Chapter Text
" we've been through this .. I can't give up the entire custody to you!! " the young lady yelled, drowning the man before her into a state of disbelief and madness.
" you think I'd let you pour all this venom into my child ?! Look at yourself seung rin. People can smell your poisonous scent miles away. If you believe I will let my kid remain in your life after all those fucking chances I gave you then you must be ignorant as hell!! " the young man responded, reasoning out as much as he could for the sake of the child.
" Haneul suffered long enough with you, cried his eyes out begging for you to notice his existence. To feed his needs!! To show care and love like any normal mother!!! A mother seung rin, that's all he wishes for. Not a fucking drunk mess that not only ruins her own life but those around her as well!! But what did you do?.. you just stood around and watched him. You watched him as his sponge of a brain absorbed every action you took and every word you said till it sent him in a maze that he will forever be stuck in. You made him age up in mind but remain a child in appearance. You ruined our only pride." he added, shouting these words out with a shaky voice, tears in his eyes and shaking, thankful however that he had the courage to voice them out.
" you know nothing of my life. Nothing of the pain I had to deal with every day for the rest of my life. The decision I took years ago and still haunts me till this day.. " she voiced out with a soft tone, yet with a cold expression.
" the day you chose to marry me. " he figured it out, pulling out a sad smile, almost unnoticeable. But the pain that struck him definitely is.
" but I never asked you to say yes. I never asked you to have a child with me.. I never asked you to love me .. to stay with me." he lifted his face up, eyes red and puffed out as the tears streamed down his face. However, remained a strong posture.
" I gave you a choice. And what did you choose ?.. "
She remained silent, gulped and tossed her head back to fight the tears.
" what did you choose???!!!!! " he yelled impatiently, eyes widening as the anger wrapped him up. " you chose this life.. you chose me. Chose to love me, marry me. Have a child and a future with me. We agreed to remain strong .. to always find a way, to love each other when hope slowly dies. To never lose it all for the sake of Haneul but look at us now!! "
" I didn't have a choi- " the man interrupted her as he threw a punch at the wall, startling the boy on the other side of the wall.
" you always had a choice but you were dumb enough to always choose wrong. The only thing that seemed right to you were these life distractions.. you forgot reality. The reality where you had a husband who loved you to death and a son that saw you as a goddess but none of that mattered to you did it. " the man coldly stated, not aware that his child was bursting in tears behind those walls.
" had?.. w-what do you mean had what does that mean!!? " Seung Rin panicked, her eyes searching for an answer.
The man slid his ring off his finger and tossed it on the table beside him before he fixed his gaze towards her.
" means it's all over Seung Rin. You won't have to keep on regretting the choices you made in the past because.. I'll rewrite history. Starting now"
without any second thoughts, he left to grab whatever is left from this sickening place and save the last pieces from his heart.
He went upstairs and hurriedly shoved most of his, and his son's belongings in the luggage, ignoring the constant protests and cries coming out of Seung Rin as if he shut down his senses.
Bumping into her shoulder, he left to find Haneul but his world soon came crashing down when he didn't see any sign of his child in his room.
The parents panicked and went through every part of the house hoping and praying to find their child but it was no use.
What they didn't know is that.. the 6th year old soon broke into a state of emptiness. His mind went blank and he unconsciously left the house. They couldn't hear his footsteps due to their loud voices shielding them.
Haneul's mind was different from every other child's .. he observed too much. He went deep through every detail of his thoughts. Something a child wouldn't do at such a young age. He questioned so many things. Things that adults questioned as well. His mind never matched his body.. he wasn't a child when it came to his inner self.
His mind went chaotic as he walked emotionless along the cold dark streets of gwangju. Tossing and turning over the earlier happenings. It was too much for him and it slowly killed him inside .. it hurt him that he was born into such a harsh world. Haneul was always grateful to his father but he always found him a complete different person when he was around his mother.
It's like a complete shift from the bright sun to an intimidating darkness. And it intimidated him as well.. he always pondered over what reasons his mother couldn't learn to love him. Why she never tried, but at some points he believed that he was a mistake .. Yet his father always proved him wrong, which sent him into complete confusion once again.
But he never has to worry about anything anymore.
He never has to go through this pain ever again.
Haneul.. is heavenly free.
~~~~~~~~~~
" this is all on you Hoseok! " Seung rin shouted, feeling frustrated after having both of them looking around everywhere for Haneul for what seemed like an eternity.
" cut the crap. You don't belong with us anymore, I'm starting over with hi- what are you looking at? " Hoseok's eyebrows crashed in confusion but soon followed her gaze towards a large crowd, surrounding something.
The lights of the police car and the ambulance soon were visible to Hoseok as he slowly approached the crowd and pushed his way in.
How he wished it was a nightmare
Soon to be awake to embrace him in his arms.
To remind him like he always did everyday,
that it will be alright.
That he'll always be there.
He'll always be his guardian.
But that promise shattered to pieces.
Like the last pieces of his heart.
Hoseok couldn't move, he felt as if his body got paralyzed. He held his breath and his vision got blurry after he witnessed.. Haneul.
His son's corpse on the cold blooded street.
Hoseok went into a complete state of denial when he saw the medics approaching with a white sheet.
He managed to convince his body to move towards them and snatch away the sheet, leaving the medics in confusion.
" sir please hand the sheet back and back away. You're causing disturbance to the civilians. " the first medic stated, feeling uneasy.
" why would you cover my son with that?.. he's okay he's just messing around with his daddy. " Hoseok went past the medics and dropped down to his knees, pulling Haneul onto his lap and embracing his blooded body tightly as he showered his head with soft kisses, stroking his child's small back.
" stop this haneul-ah.. you got daddy. This is the best prank you've ever pulled so snap out of it now.. tell me how much of a idiot I am for almost buying this .. " the man pleaded with denial, still in belief that there's a soul inside his child.
Everyone felt their hearts shatter at this scene. Some broke in tears, others left because it was too much for them to handle.
The medics respectfully stood aside, assuming Hoseok needed time with his son.
" baby wake up.. if you wake up I'll take you anywhere you want yeah??.. I'll take you to that water park u always wanted to go to! ... "
" Haneul ?.. "
" H-haneul-ah "
" please w-wake up "
Hoseok couldn't take it anymore. Reality yanked him back and he broke down in tears. Shouting and screaming his son's name.
Shaking his small blooded body and crying his eyes out, praying to god to give him a miracle.
But it was no use.
It was too late.
" I'm sorry haneul-ah I'm so f-fucking sorry baby please just please wake up please tell me this is just a game please come back to me HANEUL!!!! " hoseok shouted his lungs out causing the medics to rush towards him and grip tightly on his arms, attempting to pull him away from his son.
He struggled as much as he could but soon his muscles failed him.
Just like Haneul, Hoseok went into a state of emptiness. His mind went blank. He couldn't feel anything.. the world suddenly didn't exist around him.
The medics pushed Hoseok far enough as he dropped on the ground, his blurry vision prevented him from witnessing clearly the medics as they took the corpse of his child into the ambulance and drove away.
The crowd soon surrounded the young man, asking him if he was alright. They knew he wasn't but they had to show worry and care.
However Hoseok just stayed still, staring into nothingness. He couldn't hear anyone. He didn't want to hear anyone. He just knew that it's himself to blame.. for the rest of his life.
Standing far away was Seung Rin. She wasn't able to witness anything but soon managed to figure it out as she observed Hoseok.
Seung rin fought her tears back and turned around. A few words crossing her mind.
I'll re-write history.
" so will i.. "
" it's all on me .. " the young lady slid off the ring off her finger and gently placed it on the ground. Her hands started to shake as tears streamed down her face.
She dropped on her knees, her forehead on the cold concrete ground as she cried her eyes out, pain clenching her heart.
" I'm sorry.. Haneul-ah.. I'm sorry baby.. "
Hoseok's emotionless self managed to turn around, the crowd got the hint and parted away,
but he saw nothing.
He saw no one.
Yet he knew deep down that he wasn't the only one who'll be haunted by this day forever.