Believe Again: For Eternal Paradise
The next few days was spent combing through Park Ha Yoon's files. Saeyoung thought Saeran shouldn't be involved to stay on the safe side, but the younger twin insisted that he could handle it. Besides, there was just too much work to be done and Saeyoung would definitely be pulling a week of all-nighters if he wanted to finish going through all of them.
Together, they managed to dig out more information, namely, getting a list of Park Ha Yoon's associates, the test subjects who were still in or had recently been recruited into Mint Eye, and its current research plans and results.
Saeyoung seemed to be left at a complete loss after reading the many proposals attached in Park Ha Yoon's emails to the government for sponsorship and research funding.
"So ultimately, it's supposed to be a drug that could be used by the army for training purposes and maintaining solidarity even in warfare?" He cussed under his breath, anger filling him at the thought of what they had subjected his brother to — all in the name of doing research for a drug like this, one that the public would never accept to be used on their sons and others fighting for their country. "It's complete whack. This guy's insane."
"And yet he's still getting funding. Some part of the government thinks there's potential in his experiments," Saeran replied grimly.
"If this information gets out, it'll be the biggest medical scandal anyone's ever seen. Just look at the list of human test subjects and the names of all the illegal substances that had been tested on them. The public will be outraged, and he'll be finished."
"Yeah," the younger twin agreed. "Mint Eye will go down for good. It'll be investigated, shut down, and things will really end then."
"So all that's left is to make this information public, right? We could get Jumin's help with that. Broadcast it to the world, let him and his career go up in flames."
"Yeah. I guess that's the easiest way to not get our hands dirty."
"I'll get Jumin on it immediately. You should go get some rest first."
"You sure?" Saeran asked, noting his brother's heavy under-eye bags. "You need to sleep."
"I will. It won't take too long to talk to Jumin." Saeyoung waved his hand at his brother to shoo him out of the room. "Go."
Saeran didn't have the energy to argue right then, so he complied and left the room. All he could think of was plopping his head down onto his fluffy pillow, closing his sore, tired eyes and staying in bed for the next two days.
But he couldn't. Not after he felt his phone buzz with a new text message and read it:
O: Meet me at the park tonight at 10PM, at the usual spot. I have something important to tell you. I'll be waiting.
He felt his cheeks warm. Something important? He wondered if it had anything to do with their relationship; but she had already promised to wait, so it couldn't be that. But then, what else could it be? Did she need some kind of help?
In any case, it was 6PM at the moment. He would have to make do with 3.5 hours of sleep then. Oh, the things he did for her...
In truth though, he was more than happy at the thought of being able to see her again. He just hoped he wouldn't oversleep.
The man proceeded to set up ten of the most obnoxious alarms he knew to make sure that he woke up on time.
This week was proving to be a shitty one and you were exhausted by the time you left the café with your laptop and the thickest book you had ever laid your hands on. This weekend was an exceptionally unforgiving one, and you couldn't wait to go home, climb into bed and let your wired brain get some rest.
You headed straight for the bus stop opposite the road, but just as you were about to step off the pavement, you heard a polite "Excuse me" and turned to find yourself staring at the face of a teenage boy. He was wearing a grey hoodie, faded blue jeans and a pair of old sports shoes. He had a black cap on that hid most of his dark brown hair.
Flashing her a sheepish smile, he asked, "Sorry to bother you, but is it okay if I borrow your phone for a short while to send a text to my parents? I lost my phone earlier today, and I'm running a bit late for dinner so they're probably worried."
"Oh, sure." You reached into your pocket to get your phone, unlocked it and tapped on the messaging app icon before handing it to him. "Here you go."
"Thank you so much, I'll be real quick," he smiled, before typing away speedily, and he was done in less than a minute as promised.
"Thanks again," he said as he returned your phone to you, "I'll be heading home now. Have a good day, ma'am!"
"You're welcome. Get home safe!"
"I will!" With a final wave and a bright smile, he turned around and jogged away.
You turned back to the road and waited for the cars to pass before crossing quickly, eager to get home as soon as possible.
The wind was unusually strong that night. It was a good thing he left the bunker in black jeans and his favourite sweater, otherwise he would be shaking like a leaf while waiting for her by the usual bench. The only problem was that the wind kept tossing his hair around like stir-fry and it was irritating having to keep reaching up to pat down the wild strands and push his fringe out of his eyes.
Bad hair days were not good days for dates. e supposed this didn't technically count as a date, but it still mattered just as much. It had been so long, and the thought of seeing her again after doing that much backbreaking work in the bunker made the air taste a bit sweeter on his tongue.
Until the wind blew and shoved his fringe back into his eyes.
Damn it. The weather was really not agreeing with him tonight.
After rearranging his hair for the thousandth time, Saeran pulled out his phone to check the time. 22:09. She was late. He hoped nothing had happened to her. It was late at night and on hindsight, he really should have gone to get her at the lobby of her apartment building to walk her to the park. A lot of shady characters tended to show up at night and she was a young, beautiful woman; a prime target.
He was about to send her a text to ask if she was safely on her way, but stopped when he heard an eerily familiar voice.
"She's not coming."
With a sharp inhale, Saeran jerked around, and saw a younger boy standing a fair distance away from him.
His blood ran cold, and a chill ran down his spine. There was no need for the boy to remove his cap and reveal his face and the green highlights in his dark hair for Saeran to recognize who it was. He had worked by this boy's side for years now; there was no way he wouldn't recognize his face, or his voice, even if it had grown slightly deeper than he last remembered.
"Sejun..." The name left his tongue in a near-whisper.
A tiny smile lifted the boy's lips as he stepped forward slowly, with his hands in his pockets.
"Hey Saeran, it's been a while."
The redhead was too shocked to speak. It had been so long since he last spoke to Sejun. The boy had grown a bit taller, and his hair had grown out a fair bit. The once mint green highlights in his hair had faded into a dull green.
"You've changed. I didn't think you would remember my name. Well, I guess it's only been over a year, so you shouldn't have forgotten yet," Sejun continued. He had always been a good talker.
"What are you doing here?" Saeran questioned.
"I had to talk to you alone," he replied simply, stopping once he was just two steps away from Saeran. "It's about something important."
It was then that Saeran realised the implication of Sejun's first words. "She's not coming." How did he know that Saeran was going to meet with her?
The realization came hard like a hammer to his skull, the force of it causing Saeran to grit his teeth and narrow his eyes into a sharp glare. This was Mint Eye, and apparently leaving it for over a year had made him forget just how dangerous the organization was. The mere thought of her being put in any form of danger because of him sent rage coursing through his veins.
"What did you do with her?" he demanded, voice lowering dangerously.
"Calm down, I didn't touch her," Sejun replied with his hands slightly raised, though he didn't seem at all fazed by Saeran's menacing glare or venomous tone. "I just borrowed her phone to send you this text so that you would come meet me. Otherwise, I wouldn't know if I could get you to come alone without your brother or other friends spying on us."
"How did you find her?"
"I've been told to keep my eye on you for a while now. I know that she's important to you. She's your girlfriend, right? She's pretty. And she seems awfully into you, but you two aren't even holding hands yet. What's up with that?"
"Cut the crap," the redhead snapped. "What do you want?"
"Nothing much really," Sejun answered with a smile, a mischievous glint in his eyes. He must have been waiting for Saeran to ask. "I've just been told to get you back to Mint Eye."
Back to Mint Eye. Memories of the past — the chants of "For eternal paradise" that disciples would recite like a mantra every day, the blind obedience and service he offered to his Saviour in the belief that she cared for him and loved him, the hatred that he was taught and trained to have for his brother, the late nights spent in the small workroom in front of his computer... He remembered it all — the horrors of the things he had been put through and subject other people to in that dark, wretched place. In fact, it still felt too real whenever he thought about it. He remembered how he used to be: bloodthirsty for vengeance, desperate for some sort of acknowledgement by staying up and working even when he was down with a high fever, and violent.
It's all in the past, he told himself, when he felt his hands begin to shake. He was safe now, he was reunited with his brother, he had a sister called MC, friends in the RFA, and he had her, a sweet, beautiful woman whom he wanted to hold in his arms and protect for the rest of his life.
Saeran wanted to laugh. Who was he kidding? The day he met Rika, he became trapped. Mint Eye would never let him go.
At least, not until it was completely and utterly destroyed. He wanted nothing more than for the building to burn to the ground, to see the ashes of years of fucking research to fly through the air like snowflakes and to hear the sound of cuffs clicking on the ones who had damned him and so many others to a living hell.
"I'm not going back," Saeran said resolutely.
"Traitor," Sejun snarled. "You should be groveling at the Saviour's feet to be allowed back to paradise, but you're turning your back on us? On everything we believe in?"
"Mint Eye's saviour was shipped off to Alaska a year ago," Saeran replied coldly. "There's no one to serve anymore."
"Oh, but there is. A new saviour has been chosen since our previous one failed us all. She was too soft, and wasn't able to fulfill her destiny to bring us all to eternal paradise. But Park Ha Yoon will. He will save our black, rotting souls and give us true salvation."
"It's the Elixir that's making you talk. Don't you see? All those promises of salvation are just filthy lies to get you to do his work."
"No, it's you who doesn't understand," Sejun stated. "You are not being given a choice here. I'm notasking you; I'm telling you that you're going to go back to Mint Eye to serve loyally like you used to. What happens to your beloved girlfriend next will depend on your next response, so tread carefully."
In a fit of anger, Saeran closed the distance between them and grabbed Sejun by the collar. "You touch a single strand of her hair and I will make sure you regret it," he growled. "Stay the fuck away from her, and don't come looking for me again."
Just then, he felt the tip of something sharp against his back, pressing hard enough for it to hurt but not enough to break his skin through the fabric of his clothes.
"Or, I could just incapacitate you right here and now, haul you back to Mint Eye and while you're staying in the dungeon, I'll pay a quick visit to your girlfriend. Which will it be?"
Saeran's grip slowly loosened on Sejun's shirt until the boy was able to step away and pulled the knife he had brought with him away from Saeran's back. He twirled it around with his fingers. "You didn't actually think I'd come unarmed, did you?"
Saeran maintained his stony glare at the boy, saying nothing.
"You're coming back to us," Sejun said, meeting his eyes evenly. "Because you don't want anyone you love to get hurt."
"Why do you crazy bastards want me to go back?"
Sejun's lips curled up into a smile. "The Savior believes you are still of some use to us."
"Fuck that. If you're talking about hacking, I haven't done it in a long time."
"Doesn't matter. You can pick it up again. Your brain should be able to handle that much."
"...Give me some time to think about this."
"Time is a resource that the Saviour doesn't have." Sejun reached into his pocket and held up a vial of a bright solution.
"Drink it. The Elixir. And remember the sweetness of eternal paradise."
Memories of his first time drinking this came flooding back: he was being held in a dungeon, restrained by the cloaked disciples and having elixir poured down his face and shoved into his mouth, forcing him to swallow the disgustingly sweet yet bitter liquid if he didn't want to suffocate and die. The same feeling of dread, fear and nausea began rising up in him, and unable to stop it, he fell to his knees and started retching his guts out.
"Disgusting," Sejun muttered as he watched, standing over the man. "You're worthless trash, and that's all you'll ever be."
Worthless. Nothing. Garbage. Disgusting. Monster.
Those were the words his mother used to call him, and the things that Rika would say to him when he wasn't good enough — which he never was.
When he was done, and the taste of bitter acid and vomit was all he could taste in his mouth, he felt his hair being tugged up roughly to force his face to meet Sejun's.
"Now drink this, and you'll feel better."
As he accepted the vial with trembling fingers, despite the chaos in his mind, Saeran thought of his brother, MC, the RFA, and his beloved girl. He couldn't even call her his girlfriend, he thought bitterly. Her beautiful smile surfaced in his mind, and with ragged breaths, he muttered, "Promise she'll be safe. That no one will hurt her."
"If you come back and do as we say, she'll be safe."
"Then fine." With tears in his eyes, he popped open the glass bottle and downed the bittersweet liquid, trying his best not to throw up another time when it stung his throat as he forced every last drop down.
For eternal paradise.
A/N: I do miss hearing you guys scream in agony... :)
Next chapter is going to be pretty long, and I've only finished writing the first portion of it, so I'll take maybe 2-3 days more to finish writing. Sorry! And thanks for reading again dearies 3 Hope your day hasn't been completely ruined by this update!