The Sun to my Moon

Chapter 44: Act one

"Cha Dal-geon and I aren't lovers," Haeri said flatly. "I don't believe this. You want us to act out some crazy drama for your enjoyment? For the love of God, just upgrade to a better Netflix subscription."

"This isn't exactly the cooperative spirit I was envisioning, Haeri-ssi," Samael admonished her. "Now, are you going to play nicely? You did say you would read your lines as they were given to you."

"What is the point of this?" She huffed impatiently. "How does me 'reading my lines' benefit you in any way?"

"The rest of the story hinges on ensuring the setup is executed properly. How will the audience believe our hero's suffering is genuine in Act Two: The Hero Repents, if he has nothing to lose at the beginning of the story?"

"He has nothing to repent for. What did he do to you that was so terrible? A long time ago, he called you names on television. Big deal. Get over it."

"He said vile things about me for his own personal gain."

"He called you an ugly, tormented man, and a lonely, sad soul." She met his gaze levelly. "You know why I think you're so angry at him? Because every word he said was true."

"He presumed to make a mockery of me," Samael said. "I could not allow such disrespectful conduct to go unanswered."

"He's done nothing to you but speak the truth, and you've destroyed his life in repayment for those words uttered in less than a moment," she said dismissively. "You've done more than enough to him. Leave him alone."

"Shiro. Andwaeyo," Samael said coolly. "I will have my satisfaction from him."

"I've called him a jackass, a son of a bitch, and the bane of my existence, and you know what? He's never once felt the need to hurt me for those words to feel better about himself. He's a thousand times the man you are," she said scornfully.

"Cha Dal-geon has taught you well," Samael said with a cold smile. "It seems you have become nearly as practiced at sleight of hand and diversionary tactics as he is. However, I will not allow you to distract me from the task at hand. You shall pay for your insolence later. Happily, your punishment will coincide with Cha Dal-geon's. For now, I have a service that I require of you. You know my request. Please proceed."

Haeri hesitated.

He waved his hand negligently in her direction, the other still holding onto the sleeping Namjoon. "Tell Cha Dal-geon the secrets of your heart. Tell him that truth which you've been fighting so long you can barely acknowledge it to yourself."

"He already knows," she said sharply.

"Ah, I think you're wrong there, Haeri-ssi," Samael said, clearly enjoying himself. "Even the most perceptive man has his blind spot, after all. He's buried his hope deep, ruthlessly denying himself the luxury of permitting it to rise to the surface, to see the light of day. He knows he doesn't deserve to have his hopes answered, and so he has never allowed himself to see that what he so desperately desires is already within his grasp."

Haeri followed his gaze to Dal-geon, who was looking back at her in mingled hope and sadness.

Samael spoke again. "My patience wears thin."

His grip on Namjoon tightened. The kid whimpered and woke up. He looked up at Samael in surprise and consternation to find his once friendly playmate was hurting him, and began to cry in earnest.

"Namjoonie!" Haeri cried. "Shin Samael, you sick bastard, leave him alone!"

"Stopping me is entirely within your power, Haeri-ssi," he responded calmly. "All you have to do is tell Cha Dal-geon how you feel about him, and I will let the boy go."