𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐂𝐊𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐄

#.. THIRTY-FIVE

Mrs Lee greeted the boy, who had a severely bruised face. Now this was Han Hyeongjun? He had to sit with them, while the police officer, who said her name was Mrs Yoo, explained the situation. His left arm was carried around his neck by a loop. He greeted Mrs Lee with a bow, before Mrs Yoo was able to say anything.

"First of all, he is the one that saved your son from getting shot." Mrs Lee's mouth dropped. "He.." she took some time to register the said thing. And as it clicked in her head, tears filled her eyes and she darted towards the boy, hugging him.

"Thank you so much" she cried, feeling nothing but gratitude. Hyeongjun just hissed, as she pressed against his wound and it still hurt. Immediately after being treated, he was sent to the police station, as they wanted him to file a report. "You're such a brave soul - I'll be grateful forever."

Pen and paper were in front of him, after all, the policemen understood that Hyeongjun did not want to and could not talk. Instead, he wrote down everything that has happened since Jooyeon arrived. It took him some time and overcoming to sum it all together. And as he was almost done, another police officer suddenly entered.

"Mrs Yoo, I need you for a short amount of time, is that alright?" The said woman looked at the two, who just nodded in approval. So she stood up and walked out of the room, giving Mrs Lee and Hyeongjun the freedom to discuss what happened.

"The psychologist was able to identify symptoms of ASD and also schizophrenia. The boy stated that he can not remember what exactly happened in that room, he felt like he was steered by something that changed his thoughts entirely. I'd want to you ask Mrs Lee whether Jooyeon was experiencing any type of physical abuse in his childhood. When this is given, we can continue with Jooyeon's diagnosis."

[...]

Jooyeon was allowed to visit Jiseok the week after his trial. He will be sent to a forensic psychiatry for five years. His act was classified as defense and as he plead guilty from the start on, his sentence was shortened. His actual schizophrenia diagnosis made no sense to him though. He was perfectly fine?

They said it came from childhood trauma, as Jooyeon was heavily beaten by his father back when he was still a small child. The disorder was a defense mechanism by his body but Jooyeon never felt like something was wrong. He always thought that he was just forgetful whenever people reported acts of him, he never remembered to have done.

Seeing all the tubes that supported Jiseok was heartbreaking. But seeing the boy alive was all that Jooyeon needed. Jiseok was too weak to sit up, but he weakly smiled at the younger, happy to see him. At least Jiseok and Hyeongjun were able to make it out alive.

Jooyeon ran to Jiseok and hugged him tight, crying in relief as he did so. And even though the older wasn't able to return the gesture, Jooyeon was happy to feel the other's surprisingly cold body against his own. He missed his touch so much.

"I'm so glad you survived." the younger cried, while he backed up and kissed the boy's soft lips almost instantly, missing his perfectly molded lips a lot. It felt like a relief, as if Jooyeon was able to calm down again. He was addicted to his sweet lips, that usually tasted like his strawberry flavored chapstick. But this time it was different. No familiar tastes, no movements nothing. Jooyeon parted their lips, just centimeters apart as he closed his eyes, having his forehead against Jiseok's.

"Wake up, Jooyeon. Please.", Jiseok whispered against Jooyeon's lips. So Jooyeon backed up again and sat straight, utterly confused. Just then, he heard the excruciating long peeping sound of the heart monitor. Jiseok's eyes were actually closed shut, he didn't move a single bit. Jiseok has died the exact moment Jooyeon has opened the door - He just hallucinated that he was still alive.

Jooyeon was horrified, his eyes widened rapidly and his mouth opened. He wanted to scream but nothing came out, he was too scared for that. Jiseok was dead. Did he just kiss his dead body? "No... No, no no no.. This can't be happening." He pressed the red button next to Jiseok's bed with shaking hands, as he couldn't refrain himself from screaming in horror.

Life was like a game, if one thinks about it. Any move has consequences. Everyone will lose eventually, but how quickly is up to how clever you plan your moves. Jooyeon and Hyeongjun had found a way to win the game, but the rest?

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author's note:
i'm so unsatisfied with the ending help but yeah basically this was it. it was my first story after a while sorry </3 hope u still liked the story,, the ending seemed kinda rushed but i also didn't want to drag the story for so long so i apologize 🫵🫵 have a great day/night and thanks for reading checkmate :)