Part 26
Felix slowly blinked his eyes open and was instantly seized by a cold wave of panic when he didn't see Jae-bum in the car. The vehicle was stationary and the world outside had begun to dim into twilight. His spine and legs throbbed with a punishing ache, a brutal reminder of the rape he had endured. He noticed that Jae-bum had draped a jacket over his body to shield him from the chill. He lifted his head slightly and saw Jae-bum approaching, carrying two coffees and some food
"You finally woke up!" Jae-bum exclaimed as he pulled the door open
Felix's hands clenched into tight fists, his knuckles turning white. His heart skipped a beat as he remembered Hyunjin saying those exact words, in that exact tone, just this morning. The parallel made his skin crawl
Felix managed a small, forced nod and a faint smile to hide his inner turmoil
"Here, eat something. You must be starving by now" Jae-bum held out a hamburger toward him "Oh! I'm sorry" he added, his gaze falling on Felix's cuffed wrists "I... can I feed you myself?" Jae-bum asked, his voice trailing off with a hint of awkwardness
"No, I can manage" Felix replied, a flush of embarrassment creeping up his neck
"Alright, eat the food first then the coffee" Jae-bum said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly
Felix took the hamburger, looking up at Jae-bum with concern "Aren't you cold, Hyung? Please take your jacket back"
"No, I'm fine" Jae-bum replied with a reassuring smile
Felix took a bite of the burger and began to eat, the hunger finally setting in despite the physical pain he was in
"Hyung, where am I going to stay?" Felix asked quietly
"What do you mean 'where'? Of course you're staying with me at my place" Jae-bum answered without hesitation
"I can't. They will definitely search your place for me. Don't drag yourself into this mess, let me handle the rest on my own" Felix insisted, his voice trembling slightly with worry
Jae-bum froze like a statue, staring at Felix with an intense look "I'll find another place. Listen to me kid, I've come this far and I am not leaving you halfway. I will stay by your side until the truth is revealed and you are officially cleared from that prison"
"But..." Felix tried to protest, his throat tight
"It's already settled. We're going to an old friend of mine so don't say another word" Jae-bum said with a firm, kind smile.
A genuine smile finally touched Felix's lips and they both began to eat in the quiet sanctuary of the car
Hyunjin was sitting in the corner of the prison library, a book open in front of him, but his eyes hadn't scanned a single word. Instead, his gaze was fixed like a hawk on the ticking clock on the wall. Every second that passed felt like a drop of acid on his skin. He was counting down the moments until Felix was supposed to return from the cemetery, his body buzzing with a dark, possessive anticipation. He wanted to see Felix's broken expression again....
As the hand on the clock ticked past the exact return time, a heavy silence filled the room. Five minutes. Ten minutes. Still no sign of the transport
Hyunjin's patience finally snapped. He stood up so abruptly that his chair screeched against the floor, drawing looks from the other inmates but he didn't care
He stalked over to the officer guarding the exit, his shadow looming large. His voice was a low, dangerous growl "Where is he? The transport was supposed to be back by now. Why isn't Felix back?"
The officer looked up from his clipboard, his expression a mix of exhaustion and grim seriousness. He didn't even flinch at Hyunjin's tone
"Haven't you heard the sirens? Felix escaped today during the grave visit. Someone ambushed the guards. The whole department is on high alert and every cop in the district is out looking for him right now"
Hyunjin stood there, utterly paralyzed. It felt like the ground had vanished beneath his feet. A wave of pure, cold shock washed over him, immediately followed by a blistering, white-hot rage that made his blood boil in his veins. His vision blurred at the edges as he realized Felix was gone out of his reach. Without a single word, his jaw clamped shut so tight it hurt, he turned and stormed back toward his cell block. The sound of his heavy, aggressive footsteps echoed like thunder against the metal tiers, a warning to anyone who dared to get in his way
By around 8:00 PM, news of the escape had saturated every Korean media outlet and rumor mill, the heir of the Lee family had vanished during a visit to his family's gravesite at approximately 3:15 PM
Inside his cell, Hyunjin was spiraling. His hands were buried deep in his hair, gripping the strands with white-knuckled intensity, while his feet drummed a restless, frantic rhythm against the cold concrete floor
"How did he manage to escape? Where could he have gone?"
The questions looped incessantly in his mind. He bolted upright, pacing the narrow confines of the cell like a caged predator "Jae-bum... that bastard is definitely behind this" he hissed, his voice thick with venom
He collapsed back onto his cot, a darker, more piercing thought cutting through his rage "Did he run because of me? Because of what I did to him?" He froze for a moment, the air in the cell suddenly feeling suffocatingly thin
But the silence offered no answers. Hours bled into one another and even after the prison lights flickered out, plunging the block into darkness, he remained wide awake. The agonizing possibility that he was the catalyst for Felix's flight and the absolute certainty that Felix was with Jae-bum right now was driving him to the absolute brink of insanity
Felix and Jae-bum arrived at a secluded location, a house tucked away far from the bustling streets of Seoul. The surrounding road was eerily quiet and deserted
Jae-bum helped Felix get out of the car, a task made difficult and awkward because of the handcuffs still locking Felix's wrists together. Every movement was a struggle but Jae-bum remained patient
They walked toward the entrance, and Jae-bum rang the doorbell. After a moment, a man in his late thirties with dark hair opened the door. His face lit up with a wide smile the moment he saw Jae-bum and he pulled him into a tight embrace
"You idiot! I missed you so much. I was so happy to hear you finally got out of prison" the man exclaimed
"You're a traitor, you know that? Why didn't you ever come to visit me?" Jae-bum asked, sounding genuinely annoyed
"I only got back to Korea two days ago! I'm sorry" the man replied, looking truly embarrassed
"I know, I know. I'm just messing with you" Jae-bum said with a grin
Felix stood to the side, watching their interaction with a dazed and confused expression. Jae-bum then shifted his gaze toward him to bridge the gap
"Let me introduce you two. This is my old friend from high school, Park Dong-seok" He then gestured toward Felix "And this is Lee Felix, my best friend from prison"
Dong-seok turned his gaze to Felix. Felix felt a sharp sting of shame under the man's observation, acutely aware of his dirty prison uniform and the heavy metal handcuffs weighing down his hands
But Dong-seok didn't seem to care about any of that. He spoke in a warm, cheerful tone, clearly trying to put Felix at ease "It's a real pleasure to meet you, Felix"
"Thank you... I'm happy to meet you too" Felix replied, offering a small smile and finally lifting his head a little higher
"Come on, get inside! It's freezing out here" Dong-seok said, stepping aside and gesturing for them to enter the warmth of the house
Felix stole a quick, uncertain glance at Jae-bum. Jae-bum gave him a reassuring, steady smile and together, they stepped inside
Earlier, in the basement of the house, they had used a heavy-duty tool to finally cut through Felix's handcuffs, the metal clattering to the floor in a symphony of relief. Dong-seok had then provided Felix with clean clothes, though they were a bit oversized and hung loosely on his frame, they felt like heaven compared to the rough prison fabric. Afterward, the three of them shared a warm, authentic Korean meal together
Now, they were gathered in the cozy living room. A fire crackled in the hearth, casting a warm, orange glow over the space. Felix and Jae-bum sat side-by-side on the sofa, while Dong-seok sat in a single armchair across from them
"I'm truly so sorry for everything you've been through, Felix" Dong-seok said, setting his half-finished coffee on the table "May this be the last of your hardships. You are welcome to stay here as long as you need until the truth finally comes to light"
"Thank you so much" Felix replied, his voice soft but sincere "I really don't want to be a burden or cause any trouble for you but... right now, I have nowhere else to go. I'll find a way out as soon as I can"
"No, please don't speak like that" Dong-seok smiled warmly "I won't let you leave until your name is cleared. Consider this place your own home"
"We'll start searching for more evidence first thing tomorrow morning" Jae-bum added, his expression turning serious
"If you need anything at all, I'm here to help" Dong-seok said firmly. He then looked at Jae-bum "But Jae-bum, you have to be extremely careful. They will undoubtedly put you under surveillance soon. Don't come here too often, you should meet Felix at different, pre-arranged locations to stay off their radar"
"He's right, Hyung. We have to be smart about this" Felix said, looking at Jae-bum with concern "I don't want you getting into trouble because of me"
"Don't worry, I'll be careful" Jae-bum assured him with a steady smile
"You both look exhausted" Dong-seok noted "I've prepared a room for you. Go up to the second floor, it's the room on the left. There are two beds there. Get some peaceful sleep tonight so you're ready to work tomorrow"
"Let's go, Felix. We need the rest" Jae-bum said
As they stood up, Felix turned to Dong-seok one last time "Thank you again.... truly for helping us"
"Hey, don't be so formal! I haven't done much" Dong-seok laughed "And just call me Hyung from now on, okay?"
"Ohh okay! Goodnight, Hyung" Felix said with a genuine smile
With that, the two of them headed toward the stairs to the second floor