BOOK 2 of 'Bubblegum Gucci Punk & Gangster Model Hunk'
•Be it night or be it day, the voices in his head, always mange to stay•
Ex-underground fighter and overnight sensational idol Park Dae Ho, dropped out of sight, making the people of South Korea...
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The noise of the running engine and the drumming of Pandora's fingers over the steering wheel are the only sounds that resonate in the car. Haneul feels suffocated in the silence otherwise. Dae Ho sits on his right, head turned away, staring outside, bloody fists resting on his thighs. The events of today play in the doctor's mind without a pause, on repeat. What he's experienced today is surely a glimpse of the kind of life Dae Ho and Yoon live every day. A style that puts their every breath at risk. Haneul can't bring himself to imagine how many times they must've escaped death. A lo—
"So!" Choi Yoon quips, "gentlemen, how are you doing on this fine day?" He tries making small talk only to earn a glare from Dae Ho and a raised eyebrow from Haneul.
"Isn't it freezing today?"
"It's summer," Haneul deadpans, rolling his eyes.
"That's no good, I see," Yoon titters and bends towards the dashboard, grabbing a small bag from it. "Here." He drops it into Haneul's lap. "Tend your wounds."
The doctor unzips the bag, retrieving a white medical kit. He pours alcohol on a cotton pad and pats it over the cut on his forehead to clean it and then sticks a bandage. "Show me your hands." Haneul turns to Dae Ho.
The man has discarded his leather jacket, leaving him in a black tee, arm tattoos on display. There are small, intricate pieces all over his arm but a few large ones stand out. Two thick parallel lines run above his elbow, his birth flower, gladiolus, representing the strength of character inked below encased in a daffodil wreath, Minji's birth flower, symbolizing hope. A crown loosely hangs off of a cracked skull, a sword stuck in its eye, engulfed in the flames below produced by a dragon that has its tail wrapped around Dae Ho's wrist with the words 'carpe diem' at its end.
"No need. I can take care of it myself." Dae Ho replies, moving away his hands.
"I'm not offering this out of the goodness of my heart or because I'm worried about you, but as a doctor's duty." Haneul clicks his tongue in annoyance. "Even if you're a criminal."
Dae Ho's eye twitches at the comment, his bloody fingers curling into a fist. He licks his parched lips, foot tapping. "If it's that repulsing, you can just close your eyes and unsee." The younger man bites back.
"That's what you do always, don't you?" Haneul shakes his head, eyes on the fighter. "Pretend things aren't happening or just shoot them down or something." When Dae Ho doesn't reply, he edges him further. "How long do you think you can handle issues by choosing to overlook them? Getting drunk isn't going to help you in any way. Going on a killing—"
"Stop."
"You should've reported Minji's death instead of becoming something she'd never want you to be. You're a murderer. Could you really not prevent her dea—"
"Shut up!" Dae Ho pushes Haneul into the car window, hand wounded around his neck, almost choking him.
"W-What...you t-threatened my family last time, are you starting with me?" The older grits, not knowing where the bitterness branches from. He's tired of being in the dark about Minji and riling up Dae Ho is the only way he'd get something out of the brother.
