Jin awoke in a cold sweat, his breathing ragged, as he finally broke free from the familiar nightmare of terrible memories. He took a few deep breaths to calm his racing heart before looking at the clock on the side table.
3:40 A.M
He removed himself from the tangle of bedding around his waist and legs and headed for the bathroom, knowing there was no way he'd go back to sleep now. Cleansing away the sweat of his night terrors was easier than cleansing away the memories themselves as he stood beneath the fall of water as it gently beat against his skin.
Ten minutes later he was washed, dressed in jeans and a hoodie, and left the bedroom for the coffee pot in the kitchen. As he waited for the coffee to percolate, Jin set about making himself a simple breakfast of western style french toast. He coated two slices of bread in egg batter before transferring them into one of the preheated pans upon the stove. As they browned he cut a banana into slices before dropping them into the second heated pan, caramelizing them with sugar. Removing the finished caramelized banana from the heat, he flipped the toast before grabbing a plate and mug, placing them on the counter just as the coffee finished brewing.
He poured himself a cup and prepared it as he liked before setting it aside to cool slightly as he turned off the stove and plated the toast, topping it with the caramelized banana, sprinkling it generously with cinnamon and drizzling it with maple syrup. Grabbing both plate and coffee mug, he walked the short distance to the dining table, setting his breakfast down before taking a seat.
He was about to take his first bite when his phone rang. He reached for the device, tapping the answer icon.
"Hello?"
"Hyung, your father escaped, we need to get you out, now."
The fork in Jin's hand clattered to the table from his loose fingers as fear and panic set in.
I'm going to get out, and when I do, I'm going to find you and I'm going to kill you.
There was a sudden knock at his front door, jolting him from his memory and back into the present, raising his anxiety and fear. Had he found him already?
"Hyung, it's me, open the door," the voice on the line spoke.
Jin ran to the door, quickly unlocking it and swinging it open with scared, teary eyes, revealing FBI agent Kim Namjoon. "We have to go, now."
_____
They had been on the road for thirty minutes when Jin asked, "Where are we going?"
"Not far, Ilsan, my hometown. When we got the news we knew we had to move quickly. There was no time to set up a secret location or identity for you, however, I have a home in Ilsan we can use. If he really seeks revenge from you, the first thing he'll likely do is see if you're still in the country so we sent two agents to purchase one way tickets under your name, one heading to Japan, the other to America. That should keep him busy for a while. We've also alerted the airport to inform us if Mr. Kim inquires about you. We've also sent his picture to the airport, with the strict instructions to not allow him to travel and phone us immediately, as well as all law enforcement."
"Why can't I just leave Korea?"
"We can't protect you if you do. You'll be at a disadvantage with the local law enforcement of wherever you were to go. It would be easier for him to get his hands on you."
Jin nodded and sighed.
Namjoon reached over and took Jin's hand into one of his own, "Hyung, it's going to be okay. We'll get him. I promised, didn't I, that I'd protect you?"
