Chapter Text
Jaewon drags over his suitcase and pushes it into the closet of this cheap hotel room somewhere in northern California. How did he get here, Northern California?
He doesn’t even know exactly where he is. Not even what he’ll do now that he’s got here. He doesn’t speak english very well, even after the several youtube lessons he had taken before coming to this new country. So then how’ll he make it, now that he’s in an unfamiliar country with no one he knows?
Should he stay in the north? He had heard that lots of others from South Korea live in the south. Maybe that’d be a better decision. Either way, he’s an illegal immigrant, alone and barely an English speaker, so far away from ‘home’. It’s pretty safe to say he’s fucked.
‘But still,’ He admits, patting his growling stomach, ‘It’s better than being in Korea.’
He had always been an obedient employee. Not for fear, usually, he wasn’t an easily frightened worker. It was the intimidating fact that part of 4 men’s careers, including his own, depends on whether he does what he’s told or not. And he followed, of course, wrote apologies, words that didn’t belong to him.
One day (perhaps he was getting desperate) CEO Park had a brilliant idea. Such a brilliant idea, that he had even audible cackled at one point during their meeting. It wasn’t exactly a new idea, no, he had thought of it much longer ago, but it was just now that he found a way to execute it and leave no suspicion to interpret.
The idea to orchestrate scandals himself. To direct Jaewon in mission-like situations, to have him go out and make a fool of himself, draw attention to him, therefore drawing attention to MAYHEM. It would only be at the expense of Wyld’s reputation, which of course wasn’t all that important to anyone anyway. Not even to Jaewon. It wasn’t this that sparked his urge to leave.
He had cooperated entirely, with all the harassment, the framing, everything. In his view, it was just a matter of marketing a product. He was pretty much company property, after all. What kind of say in his fate did he have? He signed up for this. He had no mind.
At least, until they asked him to wholeheartedly go out and assault a girl. It wasn’t even the reputation this time. It was then, Jaewon realized, he’s doing this at the expense of other people now too. Innocent people, that have nothing to do with him or HCE.
That, he could not stand for. It was just then, he realized he couldn’t do this anymore. It was just then, that his job went against every little thing he believed in. So that life is over now.
All that hard work, the tears spent, sweat exhausted out of him, even the splash of blood against wood from the most brutal of days, all wasted. Gone down the drain with his identity he once recognized as Ahn Jaewon. Where is Ahn Jaewon? It’s still in him, of course. Ahn Jaewon is his life, his spirit, his entire being. It’s the shell of Wyld that he’s shaken off, soon to be replaced with a new identity, a Korean American immigrant with a mysterious past that no one knows of. God help him if anyone manages to recognize the face of Wyld.
Nobody knows, as of now, that Jaewon’s gone. MAYHEM simply believes he’s out for a day, perhaps frolicking with a couple of girls somewhere, getting himself drugged up and the like.
All those days spent worrying about the next scandal that might come out to just further tarnish his name, All those days of letting himself be degraded, chopped down and left to rot in self hate just for the sake of others he barely even knows. All for what?
It almost made him angry. Almost, being the keyword. At least none of MAYHEM suffered. But now that Jaewon’s gone, now what? What if they focused on Daehyun next, turned him into the black sheep?
‘No, they wouldn't,’ Jaewon realizes, laying back on his bed, ‘It'd be too obvious that it’s a role they’re passing on to the next member.’
Jaewon wouldn’t go as far to stake their careers by exposing HCE, either. If he tried to get them into some big legal mess and won, there’s a chance that MAYHEM and all the trainees at HCE would be let go, or something. He hasn’t just suddenly lost his compassion, he knows how hard they’ve worked, and he doesn’t want to ruin it any more than he has. He can’t risk it. It just simply can’t be helped.
He’d like to say that he’s done with his life in Korea. But of course, even after all this he has to remember his mother. How could he ever just forget? He knows she’d worry, hearing that her son hadn’t returned to the dorms in over two days. Worry, being an understatement. She’d positively freak. And Jaewon could never have it in him to do that to her. He’d have to text her at some point, soon, before anybody realizes he’s gone missing. Just to let her know that he’s fine, he’s healthy. He just doesn’t want to be Wyld anymore.
He’s left that life now. Who knows what;s going to happen now? Where will he end up tomorrow? It’s no longer as clear cut as it used to, and honestly, Jaewon prefers it this way. It’s freeing, no responsibilities, no expectations. He’s allowed to do anything he could ever want. Maybe he’ll try to get his citizenship soon, do a little bit of research about the process, practice his english, something.
But no matter whatever happens in the future, no matter where he goes or who he meets, it sure as hell will be better than being Wyld again. Wyld is dead, and he’ll make sure of it no matter what it takes.