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After successfully executing Goo Janghwae, and Doh Ganyoung, Hari falls into a coma from the mental and physical strain she endured during the mission. Moogil joins her at the hospital to recover from his own injuries after escaping death by the hair once again. Kangsoo doubles down and decides to go after the Church with Joo-Young and Detective Han’s help. Nazina and Marco stick around for the chaos, the paycheck is just the cherry on top at this point.
The Church is already crumbling, reopening the investigation is simply a matter of formalities.
A whole week passes before visitors are finally allowed to see Hari. Moogil is the first one there, having just woken up a few days prior. The nurses warn him to stay put but of course he ignores them, along with the pain that flares up every so often.
The room Kangsoo puts her up in resembles a luxury hotel suite, not too different from the one he’d been in during his recovery.
When he enters, the nurse attending to Hari debriefs him quickly.
Hari is stable but delicate, and as long as her body continues to heal then it’s just a matter of waiting for her to regain consciousness.
No visitors are allowed outside of him, Kangsoo, Nazina, and Marco until further notice. The specifications were most likely from Kangsoo’s instructions.
He’s welcome to stay in Hari ‘s room to keep her company but his room will remain available to him for as long as he needs it.
Moogil sits through the explanation without offering so much as a nod because the only thing he can focus on is the unconscious figure hooked up to fluids and the monitor that tells him, yes, she’s alive, she doesn’t look like it but she’s alive.
The nurse leaves him after giving Hari another once over and as the door latches closed in a moment of finality, he breathes. It’s not quite as simple as an exhale, nor is it a sigh of relief, more like, for the first time since he left that island with Hari in his arms he feels like his lungs work again.
He doesn’t realize until much later that he’d subconsciously been matching his breathing to the rise and fall of her chest, in some weirdly superstitious attempt to connect with her somehow, to make his presence known, to let her know she’s not alone.
—
The others drop by the following day. Kangsoo is still working on top of everything so he spends most of his time on virtual meetings and going over important documents. Nazina stays just as busy, typing away at her laptop and joining the conversation without sparing a single glance from her screen. Marco is in and out like some glorified errand boy, though he doesn’t seem to mind at all. He’s never been one to complain in the first place.
Most of their days continue like this. Whenever Kangsoo can help it, he works at the hospital. Nazina and Marco, who have a bit more freedom, keep Moogil company. He insists that they’re just being annoying and crowding the place even though the room can hold more than ten people with plenty of room to lounge in.
The trial against the Church keeps them all busy, but the rhythm they fall into is oddly peaceful.
Weeks pass and even though Hari still shows no signs of waking up, everyone stays hopeful in their own way. For now, it’s enough.
—
Nightmares are something he’s dealt with his entire life. Too many demons haunt his dreams, but just as the nightmares from his childhood become less prevalent, a new one takes its place. They start not too long after things settle down, and they all start the same.
Mideum seizes control of Hari’s body and runs off to Goo Janghwae in the middle of a shoot out. Some nights she’s shot and killed in the chaos, her body jerking from the impact before falling limp against the cold, hard ground, her blood pooling around her like a crimson halo. At least those dreams were short, but he’d wake up in cold sweat all the same.
Other nights they’re much longer. Mideum makes it to the other side and disappears with the enemy and the Hari they all knew would cease to exist. The last thing he’d see is Mideum’s eerie smile before jolting awake, leaving him feeling hollow until he remembers where he is.
He recalls the moment Hari volunteers to join the mission, and it’s another rare instance where he and Kangsoo agree on something. It’s extremely dangerous and ultimately unnecessary. But Hari is nothing but persistent, she explains how her presence might deter the enemy from harming them, at the very least she could be used as bait again, she wants to be useful.
If it had been up to him he would’ve locked her up in some room until the operation was finished but the sheer determination in her eyes tells him that it isn’t up to any of them to choose her destiny for her.
So, they spend countless hours preparing for every possible scenario. They recruit extra help, order plenty of new gear, and Hari does what she can to desensitize herself from her triggers in an effort to keep Mideum at bay.
Their preparations don’t go to waste. Everything does go according to plan, they infiltrate the island without a hitch and he manages to dispose of Doh Ganyoung quickly while the others round up her underlings. They try their best to avoid unnecessary bloodshed per Kangsoo’s request.
What they fail to predict is how deeply Goo Jangwhae’s influence is on Mideum. Just as Moogil is about to take aim at the superintendent’s head Mideum runs into the fray.
Moogil feels his blood run cold as the sight of an unmistakable head of teal runs past him and into enemy lines. She isn’t even supposed to be there but Mideum had triggered out upon hearing Janghwae’s voice from the facilities’ speakers and escaped the merc watching over her.
After that he doesn’t remember much, other than the sheer adrenaline pumping in his veins, his vision turning red. Goo Janghwae suffers a miserable death.
Moogil finds Mideum not too long after, knocks her out and gets them both to safety all while nursing five bullet wounds and a dislocated shoulder. If it weren’t for the hired mercenaries alongside them that day they would’ve never made it off that island alive.
After waking up from these nightmares he spends the rest of the evening at her bedside waiting for the sun to breach the horizon.
—
Two more months pass. It’s already the beginning of summer. Hari still hasn’t shown any improvements and it’s evident that everyone is starting to feel restless.
Kangsoo visits less often due to increasing obligations and often has to take Marco along as his bodyguard. Nazina shows up whenever she can but most of her equipment is at their current hideout and without Marco chauffeuring her around she has even less motivation to leave.
Of course he prefers it this way. He’s got his own routine down. He still doesn’t leave Hari’s side unless he gets the rare call to assist Macro on whatever Kangsoo has him doing these days. It’s monotonous, but he finds that he doesn’t mind it. He can’t remember the last time he had stability like this.
—
When he makes his way back to Hari’s room after a particularly early morning workout, he grimaces at the sight that greets him.
Kangsoo is standing in the hallway outside of Hari’s room. He greets Moogil with a nod before holding the door open for him. Moogil clicks his tongue at the gesture but enters anyway.
He takes a long shower and Kangsoo is still there when he’s done. It’s rare for them these days to be alone together, usually either Marco or Nazina are present.
The silence between them isn’t necessarily awkward, but it isn’t comfortable either. He sits back against the couch and shuts his eyes for a moment.
At some point he hears Kangsoo leave and just when he thinks he’s got his peace back, the man comes back with a coffee in each hand.
“Have you been sleeping well?” Kangsoo asks as he offers him one of the cups.
He watches the steam waft out of the plastic lid before taking it.
“Don’t make things weird by fretting over me,” Moogil responds before taking a careful sip of the bitter liquid.
Kangsoo rolls his eyes.
“It wasn’t weird until you made it weird. It was a simple question, if you didn’t want to answer it you could’ve just said nothing.”
The uncharacteristic outburst causes Moogil to chuckle. He finds him to be the most tolerable when he’s honest.
Kangsoo simply shakes his head like he’s disappointed for expecting anything more. He takes a seat on the armchair across from the couch and takes a sip of coffee.
"Considering how the police have such tight security around Hari, you could say that your services are no longer needed,” the ashen haired man says, breaking the silence. He observes the lid on his cup carefully like he’s debating how to approach his next thought. “You're welcome to leave as you please, Mr. Lee."
Moogil raises a brow at this.
"What’s that supposed to mean?"
"I'm offering you your freedom back,” Kangsoo answers simply. “You're no longer obligated to stay by Hari's side. You've done more than enough. Plus, your services aren't exactly cheap."
"So, what, you’re stingy now? All that spending finally got you broke?" He chides.
"Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with keeping you on the payroll if that’s what you wish, but it was my understanding from our conversations early on that you would be leaving immediately after the assignment was done.” He finally tears his eyes away from his cup to meet his gaze, it’s sharp but he can’t quite read the emotion behind it.
“From what the nurses have told me you’ve barely left Hari’s side this whole time. Though I’m grateful and frankly, quite surprised by your dedication, I also can’t help but wonder if your goals have changed. Our targets have been disposed of, Hari is safe now, there’s nothing more for you to do. What are you planning?”
He makes no effort to hide his annoyance, face crumpling to a grimace.
"I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. I don't give a shit what you think.” Moogil rests his elbows against his knees to bolster his words. “I'm not sticking around for your petty cash, or because of some stupid obligation. This dummy owes me big time and I'm here to make sure she pays me back the moment she wakes up."
Kangsoo blinks at his response as he registers Moogil’s words. A look of understanding reaches his eyes and he lets out an amused breath.
"You have… such an odd way of going about things,” he says like he’s got Moogil all figured out. “I’m surprised you aren’t being more direct about this like you always are. Isn’t this the time to be more honest about how you really feel?"
An obnoxious scoff leaves Moogil’s lips.
"That’s quite bold of you considering you spent all these years beating around the bush. Isn’t it time you start minding your own business?"
The sentiment clearly cuts deep and they simply stare each other down, Kangsoo buzzing with indignation as Moogil offers him his best smug grin, gums and all.
"Are you done? Don't you have more of those church bastards to throw into jail?"
Kangsoo finally resigns, letting out an exasperated sigh before standing up.
"No, I suppose I have nothing else to say,” he grumbles. “I won't be able to visit for a few days. There's a lot to prepare for the retrial. I'll leave Hari in your care.”
Moogil waves him off.
Before he closes the door Kangsoo tells him to take care of himself, and somehow there’s no bite to it. For once, the sentiment doesn’t bother him.
—
Moogil doesn’t remember when he starts doing it but it’s almost four months in when he finally takes the doctor’s advice and starts talking to her. This was something the staff had proposed early on. Something about how hearing familiar voices helps keep the mind active and may even trigger the unconscious person to wake up.
Kangsoo had been doing it for a while now, telling her about his day, the retrial, and there are times when Nazina joins in too.
At first he does it just to tease her, hoping he would successfully get a rise out of her but he runs out of things to tease her about so he also starts telling her about his day.
Before long he finds himself sharing bits and pieces of his past. He’s careful to pick the memories he doesn’t mind revisiting. There are few and far between but his shoulders do feel lighter for sharing them with her.
—
It’s a Tuesday afternoon which means the nurses have to bathe her so he makes his way to the cafeteria.
When he comes back, her freshly washed hair is fanned around her pillow. They always take the time to dry and brush out her hair.
Moogil takes a seat beside her and reaches for the strands closest to him. A specific memory comes to mind.
"I remember when you'd taken care of me after I escaped from that damned island the first time,” he says while musing over the teal strands between his fingers. ”You kept me awake with all your crying, you know? Was that your attempt at taking care of me? I could barely catch any shut eye because of you."
"I’m only saying this out loud because you’re unconscious, but it helped. No one's stayed up to take care of me like that in ages."
The AC is on but the shiver he feels isn’t from the cold air.
"Only time I can remember was when I was living with my grandparents. They used to look after me while my mother was still in school. Any time I got sick they’d fret over me like it was the end of the world."
He recalls faint memories in his grandparents’ presence. His grandfather’s stern features that would soften at the sight of him, his grandmother’s gentle blue eyes, how they’d crinkle whenever she laughed.
Then he remembers his mother.
"She was young, way too young, she didn’t know what she was doing,” he reflects. “Still, you'd think at some point she would've - … Well, like I said before, those two were terrible people. That woman couldn't even take care of herself, much less her own son."
“...”
"When you cried that night you said that there were so many things you couldn't bear. That it was unfair, and you wondered, ‘why you?’ I guess we have that in common. There was a time I'd asked myself the same question. Some days I still do, and somehow I'm still here, and so are you."
He feels his tight knit brows relax. He didn’t even realize he’d been furrowing them.
"You may be an idiot but at least you're not weak. You stuck through it ‘till the very end."
"’Do what you gotta do.’ Remember when you spouted that defeatist bullshit? You know how pissed I was? Almost made me wanna pull the trigger. I was so mad."
"But instead you kept going. After that I realized we were the exact same brand of crazy."
"So I know you'll definitely make it out of this one too. Didn't you have those ridiculous dreams that you said you'd never give up? You haven't done shit yet. You're not famous, or successful, you don't have a kid much less a man. What're you doing lazing around like this?"
"By the time you wake up you'll be just some washed up, lonely old maid."
He lets another silence pass because the memory of that night replays in his mind.
In that small, one bedroom apartment of hers, the smell of ginseng liquor hanging in the air, Hari had proclaimed not just to him, but to the world that she would have it all. He couldn’t tear his gaze from her hopeful expression, the smile on her face as bright as the sun.
Somewhere deep down he knew that night had changed something in him, like a weed, bursting forth through cracks on a pavement, a tiny bundle of hope had burrowed itself in his barren heart.
The sound of fabric shifting snaps him out of his musings and his eyes immediately finds slivers of golden orbs peering behind half shut eyelids. They struggle a bit against the afternoon light filtering in from the windows and he briefly wonders if he is hallucinating.
"... I won’t be… If you stay beside me…"
Hari’s voice comes out in a hoarse whisper. It’s barely audible but he hears it loud and clear.
"What?" He replies dumbly.
"An old maid,” she repeats after him before swallowing dryly. “If I can't find a husband then I’ll be fine if you stay beside me.”
Moogil takes a moment to let her words sink in. He doesn’t even have time to feel relieved to see her awake, no time to question the possibility of it because she’s spouting what sounds like nonsense and he’s just a little bit irritated at her implication.
"Tsk. So that's all I'm good for, a backup?"
Hari’s eyes finally make their way towards him and she blinks slowly, offering him a weak smile. It’s a sight to behold. The warm sunset casting soft shadows around her, the teasing twinkle in her eyes, the curve on her lips. Damn, he’d be lying if he said he hadn’t missed her deeply.
"Would you like to be my first choice?" She asks coyly and he has to fight the urge to kiss her then and there, to seal the deal, but he calms the ache in his heart because he takes in her scrawny features and remembers that not too long ago even the doctors were beginning to question her survival.
They could have lost her.
He could have lost her.
He swallows down the bitterness in his mouth and plays it off.
"Are you proposing to me right now? That's bold coming from someone who's been playing dead for the past four months."
"Four months?" Hari’s eyes grow wide ever so slightly.
"Yeah, dummy. You reek."
Moogil enjoys the evident panic that befalls her expression as she tries her best to sink further into the mattress.
"That’s embarrassing. P-please move away, I’m probably disgusting-"
"No,” he interjects, dragging his seat closer to her side.
“But-”
Moogil grabs hold of her hand and she goes silent.
"I'm not going anywhere."
Hari blinks at the adamant tone in his voice. Her gaze trailing back and forth at his stern expression and her hand that’s enclosed in his. The silence that draws out is full of tension that neither one dares to break.
"Does that mean I won't be an old maid?" Hari asks after a while.
Moogil doesn't say anything but he gives her hand a reassuring squeeze and he hopes it’s enough of an answer for now. There’s so much he wants to tell her.
The hint of pink on her cheeks doesn’t go unnoticed. He huffs and gets up.
"I gotta let the doctor know you're awake."
He pauses at the door and turns back because for some reason he feels the need to tell her.
"I'll be right back. Just sit tight."
—
The room is a flurry of activity the moment the staff is notified of her condition. Moogil idles by, watching like a hawk as they do a thorough checkup.
When they declare an all clear, Hari asks if she’s allowed to have visitors. The doctor and nurses warn her that her condition is still quite delicate but in the end there’s little they can do when Kangsoo, Nazina, and Marco show up a mere hour after getting the call from Moogil.
She cries when she sees them. The sheer relief in their expressions, evident even in Marco's typically calm demeanor, breaks the dam.
In another world, this could have all turned out very differently but no one dares to entertain the thought for too long.
Kangsoo tears up too and Moogil watches with misplaced resentment at how easily he wears his emotions in front of Hari, how openly he frets over her. Even Nazina, who he’s never once witnessed shed a tear, actually has some pooling in the corners of her eyes. She chimes in here and there as Kangsoo tries his best to answer all of Hari’s questions about the past four months.
He fades into the background, making himself comfortable on the couch on the other side of the room. Marco approaches him after giving his regards to Hari. He plops down beside him and a reserved silence settles between them.
If there’s one thing he’s always appreciated about Marco, it’s that he minds his own business. They’ve worked together all these years and not once has he ever pried if didn’t concern work. They have a good working relationship, that’s all that mattered.
But Moogil feels a shift in his demeanor. The man beside him clearly wants to say something but his silence makes him impatient.
“Spit it out.” Moogil barks in Vantescosian.
Marco glances at him sideways before leaning back against the couch in resignation.
“You must be relieved,” Marco states simply, but Moogil knows the statement isn’t exactly innocuous.
He replies with a scoff, not entirely sure what kind of answer the man expects. His eyes land on Hari’s animated expressions. She’s smiling so much already.
Relief is an understatement. He hates the thought of it and it’s something he’ll take to the grave, but the moment Hari woke up, it was as if his world had fallen back into place. There’s nothing more dangerous than handing the key to your sanity to another person. It was exactly what he tried so hard to avoid. Attachments.
Well, not much he can do about it now.
“You’ll find out more from Mr. Ahn later but you’re getting a slight demotion,” Marco interrupts his reverie and Moogil finally glances his way. “You’re off the field from now on.”
Moogil arches a brow at this, an invitation for him to continue.
“There are still a handful of people that need to be tracked down but he’s asked us to recruit others for the job.” Marco tears away from the eye contact and nods towards the teal haired figure laying in bed. “She’ll be your main focus from now on.”
Moogil follows his gaze blankly and sneers. “Hah? What does he think I’ve been doing this whole time? I’m the whole reason that idiot’s even alive.”
Marco shakes his head, “You misunderstand. You’re no longer going out on missions. He wants you in charge of her recovery.”
At this, Moogil’s expressions shift to a combination of irritation and confusion.
Since the beginning he’s always been suspicious of their dear employer. Kangsoo is smart and cunning, all of his decisions are carefully calculated like everything in front of him is some endless game of chess. He would be impressed if he didn’t find him so annoying.
What is he planning now?
“Recovery, tsk. That guy’s definitely lost his mind,” he replies, instinctively scratching the back of his head. The thought of being a part of Kangsoo’s mind games makes him feel itchy.
“Seems like a pretty convenient excuse to me,” Marco replies but provides no further explanation.
Hand it to him to deliver eerie one liners and expect you to piece the rest together. Usually Moogil is quick on the uptake, but this one leaves him perplexed. The man beside him takes note of his confusion and shrugs.
“Maybe it’s his way of accepting defeat and stepping aside.”
“...”
“Mr. Ahn is taking it upon himself to give you both a chance.”
“At what?”
“At being happy,” Marco turns to him and the knowing look that he gives him is both soft yet stern.
Moogil eyes him suspiciously. “When did you become a know-it-all? What are you acting all fatherly for? Stop being a weirdo.”
A sigh escapes Marco’s mouth.
“Doesn’t matter what you think of it, just… Count yourself lucky that someone’s considered your feelings to this extent. Don’t waste the chance. You both deserve it.”
The retort on Moogil’s tongue dissolves because he can't shake the way Marcos regards him like he really, truly cares. It’s an unnerving shift yet somehow he can’t find it in him to pull back. So, he settles in the unfamiliarity of it all, letting the enigmatic words reach him.
‘A chance at being happy, huh?’
—
Hari recovers quickly not too long after. She does a bit of physical therapy to get her mobility and strength back, and starts seeing a therapist to manage her traumas. With time she hopes to bridge the gap between her and her past, and allow Mideum to finally rest.
After the medical staff goes over her discharge process Kangsoo doesn’t take no for an answer when he hands Hari a keycard to a brand new apartment. He explains he’s rented out a spacious two bedroom apartment for her that’s closer to the city center. It’s in a new building with security, a lobby, a fully equipped gym, and more, but despite all the amenities Hair can only focus on one specific detail.
“Two bedrooms?” she asks and Moogil is more than happy to interject.
“I thought the same thing. Wouldn’t sharing a bedroom be more cost efficient?”
He chuckles at the added confusion this gives her. Kangsoo ignores the interruption.
“Until you’re fully recovered I’ve requested Mr. Lee to watch over you. Consider it an extension of his bodyguard duties,” he explains. “I am sorry for making the arrangements without discussing it with you first, but I was afraid you’d decline again if I wasn’t more assertive.”
Hari is speechless as she gazes down at the shiny keycard in her hand.
“But I completely understand if you don’t feel comfortable with these arrangements,” Kangsoo suddenly adds when she goes silent. “I can find Mr. Lee his own place so you can have your privacy.”
“No!” Hari replies a bit too eagerly and when she catches the amused grin that Moogil shoots her way, she quickly pulls back. “I-I mean, it’s fine. This is plenty Mr. Ahn. I just… I don’t know how I could ever repay you… for everything.”
‘Everything.’
The word carries weight between the two of them because she truly means ‘everything’: their past, their suffering, their poorly timed feelings, and the complications they caused.
Kangsoo offers her his softest smile and plants a comforting hand on her shoulder.
“Don’t laugh. I know this is cheesy, but it’s the truth.”
She watches him expectantly.
“All I ask is that you live your life to the fullest. The two of us have been haunted by our past for far too long. We’re lucky enough to have been granted a second chance, it’s up to us to make the most of it.”
Hari cries.
Moogil, who is often shameless about these kinds of things, leaves the room to give them some privacy.
—
On move in day, Moogil shows up with a couple duffle bags and not much else. The movers have already brought Hari’s boxes into the apartment and he finds her in the living room rummaging through one of them.
They spend the better half of the afternoon cleaning up as much as they can, pausing only when one of them decides to goof off or whenever Hari gets distracted about some random knick knack amidst the messy pile she makes on the floor. It happens quite a lot and before they know it the sun has already gone down.
Hari orders take-out for the both of them and they sit face to face at the dinner table like many of the meals they’ve shared before.
“We should probably run some errands tomorrow,” Hari says before taking a bite of her food and proceeds to talk between chewing. “We’re missing quite a few basics.”
Moogil doesn’t give her words much thought and simply hums in reply.
“Let’s see, we need groceries, toiletries, a bathmat, and some new house slippers would be good,” she continues, using one hand to list each item. “Hey! Wouldn’t it be nice if we got matching ones?”
Her exclamation causes him to pause mid bite and he furrows his brows at her.
“Matching slippers, matching towels, what do you think? Wouldn’t that be fun?” Hari presses him for a reaction and when he doesn’t budge she continues like a train going full steam ahead.
“I mean, since moving out of the orphanage I’d been living on my own. I’ve never really had a roommate before, isn’t this kind of exciting? We’ll be living together from now on, let’s do our best to get along!”
Moogil’s quip dies on his tongue because Hari’s all bright-eyed and bushy tailed and it’s so impossibly endearing he almost chokes on his food.
There’s always been something about how she looks at him. He can’t remember when she started doing it, but right now she gives him a look that he’d long grown familiar with.
She looks at him like she’s reaching beyond all the garbage, all the hurt to reach the version of him that’s long laid dormant beneath all of it.
She looks at him like she sees a future where he’s still by her side and she’s happy because of it.
She looks at him and it makes him feel like he’s somehow special, like he’s important, like her world wouldn’t be the same without him in it.
Moogil has no choice but to fully resign. There is no winning against Yang Hari. She is an unstoppable force of nature and only a fool would continue to deny themselves the sunshine that radiates off of her unguarded smile.
So, for the first time in a very long time, he accepts the new life that this woman before him had sown into his cold, barren heart.
It’s too scary to call it love but it would be a lie to call it otherwise. Nevertheless, his lips curl at the corners and he finds that he has no control over the smile that reciprocates hers.
“Yeah,” he finally replies, his voice coming out softer than he intended. “It is exciting.”
And even though there’s still so much he wants to tell her, so much about this… thing between them that they still need to define, he finds no inclination to rush any of it. They’ve both managed to make it this far, taking things one step at a time. It’s enough.
Being beside her is enough.