A/N: The scenes of this chapter happened before the incidents mentioned in the previous chapter (the previous night to be specific) or you could say- a contd. of cp 12.

Happy Reading~♡

Seonghwa felt himself go rigid, the fluid in his veins seeming to pause. He could feel the surge of fear and horror within himself, his body visibly shaking, as he tried not to look at the person in front of him, even though he couldn't help but steal glances at the figure. He didn't know what lay ahead of him and yet, he feared the worst. He didn't know what his future held for him but, he was sure about this that, he didn't want to die.

The Masked Man had dragged him back to the room where he was confined in for the past couple of days and had almost thrown him upon a couch, forcing him to keep his mouth shut and not move a limb. While the victim awaited for his unknown fate, the man indulged in taking off his bloodied jacket and wiping off fresh blood from his pants. The grey shirt that he wore beneath had prominent stains of blood as well, but he didn't pay any heed to it.

Seonghwa was too busy to actually look at him, his gaze glued to his lap and mind lost in a labyrinth of thoughts, and the man took this opportunity to spin around, facing his back to the other, take off his mask for a split of second, dab the handkerchief upon it and wipe off the scarlet fluid splattered all over it. It took him a span of seconds to execute this all, and before Seonghwa could raise his head to look at him, he was already wearing his coverage.

"What were you trying to do?" the voice of dark, venomous and vile, and Seonghwa could already feel his stomach churn at the question, his heart palpitating faster. He dug his nails into the edge of the couch and kept shut.

He didn't know what to say.

"I don't accept silence as an answer, sweetheart," the voice behind the mask spoke once again, this time with a low chuckle, "Unless the silence is provided by me. A permanent one, for that matter."

"I- I- " Seonghwa stuttered, grasping at words but none seeming valid, as he visibly gulped and felt highly agitated. His eyes met the man, and he could now see him holding a knife in his hand, it's sharp edge glistening in the glow of the fire burning at the fireplace.

Seonghwa was terrified.

"Just because you aren't one of my victims doesn't equal to going easy on you," the masked man declared, examining the weapon in his hand and occasionally looking at the boy upon the couch.

The victim stared.

"Wh-What do you mean by 'you aren't one of my victims'? Seonghwa quoted, looking up at the kidnapper. He knew he had to be extremely careful about choosing his words and he prayed that his current choices were accurate.

" I am not going to kill you," the reply was instant, "I'm just- protecting you."

"What?" faltered the boy upon the couch, looking at the other in pure confusion. He was stunned and extremely curious at the same time.

"I won't kill you," the Masked Man repeated, "You're not someone meant to be killed."

"Why?" Seonghwa immediately realised how stupid his question was.

The Masked Man stared at him for a few seconds and them continued, " 'Cause I don't kill people who don't deserve to be killed." Seonghwa's face instantly scrunched up in utter confusion and viewing that, the man added, "I kill bad people only, not the good ones."

"Oh," sighed the listener, feeling slightly at ease at the other's words, yet not completely convinced.

"Why do you think they're bad?" he questioned, not really caring about what the other will think.

He wanted answers. To all the theories and suspicions that had been haunting him through all the days of his confinement.

"They have intervened at some points of my lives and have made immense ruinations in it," the mouth behind the mask spoke, his voice deep and low, a sense of thoughtfulness in it, "And I am here to avenge myself for it all."

Seonghwa cogitated upon it, but didn't say anything further. He paused for a while, thinking through whatever he said, and then, cautiously plucked up some courage to put forth a question.

"How?"

"What?" the masked guy snapped, making Seonghwa slightly flinch.

"I-I mean- how- did they r-ruin you life-" he stuttered, the fear making it's return and the shiver was back as well.

The Masked Man didn't say anything. He plunged his knife into its sheath and walked over to the couch wherein sat Seonghwa, the latter shaking at the sound of his approaching footfalls. The guy plopped down on a chair facing Seonghwa, and through the mask, he looked directly at him, making the other sense his undivided attention.

"I was just a few months old when I was chucked into an orphanage," the masked guy began, his voice calm and collected, no specs of wrath in it, "I never knew who threw me in, neither did the people within the home. I didn't have an identity either, no name, neither an exact birth date, almost nothing. People at the orphanage were kind enough for at least this bit that, when they took me in, they decided to call me Star."

Seonghwa's breath hitched at the last word. Star. He didn't want to believe it, not at all. Yet, he kept quiet, grasping the edges of the furniture with force and listened on.

"The people weren't really kind," the speaker continued, "And I came to know it as I passed each day. I would thank my will to survive that I'm still breathing at present and didn't perish away within that institution. My life revolved around extreme labour, little rest and even little food. But all of it never really bothered me much. Because," he took a slight pause, "I had him."

Seonghwa breathed, his grip tightening.

"He was just a kid, exactly like me," the masked man sighed, his voice now softer, filled with an untold swirl of submerged sorrows, "But the differences he made in my everyday life was something almost unimaginable. He was frail, yet he never left me alone whenever a strenuous task came by. He was weak, yet he never backed down from defending me whenever I was in trouble. He was in pain too, yet, he never left my side whenever I was in tears. He made my living a paradise amidst the pyres of hell, like a sweet slumber with a storm raging outdoors, or, like a warm sip of hot drink in a cold winter night. He made me appreciate him, respect him and grow fond of him. He made me love him, to a deep extend, and there was no argument about it."

The man paused.

"But I left him."

"What?" Seonghwa faltered, brows creasing in confusion and heart beating faster in anticipation, "Why?" he added.

"Because I had a purpose."

"But- But you loved him-" Seonghwa didn't want to entertain any of the thoughts that were currently cramming within the space in his head but they were reluctant to leave.

"Yes," the reply was quick and without any bit hesitation, "I did."

"Why did you leave him then?" the former asked again, his heart wildly throbbing against his sunken ribs, "I-If you really-"

"Why did I leave him?" the masked guy repeated, "Oh! 'Cause I wanted to make him my husband."

There was a pause. A prolonged one. None spoke for the moments that followed. The heaviness of the uncomfortable silence slowly embraced the ambience, as the bright blaze of the cackling fire shone upon his masked features and slightly trembling hands, a slight hint of sorrow, gloom and regret enveloping his presence.

"Wh-What?"

"Yes," he spoke, a little loudly this time, with strength and impact upon his words, "I ran away, leaving him behind, breaking our promises. Because I tended to look ahead, towards the future of ours. I wanted to start a family with him. Our own family."

Seonghwa didn't want to believe a word, it just seemed so unreal from every aspect. He continued to stay silent, letting the other speak further. He couldn't quite explain what he was feeling with clarity.

It was a mess of confused emotions.

"He didn't deserve a place like that and hence, I ran away with a family that was eager to adopt me," he continued, "I did it only in search of betterment, with a promise of returning back and taking him away as well once I grew up and had everything I wanted. Tsk! How naive."

He stopped.

"But, I ended up in a pit of betrayal. Severe betrayal," the man's voice was now seeming to grow loud, anger creeping within, "Betrayals and horrors which have no mercy. And then, I left everything and chose this path, to exterminate their existence from this planet and avenge myself and the ones they hurt, the ones who could be so close to me if they were given a chance. But, even after all the rampage that I've stirred up within their square, they are reluctant to back down and are currently aiming on him. The boy I loved, from the orphanage."

"Wh-What?" Seonghwa trembled, everything within him in twisted shambles, not being able to grasp on anything or find a meaning. He was too confused and too emotional to rationally think a thought.

"And hence, I have to protect him," the masked man firmly declared, "Even if he ends up loathing for all this," he raised his gaze to meet the other's.

Another pause.

"Who-Who are you?" Seonghwa was now on the verge of tears, everything the man said was now slowly settling within him and he couldn't hold himself back. Not anymore.

He wanted answers.

"Perhaps not someone you would quite like to see at this hour," the reply was said and the man quickly brought his hands to the back of his head, fiddling with the string that held his mask to his face.

Seonghwa did not blink.

And the mask fell off.

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Thoughts?

More explanations in the next chapter so~

~Stay tuned~