20 April, 1:03 A.M.

Haneul awakens from his slumber when he feels a tug on his sleeve. He lets out a sound at the back of his throat and turns to the side ignoring the pull, wanting to go back to his dreams.

"Appa," he hears but still keeps his eyes closed. "Appa, wake up!" Soomin climbs on the bed and shakes him vigorously as much as the heels of her small palms can.

The father groans, a hand coming up to his face, rubbing his eyes. "Why are you awake, Soomin?" He croaks in a breathy tone, "Sleep with Appa today." He pulls the girl close to him but she moves away.

"No."

Begrudgingly, the father sits up and peels his eyes open. "Do you want milk?"

"No."

"Then sleep." Haneul lays down again and pulls the comforter over his head. The girl always manages to find ungodly times to bother him. Being a father is a full-time job but he needed a break at least when he's trying to catch some hours of sleep before returning to the hospital.

A moment of silence passes till the room fills with Soomin's cry. "Eomma!" She roars, tears escaping her eyes. "I want eomma...where is mwy eomma?" Her wails get louder as Haneul's grip on the bed sheets tightens.

The sounds make his chest heavy, the pit of his stomach churning uncomfortably. Naeun is allowed to meet Soomin every month for a day. Whenever Soomin spends a day with her, she becomes sensitive about not seeing her mother around after the visit. The girl loves her but Haneul took that away. He has taken it upon himself to raise her alone, but the doctor can already see that he's failing. He tries filling the void Naeun has left, hoping Soomin won't feel the absence of her mother but all his efforts are in vain.

When the crying doesn't cease, Haneul pulls her into his embrace, Soomin's tears staining his beige silk nightwear. "Appa is sorry, Minnie. Very sorry." The father whispers stroking her hair guiltily. How is he supposed to comfort her?

"I want eomma, I want to slweep with eomma! Why dwidn't she come home with us today?"

Haneul rocks Soomin, holding her, feeling helpless about the situation. He couldn't tell his little girl how her mother would never live with them anymore. The doctor tried to save their relationship, but progress is only when both parties put in the effort. He wants to completely blame Naeun for breaking them apart, but he cannot. Maybe it was he who couldn't keep her happy and fulfill her needs. Divorce was inevitable, a toxic household was not fit for Soomin's upbringing. He prays the girl would understand his decision someday. Although, one question always lingers in his mind, 'Would things have gotten better if I waited more and endured it?'

Haneul moves the girl from his chest and places his hands on her cheeks, wiping her tears with a pained smile. "We can go to Uncle Binnie's house tomorrow. You can play with Bora and Hoonie hyung."

Soomin sniffles, "But..." she juts out her lips, a pout taking over. "Also ice cweam...?"

Haneul nods, grinning at his daughter's expression. "Yes, I promise." He holds his pinky out.

"Yay!" Soomin beams, climbing onto Haneul's lap. "Appa, I wuv you."

The father breaks out into a hearty laugh. "Appa loves you too, angel."

One thing easy about kids is distracting them from their initial goal by offering an even better incentive. And Haneul easily finds baits Soomin would willingly take. He'd do anything as long as she forgot about her mother. It's selfish but he couldn't watch his child cry for something and not be able to bring it to her.

❛ ━━━━━━✦❪✥❫✦━━━━━━ ❜

29 April, 12:41 A.M.

Shadow enters the hotel room, a briefcase in his hand. The fingers in his blazer pocket switch on the recorder disguised as a pen. A woman sits on the bed with two men at her side. She gestures one of them towards ChangMin, the dark-skinned man approaching for a body check.

Shadow raises his arms when the man brings his hands to pat over his body, bunching his baggy clothes and searching for any weapon. The hotel room is bright, the curtains pulled over the windows. He hears the smart lock beep behind him when the door shuts close.

"Let's get this over with." The pale man plops himself on the sofa opposite to the woman and places the briefcase on the coffee table. He leans against the backrest to show his confidence, throwing one leg over the other. "I brought the cash, show me the drugs."

The bald man brings a similar briefcase and opens it after the woman gestures for him to do so. "Here it is, but I'm not dealing it with you." They pull back the case and place it on the bed behind them.

"What do you mean?" Shadow tilts his head, eyes sharp. "We already had an agreement."

"Bring me Bullet, your boss, I'll only deal with him, not some measly side-kick."

ChangMin scoffs, "Jiyeon-ssi, take the cash, and let's get over with it."

"I don't think so," the woman doesn't concede. "We're doing it on my terms. Bullet may have been dealing through you till now but I will not allow that anymore. I want to see who he is, what's so special about him that he never leaves his den?"

"You aren't the head of your gang too, what makes you think Bullet will come and meet you?"

"Oh, I don't know," the woman shrugs and cards her fingers through her honey-blonde hair. "With how your dealers were arrested by the police, I think you're on the short end of the stick here." She chuckles slapping her thighs, her red-painted nails scraping against her satin dress.

"Alright, the deal is off. I'm leaving." Shadow picks his case up and starts leaving but stops in his tracks when a gun presses at the back of his head.

"You're not leaving till you call Bullet here. He would not want his right-hand man dead, now would he?"

"You're stupid if you think he'll come because I'm at stake here. And do you think no one at the hotel will hear your gunshot?" He turns to the side, taking in his surroundings. Jiyeon has her arms crossed over her chest but the men point their guns at him.

"The room is soundproof, why else would I choose a fancy place like this," she smirks, "Your fate is in my hands now."

"Can you do it faster?" Shadow grits, tapping his foot against the floor, followed by a series of colorful curses.

"What? Do you want to die faster? Never have I seen a man so eager to jump to his death. Didn't think your life is this worthless." She mocks, "Boys, shoo—"

The room blacks out, only the red light from the smart lock blinking. Shadow takes his chance and ducks, landing a kick to the man's torso and hitting his head with the briefcase. He's smaller than most people in the underground business but that has its perks. Like how opponents usually underestimate him and the power of his punches and kicks.

"What happened, why are the lights out!" Jiyeon shouts, the sound of her heels frantically slapping on the tiled floor. She snatches the gun from the man and shoots at Shadow blindly. The bullet digs into the case, and ChangMin runs towards the locked door.

"Damn it!" ChangMin turns and brings the case in front of his face to block the incoming punch. As soon as he hears the beep of the smart lock, he spins on his feet and runs out of the room.

"Don't let him get away!" The men follow hot in pursuit, pushing the people coming in their way.

"What is going on?" the security guard asks but Shadow doesn't reply, racing to the exit. He spots their van at the entrance and jumps into the open door. "Hit it!"

Pandora drives off, laughing at the men huffing behind the vehicle.

"Can't you hack faster to unlock the damn door? I almost died." ChangMin breathes, wiping the sweat off his forehead. "What happened to your so-called useless 'magic fingers'?"

"I'm sorry," Yoon muses, "it was funny how that woman thought you wanted to die faster when you were cursing at me. I hope your bones are okay from all that running, old man."

"Shut up before I silence you with my sniper."

"Ah, I definitely feel loved after I just saved your ass."

"Can you both stop fighting like an old married couple for a day?" Dae Ho groans from the side, adjusting his cap and pinching the bridge of his nose. "It already sucks the deal fell through so don't piss me off even more."

"Aye, aye, captain!" Yoon salutes, removing the hand from the steering wheel as if the action was more important than driving safely.

Dae Ho's mobile phone rings on his lap but the fighter ignores it, pulling the cap over his face and sinking into the seat.

"The guy has called you about four times in the past hour, just end his suffering," Pandora huffs from the front just as Shadow taps the green icon to answer the call without consent.

Dae Ho shoots a glare at the petite man when the caller's voice booms through the speakers.

"Hello?"

The fighter grunts and picks the mobile phone up, pressing it to his ear.

"Long time no see, brother." The man on the other end begins. "How have you been?"

"It's late here, why did you call, Jisoo?" Dae Ho sighs, licking his lips and gazing at the scene outside.

"I know Seoul is sixteen hours ahead of Las Vegas, but I also know you don't sleep at this time."

"And I asked you not to call me after six in the evening." It's easy to sense the annoyance in the younger's voice, his tone being passive more than usual.

"I deserve to know why, after all, I'm the one lying to eomma and appa about what you're actually doing in Korea. They think you're a florist but I know you went back to the underground world. All you've told me is that you've been searching for someone you don't even know if they exist. What even happened four years ago? How hard is it for you to open up? We can do it slowly, start from small a/-"

"Jisoo, I'm not your damn patient," Dae Ho scoffs, "so stop." His brother doesn't even know the surface of what he's been through, it's easier to coax when the other person hasn't been in his spot and that's what he feels Jisoo is doing. And his twin's efforts wouldn't affect him when words have stopped giving him the solace he seeks.

The psychiatrist heaves a sigh. "Alright, but you should visit us, we're your family."

"I did it four months ago."

Jisoo clicks his tongue and he hears the sound of a chair being dragged. "You barely talk to our parents and aren't updated with what happens in the family. Suzy gave birth to a boy last week, We wanted his only uncle to come and celebrate his birth, can't I even ask for something like that? I had to tell eomma and appa that you're busy with the launch of your new shop and couldn't attend the party due to it. Call them once a week at least to let them know you're doing well."

Dae Ho can sense the concern in his twin's voice but he stays firm. "I message them so they know I'm alive." His parents didn't take his revelation of his past well four years ago and with the way he's now, he's sure they'd just completely shun him for what he's become. The memory is still fresh in his mind, just as the hurt.

"Heesoo, have you packed all your belongings?" Han Eunji asks her son wiping her hands with a tissue. "You're leaving for Seoul in a few hours, eat and go."

Dae Ho nods his head slowly, deep in thought. He looks between his parents who are sitting on the couch and Jisoo scrolling through his mobile phone lazily. He stands up, rubbing his palms together and biting his lower lip. "I...I need to tell you all something." The youngest takes in a long breath when all eyes focus on him.

"What is it?" Eunji's eyebrows draw together in concern noticing Dae Ho's anxious face.

The model curls his toes, revealing his past could hinder the relationship he had built with his family. But he had to do it, sooner or later. He didn't want an outside source to unmask him without preparing him for it. Deeds one has done come out in the open one or the other way. That's why it's better if Dae Ho told his family about it and got over with it.

"As you all know I was poor before Ms. Kim hired me as her model. Before that, I earned working at the cafe, but that's just half the truth." He wrings his hands together, feeling the sweat under his palms. Haneul had told him it was okay if he never talked about his past to his family, but it felt wrong. "Things were hard, Minji caught meningitis, my adoptive father was addicted to gambling and haelmoni was sick. I needed to earn more." The memories still pain him, but Dae Ho doesn't waver, he has a good life now and that's what matters. He hangs his head low and continues, "So, I did other jobs. They were...illegal."

He hears his mother take in a sharp breath, his father standing up abruptly.

"I didn't do anything major, no one would suspect a teen so I was made to transfer products, th—"

"—What products?"

"...drugs and stuff I don't even know." Dae Ho gulps audibly when his eyes meet his parents. "I was sent to a detention center for a few months but after my release, I was an underground fighter for years until I met Haneul. He thought I was Jisoo at first, and pestered me till I opened up to him." The model's lips tug upward for a moment. He omits the part about Haneul being an underground doctor, not wanting his parents to change their perspective about him. His family liked the man, but then again, no one could ever hate Kim Haneul's company.

"So, you're a criminal?" His father accuses taking a step forward, bringing Dae Ho out of his thoughts.

"Sungmin, don't," Eunji whispers holding onto his arm.

Sungmin's words are like throwing a cold bucket of water over Dae Ho's head, but they're facts. He has so much to say to counter him but his lips stay sealed. The model now understands why Haneul never talked back to his father. If he utters anything offensive, he'd lose whatever connection he has created with his family.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you. Whatever I did, it was to survive and protect my loved ones. I may not be up to your standards because I'm not the little boy Han Heesoo you raised, but Park Dae Ho, the one life has shaped." His eyes flicker up and down between his parents. "And...and I don't regret it."

Dae Ho gives a simple bow and walks out of the apartment unaware of the fate that awaits him after he lands back in South Korea. That very night the model disappears out of the blue.

The family became restless as days passed and Dae Ho didn't respond to anyone's calls or messages. Three months after his disappearance, Dae Ho sent a text message to Jisoo.

Dae Ho gave Jisoo an ultimatum and the latter caved in, even if it was being cruel to Haneul. He knew how hard it had been for the doctor but Jisoo couldn't lose his family for a second time. So, he let himself be selfish.

Keeping Dae Ho's secret has been hard for Jisoo, the guilt suffocating him whenever Haneul brought up the conversation about the ex-model.

"It's not only us but also Haneul hyung who keeps asking about you. I hate the fact that I hide it from him, he had a hard time when you disappeared without a warning. His trust in me will shatter when he learns about the truth. The truth that I've been in contact with you all these years but coldly shut him out when he asked for help to find you. I don't even know why you're making me do it!"

Jisoo's outburst doesn't guilt-trip him, rather, it makes Dae Ho clench his fist in irritation. What's worse is his twin doesn't plan on stopping at that.

"You guys were inseparable, it took a toll on him. And the poor guy's life hasn't been rainbows and sunshine lately." The psychiatrist's voice is softer and carries sympathy, "Talk to him, he'll be upset but you know Haneul, he can't stay mad for long. Please, do it for your sake too. Don't think anyone has noticed the dark circles under your eyes and you gained more muscle but you've lost weight. You've been detached, I know you're not accustomed to the family because you've no memories of us. But Haneul helped you break through your shell. Let him in. Haneul is—"

"Haneul," Dae Ho grits, a vein popping at his temple. "Haneul, Haneul!" He raves, startling the two men in the van and Jisoo on the other side. "Is he all you can talk about! I don't care what he thinks or what he can do!" The fighter breathes heavily, his chest moving with each inhale. "You say his life isn't sunshine and rainbows but I can't bring myself to care about it because mine has been a hellish fiery pit! If he wants a pity party, you can aid him, don't tell me about it. He—" Dae Ho stops, eyes screwing shut. He shouldn't let his emotions speak faster than his brain.

"I...I have to go," the fighter says and hangs up. He puts his head on his lap and pulls his ebony locks. "Damn it," he whispers, avoiding the conflicted look Shadow directs at him. He pulls his knees to his chest and wraps his hands around them, curling into himself, wanting to disappear, tuning out his surroundings.

When did he become so spiteful?