Sorry for the long ass hiatus. Lol. Here's a new chapter :D

The glare in Jang Hyuk's eyes was so tangible. The ward mother could feel it in her bones. His look was hard, unforgiving, and telling; he didn't want to go with this Japanese couple. He sat across from them at a small table in the meeting room where prospective parents would talk a bit with their prospective child. Neither party said one word, Jang Hyuk too busy glaring and the couple too busy keeping their smile hitched to say much. The ward mother pondered; they hadn't said one thing when they presented the papers to her. What would they want with a Korean child who didn't speak Japanese? Did they even speak Korean? Her question was soon answered.

"What is your name?" The woman said through gleaming teeth and severely affected pronunciation. Jang Hyuk sat stony-faced, refusing to look her in the eye, but answered. Respect was something even a moody and awkward five year old understood. Strangely, his voice trembled a little. The ward mother shook it off as being nervous in front of prospective parents.

"My name is Jang Hyuk."

"What about your last name?"

"I don't know."

The ward mother interrupted. "It's Yoon."

The creepiness in their smiles increased, if that could happen.

Now the man, with an even worse accent than his female counterpart. "We are the Mitsuhashis."

"…"

Woman. "We would like to be your mommy and daddy."

Man. "We live in Japan. We have lots of toys for you. And we have a big house for you to play around in."

Woman. "We also have a little daughter. She and you can be fr—"

"Why do you want me? I'm not special. I'm not interesting. I can't even speak Japanese."

The ward mother stared at Jang Hyuk. Usually he was very respectful, even to people he didn't like. This sudden burst was very uncharacteristic. She took a closer look at him. His eyes were as hard as ever. But his hands, hidden under the table were quivering. His face looked paler than usual. And his breathing was quick and nervous. The ward mother was struck. These people scared him! Actually scared him! Sure they were a little creepy, but not frightening for sure. What in the…

"We want you to be our son." The man said this, but his tone had changed. It was crueler, but that unsinkable smile was still on his face. Jang Hyuk was visibly shaken by now.

The woman. "That's all." Still the smiles remained unchanged.

"N-no. You're lying."

Jang Hyuk seemed genuinely afraid now. He was sweating and shaking. Was what he was saying true? He could just be afraid to be their new child, anyone would. But was that really reason enough to be this terrified? Then it struck her. This had to be real. Jang Hyuk had just turned five. He couldn't be faking. He couldn't be. He didn't have the experience. Never had she seen anyone so in tune with others' ulterior motives. She was just about to pull him from the meeting room when the worst possible thing could have happened.

With a roar, the man leapt from his chair, across the table. Something had appeared in his hand. It was a cloth, dripping wet. 'No!' The ward mother thought. However, before she could react, the woman, now without smiles, had grabbed the ward mother's shoulder and landed a fierce punch to the nose. The ward mother crumpled like a rag doll.

These were professionals! Professionals sent to capture a five year old? The tears that burst from her eyes clouded her vision and her thoughts. The pain shooting to the front of her head didn't allow for comprehensive thought.

However Jang Hyuk's terrified screech would ring in the ward mother's ears for years to come. Haunt her. Guilt her. Torment her to her death by suicide eight years later.

After the ward mother was incapacitated, the man easily subdued the struggling child. Right before the chloroform fumes entered his blood, Jang Hyuk's eyes had changed. Now with his fear, the realization of his complete helplessness shone through. That terrible thought made his eyes gleam bright for a moment, and then they were opaque. Jang Hyuk was down. The couple easily walked out of the orphanage. There wouldn't be anyone to stop them. The other kids were in a frenzy of fear and the other ward sisters were busy trying to calm them. The man carried the limp Jang Hyuk on his shoulder, looking simply like a father carrying his sleeping child back to his shiny BMW. The smiles were back, but an insidious satisfaction shone through them.

The ward mother fought the searing pain in her face to take a glimpse at the kidnappers. She could see them through the window, and poor Jang Hyuk's limp body being gently placed in the back seat.

Those bastards…

They drove away, leaving no trace that they were even here. Their papers were probably fakes. Their names probably weren't even real. What did they want with Jang Hyuk? What…

Her last thought wasn't finished. She blacked out before then.

She never did see Jang Hyuk again.