A/N: About damn time I could write/update something… sorry for the extreme delay. I was stuck on yet another line… This chapter is less disturbing than the other one, anyways, to those who read the uncensored version. And I can't believe I've topped the 80 reviews! Thanks to everybody so far! Keep it please, I like to see that people like what I write n.n.
Chapter 27 : From Heaven to Hell and back again, Part 2
Jin came back from the bedroom with a blanket, and wrapped me up in it. "Here. I also brought you a glass of water and acetaminophen."
"What?"
"Tylenol™."
"Ah… heh, I should've known, after all of those I almost swallowed earlier…"
"Just… don't do things like that anymore, please."
"I can't promise anything… it's not the first time I want to kill myself. You witnessed it when Xiaoyu found out about us. I did the same when Baek died. I went crazy; I didn't want to live anymore. Sometimes, I wonder what would've happened if I had been a girl, a normal Korean guy, if I had been older, if I had been ugly… Until I reached about fifteen, I didn't know if I wanted to be such a cute kid anymore. I had associated this with myself at one point, as if it was a part of my fault. I knew it wasn't – still I had a hard time believing so."
FLASHBACK
Baek paced in the living room as he waited for an ambulance. He had no idea if calling it was a good thing; Hwoarang would probably be scared of being touched by them. The man somewhat regretted his decision, not wanting the kid to be scarred for the rest of his life… at a more social point, rather than sexual. A lot of questions popped up in his mind: would Hwoarang accept another babysitter? Would he sleep by himself? Would he get a girlfriend later in his life? Would he be able to have kids? What kind of other effects would it have on his life?
Hwoarang was lying on his side on the couch, too tired to cry. His whole body ached, yet he was drowsy. To tell the truth, he had been scared when Baek had first entered his bedroom; he had thought it was the babysitter. One thing for sure, is that he didn't want his father to leave again. No more babysitters, except Mina Joon. If she hadn't been sick that night, nothing of that would've happen. But he knew it wasn't her fault, neither Baek's. Still… other people might do that to him. A lot of men and women around had been saying he was "cute"… but he didn't know what way they meant it, and that scared him.
A knock on the door was heard. The kid's first reaction was to tug even more in the blanket that covered his naked body. The father opened the living room door, revealing two women in black and white. They were the nurses who had been assigned to the ambulance. Behind them were two cops, one male, and the other female. As soon as Baek let the authorities in, the female asked for the child's bedroom's location, while the man stayed in the living room, looking at Hwoarang. The latter stiffened, wondering if he was like Dan Cho. One of the nurses did the same as the male cop. The other observed the scene.
"What's the child's name, sir?"
"Hwoarang."
"I have some questions to ask him… I know he's not very old and that he's still in shock, but let's see what we can do." He turned to the redheaded kid. "Hello Hwoarang."
No answer.
"Look, I won't bother you for long, but you'll have to answer me. OK?"
Hwoarang turned his head to evade the man's look.
"He's not ready to talk about it" Baek mentioned. "I don't know how much time it'll take, but not tonight. Just look at him. He's not like that… by now, if he had been OK, he would've asked you plenty of questions regarding your work, or if you have kids, or pets, anything. He'd jump around, play hide and seek and with his toys. And he would smile."
He heard footsteps as the female cop came back downstairs, bags of proofs in hand. "Well, I got some stuff in his room. Apparently, he searched around his clothes, underwear, toys… Mr. Doo San, could I check your own room?"
"Sure. If you need to, check the whole house. Maybe he went downstairs, I keep things for Hwoarang in there as well."
"I'll go in the car to get a form for you to fill out."
"And I'll get the stretcher ready."
Hwoarang totally refused to be helped, and preferred walking by himself to the stretcher and to get up on it as well (although, with a bit of a help from Baek). In the ambulance, one of the two female nurses moved around him, checking his pressure and heart beat. Sick of the constant attention and tired, he kicked the woman twice only to break down crying after, much to his adoptive father's despair. If there's something a parent doesn't want to see, it is his child in such a situation.
"Is there any way to put him to sleep? Can't you give him medication?"
"Unless his life is in danger, no, we're not authorized to."
The child's hand squeezed his own when they got in the building, cringing as the stretcher made its way to the emergency room. "Don't worry, son. Everything will be fine, I swear. Then we'll go back home. Everything will be fine."
Another stretcher quickly passed by them; Hwoarang only understood a part of what the nurses said… "He has been shot……… we're losing him! Faster!"
Baek sighed at the scene. Why did his son have to go through everything? Why couldn't he just have a normal life like most of the kids around? What in the world had the child done?
They finally reached the emergency room, where they finally sedate Hwoarang to check if there was any internal damage, and told Baek to go and wait for them in the private room assigned to the kid, while they took the time to clean him up.
It was about an hour later that the Korean man got news of his adoptive son. He was out of danger; there were no internal injuries and he'd wake in a few hours, in his room, with his father by his side. Only then did he stop pacing in the room and sat on the rocking chair, tears falling down his face.
Why Hwoarang?
……
"Dad… can I have water please?"
"Oh… Hwoarang! Are you alright?" Baek got up, walking towards the bed, gently patting the boy on the head. "You want water, right?". There was a nod and a second after, the adult was back by the bed and handed him a glass full of cold water. "There you go."
"It still hurts… less but it still does."
"I know, son. The doctor said it could take some time… but you're going to take medication for that."
"Hmmm… does it hurt this much for women?"
"You'll see when you are older. But for the time being… I think you have other things than to worry about your first girlfriend. You know, if they catch him – which they'll probably do – there are a few things you'll have to tell. We might have to go to the court… there will most likely be a trial."
Hwoarang's eyes filled up with tears. A trial? To him, people who went in there usually went to prison… "So… I'm going to go in prison because I haven't been a good kid?"
"NO NO NO… Not you… Dan Cho will. What he did to you, it wasn't right."
"Even if he told me I was cute? And that he wouldn't hurt me?"
"He was responsible of you. And well, adults don't do that stuff with children."
"So he'll go to prison?"
"Yep."
The child closed his eyes and sighed in relief. He'd be safe with Baek. That meant he could sleep now… or try to. He had been afraid of falling asleep, then waking up and see his babysitter's face hovering over him, hands running on his small body… and that smile on his face, like everything was alright, and had been done often.
"Had been done often". Maybe he wasn't the only one… the feeling was horrible, even at his age. Has Dan Cho done that to his daughter too? If so, he would make sure that when he was older, he'd pay a visit to the man… "Do you think he did that to Mina Joon?"
The father hadn't thought about it, but now that the kid brought it up… "I hope not. And now, you should sleep a bit, Hwoarang. I'll stay with you, no need to be afraid. I'll protect you."
END OF FLASHBACK
"Amazing on how Baek died nine years after, almost exactly."
I'm now half lying on the couch, my head resting on Jin's chest. "What happened after the hospital?"
"Well, I went back home, had nightmares for a good while, then there was the trial… which didn't last long. He was found guilty almost right away. Then there was the tape incident." How could I ever forget about it!?
… To be continued…
A/N 2: Sorry for the extreme corniness (is that even a word? O.o;;) at the end of the flashback, but it had to be done at some point. Hwoarang's only 9, and I thought it fitted there, but it still sounds too freaking corny to me X.x. I'll try my best to get on with it more, but with the exams coming… ((dies)). Oh well. I'm not letting it down! And to the people who are also reading The Bet, except a new chapter soon! Ja ne!