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Chapter Text

The day started peacefully.

Yeah, started.

“GET THE FUCK OFF OF ME!” Jongwoo yelled, anger and distress clear in voice. His head pounded with an obscene amount of pain and he held back a disgruntled groan to instead scream at the man holding him back.

“Dude! Calm down! You’re drunk you need to- argh!” The man had stumbled back after a painful blow to his nose, followed by a headbutt delivered backwards by Jongwoo’s head. He held his nose in pain and scowled angrily as his perpetrator walked back to his original target.

“Fucker. I’m gonna kill you now, YOU HEAR ME?” Jongwoo shrieked angrily, grabbing the collar of the man on the floor, whose face was starting to painfully bruise up from their earlier brawl.

Yang Jae-seon, who was still clutching his nose from the earlier attack, hurriedly rushed over to the breakout before Jongwoo could land another threatening blow to the man on the floor.

Grunting, he grabbed the man, taking advantage of his smaller frame and pushed him off violently. Jongwoo’s head hit the concrete with a sickening crack.

Before Jongwoo could register what had just happened, he felt the odd, yet familiar taste of copper in his mouth. He blinked rapidly, trying to regain his senses, but his head had suffered a fatal blow. He swore, unsure if it was internally or out loud.

As his vision faded into black, he could make out the sound of running foot-steps hurriedly making their way in his direction.

“Jae-seo..! W..appe…” With his fading consciousness, he could barely register the frantic words escaping from the newcomer's mouth.

His droopy eyes travelled lazily up the man’s long legs, slowly, painfully. His body was too tired to be shocked, but he felt himself suck in a breath, barely audible.

That face.. That hair.. No.. it can’t be.. He killed him.. His mind was probably playing tricks on him. And before he could fully lay unconscious, he managed to mutter out a last barely coherent word.

“..Moon..jo..”

And then it went dark.

—-

As Jongwoo awoke, there was a painful ringing in his ear, loud and shrill and annoying. He groaned, blinking his eyes rapidly to adjust to the sharp glare of the lights above him.

He looked around, finding himself awake on a solid bench in what seemed to be an office. He sighed, trying to sit up. Examining the place, it was filled with shelves, books, and divided sections.

A workplace? Or an office? He was confused. He just wanted to go home.

… 

What home?

…

Oh. That’s right. 

His eyes swelled with tears as he recalled the painful memories of Eden. The events that had happened and the trauma that he was forever stained with. 

It'd been a few weeks since the incident. A few weeks since Jieun left him. A few weeks since Jaeho, Seokyoon, Chang-Hyeon were all brutally murdered. A few weeks since he hacked the rest of the remaining residents to death. A few weeks since his showdown with Moonjo, and a few weeks since he sliced his throat and stabbed him repeatedly to make sure he was fucking dead.

He grabbed his head, wanting nothing more than to just scream and cry. His trip to Seoul was supposed to be eventful, and not in the way it had been. He was supposed to fulfill his dreams as a writer, and grow closer with Jieun.

But the exact opposite had happened. He had a crappy job that he hated with a boss that he hated even more and his neighbours were cannibalistic criminals. He remembered Jieun, the way she harshly refused to listen to him. He remembered how she hopped out of Jaeho’s car, all shy and overly friendly.

He remembered how much he wanted to kill Jaeho.

“If you want to kill someone, kill them.”

He gripped his hair in fury, in an attempt to shut his voice out. He let out a harsh, raspy groan, marred with exhaustion, rage, sadness, pain . The tears pooling in his eyes were unable to hold themselves as they started streaming down his bruised face.

Suddenly, a door next to the bench creaked open and a man popped his head out. He was burly, and his nose had a bandage on it with purplish-yellow skin seeping through. 

“Oh! Hey! Are you okay?” He rushed over to Jongwoo, who was staring at him, tears still streaming down his face in long, flushed streaks. Both men looked at each other, one in disgruntled pain and the other concerned.

Who the hell is this..?

Jongwoo stared judgingly at the man who was frantically searching around the office. Grabbing his head, he tried to ignore the pounding and huffed. He probably looked like shit, huh.

“Uh here, take these.” The man held out a box of tissues, and Jongwoo, too tired to retaliate, reached his hand out to pluck a few.

“I’m Yang Jae-seon, assistant detective and 2nd team inspector of the Anti-Corruption Investigation Division.” The man, Jae-seon, stated proudly, taking a seat next to Jongwoo who was dabbing at the tears on his face.

So a cop, huh?

Jongwoo spared him an awkward glance, paired with a small greeting smile. Jae-seon flashed an apologetic smile at him, lifting his arm to lay a friendly palm on the smaller man’s shoulder.

“Sorry about the bench, uh, there wasn’t anywhere else we could put you, heh.” Noticing Jongwoo’s questioning and obviously uncomfortable glance at the hand planted on his shoulder, he retracted it quickly.

“It’s fine.” he replied briefly, not acknowledging the man any further. Jae-seon exhaled and sat up straight. Jongwoo could briefly pick up the hesitation in his eyes.

“What’s your name?” The question was curious, polite. Jongwoo would be an asshole to continue with his attitude.

“Jongwoo. Yoon Jongwoo.” He tried to keep his tone as polite as possible, but his natural and bitter demeanour was already starting to seep through. Jae-seon, who thankfully didn’t notice, now had a look of surprise painted on his face.

“Yoon?”

Oh shit..

The events at Eden definitely made the news. And him being a main survivor AND a main suspect were probably known by these cops. Or- detectives. Whatever.

He should’ve known. He was so fucked.

Instead, he gave a strained nod. Jae-seon nodded too, pondering in thought about something, almost as if his suspicions were confirmed, which - they probably were.

“Okay well, before you can go home, we’ve gotta ask you a few questions, alright?”

Jongwoo sighed

He just wanted to die already.

—---

Jae-seon had let him through the door he had previously entered through. It led to a small corridor, connecting to a tiny room containing a table, two chairs on one side and one chair on the other.

An investigating room? Or was it a questioning room?

As he glanced around the room, he couldn’t help but notice how empty it was. The grey walls were clean, and the glass connecting the two rooms was shiny.

He said “we’ve”, but there’s only him here..

Jongwoo was ushered out of the corridor and into the tiny room by Jae-seon and was sat on the single chair. Jae-seon let out a sigh as he plopped down on one of the chairs across from Jongwoo.

Jongwoo stared skeptically at the other, watching the way he ran a hand through his dark hair. He stared at the bandage covering his nose, and the colours peeking from under. Although he was itching to ask, he knew better than to be curious.

Unfortunately, Jae-seon caught him staring and pointed at his nose, raising his eyebrow.

“This was from you. You need to apologise for it by the way.” The man was genuine but Jongwoo could pick up the hint of playfulness in his tone. “Su Yeol should be here soo- ah there he comes”.

Jongwoo followed his gaze and turned around to face the entrance of the corridor.

And then he couldn’t breathe.

The face. The frame. The towering height that Jongwoo had always found intimidating. 

He watched as the man walked into the room, staring at him curiously. Jongwoo was frozen. He could feel it. His face held shock and fear and confusion. But most of all, Jongwoo could feel the familiar sensation of heat rising up his body, fuelling all of his flames once again.

Anger, rage.

He lunged at the man, effectively knocking them both backwards towards the wall. He heard Moonjo curse and flail around helplessly, trying to get him off. But Jongwoo was blinded by fury, determined. He heard a chair scrape against the floor, followed by a loud and confused “hey, hey, hey!”.

“Jae-seon help me-” The man stumbled and they both crashed to the floor. Jongwoo grabbed a fistful of the man’s hair and just as he could bang it against the hard floor of the room, he was ripped off and pulled backwards, harshly.

He was now on the ground, watching the scene of Moonjo getting up and pointing a finger at him, seemingly embarrassed. He shoved Jae-seon off, who was trying to check on him.

“Ya! What’s wrong with you, huh?!” Moonjo yelled, reaching up to fix his tie and swiftly rake his hair back in an attempt to clean himself up. The pair stared at Jongwoo who was looking at him, his eyes widened in what appeared to be fear.

“How are you alive..?” Jongwoo whispered, tears streaming down his cheeks. Moonjo took a step forward and Jongwoo immediately crawled backwards in a desperate attempt to escape his presence.

“STAY AWAY! DON’T YOU COME ANY FUCKING CLOSER! I’LL KILL YOU!” Jongwoo shrieked, fueled with disbelief and rage. He felt his breath violently shudder as Moonjo turned around to glance at Jae-seon who was looking equally confused.

Moonjo, who was now frozen in his spot, held an arm out. Jongwoo stared at it, as if it was a death invitation. The man was huffing and Jongwoo was stricken at his rattled state.

What the fuck?

“Calm down, calm down.” The man spoke between breaths, lifting his other arm to clutch at his stomach. He groaned and hunched forward slightly. “Aishh.. for someone so small.. why are you.. so strong..?” He heaved out. Jongwoo was in disbelief at the man’s dishevelled complexion.

“Hey, Su Yeol. Do you know this guy or something?” Jae-seon stepped forward to put a worried hand on Moonjo’s shoulder, who was whining about the pain in his head.

What? Was he always this weak? And why is he calling him Su Yeol?

“No.. hah.. oww..” Moonjo bit out, finally exhaling. Jongwoo felt his eyebrow twitch at the taller man.

“Stop bullshitting. You’re supposed to be dead.” Jongwoo seethed. He glared at the pair, as Moonjo stared at him in confusion.

“Hah? Are you.. mentally unstable?” He asked, a confused expression adorning his handsome features as he tilted his head. Jongwoo growled. The fucking audacity.

“ Moonjo.” Jongwoo bit out, strained. Almost as if it hurt to say his name. And in a way, it did.

But before Jongwoo could carry on, two large palms shoved him backwards violently against the wall and before he could register what was happening, Moonjo was crouched in front of him. Behind him, Jae-seon stared lost, unsure of whether to take action or not.

Jongwoo stared into the dark eyes of his perpetrator and fought to keep tears from forming in his eyes. The shift in Moonjo was obvious. All hints of playfulness, weakness, and humour gone, replaced with a cold, levelling stare.

This was more like him.

“How do you know that name?” Moonjo spoke, the deep tone of his voice compelling Jongwoo to submit out of fear. Jongwoo felt confusion spike his thoughts as he brought two hands up on the other man’s collar to tug harshly.

“Now you’re playing dumb, huh? T..that’s your fucking name..” Jongwoo snarled aggressively, unwilling to give into the older man’s unrelenting stare.

He noticed the flicker of confusion between the older man’s dark eyes before he let go of Jongwoo’s shoulders completely, standing up from his crouched position. 

Jongwoo watched in anticipation as Moonjo paced back and forth around the room, rubbing his head anxiously. It was then he noticed that on the pale, veined neck of the tall man, it was completely unblemished. Unscarred. That was impossible.. Jongwoo clearly remembered slitting his throat and stabbing him until he was out of the picture.

Where’s the scar? How is he even alive.? Why is he acting like this? And how did he get a job so quickly under a few weeks? And a new iden-

Jongwoo’s eyes widened. The realisation hit him like a truck. 

“Y-you..” 

The man snapped his head towards the sound of his voice so quickly it almost startled Jongwoo. He fought the raging storm in his head and struggled to find his words under the stare of both Moonjo- no- Su Ya? Yeo? and Jae-seon.

“..you’re not.. M-moonjo?” Jongwoo felt embarrassment creeping towards the back of his neck at his shameful stuttering. Su Ya and Jae-seon both shared a look that held confusion, concern, and understanding.

And for the first time, Jongwoo saw it.

The flicker of something else in his eyes.

Something familiar.

But terrifyingly different.

“How do you know that name?” He asked Jongwoo once again. Jae-seon’s eyes flickered between the two awkwardly.

Jongwoo scoffed, licking the inside of mouth pettily. He turned his head to the side, giving Su Yeol a clear display of the bruises adorning his face.

This.. what the fuck is happening?

“Are you his fucking twin or something?” Jongwoo muttered, barely audible. But Su Yeol caught it and took a seat on the chair behind him, exasperated.

“Something like that..” Su Yeol murmured, his mind in the distance. He was completely out of it. Jongwoo stared at him in shock, then back at Jae-seon who was looking confused.

“You told me he-” 

“-died. Yes, he did.” Su Yeol spoke, cutting Jae-seon off. He seemed as if he was completely lost in thought. Jongwoo felt the world spin, but he could only stare nervously in anticipation.

Or did he?

Chapter Text

Under the dim lights of the tiny room, the three sat coordinated in their seats, eyes glancing back and forth between each other. Jongwoo, however, kept his eyes glued to his hands that laid restlessly on his lap.

The tension in the air grew and Jongwoo could practically feel the impatience radiating off of the man across him in large rays.

“So?” Su Yeol, who was now a little more relaxed than before, broke the silence. He stared at the younger man, waiting for an answer.

After another moment of brief silence, Jongwoo gained the courage to finally look up, locking eyes with the other. Jae-seon sat silently next to the detective, his elbow on the table with his head resting in the palm of his hand, seemingly interested.

As Jongwoo lifted his head, both men were surprised to see the sorry expression plastered on his face. His eyebrows furrowed with contained frustration, and his mouth was stretched into a furious pout. Su Yeol noticed the way his nose scrunched and the way his doe-like eyes swarmed with tears threatening to fall once again.

“He’s cute. Looks like a puppy, yeah?” K states, suddenly appearing next to Su Yeol and scaring the shit out of him. Su Yeol gave the grinning man a judgy side-eye and focused his attention back on the male across from him. Well yeah — he kind of did, but he would never admit that out loud.

From the way Jongwoo was nervously rubbing his wrist — an attempt to calm himself, Su Yeol could understand that he had been through a lot. If it wasn’t evident from the bruised, dishevelled appearance the boy held, it was certainly from the obvious habits he was using to soothe himself, and the way he held himself.

He was practically screaming ‘trauma personified’.

How did he even know Moonjo? Was he alive all this time? What the hell?

Su Yeol could barely hold himself together until Jongwoo finally spoke.

“He..” The man’s voice cracked and Su Yeol could see him desperately trying not to fall apart. He fidgeted violently from where he sat with his fingers and his gaze immediately returned to his lap. The detective looked at his companion and they both shared a look of concern. 

“H-he was.. he was a fucking.. monster..” Jongwoo bit out painfully, hiding his head in his hands that were trembling violently. Su Yeol raised his brow, adrenaline beginning to pump with curiosity and confusion.

“What do you mean by that?” He asked, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his lap. Jongwoo lifted his head once again and Su Yeol could now clearly see the tears struggling to retain themselves and the slight increase of his furrowed brows.

“He- he killed a-and ate everyone- a-all of them- they were all fucking monsters..” Jongwoo cried. The tears that came down were of frustration. He was exhausted. Exhausted of being rejected, exhausted of not being heard, exhausted from losing his two close friends, exhausted of losing Jieun. Even then he was exhausted. Frustrated from it all, frustrated that Jieun, the one who should’ve listened to him, the only one who was supposed to understand him refused to, and left him alone.

Like he had done Seokyoon.

Su Yeol’s features twisted into something like sympathy, as he stared at the younger man across from him. He had so many questions, but he was truly at a loss for words.

His twin brother , the one whom he’d had an unbreakable bond with during their orphanage days, the one who would always hold his hand to walk him through the darkness of the night to use the toilet, the one who would teach Su Yeol the proper way of doing chores - out of spite for Su Yeol's clumsy nature, was what- a monster?

Su Yeol wanted to reject that statement. He wanted to ignore it, and embrace his skepticism of the younger man.

But as he stared at the pathetic state of him, all teary-eyed, bruised, violently trembling hands, he knew that this was a serious matter. And he couldn’t help but feel a tinge of empathy.

The detective sighed into his hands, raking his long hair back through his fingers. He didn’t understand. How could this be happening? He remembered. The news, the fire that was displayed, and the words coming out of the news reporter’s mouth that left him broken.

“..no survivors, unfortunately.”

“ No survivors.”

…

“Moonjo- pst! Wake up!” Su Yeol shook the other boy awake harshly. Moonjo stirred in his sleep, squinting his eyes open to the outline of his twin’s figure. He let out a ‘tch’ and rolled over, feigning annoyance. Su Yeol shook him once again, this time getting the other boy to fully sit up.

“What, Su Yeol?” The boy groaned tiredly, rubbing his eyes and letting out a yawn. The orphanage was dark–all lights off due to bed time restrictions, and the soft sounds of the rain pattering from outside of the window filling the silence between them.

“..I need to go bathroom..” Su Yeol muttered shyly, fidgeting with the end of his flayed long sleeve. Moonjo sighed and pulled the sheets off of his legs.

“Again?”

–

The twins walked along the dark path connecting to the orphanage. The trees and the darkness surrounding them made Su Yeol anxious, so he stuck closely to his brother’s side — as if stepping away would cost him his life.

Moonjo led him across the bridge looping over their favourite spot, the lake. It was around midnight, but he could spot the faint silhouette of the single bathroom standing solemnly in the middle of the grassy area.

It was an odd place for a bathroom to be, and seemed to be very inconvenient for Su Yeol, seeing as the boy could barely hold his bladder come nightfall.

“Go. Be quick.” Moonjo spoke in a hushed tone, ushering the boy into the stall. He scanned the area, looking behind him a few times. Although the cold air was harsh against his slender frame, it also seemed to unexplainably soothe him. It felt relaxing, and he relished in the night air. His brother, however, did not.

The door was pushed open and Su Yeol came hopping out, shivering and shaking. He rubbed his arms in an attempt to shield himself from the cold air. Moonjo raised a brow at the other’s melodramatics.

“Ahhh.. it’s so damn cold..” The boy huffed. Moonjo shoved his hands in the pockets of his pants and began walking away, the sound of his worn sandals clicking beneath his feet.

“Wait for me!” Su Yeol scrambled after his brother quickly. 

As the two continued their venture back to the orphanage, an uncomfortable silence settled between them, and both boys had an idea of what it was. A brief moment of awkwardness passed, and then the silence was broken.

“So.. uh.. how do you feel?” Su Yeol spoke, not daring to look up, missing the soft glance Moonjo spared him.

“About what?

Su Yeol gave him a glance, and if the hair covering his brother’s face from his view wasn’t enough of a hint, then his tone definitely wasn’t as well. He could never read this guy.

“You know.. I’m leaving tomorrow. Aren’t you gonna like, miss me?” Su Yeol asked, an underlying hint of hopefulness and curiosity in his voice. Expecting an answer, he was only met with silence. Su Yeol glanced up to look at Moonjo’s face curiously, a part of him hoping to see tears. He was instead met with an impassive expression.

His eyebrows furrowed, and he couldn’t help but feel hurt. Did he really not matter to his brother at all?

“Dude. Is that all you’re gonna give me? A stupid straight face?” Su Yeol made a silly frowning face to mock his brother. Moonjo barely spared him a glance as he continued walking.

“Moonjo! Are you trying to act tough or something?” Su Yeol angrily stomped forward to match the other’s pace. Gripping him by the shoulder furiously, he spun him around, only to be pinned with a glare.

“Come on. Answer my question.” Su Yeol whined. He hoped this wasn’t a part of his brother’s every day nonchalance, but instead a facade. Moonjo only looked at him before turning away again.

“I don’t care.” 

Su Yeol stared at the retreating back of his brother, who was slowly disappearing into the dark. He was shocked. He was hurt.

He was angry. Because what the hell?

He stomped forward once again, catching up to the other–spinning him around only to land a harsh punch on his face. Moonjo stumbled back, holding his cheek with slightly widened eyes. The harsh air of the cold night was unrelenting, but the two brothers were focused solely on themselves. 

Then, he turned to glower at Su Yeol, and the younger twin could finally see it. The rage, the hidden emotion burning in Moonjo’s eyes. But from what? The punch? Or was he genuinely upset that Su Yeol was getting adopted and not him? Su Yeol silently hoped it was the latter.

“That’s what you get, you damn asshole.” Su Yeol cursed, glaring at his brother who was slowly regaining his composure, an intimidating gesture that slightly struck fear in Su Yeol. But he wasn’t going to back down, or say sorry. He deserved it.

“So..” Moonjo sighed, his dark eyes gleaming sharply in the dark, a large contrast to the paleness of his skin. “you wanna go there, huh?” the elder twin stepped forward, and the next second they were both tumbling down the pathway they had just walked along.

Su Yeol yelped harshly as his back hit the solid concrete from Moonjo’s tackle. The elder quickly got on top of him, throwing hard punches to Su Yeol’s shielding arms. Before Moonjo could land another harsh blow to Su Yeol’s reddening arms, the sharp clicking of heels quickly pacing in their direction caught his attention.

“YA! What the hell do you two boys think you’re doing?!” The shrill voice of the orphanage lady pierced through the night, catching both boys off guard. Ms Eom rushed over to pull Moonjo off and then stood straight, looking at both twins with annoyance and irritation clear in her expression.

“You two little shits. Do you know what time it is right now?! Hah?! Aish..” She made a show of rolling her eyes, her hair fixed up in carbon curls and her pink, fluffy night robe swaying softly at the mercy of the wind.

Su Yeol sat up and rubbed his wrists, which were now beginning to bruise and spore a dark purple colour. He glanced sheepishly at Ms Eom, who was looking down at both of them expectantly with her hands on her hips.

“Sorry Ms Eom..” The younger twin apologised. Ms Eom only scoffed at the apology, and turned her head to stare at the other twin who was already getting up — preparing to walk off.

“Ya! Don’t you have something to say to me?!” Su Yeol yelled out of desperation, earning a smack on the head by Ms Eom for his loud tone.

“Whatever.” Moonjo only put his hands in his pocket and began walking back to the orphanage once again. Su Yeol felt tears clouding his eyes. His fists clenched hard and before he could bite it back -

“I HATE YOU!”

…

Su Yeol remembered that night as if it were yesterday.

He remembered the way his brother froze ever so slightly.

He remembered Ms Eom ushering him back to their shared room.

He remembered not sparing Moonjo a single glance the next morning as he took his packed bag.

He remembered not visiting him the day after that.

Or the day after that, or the day after that one either.

Days turned into weeks, and he remembered.

“ Eden Orphanage burnt down last night due to a large fire, caused by unknown reasons. Witnesses say the fire was sudden and strong, leaving no survivors unfortunately. By the time..”

Su Yeol remembered seeing it on the news, being informed by his new adoptive mom, that his brother —Moonjo, was gone. He remembered how his world had shattered so violently. He remembered the petty fight they had, the last words he had barked out, the way Moonjo froze.

He never saw him again after that.

And he didn’t even say goodbye.

Su Yeol held his head at the painful memory. Then, as if slapped out of a magic spell, a harsh smack to his shoulder had him snapping back to reality. Jae-seon was staring at him concerned. Su Yeol made a hurt expression, holding his shoulder as he stared accusingly at the other man.

“W-what was that for?!” He winced at the pain from Jongwoo’s earlier attack. Jae-seon began checking over him once again, apologising repeatedly.

“Sorry! I-I was calling your name- a-and-”

“Ah-! I think it’s broken- help me-” Su Yeol, who was now fussing over his own shoulder bit out painfully unbeknownst to the judgemental glare in Jongwoo’s eyes.

Fucking dumbasses

Jongwoo couldn’t help but gawk at the taller man. He shared a strikingly indentical resemblance to Moonjo, but he seemed terrifyingly different. He was more expressive, more.. human. 

“O-ow! Don’t press too hard there!” 

And much more of a loser than Jongwoo ever remembered Moonjo being.

While the two continued to flurry about, Jongwoo wiped his face with his arms. It was then that he noticed the absence of a certain bracelet clasped around his wrist. Jae-seon, who had caught the boy staring confusingly at his wrists, whipped it out.

“You looking for this?” The assistant detective asked, holding it up between himself and Su Yeol, the jingling sound of the teeth clashing together filling the brief silence of the room. Su Yeol stared curiously at how terrifyingly realistic the teeth looked that hung from the bracelet. Jongwoo stared at him in horror, his eyes widening in shock. Then, he lunged forward, effectively snatching the bracelet from Jae-seon’s hand.

“Ah- geez.. Why’d you do that? I was gonna give it to you anyways..” Jae-seon grumbled, embarrassed at having been too slow to prevent the snatch.

Jongwoo froze. Why did he do that?

Unfortunately for Jongwoo, although the bracelet was horrifyingly assembled with real human teeth, some of them from his own friends, and even his girlfriend, he found comfort in it. It calmed his nerves for an unexplainable reason, and to mention the fact that it was created by the man who had brought ruin and despair to his life — it was utterly ridiculous.

He held the bracelet shamefully with furrowed brows, unbeknownst to the wary glare Su Yeol had been sending his way.

“Oooo.. suspicious suspicious..” K sang playfully in his ear. Su Yeol stared at the younger man cradling the bracelet as if it was his very own child.

How could he take this guy’s word? He seemed like a liar. If those are real teeth, there’s gonna be a serious problem.

“Moonjo.” Su Yeol breathed out, almost shakily. The name sounded so foreign, yet felt so familiar.

“How did you know him? Where did you two meet?” As much as Su Yeol wanted to ask the questions he really wanted answers to, such as “Are you fucking lying?” and “Are those real teeth?”, he also needed to know the answers to the basic questions first.

Jongwoo, who seemed to have gained a bit more composure over himself, took a shaky breath in. The dry tears staining his face stuck to his skin like glue and he felt the pain of his bruises in every facial expression he tried to make.

“He.. was my neighbour.. at Eden residence..”

“Eden residence? Isn’t that-” Su Yeol hit Jae-seon on the arm impatiently, signalling him to be quiet. Jae-seon grumbled but was effectively silenced.

“He.. no- all of them. They were all so fucking weird..” Jongwoo shuddered at the memory. Su Yeol tried to pick up any hints of a facade on the younger man, any signs of dishonesty. But his efforts failed.

“He killed- Seokyoon, a-and Chang-Hyeon..” Jongwoo breathed out heavily. Su Yeol stared at Jongwoo with sympathy. He wasn’t sure on how to feel. His brother, a murderer. How was he even alive? Did he escape the fire? Was he not there on the night it burned down?

Su Yeol would have jumped out of his seat at the possibility of his twin being alive, but hearing all of this was baffling. He was stricken, to say the least. Speechless. 

Why should he believe this drunkard on the streets?

He didn’t know. Maybe it was because he’d forgotten about his supposedly dead twin a long time ago. Or maybe it was because the story made sense, and coming to justice was the most important thing.

Or maybe.. just maybe, it was because of how the younger man’s eyes were doing something to him. Pooling with tears, pleading, almost.. submissive.

He quickly shook his head at the thought. What the hell was wrong with him?

“We’re sorry about your loss, kid.” Jae-seon sympathized with a solemn bow of his head. Su Yeol gave a half-hearted one, earning a furrowed look from the younger man.

“Eden Residence. I’ve heard about it on the news. Five dead, and four survivors.” Jae-seon concluded. He then pointed a finger in Jongwoo’s direction. “Including you.”

Although his statement had brought back painful memories of Eden, he couldn’t help but depict something off about it. He furrowed his eyebrows, maybe he had mistaken it?

“Five?” He asked, genuinely confused. Jae-seon seemed to be looking up at the ceiling in thought as he recalled what he had seen on the news. Both Su Yeol and Jongwoo stared at him, waiting for his answer.

“Yeah. Four dudes, one in the basement, one on the rooftop, one in..uh..” Jae-seon scrambled for his memories. “I can’t remember where the other one died, but the last one died in a room”. Jae-seon named the deaths as if they were his daily schedule and Jongwoo couldn’t help but feel anger at the inconsideration.

“The lady was found dead near the entrance.” Jae-seon concluded with a final glance at Su Yeol, who was looking at him surprised. The detective then slapped him hard on the shoulder in a playful manner.

“Ya. What’s with your memory? You crazy bastard.” Su Yeol smirked in disbelief. Jae-seon rubbed his shoulder soothingly and threw a ‘tch’ his way.

Jongwoo couldn’t help but feel incredibly unsettled by the man’s recall.

“Do you remember any names..?” He asked, lost in thought. Jae-seon pondered for a short moment before answering.

“Yeah, the guy you mentioned. Was it your friend? Seokyoon?..He..” As the assistant detective’s voice began to fade out of Jongwoo’s hearing ability, Jongwoo was left there to ponder in his own thoughts.

Seokyoon..? What?

The pervert died in the basement. The twin died on the rooftop. Chang-Hyeon died in his room. And Seokyoon.. Where did he..?

Jongwoo’s eyes widened in horror at the realisation.

“Ya! Are you even listening?” Jae-seon waved a hand in front Jongwoo, who appeared as if he had just seen a ghost.

“Uh, are you okay?” Su Yeol asked, leaning forward slightly just to receive an unsettling stare from the man. He immediately backed up and raised both of his hands.

Jongwoo was now sweating. He put a hand up to cover his mouth, thinking it through.

If this guy isn’t mistaken, and he couldn’t remember where Seokyoon died but knew his name.. then what about Moonjo?

“A-are you sure? It was five?” Jongwoo asked, sitting up. His eyes were wide and pleading for a “ nah I could’ve remembered it wrong”.

“Yeah, everyone was telling me about it. Even saw it on the news.” Jae-seon stated, not piecing things together. Su Yeol stared at Jongwoo, as if seeming to understand. His brows were furrowed, knowing that Jongwoo was coming to a realisation. A horrible one at that.

The scraping of a chair abruptly cut Jae-seon off before he could continue. Jongwoo, who was now standing before the two detectives from the other side of the table felt his chest heave with disbelief and adrenaline.

“Don’t you fucking lie to me.” Jongwoo glared, his eyes widened as a threatening mechanism and just a feature in general to display his anger. He pointed an accusing finger at Jae-seon, who was staring at him startled alongside Su Yeol who was equally surprised.

“What the fuck do you mean there were only five bodies?” Jongwoo seethed, preparing to trash the place if he received an answer he didn’t like. Jae-seon, who wasn’t exactly scared, shifted in his seat. He seemed startled at the younger man’s outburst.

“Well, that’s what I remembered.. You should take a seat, kid, come on.” Jae-seon stood from where he sat to walk over to the man, who was watching him with wide eyes as if he were a dangerous predator preparing to eat him.

Like someone.

“ANSWER ME!” Jongwoo screamed angrily, but Jae-seons arms were already around him, trying to pull him back to his seat.

“There were only five! If you don’t believe me you can check for yourself!” Jae-seon shoved him back in his seat, and Jongwoo switched his gaze to the detective still planted in his seat. His eyebrows were raised and he was staring Jongwoo up and down as if he were going to attack him at any moment. Jongwoo scoffed internally.

What the hell’s with that pathetic expression?

Jae-seon returned to his seat, sighing and fixing his collar as Jongwoo licked the inside of his cheek angrily. This has to be a mistake. There had to be a fucking mistake.

Chapter Text

Jongwoo chewed on his thumb anxiously. He’d been alone in Su Yeol’s apartment for a while now, lounging awkwardly on his couch. It had been approximately two nights since the twin situation, which had ended rather.. messily, but the outcome was acceptable.

Jongwoo had lashed out and demanded to see the playback on the news of the Eden incident. He watched it, and realised that Jae-seon was right. He was telling the truth, unfortunately. And it left Jongwoo smitten — scared.

Did he not kill Moonjo afterall?

 But he remembered it.. he remembered his last words, the final stabs he delivered, he remembered straddling the man in the lowly lit room of the fourth floor. He remembered it all so clearly.. so why? 

He could vaguely recall seeing his face in the ambulance truck. Was he hallucinating that? Or did he hallucinate killing him in that bloodied room? He didn’t know anymore.

Before he could drown in his thoughts completely, the quiet creak of the entrance door caught his attention and he quickly snapped his neck towards the sound out of reflex. The sound of the door shutting was quiet, subtle – as if someone was trying to be discreet.

Before he could spring into action, look around for a knife, a weapon, anything, a head popped out of the hallway leading to the entrance. A woman, who seemed to be younger than she was, somehow. Jongwoo quickly stood from where he was seated, a swift gesture based purely on reflex.

The girl seemed surprised to see him, and as she fully revealed herself, Jongwoo could see that she was dressed in a leather jacket and black, baggy leggings. 

“Oh. Who are you?” The girl asked curiously with a tilt of her head. Jongwoo could feel the offensive retort building up in his throat. I could say the same fucking thing.

Holding his tongue, he gave a polite nod of his head.

“I’m Jongwoo.” He replied curtly, leaving no room for curiosity or care for the girl’s name. But she stepped closer, causing Jongwoo to stare at her awkwardly. She glanced around the place, as if she’d never been there before, but Jongwoo could just barely pinpoint the hint of familiarity in her gaze.

“Lee Hui-Gyeom. Um, can I ask, what you’re doing here?” She spoke lightly, trying not to sound rude. She was genuinely curious, it seemed.

“Um, I’m a friend of Su Yeol’s.” Hui-Gyeom’s eyes travelled lower towards his outfit. Su Yeol had lent him his clothes to borrow, a plain white tee and baggy sweatpants that pooled at the bottom of his legs. The clothes, obviously not a good fit, were warm – and Jongwoo was somewhat grateful.

The man had voluntarily taken Jongwoo in, after the younger had stated that he had nowhere to go. It was true. He had been out drinking that night to oblivion, leading to his new predicament. He’d been kicked out of his apartment moments prior due to his temper, and he did have no one else to turn to. And certainly not his mother.

 Although he was in a horrible predicament, his ego was too high to stoop that low. He wouldn’t be able to face the shame that would come with going back to Busan, especially after how expectant his mother had been of him.

And he would rather die than face his brother’s shameful comments.

Su Yeol, however, surprised not only Jongwoo but himself too. Why had he taken in Jongwoo? Why did he offer his place for Jongwoo to stay until he found himself an apartment? For all he knew, Jongwoo could’ve been a crazy mental asylum patient psychopath, and murdered him in his sleep.

So why?

Not like Jongwoo was complaining. The man was out often due to work, and for the past two days, Jongwoo had been resting in his apartment, eating his food, and had been using his tv. Although he did all of this, he was still unsettled.

Unsettled at the fact that Moonjo, was most likely very much alive, and out roaming free.

And although the thought disturbed him deeply, so much as it made him lose his appetite, there was an underlying feeling that settled deep inside of his heart.

What was it? He didn’t know. He didn’t want to know.

“And you?” Jongwoo asked quickly before she could comment on his appearance. Her eyes quickly lifted to his, seemingly shocked at the question.

“Ah.. I’m.. just an old acquaintance..” She spoke, shoving her hands in the pockets of her pants, rocking back and forth on her feet as she glanced awkwardly around the room. Jongwoo met her stare and he couldn’t help but raise his brow judgingly at the female.

What is she even doing here?

“Haha.. sorry I thought Su Yeol would be home by now. I’ll come back later.” She awkwardly stated before turning on her heel. “See you, Jongwoo!” She bid her goodbye politely, not looking back and Jongwoo heard the faint ‘click’ of the door closing.

Plopping back down in his seat, he pondered. 

Did she- break in or something?

–

Jongwoo awoke from his position on the couch. Did he fall asleep?  Blinking rapidly to fully regain his consciousness, he sat up straight from where he was seated. Feeling the eerie silence of the apartment, he noticed how darkened the room was. Checking the time on his phone, he was surprised to see the numbers displayed in the corner of his screen.

12:09pm

Shit.. he must’ve fallen asleep for hours. He sighed, rubbing his eyes groggily.

“Enjoy your nap, sleeping beauty?”

The deep voice had him snapping his head back. Su Yeol was leaning against the kitchen counter, his head tilted lazily at Jongwoo. Jongwoo cleared his throat and stood up, bowing politely at the man before him.

Su Yeol sighed and rubbed his head tiredly. Must’ve been a tough day at work.

Jongwoo sucked in a small breath and gave a short smile to the other. He noticed how the other was holding his back with a slight hunch. His expression was pained, eyebrows furrowed and his lips were in an angry pout.

“Are you.. okay?” Jongwoo asked hesitantly. Su Yeol caught his gaze, and Jongwoo would have been violently reminded of his twin if it weren’t for the annoying, childish expression the other man held. And somewhat cute.

What?

He was distracted by a small mutter coming out of the older man’s mouth.

“Am I..” He scoffed, as if in disbelief. Then he stepped forward, and Jongwoo tried his absolute best not to flinch backwards out of reflex.

“Ya. Do I look okay? Damn Hui-Gyeom that.. aish..” Su Yeol pouted angrily, rubbing his sore side softly. Jongwoo conjured up an idea of what possibly could have gone down.

“I’m gonna sue her for this.. what’s wrong with her? She hits like a man..” Su Yeol grumbled, walking over to where Jongwoo stood frozen in his living room. He dropped himself near the end of the couch to slouch lazily against the arm rest.

Jongwoo awkwardly sat back down in his original spot, on the other side, taking note of the unreasonably wide gap between them. Su Yeol’s long legs were stretched out from his deflated position, while Jongwoo’s could barely reach the coffee table in front of both of them. His mouth thinned into a line.

That’s..embarrassing..

Jongwoo couldn’t help but notice the attire the man was equipped with. He wore a long white sleeve, that was rolled up at the forearms, giving the taller man an almost professional look. His legs, that were sprawled out in front of him, were covered in seemingly cotton pyjama pants – little puppies littered all over. Jongwoo raised a brow at the design. What a weirdo.

At least the man’s fashion taste differed from his twin. If Jongwoo hadn’t lashed out already at Moonjo for being a cannibalistic criminal, he would definitely have already for his lack of outfit attire. Like seriously, it was either a black long sleeve with black pants or his work outfit with him.

Jongwoo held a small smile back, but then quickly reprimanded himself. Why did he seem to be fond of the man? He was a monster.

He must’ve come home a while ago.

Jongwoo noted, sparing Su Yeol a glance who was beginning to doze off in his seat. The smaller man noticed the way the detective's neck rolled backwards, resting on the seat lazily. Jongwoo couldn’t help but keep his gaze lingering on the man’s pale neck and the veins protruding gently as Su Yeol let out a sigh of content, murmuring something in his haze.

Suddenly, the man’s eyes slowly blinked open, causing Jongwoo to swiftly revert his gaze forward. Su Yeol then turned his head sideways, to look at Jongwoo, almost dreamily. Jongwoo figured it was his tiredness.

Yu Seol studied the other’s side profile, taking note of how smooth Jongwoo’s skin seemed. His bottom lip popped out in thought. He’s.. pretty. Kind of like Hui-Gyeom.

Jongwoo shot him a side-eye. Then, noticing his unwavering stare, Jongwoo turned his head slightly to look at the elder. Bringing a hand up to his face, his delicate fingers brushed softly against his cheek confusingly. The faint jingling of the bracelet filled the room as Jongwoo met the detective’s stare.

“Is there.. something on my face?” He asked, watching curiously as the older man stared at him for a brief moment longer. Other than the lightly yellow-purplish bruises painted on his face – that were looking much better than when they had their first encounter, Jongwoo figured there wasn’t anything else worth paying attention to.

Although the man continued to ogle at him like some piece of fucking modern art, Jongwoo didn’t feel.. mad. Surprisingly. He remembered the rage, the anger, the hatred he held for the pervert back in Eden. The way the little creep stared at him fuelled him with rage, he was the one resident whom Jongwoo had wanted to kill desperately with his own two hands.

But under the hazy stare of Su Yeol’s gaze, he didn’t feel that rage. He felt.. showered. He wasn’t sure how to explain it, but it made him feel as if only he was all that mattered in that moment.

Suddenly, Su Yeol turned his head back to its original position, letting out a tired huff.

“Nothing. It was pretty.” The man muttered tiredly before his eyes fluttered shut once again.

…

“Am I getting filmed right now- I.. I think you’re filming me-.. what are you doing?”

“Oh, nothing. It was pretty.”

…

Jongwoo stared at Su Yeol, baffled. His eyebrows were slightly raised at the other man who was seemingly asleep on the couch next to him. His eyes went wide at the sudden recall, and a wave of nostalgia washed over him.

He felt something shift inside of him at the almost fond memory, but he couldn’t bring himself to understand what it was.

Then, as if sensing his longing stare, Su Yeol’s eyes snapped open and met Jongwoo’s gaze once again. Jongwoo attempted to quickly revert his gaze once more, but it was too late.

“What are you staring at..?” The man asked softly. Jongwoo could see him looking at his face in his peripheral vision and he tried not to look again.

You were staring first, asshole..

Receiving no answer, Su Yeol sighed and looked up at the ceiling, his finger silently tapping on the armrest his limb was draped over. A short silence washed over and settled between the silent, awkward atmosphere. Then, the sound of Su Yeol clicking his tongue in thought broke it.

“What’d you do while I was gone?” He then sat up, furrowing a brow before adding “What do you even do when I’m away?”.

Jongwoo lifted his eyes to stare at the detective with no particular emotion in his eyes other than genuine curiosity. The writer then cleared his throat awkwardly, looking down at his lap before replying.

“I uh, just sit around. Watch Tv. You have some really good books, y’know.” Jongwoo shot him a smile, and Su Yeol’s eyes widened so slightly at the gesture. He nodded at the boy in thought, completely unminding of the boy’s use of his home. If it were anyone else, he would be 100% sure he’d lose his shit. 

But he encouraged the younger man to make himself at home, surprisingly.

“You like to read?” Su Yeol asked curiously. He noticed the slight shift in the boy’s eyes, and the change in his posture.

“Yeah, I.. I like to read. A-and write.” Jongwoo chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. If this was leading to where he thought it would lead, he wouldn’t be able to contain himself from over-speaking. Su Yeol, fuelling his prediction, sat up – feigning interest.

“Really? Who’s your favourite author? Raymond Chandler?” The man guessed. Jongwoo’s head snapped towards him swiftly, his eyes widened with what seemed like surprise, and adoration.

“I-I- Yeah! How’d you know..?” The smaller man smiled at him, and the detective could somewhat tell that it was genuine. He stared at the boy for a short few seconds, noticing the obvious lift in the boy’s face and tone.

“I like him too, y’know.” Jongwoo was practically glowing at the words. Su Yeol internally smiled, gazing at the boy who was staring back at him, baffled yet amazed.

“And you write too?” He added, hoping to see the boy smile some more, and it worked. Jongwoo shyly rubbed the back of his neck with his palm, giving a small smile to the other man.

“Y-yeah.. I’m working on a.. well I was- um..” The boy suddenly stopped, his expression wiped and his features darkening into what Su Yeol assumed to be regret. 

He raised a brow at Jongwoo, waiting for him to finish his sentence, but the boy never spoke. He jut his bottom lip out, wondering why he suddenly stopped.

“I’ll make us some tea, yeah? Then you can tell me about it.” Su Yeol smiled at the boy before getting up – regretting it immediately and wincing at the pain in his side.

“Ahhhh… seriously..” He grumbled as he limped to the kitchen, one hand on his back and the other searching desperately for something to help him move.

Once situated behind the kitchen island, he grabbed the jug, filling it with water before letting it rest on the counter-top. He clicked the button, and as the light turned on - signalling the boil, he noticed the presence slouched on top of the counter next to him.

His finger tapped impatiently as the man beside him snickered teasingly.

“You’re full of bullshit. You don’t even know Raymond Chandler.” K grinned at him in a silly manner, folding his arms as he sprawled himself lazily across Su Yeol’s counter-top. He was dressed in one of Su Yeol’s fluffy robes, and the detective restrained himself from rolling his eyes in annoyance.

It was true, he had absolutely no idea who Raymond Chandler was. He had just happened to see the author of the book - that was coincidentally laying open on the coffee table in front of the sleeping male. When he returned home, he noticed that the thick book had been run through and was almost finished, so he had conjured up some sort of idea.

“What do you want? Do you have to be here?” Su Yeol, leaning a strong hand on the counter next to him stared at K, irritation clear in his handsome features. K only grinned and held up a finger.

Huh?

He watched the silent words the other man mouthed.

One minute.

If it wasn’t evident from the wide grin K had plastered on his face, it was definitely starting to dawn on Su Yeol now. Before he could stop himself, K had already disappeared from the counter-top.

“Shit.”

—

Jongwoo sat patiently on the couch, his knees brought up to his chest as he hugged them. He was stricken at how violently reminded he was of.. their first encounter. At how excited he was, how amazed he'd been at the fact that there was another person at Eden who shared the same interests as him.

It’s like a re-enactment..

With the replacement being Su Yeol, which made it impossible for him to push the feelings down. He was basically Moonjo 2.0. A much softer, less-psychopathic version. Before, Jongwoo would laugh at the idea. Moonjo, a crazy killer dentist, being a soft, cowardice weakling.

But.. he kind of enjoyed the thought of a softer version. Or, did it disappoint him? He was uncertain of himself. 

A loud shuffle next to him – the addition of a new weight, made him jump. Turning his head, he was met with Su Yeol’s gaze, but something about it was different. There was a flirtatious smile painted slyly on the man’s face, and his eyes held a look of adoration, baffling Jongwoo.

“Uh?”

“Hey, you’re pretty cute, you know? Like a..” Su Yeol looked around the room in fierce determination to find the right word. His head rested on his arm in a seemingly ‘romantic’ gesture and Jongwoo now noticed the closeness of their bodies. He shuffled back slightly out of reflex, but Su Yeol was too out of it to notice.

“Butterfly? Yeah!” Su Yeol then grinned at him, all sharp teeth and pearly whites showing, and Jongwoo could only stare in disgruntled confusion – yet a gleam of amusement was hinted in his eyes. The smile reminded him deeply of Moonjo, and Jongwoo had to look away for a few seconds to redeem his thoughts.

“You know, you must be in so much pain..” Su Yeol then turned to lay on his stomach, his head resting in the palms of his hands while his long legs were flickering behind him, unable to fit within the span of the couch to the armrest.

Jongwoo’s eyebrows furrowed at the sudden change in the man. He shot the silly detective a side-eye and cleared his throat, trying to predict what the man would say next.

Is he drunk or something?

“From that harsh fall out of heaven, hah.” Su Yeol chuckled to himself, a deep, rumbling thing that had reached the inner depths of Jongwoo’s bones.

The smaller man raised his brow in confusion. And he asked if I was mentally unstable..

He wasn’t sure if he was feeling disgusted at the cheesy pick-up line. Sure, he cringed at the line delivery, but he couldn’t help but feel amused. It was hard to get used to a more sane yet equally insane Moonjo 2.0, so he pondered if he should be feeling confused, disgusted, or.. indulged.

Clearing his throat, he stood up abruptly, breaking the laughing man from his hysterics.

“I’m gonna go to bed, it’s late.” He bit out quietly, watching at how the detective looked up at him sullenly. With a jut of Su Yeol’s lower lip, Jongwoo quickly glanced up at the digital clock behind him pinned on the wall.

“It’s almost two o'clock.. You should too, I’ll see you in the morning.” Jongwoo bowed politely before shuffling to his bedroom, leaving Su Yeol to gawk at his retreating figure.

“Whoops.” K’s lips thinned in disappointment. He’d been practising that pick-up line for a while now. How did it fail?

Su Yeol heard the soft click of Jongwoo’s door before turning his head to scoff at K, who was lounging lazily behind him on the couch.

Chapter Text

The next morning came quickly, and Jongwoo had awoken to the loud, metallic clang coming from the kitchen. He stumbled out of bed and waddled groggily over to his door, which he then poked his head out of.

His eyes landed on Su Yeol across the room, who spotted him immediately with wide – open eyes. He then watched as the detective embarrassingly scrambled to pick something up from off the floor. 

Did he drop a.. pot? 

The man suddenly popped back out from behind the counter, his broad frame once again entering Jongwoo’s field of vision. The only difference was that now he did have a pot in hand, and an apologetic look on his face – his features twisting shyly.

“Ah.. sorry, didn’t mean to uh- wake you.” Su Yeol then quickly placed the pot back on the counter, locking gazes with the other once again from across the room. Jongwoo duly noted the man’s work attire already on – hair swept back in his natural signature style with a few strands hanging astray at the front.

The two stared at each other awkwardly, neither of them willing to move. The younger was still dressed in his sleeping attire – a baby blue shirt and equally baggy pants. He then brought a hand up to his face to cover his mouth as he let out a tired yawn.

Su Yeol made a thoughtful expression and walked over to the younger, who was now watching him with his full attention. As the man neared him, Jongwoo was stricken at just how tall he was. He was almost a full head bigger and the writer was reminded of how he had to crank his neck slightly just to meet the dentist’s gaze. 

Su Yeol stopped right in front of him, and it was then that Jongwoo noticed the two mugs of steaming hot coffee in his hands. The detective reached his hand out softly, offering the writer a cup. 

Jongwoo lifted his own hand to grab at the coffee, the soft jingle of his bracelet filling the small silence between them. Noticing Su Yeol’s questioning gaze following his wrist, the man quickly took the coffee with a polite nod, pulling his sleeve up to subtly hide the dangling thing.

“Thanks.” Jongwoo thanked the man quietly before taking a sip, his tongue souring at the hot sensation of the liquid. Su Yeol gave a polite nod as well, yet his gaze still lingered on Jongwoo’s wrist even as the other retracted his hand, switching his cup hold to his other.

“Uh.. I forgot to mention..” Jongwoo glanced up at the man, who was sipping his own hot coffee, wincing slightly at the heat. 

“I’ll be home early, so uh..” Jongwoo raised a brow at the man who seemed to be battling with himself for the right words.

“Did you want me to, like- uh, take you out?” Jongwoo raised his brows in genuine surprise and the detective quickly spluttered, waving his free arm fleetingly in front of the writer’s face.

“Ah ah ah- I mean- to buy you some new clothes.. Or a job interview? Unless you wanna go by yourself, of course.” Su Yeol turned his head to the side, but Jongwoo could catch the faintest clue of a pout adorning the man’s face. He bit back a smirk at the other and tilted his head, attempting to catch the man’s gaze once more.

He then remembered.

Moonjo

He was still out roaming free.. how could he possibly want to go out? What if he uses a taxi and Moonjo’s the driver? Or what if he were to buy a few snacks at the convenience store and the cashier was him? Or-

“Hello?” Su Yeol was waving his hand awkwardly, trying to gain Jongwoo’s attention - who was looking down at his tea-cup lost in thought. Jongwoo lifted his gaze up to the other man and he quickly let out a muffled ‘ mm?’ sound due to the liquid in his mouth. He swallowed quickly and nodded his head a few times, completely thoughtless.

“Ah- maybe next time..” Jongwoo gave a small smile and Su Yeol nodded his head before turning on his heel, pacing in the direction of his briefcase. Grabbing it, he spun around to face the writer, who was sipping on his coffee and smiled tiredly.

“Okay, I’ll see you soon, jagiya. “ Jongwoo’s eyes snapped up, gone wide with horror. The other man gawked at him cluelessly and let out a sulky “What..?”.

“What did you just say?” Jongwoo spoke, his voice small yet the tone of hidden anger, and something else evident beneath. Su Yeol raised his brow, fixing his tie with his one free hand.

“I said I’ll see you soon, Jongwoo.” The man replied as he turned around, looking off to the side in concern. Jongwoo let out a breath that held a slight shudder - barely noticeable.

“Okay.. see you.. enjoy your, uh, work.” Jongwoo bowed politely, watching the other man return it. He must’ve heard wrong..

“Bye!” The man replied swiftly before he was out the door. Jongwoo huffed and looked down at his feet. He needed to brush his teeth and take a shower – he was looking like a zombie in his current state.

…

Jongwoo sat down on the couch with a tired sigh. His hair, which he had just finished drying, was clean and smelt fresh of the detective's floral shampoo. He couldn’t decide whether that one, or the dentist’s minty fresh one smelt better.

…

What?

What the fuck?

What’s wrong with him?

Jongwoo froze slightly, struck by his own thoughts. He scrunched his face and exhaled loudly.

He was really going crazy, huh?

The writer then leaned into the welcoming embrace of the chair, closing his eyes and thinking back on all the events that had occurred.

Leaving Busan, going to Seoul, meeting fucked up neighbours, the deaths, the murders, the after events, getting kicked out of his new overly priced apartment, the street brawl, waking up in a fucking office, getting questioned, and now he’s freeloading off of some loser detective.

It seems that luck just loves to play with him.

He sighed, resting his head on the chair comfortably. Good thing the detective was kind, letting him leech onto his things. 

Suddenly, Jongwoo felt bad at the thought of using the man, so he simply reproved it and reached for the tv remote laying on the coffee table.

—

Su Yeol gripped his steering wheel tightly. His eyes were staring ahead at the busy road, and his ears burned at the grating voice next to him. He shot the singing man an annoyed glance and sighed heavily.

“Ya. Can you shut up, I’m tryna’ drive here.” Su Yeol stated matter of factly. K stopped for just a moment before leaning in, resting his hand on the commissioner between them. The detective gave an exasperated look, leaning towards the window to get as far away as possible.

“What’s wrong with you?! Move back or I’ll beat you up!” Su Yeol yelled angrily, glaring at the other in disbelief. K looked at him for a brief moment, before leaning back in his seat with a smirk.

“Hey. Don’t you think that guy’s bracelet looks way too real?” The man asked with a pondering face. He glanced at the driving man with a raised brow. Su Yeol looked at him for a second before blinking.

“Well, yeah. But they’re probably fake, you know. Why would someone walk around with some real human teeth bracelet? That’s just freaky.” Su Yeol scoffed. K frowned at him, facing forward with a sigh.

“Man, you’re clueless. He’s a trauma victim, and he was involved in a murder case. Don’t you think that’s like.. suspicious?” The man hooked his own chin with his two fingers, shooting the detective a thoughtful look. 

“Ya. What side are you even on? Did you forget how you were flirting with him just last night?! Huh?!” Su Yeol raised his right hand to fake a hit as he muttered a curse under his breath. Returning his hand to the wheel to avoid an accident, he turned his head to peek at the window for a short few seconds – catching sight of the rainy weather. The sidewalks were empty, with cars hustling and bustling down the streets. 

He totally forgot to ask about the bracelet. It constantly rattled with noise in every move Jongwoo made with his wrists, but it had always seemed to slip through his mind.

“Hey, I just wanted to see his face up close.” Su Yeol rolled his eyes at the lame excuse and continued to focus his attention on the road in front of him. It was true, the bracelet was eerily realistic. Too realistic. The teeth were well cleaned, some sporing a light yellow colour, while most were white – darkened near the tips.

He had debated on properly questioning the man, but something – something unknown, was preventing him. He was unsure of what it was, but he couldn’t bring himself to properly face the boy. 

Whenever he looked into the writer’s eyes, he could feel a presence.

 Not his, not K’s, not Jongwoo’s. 

Something else.

Something almost.. sinister.

The boy’s eyes held fear, anger, hidden emotions that he was sure not even a skilled psychologist could decipher. The boy was tainted – that was for sure. He had been tainted by something oddly mysterious, yet eerily familiar.

–

By the time Su Yeol clocked out, it was 6pm – leaving some free time to himself. As he walked to his car, he couldn’t help but feel a lingering gaze in the atmosphere. His eyes scanned behind him, and he noticed just how empty the parking lot was.

He swallowed thickly, looking all around for danger.

“Boo!” Two hands gripped his shoulder harshly, and he jumped almost animatedly. With a harsh jerk of his elbow, his attacker doubled over and groaned painfully.

“Aish- you shit.. What’s wrong with you?! Don’t do that again! Shit..” Su Yeol scoffed in disbelief, flattening his dress suit with two palms before opening the door to his car and hopping inside. Another slam of the passenger car door sounded throughout the vehicle and Su Yeol grimaced in anger.

“YA! Don’t slam my door! Will you pay for it if it breaks, huh?!” Su Yeol gestured with his hands as K hopped in sloppily next to him. K lifted a fist, silencing the detective as he looked down at it confused.

“Hui-Gyeom was a no show today. I feel..” The man made a dramatic expression, and then lifted his hand to his chest. “..devastated..”

Su Yeol rolled his eyes and started the car engine, rolling down the window for some fresh air. He was getting tired of the other’s bullshit.

Hui-Gyeom was a no show today, which was odd – seeing as the woman was crazy serious about her job. Maybe she’s sick?

“Let’s grab some food for Jongwoo.” K grinned and leaned his head back, his two arms crossed lazily at the back of his head. Su Yeol scrunched his face at the man. Wasn’t he saying earlier that..

Su Yeol rolled his eyes, letting a ‘tch’ out at the man’s weird behaviour.      

—

“I’m home!” A voice sounded through the apartment, effectively grabbing Jongwoo’s attention from where he sat comfortably on the couch. He could hear the familiar click of the door shutting and soon enough the smell of food wafted right into his nose. He stood up quickly, bowing politely at the man who was now walking towards him – a plastic bag in hand.

“I brought you some food. It’s tteokbokki and a roll of kimbap.” The detective offered politely with an exhausted smile. Jongwoo sucked a breath in and reached for the plastic bag, lowering his head respectfully. So kind..

“Thank you..” Jongwoo spoke with gratitude, taking the food as the man nodded and turned on his heel. He booked it straight to the bathroom and the writer figured he needed to.. relieve some stress.

He felt himself smile, appreciating the man’s kindness before making his way to the kitchen island, pulling out a stool to sit on.

As he grabbed at the chopsticks held in the tin in front of him, he couldn’t help but wonder why the man was being so generous to him. Was it out of pity? Looking back on their first encounter, the man was silly. He was cowardly, and Jongwoo couldn’t imagine seeing the man trying to fight for his life. 

But then he remembered the way he’d been when he mentioned Moonjo’s name – how serious he turned. He scoffed at the recall. He’s got a serious side, so what? Everyone does.

Putting a slice of kimbap in his mouth, he chewed slowly – savouring the taste. He closed his eyes and was silently reminded of the moments right before his departure to Seoul. How his mother – who had run out after him after making him multiple kimbap rolls, told him- no, warned him.

Be careful of people.

People are the most frightening above anything else.

Oh how right she was. Jongwoo wished he could’ve listened. He wished nothing more than going back in time – just to tell his mother, “ Eomma, you’re right. I’ll stay with you.” 

He bit back tears at his own thoughts and swallowed sullenly. Suddenly, the shuffling pair of footsteps caught his attention and he lifted his head, locking eyes with Su Yeol.

The man had dressed in a loose shirt and sweatpants, giving him an at home type of vibe. Jongwoo was struck at how comfortable he was becoming around the man. He was surprised he wasn’t disturbed by his every move, seeing as he shared the same face with the man he called a murderer.

He had also seemed to find it ironic, at the thought of Moonjo having a twin. A detective twin, no less. The writer couldn’t help but smirk slightly at the silliness of it all. Su Yeol raised a judgemental brow at the sudden grin, making his way over towards him.

“Is it good?” Receiving a nod, he nodded as well, taking a seat next to the smaller man. He rested his jaw in the palm of his veined hand and watched as Jongwoo put a small, chopped piece of tteokbokki in his mouth.

Noticing his stare, Jongwoo looked up awkwardly, then down at his food.

“..did you want some..?” He asked after swallowing shallowly. Su Yeol’s gaze lingered for a moment before he was sitting up straight – sighing and waving a hand – gesturing to him to slide the food over while he looked off into another direction.

“Aish.. fine, since you want me to try it so bad.”

I didn’t even say anything, fucker.

The detective swiped the chopsticks from Jongwoo’s hands and stole a piece of tteokbokki to put in his mouth. As he chewed, Jongwoo couldn’t help but stare at the larger man.

His cheekbones were high-set – with full, bowed lips. His lashes were long, and his hooked nose added such a masculine tone to his appearance that – Jongwoo hated to admit, made him so incredibly handsome. Jongwoo’s lips thinned into a line, noticing how the man was eating almost everything from the bag.

…

Why the hell did he even bother giving it to me if he was going to gobble it all up instead..

Jongwoo rested his forearms on the counter as the detective continued to eat his food. His mouth pursed and he looked down at his bare wrist, the bracelet loosely dangling off of it.

In his mind, he wondered why the man hadn’t yet asked about it. The teeth were oddly lifelike, and he did practically attack him and chastise him for being- alive . It was frustrating for Jongwoo – he couldn’t help but feel like he was being played.

He’s a detective - for fuck’s sakes.

“So.. about your bracelet..” The deep voice had him directing his eyes. He was aware of the other’s gaze lingering curiously at the accessory – a suspicious glint hiding beneath.

About time..

“It’s fake.” Jongwoo replied curtly, shooting the detective a small smile before turning away. The other looked at him for a few moments, his eyebrows raised slightly at the swift answer.

He then turned back to his food- Jongwoo’s food and continued to eat.

—

It was almost midnight by the time Hui-Gyeom was rounding up near the convenience store. She walked with purpose, a swiftness to her pace. She was hungry.

She caught a bad cold out of nowhere, and her headache was strong. So strong that she couldn’t even get out of bed that morning. She sighed, exiting the store with a chicken wrap in one hand and a strawberry milk carton in the other.

The street lights were illuminating around the dark area of the connected stores, and as she walked towards her single car in the middle of the secluded parking area, she noticed a familiar figure standing in the distance.

The man was facing the roads, so she could only see his side profile. But there was no mistaking it – it was definitely his face.

What the? What’s he doing standing here in the middle of the night?

“Ya! Su Yeol!” She called out, tilting her head slightly in hopes of changing the angle of the post lamp light to get a better look. Hui-Gyeom watched as the man froze slightly, before slowly turning his head – and sure enough, it was the detective.

She scrunched her brows, and then booked it in his direction. As she was nearing him, the man had turned fully to face her and she couldn’t help but notice the clothes he was wearing. He wore a baggy long-sleeve that covered his broad frame, with matching black sweats. She dipped an eyebrow at the odd choice of clothing. It wasn’t like him. 

Then again, it is pretty cold.

“What’s with that get-up? You look like you’re about to rob someone.” Aware of the man’s silence, she noticed the odd way he was looking at her - eyes wide - not noticeable, but fixed, unrelenting. She felt an odd wave of discomfort coming over her.

“So? How’s Jongwoo?” She decided to change the topic, crossing her arms – still holding onto her products from the convenience store. The girl noticed how the other went stiff, his eyebrows slightly raising.

“What?” he finally spoke, his voice deep – deeper than she remembered. She blinked a few times before speaking again, the streetlights starting to flicker behind her.

“Jongwoo. The boy at your apartment? I heard from Jae-seon you took him in or something.” She explained, confused. Why is he acting so weird? She started to feel the air hitting her so she turned on her heel, deciding to leave. Her gut was telling her that something was off, but she couldn’t pinpoint just what it was.

“Wait.”

She paused at the sudden voice. Turning around, she was faced with the detective – a smile plastering his face. Kindness? Politeness? She could see the expression so clearly, yet it felt so wrong. Like it was misplaced.

“I’ve had a lot to drink. Could you give me a ride?” He asked politely. Hui-Gyeom wanted to scoff, roll her eyes at the request. She wanted to tell him to fuck off and find some bench to snooze on, but she couldn’t bring herself to.

She settled on rolling her eyes with a small huff. She glared at the man before turning on her heel, swiftly pacing it to her car.

“Fine.” 

…

The ride was silent. Which was odd, considering the fact that all they would usually do is bicker. But as Hui-Gyeom drove through the dark, empty streets of the night, she couldn’t help but feel something was incredibly off. She was so unsettled – and although she’s had her fair share of insulting and hitting Su Yeol, she has never been put off like this.

The detective seemed somewhat normal. His posture was perfectly straight against the carseat, and his eyes were gleaming with what Hui-Gyeom could only identify as.. excitement?

He didn’t exactly seem drunk, and even though Hui-Gyeom hated the man’s guts, she couldn’t risk leaving him out at night alone - incase of something bad happening. Sighing to herself, she gripped her steering wheel tighter – the white knuckles of her hand beginning to protrude.

As she neared the large building Su Yeol lived in, she turned her head to face him, only to be startled when he was already looking at her. She quickly looked away and reached her hand out to press the unlock button.

The door opened with a click and as the detective rested his hand upon the door handle, he suddenly paused. Hui-Gyeom raised a brow at him suspiciously. What’s he up to?

“Ya. Do you want me to drag you up there myself? What are you waiting for? Get out.” Hui-Gyeom chastised – mean and straightforward – unbeknownst to the irritating twitching of the man’s fingers. 

He turned his head to look at Hui-Gyeom, and for the first time, Hui-Gyeom could see the glint of malice in his eyes. She froze, looking at the man silently. It was then she noticed the odd hairstyle of the other. It looks a bit shorter.. did he style it differently or something..?

“Hey.. could you tell me my apartment number? I’ve had a bit too much to drink. I don’t wanna barge into the wrong one.” The man shot her an unsettling smile and she returned his gaze in disbelief. What..?

She turned her head to the side to scoff, licking the inside of her mouth before looking back at the detective.

“Room 203. Now get out.” The man nodded his head – yet not a sense of gratitude followed. Hearing the car door shut gently, she watched the retreating figure of the man through the rolled up window walking away. She stayed there frozen for a few seconds before letting out a shudder.

As she drove off, she couldn’t help but feel as if she’d done something terribly wrong.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Chapter Text

Su Yeol waited awkwardly for the writer to finish his business in the bathroom as he fiddled with his fingers. What was he so nervous for? The night was normal, just like the past three days. Everything was normal.

So why did it feel.. weird? 

Hearing the flush of the toilet and the running water of the bathroom tap, he turned his head to the direction of the noise. The door unlocked and out came Jongwoo - a small greeting smile painted on his face as he gave an awkward bow of his head.

The pair had been lounging about, talking about random things to pass the time. Jongwoo took a seat next to the detective, who was lifting his leg up to fold it under his other. They had a reasonable gap of space between them.

Su Yeol, who had been itching to ask, finally decided to speak his mind.

“Hey, Jongwoo. What did you.. mean.. when you said I was supposed to be dead?” He asked, glancing curiously at the smaller man beside him. He noticed the way the man gulped, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down nervously. 

“He was just.. caught up in the murders.. and stuff..” Jongwoo looked to the other side, away from him. Although he couldn’t see his face now, he could clearly make out the emotions on the boy’s face. Guilt? Regret? It was hard to decipher, as his features twisted into a mix of both.

Before he could say more, the doorbell rang - halting both Su Yeol and Jongwoo from their movements. Su Yeol cleared his throat, getting up and wiping down his pants primly.

“I’ll get it.” He shot a small smile at the writer - receiving a small head nod in return. Walking over to the door, he jut his lower lip out in thought once again. It’s late, maybe someone got the wrong apartment? Aish..

He placed his fingers on the door handle, and just before he could swing it open, he felt the familiar presence of a gaze lingering on his back. He turned around - catching sight of K. But instead of his usual shit-eating grin, the man’s face was grim. His eyebrows were straight - slightly furrowed - and his mouth was pressed into a thin line coated in apprehension.

He was on edge.

The detective raised his brow at the other, turning his head as K spoke.

“Danger. I can sense it.” K pointed at the door with squinting eyes - as if he could see right through it. Su Yeol furrowed his brows, his eyes widening with unsettlement.

“Ya. Don’t scare me like that. What are you even saying.. aish..” The man scoffed at K’s ridiculous statement before swinging the door open.

His eyes grew wide with shock as he came face to face with- himself? He had about two seconds to get a good look before he was being floored harshly across the room - a nasty kick delivered straight to his abdomen. He crashed onto the ground and curled up, groaning in pain.

Jongwoo - who had just witnessed the scene, stood up abruptly, his eyes gone wide with horror. Just as he was about to rush over to the detective hunched over on the floor, the slow, steady - almost prideful - sound of footsteps ultimately stopped him. He snapped his gaze forward, his eyes watching attentively as the intruder got closer from behind the wall.

The writer was glued to his spot – he could feel a drop of cold sweat sliding down his forehead - the moans of pain coming from the detective beginning to drown out. 

Jongwoo’s mouth went slack as the figure finally revealed himself – tall and demanding, radiating malice, and malevolence. This. This is him. This was the man that had haunted him even in his dreams for days on end. 

That same heinous smile, all canines white and sharp on display with brooding eyes, darkened with iniquity - possessiveness.

“There you are, baby.” 

Jongwoo gulped. 

Moonjo.

Jongwoo knew this was going to happen. He knew Moonjo would find him, and that laying low was nothing but a petty dream Jongwoo couldn’t even steal. But what did he do about it? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

And that was what was so frustrating.

He should be scared, angry. He fucking knew Moonjo was still out and about, and he’d been playing housewife with his twin for fucks sakes. He should’ve left the country ages ago, but no. He didn’t. And he didn’t feel that rage he was expecting to feel once he saw Moonjo’s real face again. He didn’t feel hatred, nor anger, nor dread. He felt something - familiar. Foreign, yet so.. warm. Almost like.. happiness..? Was he glad to see Moonjo?

He watched with magnetic eyes as the other neared him, taking slow, long confident strides, his large hands veiled in his pockets. He took this painfully slow moment to take in the man’s appearance - dark black trousers with a lighter sweater- sleeves rolled up at the elbows. Typical Seo Moonjo..

Jongwoo remained frozen in his spot, only being able to dart his eyes back and forth between the twins. 

The man stopped just a few inches away from him, and just as the writer thought he was going to attack, he simply held out a palm - a knowing smile etched into his face. As if he knew. As if he knew Jongwoo was going to take it.

And something in Jongwoo shifted. He stared at the offered hand right before him - the long, slender fingers. The same fingers that had tormented so, so many people. Looking back up, he was slightly startled to see the man’s gaze watching him so attentively, waiting for him. But then again, when have his eyes ever drifted off to anything other than Jongwoo?

And although Jongwoo dreaded him - hated him, stabbed him even- or so he thought, he was tempted to take it. 

And so he did. 

He lifted his arm slowly, the soft jingle of his loosely clad bracelet filling in the small silence between the two at the movement. His hand neared Moonjo’s, and he mentally noted the contrast of his tanned skin to Moonjo’s larger, paler forearms, lean with veined muscle.

He kept his head low, not daring to look up into his eyes - missing the soft glance the man had sent at the manacle dangling off of his wrist.

But before his hand could even so much as graze the other’s, the detective - completely disregarded and forgotten - had found himself tackling his twin down, knocking them both into the couch and tumbling roughly onto the floor.

Su Yeol’s back hit the ground with an audible thud and Jongwoo watched with wide eyes as the two rolled around, knocking the fragile coffee table over - grunting and groaning. He stood still, unsure of what to do when suddenly a small clay vase was hurled his way. 

He crouched quickly - only narrowly dodging it as it smashed to pieces into the wall right next to his head. Repositioning himself, he poked his head out from behind the couch, only to witness a scene of Moonjo - in all his black outfit glory - straddling his twin - one large hand wrapped mercilessly around his neck and the other holding a sharp, glinting piece of glass firmly from the broken coffee table.

The loud sounds of heavy and ragged breathing filled the area - with Su Yeol glaring furiously at the other. His eyes were wide with rage - anger, and a longing sadness. A feeling that he had long since felt. His mouth was pulled back into a harsh snarl - all white canines dimly highlighted.

“You fucking asshole..” He bit out, his hands firmly gripping the strong wrist of his twin brother - an attempt to loosen the hold on his throat - which was becoming futile. Moonjo only stared at him - his face impassive. His eyebrows were straight - one tilted but other than that, entirely relaxed. His expression held that of a stone wall, and Su Yeol was violently reminded of his well-placed nonchalance in their childhood days.

Still the damn same..

But his eyes. Su Yeol could see it. He could see the hint of familiarity, sadness? His brother’s grip was tough to pry off, and he couldn’t help but think back to the days at the orphanage where Moonjo always had the advantage over him in their little brawls.

We’re the same fuckin’ size..

“Ya! What’s wrong with you, hah?! This is how you greet me after I thought you were dead this whole time?!” Su Yeol yelled angrily, trying desperately not to break. Even after all these years, he was still triggered by his brother’s exceptional mask of impassiveness. Greatly.

The detective bit back a furious sob as he grabbed at his brother’s shirt, pulling him in by the neck only to yell some more.

“ANSWER ME! I’m your twin GODDAMMNIT! What happened to you?!” Su Yeol barked out - he tried to hide the swell of tears forming in his eyes, and for a moment, he thought he had seen a flash of emotion in Moonjo’s eye. Regret? Guilt? Empathy? But just as quickly as he had seen it, it vanished.

Jongwoo stood awkwardly behind the couch, his feet in an unstable pose. He fiddled with his fingers as he watched the interaction begrudgingly. Suddenly, a sigh was heard - coming from neither the writer nor the detective.

“I’m not your anything. We just share the same face.” Moonjo spat darkly, shoving the man off harshly before standing up to loom over him menacingly. Su Yeol could only watch in disbelief as the other made his way over to Jongwoo, who was now standing idly looking like a lost, abandoned puppy.

He didn’t even spare Su Yeol a second glance.

The detective raised his head, looking for a particular someone. His eyes scanned the room wearily, until he caught sight of K standing near a large painting on the wall of God knows what. His shoulders were stiff with tension, and although the beckoning look in Su Yeol’s eyes were hard to miss, the man simply refused to move forward.

His eyes spoke of a certain unease - a depth of familiarity but in all of the wrong ways. The detective huffed angrily - he didn’t have time for this. He scrambled to his feet, whipping his head back to face his twin who was now cornering Jongwoo against the wall.

“Moonjo.” He spoke darkly. His throat burned from the earlier attack and his back ached from when he had been slammed roughly on the floor. The man sighed, slowly turning his head around to look Su Yeol dead in the eye - his neck was lolled, his jaw sharp and clenched with irritation. Jongwoo stood frozen behind him - almost small and fragile.

“I’m taking you with me. You’re going to prison, you fucking psycho.” Su Yeol seethed, his two feet planted firmly to the ground. Moonjo fully turned around, standing his ground menacingly, the writer now fully blocked out of the detective’s vision.

“Yeah? Come and get me.” Moonjo grinned, a wide, unsettling toothy thing as he took slow steps towards his twin. Su Yeol huffed out an angry breath before dashing forward.