[0.0] Prologue
“I told you everything, Mr. Lee”, he leans back into the uncomfortable chair in that minuscule space. “I’m already here, handcuffed and paying for the crimes I committed, so nothing I say will make any difference now.”
“It’s the place you deserve to be”, the gray-haired man replied harshly. “It’s your destiny. You lie, you steal, you kill, you deceive people wherever you go just to achieve your own interests and you even took away my son’s purity!” He roared with such fury that the prisoner lowered his gaze slightly to the surface of the table. “I, as a father and head of investigations into your case, will do everything possible to ensure that you are never free again.”
“You really hate me, don’t you?”, the criminal whispered. “I will pay for all the shit I did, Mr. Lee, but getting involved with your son was not a crime. I have no intention to stay away from him.”
“It was a crime for me, for God!” He pointed his finger at the other man, the veins on his neck visible and his face red with anger. “I’m not asking you to stay away from him, I’m ordering you to break Yongbok’s heart and make him forget about this stupid love story! I know precisely that you’re just playing with his feelings.”
“I love him”, said the man with black hair and tied hands, staring firmly at the authoritative figure in front of him. “I’m not a monster like you think, Mr. Lee… I’ve made a lot of bad choices throughout my life, I used to think that I would solve my problems more easily that way and I screwed it up, but…” He laughed in acid humor. “It seemed so at first, but Yongbok wasn’t one of my bad choices.”
“What are you trying to tell me?” The cop smiled scornfully. “You want me to believe that you really have feelings for my boy?”
“I’m trying to say that!...” The younger one took a breath. “I’ve been to several places, you must have seen my criminal record, I robbed in Busan, New York, I went to Osaka and came back when I was almost caught after causing some… trouble… with an important family there. And yes, I intended to steal again when I got here, once again I intended to do well at the expense of others… But then I saw Yongbok.” He laughed lightly, leaning on the metal table that separated them and focused his gaze on his lover’s father without looking away. “And it was all of a sudden, old man.. I really wanted to take advantage of him at first, that was my intention, but damn… There was no way to ignore the way your son deciphers things, deciphers me.” He looked to a corner with a small smile on his lips, as if his words created an image. “I was fascinated, Mr. Lee. I fell in love with your son.”
“That’s a lie!”, the officer scolded, punching the table and standing up, looking down at the young man. “You’re just manipulating him like you’ve probably done with countless people out there!”
“I can’t even imagine doing that with Yongbok!” He also stood up and rested his handcuffed hands on the cold structure, staring at the oldest. “I have done insanely wrong things, I know that! I have taken lives, property, left families unable to support themselves and devastated by a loved one who was gone because of me, but it was because I had never seen reasons to abstain or that would make me think twice and face the consequences, see everything from a different perspective.” He sighed eagerly and lowered his voice. “And I’ve been looking for it, I’ve always been looking… I’ve been to all these places, I’ve seen countless faces, I’ve been involved with dozens of people, I’ve crossed this entire world, but for God’s sake, Mr. Lee, I need you to believe me!” He took another deep breath and faced the father of the one he cherished with all the vehemence he had. “I traveled all over this universe… and only found myself in his eyes.”
