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Uimyeong clearly remembers everything he suffered in the lab, he makes it clear to Hyunsu while driving, because something inside him still falters at the thought of that place. Bamseom is his weakness, although he still has in his mind the idea of "walking in" and proving that he is above them, something in him still hurts at the memory.
They cut him down like an animal, holding him between several to keep him still, there was no second when the pain was dulled. Even when he was so close to the possibility of killing them and ending this torture... he couldn't. He was weak. He was a rabbit.
He had to prove now that he changed.
As that thought of weakness floods his head, something comes to him suddenly, as he turns his eyes back to the road; there is a man in front of them. His back was turned, but when he turned around, everything seemed to go in slow motion.
He wasn't that tall, had short dark hair, subtly wavy bangs. He wore a light blue shirt and black dress pants, he stood static, as if he were a ghost. But his expression, despite lacking legible emotion, came across as strangely kind.
UiMyeong's expression also softened, weakened, seeing that familiar man in front of her eyes. Who did nothing but tilt his head as the car passed near them, their gazes met and a strange feeling welled up inside him. In this body he had stolen.
"Shit!" he blurted out in frustration, making Hyunsu subtly jump out of his seat.
"Can someone pray here?"
"Of course." The man's sweet, friendly voice began to echo in his mind.
Jung Jaeheon.
"You do it."
"Why should I do it?"
"Surely God likes you more than me..."
He only let out a small chuckle with his eyes lighting up.
"It doesn't work like that, God has no preferences..." he explained "He listens to each of his children equally."
Sangwook looked up in disbelief, letting out some of the smoke he was inhaling.
"I want to hear you too, Sangwook... Let's do it together."
Jaeheon.
"Get out of my head."
"What are you trying to do?"
The Jaeheon extended the small glass towards him. It was a small invitation.
"Soju is very bitter when drunk alone and in the end you drink too much... Let's drink together."
Jaeheon...
"Get out of here."
"Now you're more polite" he sounded almost mocking.
"Won't you go with them?"
"I'll finish this first" he said referring to the drink of Soju in his hand "I haven't improved at all..."
Sangwook got up and stood next to him.
"I'll help you finish it."
Jae.
Uimyeong was hurting himself so hard to stop thinking about him, getting into his flesh, stopping the will of that shell he occupied.
"God doesn't tempt us beyond what we can bear, but I think sometimes he underestimates us."
He passed the glass to Sangwook, Sangwook took a last sip, the bottle was empty.
"Even if I have nothing left of the past, all in ashes... I have you now."
Their gazes met when he said that, a small spark, but sadness came into Jaeheon's eyes.
"I think I have little time left, Sangwook."
The man with burns opened his eyes, confused, and grabbed him by his healthy arm. He silently asked him for an explanation.
"I take a knife, it means I will be a warrior... They never live long. Wounded as I am, I don't think I'm useful to others either, I need to accomplish my mission."
"Your mission is to throw yourself to die? Is that what god told you?"
"Maybe that's the way it is.... Maybe that's how God wants it." he smiled with some sadness "But what I'm sure of is that I want to be with you before that, Sangwook, that's my will."
"Shit, get out of here!"
At that moment he ran over the military men who started shooting at him, he could feel the adrenaline rushing through his body, until everything stopped again. Jaeheon was in front of the car.
"I like you, Sangwook."
At that moment he swerved left, muscle memory maybe, he didn't know. It just all clouded over for him when the car flipped over and burst into flames, he hated fire, he was kind of afraid of it; he didn't remember being burned in the lab though. Again it must be that crappy body and his fuzzy memories, it keeps trying to take control away from him, when that guy's subconscious must be weaker than him flapping a dragonfly's wings.
Still, there he is; hurt under the car. His legs broken and his head bleeding, his eyesight too blurred to catch a glimpse of what happened to Hyunsu. But again something is haunting him, the ghost of Jung Jaeheon.
His presence is there, as if he is alive, I have him crouch down to his side and cradle his cheek in his hands. He looks at him with mercy, pity and even sadness, gently caresses.
"It will be all right..." his voice is reassuring, even in the pain that grips his body, Uimyeong feels calm. "I know you can handle this."
He doesn't know if the blow to his head was strong enough to make him see allusions, but... it's reassuring. He tries to take a deep breath and closes his eyes, the pain is finding a middle ground, he doesn't feel it burning his insides. He catches a glimpse of Jaeheon's worried face in his eyes.
Jae...
"Get off me already! You're not even talking to me! That fucker is dead!" he said frustrated and angry, as he pushed the entity's hand away from his face.
Jaeheon disappeared.
"I shouldn't have eaten that guy... Damn, that must be it" he groaned in pain as he tried to get out of the car.
Once he made it, he couldn't move his legs, they were shattered. His whole body was bleeding. He was breathing heavily again. He also noticed something crucial.
He couldn't regenerate.
"I hated that bastard from the first moment! What was going through my head!" he almost screamed from the pain he felt, it was horrible. "I don't want to have anything to do with his weird fantasies, damn it!"
He saw an opportunity to occupy a new body, he tried to take it. Hopefully he wouldn't struggle with a subconscious as strong as Sangwook's. But he couldn't even come close. He couldn't even try; back to being a parasite taking someone else's place.
He lay there on the asphalt as the blood ran from his head.
Maybe he had some comfort with Jaeheon.
And he hated to admit it.