Walk Through The Fire

We ain't on the same page, or the same game

[adxyujin-deactivated20191109]

Legend

[adhyunjoon]

adxyujin

(...)

“Oh, I know she’s not enough to bribe you or anything, but…” Yujin shook her head, a happy smile on her lips. “Since I rescued her from the streets, she always takes a lot of time before letting people pet her… I mean, she’s getting better, but no one else has ever been able to just… pick her up like that.” Her smile widened and she shuffled a bit closer to Hyunjoon. “She can sense that you’re a good person, ahjusshi!! And you must be a really good person to be able to hold her like that. I knew it!”

Hyunjoon found it cute, Yujin’s reaction to the fact that he was handling her cat so easily. It should not be that much of a surprise. He worked at a pet shop after all. He handled animals on a daily basis, even the difficult ones. He was bound to have found a way to get to them.

Scratching the cat’s chin, Hyunjoon looked to Yujin and raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, not too sure about me being a good person. And stop calling me ahjusshi, okay? I’m not that much older than you are.”

He patiently waited, letting the cat play with the selection of collars they had. “You want this one?” he asked, noticing that there was a particular one that the cat kept pawing at. Hyunjoon picked it off the hook and went back to the counter, putting Elly down. “You’re not as bad as you sound, Elly,” he smiled, giving her more scratches before looking to Yujin. “Is there anything else you need? You seem to be coming here a lot because you’re always forgetting something.”

But Hyunjoon knew that getting all those supplies for her cat was just another reason why she came. The main reason why she came was because Hyunjoon was still not opening up about what happened four years ago. Something he never quite understood why she was so interested in.

[ad-eunyoung-blog]

170923 - “perdition”

[adhyunjoon]

ad-eunyoung

(...) It’s a shitty way to talk, and perhaps she’s asking for it; a blow to the face would really get her blood pumping. She’s excited with this much hatred and aimless rage crackling in the air.

Hyunjoon never relaxed. The grip on her clothes were even tighter than before and he had no intentions of letting her go. Not until he had landed a few punches on her face in order to douse that fire in him. What was pulling his strings further was the fact that Eunyoung was not affected by this at all. She was not scared. She was not angry. She seemed to be enjoying it, like she knew this was going to happen and she wanted it to.

It came as no surprise to know that Hyunjoon himself was the target. He was the one snooping around, after all. The one digging out all the dirt on the officers who were corrupted. They wanted him to shut up. Jaemin was just in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and he made friends with the wrong person. But to hear it from Eunyoung, it only angered Hyunjoon more.

Pulling her slightly away from the shelf, Hyunjoon slammed her against it again. “Shut up!” he shouted. If his aunt walked in right now, she was definitely going to get the scare of her life. No one had seen Hyunjoon truly angry before, not until Eunyoung came along.

“Don’t talk as if we’re the same. We are not the same. Don’t act as if you care that you got the wrong person killed because I know you don’t fucking give a damn. You people...you kill one officer, you bath in that glory. You don’t care who they were. So don’t talk as if you give a fucking fuck about Jaemin dying.”

[adhyunjoon]

ad-yoongi

(...)

As the evening progresses it’s growing colder, and Yoongi -having stripped down to just his shirt for the sake of their sparring- is sensitive to it. He’s shivering slightly, and it ony serves to make him appear more vulnerable in his confessions.

After locking himself away from the world, it had been a long while since Hyunjoon last heard from someone what they ‘appreciated’ of him. But hearing that it was his voice that Yoongi appreciated the most, that was something completely different, something that Hyunjoon never thought of to be quite honest. Still, Hyunjoon let out a chuckle before letting out a sigh. “It’s nice to hear that someone appreciates something of mine. Don’t worry about it, alright? I’m not that officer who trains you at the academy anymore. I’m just your friend now.”

Though what came from Yoongi next really caught Hyunjoon off guard. He turned his head slightly, looking at Yoongi as he spoke. He vaguely remembered an officer by the name of Woojin though Hyunjoon never really interacted with him. He could put the name to a face too, but that was about it. When Yoongi confessed, Hyunjoon remained calm. He was not one to judge someone else’s life, someone else’s decision and action.

“You deserve a better person then,” Hyunjoon said. “I’m glad you’re no longer with him. We all have that one person in our lives who seemed to have messed us up a little but they are a part of our lives now, there’s no changing that. And it is because of them that we are who we are now. Just don’t let the past affect you. Acknowledge it but move on. Be a better man than you were back then.”

Sitting up, Hyunjoon had his arms around his knees, looking onto the river. Hyunjoon was good at giving the advice himself but he was not good at taking them. Here he was, telling Yoongi to be a better man, to move on, yet he was the one who was still stuck in the past. “Come on, let’s go,” he said, getting up and handed a jacket to Yoongi. “I’m getting hungry after all that workout. Maybe you can treat your hyung to something since you don’t have that uniform on you,” he smirked.

[ad-eunyoung-blog]

170923 - “perdition”

[adhyunjoon]

ad-eunyoung

(...) She heads for the exit, demonstrating to the man that her interest too is limited, turning around in the last moment to speak over her shoulder. Her confession is thrown out with an air of nonchalance, almost taunting in it’s carelessness. “You should know, perhaps, that it was me who gave the order to kill.”

Kwon Jaemin.

Kwon Jaemin.

No matter how much she tried, she was not getting a reaction out of Hyunjoon. Until of course, she mentioned that name. It was a name all too familiar to Hyunjoon. A name that was on his mind twenty-four-seven. And no matter how hard he tried to forget, Hyunjoon never could. Everyone around Hyunjoon was always careful with that name. They never talked about it, let alone mention it so casually the way she did.

Just like that day in the police station, Hyunjoon swept everything on the counter onto the floor in his rage. The animals in the shop starting making noises, probably scared from the sudden crashing that Hyunjoon caused.

“You have no right to say his name. No right!” Hyunjoon slammed his fist on the counter, not paying mind the sharp pain that shot through his arm. No, his anger was overtaking his entire body. He had no idea what it was but something was holding him back. Until...that last sentence.

You should know, perhaps, that it was me who gave the order to kill.

He knew. He knew deep down that it was her attempt to taunt him, to get a reaction out of him. But Hyunjoon could not help but react. Jaemin was his partner, his best friend. And it was because of Hyunjoon that Jaemin was no longer here.

Hyunjoon grabbed the woman, slamming her against one of the aisles, causing all the products on the shelves to fall off. “You should really be careful with what you say. Just because you’re a woman, doesn’t mean I’ll hold back. I will kill you. I will kill you and bring your head to Jaemin’s grave.”

[letsflytoasiarenata]

I just wanted to pin some aesthetic pictures on Pinterest, I didn’t ask for this

[adhyunjoon]

BBF

@adbaolin​

It was always the middle of the night that calls were frightening. Calls from the hospital was always the scariest but this was a call that Hyunjoon was definitely not expecting. He had just fallen asleep, about to enter Dreamland, when his aunt called him. She sounded frantic, not making sense at all and Hyunjoon thought she was in trouble. He never rushed to get dressed that quickly before in his life. 

Turned out, the pet shop was broken into. Not the emergency Hyunjoon had in mind from the phone call but it was still an emergency. A kindhearted passerby noticed the broken glass and called the police. His aunt was notified as the owner and she called Hyunjoon because she had no idea what to do. Holding her in his arms, he reassured her that everything was going to be fine, comforting her. It was strange seeing his aunt in such a state. This was, after all, the woman who used a slipper to get him out of bed.

“I’m Yoo Hyunjoon, I’m the nephew and I work here,” he told the officer. Seeing the officer reminded Hyunjoon of his days as a police. Though this was not the type of cases that he handled, he missed the feeling of investigating and eventually catching the culprit. “My aunt is not in the right state now but I can help you. If you let me in, I can let you know what was taken. And we need to make sure that the animals are alright.”

It was the way the officer looked at him that gave away he knew who Hyunjoon was. Who did not, after all. Anyone who worked at the police station knew who he was even if they never met. Apparently, he was quite the legend.

[adxyujin-deactivated20191109]

Legend

[adhyunjoon]

adxyujin

(...)

Finally, Yujin came in with a pet carrier bag. “Elly didn’t like the collar I got last time,” she explained the second she caught sight of Hyunjoon. “So I brought her along to choose! She’s not a big fan of people, but I figured this way would be better.” And she gave Hyunjoon her brightest, most cheerful smile.

Ahjusshi? Did the kid just call him ahjusshi? Now, Hyunjoon was in his thirties but there was no shame in being older. It just meant that he was more experienced in life but for the girl to call him ‘ahjusshi’, it hit him a little too hard. “Yah, did your parents not teach you manners? Ahjusshi? Ahjusshi? You may look young but I’m not that much older than you are, alright?”

Accepting her money and handing the toy over, Hyunjoon did not bid her goodbye as she left. Who did the kid think she was? Waltzing into the store and trying to pry into his private life, thinking that she was some kind of psychiatrist. He was a stranger, yet she was still so curious about him. Surely a personality like that was bound to bring her some trouble.

And just like that, she kept coming back to the store, using her cat as an excuse but each time she came, she asked Hyunjoon if he was ready to share to which he would always respond with a no. He was starting to warm up to her a little though he still kept a wall up. Why was she so interested in knowing anyway? Things like this, it was better not to know anything.

Seeing her in the pet shop again, it was starting to get a little irritating for Hyunjoon because it meant he had to spend at least half an hour today to convince her that he did not want to talk. But this time, she brought her cat along. He was starting to think that it was not real and was just an excuse she used to come here.

It was an instinct for Hyunjoon to reach for the bag, unzipping it and took the cat out. He had a smile on his face while he was handling the cat too. “Hello there,” he said. “So you’re the famous Elly who’s picky about everything, huh? Shall we take a look at the collars together?” he hummed, taking the cat over to the collar aisle, letting the cat choose before looking at Yujin. “Just because you brought your cat doesn’t mean I’ll talk, by the way.”

[ad-eunyoung-blog]

170923 - “perdition”

[adhyunjoon]

ad-eunyoung

(...) Eunyoung observes Hyunjoon’s responses closely, curious for what she’ll find in his expression at the indication of his murdered partner. She’s aware of his impulsivity in the face of emotion. The Tigers study their enemies in the force as closely as the police tracks them, after all. Hyunjoon is taller, stronger, trained as a cop. But Eunyoung is a hardened criminal and fighter and she’s confident she can take him on. His temper is the only unpredictable measure, one that’s hard to factor into the equation. Yet it’s also the thing she’s most curious to witness. It’s hard not to provoke him for the sake of this.

It was a bunch of bullshit that she said to him. Hyunjoon had no interest in knowing that they bred the animals into dependence and that it was cruel to be selling them off. It was just a way for her to start the conversation, leading it to what she really came for. Hyunjoon just did not have the patience to be going round in circles with her. Even the way she bowed felt superficial.

Whenever people came in here asking if he was Yoo Hyunjoon, he was not surprised. Most people would know who you were if you were that legendary man who flipped a desk on the day you quit your job. Words traveled.

“Blood on our hands?” Hyunjoon asked. “You’re speaking as if we’re the same. We are not the same. From the very beginning, we were walking down different paths and even now, we’re going down different roads. And don’t even think for a second that our paths would ever cross. I’m sorry to say but you’ve come for nothing today. And you’re only going to waste your time with me. So if you don’t mind, the door is that way. It’s time for the puppies to take a bath.”

Hyunjoon turned his back on her, pretending to get busy with preparing the bath for the puppies. This would not be the first time he was approached by the Tigers. And it certainly would not be the last, seeing the appearance of Eunyoung. And each time, Hyunjoon rejected them. He was not afraid of them either. With a third dan black belt in Taekwondo, Hyunjoon was confident in himself and he certainly had no problem with fighting her. A woman in the Tiger, she was definitely no damsel.

[adhyunjoon]

ad-yoongi

(...) “However if you prefer the uniform that can be arranged.” He’s back to winking and being cheeky and it took him like what? twenty seconds at most. Good job, Yoongi. Good job. But he doesn’t stop himself. Rather sends Hyunjoon a shit-eating grin and continues, relentless in his determination. “I’ve still got it folded in my closet. Been waiting for an opportunity in which it’ll be… properly appreciated.”

Hyunjoon was not too sure about watching Yoongi in the arena. It was partly the reason why they trained out here together, in the open. Hyunjoon still could not bring himself to be associated with the underground side, the...criminal side. Sure he was no longer a police, nor did he give a damn about their business, but his sense of justice still stood. “I don’t doubt that, Yoongi ah,” Hyunjoon smiled. “With that face of yours, I bet you have a lot of fans.”

The world was cruel and it brought changes to all of them. To think that Yoongi used to be that quiet recruit, that shy little guy who never dared to say no to Hyunjoon. But now he was working in a place that was the exact opposite of what he used to aspire to be. Though Hyunjoon was rather appreciating the change in personality where he was more cheeky, more open.

Bursting into laughter, Hyunjoon punched Yoongi in the shoulder. “You’re such a brat, Yoongi,” he smirked. “Maybe you should bring the uniform next time.” Hyunjoon gave a cheeky little wink before looking away, letting out another laugh. “Was that what you felt then, seeing me in uniform every day at the academy, appreciation? Don’t tell me you’ve got a kink of uniforms, Yoongi. You’re still that shy, adorable boy to me.”

[adhyunjoon]

ad-yoongi

(...)

Hyunjoon looks good like this. It’s not often he acts this careless in Yoongi’s presence, it’s not often Yoongi gets to see his eyes light up. Where Hyunjoon’s reserve had been a matter of professional distance when Yoongi first met him, the death of his partner had seemed to permantly wipe the joy from his features. Yoongi knew about it because everyone knew about it. People gossip and the academy was no exception. Seeing his hyung like this, unguarded and flirty, felt good for more than just selfish reasons.

It had been a long time since Hyunjoon had felt like this. Four years, to be exact. He remembered when he first joined the force, that enthusiasm and joy in him overflowed but now, there was barely any left in him. And since the death of his partner and best friend, Hyunjoon had forgotten when the last time he properly smiled was. Not even with his siblings did he feel so...alive. And it was certainly a pleasant surprise to know that it was Yoongi of all people who brought that smile on his face.

“Alright now,” Hyunjoon chuckled, rolling off Yoongi and laid on the grass next to the younger one. He let out a huge huff of air, staring up at the sky that was lit orange from the setting sun. Now that he was calming down, however, the gloom was settling back in Hyunjoon. “I’m glad you’re out of there, Yoongi,” he said, turning his head to face the other, reaching over with one hand to wipe the dirt off his face.

“Not that I’m happy with where you are now but looks like they’re doing you some good if you can kick my ass,” he smirked. “But I would to have worked with you. See you in that uniform. Bet you would have every guy and girl on the block swooning after you in that uniform.”

[ad-eunyoung-blog]

170923 - “perdition”

[adhyunjoon]

ad-eunyoung

(...)

Eunyoung doesn’t look up by the time she is approached, keeping her eyes fixed on the puppy she’s been watching. “It’s a cruel thing, isn’t it?” Her voice is calm, contemplative. “To sell a living creature.”

When the bell rang, Hyunjoon barely moved a muscle. Most of their regulars were used to Hyunjoon not being the sunshine staff. And most people just get on with their business before actually bothering him (they knew better than to bother him before they actually needed him). But there was something about this woman who walked in that made Hyunjoon look up. He trained his eyes on her, watching her every move only to notice that she was definitely not here for adoption or to get supplies for her pet.

He got up, walked over to the puppy pen, pretending that he was checking on the dogs before looking to the woman when she finally spoke up. “Funny thing to hear from you,” Hyunjoon said. He had seen her before, definitely. And not in a good way. “And we do adoptions here. So no, it’s not cruel what we do. Though, it doesn’t strike me at all that you’re the type to get a pet so tell me, what really brought you here?”

Hyunjoon was in no mood for games. And she should know that.

[adhyunjoon]

adchana

(...)

“This one!” Hana almost squealed. “I’ve wanted a Jindo puppy since I was young.” She continued. “Could I please see him?”

“We do pet toys, small items, pet spa, medicine. Whatever.” They were not a huge business but they got by. Hyunjoon pointed out the flaw in the business too but his aunt insisted that pets should be adopted and not bought. Most of their animals came from the street anyway, or dropped off by previous owners who could not longer afford to have a pet.

Hyunjoon was no ace salesman. If he was to work in a proper store, he was pretty sure he would be fired in the first two hours for not smiling at the customers, not actually trying to sell their products, and well...just for his nasty attitude. But he worked for his aunt. They were family. Which meant she had to be understanding of him. If she was not, Hyunjoon would be back in his room, locked in and hoping the world would end the next second. “If people wanna adopt, they will. I’m not here to force them to.”

Taking the folder from the woman, Hyunjoon took a quick glance at the picture before going to get the puppy for her. “Hey, come here buddy,” Hyunjoon said, grabbing the puppy easily, going back to the woman and placed the dog down on the counter. “Here he is. This is our residential bad boy here. He likes jumping on people.”

[adxyujin-deactivated20191109]

Legend

[adhyunjoon]

adxyujin

(...)

It would also explain why he hadn’t been the nicest to her. He must have horrible memories of the police force, Yujin thought as she finally found her wallet and gave him the money. “I want to know your side of the story. If the police are really so bad, then they must’ve told me lies, right? So I want to know what really happened.” Curiosity was both Yujin’s strength and weakness. It had given her wonderful experiences, but she also never knew when to stop.

To say that she did not look like a forensic scientist was an understatement. The girl barely looked to be of legal age. But Hyunjoon was going to keep his mouth shut about it. He had insulted enough for the day. Anymore and she would leave without paying and that was not going to look good on his record for his aunt.

“Look kid,” Hyunjoon sighed. He grabbed the edge of the counter, leaning against it with his arms to support his weight as he looked at the girl. “The world isn’t all rainbows and sunshine, okay? So whether or not I’m being hard on myself or if I’m being too negative, that isn’t for you to judge. And as for my side of the story, there is no side. And if you value your life, kid, I’d suggest that you leave and find work somewhere else.”

Hyunjoon never told anyone the reason behind him leaving the force. His aunt and siblings just thought that the death of his partner hit him really hard and he was just down in the dumps. Someday, he would bounce right back to being the Yoo Hyunjoon he was before. He spared them the details, they did not need to know. Knowing would only bring them into harm’s way. Which was the same reason why he was not going to tell the girl either.

“You’re a nice kid. But you need to change that nosy personality of yours or you’re gonna get yourself killed. Don’t go asking strange men about their side of the story. Just...play with your cat. Okay?”

[adxyujin-deactivated20191109]

Legend

[adhyunjoon]

adxyujin

(...)

Then her gaze traveled to the puppies and she briefly lost her train of thoughts. “Are they all up for adoption?” she asked, curiosity evident in her voice. “They’re all so adorable… I bet working here is awesome!”

Whoever the girl was, the first impression of her was not a good one in Hyunjoon’s book. He hated what the police force had become and he hated even more that people wanted to know about what happened that led to him quitting when he had been so passionate about being a police officer since he was five. It was not very gentleman-like of him either, to glare at the girl when she was so...innocent looking. Should she not be out with some of guardian?

“Well, good for you,” Hyunjoon pointed out. He remember having that sort of enthusiasm when he first graduated from the academy. He was so proud in letting people know that he was a police. But now, he mocked those with that kind of enthusiasm because he knew it was only a matter of time before their dreams were crushed like his did.

The girl was relentless. Most people would be able to read the aura around Hyunjoon by now and know that he did not want to share any side of whatever with them. He gave her an unimpressed look but instead of reprimanding her, he scanned the cat toy she picked out and pointed to the register showing the price. But just as sudden as her recognising him as the officer with a rage, she switched the subject and was suddenly gushing about the puppies.

“Yes, they’re all up for adoption. And sure it’s awesome. When you’re thirty-two with no life goals, working in a shop full of animals is really the dream. And that would be nine ninety-five please.”

[adhyunjoon]

ad-yoongi

(...)

“You’re gonna get it.” Yoongi wipes his fingers down Hyunjoon’s cheek, smearing earth and grime across his jaw in thick stripes. He laughs at the image he’s painted, sounding careless and free in this moment. Yes, he’s a far cry from what he used to be. But in instances like these it appears a change for the better.

Hyunjoon was both proud and embarrassed to be beaten by Yoongi, something he never anticipated. And he wanted to blame the fact that he was just a teensy-bit distracted by the flirting that Yoongi had decided to throw in (one that he returned which only added to the distraction).

There was a moment of darkness where Hyunjoon momentarily forgot where he was, what he was doing, and who he was with, when he hit the ground and Yoongi was straddling him. Now this was something else that Hyunjoon had not done in a while; looking up at someone while they were firmly planted on his hips.

But he was brought back to reality when Yoongi had decided to go five-years-old on him and drew thick stripes across his jaw with dirt on his finger. Hyunjoon chuckled heartily and grabbed Yoongi’s wrist, catching the younger off by surprise. He flipped the tables, incorporating some Taekwondo moves, and now Yoongi was underneath him. Without hurting the younger male much, Hyunjoon grinned as he pushed Yoongi’s still dirtied fingers towards his own face, drawing matching stripes across Yoongi’s jaw.

“Looks like we’re both dirty now, aren’t we?” It was just harmless play really. But to the public, it must have looked...odd. Two grown men sparring in the middle of Hangang Park, that could have brought the wrong impression to begin with. But the two grown men who were sparring were now straddling each other on the ground, drawing on each other’s faces with dirt. Now that was going to draw yet another impression about them. “Yeah, you look better underneath me than you did on top of me.”

[adhyunjoon]

adchana

(...)

“I’m thinking of purchasing one.”

Hyunjoon looked up from what he was doing, not sparing a smile like the woman did him. He placed the bowl of feed on the floor, letting the puppies attack the bowl while he attended to the woman. Or well...attempt to. He was definitely not in the mood to be of service to a customer.

“This is all our puppies,” he said, gesturing to inside the pen. “And we do adoptions, not purchase,” he said, getting out. His whole body was reacting to someone wanting a pet as he headed over to a shelf, pulled out a folder and handed it over to the woman. “This is all our dogs, a little about their personalities, and whatever else that makes people want to adopt them. You see one you like, I bring it to you. If you don’t like, I bring another.”

If his aunt was here to see him, he was pretty sure she would put him in a class for customer service the very second the woman left. She had a whole list of what he should say, what he should do but Hyunjoon had skipped all the steps.

“We have bigger dogs too. They’re round back though.”

[adxyujin-deactivated20191109]

Legend

[adhyunjoon]

adxyujin

(...)

“Are you… the Yoo Hyunjoon?” she asked, a little timidly. “The one who used to be in the police?”

“Yah, you gotta eat. Who’s gonna wanna take you home if you are so skinny, hm?” 

Hyunjoon used to think that people who talked to their pets were out of their minds. In fact, anyone who would talk to any kind of animals were out of their minds. Yet here he was, talking to a newly brought in puppy who was still not quite used to the idea of regular feeding because it had been on the street for far too long to grasp the concept of getting food regularly. But who else was he to talk to besides the animals?

He heard the bell by the front door ringing but paid no attention. His aunt was huge on customer service, the whole smile-and-greet-and-pretend-the-whole-world-is-just-rainbows-and-puppies-and-sunshine business. Hyunjoon was the complete opposite. They would come to him with their needs, there was no need for him to greet them as if they were his best buddies.

“Yeah?” Hyunjoon asked, looking over his shoulder to see a girl. Teenage girl? “I’m done here anyway,” he said, climbing out of the pen and took whatever it was in her hand, heading for the cashier counter when she suddenly asked if he was ‘the Yoo Hyunjoon’. “Who are you? Aren’t you a little young to be a reporter?” Hyunjoon asked. “But if you are then, no, I’m not Yoo Hyunjoon who used to be in the police.”