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As Kang Yohan and Kim Gaon stood in the prison, Gaon looked over at Yohan with almost crazed eyes and gritted his teeth.
“Do you really want to see me go crazy?” he hissed. Yohan looked over at him and smirked.
“That would be a sight to see” he mused. Gaon blinked, shocked by his answer.
“What?” he breathed. Yohan took a step forward and gently grasped Gaon’s chin in his hand, tilting his head up so that he was looking him in the eyes.
“I’ve seen that spark of anger in you…I would like to see it out in full force” he purred. Gaon looked at him with wide eyes before he pulled his face away, just as the guard brought in “Doh Young Choon” and sat him down, causing Gaon and Yohan to look at the man before Gaon frowned.
“That’s not him” he whispered. Yohan tilted his head.
“What?” he asked. Gaon shook his head as he took a step towards the glass.
“It’s not him…that’s not Doh Young Choon. His face…his fucking face is burned into my memory; I know what he looks like…and that’s not him!” he exclaimed, turning to look at Yohan. Yohan frowned.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
“Yes!” Gaon screamed, tears beginning to pool in his eyes. Yohan nodded before he walked over and grabbed Gaon by the arm.
“Come on, let’s go outside. You need some air” he murmured. Gaon shook his head and tried to pull away, but Yohan, as always, was so much stronger than him and dragged him outside.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Yohan and Gaon then headed out into the yard, Yohan walking in front, Gaon following slowly behind. As they headed out to the yard, Yohan slowed his steps, waiting for Gaon to catch up and once Gaon was at his side, he reached out and placed a hand on his back.
“The only thing that can be thoroughly manipulated is the system itself” he explained in a soft voice, the voice he usually reserved for when they spoke at home, as they walked towards the middle of the yard.
“This is the system. A system has no chance against power. Power can control a system however it likes” he continued before he gave Gaon a gentle, but firm, shove towards the middle of the yard. Gaon stumbled forward before he turned to look at Yohan, who held out his arms as if to say “See?” Gaon looked at him, his eyes big and doe-like as his chest began to rise and fall shallowly, before he looked away, tears beginning to fill his eyes. He then slowly began to pace around the yard, letting out soft groans every now and then, at one point even leaning over and putting his hands on his knees as he let out another groan. He then stood up and continued pacing, running his hands through his hair as Yohan watched, his groans and moans getting louder and almost more hysterical. He soon stopped again and looked over at Yohan, tears streaming down his face as he let out a whimper before he looked away, shaking his head as he put his hands on his hips, trying to calm down but he found that he couldn’t. He then looked back at Yohan again, but just looking at him was too painful, so he looked away again, letting out another whimper before he took a deep breath and let out a pained yell. Yohan’s heart clenched at the sound, but he said nothing as Gaon continued to break down, his sobs and cries getting louder before he sunk to his knees, clenching and unclenching his fists in the dirt as he sobbed before he lifted his head, looked up towards the sky, and screamed. He screamed and screamed, Yohan shutting his eyes at the sound. He liked seeing people suffer and in pain but Gaon’s pain…his pain hit a little bit too close to home. So, he shut his eyes and listened to Gaon scream and scream until Gaon couldn’t scream anymore and instead just began to sob. Once Gaon’s screams had been reduced to nothing but sobs and whimpers, Yohan opened his eyes and looked down at Gaon, who had curled in on himself, hugging himself tightly as he continued to sob. Yohan stared at him for a moment before he walked over to Gaon and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Let’s go” he murmured. Gaon nodded numbly and slowly pushed himself to his feet, Yohan supporting him the whole time. Once they were both standing, Gaon took a step forward, only to stumble and nearly fall since his legs had gone almost numb from kneeling for so long.
“I got you, I got you” Yohan murmured, his voice soft and gentle. Both men then continued to walk towards the gate, Gaon leaning heavily on Yohan, his eyes fluttering as he tried to stay awake.
“Stay with me, Gaon” Yohan murmured as they continued out of the gate and to the Escalade, Yohan helping Gaon into the car before he got into the driver’s side and reversed out of the prison’s parking lot.
~*~*~*~*~*~
As they were heading back to the mansion, Gaon looked over at Yohan.
“Take me home” he instructed. Yohan glanced over at him and huffed.
“Where do you think I’m taking you?” he asked. Gaon shook his head.
“Not the mansion…I meant home” he stated. Yohan slowly looked over at him, Gaon looking at him with pleading eyes, before he huffed and shook his head as he turned his attention back to the road.
“What am I, your personal driver?” he murmured, but he did as he was asked and moved lanes, heading in the direction of Gaon’s apartment.
~*~*~*~*~*~
When they arrived, Gaon got out of the car and headed towards the stairs that led to his upstairs apartment when the driver’s side window rolled down and Yohan looked at him.
“Gaon” he called out, making Gaon turn and look at him.
“Yes sir?” he asked. Yohan gave him a pointed look.
“Don’t do anything silly now” he instructed. Gaon blinked at him as Yohan continued to stare at him before he nodded.
“Yes sir” he murmured. Yohan nodded.
“Good” he declared before he rolled up the window and drove off, leaving Gaon alone. Gaon watched him drive away before he turned and headed upstairs to his apartment. He then walked inside and grabbed a glass of water, since he was feeling dehydrated, and drank until he had drained the glass. Once he had drank the water, he walked over to one of the benches on his terrace and sat down, holding the glass in his hand as he thought back to the prison visit. As he sat there, thinking about the old man who had replaced the real Doh Young Choon and how Yohan was right that the system that he believed in…was a lie and that people in power could easily control and manipulate the system to fit their needs and people wouldn’t even be the wiser, he didn’t realize how tightly he was clutching the glass in his hand until it suddenly shattered, slicing his hand with multiple shards of glass. He let out a cry of pain and hissed as he looked down at his bleeding hand, but at least he was feeling something other than sadness…pain was better than feeling numb. As he stared at his hand, he felt the rage bubbling up in him again and he shook his head.
“I need to go for a run…I need to get out of my head” he murmured before he quickly stood up and headed down the stairs, heading off for a run, not even bothering to change his clothes or bandage up his hand.
~*~*~*~*~*~
While Gaon was running, he couldn’t stop thinking about Doh Young Choon and everything he had done, not just to his own family, but to everyone else who had fallen for his scams. And as he thought about him, the rage within him kept growing, causing him to run faster and faster until he came to a nearby bridge overlooking the water. He then stopped on the bridge and looked down, looking at his reflection in the water before he let out a guttural scream, just so angry and frustrated with everything. After he let out the scream, he panted heavily, running a hand through his hair.
“Aish…” he hissed, just as he heard shouts coming from nearby, making him turn and frown.
“What the hell?” he murmured as he slowly pushed away from the rail and walked over to where the sound was coming from, following it for a while until he came upon a group of people wielding metal pipes and beating up people, mainly foreigners or those who didn’t look Korean.
“Yah…” he started, his eyes widening in horror as the rage within him began to bubble before he rushed at the group of people and began wrenching them away from the foreigners, at one point grabbing one of the metal pipes out of the group member’s hands before stepping in front of the foreigners almost like a shield, the metal pipe gripped tightly in his hand.
“If you want to attack them, attack me first” he growled.
“Wait…isn’t he one of the judges on the live court show?” one of the men asked. Another man scoffed.
“What, Kang Yohan’s left-hand man? Maybe…but what is he doing out here, alone? And defending a foreigner, no less?” he sneered. Gaon huffed as he tightened his grip on the metal pipe.
“They have a right to be here, just as much as you and me” he replied, the anger and rage still boiling inside him. The leader huffed before he picked up his own metal pipe and brandished it.
“Well then, little judge, are you willing to defend them with your life, if you believe they deserve to be here like us?” he purred. Gaon looked at them before he narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip on the bat.
“Bring it” he growled. The man smirked before he looked at the others and motioned with his head towards Gaon, the group soon rushing at Gaon with their pipes raised. Gaon’s eyes widened before he quickly used the pipe to defend himself from the attacks before going on the offensive and attacking the group instead. He was doing pretty well in defending the foreigners, giving them enough time to pick themselves up off the ground and run away from the whole situation, until one of the men hit Gaon in the back, right in the middle of his spine, sending him to the ground with a cry. As soon as he hit the ground, the group began beating him with the metal pipes, causing him to cry out in pain as he tried to protect himself and cover his head so that none of the men could give him a concussion or worse, kill him. While they were still wailing on him, Gaon reached into his suit jacket and pulled out his phone, pressing Yohan’s contact. However, before he could put the phone up to his ear, one of the pipes came crashing down on his wrist, causing him to scream in pain.
“Gaon? Gaon, what’s happening?!” Yohan’s voice demanded over the phone but Gaon couldn’t answer as the phone was kicked away in the beating and went back to covering his head with his arms, trying to protect him.
“Gaon! KIM GAON!” Yohan roared over the phone.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Back in the mansion, Yohan looked down at his phone, where he could hear the men beating the absolute shit out of Gaon as whimpered and grunted in pain, and gritted his teeth as he clenched the phone tightly in his grasp.
“Yohan?” a voice called out, making Yohan look up to see Elijah wheeling towards him, a frown on her face.
“Is that Gaon?” she asked. Yohan nodded, just as another pained cry echoed on the other line, making Elijah’s eyes widen in horror.
“What’s happening?! Is Gaon hurt?!” she exclaimed, looking at Yohan with big eyes. Yohan said nothing before he handed the phone to Elijah.
“Track his location. Find him for me” he ordered. Elijah nodded as Yohan headed to his bedroom, quickly changing out of his suit and into his black sweatpants, black boots, and black hoodie, placing a black mask over his face. He then walked out of his bedroom and when he couldn’t find Elijah in the study, he headed to her bedroom and knocked on the door before opening it.
“Did you find him?” he asked. Elijah turned around her chair and looked at him.
“It shows that he’s still at the pier, but the phone went silent” she stated before she frowned.
“Do you think he’s really still at the pier?” she asked. Yohan was quiet before he hummed.
“Maybe…maybe they beat him unconscious and he’s just lying there…or they took him away so that there wouldn’t be any evidence of what happened” he mused. Elijah’s eyes widened.
“You think he’s dead?!” she shrieked. Yohan shook his head.
“No. Gaon is a well-known face to the nation; if they figure out that he’s missing or worse, dead, there will be a massive riot and many people demanding justice for him. I don’t think the attackers would be that stupid to kill a judge” he replied. Elijah motioned to the phone.
“But they were stupid enough to attack one!” she shouted. Yohan smiled darkly behind the mask.
“That they were” he agreed before he looked down at Elijah.
“I’m going to go to the pier and see if he’s there. If not, I’ll call you” he stated. He then turned to walk away when he felt small hands grasp him, halting him in place before he turned to see Elijah looking at him with big teary eyes.
“You have to find him. You have to” she whispered. Yohan looked at her before he nodded.
“I will. I’ll find him” he promised as he stepped forward and pressed a soft kiss to her hair.
“I’ll find him” he assured. Elijah nodded and let go of Yohan’s hand, watching as he walked out of her bedroom, heading out to find Gaon.
~*~*~*~*~*~
When Yohan arrived at the pier, he quickly got out of the car and rushed towards the boardwalk, looking around before he noticed a couple of ambulances as well as a few police cars nearby.
“Shit” he hissed before he quickly removed his mask and walked over to one of the officers on the scene, one of the officers he knew a little too well.
“Lieutenant Yoon” he greeted, making Gaon’s best friend since childhood, Yoon Soohyun, look over at him with wide eyes.
“Chief Kang” she breathed before her eyes hardened and she motioned to the ambulance.
“What the hell happened here? Why was Gaon beaten within an inch of his life?” she hissed. Yohan shook his head.
“I don’t know. I only came because during his beating, Gaon called me” he explained. Soohyun let out a shuddering breath as Yohan looked at her.
“How is he?” he asked. Soohyun looked back at him before she motioned for him to follow her as she led him over to the ambulance, where Gaon was strapped to a gurney, looking as though he was beaten within an inch of his life. Yohan’s eyes widened and he took a step forward before he turned to look at Soohyun.
“Is he—” he started.
“He’s alive, but barely” Soohyun gritted out. Yohan let out a soft breath of relief before he quickly pulled out his phone and dialed a number, placing it to his ear.
“Elijah” he greeted.
“Is Gaon okay?!” Elijah exclaimed. Yohan smiled fondly at her concern.
“He’s alive” he answered.
“How badly hurt is he?” Elijah asked, since Yohan didn’t answer her question the way she thought he was going to answer her.
“Very badly. He’s probably going to the hospital” Yohan answered.
“Come get me. I want to see him” Elijah ordered. Yohan huffed.
“What is it with you two and ordering me around?” he grumbled before he looked over at Soohyun.
“I need you to go to my house and pick up Elijah and bring her to the hospital” he instructed. Soohyun looked at him with wide eyes.
“Wha—” she started when Yohan looked her in the eyes.
“Please” he asked. Soohyun blinked before she nodded.
“Give me the address and I’ll go pick her up” she declared. Yohan held out his hand and Soohyun quickly handed over her phone, Yohan typing in the address into the GPS on her phone.
“I’ll be back” Soohyun declared as she quickly raced over to her car, getting in before driving away to get Elijah. Yohan watched her drive off, not even realizing that an EMT was walking towards him.
“Judge Kang?” a voice called out, causing Yohan to turn to see the EMT looking at him.
“Are you going to ride in the ambulance or—” the EMT started when Yohan shook his head.
“I’ll meet you at the hospital” he replied as he turned away, schooling his face into his usual deadpan as he headed back to his car.
~*~*~*~*~*~
When they arrived at the hospital, Gaon was rushed to the emergency room while Yohan was sent to the waiting room to await the fate of the young judge. As he sat in the waiting room, Yohan put his head in his hands and let out a soft groan.
“Kim Gaon, I told you not to do anything stupid” he grumbled. He then sat there for almost five hours before one of the doctors came over to him and stood before him.
“Chief Kang” he called out, making Yohan lift his head and look at him.
“Yes doctor?” he replied. The doctor smiled softly.
“He’s going to be okay” he assured. Yohan let out a sigh of relief as he hung his head before he looked back up at the doctor.
“When can I see him?” he asked. The doctor smiled.
“I’ll have someone come get you when we’re ready” he assured. Yohan nodded and waited for the doctor to walk away before he leaned back in his seat and let out a heavy sigh, resting his head against the hospital wall. Kim Gaon was okay. Oh, thank God. Just then, a nurse walked over to him and smiled, motioning for him to follow her, which he did. She then led him over to Gaon’s hospital room, motioning to it before she walked away, allowing Yohan to enter the room and immediately make a beeline for the hospital bed, looking down at Gaon, who looked just like he had when Yohan had taken him to the mansion after the bomb exploded in his office. Yohan looked at the young judge before he sighed heavily and sat down on the edge of the bed, once again acting like a guard dog ready to attack anyone who came too close. The door to the room soon opened, making Yohan look up to see Soohyun pushing Elijah into the room and over to him. The minute Elijah saw Gaon, she let out a weak scream before she wheeled herself out of Soohyun’s aid and over to the bed, reaching out to take Gaon’s hand, the one that wasn’t in a cast.
“Gaon…you have to wake up. You hear me? You have to wake up” she ordered, her throat tight with tears. Gaon didn’t so much as twitch at her order, causing her to whimper as tears began to stream down her cheeks. As she began to cry, Yohan tried his very best to keep it together and not break down in tears as well and thankfully his back was to Elijah so she couldn’t see the tears welling up in his eyes too. He then took a deep breath before he looked up at Soohyun, who also had tears in her eyes, and stood to his feet, walking over to her.
“Lieutenant Yoon” he murmured, making Soohyun look at him.
“Yes, Chief Kang” she replied. Yohan huffed as he looked over at Gaon before he looked back at her.
“Can you watch Gaon and Elijah for me, please?” he asked. Soohyun blinked in surprise before she nodded.
“Of course” she replied. Yohan smiled slightly and dipped his head as he walked past her.
“Wait, Chief Kang, where are you going?” Soohyun asked, turning to look at the man. Yohan turned to look back at her and smirked, Soohyun’s eyes widening slightly.
“Just to take care of some business” he replied as he turned and continued out of the hospital room. Soohyun’s mouth fell open a little in shock and she wanted to say something or call out to him, but she decided against it and turned to look back at Elijah and Gaon, the teenager still crying over Gaon’s still body. Soohyun then let out a heavy sigh before she walked over to Elijah and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, giving it a squeeze.
“He’ll be alright, Elijah. He’ll wake up soon” she soothed before she looked at Gaon, tears coming to her eyes.
‘You better’ she thought.
~*~*~*~*~*~
When Yohan exited the hospital and headed over to his car, he pulled out his phone and dialed a number before placing the phone to his ear.
“Did you trace Gaon’s phone?” he asked.
“I did” K answered on the other line.
“Where is it?” Yohan growled. His phone suddenly buzzed and he quickly pulled it away from his ear to see a message with a location in it. He hummed at it before he placed the phone back up to his ear.
“Thank you” he thanked.
“How did you know to look for Judge Kim’s phone?” K asked as Yohan got into his Escalade.
“It wasn’t at the scene…I’m sure one of the attackers took it as a souvenir” he replied.
“I see…will you be needing any assistance, sir?” K asked.
“No…thank you” Yohan thanked before he hung up the call and put the car into drive, driving off to the location that K sent him.
~*~*~*~*~*~
When Yohan arrived at his destination, he got out of his Escalade and reached into his pocket, pulling out his mask. He then put it on before he walked to his trunk and opened it, pulling out a metal baseball bat, which he gripped tightly as he slammed the trunk shut before heading towards the old, abandoned building that the group seemed to be using as a hideout. He then pushed open the door and walked inside, making the men, who were gathered around the table playing cards, look up and frown.
“Who the fuck are you?” one of the men demanded. Yohan said nothing and just lowered his mask, causing the men gasp in horror.
“Kang Yohan!” they exclaimed. Yohan smirked before he pulled the mask back up over his face.
“You really shouldn’t have touched my judge” he growled. The men looked at each other before they looked back at Yohan, who just raised an eyebrow as he raised his bat. He was hoping that they would come at him because he was itching for a fight, especially after what they did to Gaon…he had some…aggression to let out. The men looked at each other again before they picked up their bats and metal pipes and rushed at Yohan, who smirked under his mask before his eyes hardened and he began beating the absolute shit out of the men. He hit them in the head, the chest, the groan…anywhere that was vulnerable and exposed, he crashed his bat into. He went absolute apeshit on the men, beating them more than once until there was more blood than bodies. Once all the men were unconscious, not dead because Gaon would freak out, Yohan looked down at the havoc and mess he made and huffed.
“Like I said, you shouldn’t have touched Kim Gaon” he murmured as he glanced at his blood covered bat, making a face.
“Neither Gaon nor Elijah can see this” he murmured before he turned and headed out of the building, leaving a trail of blood behind him. He, of course, wasn’t too worried about it because he knew K would be in charge of the cleanup…and K never let him down before.
~*~*~*~*~*~
When Yohan returned to the hospital, he headed straight for Gaon’s room, quietly sliding open the door before entering the room. Inside, he saw Soohyun asleep in one of the hospital loveseats, her chin resting on her chest as she crossed her arms in front of her while Elijah was fast asleep on the edge of Gaon’s bed, resting her head on her arms. Yohan looked at the two women and smiled softly before he walked over to the other side of Gaon’s hospital bed and looked down at the young man, hating the way he looked so young and fragile. As he stared down at Gaon, he felt tears well up in his eyes, so he quickly lifted his head so that no one could see him cry.
“You smell like blood” a soft voice croaked, making Yohan’s eyes widen before he looked down to see Gaon smiling weakly at him.
“Gaon” he breathed before he narrowed his eyes at him.
“You…I told you not to do anything stupid” he scolded. Gaon looked away, embarrassed, as Yohan pinched the bridge of his nose.
“What were you thinking?” he hissed before he took his hand away from his face and glared at Gaon.
“Were you even thinking?” he demanded. Gaon said nothing, still avoiding eye contact with him, making Yohan sigh.
“I’m not mad, I’m just…I was worried about you” he murmured. Gaon turned to look up at him in surprise as Yohan huffed.
“Yes, silly, I care about you. You thought I didn’t?” he asked. Gaon shook his head before he looked at Yohan’s hands.
“Sir…your hands” he breathed. Yohan looked down at his hands to see that they were still covered in blood, making him hum.
“It’s nothing” he replied. Gaon shook his head as he reached out with his left hand, since his right hand and wrist were in a cast, and took Yohan’s hand in his, looking at the drying blood before looking up at the older man.
“What did you do?” he whispered. Yohan looked at him and there was a glint in his eyes that Gaon was familiar with.
“You killed them?” Gaon exclaimed softly, careful to not wake up Soohyun or Elijah. Yohan tsked.
“Of course not. I got close, but no, I didn’t kill them. I know how you feel about murder” he replied. Gaon let out a sigh of relief as Yohan looked down at Gaon’s hand.
“Your right hand and wrist is in a cast, your left hand is bandaged…you are a danger to yourself and my health” he grumbled. Gaon huffed as Yohan looked at him.
“So, have you finally calmed down?” he asked. Gaon looked up at him before he took a deep breath.
“Yes” he replied. Yohan nodded.
“Good” he stated. Gaon then tilted his head at him.
“Are you hurt?” he asked. Yohan raised an eyebrow.
“Me?” he replied. Gaon nodded. Yohan huffed before he reached out and gently tapped Gaon’s forehead.
“Silly boy, worry about yourself, not about me” he murmured. Gaon smiled slightly as Yohan sighed.
“Wait till Soohyun and Eljah wake up…the lecture you’re going to get from those two” he mused. Gaon made a face, causing Yohan to chuckle.
“I told you to not do something stupid, but you didn’t listen to me” he reminded. Gaon huffed.
“You know me, sir…I’m a bit of an emotional person” he murmured. Yohan chuckled fondly.
“I can see that” he replied before he sighed.
“You need to be more careful and learn to control your emotions better…they’re going to get you killed one of these days” he grumbled. Gaon smiled apologetically.
“I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to make you worry” he apologized. Yohan sighed before he pushed himself to his feet.
“I’m going to see when you can be released. I’ll be back” he murmured as he walked over to the door, opening it before stepping out. Gaon watched him walk away before he looked over to see see Elijah fast asleep on the edge of his bed and Soohyun fast asleep in the hospital loveseat. His eyes widened in surprise before he smiled softly and relaxed back under the covers, shutting his eyes, letting sleep take him. When Yohan returned to the room a little while later and found Gaon fast asleep, along with Soohyun and Elijah, he smiled fondly before he walked back over to the hospital bed and sat down, reaching out to gently run his fingers through Gaon’s hair.
“What am I going to do with you?” he murmured before he chuffed.
“Love you unconditionally, I suppose. Emotions and all” he mused as he continued to run his fingers through Gaon’s soft hair, a soft smile on his face.