A few days had passed since the heavy conversation between Jeonghan and Seungcheol. The air between them had softened, though a quiet unease lingered at the edges. It wasn’t that everything was perfect now, or that the past had magically vanished, but there was a shared understanding.

They were both trying, in their own ways, to heal and move forward. Jeonghan’s guilt still simmered under the surface, but Seungcheol had made it clear he wouldn’t be walking this road alone.

Jeonghan had been spending more time with Haneul, trying to make up for the tense moments that had clouded their days. The little boy had accepted his father’s apology, and their relationship, while still marked by the occasional lingering discomfort, was slowly finding its balance again.

Haneul, for all his impatience and occasional defiance, had a deep affection for his father. It showed in the way he’d wrap his arms around Jeonghan whenever they played or talked, even if the boy was still holding onto small traces of resentment from the day of the smack.

The nights were quieter now, and Jeonghan often found himself lying awake, wondering if Haneul would ever truly forget the incident or if the guilt would always linger between them. It was a slow process, the rebuilding of their trust, but it felt like the cracks were beginning to mend.

Seungcheol, on the other hand, had done his best to give Jeonghan the space he needed, but also kept a watchful eye. They hadn’t broached the subject of the past again, and Jeonghan was grateful for that. Their conversations had remained civil, the weight of their unresolved issues tucked away for the moment.

They had returned to the mundane talking about work, occasionally laughing about trivial things, as if nothing had changed. But Jeonghan knew the truth. There was so much more that still needed to be said, but neither of them had been ready to unpack it.

That evening, Jeonghan sat at the kitchen table, watching Haneul poke at his dinner. The boy’s small frown was almost unreadable, his thoughts seemingly elsewhere as he absentmindedly pushed peas around his plate. Jeonghan’s stomach twisted. He could feel the tension in the air, a subtle but undeniable strain between them.

"Haneul." Jeonghan said gently, his voice soft yet firm. "You’re not hungry anymore?"

Haneul looked up at him with tired eyes, his expression guarded. After a pause, he shook his head. "I’m just tired." he muttered, avoiding his father’s gaze. The tension in his voice mirrored the exhaustion in his face.

Jeonghan felt a pang in his chest. His mind raced back to the night of the smack, the words they had exchanged, the way Haneul had flinched from him. He never wanted to see that look again.

"I’m sorry, chipmunk." Jeonghan said, his voice breaking slightly as he pushed his chair back and walked over to Haneul. He placed a hand gently on his son’s shoulder, trying to convey his sincerity. "I know things have been a little off lately, but I want you to know that I’m trying. I want to make things right between us."

Haneul was silent for a moment, staring at the untouched food in front of him. His small voice broke through the quiet. "I know, Daddy.." he whispered. "But… you still hit me." He hesitated, like he was searching for the words. "It hurt."

Jeonghan’s breath caught in his throat. The words stung more than he had anticipated. The guilt that had been simmering inside him boiled over, and he knelt beside his son, feeling the weight of the moment.

"I didn’t mean to hurt you, Haneul." Jeonghan said, his voice thick with emotion. He swallowed hard, the lump in his throat making it difficult to speak. "I… I made a mistake. And I’m sorry. I’ll do better. I promise."

Haneul’s small hands gripped the edge of his plate, and for a long moment, he said nothing. Jeonghan’s heart raced, his mind tangled in the knots of the past. Would Haneul ever truly forgive him? Would they ever be able to heal from this?

Finally, Haneul looked up at him, his eyes softening, but there was still a flicker of hurt in them. "I’ll forgive you, Daddy." the boy said quietly. "But… you have to stop making mistakes."

Jeonghan nodded slowly, his throat tight. "I will." he whispered. "I promise."

The weight of the conversation lingered between them long after Haneul had finished his meal and gone to bed. Jeonghan remained at the kitchen table, his mind racing. He knew the road ahead would be difficult, but there was hope. He just had to keep fighting for it.

In the days that followed, the atmosphere in the penthouse shifted. There was still tension, but it felt like something had started to heal. The emotional wall between Jeonghan and his son was slowly crumbling, though it wasn’t gone completely.

Jeonghan could feel the weight of his own unresolved past still casting a shadow, but for the moment, he allowed himself to believe that the future could be different.

Seungcheol, too, had been quieter these past few days. He respected Jeonghan’s need for space, yet he had remained a constant presence. They would sit together in the living room, talking about work or anything else that came to mind, but there was always an unspoken understanding that things were not yet perfect.

There was more to be done, more to be said, but neither of them had pushed for it. They were moving forward at their own pace, cautiously avoiding the pain that lingered just beneath the surface.

That night, as the clock ticked toward midnight, Seungcheol sat at his desk in his office headquarters. His laptop sat open in front of him, papers scattered across the desk.

He was surrounded by the remnants of a long workday, but his mind wasn’t fully focused on the task at hand. Instead, he was lost in thought, his gaze drifting over the work but not seeing it.

The conversation with Jeonghan earlier had weighed heavily on him. He knew Jeonghan was struggling he could feel it in the man’s words, in the subtle tremors of his actions.

Seungcheol could see how much guilt Jeonghan was carrying, how hard he was trying to make things right, but he also knew there was something Jeonghan was hiding. The weight of the past was still pressing down on him, and Seungcheol had an unsettling feeling that things were far from over.

Seungcheol’s thoughts were interrupted when his laptop chimed, the notification sound cutting through the quiet. He looked up, his eyes narrowing as he saw the familiar yet unnerving encryption on the screen. It had been months since anyone had contacted him this way, and his pulse quickened in response.

His fingers hesitated over the keys as he considered whether to open it. But the sense of unease grew stronger with every passing second. The message was short, and the encryption was unusually sophisticated. It had been designed with careful intent, and that alone set off alarm bells in Seungcheol’s mind.

He opened the message.

"We know you’re not as far gone as you think, 1004. If you think you can bury your past, you’re mistaken. The past never forgets."

Seungcheol’s blood ran cold. He stared at the screen, rereading the words again and again as if hoping they would change. But the threat was unmistakable. Someone knew. Someone was watching Jeonghan. Watching them.

The words echoed in his mind: The past never forgets.

A shiver ran down Seungcheol’s spine. Whoever had sent this message knew far more than he was comfortable with. It wasn’t just a warning; it was a challenge. And it was clear that whoever this was, they weren’t willing to let Jeoghan past stay buried.

Seungcheol’s fingers hovered over the keyboard. He could trace the message, try to uncover the identity of the sender, but he knew deep down that it might already be too late.

Whoever had sent it was already too close. The truth was, Seungcheol wasn’t sure what else to do. The past, Jeonghan feared, was something they would never truly outrun.

His thoughts turned to Jeonghan, and a cold dread settled over him. He couldn’t keep this from him not now. The past was resurfacing, and it was no longer just his problem. It was theirs.

Seungcheol took a deep breath, trying to steady his racing heart. He couldn’t afford to wait. They had to face this together.

He typed a quick message. He hesitated for only a moment before clicking send. As soon as the message left his inbox, Seungcheol felt a weight settle over him. This wasn’t just another routine conversation. Something dangerous was coming, and it was coming for them.

Back at the apartment, Jeonghan’s phone buzzed on the coffee table, pulling him from his thoughts. He reached for it, unlocking the screen, and his eyes narrowed as he saw the message from Seungcheol:

"Meet me at the office in the headquarters. Urgent."

His heart skipped a beat. The urgency in Seungcheol’s message felt different than usual. There was no preamble, no explanation. Just a blunt request to meet.

Jeonghan’s stomach churned. What could be so important? What had happened now?

He quickly typed back:

"What’s going on? Is everything okay?"

The reply came swiftly, almost too quickly:

"We need to talk. Something just came up"

Jeonghan’s chest tightened, and a wave of dread washed over him. Whatever it was, it wasn’t good. Seungcheol wasn’t one to panic or send urgent messages unless something serious was going on.

With a growing sense of unease, Jeonghan grabbed his jacket, his mind racing. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was coming something that would change everything.

As he made his way to the office, his footsteps echoed through the empty hallways of the headquarters. His thoughts raced, and every step seemed to carry the weight of everything that had come before and everything that was yet to come. The past had never truly stayed buried, and now it seemed that the ghosts they had tried to escape were returning.

Jeonghan’s mind was clouded with worry. The message from Seungcheol kept replaying in his head: "We need to talk. Something just came up." It was a warning. Whatever it was, it wasn’t good. And as he walked through he couldn’t help but wonder if it was too late to outrun the ghosts of his past.

By the time he reached the office, Jeonghan knew one thing for sure: the past had come back. Not only for him but to Seungcheol and Haneul also.

___________________××××__________________________