Work Text:
he sees blood.
blood in the hands holding the jakdu. blood that smeared when he blocked an attack meant for a civilian. his own, right from his mouth. dripping as he moved, as he danced with the giant blade in his scarred hands.
he sees a pile of ash.
ash that overflowed from the tray. ash from the countless cigarettes he lit up tonight. accumulating and accumulating, until the pile of fine, gray powder finally tipped from the top and fell to the bottom.
he sees a stack of paper.
stacks upon stacks filled his desk. neglected reports that eventually multiplied over time. blank sheets anticipating for the doer’s written strokes, information needed by the bureau. the deadline was near, it was tomorrow.
he sees a dokkaebi lantern.
inside, a dokkaebi flame sleeps. a little knock and it shoots out with a playful glee, happy with the buckwheat jelly it received, finally cheering up after days of depressing solitude. this little guy was not his own, but he kept it close.
he sees a blue jacket.
a jacket folded neatly, placed on the table of hyunmoo 1’s waiting room. on top of it, were a pair of glasses. it looks like jaekwan left it there on purpose. with the small of hope, that maybe, its owner will come back and retrieve it.
he sees green grape ade.
he made a mistake. he was supposed to buy coffee like the usual, but talking with agent haegeum over the phone made him choose the wrong drink. the sweet and sour taste overwhelm his tongue, jolting him awake in this cruel reality.
he sees ceremonial tools.
another ritual. part of the job. there was no need to fret, the cost won’t be too steep. just offer enough food and wine, and he’ll be fine. there was no need to invoke a name, nor sacrifice a body part… supposedly.
he sees jaekwan.
jaekwan was looking at him with a worried expression. his junior was saying something, but it feels like he was experiencing vertigo. the world was spinning. the other’s words not fully registering, not being processed by the brain.
he sees white.
it was a ceiling. the bureau’s infirmary again. how many times had he landed here? how many times had he passed out? did jaekwan carry him here again?
he sees his own body.
toned, but riddled with scars. a few medical patches here and there, plus gauze wrapped around his abdomen dyed in crimson.
he sees an eggshell.
he didn’t know how he ended up here, but he knew he was limping on the way. he stared at the unmoving object, quietly, while the rain blurred his vision… wait, was it really the rain?
he sees the morning dawn.
the light was warm. it touches his cheeks. a solo mission concluded so early in the morning, he had time to take a stroll at the beach.
he feels the sand.
the odd sense of imbalance fills his feet. his body slightly dips from each step, but he didn’t sink. he didn’t mind, because he knows, it wasn’t a collapsing part of debris.
he tastes the salted sea breeze.
the wind was strong, but not too strong. just enough to sway the bangs covering his eyes, to ruffle the hair that was slightly soiled from dirt that he got while on the job.
he hears the chiming of bells.
it was the bells attached to his jakdu. he’s had them all this time, but why does it feel like he could only hear them now?
he lifts his eyes from the ground and doubts what he sees.
he sees him.
he stops.
not far away from him stood a figure he didn’t expect. the silhouette he bid farewell to. the image that always filled his mind. the presence he had always longed for.
the person he didn’t expect to come back.
he approaches him. brisk, yet not frivolous steps, sinking on the sand beneath his feet. bells chiming along his movements, a soft melody laced excited rings. the morning dawn casting him a light shadow.
he stops in front of him. he opens his mouth to say something and closes it again. he smiles, the usual curve that graced his face whenever he saw him. a smile that wasn’t formed from habit, but from genuine emotion.
thus, he speaks:
“Long time no see, Grapes-ie.”