This Day | Gyuhao (Threequel to Youth & The Aged)

- 9

| Chapter Nine — WONderful |
| 1 Year Ago (from present day) |

Jungwon's eyes fly open as soon as the cold slap of water is splashed onto his face.

He sucks in a sharp breath, eyes flying around in a million different directions.

The water makes his body shiver, bones turned to ice as he shivers, looking through his damp bangs in fright, "W-Who's there?" His voice is rough and scratchy when he speaks, it makes his throat hurt, "W-Who...?"

Just then, the sound of heels click around him. Jungwon can only guess the person is near the other end of the room. He figures out he's correct as soon as the cold, eery laughter radiates through his ears.

"You're awake." The voice says, and Jungwon flinches when a bucket's being tossed to the floor just next to him, presumably the bucket that held all that water.

"Who are you?" Jungwon asks.

The heels get closer, and soon enough, a woman peeks through the darkened corner of the room.

Minnie.

"I'm a person who gets you, Jungwon. I'm a person who's here for you."

"Bullshit. I've been kidnapped." Jungwon says, only receiving that piercing laughter in return. He wants to throw up.

"We didn't kidnap you." Minnie sighs, looking at her sharp green nails, admiring the gloss, "Well, we didn't necessarily get you here in the nicest way, but—"

"We?" Jungwon asks, "Who's we?"

Minnie smiles, "Ah, yes." Jungwon watches with wide eyes as she tugs down the collar of her blouse, that foggy, shaded in diamond tattoo coming into view once again. He knows he's seen it before, knows that it looks familiar but he just can't quiet pinpoint—

"Welcome to Amaranth, Jungwon-ssi." She says, and Jungwon feels his chest cave in, "Congrats, you've finally found us!"

"W-What?" Of course, Jungwon wasn't there when the battle took place, as he was quite literally 6 years old at the time, but he knows about it.

"Welcome, and surprise!" She squeals, it hurts Jungwon's ears.

"Why..." Jungwon's head is about to blow off, "Why am I here?"

Minnie's smile fades, a smirk replacing the feature, "We waited so long for a fault to come to us." She explains, "We've been spying on you all, don't you see?"

No. Jungwon doesn't. And Minnie can tell by the way he furrows his brows.

"We needed something like this to happen."

"Like this?" Jungwon repeats.

"Yes." Minnie responds, "We needed an odd one out, one who hated that fucking gang just as much as us." She smiles, walking closer. Her heels clacking against the floor sound like gunshots to a brick wall, "We were waiting for one of you to cave."

A bombshell.

"You've been... waiting?" Jungwon can't believe it. Not one bit, "You've been hiding out and formulating a plan to take down Carmine all this time?" He asks, "Why?"

"Because they destroyed us!" Minnie screams, making Jungwon cower in fear like a child. Seeing his fright, she relaxes, smiling once again, "Carmine took everything from us. We scrambled out of our burning hideout that fateful night, only rounding up as a group of 4 at the end of the day." She leans down, face mere inches from Jungwon's, "There were 350 of us, Jungwon. 350. And only 4 got out." She reminds him, "That including me."

"I'm..." Jungwon swallows, "I..."

"Cat got your tongue?" Minnie laughs, "It's a lot to take in, isn't it?"

"Didn't Amaranth attack first?" Jungwon can't recall. It's been years since he's even first heard about them. He started off in Cerise after all, anyways. He wasn't a pro in Carmine's history.

"Because Carmine killed my brother! For nothing!" Minnie cries out, "My helpless older brother.... He didn't do a thing and he got killed right in front of me."

"Why?" Jungwon didn't know that. He'd just been told before officially joining Carmine, that this big fight had taken place because of something Amaranth did. He never knew Carmine did something like this. Then again, Minnie could be lying.

But there was something.....

Something in the tone of her voice told Jungwon she wasn't.

She was being truthful. Raw and real.

"Why do you need me?" Jungwon asks, "Why target me? Why pick me?"

"Because you've grown a sort of hate towards them, too." Minnie says, still catching her breath from all the shouting, "I can see it in your eyes. The hate, the desire for revenge." She says, "Let me guess... you lost someone, too? A close friend?"

Jungwon's eyes widen, "How..."

"I know how you feel." Minnie says, "I know that's a shitty thing to say sometimes, but really... I do."

Jungwon looks away awkwardly, "Carmine didn't do anything. It was all—"

"Carnelian.... during that pathetic war between you guys and them all those years ago."

Jungwon's eyes blow wide a second time, "How did you—"

"I told you, Jungwon-ssi, we've been spying. Very carefully."

"Okay..." Jungwon swallows, nervous, "Well, that still means nothing. Carmine didn't do a single thing."

"And that's precisely what pisses you off."

Fuck, can she read his mind?

"Yes, I can." Minnie coos and smiles freakishly, only laughing it off when Jungwon gives her a terrified look, "Yah, I'm joking. You said that out loud, is all."

Thank god.

"So," Jungwon looks at her, "You need me because I'm pissed off at your 2 most powerful enemies?"

"Call it killing 2 birds with one stone," Minnie grins, playing with Jungwon's hair as she walks around his chair, laughing when he tries to squirm away, "I get to end the lives of every single Carmine member and take back the many Amaranth that were lost for nothing, and you, my dearest Jungwon-ssi, could get revenge and slaughter every X tatted soul you can land your eyes on." She says, "Avenge that little blondie."

Jungwon feels his fists tighten and his jaw tensing. He stares ahead, thinking.

"Or... I could kindly drop you back off at home. I know they're all dying to see you ag—"

"I'll do it." Jungwon says.

Riki's smile flashes through his head like the headlights of a car on a rainy night, eating at his mentality and carving out his heart, so much so to where his face fades into paleness and his emotions power off like a robot still in the process of being made.

"I'll do it." Jungwon repeats, "Whatever it takes, I'll join you." He sighs shakily, "On one condition."

"Run it by me, Won-ssi." Minnie grins.

Jungwon takes a deep breath, staring at her intently as she begins to untie him from the chair, "Keep your promise that Carnelian will come to an end."

"Oh, kid."

Minnie smiles, throwing the ropes aside and helping Jungwon stand.

"Amaranth never break promises."