TIME ─ JAEYONG

043⸰

— no matter the goodbye, it always hurts

✿

hansol's heart shattered as he watched yubin break into tears upon his sudden unannounced arrival. all time seemed to still as she collapsed into his arms, her body shaking with fear. his world had officially fallen apart at his feet

all hansol could do was hold her tight while apologizing like a broken record. her body felt cold against his. the usual warmth that let him know everything was going to be okay, had vanished, just like she would.

his sorries were muffled as he snuggled into the crook of her neck. her intoxicating scent of gingerbread sent his tears cascading down his cheeks for he knew this would be the last time he would ever smell the scent he favored so much.

"take care of the twins hansol. please protect them." her voice was frail. hansol's thumb wiped away at her warm saltine tears. his lip trembled as his own blurred his vision.

"i can't let him do this to you. we have to escape." she shook her head. there was no hope, both of them knew, hansol just tried to deny it. "yubin—"

"when the twins grow older tell them i loved them with all my heart and that i'm sorry for not being there for them." when hansol went to speak she fisted his shirt, jerking him backwards. "don't! just please." in defeat, he nodded his head.

lucas watched from the car feeling nothing but pity. he hadn't known hansol had kids or was even seeing yubin, but now that he knew he felt horrible. he's watched a lot of employees fall into the hands of his boss. he hated knowing someone like yubin was going to be next.

minutes later when hansol returned to the car there was a long silence before hansol looked him in the eye. his once brown orbs seemed dark and empty, void of any emotion. "i want to kill mr. jung."

lucas looked at him like he had lost his mind. "hansol i know this is hard but you can't kill our boss! you'll be the one who ends up dead!" the mere thought was plain idiotic. their boss was practically immortal.

"you think i care? as long as it gives yubin time to escape or see our kids one last time. just anything!"

"what about your kids!?" lucas now felt terrified as hansol locked the doors and started the engine. "you really want them to be without both parents!?" he watched as hansol slammed his head against the headrest, his face scrunched up as his sobs became more heart-wrenching.

his pain came in forceful waves. his sobbing broken apart by short pauses solely for recovering his lost breaths, before the grief washed over him again, giving him that constant drowning sensation. "what am i going to do?"

there was no answer lucas could come up with to help hansol. instead, he let the older male cling to him and cry out his sorrows. through the front rearview mirror, he spotted their bosses all too familiar black limo pull into the hospital's parking structure.

they had to go, now. "hansol... he's here. we need to leave. let me drive." it took everything hansol had to allow himself to climb into the backseat and not hop out the car to attack jaehyun's father.

as lucas successfully drove from the hospital without being spotted hansol caught one last look of yubin being escorted out. "please forgive me..." his words would forever be left unheard.

✿

the air was different as were the people. back in korea, the weather was perfect. sunny and breezy while here, it was dreary, freezing cold and raining. taeyong wrapped his arms around himself to preserve his heat.