His nose stung from the sharp smell as fingers carded through his hair, rinsing out all of the dye off his scalp. The cool water soothed the burning sensation, and slowly, the smell of ammonia disappeared down the drain. The water ran down his face, and he had to scrunch his eyes closed to keep the water out. All he could hear was the sound of the water hitting the metal sink, and running water.
Kang cupped a few handfuls of water onto his nape, his hand scrubbing away the dye before it stained his skin further. It was a somber task. While most of the time, Ijin was sure that Kang would have taken the chance to be annoying by spraying water, there was no fooling around. It was completely silent and Ijin was grateful for it.
Kang turned off the water, "There we go, "Majors Kang's voice was gentle as a towel was placed around his shoulders. Slowly, he stood up, rubbing the towel over his face before he used it to dry his hair, "this should help." quietly, he nodded his head in agreement.
He knew that his silver hair was very distinct, that's why he would wear a Shemagh when he was a mercenary. While he did blend in a little bit more in the city, he still caught some attention for its unique color, especially with the older generation since they thought it was artificial. He was used to the act of hiding his hair color, though this was the first time he was dying it a different color.
Pinching a strand of hair in front of his eyes, he did confirm that his hair was black as he wanted. It looked a little bit artificial, but when people would be looking for his silver hair, he would be able to go under the radar for quite some time. Just the fact that he would be able to hide with greater ease made his anxiety decrease some.
"Thanks." Ijin's voice was quiet, just the smallest notes of being strained after the past few days. After that phone call with his grandfather, after the way his grandfather had heartlessly rejected him, it had taken him a few hours to feel okay again. His eyes still burned from the tears he shed, and it felt like he didn't have the energy to do much, but he dealt with it.
Either way, it's not like he had a choice. The only thing he could do at that point was to soldier on. To push all of his emotions away again in favor of focusing on the now and then.
The major waved off his thanks, "Don't mention it. Do you have everything?" Kang glanced over at the clock anxiously, taking note of the way they only had less than an hour left together.
After Ijin had collected himself, he was quick to call the 006 and 032 he had mentioned earlier. And apparently, those two were already on their way to collect Ijin, they already had methods to get in and out of the country. All they had to do was pick him up, and then they would be on their way into hiding.
Which led them to the current situation.
Kang watched with a frown as Ijin slowly put on his jacket, a distant look on his face as he thought about whatever was in his head.
It was absolutely heartbreaking to see what his own grandfather had done to him. While Dayeon had made it known that she still loved her brother, it didn't lessen the pain of being rejected three times any better. Not only did his friends (initially) push him away, but Ijin had to deal with the heartache of his grandfather pushing him away twice.
Ideally, he would have preferred that Ijin stayed with him for a little bit longer. He knew Ijin, and he cared for the little shit, so he wouldn't have let anything happen to the young man. But at the same time, Ijin knew the camp the best, so he wasn't going to question his actions too much.
Perhaps some time away would do him some good? It would give him some distance away from everything, and maybe some time with his past teammates would help him heal.
As much as he cared for Ijin, there wasn't much he could do to help Ijin soothe the pain that had been inflicted by his own grandfather. He could show Ijin emotional and physical support, but until Ijin took that step to accept the pain to start healing from it, he couldn't provide much help.
Sighing to himself, he asked, "Are your friends going to be there?"
Just as quietly as he had done before, Ijin nodded his head, "Yeah." He had texted the others about his departure, and much to his surprise, it was Seokju who organized everything so they could see him before he left.
After Seokju had damn near yelled at him for 'scaring the shit out of everyone and dropping off the face of the planet without telling us where you were.'
Which was fair. Ijin really had dropped off the face of the planet in their eyes. Especially since it had taken two days for Ijin to get his phone back after storming out of Yeongchans place. For all intents and purposes, it truly looked like Ijin had disappeared.
Kang nodded his head in approval, "Good." It would do the kid some good to have his friends there to say goodbye. If anything, at least one of them would figure something out a way to get Dayeon there to say goodbye, despite the ungodly hour they were leaving at.
He watched as Ijin carefully packed away the little mementos he could take with him. Unfortunately, that meant that he was leaving most of his stuff behind, all of the pictures, keychains, clothes, and plushies he had collected over the past year were all put away in Kang's closet. In fact, the only thing Ijin could afford to take was his wallet, which had small pictures of him, his sister, his friends, and Kang himself. He either couldn't afford it or didn't want to risk losing anything else.
Making up his mind, he called Ijin over. If the kid couldn't take most of his mementos, he at least had to give him something.
Ijin just watched as the older man pulled something off his neck. He had a determined look on his face as he held it out to Ijin, "Take them." His dog tags clicked against each other and dulled silver jangling. Ijin blinked in surprise, his eyes flicking between the necklace and Kang.
It was his dog tags.
He furrowed his brow, "I can't." He knew that the Major would get in trouble if he gave his dog tags away. He knew that they were important to the man, he'd once seen the major turn the barracks upside down when he realized that he misplaced his dog tags. Just the fact that the others had helped him look for it only emphasized the significance the tags had.
They were extremely important to the major.
His refusal did not deter the man at all, "You can." Kang said quietly, a tone of fondness in his voice as he said, "I'll get in trouble if I don't have these, "Ijin stayed still as Kang put the chains over his head, and a shiver went down his spine when he felt the cold metal touch his chest, "so make sure you come and give them back, ok?"
Ah.
He could see what he was doing.
Kang wasn't saying it outright, but giving Ijin his dog tags was his way of making Ijin promise that he was going to come back. That he was going to handle everything life was throwing at him, and that after everything was said and done, Ijin was going to come back and return the dog tags.
After everything that had happened with his grandfather, his chest tightened at the action. It was small, but it was an act of affection that made him feel just ever so slightly better.
Swallowing thickly, it took everything he had to make his voice sound normal as he said, "I will." No matter what happened next, he wanted to come back home. To his friends, family, and the lifestyle he cherished.
Kang smiled, and before Ijin could protest, Kang took his bag from him and started walking towards the door." Let's go."
It was small things like that, that made his chest tighten. Just the small things that showed the affection the older man had for him, made him feel better.
He may not have a place with his grandfather.
But at least he knew that he always had a place with Major Kang.
For his liking, he arrived at the pickup point far too fast. The drive had been silent for the most part, other than Ijin answering a few questions, they hadn't talked much. Yet, it wasn't uncomfortable, it was like the two of them were just quietly enjoying the little time they had together left. Just enjoying each other's company throughout the ride.
They had agreed to meet at the edge of the city, where they would later take off to drive to a port on the other side of the country. Their plan, for now, was to lay low in Japan for a few months, since Japan had a very low crime rate and it was difficult for guns to be smuggled in. 006 and 032 would definitely stand out since they're going to be obvious foreigners, but Ijin at the least would be able to blend in a little bit more. All three of them were going to have to learn Japanese, but after everything they had gone through, it was going to be easy.
They pulled up to the abandoned building, and the back of Ijin's throat tightened when he saw 006, 032, Seokju, Yeona, Yeongchan, and Hyeokjin standing together. Jaehyung or Dayeon weren't there, which made him sad once again, but he knew that he needed to compose himself if he wanted to make it a short, and eventless departure. He and the others needed as much time as possible to get to the port before camp supporters found out where he was.
Kang pulled up right next to them, and he saw everyone's eyebrows go up when they saw his newly dyed black hair.
"Ugh, "032 rolled his eyes as if he was annoyed, "We should have thought to dye our hair." The jab made him smile just the tiniest bit, the way 006 flicked his brother only relaxed the situation even more.
"It's not my fault you two are idiots." Ijin snarked back, getting a smile out of 006 and 032. At last, Ijin turned to the others, who were just standing there silently waiting for their turn. For a second, all they could do was stare at each other awkwardly, everyone but Ijin shuffling on their feet as they scrambled for something to say.
It was almost a godsend when Hyeokjin broke the silence, "Sorry." The teen rubbed the back of his neck as he averted his eyes, staring at a random point in the night, "We weren't able to convince Jaehyung to come. We weren't able to bring your sister either." Ijin would tell from his tone that Hyeokjin was sincere in that apology, and the way the others were nodding along only reaffirmed that.
"It's okay." He scowled as he swatted away Seokju's hand which had been tugging at his hair curiously, "I don't want Dayeon to get in trouble with our grandfather. Jaehyung…" He trailed off. Jaehyung had truly said some hurtful things. There was no denying that. But after the letter, and everything that had happened with his own grandfather.
Well, if he could find it in himself to still hold some love for his grandfather, who had already regretted his survival of the crash, he could forgive Jaehyung. His words were hurtful, but not as hurtful as being disowned and given away to Kang.
"Tell him thanks for the letter."
The comment about his grandfather had caught their attention, "Wait, why would she get in trouble with your grandfather?" Seokju asked innocently, a concerned look on his face.
"Is that why they're not here?" Yeona followed up and now it was Yeongchans turn to nervously ask, "You didn't tell them that you were leaving?"
"I…when he found out about the article, "He took a deep breath to steady his nerves, "My grandfather kicked me out of the house. I've been staying with Major Kang for the past couple of days." He saw them go through a range of emotions, all of them ranging from surprise to downright anger.
"Wait seriously?"
"Well do you have everything you need? Do you need anything?"
"Yeah, we can go grab your stuff now if you need it."
He smiled at their eagerness, touched by the way they were willing to do so much for him, "No, I have everything. He…grandfather left my stuff outside for me to grab. Everything else is at Major Kang's house." That was enough for them to look upset again.
Again, Seokju circled back to the topic, "Why did he kick you out? It's not your fault at all."
Everyone told him that, but in the end, it was his fault.
He had been the one to make the decision to not tell his family. He was the one who was foolish enough to believe that his secret would remain a secret for the rest of his life. He should have known better, he should have known that his past wouldn't remain a secret forever, especially with the way the people from his past were hunting him down.
It was his fault that his grandfather was doing this. All he had to do was confide in the older man and let him know how he really grew up.
Ijin couldn't fault his grandfather for keeping him away from Dayeon.
After all, didn't he do the same to 032 and 006?
Swallowing away the knot in his throat, he answered Seokju's question, "He doesn't care." It hurt to admit that his grandfather didn't care anymore, "He's just upset that I didn't tell him the truth but…I didn't know how to tell him." How was he supposed to tell him? Sure his grandfather had told him that he understood that Ijin was going to have secrets and that he was willing to wait as long as needed. But it was obvious that those words had been sweet nothings. Just empty promises that had been forgotten as soon as his past had been revealed.
His emotional state must have shown on his face, because Hyeokjin stepped in almost immediately, "Drop it, "Hyeokjin gave them a firm look, and thankfully, everyone else nodded in agreement, "Lets not make this any harder. How long are you going to be gone?"
God, he was going to miss them.
Internally thankful that they were moving away from the raw topic, he forced his throat to be steady, "A few months at least, "Their faces dropped, "just until everything dies down. A few people might come around looking for me. You guys are the only ones who know my real name, don't answer their questions." Ijin didn't think they would come to Korea after they left, but it was just a precaution.
The last thing he needed was for one of his friends to get interrogated because his pursuers made the false assumption that they knew where he was. Ijin wouldn't find out about that until he returned so he wouldn't be able to help.
Seokju's eyebrows were furrowed as he asked, "Why would they come looking for you?"
006, who has been listening to their conversation off to the side, cut in, "001-I mean Ijin, deserted the camp." Everyone gave him almost startled looks at 006's words, "No one is allowed to leave the camp. The three of us faked our deaths to escape, but now that everyone knows he's alive, they're going to try and hunt him down."
Ijin could see the severity of the situation dawning on everyone, and another round of worried looks was being sent his way.
032 followed his brother up, "That's how we found 001, my brother was ordered to kill him. Though 001 just helped him fake his death, and mine too when I tried to kill him for killing 006."
They were all staring at them, except for Kang, who was just face-palming at 032's bluntness.
"You…you guys have one fucked up friendship," Seokju said slowly, looking stressed on Ijin's behalf.
Ijin shrugged his shoulders, "It wasn't personal."
006 and 032 nodded in agreement.
"Orders are orders."
"We wouldn't have escaped otherwise."
For some reason, that made everyone look like they were asking a higher power for patience.
The sound of tires going over gravel made them look up, and within seconds, he and Hyeokjin were able to identify the car that was coming in.
It was Jaehyung.
They exchanged looks, and before anyone could suggest anything, his car came to a stop.
Dayeon came flying out of the passenger's side.
Ijin barely had the time to brace himself before Dayeon slammed into his body, her arms threatening to squeeze the life out of him.
Without a second thought, he hugged her back just as tightly, tears already forming as he did so. He had to blink them away before they spilled, but good god was he grateful that she was there.
No words were said between the two of them, none needed to be said as they clung onto each other, both of them truly saddened at the way their family had been torn apart by both outside and inside forces.
Dayeon took a shaky breath and giving him a final, languid squeeze, she pulled away. All he could see in the moonlight was the wet streak of tears on her cheeks as she turned to the brothers, "Take care of him. Please." Her voice was full of desperation, and it was a genuine plea.
006 gave her a smile, "We won't let anything happen to him."
032 nodded in agreement, "He helped us, we'll help him."
Swallowing thickly, Ijin gave them a firm nod, truly thankful that they were helping him comfort his sister even though they didn't need to.
The sound of a car door closing made all of them look up, most of them internally wincing when they saw that it was Jaehyung, awkwardly standing by his car.
Ijin started walking towards Jaehyung before anyone could stop him and fascinated, they all watched as Ijin walked up to him.
Then they collectively winced when they saw Ijin punch Jaehyung hard enough to knock him onto his ass. The impact had been loud enough for them to hear it, which only emphasized how hard Ijin had hit him.
"That's gonna hurt like a bitch, "006 hissed out, a grimace on his face as he rubbed his jaw, remembering how it hurt when Ijin had punched him in the past.
Then they blinked in surprise when they saw Ijin extend a hand to the redhead, easily pulling him onto his feet and patting his shoulder. The two of them started walking back to the group, Jaehyung rubbing his jaw the entire time.
Alright, it looks like that was that, and all was forgiven.
Honestly, they didn't know what they expected from Ijin.
Glancing down at his phone, 032 huffed when he saw the time, "We have to go." He announced to the group, much to everyone's disappointment, " We won't make it to Busan on time if we don't."
Ijin huffed, "Right." And again, Dayeon was wrapping her arms around him, only this time, Yeongchan and Yeona were accompanying her, all three of them giving him a tight hug. Smiling, he hugged them back.
Dayeon lingered the longest, but once she let go, Ijin accepted a sincere 'You better not kick the bucket' from Hyeokjin, a smile from Seokju, and an awkward fistbump from Jaehyung.
"We'll take care of her, "Seokju said quietly, already standing behind Dayeon in that protective stance he usually reserved for Yeona, "We won't let anything happen." Seokju was speaking for everyone, because they all gave him firm nods at that, showing their determination to help protect his sister.
These guys really were the best.
A hand clapped down onto his shoulder, and when he looked over, he could barely see the major smiling at him, "Get going." He said with a jerk of his head, "Before we all start crying."
Ijin huffed as he returned the smile.
He was right.
They really would start crying if they prolonged their departure any longer, and they needed all the type they could get for the trip.
Kang pulled him into another hug, and as much as Ijin wanted to melt into the warmth and security he provided, he pulled away, Kang's hand lingering on his shoulder as he did so.
Refusing to give in to his emotions, Ijin turned to the waiting brothers, "Let's go."
"Let's go." 006 parroted, already turning towards the car.
"Yeah." 032 was quick to follow his brother.
And just like that, with a final wave to everyone, they were in the car, driving off toward Busan. His friends and family watched them as 006 drove back onto the main road.
Ijin sighed.
He's going to be back if he's got anything to say about it.
