Chapter Text
Choi had not expected the two Bureau agents to haunt his thoughts after they had left the darkness. In his mind, they were undeniably good people, even his colleague agreed. This; however, was different. In slow moments, as he mindlessly flipped through the channels on the TV in his dorm, his mind would wander to their time together in the amusement park. The wit and valiance that the two had shown complimented their strangeness, creating the perfect symphony for him to replay and dissect over and over.
Oftentimes, his mind was plagued by the damage the senior agent had sustained during their little thirst at the amusement park. The smell of burnt flesh and the garish redness that accompanied it never became any less prominent. He didn’t understand, he had worked in Daydream for years, seen worse, yet a traitorous part of himself kept wondering how the other was faring after that. Buying a health potion was nothing to him - He had already used one to heal the injuries he had gotten within the amusement park. But he knew very well that the Bureau was overly reliant on those dokkaebi, so much so that the agents barely had healing items. He could guess that the senior agent was no different.
A faint green glow illuminated Choi’s room. Losing sleep was not new to him as he stared intensely at the vial sitting on his bedside table. He had impulsively bought a healing item despite already having cured his own injuries from the theme park. He knew most other Daydream employees would disagree with the way he treated points- but, it’s not as though he was saving for something like a wish ticket. He sighed deeply as he remembered the insane suggestion that the rookie had made at the ride and how he had pulled him to safety at the edge of the red zone. It… reminded him of his younger self - when he had been a fresh faced rookie in Daydream who came up with insane ideas not just to survive, but to also save others. He would say his solutions now were more normal though, tampered down with time and numerous failures.
‘Younger self, huh?’ Choi huffed softly before he reached for his phone that sat on his bedside table.
Ryu Jaekwan waited patiently at Seoul station. He was mostly covered up, and that, combined with his tall stature, made him seem menacing. Internally he swore that he was a respectable government agent who had saved countless lives. It was just that Salmon Market trades always blurred the lines of legality and no agent would want something so questionable on their track record.
The agent pulled out his phone to reconfirm his meeting details.
K.Lee: Hello! I saw that you were looking for food items. I found something the other day that may interest you~
T: What kind of food exactly?
K.Lee: im not too sure lolol, they seem to be dried fruit?
T: Could you tell me more?
K.Lee: oh theres a mix of fruit and i havent tried any yet but it just seems to be special you know?
Jaekwan furrowed his eyebrows, even if he was rereading it now it still irritated him.
T: If you’re just selling me dried fruit it is not what I’m looking for, I’m sorry.
K.Lee: waitwaiiwaitiwait dont leave the chatroom. i got the fruits during a strange circumstance ok
T: What kind of strange circumstance?
K.Lee: i got it from a shop where the shopowner didnt look human lolol
K.Lee: got curious and bought the most colourful item that i could find
K.Lee: if you want we can meet up first and you can inspect the item first before deciding. plus I really need cash! im a little broke hahaha
K.Lee: please? itll be worth it i swear
T: Okay, where and when would be suitable for you?
“Excuse me.Are you T?” A familiar voice caught the attention of Ryu Jaekwan. Two striking blue eyes and a confidant smirk greeted him and he could only hope that he had managed to hide his surprised expression before the other had noticed it. The employee from the theme park. While Jaekwan was entirely covered up, the other was dressed casually. He donned a simple blue jacket and jeans almost as though he was simply going out for groceries rather than making a dubiously legal transaction. If Ryu Jaekwan had to be honest, it was a little off-putting seeing the man in something other than a suit.
“I am, yes. Are you K.Lee, from the Salmon Market?” Ryu Jaekwan wondered if the employee recognised him.
“Why so formal, Bronzie~”
Jaekwan stopped himself from pinching the bridge of his nose.
“Do you actually have the item you described?”
“I do, it’s right here.” Choi waved the bag in front of the younger man. “It definitely has special effects. I tried them myself. Buttt,”
Jaekwan failed to keep in his sigh.
“Before I sell it to you, let’s go to the nearby cafe and get some drinks together, ok?”
“What are you planning?”
“Nothing, promise, we worked together in that darkness, you can trust me a little.”
Despite any protests that the agent had, he found himself sitting across from the other with a vanilla latte in front of him. Choi, having paid for both of them, had gotten himself an iced americano.
“Doesn’t it feel like we’re on a date?” The employee quipped cheekily.
“???” Jaekwan stared at him, flabbergasted.
The other tried not to laugh at the look he received, it was not his fault that the agent was so fun to tease.
“Oh little Bronzie you should see the look on your face.”
“Little?” Every interaction he had with the employee only fueled his growing confusion. “You don’t have to call me that outside of a disaster- You can call me Ryu Jaekwan.”
“Little Jaekwanie.” Choi smiled at him, ignoring the glare the other shot at him. “Alright then, you can call me Choi, no need to keep calling me Tiger.”
Ryu Jaekwan was filled with unease, his eyes narrowed at the other as they observed him closely.
“Relax, I’m not going to try anything.” The other’s tone suddenly turned serious, “Has your arm recovered?”
Uncomfortably, Ryu Jaekwan shifted his injured arm. The mention of the burn had reminded him of the discomfort that it brought him. “Not fully. It's gotten better though.” He tilted his head slightly when the other began to rummage through his bag.
Choi fished out the green vial, placing it in front of the other.
Ryu Jaekwan furrowed his eyebrows. Opening his mouth to question the other’s intention-
“I want you to have this. No charge, nothing in return. Just have it. It’ll help you fully recover, more so than you would naturally.”
Ryu Jaekwan did not know if he could frown any deeper. Him? Use a Daydream potion? He glanced at the exit of the cafe.
“Don’t- Just hear me out ok?” Choi could not wrap his head around why he felt so pressed over the agent not taking the potion. “You know a burn that bad will never fully heal. And even after it gets better it’ll still have lasting impacts on you.”
The fact that Ryu Jaekwan’s drink rested in his left hand irked Choi.
“I’ll find a way to live with it. Scars are just a part of being an agent of the Bureau.”
Choi sighed, his shoulders slumped in defeat and a pinched expression came over him. He looked much older that way, nothing like the carefree and teasing man that he was just a few moments ago. “Please.”
Ryu Jaekwan’s gaze softened. Admittedly, he was shaken by the other’s unexpected care for him. It framed Choi in a new light, a raw and humane one - one that he never would have expected to come from a Daydream employee.
Ryu Jaekwan glanced back at the vial sitting innocently on the table that they shared. The other’s expression was still vivid in his mind as he sorted out his emotions. “I’ll hold on to it.” A compromise. The best that he could come up with.
Choi smiled wryly,“I’ll take what I can get.”
“Soooo, can I still sell you the fruit? I could still use the cash.”
Ryu Jaekwan pinched the bridge of his nose.
Choi was going to throttle this rookie. How did the top rookie of the latest batch make such a mistake? And why was he dragged into this!? He was going to have to do so much paper work because of this specific darkness.
So far, Choi had ignored the rookie who had a sheepish smile on his face. All the information he had gathered so far was standard, each group that arrived had gotten lost one way or another after hearing the same humming that they did. The main issue was trying to figure out who the government agent was. They would be the hardest for them to kill.
Knock knock knock
“Hello? Is anyone there? We need help. My colleague and I are lost and it looks like it’s going to rain.”
‘Shit.’ Was all Choi could think as the elderly couple opened the door, revealing Choi’s favourite agents. He glanced at the rookie again, contemplating if the other was worth all the trouble.
“Sir?” Baek Saheon felt chills run down his spine as his fellow employee stared at him with a cold and calculative stare. He was sure that the other was pissed after he accidentally dragged him here. He should keep his items primed. Just in case kissing up to him didn’t work out.
Rain came down heavily as the other sat on the porch of the lodge. Ryu Jaekwan and Kim Soleum stood at one end of the stairs while Choi sat at the other - Mindful of not smoking too close to them as he clicked on his lighter.
Choi took a drag of his cigarette and let out a puff of smoke in a long sigh. He needed this to deal with what was coming. It was him and his rookie or the agents. Well, he could still just ditch the rookie, he wasn’t the one with a cassette tape anyways. “I know what this darkness is about. Which one of you is it?”
“It’s me.” Ryu Jaekwan replied, a solemn look on his face.
“I’m surprised the Bureau sent you of all people. You don’t seem the type.”
Jaekwan paused momentarily. “I can get the job done. They’re all criminals. All weighed against the Scales of Malice.”
“Sunbae… Even if they’re criminals, having to kill them must weigh on you.” Kim Soleum finally spoke up. He himself did not have a tape. Yet, at the request of the Bureau, he had ended up at the lodge to observe and learn from Ryu Jaekwan.
“You don’t have to worry. I’ll be able to manage.”
Kim Soleum stared at his senior. His ever reliable senior who had a heart so soft and kind. A heart that had been forced to harden during his time as the last active member of Hyunmu Team 1.
Then, he turned to Choi. A Daydream agent. A crazy bastard who technically owed him for saving him. Anyone who did not see Choi’s growing bias for them had to be blind. And, Kim Soleum’s glasses were fake after all.
Kim Soleum stood in front of the door to Choi’s room, in his hand he held the very axe that had been hung up in his own room. He straightened his back and steeled his nerves, he was dealing with a Daydream agent alone after all. With no Ryu Jaekwan to fall back on…
The agent shook his head, he could deal with this. He moved to knock the do-
“How long are you going to stand there Grapesie~”
A hand quickly pulled the other into the room and shut the door behind them.
“You won’t be needing that.” Choi grabbed the axe from him, throwing it to his bed. “So, why are you looking for me?”
Kim Soleum was frozen where he stood. His mind reeled as it tried to catch up with what had just happened. His hands twitched, searching for the axe that they once held. All he could process were the pair of sharp looking eyes staring at him with undisguised mirth.
“Grapsie~” Choi smiled, prodding the other’s cheek with his finger. Oh this agent was too cute sometimes. Both of them were, really! “Did I take your breath away?” The other’s eyes narrowed at him before hands harshly swatted his own away.
“It’s about the lodge. I have a plan to get everyone out without any killing taking place.”
“Why would I help you?”
“You have another employee here too with a tape.”
“And? It’s not as though I’m the one in danger.”
“Don’t you want to keep him alive if you can though?”
“Not really no.”
Kim Soleum felt cold sweat building up. Why couldn’t the other simply agree. It would benefit all of them. “Why do you want everyone here to be killed?”
“I don’t. But I also don’t care to save them. Try again.” The employee gleefully observed the other. Who could fault him for enjoying the other’s suffering. Sue him.
“...Because you like my sunbae and I?” Maybe he did need to up the pathetic act.
Choi clicked his tongue and narrowed his eyes at the other. ‘Brat.’
“And you wouldn’t want to see my sunbae weighed down after having to kill others?” Kim Soleum freaked out internally, he was shooting blindly but he could only hope. “You gave him the health potion after all.” The agent paused momentarily, “He still has it. He keeps it on his desk.”
“What a stubborn man.” The employee sighed deeply, he truly did wish that the other would simply use it to cure his wounds. If Ryu Jaekwan ever needed more health potions Choi had plenty of points to throw away. He looked back at the agent that he was currently dealing with,”And you, are a crazy bastard. A crazy bastard who’s right.”
Knock Knock
Baek Saheon must have awful luck. He had finally gotten out of that place, made it into Daydream and had gotten top rookie too. Just for him to end up stuck in a darkness where there was a serial killer on the loose. What made it worse was the fact that he had accidentally dragged an assistant manager of an elite squad in with him. Having to sucker up to the guy sickened him, but, if it stopped the other from brutally killing him just for his tape, then he would grit his teeth and bear the shame. He was ready to kill the other too. And everyone else in the lodge if they tried anything against him. Call it self-defense. The potential reward was a bonus.
The knocks repeated again, more aggressively this time as though the person on the other side of the door was growing increasingly impatient.
“Rookie Goat, let me in.”
Shit
What if the other was here to kill him. He had to survive.
“You know very well that I can easily get what I want from my points, I have no reason to take your tape.”
Baek Saheon glared at the door, how should he know? Yes he heard rumour about this particular superior spending points like it was nobody’s business but still! What if he wanted something that points couldn’t earn?
“Three.”
“I’m coming, sir. Sorry.” He grabbed a knife from the display. ‘Just in case.’ He opened the door and his world went black.
A scream sounded through the lodge followed by frantic footsteps. “He’s- He’s dead!” Someone had exclaimed. The unfortunate lady who had found the scene pointed frantically at the blood soaked sneakers sitting calmly near the meat grinder. “Aren’t those the sneakers that the guy you came with had? This is awful. I’m going to be sick.”
“Those… This…” The man who stood next to her seemed absolutely shaken at his companions death. A grave expression filled his face as he stared at the gruesome sight. Yet, he turned to the lady who had been panicking,”Those are. Let’s- Let’s get you away from this scene first ma’am.” He forced a steady voice, trying not to gag at the intense smell of meat. He then placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, and guided the frightened lady out of the room.
As the two left the room, they passed by a confused looking man who sported a black rain coat. His gaze lingered on Choi as the other left before his expression slowly morphed into one of suspicion.
News of a murder filled the lodge with unease. No one dared to move on their own and everyone had instead begun forming groups to travel in.
“You should join our group.” The lady who had been sobbing offered to Choi.
The man however smiled gently at her and shook his head. “Thank you for the offer but I think I’ll join those two. Pairs aren’t a smart decision in this scenario after all.”
“Oh you’re right! That’s very smart.”
Choi simply nodded, yet, when he was sure that the lady was not looking at him, shot a shit-eating grin at Ryu Jaekwan, much to the other’s chagrin. “Do stay safe ma’am.” He gave her a final send off before sliding over to the two agents. “Where are you two going now?” Choi questioned, mindlessly following the pair as they began to leave.
“We’ll probably just look around while waiting for the panic to calm down.” Kim Soleum had answered, his voice still strained from the discovery of the recent death.
“Your coworker died. Are you not worried?” Ryu Jaekwan questioned harshly.
“If you’re asking if I did it- I didn’t. I just didn’t know him very well.”
“Who else would be able to take out a Daydream employee?”
Choi simply smiled at the other, “Anyone could, if they were smart enough.” He shook his head at the frown that he got in return.
“Hey. Are you alright?” Choi questioned as he took a seat next to Ryu Jaekwan.
Tired, sunken eyes stared at Choi. He hoped it was just the transformation caused by the darkness. “Aren’t you the killer in this whole thing? Someone’s been doing your job for you these past few days, shouldn’t you be less stressed?”
“That’s exactly it.” Ryu Jaekwan gritted out. Every single time he had been about to make a move, someone would have beaten him to it already. It did not make sense, he had triple checked that he was assigned the killer in this disaster. And, with a rogue killer going around…”It’s hard to predict who the other killer is going to target next. What if they go after Agent Grapes next?” Ryu Jaekwan shut his eyes, leaning his body against the wall for support. ‘What if they go after you?’ He thought, refusing to fuel the other’s ego.
“Ow.” Ryu Jaekwan glared at the other who had flicked his forehead, only to be greeted with an unapologetic smile.
“Relax~ Even if the killer went after Grapsie he can probably fend them off. He’s capable enough, you should know that from working with him.”
“He’s still a rookie, and even if he wasn’t, things can still go wrong.”
“And most of the people here are just random civilians. He’ll find a way. Besides, I'd be more worried about yourself if I was you.”
The agent tilted his head. Had the other lost it?
“You look exhausted. I bet if I-” flick “And you were standing, you’d topple over. “
“Stop that. And I can fend for myself if someone tried to attack me.”
“And Grapesie can’t?”
Ryu Jaekwan paused. Choi was right, it was the same thing. “I can still worry.”
“And I can still worry about you.”
Maybe it was the exhaustion, or maybe it was because Ryu Jaekwan had become so used to being alone in Hyunmu 1 - If not that, he had to play the reliable senior, the role model for Grapes. But, at that moment, Choi seemed so tall. His mischievous grin filled him with a sense of comfort and his upright stature urged him to lay some of his worries on the other. And, for a brief moment, Ryu Jaekwan could not help but wonder why this man had become an employee for a terrible company when he would have been the perfect agent. One that, in another world, he would look up to.
“Now get some rest. I’ll watch your back til you’re ready to go back inside.” Choi smiled, watching as the younger shut his eyes again. ‘Aigoo, his eyebags.’ He could not help but think before he glanced towards the entrance to the lodge.
Ryu Jaekwan groggily stirred awake, suddenly jolting when he noticed Choi watching him. He- He had not meant to fall asleep, just to close his eyes for a short while. “How long was I asleep?”
“Not too long. You ready to go back in?”
He stared at the door, he knew they had to go back in eventually. Even with a second killer on the loose, Ryu Jaekwan still needed to be there to finish them off and claim their tape. If he was lucky, he would kill them before they came after one of them. Yet… His junior’s words still rang in his head. He steeled his heart, he had to, as he got up. “Thank you, for keeping me safe while I rested. I’m ready to go back in.”
As the two opened the door-
???
Kim Soleum stood in the main room, his eyes lit up as he saw his companions. Next to him was… a corpse. “Agent Bronze!”
Ryu Jaekwan furrowed his eyebrows. Was his junior going insane? Was he going insane? He glanced over at Choi for confirmation only to receive a shrug in return. “Agent Grapes, what’s going on?”
“You don’t need to kill anyone. I figured it out, we just have to confuse the lodge.”
???????
“Everyone is alive, they’re all in the basement. You can check it later.”
“But there were bodies?”
“Did you know, the basement of this lodge contained body parts?”
Ryu Jaekwan turned to Choi, “Did you put him up to this?”
“Me? Nope! I told you your hubae is capable of some insane ideas. I just had to keep you distracted so you couldn’t actually kill anyone.”
All the senior agent could do was helplessly look back and forth between the two.