Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It started, like most of Si-woo’s problems these days, with Megumi. Specifically, with Megumi getting banned from his daycare and then getting sick. 

Si-woo had thought that things were going pretty well—the two of them had built up a pretty good routine over the past few months. In fact, Si-woo would say that they were practically settled into this domestic lifestyle. 

Si-woo found himself packing a bento every morning just as a reflex, and whenever he went shopping, he looked for nutritional but new foods that they could try out, since expanding Megumi’s palette had not been on Toji’s list of priorities. 

At night, no matter how deep in his work he was, the moment he heard Megumi’s “Goodnight” or when the clock struck nine, whichever came earlier, he was jolted out of work to go read Megumi a bedtime story. And when Megumi found the stories they had too boring and asked for a new one, Si-woo went along with it, either pulling something from a case file from his time as a detective, a highly-edited version of a job, or his own imagination. 

And he didn’t even have to think about it. It was automatic, at this point.  

So when Si-woo started growing concerned about the number of hours Megumi spent alone after school—the playdates that they had started with Fushiguro and Tsumiki wasn’t even comparable to the time alone in the house—he had started to look for daycares, of all things. 

Eventually he found one, and after telling Megumi to be nice, he went back to work, mostly hoping that Megumi didn’t start a fight or anything. 

It worked for about a week. Then the daycare organizer called him and said that they wouldn’t take Megumi anymore. 

“Why?” Si-woo asked, huddled in the hallway outside of the meeting he had to excuse himself from. His clients were really agitated, but it wasn’t as if Si-woo could decline this call. 

“He’s very disruptive to the environment,” the secretary lady said and Si-woo did not feel bad for not remembering her name. “We want this to be a safe space for all children, and Megumi is… not making that a possibility.”

“It’s been a week,” Si-woo said. “Haven’t you tried conflict resolution? Teach these kids deescalation? Besides, Megumi’s a child—it should be a safe space for him too.”

The secretary lady just told him to pick Megumi up and they would refund him. Si-woo wrapped up the meeting in record time, trying to get rid of the absolute annoyance he was feeling. The kid didn’t need to see him like this. Besides, while this was… inconvenient, to say the least, it could have easily been worse. 

Si-woo hadn’t been sure exactly how it could be worse until Megumi shuffled inside the car, sniffling. 

“Are you sick?” Si-woo asked, startled out of the mini lecture he was going to give Megumi. 

“No,” Megumi said, with a very nasally voice. Si-woo sighed and got out a few tissues for Megumi to blow his nose on, as well as hand sanitizer and a mask. He’d probably have to check with a doctor to figure out what was wrong, because Megumi did get all his vaccines fairly recently, and maybe they hadn’t kicked in. There were also a few booster shots he still needed to get, so maybe that was the issue. 

“Are you mad?” Megumi’s—still fairly nasally—voice asked. 

Si-woo, who had been stuffing the snot-stained tissues into a plastic bag, was taken aback. “Huh?”

“I got kicked out.” Megumi looked at the ground. “Are you mad?”

Right. Si-woo still didn’t know why exactly Megumi had been, but he supposed that wasn’t the issue here. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Si-woo said. “The lady at the front sounded stuck-up anyways.” 

Megumi looked a little more relaxed. Which was good, considering Si-woo’s brain was in overdrive. 

Not only would he have to arrange the necessary arrangements to find out and fix what was wrong with Megumi, but he had to figure out how he’d attend the conference tomorrow with a sick child. 

Since it was the start of the weekend, the plan had been to drop Megumi off in the daycare all day—Fushiguro was out of town on a business trip and the neighbor that was looking after Tsumiki did not want to look after another kid—and then pick Megumi up when it was finished. 

But daycare was no longer an option and Si-woo couldn’t, in good conscience, leave Megumi alone in a house while he was sick. 

Which meant he’d have to bring Megumi into work, tomorrow. 

Megumi, the full-of-cursed-energy and copy-of-Toji kid. 

There was no way that this could go wrong. 

“Uh, Mr. Kong?” 

Si-woo turned to look at Yamada Taro, another middleman who was one of the most tolerable ones around. 

Yamada was looking at Megumi, who was looking around the room with disinterested eyes. At least he had stopped fidgeting with his clothes—which included a thick coat, a scarf over his mask, mittens, and a beanie—or trying to slip his hand out of Si-woo’s. Which was great, because the more Megumi moved around, the more often Si-woo had to pause to make sure that his other hand, which held his briefcase—heavy with all his files and other necessities—and Megumi’s backpack—also heavy, though with some nutritional snacks, water, honey-lemon water if his throat got sore, an emergency phone, and various things to pass the time—didn’t drop its cargo. 

“Yeah?” Si-woo asked when Yamada didn’t continue talking. 

“That uh,” Yamada cleared his throat, nodding at Megumi. “That looks a lot like Zen’in Toji.” 

“... And?” Si-woo asked, taking care to shoot Yamada a tired and slightly exasperated look even though his heart started pounding the tiniest bit.  

“Well, there’s a bounty for his kid,” Yamada said, actually whispering. 

Si-woo stared at Yamada, then at Megumi, then back at Yamada again. “You think this child—the one I have here—is Zen’in Toji’s kid.”

Yamada laughed nervously. “Well, it looks like it.” 

“You think that I am harboring Zen’in Toji’s child while also taking care of the bounty for the aforementioned child?” Si-woo asked. 

“Uh…” 

“You think that I would be actively deceiving the Zen’in family?” Si-woo asked. 

“Well, they didn’t like it when you first started working with Toji,” Yamada pointed out, which was true.

“Compare a business relation with actively hiding a potential heir,” Si-woo said. Yamada squirmed under his gaze. “Exactly. I expect there will be no gossip or rumors?”

“Yes, sir.” 

“Good,” Si-woo said. 

“Uh, but why is sh—he—the kid here?” 

“That’s not any of your business,” Si-woo said. “But I don’t feel comfortable leaving a child alone for the vast majority of the day. Especially when sick. So he’s here now. Understand?” 

Yamada nodded eagerly and then excused himself to attend his meetings. Si-woo let him go and then patted the top of Megumi’s head. 

“What was that for?” Megumi scowled, burying his face deeper into the scarf. 

“For being such a good child,” Si-woo said. “Now come on.” 

Yamada must have at least spread the word, because while people stared at Megumi, no one made a comment about the resemblance to Zen’in Toji. Or maybe they were staring at him because there was a six year old in the middle of an important conference filling in an animal coloring book. That was also a viable option. 

Regardless of the reason, no one talked, and no one questioned Si-woo. By all accounts, it was going really smoothly. That didn’t mean that Si-woo wasn’t so glad for the conference to be over that he half-carried Megumi away as soon as the last meeting was adjourned. 

Unfortunately, Yamada was waiting there, blocking his exit. He was also looking very nervous. 

“Yes?” Si-woo asked. Megumi, sensing that there would be a delay, buried his face in Si-woo’s jacket. Which was actually very cute, but also probably because he was feeling sick. 

“You have someone to see you,” Yamada said. 

“My hours are over,” Si-woo said, suppressing a frown.

“Well, he really wants to see you,” Yamada said, looking at Si-woo earnestly. “He’s waiting outside of your office.”

Si-woo, unfortunately, knew that tone of voice. Yamada was scared. 

“What’s this guy’s name?” Si-woo asked. Yamada didn’t look him in the eyes. “What, not giving me anything to prepare myself with?”

“It’s, uh. Heh. Geto Suguru.” 

Yamada said the name out in such a rush that it took a moment for the words to register. But once they did… Well. Shit. 

“Bad word,” Megumi said. So Si-woo had said that aloud.  

“That was a bad word,” Si-woo said, feeling a bit hysterical. He turned to Yamada. “Did he say what about?”

A shake of the head. Well. Shit.  

Megumi didn’t berate him, so he assumed that that one stayed within his thoughts. 

“Here,” Si-woo said, putting Megumi down and steering him towards Yamada whilst also handing Megumi’s backpack over. “Hold him while I deal with this guy.” 

“Wait—”

“It’ll just be a few minutes,” Si-woo said over his shoulder. “More than ten, and well… you know.” 

“But—”

Si-woo sprinted to his office. 

Geto Suguru was standing outside of his office, and Si-woo didn’t know if he was more surprised that the man was actually there or by the two children that were standing next to him. 

“You have,” Si-woo checked his watch, noting it had taken about two minutes to run here, “six minutes, max, to talk. Then I have to head back, since this is the end of my workday.” 

“Clients call you at all hours of the day,” Geto said. “Why the rush?”

“Calls are different from in-person meetings.” Si-woo looked at the kids and the way they looked at Geto, and made a gamble. “Besides, I have a sick kid to take care of. Can’t leave him alone for long.” 

That caught Geto off guard. 

“Ah,” he said. “Well, I need a way to get money and curses and I need it fast.” 

Right. Geto was that user that ingested curses, or something of the like. It had been a while since Si-woo reviewed his file. 

For the first time in ever, Si-woo wanted to ask what for. This man had massacred an entire village, and Si-woo didn’t know why. For all he knew, Geto was just going to do it again and again. What else would money and curses be needed for, after all? 

“Curses are abundant around here and money can easily be taken out with a loan or theft,” Si-woo said. “Why come to me?”

“I want a consistent source,” Geto said. “And they say that you’re the kind of man that helps with that… stuff.”

Si-woo raised a brow. 

“They also said,” Geto continued, much more roughly, “that you’re not the kind to ask questions.” 

“I’m the kind that wants his clients to be forthright about what they want,” Si-woo said. “I have a lot of resources, and without that kind of honesty, I could easily put you into contact with someone who may be hunting you. That would be inconvenient, wouldn’t it?”

Geto tilted his head to the side, and in a soft voice, said, “I hope you’re not trying to threaten me.” 

“I’m not,” Si-woo said nonchalantly. His fists were shaking in his pockets. “But the fact of the matter is that if you don’t give me the details, I am liable to make that sort of mistake. I have people as high as the Zen’in family as clients, and if I didn’t already know that you were on the run, I might’ve thought about putting you two in contact.” 

That… was the wrong thing to say, apparently. Geto’s face darkened at the name Zen’in. 

“So you worked with the bastard,” he snarled. 

“Who?” Si-woo asked, though he already knew. 

“Zen’in Toji,” Geto spat. “The Sorcerer Killer.” 

“Yes,” Si-woo said simply. “I am also working with the head of the Zen’in family, and if I choose too, I’d work with you, someone who has either surpassed or will soon pass Toji’s kill count. You’ve long passed his kill count of civilians, at the very least.” 

“What are you insinuating?”

Si-woo sighed. “I’m insinuating that if you’re against Toji because of the deaths he accrued, then you’re being a hypocrite,” Si-woo said, just as a part of his brain was yelling at him to keep his tone back. This wasn’t Toji, someone he could joke with. This wasn’t any other client who needed him more than they may loathe him. 

“Now, you can either choose to walk away and look for someone else who will help you, or you will not get hung up on anyone else that I am working for. Like all my other clients do.” Geto did not look any less angry. “Or you could kill me, but then the kid will be orphaned again. He’s only six.” 

Geto Suguru had feelings, it seemed, because his jaw trembled and he visibly forced himself to calm down. 

“So what do you need to work with?” Geto asked. 

“The kind of work that you’re willing to do, possible avenues you would like money and curses to come from, as well as contact information.” Geto opened his mouth and Si-woo held his hand up. “I understand you’re on the run, but a formal contract is needed and I have to give you the information somehow. I’ve worked with criminals before. I know how to keep data secure.” 

“Money and curses should come from the same source,” Geto said promptly. “And I want to get it from something ostensibly legitimate, so police and whatnot won’t be investigating. As for the kind of work… I’m not picky.”

Si-woo checked his watch. He should be heading out in a couple of minutes. 

“Alright,” he said. “Give me contact information, I’ll draft a contract, and then I’ll pull some sources up for you.” 

“I don’t have contact information,” Geto said bluntly. 

Si-woo blinked. “Alright,” he said slowly. “Could you get at least a phone by tomorrow and come back here?”

Geto looked at him like he was stupid. 

Huffing, Si-woo pulled out a business card. 

“Has my number,” he said. “Get a phone sometime soon, and contact me once you do. Text, at first, because otherwise your call will go to spam.” 

“Won’t that leave a trail?”

“Text me, ‘I finally got a phone,’” Si-woo said. “I’m not awake at all hours, but I’ll call you back as soon as possible.” 

“I don’t think that would be possible,” Geto said. 

“... why not?” 

“I don’t have the money available for a phone,” Geto said, and Si-woo had to commend him for how he kept up the facade of not caring. “Everything right now is delegated towards things necessary for living.” 

Something told Si-woo that Geto was not going to come back to this place, and he wasn’t going to let Si-woo leave until he had gotten what he wanted. 

Suppressing a sigh, Si-woo searched his wallet until he found a 5,000 yen banknote. 

“Here,” Si-woo said. “Consider it an investment.” 

“For what?”

“There are cheap phones out there with cheap service plans,” Si-woo said. “Buy a phone, then give me a text. Literally all the phone needs to do is text and call. You can get a better phone after the contract is done. See you soon.” 

Si-woo sped walk, and once he was out of sight, sprinted back to where he left Yamada and Megumi. He had passed the six minute mark, meaning that he had less than two to get back before Yamada called some authority or thought him dead. 

“Why’d you go?” Megumi asked as Si-woo walked him over to the car. 

Si-woo, who had a very long day and a very stressful encounter, did not quite want to deal with any questions that Fushiguro “Abandonment Issues” Megumi had. But since he was a responsible guardian now and Fushiguro—he still had not gotten that woman’s name and at this point, he was scared to ask—would probably figure out if he was a less than optimal guardian, he didn’t just ignore Megumi. 

“I came back, didn’t I?” Si-woo asked as he opened the car door to the backseat and gestured for Megumi to get inside. 

Megumi did not move. Today was going to be a stubborn day, it seemed. Ah well, it had been good while it lasted. Actually, no; the day had been in varying ranges of shit from the moment Si-woo woke up and had to take care of a sick child to now. 

“There was a man who wanted to be my client,” Si-woo said. “I had to go see him briefly to give him contact information.” 

“You were scared.” 

“He’s a bit of a scary guy,” Si-woo said and Megumi raised a brow. Si-woo wanted to know who taught this kid to be so judgemental. 

“He…” Si-woo trailed off, trying to find a kid-friendly way to put it. Then he decided there was no kid-friendly way to put it. “He killed an entire village. Your dad also pissed him off once, and I was working with your dad then, so I thought he might do something with me.” 

“Is that why you didn’t bring me?”

“Yeah,” Si-woo admitted, ruffling Megumi’s hair until it was messier than before. Megumi looked affronted. 

“I could’ve used Black and White on him,” Megumi said. “You can’t do anything.” 

That… well… ouch. 

“Just because I don’t have a cursed technique doesn’t mean I’m helpless,” Si-woo said. “It’s fine now, because now he’s just a client. Will you get in the car?” 

Megumi raised his chin like he was some kind of haughty nobility and entered the car. Si-woo tossed his backpack in as well and closed the door. 

Everything was fine. Everything was completely fine. Geto Suguru didn’t kill him and wasn’t going to. Probably. 

He was just pulling out of the parking lot with a sneeze almost literally ricocheted across the car. Almost, because Megumi’s mask was still on. Because he was still sick.  

Once Megumi was better and if he did not infect Si-woo, then everything would be fine.  

It was in the middle of one of Tsumiki and Megumi’s playdates, about a week later and when Megumi was feeling less sick—Si-woo had determined it was just the cold and it was in its waning stages now—that Si-woo got the text. 

“Work?” Fushiguro asked, and Si-woo nodded when he saw the notification. 

“I said I’d respond ASAP,” Si-woo said. 

“It’s not like whoever it is would know if you saw it now or not,” Fushiguro pointed out. 

Si-woo sighed. “Yeah, well, this guy could easily kill me.” 

Fushiguro shot him a glare. “Don’t you fucking die on Megumi,” she hissed. 

“That was—” Si-woo coughed, “well, not a joke. But he needs me too much to kill me now. I won’t die anytime soon.” 

“You better not,” Fushiguro said, and turned back to watch the kids. Tsumiki was pushing Megumi’s swing, and the kid swung higher and higher. That was probably a bad idea, because Megumi could get sick, and the last thing Si-woo needed was him throwing up. “You should consider a career change.” 

“I’m good at my job, and it brings in money,” Si-woo said. “There was only one time I was in physical danger, and that was a decade ago.”

“Didn’t you just say that this guy could kill you?”

“A lot of people have that air,” Si-woo said. “Part of the job is to defuse it. But yeah, he could realistically kill me. Probably won’t, though.” 

“What happens when your usefulness runs out?” 

“Still, probably not,” Si-woo said. “He has two kids of his own, so he’d feel bad about orphaning Megumi.” 

Fushiguro swiveled to stare at Si-woo. “You told him about Megumi?” 

“He had his two kids with him,” Si-woo said. “It was a gamble, and I’m good at those.” 

“A very fucking stupid gamble.”

“You use that mouth around your daughter?” Si-woo asked. 

“Har, har,” Fushiguro said. “You should really consider a career change.” 

“Staying in the business is one way I can look out for Megumi,” Si-woo said. “I know how the progression of the search for him is going, so I can hide him in plain sight. I brought him to work the other day, and convinced a guy who thought Megumi was Toji’s son that he wasn’t.” 

“Another stupid gamble.” 

“Works, though,” Si-woo said. “Everyone knows that I’m a smart man, and that I’m overseeing the bounty for the Zen’in family. The idea that I would hide Toji’s kid under their nose is beyond idiotic.”

“You worked with Toji, though.” 

“I work with a lot of conflicting characters.” 

“Like Mister I-Could-Kill-You-But-I-Also-Have-Kids.” 

“Yup.” 

Fushiguro let out a long breath, and looked a mix of miserable and scared. 

“It’s not like I could do much else,” Si-woo said, trying to console her but feeling like he was failing. “The only other job I’ve had under my belt is that of a detective, and unless I find some way to explain a years-long gap in my work experience, it’s unlikely I’d get rehired as one any time soon.” 

“Detective? You?”

“Don’t sound so surprised,” Si-woo mumbled. “I’ve seen action.” 

Fushiguro looked like she was going to make a smart comeback before saying, “Yeah, I guess you have.” 

“I’ll, uh, just call the client when we get home,” Si-woo said. “I’ll need files and such anyways for that call.” 

“Makes sense,” Fushiguro said, still sounding very agitated. 

“Look, don’t worry,” Si-woo said. “At this rate, I’ll have an early retirement.” 

“That’s not it,” Fushiguro said. “Megumi is getting really high.” 

Si-woo took a look back at Megumi and started. He was getting very close to being perpendicular to the swing set. 

Apparently Megumi said something, because Tsumiki, after looking up at him, pumped her fists and yelled, “Higher!” while going to push Megumi again. 

Both Fushiguro and Si-woo ran to prevent a disaster. 

“That was very dangerous,” Si-woo told a sulking Megumi on the way home. “You shouldn’t have done that.” 

“I would’ve been fine,” Megumi said. 

“You would have been in projectile motion,” Si-woo shot back, and received a confused face. Right. Megumi was only six. 

“You would have flown into the sky and had a really hard landing,” Si-woo said. “It would’ve hurt a lot.” 

“No, it wouldn’t,” Megumi said. “Nue could’ve caught me.” 

“... who?” 

Megumi disentangled his hand from Si-woo’s and went to form a shadow sign. 

“No, no, no,” Si-woo said quickly, taking back one of Megumi’s hands. “Remember, no shadow signs in public. Use words to describe it.”

“It’s… Nue,” Megumi said, and Si-woo really wanted Nue to be an imaginary friend. Unfortunately, his admittedly limited knowledge of yokai and the shadow sign Megumi was going to make were not painting a good picture. 

Though, if it was the yokai Nue, Si-woo was interested in what the shadow sign for it would be. If he recalled correctly, Nue had the head of a monkey, the legs of a tiger, the body of a dog and part of a snake for the tail. That would be a lot harder to make a hand sign for than a dog, rabbit, or toad. 

“How do you know about… Nue?” Si-woo asked. 

“All of them come from my shadows,” Megumi said. “I know an owl sign and named it Nue.”

Well, that was a lot better than the actual Nue coming out. Though to be fair, he was pretty sure that that Nue had been killed. Or maybe it hadn’t. It had been a while since he brushed up on his yokai knowledge. 

“So how did you know that you could summon it?” 

“The old man showed me shadow tricks,” Megumi said, and Si-woo absolutely did not stiffen at the reminder of Toji. “There was dog, toad, rabbit, owl, elephant, and a couple more.” 

“Which ones?” Si-woo asked, distinctly not thinking about the damage an elephant would cause if Megumi released it in the house. 

“I don’t remember,” Megumi said, with a scowl. 

“That’s alright,” Si-woo said. “Just don’t do any new signs. They seem a lot… bigger, and we don’t have the space for that.” 

Megumi scowled at the ground and Si-woo remembered the purpose of this discussion. 

“Wait, were you going to summon Nue if you flew off the swing?” 

“I was going to jump off and Nue would catch me,” Megumi said. “Or Toad would.” 

“You wouldn’t have had the time,” Si-woo said, and then, before Megumi could take that as a dare, added, “Maybe one day you will, but that requires training. You haven’t had any yet.” 

Megumi hummed, swinging his hand, and thus Si-woo’s as well, around. “Can you train me?” 

“Ah—not exactly.” 

“Why not?”

Si-woo frowned. “How much did your dad tell you about this?”

“Nothing.” Megumi scowled at the ground, and their hands stopped swinging. “Just the hand shadows.” 

“Alright,” Si-woo said, about to begin an explanation when his phone buzzed. “Hold on, I need to make sure that’s not important.” 

It was the sign of a missed call from Zen’in Naobito.  

Shit. 

“I’ll tell you when we get home,” Si-woo said. And then, thinking of the call he owed Geto Suguru, corrected, “Over dinner. Right now I have to take an important call. Don’t say anything, okay?”

Megumi nodded, his head dipping down at the ground, and Si-woo hurriedly called Zen’in Naobito back. 

“So you are available,” Zen’in’s voice said drily. Toji would have hated him for it, but Si-woo could see a bit of the family resemblance. 

“I already changed the details on the bounty,” Si-woo said, “if that is your concern.” 

“Well, now I’m a bit interested as to why you didn’t pick up,” Zen’in said, and Si-woo was reminded of one of the reasons why he worked with Toji, despite the backlash from the Zen’in family. Zen’in Naobito was just fucking irritating. 

“My phone didn’t ring,” Si-woo said, in his usual voice, careful not to let any of his annoyance spill out. “Not sure why, but it didn’t. What do you want?” 

“Are you this rude to all your clients?”

“I wouldn’t call this rude,” Si-woo said. “However, as it is outside of my usual hours and there was no prior appointment, I am very much wondering why the sudden call.” 

“Aren’t your jobs usually successful?”

That was… a statement. For a moment, Si-woo wondered if Zen’in was drunk. He did have that reputation. It was one way the family resemblance was not present between Zen’in Naobito and Toji. 

“Usually, there is a set person to execute that job,” Si-woo said. 

“Like Zen’in Toji.” 

If Zen’in Naobito got drunk and wanted to start this up again, Si-woo just might throw his phone off a bridge. 

“Sure,” Si-woo said. “He’s not the only one I worked with, of course.” 

Zen’in was quiet for a bit, and since Si-woo couldn’t very well hang up, he decided to play for information. 

“Why are you so interested in his ‘kid?’” Si-woo asked, injecting as much skepticism he could into his voice. 

“Why do you sound like that?” Zen’in asked, and Si-woo allowed himself to smile a bit. Hook, line, and sinker. 

“I mean, he was involved with a lot of people,” Si-woo said, “so the idea that he got more seriously involved to the point of a child, even multiple, isn’t out of the realm of possibility. But like you mentioned, I worked with him, and for about ten years, too. I would have known if there was a child of importance.” 

There was a small tug on his hand, and Si-woo looked down briefly to see Megumi’s confused eyes. 

“Later,” he mouthed at Megumi, turning back to the call. 

“Are you so sure about that?” Zen’in asked, sounding smug. 

“Yes,” Si-woo said, trying not to let his own smugness leak into his voice. He was very certain, considering Toji had told him when his girlfriend-maybe-wife had first gotten pregnant. While Si-woo hadn’t gotten an announcement for the birth, he did get to see Toji breaking down over the death of Megumi’s mother. So yeah, he knew almost immediately that there was a child, regardless of its importance. 

“Well, he does have a child,” Zen’in said. “A son, most likely, but considering Toji, he might have lied about the gender.”

“Why?”

“To throw us off,” Zen’in said. “You don’t think we tried to find the child before? It was too well hidden.”

That… was very alarming. Very, very alarming indeed. And Zen’in had to be very drunk to be telling him this at all, or very aware of the hand clasped in Si-woo’s. 

“Considering the Heavenly Restriction, how do you know that the child will be… worth it to you?” 

“Toji was a chronic liar, but he couldn’t successfully, not against me.” Back with the smug tone. For Toji’s sake, Si-woo wanted to sock him. “He said that he sensed potential, so the kid must have some.” 

The kid had a lot. The Zen’in clan would probably kill for a Ten Shadows user. Scratch that, they would kill for a Ten Shadows user. 

Then the rest of the sentence caught up with Si-woo—Toji had told Zen’in Naobito about Megumi. And evidently he told enough to get the head’s interest. 

“Alright, I’ll believe in this kid, then,” Si-woo said. “That still doesn’t explain why you called.”

“Didn’t I say?”

“No.” 

“Take down the bounty,” Zen’in said. “Even with the added warnings, people still try to give us false or outdated information. We’re really better off using our own men.”

You already learned all the preliminary information there is about Megumi without lifting a finger and a more in-depth search is now required, Si-woo’s brain translated, with the undertone of FUCK. 

“That it?” Si-woo asked. 

“I’ll send the last installment of your payment over,” Zen’in said, and then said, “Hey, would you like to meet the kid? Once we get it?” 

“Huh?” 

“You don’t really believe it exists,” Zen’in said, and Si-woo had to tamp down on hysterical laughter. Megumi was probably shooting him a look. “Besides, wouldn’t it be funny to see a mini-Toji, after all the time you worked with the man?”

“You don’t know that they look like each other,” Si-woo pointed out. Everything in his head was screaming that Zen’in had figured it out, but his gut feeling said that they were still safe. And between his head and his gut, the latter proved to be more accurate with these things. 

“Eh, it’s a possibility. So will you, or won’t you?”

“I’ll… have to think about it,” Si-woo said. “I hadn’t had the best experience with the rest of your esteemed family, the last time we met.” 

Zen’in barked a laugh. “Fair enough. Take down the bounty, Kong.” 

“Will do,” Si-woo said, and waited for Zen’in to hang up. Then, letting go of Megumi’s hand but keeping an eye on him so he didn’t run off either, Si-woo checked his phone all over for any kind of cursed energy or taping device. He didn’t find anything. 

“We might have to cut down on playdates in the future,” Si-woo told Megumi, feeling bad when he saw the kid’s face fall. 

“Who was that?” 

“Your,” Si-woo quickly recalled the Zen’in family tree, “grand uncle. He’s the uncle of your dad.” 

“I don’t like him.” 

Si-woo frowned. “Did you hear him?”

Megumi shook his head and said, “He made you scared.” 

Si-woo’s heart did a funny thing where it swooped to his stomach and then did something resembling a heart attack. 

“I didn’t expect him,” Si-woo said. “There’s no need to worry.” 

Megumi nodded slowly. Si-woo wasn’t sure he believed it. 

The last thing that he wanted was to make the call to Geto Suguru. But Si-woo was a man of his word and he was building a get rich quick scheme to make enough money for Megumi’s college tuition, a flight back to Korea, and a cushy retirement. Si-woo always had a good eye for chances, and he figured that Geto would bring in some figures. 

Geto picked up immediately and Si-woo did not feel bad for making him wait so long. 

“I got a phone,” Geto said and he sounded so awkward. This was a mass murderer and he didn’t know how to start off a phone call right? The state of society, really. 

“I can see that,” Si-woo said. “Now, the first order of business is the extent of the work that you want me to do. Considering you want me to find you clients, that means that I will act, generally, as a middleman. However, that comes in degrees. I could just find the clients and you would handle contact, or I could additionally handle the initial contact, or I can take care of all correspondence between clients and you, so you won’t have to interact with them directly.” 

“Wouldn’t this depend on who the clients are?” Geto asked. 

“If you decide to upgrade during the job, then the contract will be adjusted,” Si-woo said. “And of course, that’s only one job that I could perform, but as you haven’t mentioned anything else, I assume that finding a source of revenue and curses is the priority.” 

“Yes.” 

“Alright, to what extent would you like me to get involved?” Si-woo asked. 

“The second one,” Geto said after a moment of thought. “Where you also take care of initial contact.” 

Si-woo filled some spaces out on the contract,  and decided not to think about how easy it would be to swindle Geto Suguru. He didn’t even ask about the price. 

“Now, since your end goal is just a source of revenue and curses, I assume that you don’t have a fulfillment standard?”

The silence on the other end told him all that Si-woo needed to know. Geto was really fresh at this. It was almost embarrassing. 

“Fulfillment standards are any extra standards that end a job,” Si-woo said. “It’s often connected to end goals. Someone might keep a hire on until a certain amount of revenue is reached, or until the hire helps them attain a specific position. Since your purpose for hiring—getting a source of revenue and curses—would be the end of the job once attained, I ask if there are, in fact, any fulfillment standards that you have.”

“And you need this information now?”

“It would be useful to finish the contract.” 

Geto was mumbling something under his breath, likely calculations, and Si-woo braced himself for the stupidest thing he was about to say. 

“From what it sounds like, you’re a bit new to all of this,” Si-woo said, hearing a telltale inhale of anger. Luckily, no one except Megumi actually knew where he lived, so Geto would have a hard time trying to get revenge for this insult. “I can first offer my services as a counselor, or act as a counselor and middleman concurrently, if you wish.” 

“... What would a counselor do?” 

Did no one teach this kid definitions? “A counselor would provide information as to the basics of dealing with illegal trade deals and jobs, as well as how to effectively be a fugitive,” Si-woo said. “Other lessons include how to find trustworthy clients, as well as what deals are considered rip-offs or not.”  

“Then couldn’t you rip me off?”

“I’m the one who had to give you money to buy a phone,” Si-woo reminded him. “And I’m not the kind to play the long game for deception. What profit you can get in the future would be nice, and I would like a part of that, but the way I’d access it is actually getting you to the profit sooner rather than later.” 

“I’d kill you if you actually tricked me.” 

“I’m sure you would,” Si-woo said. “So, what do you say?”

“What’s the price?” Geto asked. Only took him too long to ask. “The—the catch?”

“I get what is near double pay,” Si-woo said, “since I would be doing two jobs at once, however I would not demand that until you actually have the money to pay that. There is no catch, because in this business, unless you want to become a tycoon, that’s not how things work.” 

“It’d be great for money, though.” 

“Sure,” Si-woo said. “Hence tycoons using it. But money only motivates me up to a point.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I get money to cover expenses and make life comfortable,” Si-woo said. “Too much money is its own curse. Especially when it means I’d have angry customers after me.” 

“Makes sense,” Geto said. “I’ll have to look over the actual contract, though. Before it’s finalized.” 

“Of course,” Si-woo said. “But I assume this means I can put down two jobs in the contract so that at our next meeting, you can review it to your heart’s content?”

“Yes.”

“Great,” Si-woo said, rubbing his eyes. “As for the next meeting—”

“In person?”

“Yes?” Si-woo frowned. “You can’t review information on a contract over an audio call.” 

“Do you have a place in mind, then?” And now Geto was sounding surly. Si-woo reminded himself that he was a teenager and probably prone to mood swings. 

“You have two children, correct?” Si-woo asked. 

“This has nothing to do with them.” 

Si-woo couldn’t contain his sigh. “Look, we can meet at a playground. Your kids can play, we take care of business in the back, and everything’s fine, everybody’s happy.” 

Geto took a minute to think that over. “Alright. When? And where?” 

“Oh, let’s say… Friday? Five in the evening?” At an affirmative hum, Si-woo listed off the address of the playground that was across town from the playground near Megumi’s school. Si-woo would have enough time to drop Megumi off at daycare, take an hour or so to finish off any work for the evening, gather himself, and then meet Geto Suguru. 

“See you then,” Geto said, and then hung up before Si-woo could say anything. 

Which, well, rude. His first job as a counselor would be to teach this kid etiquette. 

It was only then, trying to fall asleep that Si-woo remembered that he had promised to tell Megumi about cursed energy and all that at dinner. Which… hadn’t happened. 

This guardian thing was harder than he thought. 

This guardian thing was a lot harder than he initially thought, Si-woo realized when he picked Megumi up on Friday and remembered that Megumi had been kicked out of daycare and Si-woo hadn’t found a replacement yet. It was a bit too late to call Fushiguro, and Si-woo really did not want her to chew him out for this mistake. 

Si-woo resisted the urge to groan as he considered his options and the fact that the only good thing about this situation was that Megumi was just about completely healthy now. 

“Remember the dangerous man I met with a couple days ago?” Si-woo asked. Megumi nodded. “Well, we’re going to see him.”

Megumi stared at him. 

“I’m going to meet with him,” Si-woo corrected. “But you’ll get to play in a playground. And maybe with his kids.”

“Why does he have kids?” 

Si-woo shrugged. “Why not?”

“He’s dangerous.” 

“Your dad was dangerous but he still had you,” Si-woo said, and then wanted to slap himself when Megumi froze. “Agh—I mean that plenty of different people have kids for all sorts of reasons. They might not be good reasons or good people or good to their kids, but that doesn’t mean they can’t have them.” 

Megumi scowled at the ground. 

“Hey, cheer up,” Si-woo said. “This might be the last time you get to play in a playground for a while.” 

“Why?” Then Megumi’s face changed, and said, “My… grand uncle?”

Si-woo nodded and Megumi looked the opposite of cheered up. Maybe when they got back home, he’d get Megumi to bring out his Divine Dogs. They always made him feel better, and Si-woo was pretty sure he hadn’t seen them for a while. 

The playground was fairly crowded, and it took a moment to locate the two children that Si-woo had seen when he met Geto. It took even longer to find Geto, lurking near the back. Thing number two to counsel Geto on: how to not look so suspicious. 

“Alright, the man’s here,” Si-woo said. “Try not to come too close unless there’s an emergency and have fun. Don’t summon anything.” 

Megumi nodded and Si-woo let go of Megumi’s hand, making sure that he had joined the bustle of other running children before heading towards Geto. 

“Come on,” Si-woo said as he approached. “Let’s find a bench to sit down on.” 

Geto eyed the benches, all of which were in plain sight. “Would that be wise?”

“It’s a lot less suspicious than waiting in the shadows,” Si-woo said drily. 

Considering everything about the situation, the finalization of the contract went fairly smoothly. It would be a long job, and a fairly intensive and dangerous one considering Geto, but Si-woo found that he was satisfied. 

Until he noticed three small children shuffling their way. 

“I’ll see what’s up,” Si-woo said, careful not to sound too hurried. 

Geto looked up from where he had just signed, and then stood too. Shit. “I’ll come too.”

Well. At least Geto had just signed the contract. That would prevent a bit of catastrophic action. Assuming that Geto would care about the contract, after this. 

When the girls saw Geto getting up, they ran over to him, while Megumi continued to shuffle towards Si-woo. His head was ducked and Si-woo spotted red on his knees. Si-woo’s gait turned more into a run-disguised-as-a-walk. 

“What happened?” Si-woo asked, crouching down so he was at Megumi’s level. When Megumi lifted his face the tiniest bit, Si-woo saw scrapes there as well. It looked like he had fallen. 

Or was pushed. Si-woo wasn’t a violent person but he thought he might just become one. 

“The swing,” Megumi muttered, and some of that anger abated. “Nanako pushed me so I could get high, and then I jumped off and Mimiko was supposed to catch me, since you said no summoning.” 

“And?” Si-woo asked, knowing exactly where this was going. 

“Mimiko… caught me. Not well. Her ankle hurts a lot.” 

“Well, we just finished up anyways,” Si-woo said, “so we can get home and clean up the scrapes, okay?”

Megumi nodded and stuck out his hand. Si-woo took it, and turned back to Geto, ready to tell him goodbye and all that stuff, when he realized that Geto was staring at them. 

No, Geto was staring at Megumi. 

“The fuck?” Geto almost snarled, and Si-woo really wished that Megumi hadn’t terrorized the daycare. 

“Language,” Si-woo said. 

“You know, I thought you just had a partnership with Zen’in Toji,” Geto sneered. 

“I did,” Si-woo said. “Anyone in the industry could tell you that, and I’m not sure how a past partnership that you already knew about is this important—”

“Past? It’s not past if you have his kid. And it’s not just a partnership if you have his kid.” 

“That’s a bold statement to make,” Si-woo said. 

“Don’t try to play it off,” Geto said, and Si-woo would have to tread carefully. “Megumi. That’s the kid’s name, isn’t it?”

How the fuck —no. Si-woo couldn’t keep his mind on that now. 

“I think that we should take this conversation elsewhere,” Si-woo said calmly, gripping Megumi’s hand tightly. 

“Oh yeah? Where? Your office, where you could call sorcerers at any time?” 

“Just out of a playground where there’s people,” Si-woo said. “I know a relatively empty spot a street away. We can continue that conversation there and attract much less attention.” 

Geto stared at him for a very long time, and Si-woo really wanted to shove Megumi behind him. He didn’t though. He needed to show that this didn’t scare him. The utmost worst that could happen was Geto killing them. But the more likely scenario was that Geto would just be mad and then calm down. It wasn’t as if he could tip off the Zen’in family, not when he himself was a fugitive. 

“Alright,” Geto said, and picked up one of the girls. Mimiko, Si-woo supposed, since she hurt her ankle. 

It was a… tense walk, out of the playground, to say the very least. They ended up in an empty lot. 

Geto broke the silence first. “Did you have anything to do with the Star Plasma Vessel assasination?” 

“Yes,” Si-woo said and Geto glowered.

“You participated in the murder of an innocent— ” 

Si-woo cut it off before Geto could get too worked up. There were children here, two of which actually had to go home with Geto. 

“If,” he said, “you were still a sorcerer and not a curse user, I would understand your feelings. However, you are now a curse user, and that is different. If you remain upset because you were personally hurt, then that’s fine. That is your own, selfish desire. But you have killed over one hundred people. You have killed innocents. You killed your own parents. And I don’t doubt that you also hurt anyone who ever cared about you, by doing that.”

Geto’s jaw was visibly tense, the kids were all looking scared. Megumi even moved behind Si-woo. 

Si-woo sighed. “You can have your own reasons for your actions, but you cannot ascribe right and wrong and judge people for it, not unless you’re willing to acknowledge what you’ve done.”

Geto was silent for a long moment. “Didn’t think someone associated with the Sorcerer Killer would think much of morality.” 

“I don’t really, to be honest,” Si-woo said. “But it’s very obnoxious to deal with people who think they’re on a higher plane even when they’ve done as bad or worse things than the rest of us.”

Geto opened his mouth again but Si-woo continued. “I’m not going to say you were right or wrong for killing people. As said, I don’t care much about morality. I’m selfish. So if you consider harming Megumi in any way, I will take action. I most certainly have nowhere near the level of power that you have, but I do have power in other areas that you no longer have. So tread carefully.” 

“I could kill the two of you now,” Geto said. 

“Sure,” Si-woo said. “But you don’t think that I haven’t made provisions for that? It won’t keep us alive, no, but it surely will tear you,” Si-woo looked at Mimiko and Nanako, “and anyone else near you down. Especially since that means you will have broken the contract.” 

“Fuck you,” Geto spat out. 

“Bad word,” Megumi said quietly, and it looked like Geto was shocked out of whatever stupor he was in. 

“Our correspondence will occur over the phone for the near future,” Si-woo said. “I look forward to our partnership. Also, you might want to get some ice on Mimiko’s ankle soon.”  

Megumi, thankfully, kept silent on the winding path home, as Si-woo changed their path numerous times just in case something was after them. 

Si-woo wanted to just freak the fuck out once they got home. But alas, there was a small child who witnessed all of that, and Megumi did have scrapes that needed some attending. 

“This might sting a little,” Si-woo said as he started to clean them. Megumi didn’t even flinch, which was… concerning. 

“Sorry,” he heard Megumi mumble. 

“For what?”

“For coming over.”

Si-woo let out a sigh. “I won’t say it’s fine, because Geto is a dangerous man, but it’s not your fault. You thought that Mimiko’s ankle was an emergency, right?”

Megumi nodded. “She said it hurt to step on it.” 

“Then it was good you came over,” Si-woo said, “even though Geto reacted like that.” 

“... Mimiko and Nanako aren’t bad.” 

“They looked like nice girls.”

“No, I mean—” Megumi cut himself off and took a deep breath. “It was kind of fun. Playing with them.”

Well, shit. Or maybe not shit, because if Geto really, truly cared for those two girls and they liked Megumi too, then that could cool down his anger. 

Then again, Si-woo didn’t exactly want Megumi anywhere near Geto. Sure, Si-woo might not have a strict set of morals, per se, but as he said to Geto, he was selfish. He didn’t want Megumi to get hurt, either physically or emotionally, as would be the case if Geto had to move due to being a fugitive or if the girls followed in his murderous path. 

“We’ll see what we can do about it,” Si-woo said, because that was as near to a promise as he could give. “Come on, it’s dinnertime. Besides, I promised to tell you about cursed energy.”

Megumi’s head lifted up and his eyes almost sparkled with anticipation. A smile tugged at Si-woo’s lips as he got everything needed to cook, even as his heart sank into his stomach. 

He really, really hoped that Geto could resolve his feelings on his own. If not, they were really going to be in deep shit. 

Life… continued. Si-woo went to his job, kept an eye out for anyone hired by the Zen’in family, and worked for Geto. Geto never initiated a call nor answered one, so most of their communication occurred through email, or in Si-woo’s case, voicemail. It was honestly getting very boring, and Megumi was feeling the same too, considering he had lost all trepidation around the idea of the “dangerous man.” He never asked for a playdate, not even indirectly like he had that one dinner, but Si-woo got the feeling that Megumi wanted to have one soon. 

Fushiguro and Tsumiki felt the same. 

“Look,” Si-woo said when he called, and could he just say for a minute that he was really getting sick of phone calls? Because he really was. “The Zen’in family’s own men are looking for Megumi now. That’s a lot more dangerous than bounty hunters that I can just persuade.” 

“Why do they want Megumi so badly?” asked Fushiguro in a whisper. 

“It’s, uh, complicated,” Si-woo said. “Like, really very complicated.” 

Fushiguro let out a sigh. “More like it’s stuff that I don’t know about and you don’t know how to explain it to me.” 

“Yeah,” Si-woo admitted. 

“I’ll figure out, one day,” Fushiguro said, “but for now, I’ll let you keep your secrets.” 

Si-woo wanted to retort, because Fushiguro and Tsumiki could go their whole lives without knowing, before realizing that no, that wasn’t the case. Megumi could tell Tsumiki about his cursed technique, or curses could attack them and Si-woo would have to give an explanation, or Megumi could be taken and Si-woo would actually have to explain why it couldn’t just be solved with a court case over custody. 

“One day, I’ll tell you,” he said. “But there’s a lot going on, and I really don’t want any word of this getting out.” 

Fushiguro huffed. “That’s fair. Tsumiki doesn’t really know how to keep secrets.” 

They exchanged more pleasantries before Si-woo had to end the call, and then he was just standing there, knowing that he had to make his usual voicemail to Geto. He hated those, but at least they went fairly quickly, considering it was a completely one sided conversation. And he’d be very glad to get this one done and then hide in the bunkers. Si-woo knew what Geto thought of the Star Religious Group, after all. 

Once again, no one picked up. 

“You know the usual drill,” Si-woo said after the beep, “so I won’t bother repeating it. I saw your comments on the last group, and based on that, I found a new group you may be interested in. Hold off on murdering me until after you hear the deal, though.”   

Approximately one hour after Si-woo left the voicemail, his phone started buzzing. He was in the middle of preparing beef bulgogi mandu, because Si-woo had gotten a bit nostalgic for homemade Korean food and mandu wasn’t supposed to be hard to make. Without looking, Si-woo tapped the answer button and put the phone on speaker. As the call connected, he thought of maybe getting Megumi to come help him out in the future. Si-woo remembered helping his mother out in the kitchen. Those were nice memories.

“Mr. Kong?” a familiar voice jarred him out of his musings. A voice that belonged to Geto Suguru. 

The world could shock him still, it seemed. 

“Geto,” Si-woo replied, because he had no idea what else to say. “I assume you’re calling about my latest update?”

“Yes.” A slight pause. Si-woo took it as the time to get some meat out of the fridge. “I’ll take it.” 

Si-woo very nearly dropped the mandu he was molding. He opened his mouth, maybe to ask questions, but then remembered who he was. 

“I can send the details over,” Si-woo said. 

“I think meeting in person would be better.” 

“Continue speaking like that and I’ll think you’re setting up a plot to murder me,” Si-woo said blandly. 

“I don’t—I don’t trust the internet or text to be safe,” Geto said. “Even if it gets encrypted, because I’ll have to un-encrypt it to see it, and that’ll still be visible.” 

Si-woo never took Geto to be the paranoid freak, but alright. 

“I’ll need insurance to make sure you don’t harm me.” 

“I wouldn’t break the contract.”

Si-woo didn’t say anything. 

“I wouldn’t. Why do you think I’ve still been working with you?”

“Because no one else will help,” Si-woo said bluntly. 

“Fine. Do you think I’ll just kill someone without a reason?”

“Yes, and I feel that there is a sort of reason with me.” 

“I promise I won’t kill you, okay?” Geto paused. “Are we meeting at that same playground again?”

“Yes,” Si-woo said. “Tomorrow, six in the evening?”

“That works,” Geto said. “Are you going to bring the—Megumi?”

Si-woo’s blood turned to ice. 

“That is none of your concern,” Si-woo said, and then hung up. 

Si-woo told Megumi that he was heading out to a meeting and Megumi looked at him with those eyes. It made it really hard to say that Megumi had to stay inside, after that. 

“Will Mimiko and Nanako be there?” Megumi asked, frowning a bit. 

“Maybe,” Si-woo said, and let out a sigh. “I don’t think it’d be safe, okay? At home, you can bring out Black and White, just don’t do it in front of the windows, alright?”

Megumi nodded, but he didn’t seem that enthused, and Si-woo really felt like the bad guy. Which was ridiculous, because he had done immoral stuff before and this, objectively, was not bad. Megumi still got contact with other kids at school, and while he should be playing more, it wasn’t like he was completely isolated. 

Si-woo rattled off all the reminders—don’t open the door to anyone, don’t eat sweets because that would spoil his dinner, make sure to complete homework—and then reluctantly made his way to the playground. 

Mimiko and Nanako were, in fact, there. They perked up when they saw him, and then deflated when they didn’t see Megumi. 

Si-woo could have dealt with that if not for the fact that Geto acted the same way. The guy was ready to murder Megumi last time, and he thought that Si-woo would just bring the kid over? He was nuts. 

Si-woo got straight to business, showing him the papers and telling him about the Star Religious Group, and how he could get both money and curses out of them. 

“And why would they take me in?” 

“You know about Master Tengen and the Star Plasma Vessel,” Si-woo said. “You have a cursed technique. That elevates you, in their eyes. You could pretend to be a messenger from Master Tengen, but that could be a bit hard to pull off in the long run.” 

Geto shifted in his seat and Si-woo shot him a look. “What?”

“So I should pretend to be a—a prophet?” 

“Eh, not exactly,” Si-woo said. “You could. But it’s more that those elements will make them like you, and you can climb the ranks easily like that. Thus, money and curses.” 

“That would be a bit disrespectful, wouldn’t it?”

Si-woo stared at Geto. “What is?”

“Using Master Tengen’s name like that.” 

“First off, it’s like name-dropping someone important you worked for to show off your own importance,” Si-woo said. “Secondly, aren’t you a fugitive?”

“So? I still respect Master Tengen. Don’t you?”

Respect. That was… an interesting question. Sure, he knew that Master Tengen was important. If they went berserk, humanity could be destroyed, and humanity was already doing a pretty good job of that by itself. Master Tengen could be the final nail in the coffin. 

Also, it was because of them that there was a jujutsu society, which was why Si-woo had a job. So there was that to be thankful for. 

And yet, Si-woo grew up and lived most of his life in a place where there was no Master Tengen and no developed jujutsu society. Jujutsu society had never been an integral part of his life. If Japan had not had such a monopoly on cursed energy, he wouldn’t have moved and would’ve just gone to university like a normal person. Even now, he could easily move back to Korea with the money he had saved up and get a job with a forged degree, staying away from jujutsu society for the rest of his days. He could even take Megumi with him, because he’d be a lot safer away in another country than in the same city as his dad’s family. 

For someone like Geto, though, for someone who was groomed to be a sorcerer, there was no other option but to place so much importance on Master Tengen because it was Master Tengen’s existence that led to the life that Geto had. 

It was an interesting thing to think about. 

“Sure,” Si-woo said, because Geto was starting to get antsy again. “But you did sort of shit on the idea of jujutsu society by becoming a fugitive, and if you want to stay alive, or at least not get captured, you’ll need to take advantage of everything that you’ve got. Even if you don’t want to.” 

Geto huffed and Si-woo tried not to feel concerned that Geto was this against using Master Tengen’s name like that and yet didn’t even seem to feel remorse for the town that he slaughtered. 

It was actually a very good idea not to bring Megumi. 

“Any objections they could have to me joining?” Geto asked. 

 “Oh, plenty,” Si-woo said. “They’re a religious group, so if you don’t seem devoted, they could easily not believe you.”

“Then I’ll get some robes,” Geto said, waving his hand. 

“What, you want to dress up as a monk?”

“It’ll sell the act,” Geto asked. “I’ll be devoted.” 

“I’ll arrange a meeting, then,” Si-woo said, getting up. Geto stayed seated. 

“Is there a quicker way to get to the top?” 

“I mean, you could just kill them,” Si-woo said, and then instantly regretted it when he saw the expression on Geto’s face. “But look, do you really want to be in charge of a religious group? Or would you rather be showered with money and curses because of the significance associated with you? Much less administrative work in the second.”

“Didn’t you say once that you were amoral?”

“Maybe,” Si-woo said. “But if you become the leader, then that means you might hire me to do the paperwork. I don’t want to do that. I have enough paperwork as is. I’ll call you when I make the meeting; your availability hasn’t changed?” 

“No.” 

“Alright, I’ll arrange a time, then.” 

“Sure, sure.” Geto remained seated and Si-woo let out a sigh, waiting for whatever it was that Geto wanted to say. “So, where is the kid?”

“Why the interest?” Si-woo asked sharply. 

Geto squinted up at him. “I’m not going to do anything to him.” 

Si-woo raised a brow. 

“Besides, I could sense all the cursed energy in him. He’s not a monkey and it’d be a shame to kill him.” 

Si-woo raised his other brow. 

“Look,” Geto said after a deep breath. At least he was working on anger management. “Mimiko and Nanako get lonely from time to time. I can imagine Megumi feels the same.” 

It took a moment for the implication to set in. “... Are you proposing a playdate?”

Geto looked sheepish, and for a moment, he looked not far from a kid himself. 

Because he wasn’t. Geto Suguru, the mass murderer, a high threat to humanity, was literally seventeen years old. Si-woo did not need to be reminded of that. 

“Yeah,” Geto said at last.  

“No,” Si-woo said, and Geto transformed back to the virtually always on the verge of murder client that he was before. Before Geto could do anything, like murder him, Si-woo added, “It’s for a couple of key reasons.” 

“And they are?” 

“You are a mass murderer,” Si-woo said bluntly. 

“The kid’s dad has killed plenty of people.”

“And I wasn’t Megumi’s guardian then. I am now,” Si-woo said and hesitated before the next section. “And I know a bit of your… ideology. You want to kill non-sorcerers. Megumi has friends who are ‘monkeys.’ I don’t want you to either indirectly influence him to hate them or to crush Megumi if you end up killing them. Not to mention that you might have Mimiko and Nanako kill, and I don’t want Megumi to get mixed up in that stuff, even just by association.”

“I won’t make six year olds kill.” 

“How about when they get older, huh?” Silence. “Exactly. I also, personally, do not agree with your actions and because of that, I’d rather keep Megumi away until he’s of the age when he can make informed decisions.”

Geto’s eyes narrowed. “He can do that now.” 

“He’s six. No one, when they’re six, understands the full scope of things like mass murder or even death. They’re incredibly impressionable.” 

Geto looked angry again, so Si-woo decided to dial it back a notch. 

“Look,” he said. “I’m not going to convince you that you’re wrong, or that you should stop doing whatever you’re doing. I’m not stupid, and this is a job, not personal for me. However, Megumi is a part of my personal life, and so, my opinions will come into play when it involves him.”

“Then how can I expect you to help? You can’t detach all your opinions from work.”

“Eh, that’s kind of right,” Si-woo said. “There are truly disgusting people out there that even I wouldn’t work with given all the money in the world. Actually, I’d probably still work for them, get the money, and then hire a hitman or two.”

“I’d kill any hitmen sent after me.” 

Si-woo blinked. “Trust me, you don’t even come close to the disgusting people I’m talking about,” he said. 

“So why do you disagree?” 

“Do you actually care to know?” Si-woo asked. 

Geto shrugged, and Si-woo wondered what he was playing at, if he was playing at anything at all. Geto glanced towards him and then quickly averted his eyes, kind of like Me—

Si-woo’s eyes did not widen. He was too good at keeping a poker face, even when his internal dialogue was going, Oh shit, oh shit, oh SHIT, like it was right now, because Geto fucking Suguru did not just imprint on him like a lost duckling. He could not have. 

After a breath, Si-woo calmed down. Of course that wasn’t the case. He was just imagining things. 

Then Geto’s eyes flickered towards him again and Si-woo’s certainty in that statement plunged. 

“I don’t even care,” Geto started to say, and Si-woo accepted this new turn of life with resignation. He was probably some sort of adult figure for a mass murderer, who also had two impressionable children.

Then again, he had spent the last ten years of his life on and off near Toji, so Si-woo wasn’t sure what he expected. 

“It’s because of my own experiences,” Si-woo said, and Geto sat back down, looking a bit eager. Si-woo did not see that. He definitely did not see that. “My experiences don’t match up with your theoretical viewpoint, and that’s why I disagree.”

“Well my experiences tell me that monkeys are scum,” Geto said, and after a moment, added, “What are yours?”

Si-woo let out a sigh. He really didn’t want to elaborate. 

“So you know I’m Korean—” Si-woo paused at Geto’s face. “You didn’t know I was Korean.” 

“Kong Shiu is a Japanese name,” Geto said, and sure, that was true, but if Geto searched for him, he’d have found his file, which clearly said that he was Korean. Then again, he only added it to his file recently, so maybe there were still copies floating around that still marked him as Japanese. 

Si-woo decided not to get into that now, nor think of it any longer. “Anyways, there weren’t and still aren’t many sorcerers back home. Nor are there many curses. Some still exist, just like how people who can see and use cursed energy still exist, but it’s nothing like Japan. So I really don’t think that it’s non-sorcerers that are the problem.”

“They leak cursed energy.” 

“Sure, if you say so,” Si-woo said. “But then they’d do that all over the world, and trust me, I looked at a lot of different places to check their jujutsu communities. Japan exceeds every country by a very wide margin. So it’s not just the leak that’s the problem.” 

“But it is here. Here, that leaked energy becomes curses and we die for their ungrateful, sorry lives.” 

Si-woo had no idea what they taught in those jujutsu schools, but some therapy, basic reasoning, and stress management were obviously missing. 

Geto turned to Si-woo. “Are you saying that sorcerers are the problem?”

Si-woo wondered where the fuck he had said something remotely like that. 

“All I said was my opinion,” Si-woo said, resisting the urge to add, You asked for it, because he was the actual adult here. 

“You implied it,” Geto said. 

“I gave my reasoning for my opinion,” Si-woo said. “And then, admittedly, I did make a comment on your idea, because I personally don’t think that non-sorcerers are the root cause. But hey, this idea is yours, and my job is just to help my clients out.” 

Geto… did not look okay. At all. His fists were clenched, his eyes were wide and breathing erratic. 

Literally all Si-woo wanted was to get home. He wanted food and he bet that Megumi was starving, just waiting for him to return. 

It took a bit, but Si-woo eventually got Geto to come back to himself. 

Geto blinked slowly, and just as one last test, Si-woo said, “Kid, you with me?” while snapping his fingers in front of Geto’s face. 

“I’m not a fucking kid,” Geto said, pushing his hand away. Being a counselor and middleman really was a thankless job. 

“You’re close to half my age,” Si-woo said, because he was tired. “I can call you ‘kid’ if I want.” 

Geto didn’t answer. He also didn’t move from his spot, so Si-woo figured that it probably wouldn’t be good to leave Geto here. Especially since it was starting to get dark and the girls were still playing. 

“They locked the twins in a cage,” Geto said, and Si-woo buckled himself in for a monologue. “Just because they thought Mimiko and Nanako were the source of their problems, even after I told them I had dealt with it. I told them again and again that it wasn’t two six year olds, and they just kept at it. That religious group killed Riko because of their stupid ideology. They’re so self-centered and what do we even get from protecting them? Let them fend for themselves, that was what I thought at first, but it’s through them that curses come. So if we’re doing our jobs, shouldn’t we get rid of them? At the source ?”

Si-woo really wanted to say that this wasn’t a “we” problem, but he really was becoming a dad, considering his first impulse was to bite that back and talk. 

“There are non-sorcerers who do bad things, there are sorcerers who do bad things,” Si-woo said. “You know how I was acquainted with Toji—what the Zen’in family did to him was torture, simply because he did not have nor could use cursed energy. And why is it that the Inumaki clan is decimated? It’s not because of non-sorcerers. Plenty of sorcerers do shady-as-fuck things, and I would know. I work with them. If this was all I knew, then I’d probably hate sorcerers. But it’s not, so I don’t generalize. Some non-sorcerers just fucking suck, I’ll give you that. Plenty, actually. Injustices in society aren’t caused by curses; systemic problems come from humans. And I honestly don’t know if it can ever get better, but that doesn’t mean that eliminating people is the solution.” 

“It’s our job to make it better,” Geto said. 

“Not your job,” Si-woo pointed out. “Your job used to be a sorcerer and sorcerers do not take care of human injustices. You guys aren’t heroes, you’re pest control. Besides, even if it was your job, it wouldn’t be just you working. It’d be on whole organizations of people.”

Which was why Si-woo didn’t really think things would get that much better, but that was his opinion. 

“If you’re so wise, then tell me the fucking point. If it won’t change, then why does me killing everyone matter?” Geto asked and Si-woo really needed to get rid of that mind-to-mouth transfer. 

“It matters to me once you hurt someone I care about,” Si-woo said. “I’m a selfish man. I’ve carved a spot out for myself in life, and I’m actually enjoying it. I’ve made my impacts, negative and positive, and I think that’s really all you can get out of life.” 

“Well, I’m making changes. I’m going to make things better.” 

Si-woo turned his head to look at Geto. “Did you not get the part where I said I wasn’t going to try and convince you? If you’ve killed an entire village, you must be pretty steadfast on your position, and I can’t change that.”

“Then why did you talk to me at all?”

“Because you asked for a playdate and then freaked out when I said no,” Si-woo said. “And then you continued the conversation and freaked out more times, so, because I have to take care of my clients, I stayed.” 

“I’m not unstable.” 

Si-woo pushed himself off the bench. “Look,” he said. “It’s getting late, and I need to be heading home. Besides, I’m sure that the girls are tired.” 

It was like a switch went off. Geto’s head raised to look at the playground, which was now filled with stragglers. 

“Right,” Geto said. “Right.”

“I’ll call you once I arrange a time.” Geto’s face looked blank. “With the Star Religious Group.” 

“Right,” Geto said, and Si-woo didn’t really feel comfortable leaving him there, but he also very much wanted to go home. So he took a convoluted route back, just in case someone tried to tail him, and was greeted with a very pissed off looking Megumi. Even Black and White managed to look pissed off at him. 

“You’re late.” 

“Never said when I would be back, did I?” Si-woo said, pulling some leftovers out of the fridge. He was going to cook but that conversation with Geto left him drained. 

“I was just about to spoil dinner,” Megumi announced, walking right behind him and flanked by the dogs. By all means, the dogs should be back in the shadows or wherever they came from, but Si-woo just… couldn’t. Not now. 

“It’s good that you didn’t,” was all he said, and they ate in silence. 

When tucking Megumi in, Si-woo asked what bedtime story he wanted. 

“I want you to tell me why the dangerous man is dangerous,” Megumi said and Si-woo thought about defenestrating himself. He had fallen through windows plenty of times when he was younger. He’d be fine this time. 

“How about another time?” Si-woo said. “I don’t want to talk about him right now.” 

Megumi was playing with the edge of his blanket, folding it over and over, and then unfolding it. That couldn’t mean anything good. 

“Mimiko and Nanako talked a lot,” Megumi informed him. “One thing they said was that their caretaker hates people like Tsumiki because they killed one of his friends and almost killed his other friend. And the guy they hired to do that was Zen’in. They also said that the only person stronger than their caretaker is that friend.”

Megumi didn’t even look at him. Si-woo knew what was coming next. 

“... Where’s Dad?” 

Si-woo let Megumi keep the dogs out that night and he stayed in his room, too. He thought Megumi would hate him, and maybe a part of the kid did, but most of all, he seemed to be afraid. So he was there when Megumi went to sleep, and he didn’t leave until Megumi woke up in the morning. It was late, but Si-woo had already called the school. 

“Do you think that he could’ve been a good dad?” was the first thing that Megumi said. “Do you think he would’ve come back?”

Si-woo thought about how Toji had been about to marry Fushiguro. Thought about the genuine care that Fushiguro had for Toji. 

“Yeah,” Si-woo said, voice warbling only the tiniest bit. 

Megumi cried, and Si-woo held him. It was really the best that he could do.