Wildfire And Rain

Opening sequence

Vigilant.

Kai would prefer that term "delivery man". Vigilant sounds too... savage.

And Kai was not a savage. He was someone who was good at hunting people down and giving them a taste of their own medicine. Quite simple really was his job.

Once or twice a week he would get a "request", he'd get the details for whoever he needed to find along with evidence of what they had done. Kai wouldn't visit innocent people; he needed confirmation that they did something vile beforehand to have justification to break their fingers.

He doesn't quite know how he rolled into his job. They needed money, him and his stepbrother. It started when a girl a few years younger them him came knocking on their door, looking for Kai. Fear showed in her eyes and her lips were shaking from the cold outside. Kai went down the old, stained stairs that sounded like they were going to break with each step he took. He looked at the girl standing in front of their house, intrigued.

She tells him about the man that had been appearing outside her school each day for the past 2 weeks, loitering in the street waiting. Sometimes he would follow her on her way home from school, other times he would simply say something around the lines of "nice skirt, Kid." or "you look delectable in those braids."

She'd try to ignore it but even her friends were getting concerned about her. She'd brush them off saying he never really crossed a line so while she's bothered by it, it's better to wait for him to get bored of her.

Kai listened intently as she retailed the events of today which led her to his house. The man wasn't at the school gate that day, he was waiting for her outside her home. She knew there was something different about his approach, the way he smiled, the way he walked towards her. He was done waiting.

She threw her bag on the road, picked up her legs and ran until she no longer heard him behind her. Hours later she found herself knocking at the Huening resident, looking for help.

"I know it's a lot to ask." She runs her fingers through her hair in a nervous manner, avoiding his cold eyes. He keeps a straight expression, there's no way for her to guess what he's thinking.

For a few seconds, she thinks she made a mistake coming there. She sighs, biting the corner of her lip and reads the room. She gets up slowly, dejected.

Kai leans back into the chair. "what's in it for me?"

That is how he ended up cornering that same man on his way to his apartment. Equipped with a black mask and hat, he swings his fist right across the man's face, cracking his nose bridge.

He counts the cash in his room, brushing his fingers against the bills while looking at the broken, crooked mirror hanging in his room. He realizes something.

................

He looks at his watch, cursing in his heart. He's late and to the orientation no less. He's been so busy finding his dorm room and settling in that he had completely forgotten that the first years were supposed to gather in the gym for orientation in the evening.

The campus is like a maze and Taehyun is a helpless worm in nature. He holds the map in his hands, not sure whether to go north or south. Where even is he? He's certain he hasn't been in this part of campus before, but he really is clueless when it comes to navigation and finding his way through complicated structures.

He feels a tap on his shoulder.

Taehyun jumps, looking back. He sees a boy with bouncy hair and a big bright smile. "Hey there! Didn't mean to give you a scare, sorry about that." The boy apologizes and scratches his neck, embarrassed. "You seem to be lost, I'm a second year. Choi Beomgyu." He reaches his hand for a friendly shake and Taehyun takes it, slightly confused.