Beric took Yeon Jin inside the palace and that was when he realized they were just behind the palace.
While others had pretty and nice flowers in their gardens, Beric's looked like it was an abandoned forest. Looking at his back as he led him on, he couldn't help but feel that the real Beric was actually a lonely and helpless little child.
'What's your story?' he subconsciously wondered.
Yeon Jin grew up as a quiet kid. He didn't choose that path. It wasn't his will to be seen as an outcast. It wasn't his will to be seen as a freak or a monster but it just happened to be like that. It all started when his parents died in that accident and he got his abnormal eyes.
An orphan with no guardian got sponsorship by the government in order to go to school. He was always quiet on the outside but his insides were as loud as a clubhouse. His inner voices were rude, chatty and very extraordinary in expressing themselves but that was all in his head.
There were so many things he wanted to say to his classmates, his teachers... He wanted to make friends too. They exempted him since he looked weird with his eyes and his silence.
He tried to force his thoughts out but they wouldn't come out. He got into archery as a sport in middle school but he grew to love it so he got serious with it. That was the only thing he had been able to do on his own.
He became a pro, won a lot of medals, cash prizes and gained a lot of attention yet when asked what he wanted to be in the future, he couldn't open his mouth to speak.
His inner self spoke a lot, yelling all the things he'd like to do but his mouth refused to open. It was like it had a mind of its own and he would only purse his lips and bow his head.
Getting into college was easy for someone who had nothing to do all day than to read and practice archery. His government sponsorship ended the moment he clocked 18 but thanks to all the money he won during his continuous competitions, he was able to secure his college funds, his meals and his rented apartment.
He didn't have to work part time jobs or rely on anyone.
It was like archery was the best thing his life had to offer yet he quit participating in competitions and used his college life as an excuse to quit.
He quit participating in competitions hoping that once he finally runs out of money, he would be able to think for himself and maybe then he'd be able to open his mouth and say out things he wanted to do, how he wanted to live.
But sadly, even after that, he still couldn't open his mouth to speak his mind.
Then one day, his department was having a little get together. He joined them, only to leave half way after downing several bottles that were offered to him. He couldn't refuse so he drank them all.
"I want to have friends." He said to himself in a bubbly state while dragging himself home.
His shades were obstructive at night and since it was dark, no one would see his eyes clearly so he took them off.
The alley was dark and seemed lonely so he decided to rest there for a moment. He wasn't with his phone and his wallet had little cash so he didn't fear getting robbed.
*Cough* he coughed and held his stomach. "I feel like I'm going to throw up."
After walking into the alley, he suddenly came across a group of people in black suits and on the floor were two dead bloody bodies. They looked lifeless.
'Should I call an ambulance? It could be fatal.' His thoughts started chattering again. Both sensitive and hyper.
'Why call them when they're already dead? Besides, I'm not with my phone. Let's look at what's going on here?' his gaze moved from the dead bodies to the seven scary men who were glaring down at him. 'What do you guys think you're doing blocking the road? Some of us are trying to rest here?'
'They look scary, I should probably go back.'
'But they've already seen my face, will they come look for me?'
Suddenly, his head was smashed down to the ground. One of the seven had already taken action and made him kneel with a bleeding head.
"Boss, I got him." The guy holding on to Yeon Jin announced and a guy walked out of the darkness and into the dim light.
There weren't just seven guys to begin with, there were eight and this guy walking towards him looked like the real deal.
'What are you doing? Let go.' he couldn't say these words that needed to be said and he hated himself for it. If he didn't say something now, he just might die...
A gun clicked in front of his head. This guy who walked out of the shadows glared down at him with murderous intent and had his gun aiming directly at Yeon Jin's head.
'Hey, what are you doing? Put that down. Don't you know guns aren't toys?'
'Is he really going to kill me? But I didn't do anything. Is it because I saw the two bodies?' His eyes trailed down to the bodies. That could be the case.
On a normal note, a person who was at gunpoint would be frozen and scared out of their witts but for some reason, Yeon Jin was feeling fine. He didn't know if it was because he was drunk but he wasn't scared.
"I don't like leaving witnesses. Any last words?" Their leader asked.
Yeon Jin found himself staring into those deep cold purple eyes and something within him suddenly snapped. It was like a thread sealing his thoughts within cut in two and for the first time, Yeon Jin opened his mouth to speak his mind.
"Name." He said. "What is your name?"
He looked at Yeon Jin like he was a strange creature. Even the guys looked at him oddly.
"Daniel." He said.
"Daniel." Yeon Jin repeated and smiled. "Do you know you have such an handsome face? I don't care that you killed someone here today but you're really good looking. Would you like to be my friend? There seems to be some sort of misunderstanding here that's why you're pointing your gun at me but I assure you, killing a person or two doesn't bother me. So, will you be my friend? I'm a pretty good cook, you can come over to my place to eat Kimchi stew one of these days. I just started school so I'm a bit occupied with classes but trust me, I can make time if you want to meet up. So, will you be my friend?"