❝ some things you think are in black❞

path: bitter tar

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The engines roared, as the tires mixed through wet mud and dirt. Jeongguk shifted his body comfortably inside his luxurious car, swiping through his phone, reading the headlines of the news, and surfing through interesting topics. The morning sun was calmer than the usual, softly pitter-patting on the bullet-proof window.

"Thank you for the food!" she yelled like a child, rubbing her hands and licking her lips at the sight of luscious store-bought ramen. Jeongguk blinked his eyes twice, shifting himself on the cold marble floor and positioning his long legs between the ancestral wooden table. It had many cuts and was worn out, creaking at the edges.

"Thank you for the food," he mumbled quietly and picked up the chopsticks. "I have never tried chopstick ever before, it looks so cool!" Elena once again shouted, knowing that her ceiling and four walls will keep her voice away from the outside world. "You know how to use!?" she inclined her head toward Jeongguk picking the two long thin chunks of wood with elegance.

He nodded, "My father has clients from all over the world, and I am expected to attend the meetings as the heir to the stallion detective organization. I am trained in many cultural etiquettes..." Elena's eyes twitched as his explanation went on and on and on, she doesn't like talking about office work and professional stuff. She's the one to talk about her favorite music band for days, but would never listen to school lectures. She still scores high marks, which remains an enigma.

"Geez!" Elena commented making Jeongguk stop abruptly in the middle of his conversation. "I understand you love your family and all their works, but man, seriously, have you ever considered what you wanted? Do you always abide by their wishes and dreams? Don't you have anything for yourself? Don't you ever dream?" Jeongguk swallowed his words.

Since when was the last time he was left speechless?

He has millions of dictionaries of all languages in his house, but why can't he still manage to muster up some sentence or barely a word to answer her? why? 

Since when it was the last time he dreamed?

He can't remember.

Huge mansion and huge treasury, but his world were still small. His family provided him with anything he needed and everything he never asked for, and he has never even had anything that he wants. What is it that he wants? something that his parents have never given him? What is it?

A pretty home he wants to live in? His parents have already gifted him on his 14th birthday.

A luxurious suit? His parents have already tailored him one for a ball.

A future? His parents have already set it for him.

Since when did he have the need to dream?

Elena looked at him apologetically, the way no one has ever dared him to see before. "I want you to dream, just like a human. Not to talk and walk like a robot made by some group of mad scientists." She smiled, taking his hand, as Jeongguk's phone started to ring. 'Mr. Stallion' the caller's name read. "I want you to be free."

"H-How?"

Her gaze went softer, and her breath grew harder. "Let's run away."

The phone started to ring all of a sudden, having the caller as an unknown ID. Jeongguk snickered, "run away, huh?" His fingers hovered over the green button, swiping it up. "Sir Stallion speaking, who is this?" his voice was decent and modest, owning up to the reputation of his family. "Ohayō Gozaimasu, Sir Stallion. I, a humble servant of Mrs. Musahi have called you to convey my master's wishes. We have heard about you, and your recent investigation about my master and her daughters. And we would like to talk to you about this face to face."

"I hope March 1 would be a perfect date for you to travel to Japan."

***

"I really don't understand your ways of dealing with things, Blaze," Grayson sighed walking close with her. "You'll get it all soon!" She has tucked her hands inside the pockets of her pleated skirt, letting the sound of her heels sink into the resonating walls. "How are you sure that Namjoon is dead right now? Why would the council kill their own family?" He was surprisingly cool with speaking of someone murdering their family. If the masked Grayson was speaking, he would have sure quacked in his boots.

"I would have done the same if I were the council, Grayson. Namjoon was a mole. C'mon, you know those cold-bloods are capable of anything," Her way of speaking was so lenient as if she doesn't even care about this gruesome tragedy of a thick-knitted family. "And how do you know that Namjoon was caught?" Grayson was now stern, gritting his canines. 

"It's because I was the who did it," she replied, with no emotion in her tone. "Y-You did what!?" Grayson's pitch grew higher and he grabbed Blaze's arms. His whole body was shivering, and his gaze was tense while Blaze kept her cool, convinced that what she did doesn't deserve that much reaction. "I leaked the phone call history and conversations subtly in Jeongguk's office, where his underlings believed they were the one who made a breakthrough."

"Why on earth would you even do that!!" His grip went tighter, almost breaking his shoulder bones.

Blaze blinked monotonously, "To make their leader's true colours show. To prove that he would stoop down even to the rock bottom to achieve what he wants, to prove how much of a manipulator he is, to prove the blood he was made of." She shrugged her shoulders, trying to lighten his grip, "He must be manipulating and feeding false hopes to Namjoon's sister, Jisoo as we are speaking here."

Grayson massaged his head, contemplating Blaze's leaps. "This is murder, Blaze. You were the indirect root cause of murder," his voice shook, and the grip he had weakened. "I have been the direct root cause of many murders before Grayson, you don't have to worry about me getting my hands dirty. Why are you even worrying about me?"

"Because you are a friend, Blaze."

Friend?

"Grayson, just as the day goes and goes, you become more like her," Blaze smiled, her eyes crooked weakly and her lips swaying imbalanced as emotions plunged her body. Grayson knew Blaze wasn't a person to exaggerate even at the strongest of the words, but why is she being dramatic over a simple sentence? This raised many questions, but as for now, he had an important topic in his hand to talk about. This trivial matter can't compare.

"But how does this help you? Isn't this a disadvantage?" He squinted his eyes, hoping he could dig in more answers with her expression. "It's a lot of advantage, Grayson. Jin thinks he is so smart, convincing he is right and preaching morals at Jisoo. She isn't stupid and naive, not even the slightest, so he would bring in a sensitive topic that would shatter her into pieces. Hurt her so much that she can't even speak more of it. He would frame Namjoon as the killer of Lilian and justify his actions."

"Who the hell is Lilian?"

Blaze smiled, "Our trump card."

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❝ some things you think are in white❞

+ after a long time haha. Are you guys still here? :0