Now let's make a little jump back in time, where Seungcheol was still driving through the dark night with Eric being his driver and Yenna the one who forced him into the vehicle.
The black BMW drove effortless and steady over the shimmering highway and through the pouring rain. The only sounds being heard were the windscreen wiper, wiping away the rain that fell on the windscreen and the cars that passed by. Although there weren't many, since the highway was quite calm at this time of the day.
Seungcheol hadn't even noticed how much time had passed by when he felt the car shake, looking down out of the window to see how they drove onto the uneven surface of the dirt road, leading them directly to the big mansion of his dad..
Fear crept up from down his spine when he realized he had to face his own father in less than five minutes. Thinking about all the possible ways he would receive a punishment made him even more terrified than he already was. However, the thought of the disgusted and disappointed face he would give his own son was what frightened Seungcheol the most.
That was exactly what ruined his entire childhood.
His dad was always disappointed in him, no matter how hard he tried to please him. Growing up next to the girl Yenna, who had always been more meaningful to the man than he himself could ever be, was horrible. When there were jobs that had to be finished, Seungcheol mostly backed out of them because he was too scared to do them, while Yenna could do anything without showing the slightest grimace.
She was fiercely, ruthless and overall, didn't show any emotion when the toughest jobs had to be finished. Robbing any location or pulling a trigger were claimed to be her favorite activities. Exactly what Seungcheol's father looked for in his child. And to his disappointment, Seungcheol wasn't any of those above.
Seungcheol was divergent compared to the people his dad worked with.
He backed out of the toughest jobs, because he couldn't get it over his heart to hurt an innocent person. Even hurting other criminals seemed difficult, because violence just wasn't meant for him. Pulling a trigger or even holding a gun made his hands shake and his knees weak.
"Let's go!" Yenna suddenly said in a cherry sweet voice, making both Seungcheol and Eric want to puke out of disgust for the sudden change in her tone. The vehicle had stopped driving and Seungcheol faced the grand mansion that towered dangerously high over him, power leapt from his body.
Yenna was the first to get out and slammed the door back in its lock, leaving the two boys alone in the car. "Hey Seungcheol. I'm sorry." Eric looked in the mirror to see Seungcheol facing down to his lap, shaking his head. "It isn't your fault Eric. Don't worry about it."
Seungcheol looked up to meet Eric's always friendly looking eyes. "How was it?" He asked, filled with curiosity. A rising lump momentarily blocked Seungcheol's throat for speaking any further, which he swallowed quickly. Memories flushed over him again. Memories he tried to block, so he wouldn't show or feel any more emotion.
But he couldn't help to let a mesmerizing smile play on his lips at the thought of the freedom he had felt for the past two months. "It was.. incredible.." He spoke out in a mere whisper, making Eric's eyes glister as well.
"Next time we're going together." Eric promised him, in which Seungcheol nodded. Maybe all the plans they made in their childhood hadn't been so useless after all. Maybe there was a chance he could return to his love and his newly made friends. Maybe there was still hope for him and Eric.
A loud knock on the window next to Eric was heard and they both faced the overly annoyed looking Yenna. "Get your asses out of the fucking car, mr Choi is waiting!" Her high pitched voice even sounded clear through the double glass of the car, making both boys huff.
"After tonight you should tell me all about it, okay? And about Jeonghan of course!" Eric said enthusiastic, trying to lighten up Seungcheol's mood at least the slightest bit. Hearing Jeonghan's name roll of Eric's tongue so easily seemed to give him a tiny bit of courage to get up and leave the car.
In the end, the reason why he came here in the first place had been because of Jeonghan. Because he wanted to protect him. And to hear Eric say that name made him realize, that it was exactly what he was going to do. He would prove himself and do anyything he had to do so he could return to Jeonghan, and protect him from all the harm he had caused.
No matter what it had to take.
"Thank you, Eric." He answered in all honesty, before Yenna interrupted them again by forcefully pulling the door open at Eric's side.
"Jesus christ, can't the two of you hurry up? Come on, he's waiting for you. Drama queens." She rolled her eyes to the back of her head, making Seungcheol digs his nails into his thigh to suppress the urge to punch her straight in the nose.
Correction, when it came to Yenna, violent thoughts were actually involved. Although he couldn't get himself to actually slam a fist in her face, since she was still a girl and Seungcheol still had manners, the urge to do it grew bigger every time she came near him.
However, he steadied his breathing and pulled the handle of the door, opening it and setting foot on the neatly tiled floor in front of the insanely rich mansion. The familiar surroundings sickened him and he wished he could have stayed with Jeonghan, back in the town where he felt at home. Not this place, where it felt like anything but home.
Although he admitted that he felt a tiny bit better when Eric joined him and walked next to him in utter silence, following Yenna's steps up to the door. The huge wooden door that made it seem like the entrance of a palace. They were meant to make a huge impact on you, as you opened them and stepped into the huge arrival hall with an ancient golden chandelier hanging in the middle of the ceiling and pulling all your attention right away.
The arrival hall on its own made you feel like you set foot in a palace from the 1700's, with its classically painted walls and marble plain white pillars going up to the high ceiling. Seungcheol had seen a lot of people admiring the wealthy decorations when they walked in for the first time.
But to him, it was disgusting. He had seen this place way too many times to his own liking and he sincerely wished that one day he would be able to never see them again for the rest of his life.
Especially when he heard the one voice he feared the most, making the three stop in their tracks.
"Well well. Look who decided to come home." Seungcheol looked up and met the dark, emotionless eyes of the man in his mid fifties. The only thing he could do was stare back without displaying the fear he felt on his face.
"Father."
