Kintsugi // ATEEZ [Ishihara Sequel] ✔

26 Invasion

"Is there really no way for us to directly find out who are the ones still alive?"

"Like we said, we saw the destruction faced by Ileara when we went back there, but we didn't explore the whole kingdom. Everything just seemed so... barren that we assumed there was no one left." Haneul looks into the distance, the flashes of memory coming back. "But it's not impossible for someone to be alive."

"We just don't know where to find them," Garam utters.

Wooyoung looks from his father to his mother before he sighs then takes their hands in his. He hugs them, a farewell before they descend the mountain to head to their next destination.

"I promise you," he mumbles. "After San gets better and the condition of our kingdom improves, I'll invite you to live over at the palace. Together with Yeohan, all three of you."

"We don't deserve to live such a life," Haneul says. "We don't want to get in your way."

Wooyoung shakes his head hastily, denying whatever she said. "I told you that I've already forgiven both of you, and that I want to put the past behind us." He looks over their shoulders to see Yeohan, his little brother peeking at him as he stands at the front door. "I want us to live together as a family, and it doesn't matter if it's years late. I'm happy that I've found all of you, alive and well."

Haneul and Garam look at each other before slowly nodding. "But before that... are you going to find the remaining living people of Ileara?"

"We will try," Wooyoung says. "We don't have much time."

"It's going to be really dangerous," Garam interjects, "you're dealing with something far more powerful than you can handle."

Wooyoung smiles sadly. "San is my childhood friend, he was there when I needed someone. It's my responsibility to bring him back. I can't bear to watch him lose himself, even if it means I have to sacrifice myself." He looks down when he feels a tug at his shirt, and sees that Yeohan is staring at him with huge, round eyes. He crouches to be on the same level as his younger brother. "What is it, Yeohan?"

"Are you coming back?" Yeohan blinks as he pushes his lips outward. "I still want to play with you."

Wooyoung cups his younger brother's face before nodding, fighting back his tears. "Of course I am," he manages. "Once I come back here, I'll bring all of us to a new home, and you can meet new friends too." He sniffs, "You promised me to stay safe, didn't you? You also promised me to take care of mother and father."

"Yes!" he chirps, while Haneul and Garam look on with their hearts a mixture of happiness and pain. "I'll keep my promise, and you have to keep your promise too, okay?"

The older nods while chuckling, even though his eyes are opposite of what he's expressing. His heart feels heavy to leave them when he has found them after years, but he has something more urgent that he needs to do. Despite wanting to bring them together with him back to the palace, he knows that it won't be the best idea considering how the situation there is unstable. What he can do is to find the cure for San's curse as soon as possible, somehow find a way to pull it out of him before things go south. Next, he can probably feel what it's like to have a blood-related family.

What he hopes is that now won't be the last time he'll set his eyes upon his family.

"Wooyoung, we have to go," Hongjoong approaches him, slightly bowing his head to the former's family. "Thank you for your hospitality," he addresses them. He smiles, "I'm glad that Wooyoung has found back his family."

"We have to thank you for taking the chances of finding us," Garam says. "Or else we'll only be watching our son from afar."

For one more time Wooyoung hugs them, gives the tightest hug to his younger brother before hopping on behind Mingi, the time spent with them feeling too short than the actual time he had to suffer without them. He keeps on waving to them even as the horse has moved forward until they disappear from his view. He sighs as he turns back to the front, leaning against Mingi's back.