It Won't Happen Again

Birds of Same Feather

All this time he always knows.

The reason for all the killings is made up. It's not because of Hyeyoon. It's not only because he wants to protect her. It's because the urge he has.

Reasons, he can always finds a reason. He has all the reasons for killing someone. It's in his brain. The reasons only he knows.

All the people he killed, they also had all the reason to die. They have sinned.

He can't take innocent lives. His foster father once said, if the urge to kill came, if he really had to kill, it better be for a cause. And the best cause is punishing those who sinned. This is the code he always remembers.

His foster father recommend these type of sinners: rapist, pedophiles, abuser; parents who abuse their children, husbands who abuse their wives, boyfriends who abuse their girlfriends, bosses who abuse their employees. He's lucky the world never lack of these type of sinners.

Guilt? He doesn't know guilt. He never understand that word. But he doesn't mind. He can lives without it.

His life is all about managing expectation. He can never quit his mind. He just managed his expectation and trying to create stability with all the routines he does.

With her, his stable life seems can last a little bit longer. Hey, maybe he finally can manage to kill less. Although he can't be sure.

He watches her cooking in the kitchen. Her apron looks big on her petite body. She flips the pancake while humming a familiar tune, is that Frozen soundtrack? he asks him self. Realizing his presence, she smiles at him and offers, "Pancakes?"

He smiles and nods walking towards her and reach for her lips.

After a full minute of kissing, he lets her go.

"Hey, I offer you pancake not my lips." she laughs.

He chuckles and gives another peck to her lips, "I tasted your pancake million times already, your lips, on the other hand, not yet."

She blushes by his words but still manages to replies, "You have plenty of times in the future for that, mister."

They're having breakfast while talking about their friends.

"They must be surprised when they know about us," Hyeyoon giggles.

"Let them be," Rowoon chuckles. He knows exactly what their reactions will be. They will tease them nonstop and Gunjoo will cry with happiness. He know them so well.

Birds of same feather flock together. This is so true for these six friends.

Jiin once diagnosed with bipolar disorder. She's in her prime condition now, she attends therapy and drinks her medications religiously, but when the manic phase comes, she would stay with her boyfriend to ease her racing thoughts and release her increasing sexual urges. And when her depressive episode relapsed, the group always there to accompany her and offer hugs even when she thinks she doesn't deserve one.

Jihyun always has this thing for shoplifting. The thrilling feeling of not getting caught after she steals something is incomparable and making her feel like she accomplished something. She's always been a black sheep in her family. Her parent and all her siblings are doctors from famous university hospitals. She's being accepted in some information technology faculty was never appealing to her parents.

Jaewook is a junkie, he started it from high school and still uses it once in a while. He once overdosed but luckily he was brought to medical treatment before it's too late. So now the group make sure if he uses it again, he uses it casually, in moderation, under their supervision. But, worry not, he's clean for the past two years.

Jaewook was a prodigy. His parents were proud of him too much they crammed him with too many activities he couldn't stand it. He kept a straight smiley face in front of his family but rebeled behind them.

Gunjoo seems like he's the normalest from them all, he is. And everyone agrees he's the kindest person ever. He's the one who actively bound them together for these past six years.

He gives and gives, but rarely takes anything. His family is loaded and he is filthy rich. His family wealth won't run out even after his grandson has a grandson.

He doesn't realize his behaviour is eating him, making him easily manipulated by people who has bad intention inside. But since he and Jiin decided to be a couple, she kind of protects him from bad guys who tries to take adventage of his kindness.

They thought Rowoon is just an introverted boy who is quiet and has a difficulty to express him self. His lack of talk doesn't bother them because sometimes he does talk too much when he feels like it.

For them, the most normal one is Hyeyoon. In their eyes, Hyeyoon is a cheerful girl who always laughs, she is a vitamin that can reduce the sadness and burden of their lives. But because they consider her the most normal, they don't worry too much about her and never question anything in her life. It's obvious they know nothing. She covers her scars too well.

They all have problems after all.

----

Rowoon's character here is loosely based on Dexter, one of my favorite series of all time. You should watch it if you haven't.

Aand... it's been years since my college days so any psychology or psychiatry major please come forward if there is something incorrect about the symptoms of mental illnesses in my writing.