Ba Reum slept in late, which was very unusual for him. Normally he kept up a tight schedule of always waking up at 7 in the morning.
But today he was only waking up when it was 11 o' clock.
He slowly rubbed his eyes, shaking his head a bit. He was still feeling a bit fuzzy, but that wasn't abnormal seeing that he had been thoroughly exhausted the day before. He noticed that the pain in his head had finally receded.
He smelled food that was being readied. His stomach growled and his mouth filled with saliva. A good meal had also been a while ago. He yawned and stretched and got out of his bed slowly, his body feeling stiff. He took care of business first in the bathroom and afterwards he made his way to the kitchen.
His friends had already finished their breakfast and were cleaning up their dishes.
He sat down at the table, his friends greeting a good morning. He grunted and accepted a cup of coffee. He took a slow drink from it, savouring the flavour.
"So, don't you all have to be somewhere?" he asked calmy.
"Ba Reum," Chi Kook said in a scolding voice, "play nice."
"I'm playing nice." He said, "I just wondered, don't you have work, or school. And you Dong Koo, is your fiancée going to be happy with missing you for so long?" he asked, his voice still very calm, as if he was just inquiring to sate his curiosity.
He didn't understand how his friends could sacrifice so much time for him, especially when he had just gone away with barely a warning. So he was actually waiting for them to leave him.
"Ah, the concern in your voice just shocks me Ba Reum". Dong Koo answered in a sarcastic voice.
"I took a couple of days off. Just to help you out." Chi Kook said easily, filling Ba Reum's cup up again.
"I haven't been going to school this past week. A few days longer won't hurt." Bong Yi said, earning herself a dirty look from Chi Kook, who already had an argument about this with her.
"And my fiancée would be more angry with me for not helping a friend in need." Dong Koo finished the line.
It was silent again for a little while, the sound of the dishes was the only thing that was heard in the kitchen.
"Thank you." Ba Reum suddenly whispered, quickly drinking the rest of his coffee and digging in the food. He was happy that his friends cared so much about him.
After re-discovering that his original parents didn't really care for him all that much, he realised from what kind of possible future he had escaped from. Now being here and his friends trying to help him like this, it filled him with happiness and also melancholy. He could feel a few tears escaping his eyes and he bent over his rice bowl a bit farther to hide them.
If his friends saw, they didn't mention it, but he could feel it in the way that they treated him, that they cared a lot for him, a lot more then he probably deserved. And even though he knew they wanted to help him, that they would help him with his case and his parents, that he never could ask that of them.
They would be mad when they found out, but in no way could he ever consider risking his friends live for this.
They spend the rest of the day together.
After brunch, they went to go sit with is mother for a couple of hours, then they watched a movie together and afterwards it was already late and they had a late dinner together, they just spend the day in each other's companionship. Everyone felt better for it.
They had the reassurance that their friend was back with them and he felt better because he noticed how much they cared.
When it was evening though, he insisted that they went home and sleep in their own bed, saying that they should look after their own health as well, not just his. He promised that he would see them tomorrow again.
"I'll go to my mom at 10, okay. Now go home." He said one last time when he waved them off.
He had checked his email during the day. He had made sure to visit a lab before he had gone to the hospital to follow Yo Han, and he used his connections to make sure that he could do a DNA test anonymously.
He had received the results earlier in the day, and he wanted to be alone when he checked the result.
This time he was sure that it was his DNA and from his mother(?) that was being compared. Perhaps the original test had been a false negative, or they hadn't given an hair from his mother.
He opened the mail and read the .pdf.
The DNA showed that the DNA's didn't match, again. He was glad that he wasn't related to that woman, but still, it took him a bit by surprise. How did he come to live there? Did his mother know about this? Did his real mother know about this?
Had this something to do with the people that followed him and Yo Han?
Well, now he was sure that the DNA didn't match, he could at least set the next part of his plan in motion.
He waited an half our after his friends were gone, enough time to look at the footage on the camera. He didn't see anyone suspicious, but he saw the same car he saw the stalker in driving past on one frame. He couldn't really pin-point who he was following, but now he was sure that the guy was at least following someone from the school.
When the half hour was over, he glanced out of his window. He didn't see any of his friends lingering. He changed his clothing and left the house, making sure to close the curtains before he did and he kept the light turned on. Then he drove away, his mind back on the mission.
It was already later in the evening when Sung Yo Han heard the bell ring. To say he was surprised when he opened the door and saw ahis run-away patient standing in front of the door was an understatement.
He looked at the guy, contemplating if he shouldn't just call the police. How had he found out where Yo Han lived? Was he dangerous?
"I know this sounds strange," he said,, before Yo Han could make a decision, "but I really need to speak to you about something important." Sung Yo Han decided to just close the door on him, but before he could his patient said "it's about your father."
"What about him." He said defensively. He always hated when people got to know about his father. First the gossip would start, then the stares would follow and the disgust and hatred on the faces of people who knew about him, but not know him. And then they would start to exclude him and before he knew it, he was an outcast again.
"I think he might not be your dad."
Sung Yo Han pulled the door open again and stared at him.
"Why would you say that?"
"Do you remember being followed as a child?" Ba Reum said, choosing his words carefully.
"What's this about? How do you know that." Startled that Ba Reum knew that fact. It was something that happened years ago and after seeing a psychologist, he didn't feel followed anymore. But no one should now about this. It was very long ago, in the village where he used to live when he was small.
"Because I was being followed as well. I don't know if you remember, but my name is Jae Han and I went to the same school as you. Remember? I hurt my hand and you put herbs on it." Ba Reum showed him the small scar that was still on his hand after all these years.
Sung Yo Han grabbed his hand and looked it over. This had happened out in a field years ago. How could he know about it if he was not Jae Han, that weird child that everyone was scared of.
"Come in." Yo Han eventually said, making a decision. He would at least hear him out. After that he could make a decision to believe him or not. He gestured to Ba Reum to sit down at the table, and went to sit on the opposite side.
"So, explain." Yo Han said.
"When I was young, there was this guy, always following me around. He was at school, he slept in his car when I was at home. I didn't understand back then that he was following me. I lost him the day I ran away from home." Ba Reum started to explain.
"What has that to do with my father though."
"Well, after I ran away from home, I got in an accident and the police believed that there was a possibility I could be Jae Hoon. But to be sure that I was really Jae Hoon, they performed a DNA test on me and my mother. Here are the results." Ba Reum took out the envelope with the DNA results.
Yo Han opened it and saw that they weren't matched.
"And you think that because I was followed as well, that my father isn't my father?"
"And probably your mother. It's just a theory. I can't, of course, be sure."
"And why now. Why not back then? Why did you wait so long to confront me about this?"
"I, I didn't remember before. But I saw him again. That guy who followed me. If you were followed as well, and placed with a family or something, don't you want to know why?"
"I'd like to think about it?" Yo Han said. Ba Reum nodded and left without a word, leaving the DNA results behind, haven already written down his phone number on the envelope.
Yo Han stared at those papers a long time, thinking. He remembered that strange child from so long ago. He remembered being followed as well and everyone telling him that he was just imagining it.
But he was sure, he had been there at school and he had also seen that guy sleeping in a car near his house.
But did that mean that he wasn't his parents child? Could it be that he was not that man's son? Did his mother lie to him? And why?
In the end he made his decision and went over to his mothers' home. It was already very late at night, so he was quite sure that she was asleep. He would not be able to get DNA from his father, but his mother wasn't a problem.
The lights were off in the house and he snuck in, glad that she was asleep. He went to the bathroom and took some hair from a brush, trying to quench the guilt that was flooding him.
It wasn't that he didn't trust his mother, but who knows. Perhaps, she didn't know or perhaps Ba Reum was lying? Or it didn't involve him at all.
But even if there was an off change that he wasn't related to that guy. He would face the consequences later. He had to know the truth.
After successfully getting out of the house without being discovered he drove to a lab that he knew stayed open 24/7. He gave the hair samples to his friend that worked in the lab, happy that it was still open this late hour in case of emergency patients.
The next day he felt very anxious. Even Hong Ju commented about it, but he didn't tell her. Better not to tell her if he wasn't sure. He knew she hadn't been feeling really well lately, being very tired. Better not to burden her with this knowledge. He himself barely could wrap his mind around it.
At work he managed to keep on his professional façade. When he saw Ba Reum sitting with his his mother, he didn't give any sign of the conversation they had yesterday. Ba Reum for his part didn't give him any more attention then he would have given any other doctor. Perhaps it had to do with the girl that he was sitting with.
Ba Reum saw Yo Han checking his mother's parameters and barely acknowledged him, just as Yo Han did to him. He didn't want Bong Yi to find out anything about this yet.
It was better not to involve them. After saying goodbye and thank you to Bong Yi, he went to the school once again. He had decided on another approach.
Instead of trying to find out if someone fitted the profile of the murderers, he would just see if the stalker his car was there.
And sure enough, he was in luck.
He could not see who he was following, but when that car left, he made sure to follow it. He didn't know where it was going, or even if which car it was following, but this way he would find out eventually.
The winded through a few streets and Ba Reum could see some cars in front of it turning away, making it clear that he wasn't following them. The moment that the car was suddenly turning into a side street, he made sure not to follow him and drive right past.
He was quite sure that the car had noticed someone following him. It was best to just drive by and not try to follow him further today.
Another day he could follow him with another vehicle, but for now, he was already getting closer.
Sung Yo Han got home after his work, his shoulder's a bit stiff. He had felt stressed today about whet the result could be. He had gotten a text from his friend at the lab. He had pushed the test forward, and Yo Han had just gotten the results.
He stared at the envelope for hours before he actually got the courage to open it. His hands were shaking when he pulled out the paper.
His eyes widened when he saw the results.
NOT RELATED.
His world turned upside-down.