coming back at the very very very very very least once a month, and that was only in extreme cases-, it'd become not only a greeting -Dong-sik had gotten used to saying 'good morning' and being told 'boss, you can't be serious!' every time they saw each other- but also the only thing Chil-sung seemed able to do, along with puppy eyes that were slightly terrifying.

"I told you already that I'm going", lamented Dong-sik, fastening his pace, on his way to the bus station.

"Is it because of that punk-", started Chil-sung, before pretending to cough loudly when Dong-sik gave him a deadpan look, "because of Boss-in-law?", he corrected.

The truth was, 60% of the reason was because 'Boss-in-law' had a higher kill count than most Disney villains.

But the 40% left were a mix of Dong-sik really not liking his job, getting glared at wherether he went by people who remembered seeing him on the TV with the words 'predator murderer' underneath his picture, and coming to the conclusion that maybe, he'd spent the first ten years of adulthood caring a bit too much about how his father saw him.

And, as a bonus, being the partner of someone who's income was way above the minimum wage did mean that for once in his life he'd be able to live in a place where he wouldn't have to worry about the heating stopping to work in the middle of winter -and, even more bonus, he'd be living with his boyfriend, even if that was already becoming more or less the case with how often In-woo accompanied him home-.

"I just want to live away from my parents for a bit", ended up saying Dong-sik.

The bus station was near now, but Chil-sung was still trailing after him, looking absolutely miserable.

"We can FaceTime", suggested Dong-sik.

Chil-sung lit up like he'd just learnt he won the lottery.

"Great idea-", he started cheering.

"My bus is here", noticed Dong-sik, and Chil-sung barely had time to say "good day, Boss!" before Dong-sik was sprinting towards the vehicule, waving his arms to get it to stop.

He managed to find an empty spot and sat down, panting from the small effort.

Last time he made this trip.

He'd found a job at the escape room near their future house, where he'd be starting on saturday. The pay wasn't too bad, the hours were alright, and he'd have time to work on his new passion project: writing a book.

Well, he had no idea how to do that, but he had a concept, a thousand wikihow articles opened on his phone, and he'd probably be alright. Probably.

He watched the familiar view outside all the way to the office, where he got off and made his way to the elevator.

A few people he didn't remember ever talking to wished him a good departure, and he answered with vague "thank you" and nods, before moving towards his own department.

As he came round the corner, a bit confused by the whispers he could heard, he was suddenly sucker-punched in the face by a party horn -you know, the thing at birthday parties where you blow in it and it unwraps and makes the saddest horn sound known to mankind-.

"Surprise!", shouted Mi-joo/Jung-ah/Suk-hyun/Jae-ho/Team Leader Gong/Person A/Person B/Other Unknown People.

Dong-sik blinked, a bit confused as to why he got hit in the eye by a paper toy, before noticing the big 'Goodbye, Dong-sik and Director Seo' written on a banner, hanging in the office, with lots of sad faces drawn next to it.

"Wow", he commented.

"I drew it", said Jae-ho, rather proudly, noticing what he was looking at.

In-woo was already there, hiding his amusement by holding a hand to his mouth -which didn't hide his amusement very well-.

Once Dong-sik had packed everything he had on his desk, and had been gifted a goodbye card -which seemed to be a birthday card, except someone tried to write 'goodbye' over the 'happy birthday'- with little notes like 'we will miss you!', 'good luck!' or Team Leader Gong's 'pls don't hurt my family' in it, everyone agreed to have a celebration, reflecting Dong-sik and In-woo's promotion dinner, months ago -although it felt like centuries had gone since then-.

This time everyone insisted that Dong-sik and In-woo get to sit together -it looked like they'd all made the connection between the both of them leaving at the same time, and the hearteyes In-woo kept sending his way-, before starting to fight for the spot closest to them.

Jae-ho won the seat right next to Dong-sik, immediately starting to talk how much he'd miss him -since he had his memories back, Dong-sik was starting to wonder if Jae-ho wouldn't be missing his free coffee instead- while Team Leader Gong talked In-woo's ear off about how great of a director he was, all while subtly dropping hints to get a promotion -he wasn't subtle, not even one bit-.

"When I say 'Director Seo and Yook Dong-sik'", suddenly announced Team Leader Gong, raising his glass, "everyone says 'goodbye', alright? Director Seo and Yook Dong-sik-"

"Goodbye!", cheered everyone.

That honestly felt more like they were happy to watch them leave, to be honest.

Still, Dong-sik felt a bit emotional, even as he looked at colleagues he was pretty sure he'd never seen before -who'd probably tagged along for the food, really-. He'd spent so long working that dog of a job, getting bullied by his superiors, earning the minimum wage, taking on extra hours...

Well, actually, he didn't miss all that very much.

"Are you okay?", asked In-woo, bumping their knees together lightly.

"Ah, yes", nodded Dong-sik.

In-woo held his glass up.

"Cheers", he said, and Dong-sik bumped his glass against his, before taking a sip.

As Jae-ho started speaking again, reminiscing of the good old days -he didn't seem to have caught on yet to the fact that Dong-sik's memories were back and that he did know that Jae-ho was making all of this up-, Dong-sik still felt his mood go down a little.

Was he making the right choice?

What about financial stability? What would he do if he actually didn't understand the conditions for his new job well, what if he was jobless in the next few days? He felt like an anxious teenager just out of highschool, staring at their uni and realizing that they didn't know where their classroom was located -he had, in fact, been that anxious teenager, and he had, in fact, gotten hours late to his first ever uni class, because the university was impossible to get through without getting lost-.

"I'm gonna take some air", he told In-woo.

In-woo frowned.

"Something's wrong?"

Dong-sik only gave a smile that was supposed to be reassuring, even if it screamed 'I am about to have an existencial crisis outside, I'll be right back'.

In-woo watched him hurry out, leaving behind a half empty glass.

As soon as he stood outside, taking big gulps of polluted air, Dong-sik felt slightly better.

Just a few hours, and he'd be going towards another, completely different life, where he wouldn't be Yook Dong-sik, the pushover from the Asset Management Department who got amnesia and thought he was a serial killer, but instead, just Yook Dong-sik.

Footsteps caught his attention, as he reflected on who the hell was even Yook Dong-sik.

"Feeling better?"

Dong-sik watched In-woo stop next to him, with very intense déjà-vu.

"Is this the part where you tell me that 'parties are a bit boring for people like us'?", he joked.

"Aren't they?", said In-woo, grinning.

"Well", shrugged Dong-sik, looking away, towards the cars and passerbys, "I never liked parties."

In-woo's shoulder brushed against his, as he turned to watch too.

"How's your novel going?", he asked.

Dong-sik let out a deep sigh.

"I'm stuck on the chapter-"

"What are the loverbirds doing?", teased Mi-joo, as the rest of the group came out of the restaurant.

"No- nothing-", tried to protest Dong-sik.

"Director Seo, can we borrow him for a minute?", asked Jung-ah.

"Of course, if Dong-sik wants", nodded In-woo.

Mi-joo and Suk-hyun immediately grabbed Dong-sik, starting to pull him towards the same spot they'd stood in, months ago.

"What's going on?", asked Mi-joo excitedly, as In-woo was pulled into a conversation with Jae-ho and Team Leader Gong.

"What?"

"Are you two...", hesitated Suk-hyun, before pointing to one of his fingers.

Dong-sik stared at it in confusion.

Before realizing it was the ring finger.

"No-", he started protesting.

"Well, he can't do it here anyways", reminded Jung-ah.

"Are you going to Vegas?", whispered Mi-joo excitedly.

Dong-sik couldn't help but wonder, watching his coworkers talk enthusiastically about his dating situation, what would've happened if they hadn't told him that In-woo was probably in love with him.

Well.

Things probably wouldn't've been too different, right?

"Oh, Mrs. Jo!", suddenly noticed Mi-joo, visibly surprised.

Everyone glanced at the woman, who'd stopped near the small congregation.

"Mrs. Jo?", called In-woo.

She gave them all her very polite smile, before turning towards Dong-sik.

"Mr. Yook, may I talk to you for a second?"

Dong-sik was starting to feel like a new toy being passed from one kid's hand to another.

Still, In-woo had mentionned before Mrs. Jo being one of the people who knew him the best and who warned him about Dong-sik, so he was slightly intrigued about her.

"Yes, sure", he blinked, and, after excusing himself to Mi-joo, Jung-ah and Suk-hyun -who still didn't know whether he was going to elope to Las Vegas with Director Seo- he followed her away from the group.

In her high heels, she was almost taller than him. At least thanks to dating In-woo, he was now used to getting neck pains from looking up.

"I'd like to offer you my congratulations", she started. "When you started acting up, I thought you were only a fool getting into trouble, not knowing what he was dabbling with. I didn't understand Director Seo's interest in you. But now, I think I can see why."

"Uhm", he said, hesitating, "thank you?"

"He's never looked as happy as he is now", she said, glancing towards In-woo -who did not look very happy, harassed as he was by Team Leader Gong-. "As his friend... even if he might not consider us as such... I have to thank you for it."

"Don't worry about it", assured Dong-sik, shaking his hands, "it's nothing-"

"However", she added, "since you are no longer part of the company, I will speak to you now as In-woo's friend, rather than as the Audit Team Leader."

His eyebrows rose, disappearing under his hair, surprised as she leaned closer.

"If you hurt him", she said, very calmly. "You will regret it."

With that, she leaned back, giving him her standard smile, which now looked very threatening.

"Do we have an agreement?", she asked.

Dong-sik blinked.

Twice.

"Yes?", he tried.

"Good", she said. "Well, then, Mr. Yook, all that is left is for me to wish you a good departure."

"Ah, yes", he said, feebly. "Come whenever you want."

"Thank you."

With that, she turned on her heels, moving to give In-woo a greeting, while he gave Dong-sik a 'what did you talk about?' look.

Dong-sik shrugged, very confused too.

His next stop, after work, was the police station: In-woo agreed to drop him off, and waited in the car while Dong-sik approached the station.

"Yook Dong-sik!", recognized Taek-soo, as he walked in, and Bo-kyung raised her head. "Did you come to say goodbye?"

He was soon tackled with the full weight of Taek-soo, who repeatedly reminded him that if he ever got into trouble, he should just tell the cops to call Taek-soo or Bo-kyung, and they'd get rid of the problem for him -unfortunately, he doubted it'd work if In-woo got arrested for murder-, before the cop finally stepped away, leaving the spot for Bo-kyung.

After she and Dong-sik stared at each other awkwardly, she finally held her arms open.

"No hard feelings?", she asked, by which she meant 'even if I still think that your boyfriend is a serial killer'.

In response, he only embraced her into the tightest hug possible, burying his head in her shoulder.

"You can come to the house whenever you want", he promised, sniffling as her hair tickled his nose.

"You too", she promised, patting his back.

And the last stop, once he and In-woo had dropped off his things at his old appartment, was his parents' restaurant.

As he opened the door, it was In-woo's time to get punched by the party horn, Dong-sik's father immediately starting to apologize profusely.

"It's nothing, it's nothing-", dismissed In-woo.

Everyone sat around the table, Dong-sik's stepmother insisting on seeing pictures of their future house again -even if she'd already seen the pictures ten times before-, her and his sister both going "woah!" and "how lovely!" and "this is so classy" at every picture, while Dong-sik's father repeatedly told him to treat his boyfriend well and take him out to dinner every once in a while -"you get your partner by their stomach, you hear me?", he repeated-.

Once they'd eaten enough meat for the whole month, Dong-sik gave In-woo an eyebrow raise -their secret sign for "please convince my parents to stop force feeding me"- and In-woo cleared his throat loudly, looking at his watch.

"It's getting late, and me and Dong-sik have to leave early in the morning-", he said.

That seemed to do it, and In-woo and Dong-sik were followed all the way to In-woo's car, while the whole family told them again and again "call as soon as you're there", "send pictures" and "come back soon!".

Dong-sik watched their silhouettes start to become smaller and smaller, as In-woo drove away.

Did they ever give him that much attention before his amnesia?

It seemed that today, everything seemed to lead to that. What would his life had looked like, if he hadn't gone down the staircase of that building, to find In-woo in the middle of a gruesome kill? Would he have kept taking the same bus every day, bought coffee for Jae-ho and done his work, gotten screamed out by his boss, watched his colleagues whisper in pity at the sight of him, and gone to family dinners where he stayed quiet in his corner, going completely ignored except for whenever his sister remembered he was there? Would he still go home every night alone, falling asleep in a bed that now looked too big, everytime he got in it?

"You're very quiet today", noticed In-woo.

"Am I?", replied Dong-sik, glancing at him.

"Mh."

In-woo took a turn left, his eyes on the road.

"Are you regretting moving away?", he asked.

Dong-sik took a moment to really think about it.

"No", he finally said, sighing. "I don't."

They parked in front of Dong-sik's soon-to-be-former appartment, and took the staircase all the way up -the elevator had decided to be uncooperative-, Dong-sik opening the door to be greeted with tons of cardboard boxes.

Only a mattress was left, and once they'd brushed their teeth and gotten into pyjamas, they layed down on the tiny thing, surrounded by even more cardboard boxes.

Dong-sik looked up at the ceiling.

It looked a bit curved, ever since that flooding in october -the neighbour above forgot to close the water before leaving in the morning-.

"We won't have flooding in the new house, right?", he asked.

In-woo, who had been trying to find the good position to sleep -not easy when you're used to expensive beds and find yourself on a thin mattress against the bare floor- stopped moving.

"A what?"

"Nothing", dismissed Dong-sik.

He wiggled like a caterpillar trying to get across a branch, and rested his head on In-woo's chest, tilting his face towards him.

"Is this okay?", he asked.

"Mmh", hummed In-woo.

This wasn't the most comfortable thing ever -who knew abs of steel could be uncomfortable- but Dong-sik could vaguely heard In-woo's heartbeat, underneath his shirt.

Ba-dum. Ba-dum.

He closed his eyes, as he felt In-woo's hand tentatively reach towards his hair, combing his fingers through the strands.

"Your heart beats really slowly", he pointed out, still listening.

"Really?"

"It's kind of nice."

In-woo hummed.

"Good night, Dong-sik."

"Good night", wished Dong-sik back.

After that, it didn't take long before In-woo's breathing patterns changed, his lips parting as he breathed out, chest rising and falling.

Dong-sik kept staring at the ceiling.

A whole part of his life was about to end.

Would the relationship even survive? What if him and In-woo were actually completely incompatible? What if in a year, they broke up because they didn't like how the other did the dishes, or because In-woo killed one of the neighbours?

With these questions plaguing his mind, and In-woo's heartbeat against his ear, Dong-sik finally closed his eyes, -trying to be- ready for whatever the hell would happen in that next chapter of his life.

Chapter Text

BEEP BEEP BEEP.

Dong-sik was startled out of his sleep, opening his eyes in complete darkness.

He reached blindly for his phone, turning off the alarm, before letting out a loud yawn and rubbing his eyes, checking the time.

25 december 2023.

11:50.

"Huh?!", he shouted, anxiety immediately skyrocketing, bubbling in him like a mentos in a coke bottle about to do something very ugly.

He tried to get off the bed, but there was an arm around his waist, and he had to fight off the tight grip for a few seconds.

"In-woo, we're late", he hissed, as he pried the fingers off.

"I see dead people", was In-woo's sleepy response, his head still buried in the pillow.

"This isn't the time for movie references!", complained Dong-sik.

He finally managed to escape his embrace, and ran to the bathroom, turning on the lights before grabbing his toothbrush.

As he started brushing aggressively, In-woo managed to get out of bed, stumbling toward the light like an overgrown moth in fancy pajamas.

"What time is it?", he asked, squinting at the sudden brightness.

"Almost 12", answered Dong-sik, toothbrush in his mouth.

In-woo's eyes widened and he bolted away, running to his closet -he'd insisted on having what was almost a full room just devoted to his closet, and Dong-sik had ended up accepting, so now they could do a whole tour of In-woo's thousands of suits and coats whenever someone came over.

While In-woo tried to put together an outfit, Dong-sik spit out the toothpaste and started putting on whatever clothes he could find, checking the time repeatedly.

By 12:01 they're in the corridor and Dong-sik was frantically applying gel on In-woo's hair as In-woo tied his shoelaces, and at 12:06 Dong-sik was driving away, while In-woo used the car mirror to style his hair and apply makeup over his eyebags.

"Why didn't the alarm ring earlier?", he asked, as Dong-sik stepped on the accelerator as hard as he could without going over speed limits.

"Ah, that- it probably rang before but we didn't hear it-"

While Dong-sik attempted to respect speed regulations without being too late, back in the city, his father was barking orders around, while hurrying to a table with his arms full of glasses.

"Honey, he's not even here yet", reminded his wife, bouncing Ji-yun's son on her knees, while the boy looked at the agitation with curiosity.

"That's what I'm saying!", lamented Mr. Yook. "These years, he gets here even later than before-"

"Come on, dad, that's not true", protested Ji-yun. "And he lives away, it's not easy to predict traffic you know-"

"He used to come every weekend", reminisced Chil-sung, leaning against his broom.

"What are you doing?", barked Mr. Yook. "Aren't you supposed to be cleaning?!"

"Yes, Boss!", shouted Chil-sung, immediately starting to aggressively sweep again.

"Ji-yun, where's your little brother? Not dancing again, right?"

"Dad, why would you think that-", tried to defend Ji-yun -Dong-chan was probably indeed dancing: ever since Dong-sik moved away and decided to get into book writing and escape rooms, he'd taken him as an example, dramatically announcing that he'd go after his own passions and audition for an idol agency-. "Dong-chan, where are you-"

"Boss!", suddenly shouted Chil-sung, dropping his broom.

"What now?!"

"No! Boss! Outside!"

Indeed, Dong-sik had just left the car, already running towards the restaurant, while In-woo followed behind with paper bags in each hand.

"Dong-sik!", shouted his sister, trying to outrun Chil-sung to the door, the rest of the family hot on their heels.

"Boss, how was your trip?!"

"Aigoo, you both look so pale-"

"How's work?"

"Bro, did your book come out yet?"

"Sorry we're late", said Dong-sik. "Traffic-"

"Mother-in-law, Father-in-law, we brought you some things", added In-woo, handing over the paper bag.

"Oh, you really shouldn't have-", protested Mrs. Yook, as she accepted the bags, her husband peeking inside.

"Son, aren't you going to say hello to Uncle In-woo?", criticized Ji-yun, taking her son back from her stepmother's arms.

The boy didn't answer, instead making grabby hands at Dong-sik, who gave him a big grin.

"Want to take him?", asked Ji-yun.

"Ah, sure-"

While the boy got transferred from his mother's arms to his uncle's -giving In-woo worried glances: as In-woo had once written in his diary, animals and babies seem to have a sixth sense for predators, or something like that: on their second meeting, the boy had thrown his soup at his face, which stayed, to this day, a rather bitter event-, everyone agreed that they should sit down, starting to all talk at the same time about recent news.

"You haven't shown us the rings yet!", suddenly remembered Mrs. Yook, as Dong-sik sat down next to In-woo, holding on carefully to his nefew.

"Didn't Dong-sik send you pictures?", asked In-woo, smiling. He held up his hand, hightlighting the silver band on his ring finger.

"It's so beautiful!", cooed Mrs. Yook, Chil-sung, Dong-chan and Ji-yun's husband admiring the engagement ring.

Meanwhile, Ji-yun and Mr. Yook were complimenting Dong-sik's new ability to run for more than ten seconds without turning into a panting mess.

"You don't even look like you're dying now when you run", pointed out Ji-yun.

"In-woo helped me get better stamina", explained Dong-sik.

Noticing his sister's eyebrow raise, he hurried to add "I mean because we run together sometimes in the morning-".

To distract the conversation away, he raised his voice, saying "my book just came out, would you like to see it-" interrupted by his family loudly agreeing.

Once he'd extracted the book from his bag, everyone began commenting all at once, "oh the cover is so beautiful", "oh my god there's your picture at the back!", "did you talk about us?".

"Look at this, he dedicated it to all of us and In-woo!", noticed Ji-yun, opening it to the first page.

In-woo gave Dong-sik a glance, smiling, as he took his hand and rested them on the table, Dong-sik's own ring shining brightly under the ceiling's lights.

Dong-sik leaned towards him, without letting go of his nefew.

"Can you distract my father, I want to ask Dong-chan about his auditions", he whispered into his ear.

In-woo made an 'ok' gesture with his free hand, and turned towards Dong-sik's father.

"I heard you had a problem with a client recently, what was it about...?"

"You wouldn't believe it", immediately started to rant Mr. Yook, shaking his head in disbelief, "this client comes in, pretending our meat made him sick-"

"I helped kick him out", chirped in Chil-sung.

"Saying he wanted us to refund his sick leave-"

"And the hospital bills-", added Mrs. Yook.

"Dong-chan, how are the auditions going?", said Dong-sik, lowering his voice as he spoke to his brother.

"Dong-sik you wouldn't believe it, he joined a competition the other day-", said Ji-yun excitedly.

"In-woo, how's your family doing?", asked Mrs. Yook, once her husband was done complaining about the client.

"My brother is still in the US, and I haven't seen the others in a while", answered In-woo.

"They don't approve...?", she asked, tilting her head towards Dong-sik.

"No, nothing like that, things have just been a bit difficult since my father's death", corrected In-woo. "But I have Dong-sik, so."

Dong-sik turned his head, hearing his name, and In-woo raised their hands, leaving a quick peck on Dong-sik's knuckles.

"Ah, the honeymoon phase", sighed Mr. Yook.

"You say that everytime they come", pointed out Mrs. Yook.

"Boss, how's the escape room going?", asked Chil-sung.

"Normal", shrugged Dong-sik. "I think I got really good at scaring customers now..."

"Dong-sik can be very scary when he wants", added In-woo, his thumb rubbing over Dong-sik's hand.

"I'm not", protested Dong-sik, although he was laughing.

At 5 PM, Dong-sik finally announced that him and In-woo would be going home.

"Do you have to leave already?", argued his stepmother, while Dong-sik stood up, trying to hand his nefew back to his sister. "When will we see you both again?"

"We're a bit busy, but I'm sure we can make time in the next weeks", assured In-woo, following Dong-sik's movement.

"I call you every weekend", pointed out Dong-sik, still attempting to unglue his nefew from himself.

"I'll take him", assured his brother-in-law, grabbing the kid.

"Say goodbye to uncle In-woo too", encouraged Ji-yun, but the boy only shook his head, visibly pouting.

"At least take some meat home, we have so much-", said Mrs. Yook, "Chil-sung, could you-"

"On it, ma'm!"

After countless more goodbyes, Dong-sik and In-woo finally managed to walk out, hands full with bags of meat, moving towards the car parked in front, In-woo unlocking it.

Once the bags were in the truck, In-woo closed it, before turning to Dong-sik, a slight smile on his face as he leaned against the car.

"Should we go hunting, now?"