Chapter Text
Not for the first time Cassian found himself out of place. Truth be told, the feeling of displacement had become his new norm, he was inured to it by now. Mostly.
The cafe he was currently seated in was of the overly trendy and eclectic variety. Tucked out of the way, with lavender doors to draw passer-bys in, he probably never would have bothered with it if Crow hadn’t mentioned it after the last meeting.
It seemed the designer decided to go for a slightly busy, colorful aesthetic. Spaced out over hardwood floors, each table was unique and paired with brightly colored chairs which varied in type from melamine, wooden, to plush armchairs and even a hanging hammock by the circular feature window. Puzzling taste aside, allegedly their cupcakes, especially their lemon ones, were “worth stabbing a man for.” Of course, this was Crow and she rather liked throwing that threat around for any old situation.
Come to think of it, she'd probably been trying to drop a hint for Driver. A pointless endeavor as the man was caught up brainstorming his next project. Still! Driver’s loss, his gain. The occasional sweet treat was a nice break from the norm–there really wasn’t a convenience store or food stall in the area whose kimbap he hadn’t tried at this point (not that a cupcake or two was going to be dinner!).
Besides, he rather liked lemon cupcakes. They reminded him of DC–of Georgetown and the bakeries there he'd visit, probably too often for Jeff’s liking. The cafe’s version was pretty decent, albeit different from what he was used to back home (no raspberry filling). All the same, it was worth the money but probably not “stab-a-man” worthy.
Cupcakes devoured, he had only his drink and phone to occupy himself with. Thanks to the upcoming winter break, Cassian really didn’t have any pressing deadlines looming over his head. Sure, he was going to head over to the vilzone later, but there was no rush. It was cold out, he was finding that December’s in Seoul weren’t entirely dissimilar from DC, but today the wind had a viscous bite to it.
And so Cassian stared at his phone, as if that would somehow change the message therein. But no! The same cheerful conversation greeted him every time.
“That’s the third time you’ve reread that conversation since we got here. I don’t think her messages are changing.” Moros remarked, prompting Cassian to set his phone down with a disgruntled huff. “I take it you’re worried about Yuri’s upcoming visit.”
Cassian fiddled with his drink, now little more than ice, and if anyone thought he was pouting, well they were wrong! “Of course I’m worried. Things are quiet now but a lot can go wrong during her visit back home. She’ll be here almost a month too.”
Moros drifted away from Cassian, scanning the cafe’s other guests. “Hmm, you mean with the vilzones and Don King.”
“Well sure, but I’m also worried about Lampas. They haven’t been following protocol lately, it makes it harder to predict what they’re going to do next.”
“Cassian, you have another problem on top of that,” the noble soul intoned ominously.
“Oh really, what else do you think I need to worry about?” The villain responded nonchalantly, far too used to Moros’s dramatics.
“All this time you’ve been telling your sister you’ve been cooking for yourself. She’s not going to be impressed with your skills when she gets back.”
Cassian twitched at that. He wasn’t a bad cook! And he did use the recipe book the Kims’ had gifted him whenever he got the chance. The various dishes had turned out pretty well. Sure, there was room for improvement but that wasn’t the issue...
Everything took so goddamn long to make! Every dish was unfamiliar, had a million components that had to be chopped by hand and after all that hassle, he was only left with enough food for a couple sittings. As a student by day, villain by night, he simply didn’t have an hour plus everyday just to make one or two meals! Still he really ought to put in extra effort for Yuri’s visit and make a couple of nice, well put together meals.
What kind of foods does Yuri like again? He tried to think, she had a tendency of cooking lighter, nourishing dishes, maybe a soup would be a good idea? It would still be cold, after all. Then again, Cassian thought intensely while dredging up memories that weren’t his, Yuri likes spicy foods, doesn’t she? She’s just convinced that I-her brother’s too sickly to handle anything with too much heat? Did Gangu get sick a lot as a kid or something and that's why she's always sending me that awful traditional medicine? And what did spicy food have to do with any of that?
Cassian wasn’t sure, memories from further back require serious effort and even then they’re fuzzy and indistinct. One thing for sure, Yuri’s overprotective behavior was somehow both endearing and annoying at once. Thank god there was an ocean separating them most of the time.
Moros suddenly snapped back to Cassian’s side. “Heads up, you have a visitor.”
Looking up, Cassian is surprised to see that sure enough, Moros is right. The far less annoying of the Kim siblings seems to have found him and is headed his way, an apologetic look on her face.
“Hi, Gangu oppa, can I sit with you?”
Like always, responding to his new name causes a wave of dissonance to ripple through him, and that’s not even touching on the honorifics (the fact that Gangu had been a bit of a pariah was proving to be both a blessing and a curse). Pushing the feeling aside, he noticed Naeun's expression seemed strained, prompting Cassian to look past her to a couple of figures shuffling around awkwardly a ways off. Ah, so that’s the problem.
“Sure,” he responded while moving his tray to the side. “Trying to lose your shadow?” he asks, keeping his voice low.
“Yeah, it hasn’t been going so well today,” the teen sighed.
Something about her word choice caused the villain to examine the psyker carefully. “I’m surprised you didn’t let them have it already.” Cassian can’t claim to know the teen well, but from what he's seen Naeun has shown herself to be a quick thinker, good at improvising on the spot and not afraid of confrontation, either.
Naeun schooled her expression into something carefully neutral before taking a sip of her drink. “Sometimes a girl just wants to walk home without causing a public incident, y’know?” She faked a smile before adding, “I try to keep it down to once a month.”
Cassian frowned, “this kind of thing happens that often?”
“Every now and then,” Naeun hummed before taking a bite of her cookie. “It tends to pick up a bit after a big shoot gets released. Technically these guys have followed me long enough I could ask the police to intervene. According to the recent anti-stalking law these guys should at least get a warning notice for following me around, or investigated if they’ve done anything like this before. But, well...the neighborhood cops are tired of dealing with me,” she finished with a wince.
He blinked, shocked. “Seriously?” Over the years the former psyker had heard of stalkers harassing his fellow–now former–colleagues through the Lampas rumor mill. By and large, it always seemed like those issues were swiftly dealt with, guess it was a benefit of working for an international agency.
And the one time one of his own fans thought it would be a great idea to figure out what apartment he lived in, break into his car and lay in wait for him? The front desk may have dropped the ball letting her into the building in the first place, but security in the parking garage had been on top of their game.
Still, it was not a fun phone call to wake up to at three in the morning. A couple of weeks later and it was like the whole thing had never happened, he hadn’t even needed to move. (He did though, that front desk guy may have gotten the ax but it was better to play it safe.)
“Last time one of the supervisors told me they can’t just drop everything for me, there are real emergencies for them to deal with and I should try ‘talking it out’ first.”
Cassian doesn’t bother hiding his dismay. “That is literally the worst advice I’ve heard.”
“Yep, I got better tips from my agency. I’m just gonna kill time here and if they haven’t fucked off by the time I’m done, I’ll call my brother. And if he shows up with his seonbae even better because then I get a ride home and don’t have to walk.”
“You haven’t called him already?” He’s surprised by that. Whenever he’d been in trouble, real trouble, he had never hesitated to reach out to Jeff. “What would you have done if I wasn’t here?”
The rose haired girl had the good grace to look embarrassed. “Well, thanks to my ability I could see you were here ahead of time, and Uchan wasn’t responding to his texts so I figured, ‘why bother?’”
Ah, so that’s how it is then, huh? “So this isn’t a chance run in, is it?”
“I wasn’t looking for you specifically, just a familiar face. I’m not keeping you from something, am I?” The teen asked, genuinely concerned.
“Nope, it’s fine. I was just going to head to, um–” Cassian paused, realizing, I really shouldn’t just say it out loud, should I? “–work later.” There! Good enough.
“Work?” Naeun’s expression wobbled between emotions before landing solidly on amusement. “Is that what we’re calling it?” Moros, that bastard, bobbed around merrily in the background, single eye squinted up, clearly amused at Cassian’s expense.
“Look, I can’t exactly call it what it is right now, can I?” Cassian demanded, exasperated, less at Naeun and more so at a certain floating eyeball.
This time Naeun’s smile is warm and genuine. “Oh no, you’re right. I’m sure it keeps you busy. At least you get to set your own hours.”
“I mean, it’s technically the truth, I get a salary and everything,” he mumbled.
Naeun’s face scrunched up, “what really?” She just managed to catch herself before she could blurt out, “villains get paid?” and rephrases. “I didn’t realize your, um, ‘workplace’ actually paid. I thought it was more of a volunteer thing.”
He shrugs, “bosses do, dunno about the others to be honest.”
“Wait, who pays you? The government? Does that mean you’re a civil servant?” Naeun rapid fires.
Uh... “good question.” Cassian can make an educated guess, but he never really asked Driver where the money comes from–near as he can tell it changes hands several times before arriving in the account Driver had turned over to him months back–so there are a few possibilities. Most likely the money comes from the Korean government (Ministry of Interior and Safety), in which case the answer to Naeun’s question is yes.
Of course, in an incredible twist of fate, he could still be bankrolled by Lampas themselves. They were responsible for keeping villains in line after all, vilzone bosses were an integral part of that system. Then again he couldn’t rule out Winterbell either–they were the driving force behind the establishment of vilzone’s in the first place. Despite Gadam vilzone’s ties to the organization, Winterbell’s inner workings remained a mystery. A problem for another day.
There was also one final possibility: the money came from Driver himself. It wouldn’t have occurred to Cassian back then, when the former boss had been trying to recruit him...but now that he knew just how much capital Driver was playing around with in what he considered his “humble hobby?” Well, Cassian couldn’t completely rule out the chance that he had inadvertently ended up on Driver’s payroll. It’s not like he needed the money per say, still the idea didn’t sit well with him. For some reason the thought of it left a bitter taste in Cassian’s mouth. Moros probably would have scolded him for it, but Cassian had come to trust in and rely on Driver, to an extent. Sure, the other man had his secrets, no doubt about that.
But then, who was he to talk?
Curious, Naeun pressed on. This is way more interesting than her norm, after all. “Don’t you know?”
“You must be in a good mood, answering her questions when you don’t have to. Are you sure it’s a good idea?” Moros questioned.
“I’m not worried about it,” Cassian said, answering both. “And haven’t you heard? It’s bad luck to look a gift horse in the mouth,” and he sighed internally at the look of confusion that spread across Naeun’s face. Damn it! All those chapters I skipped from those Korean lessons years back because “I wouldn’t need to know it anyway,” is coming back to bite me in the ass, isn’t it? “I mean knowing where the money comes from wouldn’t change anything, a gift is a gift after all.”
Naeun looked doubtful before sipping on her drink. “It’s way too suspicious to be relaxed about.”
Honestly it’s amusing to see how indignant she is on the matter. But there isn’t anything to be gained by dragging the topic out, so he redirects. “You still haven’t told your brother about your powers yet, have you?
Naeun's expression turned sulk as she redirected her gaze out the window. “Even if your abilities make you more of a supporter you should still be stronger than the average person. I bet if you told your brother he could get Lampas to train you.”
At that, the teen grew surprisingly solemn. “Unlike my brother, I don’t want anything to do with Lampas.”
Oh, that’s unexpected. Cassian’s expression must give away his surprise because Naeun asked, “Is it really that surprising I’d think that?”
“Your brother’s practically a poster boy for Lampas, who wouldn’t be surprised?”
“We both know he’s not as picture perfect as he seems.”
If by perfect you mean one dimensional. I shouldn’t criticize, I used to be like that too. “Are you talking about the trainee incident or hell training last month?”
Naeun looked perplexed. “Hell training? What are you talking about?”
Ooof course. “Nevermind that.” He should have known better, really! It had been careless of him to ask. It shouldn’t have come as such a surprise, both siblings were keeping their own secrets. He just happened to be stuck in the middle of it.
“Um, excuse me? I mean, sorry? I need to ask something real quick.” Ah, it seemed one of Naeun’s shadows had grown bold or impatient. Maybe both. And why the hell didn’t Moros say something? Cassian assessed the intruder. He’s average built and looked ready to crumble in on himself, eyes downcast. He must be getting forced into this. At least the teen decided to walk up to the side of their table instead of behind Naeun. Of course this still means if he doesn’t leave voluntarily they’ll have to walk around him to get to the exit.
Not that it matters, he thought, glancing across the table. Naeun looked like she was ready to yell at the intruder, or throw her drink at him. And if necessary, to keep throwing things at him.
Cassian speaks up.
“Hey, can’t you tell you’re interrupting? It’s rude.”
The other boy floundered, having not expected interference. The tension built up in Naeun seemed to unwind a fraction, her eyes darting between the two boys.
And that’s when the real culprit comes in. Walking up from behind Naeun (damn-it!), standing head taller than his partner in crime, the punk swings an arm around his “friend,” looking casual while holding the smaller teen in place. “Hey, what’s with this mood? My friend here is a bashful kinda guy, don’t be so harsh to him. Can’t you see it took a lot of courage for him to come over?”
Cassian took careful measure of his opponent, not that it mattered. The lack of mana radiating from the punk makes him a non-threat. I dub thee, Punk Ass.
“So what? Bashful or not, you ought to respect others’ boundaries. Right now you’re bothering us.” And the fact that you’re using someone weaker than you to get what you want is pissing me off.
Punk Ass gave Cassian an obnoxious grin. “Oh? My bad, I tried warning my friend here. No way was a chick like yours single.”
“I’m Right Here,” Naeun bit out.
With the increased commotion, the villain could feel the room shift its focus to his table and him. It’s not like people didn’t meet up in cafes all the time, but the hostility between all parties present was palpable (the fact that Cassian had been talking to himself beforehand probably hadn’t helped to stay under the radar). Not just nearby tables were peeking over, but so were the staff. Not that he was unused to being the center of attention, but as Gangu Gwon, he didn’t want the heat. How would Yuri react if word got back to her that he was involved in an altercation? Last time they talked he’d gotten an earful for all the classes he had called out of–he needed to stay calm and wrap this up, fast.
Surprisingly, Punk Ass picks up on the sudden increase in attention with equal concern, he isn’t as dumb as he initially seemed. Could be a good thing, could be a bad thing. With a couple of staff members whispering to one another the jerk comes to a decision.
Punk Ass looked down at Cassian before sneering. “C’mon, let's get out of here,” and he jerked his companion away before adding, entirely too cockily, “I’ll be seeing you around.”
How fun, Cassian thought grimly. I suppose I could use a new punching bag.
“Amazing,” Moros finally weighed in. “Your terrible luck is truly astonishing. If you don’t go off looking for a fight for too long then the fight finds you,” the noble soul's words dripped with sarcasm. Though annoyed, Cassian let the words slide off him.
“You can’t blame me for a creep being creep,” the former psyker responded before taking stock of Naeun. From the rise and fall of her shoulders her breathing was rapid but she wasn’t hyperventilating; her fists were clenched and trembling. Good thing Cassian had first responder training drilled into him by Lampas. “Hey, Naeun?” Her eyes snapped to him, pupils dilated. “Dumb question time, but I need to make sure you’re okay.”
“Okay?” the teen’s voice cracked slightly. “I’m pissed! Why do jerks like him exist in the first place? It’s so gross.” Her voice shook, but grew stronger and steadier by the end of her short rant.
Any other occasion and Cassian would be amused. “Harsh, only one of them seemed like a jerk, the other guy just got dragged along for the ride. Not that we can do anything about that.” Unless I start going around, beating up bullies left and right in my spare time. I’m busy enough already.
Before he can suggest it, Naeun takes a deep breath and holds it for several seconds before releasing it. Cassian feels disquiet, unsettled at the thought that this teenage girl already knows what to do in this kind of situation, it’s happened enough. After a few deep breaths he asks, “How do you feel now?”
“Honestly I’m starting to feel terrible,” she replied, looking drained. That checked out.
“You should try sipping on your drink–wait, it’s not coffee is it?”
“Ummm,” Naeun looks at her drink, which could not be more obviously green. “It’s a matcha and red bean latte, does that count?”
“You did say it was dumb question time,” Moros remarked. “But even I can see that's not coffee.”
Cassian just managed to not roll his eyes, because really, how did he miss that? “Caffeine’s the last thing you want after a stress response like that. I’ll grab you something else,” he said before heading to the counter. A quick glance at the menu with nothing but coffees in view and Cassian decided on the direct approach instead. “I need to get my friend a drink that doesn’t have caffeine in it, preferably something calming. What do you recommend?”
A shorter staff member further behind the counter sprung forward, “Oh, I know just the thing! I can make her a lavender tea latte. Should I make it hot or iced?”
Cassian considers the question. A hot drink would take longer to finish, I hadn’t planned on being here for so long. Then again, maybe it’s a good thing if we take a while. It would lower the chances of running into the pricks from earlier again. Wait a second…
“You said tea latte?”
The employee smiled, eyes crinkling behind her glasses, “we have chamomile.”
“Oh, I guess hot would be fine then,” he said while pulling out his wallet. “How much…?” Now that he was looking for it, he didn’t see the drink listed on the menu.
The barista waved him off, “oh it’s nothing. I took your friend’s order when she came in, I noticed how stressed she was then–now I know why.” After pouring hot water for the chamomile to brew she moved over to a nearby machine. Once there, the barista jolted, as if having a sudden revelation and shot Cassian a suspicious glare. “You do know each other, right?”
He doesn’t take it personally. “Not well, but we’ve bumped into each other a few times. Her brother goes to my school, she just couldn’t get a hold of him.” There, true enough.
Satisfied the barista redirects her attention to drink making. “He’ll owe you after this, then,” the woman says just before purging the steaming wand, creating a loud hissing sound.
The thought of that made Cassian look away and shift awkwardly. “I don’t really care about all that.” And really, the less time he spent around Uchan as Gangu, the better. At least they have different homerooms at school. A glance back towards his table, Cassian checked to see how Naeun was doing. It looked like in the meantime she decided to force herself to eat her cookie, piece by miserable piece. She might as well be eating cardboard, for all she looks to be enjoying it.
Maybe I should grab her something for later, when she can actually enjoy it? Wait, why am I going through all this fuss? He wondered even as he turned to grab a tray. “Just a minute, I want to grab something for my friend–”
A tray with a steaming hot beverage and a small box tied up with lavender ribbon slid across the counter towards him. Cassian can’t hide his befuddlement. When did the kindness of strangers become such a source of confusion for him? “Are you sure?” he finally manages\ed to say, the words feel thick in his mouth. “I can pay, it’s no trouble.”
The barista shook her head. “It’s on me. I have a niece around your friend’s age, I know I’d be grateful if she had a friend willing to stand up for her like you. And besides, your friend will enjoy our pastries a lot more when she’s home safe. You’ll see her home, won’t you?”
“She’s putting a lot of trust in you, isn’t she?” The noble soul took the words right out of his mouth.
“Yeah, I was planning on walking her back,” Cassian murmured in response. “Um, thanks. Really.”
The walk back to the table is short and Naeun wordlessly moved her tray aside to make room. At the sight of the box she looked up, confused. “The one staff member wanted you to have it for later, so you could actually enjoy their pastries.”
“Oh,” the girl looked equally surprised as he was but quickly regained her balance. “I’ll have to thank them before I leave,” her smile is weak but genuine. Poor kid, he found himself thinking. She’s younger than my students but she’s already dealt with stuff they never had to by that age. And they had me training them!
…and where the hell are those punks anyway? It's been over six months already, shouldn’t they have come to face the villain who dared tarnish their master's name?
Unprepared for that train of thought, Cassian began to aggressively swipe through his phone for any kind of distraction. “The drink’s a lavender and chamomile tea latte. It should be calming,” he said before resting his chin in his hand.
Sensing the downturn in his mood, Naeun asks, “something wrong?”
“It’s nothing,” he says from around his hand. “Just work stuff.” And really, what’s one more lie?
And speak of the devil, Cassian could feel his other phone vibrate in his pocket. He heaved a sigh before pulling it out. What can Driver possibly be bugging me about? I said I’d drop by the vilzone sometime today but I didn’t say when, what’s the big deal?
Cassian held back his amusement. It seemed like Crow had commandeered Driver’s phone. Well, it could be worse. Aside from calling me duckling, Crow's not that bad really, once you get used to her. Thanks to Lampas, he had loads of experience dealing with "unique personalities.
Words he never could have imagined thinking even a year ago. He responded:
Cassian isn’t sure what amused him more. Crow, one of the most powerful villains in all Seoul, using a ridiculously cute emoji–or the fact that Driver had it on his phone. Who woulda guessed? Returning his phone to his pocket, he looked up to see Naeun watching him while she carefully sipped on her drink.
“Let me guess, ‘work’ was wondering why you’re late?”
He gives a noncommittal shrug. “They were just checking in.”
Naeun’s expression became downcast and she stared into her drink. “I’m probably really inconveniencing you right now, aren’t I?”
Cassian could hardly believe her words. “‘Inconvenience?’ Is that how that one supervisor put it?” The former psyker could feel his blood boil. “The man ought to learn how to do his job properly.”
He scrolled through his phone, unseeing. “You’re fine. I can stay, it’s no trouble.” His words come out more forceful than intended. Whatever. He gave up on his phone, his focus was too scattered for any distractions it might afford anyway. “How’s the drink?”
“It’s really nice, actually.” Suddenly desperate to avoid the threatening silence, Naeun grasped for something, anything to talk about. “What did you get? Before I got here, I mean.”
“I got a couple of cupcakes, the lemon and the red velvet one, and a strawberry ade.” Wait a second, I’m an idiot. I could have just ordered her a strawberry ade before! Annoyed at the lapse he shifted around in his chair. Whatever, it worked out in the end. Besides, now that he was looking out the window he wished he’d ordered something warm himself.
Naeun blows on her drink, almost halfway done. “I’ve never heard of a lemon cupcake before. Was it good?”
“It was pretty decent.” It’s tedious, keeping up the conversation. Not that he blamed Naeun, sometimes talking after a stress response helps. Cassian prefers moving, and while he’s not fazed by what just happened, sitting still is proving to be a chore. Hopefully she doesn’t take it personally…
The lull in the conversation stretched, Naeun no longer felt anxious about it and instead focused on her latte. The sooner I finish my drink, the sooner I can be home. I am so DONE with today. I wonder if I can get Uchan to order out when I get back?
The latte is uncomfortably warm but bearable as she gulps it down. Cassian blinks, mildly surprised. “You didn’t have to rush for me or anything…”
“I didn’t, I’m so ready to be home. Don’t worry, I can see the creeps aren’t outside.”
Cassian hums in response. Her skill is so difficult to understand. Before she said she could only see the past but now she can see what’s outside right now. I wonder if I should ask Moros to use [Power Analysis] on her? He quickly dismissed the thought. He may not have hesitated to use analysis to his advantage against a potential enemy, but against a tentative ally it seemed too invasive an action to take.
Nevermind that time with Driver, Cassian thought the other villain was a serial killer back then
“Who was it that gave you the box? I want to thank them before leaving,” her question knocked Cassian out of his train of thought.
He answered while nodding over to the right hand side of the counter, where the pastry cases were. “She's the one with the glasses and pink apron.” Everyone else’s were black.
While Cassian dealt with his own tray Naeun made her way to the counter, from the corner of his eye he watched as she thanked the woman from before. He can’t quite make out the words, but it doesn’t matter. Should I have thanked her again as well, he wonders halfheartedly. I’m sure it’s fine. He waits by the door for her to catch up and tries to appear untroubled.
They step outside and the crisp winter air wrapped around them. Breathing in, Cassian can feel his breath as it wanted to catch in his throat and he coughed. “This place is kind of out of the way. Want me to walk with you until it’s more crowded or something?”
The teen blinked, surprised yet again, though why? He’d hung around this long, hadn’t he? “I’d really appreciate that,” Naeun answered, looking relieved. “I never got a response from my brother, he probably hasn’t even seen my messages yet.”
A cautious glance and she adds, “I won't be putting you out of your way, will I?”
He shrugged. “It’s not a big deal, I can get around fast when I need to. Just let me know when we’re close enough.”
At Naeun’s confused expression he adds, “I get it if you don’t want me to know where you live. Just let me know when we’re a block or two away or something, then we can go our separate ways.”
He meant well, but something about his practicality just felt so…insensitive. Is that all you think of me–just some nuisance to look after? Maybe I should ask my brother for training. They walk in silence at first, broken only by Naeun speaking up to give directions. The psyker started to worry her lip, I’m not gonna have another chance to talk to him like this in who knows how long. Think Naeun, think!
Oh!
“Has the book been helpful?”
At his look of confusion she elaborates, “the cookbook! Has it been helpful?”
“Oh. Yeah, thanks,” if she didn’t know any better, she’d say he seemed embarrassed. “I probably haven’t used it as much as I should. It’s…been busy for me.”
“Work?” Naeun asked with a grin on her face, “Or hell training? No way I’m going to forget about that. Should I mention it around Uchan to make him squirm?”
The villain mumbled an unintelligible response and Naeun’s spirits lifted. Not just anyone could get away with knowingly teasing a villain! Even though her jab had been lighthearted she watched with dismay as Gangu’s expression grew pensive and even more distant. Don’t tell me my joke upset him? He's so hard to read!
As the silence between them stretches, Naeun railed internally at her predicament. Ugh, do I have to apologize? I deserve a free pass. A bug-your-local-villain pass, exclusive to me.
Finally, after what must have been a great debate, the other teen responded, “I guess I’ll be getting more use out of it soon. My older sister’s been in the States for awhile, she’ll be coming back home just before graduation.”
Internally, Naeun cheers, apology averted! “That sounds nice. Are you close? I’m sure your parents must be looking forward to her coming home,” she comments politely. Not that she knows anything about his family dynamics.
“It’s just the two of us, actually.” He says it so nonchalantly. Old news, distant memories and dulled pain.
And damned if Naeun doesn’t know what that’s like. Sure, Uchan and her have their uncle and auntie in Suncheon, and technically speaking their mother’s older brother and his wife were their guardians now. But that was just on paper. The years she and her brother had spent living further south had been difficult on everyone. It was a huge relief when an agreement had been reached, allowing the pair to return to Seoul on their own–it was the last will and testament of Kim Gwangho that Uchan attend a public high school in Seoul, and no one wanted to argue with the will of the dead.
Of course, the lease for the paperwork for their apartment had to be under their uncle's name. The first few months living alone had been interesting to say the least. Naeun was instantly popular at her new middle school. And Uchan was Uchan, serious as ever. (No, that wasn’t fair. He was different before, but she didn’t like to think about that.) Money was no object, budding careers aside, the siblings were set up for life with the life insurance pay out from Lampas.
A poor compensation for a life.
A sudden gust of wind struck them, and Naeun just managed to hear Gangu’s question before his words were carried away. “Hey, is that your brother?” If she didn’t know any better she’d say he sounded concerned.
Awareness rushed in and Naeun spun around, finally taking her surroundings in. How did she get so completely distracted she walked them both all the way home? Oh no, don’t tell me Uchan’s gonna lose it. Sure enough, her brother is footsteps away, he must have just walked out their building. Phone in hand, he looks equal parts concerned as perplexed, brows screwed up in consternation.
“Naeun, what’s going on?” He eyed Gangu warily. “And what is he doing here?”
Inwardly, Cassian sighed. I can’t get a break today, can I?
“What a shame, you were trying to avoid the red head and this happens.” The noble soul observed. Cassian could only bite his tongue, is it really necessary to point out the obvious all the time?
“He was walking me home,” the words are ground out as Naeun faced off with her brother. “Because someone wasn’t checking their messages again.”
The red head looked genuinely embarrassed at that. “Sorry, I had a meeting earlier with Chief Ham and I forgot to turn my phone back on afterwards.” Still, he eyes Cassian skeptically. “How did you two run into each other?”
“I was minding my own business, you know,” he defended himself. “But I wasn’t going to be an ass and leave your sister in a bad situation.”
Uchan’s expression well and truly soured. Was it discontent at being indebted to Gangu once again or was it anger for letting his sister down–Cassian assumed it’s both.
Now stuck out in the wind in another situation he wished he’d been spared, Cassian lamented, all I want is a day where things go to plan. And I make actual progress towards my revenge. But no, instead I’m stuck with this bullshit.
Though it must cost him greatly to make the polite offer, Uchan forced himself to say, “Thanks for looking out for my sister. Did you want to come insi–?”
“Nope,” rude or not, cutting Uchan off is a no-brainer, especially when it spared them both additional suffering. “I have somewhere I need to be.”
Unfortunately life has one more curveball to throw him.
Naeun spun around, a look of determination on her face. “Hold up, give me your phone,” she demanded, hand outstretched.
Cassian’s thoughts stutter. He’s pretty certain the temperature spikes, skyrockets really. Confused, he can only manage a less than eloquent, “uh, seriously?”
“How else am I supposed to text you?” she answered, with a roll of her eyes.
Is not texting me an option, he wondered. Then again, between her knack for trouble and her ability running at all times, maybe it would be a good idea to keep tabs on her.
“Her ability could prove useful,” Moros chimed in, as if reading his thoughts. Begrudgingly Cassian pulled out his civilian phone and unlocked it before handing it over. He could feel Uchan’s eyes on him like daggers (or maybe hot pokers) but he ignored it. I really hope I don’t regret this.
Task completed, she handed his phone back to him before saying, “there! Now we can meet up. I still owe you from before,” she said with a conspiratorial wink. “I’m not much of a cook but I’m sure I can help you get ready for your sister's visit!”
Uh what now?!
Moros, that bastard, that pest didn't even try to hold back, and burst into laughter. Before the red head can make a move, Naeun grabbed her brother by the arm before dragging him away to their building. As the doors closed Cassian made out an, "Uchan, don’t you even think of embarrassing me!" And finally, he's left to his own devices. So much for no regret.
By the time Cassian makes it to the vilzone he's positively fuming.
How the hell do I keep ending up in these messes?