Chapter Text
"What do you think about school?"
"Huh?" 032 looked up from his noodles.
006 sighed, placing his chopsticks down. "School. A place where you can learn — be a kid of your age."
"Where is this coming from?"
"I got the idea from Ijin. After talking to him and seeing the life he has now. . . I realized it's never too late to have that kind of living." 006 said. "032, I want you to keep living your life and be a teenager."
032 parted his lips in surprise. "But. . . "
"Is there a reason you should not?" His adoptive brother grinned briefly before he turned stern again. "I don't need to say further explanations, 032, as you are still young and deserve to experience life as more than just fighting."
He wants me to live a civilian life?
His life back in the camp was not the very best, but he did not think about going to step into a normal life. No weapons, no blood, no fights. However, with 002 and his group still on the louse, 032 didn't think everything would be over and they were still not out of the dark yet.
Ijin was one fortunate fellow. He got his memories back and came home to his family — that one thing the Numbereds did not have. He was living a normal life, although more like adjusting, but regardless. . . He was happy and smiling like the brightest sun. It was shocking, yet a surprisingly pleasing sight to see. 032 learned how willed Ijin would get when it came to protecting his family, and it was one of the newest things he had come to admire about the former mercenary.
Family. He did not have a full understanding of that word as much as Ijin did. But taking time to deeply ponder about it. . . Perhaps it was a whimsical thing, having sincere care and love, and also one of the few things people around the world have. Especially the ones like him.
Maybe 006 was right. Maybe he might not.
But 032 was willing to try.
For his brother.
His feet strolled across the wooden floor. The hallway was devoid of human presence. There were vague chatters among what was behind those closed doors he went past. His hands clutched around the straps of his backpack, it was lightweight, and his socks within the pair of dark blue slippers felt odd. His blazer reached up to his wrists and underneath was a white dress shirt and a black tie to accentuate the 'student' look.
Surprisingly, the school did not mind having long hairstyles for boys. He had heard about some schools being sensitive when it came to appearances. But thankfully, this one was different, he was somehow not fond of the idea of hair-cutting.
1 - 5 — the sign on the door reads.
Is this it? He wondered. Then, once he was certain enough, he reached his hand out to the doorknob and gently twisted it open, first peering his eyes into the crease where he caught many students seated at their respective desks. All eyes then drifted to him when he fully stepped inside. His irises met their curious gazes and heard their incoherent mutters under their breaths.
For the first time in his civil life, he was nervous.
"Ah, you came right on time," spoke a kind, feminine voice that belonged to the teacher. She smiled and ushered him close. "Care to introduce yourself?"
"My. . . My name is—" he raised his head to face the class in confidence. "I am Isak."
= × =
In camp, the prior lesson was to aim for the opponent's blind spots. Kill without mercy.
In school, the prior lesson was to pay attention and answer thoroughly to satisfy the teacher.
He had done well.
But that did not mean the obscure sensation of it was gone in his system. Isak was still unnerved by his new environment. He was surrounded by teenagers his age — laughing and chattering — and he felt like a ghost in the last row. It was a good thing he was seated next to the window, which had given him some bit of entertainment when his mind was not wrapped around the topic or when the next teacher hadn't arrived.
In each subject, there were different teachers.
Some were friendly enough, and some gave him a bad feeling.
006 said it was normal. Students all have different views when it came to their teachers. So Isak guessed he made the first step toward becoming a person living a normal life.
But there was one thing that astounded him the most.
Ijin's younger sister was one of his batch mates.
He could've recognized her sooner. Apparently, when one was quite tense, his concentration was not able to function properly. Isak only did when the bell rang and everyone shuffled out of their seats; it was lunchtime, or rather a break for the students to eat snacks.
Nonetheless, he grabbed his bar from his bag and tore the package to steal a bite of the chocolate snack, crushing it between his teeth.
"Hi!"
Isak looked up, then his eyes widened. She was looking at him with a smile, her hand lifted while the other was tucked to her back, leaning forward a little.
"I hope you recognized me." She said.
"Of— of course, I do." He replied. "You are Ijin's sister."
"Call me Dayeon."
"Dayeon." Isak tested the name on his tongue. He let out a smile. "Nice to meet you again."
"What brings you here in this school?" Dayeon asked. "Sorry if I sounded a bit—"
"No, it's okay. I— I came here because. . . My brother and I officially moved into this town." Isak said.
"That's great! What's your brother like?" Dayeon proceeded. "Is he protective too like mine?"
Isak chuckled. "Yeah, he is. But not so much since he knows I am capable of handling myself. If anything, he's more like a mentor back in the place where we used to live, and he was the one who told me to keep living my life while I am still young."
"Wow. . . " She breathed, utterly mused by his response.
"How's your brother?"
Just like Ijin, her face lit up at the mention of her sibling. "He's been doing great. He spends a lot more time with his friends after returning home, which I am glad about! And as always, he goes home and helps around before he retreats to his room."
Isak's smile grew.
Soon, she grabbed her chair to place it next to his desk so they could talk properly. Isak then took another bar from his bag and offered it to her. At first, Dayeon refused, but after he reassured her that it was fine, she accepted it and munched it down.
When the class ended, it was sunset.
Isak felt relieved. Even if it was just a regular day for someone like him, it seemed he managed to get through an obstacle.
He walked alone and was heading toward the exit of the school. From the distance, he saw Dayeon waving at a group of students before she left. Though, when the students began to clear up as he neared the outside, he caught the glimpse of the one that stood out in the group — grey hair. Granted, who else had that kind of hair color and a straight, slender posture?
His heart began to race.
What should I do?!
Should he stand like a tree to wait for them to depart?
Ijin's friends began to usher him out of the school area. Which sent another relief. But then, Ijin stopped and turned over his shoulder, looking directly into Isak, who swallowed. The former mercenary pivoted on his feet as if to wait for him, his companions had stopped as well and were now eyeing him while Isak made his way toward the group.
"Who's he, Ijin?" The one with blond hair at the top of his head asked.
"H— hey," Isak said to Ijin.
"I didn't expect I'd see you here," remarked Ijin. "Did your brother send you?"
"Yeah. . . He said I should get used to this lifestyle." Isak spread the straps of his backpack to gesture at his uniform.
Ijin smiled. "Good to know. Are you hungry?"
"What?"
"You must be tired from your first day. Let me at least do something for you."
Isak huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Getting soft, aren't we? Relax, this isn't some life-and-death. If I can take a broken rib, I can handle school."
" A broken rib?! " Someone from the group exclaimed. This time, it was a redhead. "Ijin, how do you even know each other?"
"He's from the neighborhood I used to live in," Ijin answered. Plain and simple.
However, the rest of his friends' reactions were not quite good. But Isak could tell it was not the first time they'd received such an answer from their grey-haired friend.
He snorted.
"Whatever, Ijin, you can tag your little friend along. After all, you're gonna buy us food anyway." The redhead smirked.
Isak sighed. "I'll just be heading my way home. Go and hang out with them, Ijin. See you!" He waved his hand without flashing a single look at his friends and took off across the street.
= × =
Crossing paths with 034 was. . . Nice. At least in his view.
The thing was — Ijin didn't know 006 was back. He could've sent a heads-up on him. Otherwise, Ijin could have gone out to check up on them and see how his old comrades were.
But no. 006 had decided to send 034 to the same school as him.
Ijin knew it shouldn't be a problem. If he received a second chance to live the way he should've, then the Numbereds shall too. He made a mental note to ask 032 to which class he was so he could visit him from time to time and see how was he adjusting to civilian life.
"Hey, Ijin! Eat your noodles before it gets cold." Jaehyeong snapped him out of his daze.
Ijin shook his head and stared down at his seafood ramen. He snapped the chopsticks apart to begin to indulge in it, his stomach faintly growling upon tasting the food he hadn't gotten to eat ever since he went overseas. The rest of his friends were seated on the two tables they had put together in front of the convenience store, happily devouring their snacks of choice as it was purchased by none other than himself.
It was the predicament of being absent without leaving a trace.
As an answer to their onslaught of questions, Ijin said his old friends had reached out to him and wanted a reunion. They all seemed to buy it nevertheless and lit up as if the sun had dawned on them for the first time when he said he would all treat them to dinner.
"Say, who's that kid again moments ago?" Jaehyeong piped up.
"His name is Isak," Ijin said.
"He looked like a foreigner," Seokju commented. "If anything, he looked like the person you once asked me to track down and got hit by the car."
"So that's the real reason why it got a dent. . . " Yeona muttered. "And also, what do you mean by ' track down '?"
"It's a long story." Both Ijin and Seokju answered in unison.
Huijin rolled his eyes. "Although, that boy looked intimidating when he said something about a broken rib."
"Is he a gangster?" Yeongchan wondered.
"Had he bullied someone before?"
"Did he get kicked out from his old school?"
"Why are his eyes red?"
Ijin sighed, knowing everyone won't move on from the topic. "Isak is not any of those you're speculating. He's just a kid wanting to spend his future in a safe place. And why are his eyes red? Genetics."
"Urgh." Jaehyeong groaned.
Ijin silently chuckled. His response paved the way to a new topic, it was Yeona telling the guys about the deal she made with Seokju the other day when they played against each other — if she wins, Seokju would wear the old pink headband of hers in his next training. The table erupted into giggles while Seokju was blushing hard behind his ramen. Huijin, Jaehyeong, and Yeongchan simultaneously supported her idea, and they were merciful enough not to join in the deal since they all knew Seokju was weak.
When Seokju started to beg Ijin to take his side, his fellow bodyguard just shrugged and slurped his ramen soup.
How he missed them. . .
Besides his grandfather and younger sister, his friends were the ones who kept him grounded and showed him great joy.
He appreciated them as much as his family.
Then, his phone buzzed in his pocket. Ijin placed the cup down and brought it out, seeing the words 'unknown caller', so he stood up and left his table to stride his way to the corner of the store. He swiped left and put it to his ear.
" 001. " It was 006. " I see you have seen 032, huh? "
"Yeah. I was surprised to see him in school." Ijin replied. "Had he gotten home already?"
" He's currently changing. But hey, thanks to you, I got the idea of sending him there and becoming a teenager. He is still young anyway, so it's not too late for him to start a new beginning and just experience things that don't involve getting his hands dirty. "
He smiled. "I'm glad to hear that."
" How have you been? "
"Good. I got to be with grandfather and Dayeon again."
" That's great to hear! Tell them your old friend said hello. "
"I will."
" Welp, that's all I have to say for you, 001. Take care. "
The line was cut off after that.
Ijin stared at the screen of his phone, his short conversation with 006 replayed in his mind. He was glad that they were beginning to convert to civilian life, after years of enduring the terrors of living in a secluded forest, and now that 032 was in the same school as him. . . It seemed he got a new addition to his list of looking after.
