dancing with our hands tied (by purplemango445 )

self-doubt

He took a careful sip of the piping hot tea.

Agent Choi was sipping his own tea while analyzing him.

"Are you doing it again, So Mun?" He asked softly.

"Doing what?" He asked with a grin, playing dumb.

Agent Choi just let out a fond sigh at that.

"How's your wife?" He asked jokingly.

"I don't have a wife. I'm just undercover." He responded nonchalantly.

"Your wedding band says otherwise." Agent Choi pointed out with a raised eyebrow.

Without even realizing it, he had been fidgeting with his wedding ring.

An unconscious habit he had gained from wearing it on this mission.

"I don't want to forget it by accident, so I leave it on." He responded.

Agent Choi put his tea down and moved closer to him.

"I love you as if you were my own child, So Mun. So please explain to me why you're detaching yourself again. I thought you were finally healing." He stated gently.

"I can't move on. Not completely, until this mission is over. I've been too distracted. I can't afford to let this mission end poorly. For me. For Agent Jang. For Agent Do's family." Agent So explained.

"You can't lose yourself in the process, Mun." Agent Choi reminded him with frustration.

He tried not to, but the flinch of hearing only his first name came anyway.

Agent Choi noticed immediately and realized what he had done.

"I'm sorry, So Mun. I didn't mean-" He had started.

But he had already descended into his memories.

"Mun-ie, come out now." She said with a laugh in her voice.

He was hiding under the bed, or what seemed to be a bed.

"We won't hurt you, Mun." The man said as he stood next to the woman.

That's when a hand grabbed him from under the bed.

He immediately started screeching, begging for someone to save him.

Calling for his Mom and Dad.

But they were dead.

And he was here.

A hand clamped over his mouth, effectively muffling his yells.

He bit the palm of the woman's hand.

She yelped in pain and dropped him.

He tried to run out the door, but it was closed shut, and the man gave him a strong slap to the face.

The blood rushed to his cheek, and he cried out in pain.

He clutched his cheek, terrified of what the man would do next.

"You little bitch." The woman whose hand had been bleeding yelled.

The man just bent himself down on his knees and gave him an awful smile.

"You're a resourceful one aren't you, Mun?"

He squeezed his shoulder tightly.

"Well, little Mun-ie, the fun has only just begun." He replied.