(Please be aware that in this chapter, one of the characters suffers a panic attack as a result of past trauma. If you are not comfortable with the theme or if it triggers you in any way, feel free to skip this chapter:) )
Lee Suho had just spent the evening with Jubal. No, he had spent the evening with Lim Jukyung, albeit without her wearing any makeup.
It had occurred to Suho before that the bizarre girl from school was the same as the girl he encountered at the comic book store every day. To be fair, his suspicions had been brewing since the very beginning, but they were finally confirmed today.
Her peculiar behavior at school suddenly made a lot more sense now.
The boy, however, imagined Jukyung had no idea he knew her secret.
Guided by easy habit, the boy found himself outside the karate training center in the final moments before it closed.
And of course, being the star student that he was, Lee Suho was able to obtain extra training time in the center easily. The coach knew him well and trusted him to lock up after himself, as he usually did when he practiced late.
Having thanked the older man profusely, Suho continued his training in the solitary silence of the studio.
Suho, in fact, hadn't been practicing for long when he heard a familiar voice echo through the dojo.
"You are indeed a hard man to find, son," the voice boomed. "Aigooo, this place hasn't changed at all!"
The boy's s eyes narrowed upon hearing his father's voice.
"Why have you returned to Korea?" Suho rose from the mat, lips pressed into a thin line.
"Work has been piling up at the office, especially after the merger. Besides, I didn't want to be forgotten in Korea."
Suho stared with watery eyes at that...that man. The one who claimed to be his father even after inflicting so much pain on him. "You sure know how to please your fans..."
"Suho-yah, I was more worried about being forgotten by you," Mr. Lee reached his hands out and laid them on his son's shoulders. It took Suho a moment, but he shrugged off the gesture and walked away.
The practice bout that ensued brought back painful childhood memories for Suho. A flash of memory from the night his mother died and his dad's actions that night angered him. Much to his father's surprise, the boy won in the end, fueled by the adrenaline and anger gushing through his veins.
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"You've been trained well," his father commented, laughing casually. "I think I'm getting old too."
Suho sat in silence, his anger still not having mellowed. It was becoming increasingly difficult for him to hear his father due to the loud pounding of his heart.
