Shattering Dreams

Loose End: Part 1

[Disclaimer & Trigger Warning: mentions of death, anxiety enducing, lengthy-read. this story is purely fictional, the names, faces, and locations are used for inspirational purposes in expressing written creativity. Similarities between other stories are coincidental.]

Finally, all three of them are together in one room. It had been months... perhaps years since they've seen each other:

Joonhyun leaned against one of the many bookshelves in the study room, dressed casually with his hood up as usual. His now black hair blending in with the rest of his outfit making him more of a shadow watching than a participating subject.

Jaehwa who was sitting on the black leather armchair, facing the mahogany desk, dressed in a warm toned suit. His eyes trained on the singular person sitting opposite him.

Min. The emotionless, phaseless attorney who doesn't seem to age much one could be convinced that Min is actually a vampire, bringing justice to the corrupted in a twisted sense of god complex.

The hacker remembers being back in Min's study, discussing the consequences of Jaehwa's very decision to be something higher than himself. Higher than his condition. Straining his very existence to the last morsel. Back then, the man involved in all their topics was not around, but this is different. Even the way they carried themselves is different, Joonhyun swore he could almost see how Jaehwa is mirroring Min, was it to spite him? Or was it because of his habit of mirroring people he likes.

"What is this about?" Min's voice reverberates across the quiet room, almost startling Joonhyun from his thoughts and gaining Jaehwa's attention long enough for an answer, "I just wanted to visit you guys... Since we were given a vacation week, and I haven't seen you guys for awhile now..." Jaehwa's dark eyes trained on Min for a second before it found its way to Joonhyun with an endearing smile.

Joonhyun returned the smile, though he was partially anxious simply because these two men don't have a history of affections accompanying business advice. Min observed his younger ward, taking in the maturity of his look, even his voice could sound deeper if he wants to. When has Jaehwa grown up? When did he act as if he had all the confidence in the world? Or was that a façade and Min is trying to find the hairline cracks of that mask.

There was another stretch of silence between the three as if cording them together in a slow suffocating grip, "The last time you said that..." Min let the statement hang over both of them, watching as Jaehwa took it with a smile, "Ah... hyung... the past is in the past..."

Interesting. "Then... how is everything?" A baited question, Min would entertain this a little longer though that doesn't stop him from trying to find an opening to Jaehwa's intentions. The younger beamed slightly, "Well... everything seems fine... we've worked hard..." this went on for a while, like an odd interrogation between the two males: Min asked the questions, Jaehwa answered though it seems as if he is dancing around the real reason.

"It seems you have everything you've ever wanted," Joonhyun observed, watching his old friend with a new interest and he wondered... Just exactly how he is fairing with so much pressure from all angles. Jaehwa turned to look at him, wide brown eyes seemed to twinkle, "Isn't it so?" that seemed to be it, the happily ever after Jaehwa was looking for. A beautiful ending to a tragic backstory. "There is just one thing I haven't figured out yet..." Jaehwa shifted to sit forward, licking his lips in anticipation while he crafted his question. It felt as if the other two were leaning forward, expecting his question to his answer-hungry thoughts.

Jaehwa's eyes slowly found Min's watchful ones, "Why are you trying to hide the truth from me?"

The question hung over them, like an oscillating dagger, indecisive as to who it will fall onto. Joonhyun's blood ran cold, his mind jumping into all of the conclusions but most importantly what did Jaehwa mean by that.

Min never broke the younger's gaze, nor did he move a muscle --- not a single one, even if he had the urge to clench his jaw, to swallow his pride or even smile at the younger's audacity to put on a show. "What do you mean?" Came his dismissive hand, reaching for one of the many reports stacked on his desk to review. Jaehwa tilted his head, "Why didn't you tell me about the Hanju Hospital?"

That gave the remaining two men a pause, as if frozen in place from the question like it was a freeze ray gun trained on them. "Hanju?" Min's blank gaze stilled for a moment before it turned to face Jaehwa. "What about Hanju Hospital?"
Joonhyun frowned, looking from Min to Jaehwa.
Why now? Why must he bring it up?

Jaehwa shrugged, "It just keeps plaguing my mind... I knew I interned there once... and had a freak accident before I decided to forfeit my degree..." A vicious truth only half concealed by the fact that Jaehwa's memories have been tampered with and Min-as he understood-had the key to unlocking it. "But I have no idea why... then I wondered if you knew anything about it... you after all, was with me that time too..." the younger pointed out a very good point, every trouble Jaehwa had unwillingly found himself in, Min was there to pick him up and dust him off.

"I thought you would know... what exactly happened back then..." The attorney assumed; it was Jaehwa's turn to bait him in. He shook his head, "See... that's the thing... memories become distorted, re-written after a long time..." Jaehwa rests his chin against the palm of his hand.

"Sometimes I'm unsure if I remember it clearly," He tilted his head towards Joonhyun's direction, blinking at him a few times. "Joonhyun-hyung... do you know? Seeing as you're the internet expert..." The male in question swallowed back a bile, covering it by narrowing his eyes. "I don't... understand what you mean..." Joonhyun stuttered, scoffing as he cocked his head to the side.
Min took a deep breath, sighing as he sat back on his chair. "Which part was it?"

Jaehwa shrugged, shaking his head. "I have no idea..."

"Don't lie..." Min let the words drag out, the corner of his lips quirked down slightly, "If not you wouldn't have brought it up."
The younger male hummed, letting his hand fall down against his knees before he stretched back into his seat, tugging at the hem of his suit jacket. "The part about fabricating the autopsy of six victims connected to a much bigger problem than you and I," came his answer.

A small smirk graced Min's lips, Joonhyun's disbelieving concern audible in the way he shifted and the way he felt him staring. "It seems your memory is serving you well..." Min tilted his head, choosing to stay unbothered.
"I'm right... aren't I?" Jaehwa continued, an almost satisfied smile seeped into his face. It almost cracked.

"Partially..." Min fired back, catching both male off-guard. Jaehwa's eyes trained on him intently. "It's four victims... not six... Do you know where the additional two came from?" It made Joonhyun uneasy, it was one thing to return back to the past that was swept under the rug despite the scale of its consequences. "Min... stop it..." Joonhyun warned, keeping his eyes trained on the attorney. Jaehwa sat up a little straighter, shifting his gaze between the hacker and his guardian. "I don't- "

"you don't remember?" Min supplied, Jaehwa swallowed thickly it was as if his confidence that he had early is slowly deflating from the piece of news. "Should I tell you exactly how it goes?" Min prompted again. At this point, he might as well be waving a large piece of meat in front of Jaehwa.

"Min, Stop it!" Joonhyun's warning turned into plea, he stepped forth but was held back by the tension coursing between the two males; one waiting hungrily for an answer, the other pulling the rope taut.