there’s a lot of things that have happened over the last few days. too many.
jinseo has only heard about some of them: the death of a senior agent, doyun being injured, juwon being injured … dojoon being turned into a demon human hybrid of some sort.
there’s too many jumbled thoughts surrounding the now demon-agent (?) that cross his mind that he’s genuinely not too sure of what to think. he had been worried sick when he had first heard of the news, worried about his friends and worried about whether they would be alright after the near-death experience that they had gone through. he had wanted to be nearby, he had wanted to hold dojoon’s hand and reassure him it was okay. but … but then he had been turned away at the door, hearing whispers of unstable and demon and a lot of other things that he had been too numb to hear.
the only things he could process was dojoon and demon. it’s almost too much for him to handle, and he remembers blankly collapsing in the hallway to a loud ringing in his ears. it’s too much. he can’t think straight and he doesn’t even know how he had gotten through the next few days.
the only thing that he can think about is dojoon’s sunny smile, so fitting for his code name, and he only feels the tears that drip down his face as he mourns something that he had never had, and could never have now. he’s not sure what he’s mourning, but there are heart-wrenching sobs that leave him at night when he’s sure jisu is asleep and when he wakes the next day, he feels like death.
all he knows is that dojoon is no longer the person he thought he knew. he’s not who he thought he knew anymore. perhaps it’s stupid to think this way, but he knows that it’s what he believes and nothing can change his mind about it. demons are the reason he and jina are alone in the world and demons are his mortal enemy and he wants nothing to do with any of them. that much he’s certain about and he doesn’t know what else to think aside from that.
he’s pondering this, walking along but when he turns the corner he sees someone entirely unexpected.
he stops his initial instinct to greet him, stopping shell-shocked in the hallway and he’s glad it’s not a busy time of day or they would probably be pissing off a lot of agents. but it feels like time has stopped, as if there’s no one else there with them. he stares, unable to stop himself from doing that, and slowly takes in the bruises and then his eyes land on the marks. the black marks.
the glare appears before he can help it, trying with all his might not to snarl at the other. he’s, fortunately, swordless right now or he might do something he would come to regret. instead, he stares almost blankly, almost unseeingly at the faint marks he can see and he sniffs, turning his gaze away. hearing dojoon’s voice make his resolve almost break but he holds on strong, inhaling slowly through his nose.
“you …” he doesn’t have anything else to say, his brain coming up blank even when dojoon gives him an opening to say something. it’s stilted and awkward, where it would usually be filled with teasing and bright smiles matched with somewhat shy ones. it’s almost unrecognizable to him and he briefly allows himself to wonder what happened to him. he would never act like this around dojoon. but he knows the other knows … knows about his vendetta against demons … knows that he had joined because he had wanted to help but also because he wanted revenge. it should be no surprise but it’s still surprising.
his movements almost feel robotic as he tugs out the gun from it’s holster, not feeling like he’s in control of his body, as if another being has taken control. he watches, feeling almost disembodied, as his hand raises and cocks the gun, moving to press the barrel almost against dojoon’s temple.
"what’s stopping me from killing you right now?“ jinseo asks, his voice barely above a whisper.
dojoon stands there, feeling jinseo’s stare bore into his soul. the voice in the back of his mind tells him to look away, to simply turn and face this cruel reality another day—but he can’t. if he doesn’t do it now, if he doesn’t tear the root out of the ground and nip it at the bud at this very moment, he won’t be able to do it in the future. so dojoon forces himself to take it all in, every bit of jinseo’s judgement, the piercing words that he hears, foreign from jinseo’s usually vibrant voice. everything else around them fades away and they’re left with themselves, but they’re not the same. they will never be the same again.
he doesn’t blame jinseo, he isn’t capable of blaming anyone. from the very first moment he realises he’s no longer who he used to be, that he lost his right to humanity and the happiness he used to take for granted, he only had himself to blame. dojoon wouldn’t have it any other way. he could blame the world, he could say that the universe had been cruel and robbed him off of everything he ever had—but he was the one who jumped in front of a demon, he was also the one who chose to stay alive and bear the consequences of his sinful existence. he’s not alive for his own sake anymore, so he’ll let his life run its course.
it’s easier to say it’s his fault that jinseo is reacting this way, cold and cruel, no longer the boy he once knew, someone he can tease and bother, stick close to despite everything. every bit of happiness he felt around jinseo is now becoming a glass case of memories he’ll keep to himself, lock away for no one else to see but himself, a display of everything he craves but can’t have. dojoon deserves every bit of this, knowing what he had become, a version of himself he never knew could ever exist.
jinseo has gone through enough, he doesn’t want his presence to be another source of jinseo’s pain. maybe he’s standing here so that jinseo can take it all out on him in one go. because even though jinseo is glaring at him with an overwhelming hatred that dojoon has to bear on his own, he also knows that jinseo is soft at heart—kind and tender, under layers of hardened resolve and haunting experiences that shaped who he is today. they opened up to each other once after all, even if those doors are closed to dojoon now, he won't ask for anything more, he’ll cherish everything jinseo gave him so far in his heart.
even if it’s breaking. even if it’s no longer the heart of a human.
everyone is entitled to their hatred for demons. dojoon himself—he’d witness his own parents lose their lives in the hands of mindless demons. he’s aware jinseo had gone through something similar, many agents have. he’s not sure how he’d react if the situation was reversed, but he understands. this is fine. this is more than enough. jinseo’s friendship will be a part of those fleeting memories that come once in a lifetime. good things don’t last forever, as much as he’d like them to.
dojoon doesn’t budge even as jinseo takes out his gun, raising it to him. he can feel the weight of the gun against his temple, but his smile refuses to leave his face. although jinseo might take it as a challenge, it’s more for comfort than anything, for both of them. dojoon doesn’t take a step back, no. he doesn’t retreat either. he stands his ground. he reaches out for the weapon, fingers brushing slightly against jinseo’s hand as he does. he wraps them around the gun and moves—slowly, so jinseo doesn’t feel threatened. instead of against his temple, he lets the tip of the gun rest against his chest, right over his heart.
a beat of his heart. one breath. he locks his eyes with jinseo’s, stepping forward once, the gun like a light stab against his chest. dojoon will let jinseo pierce him if he so wishes. “nothing is. and it’s up to you if you would believe me, but... i don’t want to stop you either.” if anything, if jinseo was strong enough, if jinseo was willing—he’d probably choose to die by jinseo’s hands.
but he’d never let jinseo bear that burden. he’d die for his brother, he’d die for jinseo, but he won’t let either of them—not even jinseo—carry that guilt for the rest of his life.
( maybe there’s a reason why he’d go so far for a friend he already lost. maybe that reason is long overdue. maybe he’ll have to take that reason to his grave now, because there’s no time for the two of them anymore. )
“i guess if there’s one last thing i can ask of you... if i do end up dying. whether by your hands, or by someone else’s... treat doyun kindly. and yourself, too." he whispers, smiling as if nothing had happened between the both of them, as if jinseo isn’t holding dojoon’s life in his hands right now.