Chapter Text
Kim Soleum's head is resting on what he, instinctively, realizes is someone's lap. Fingers card through his hair in a soothing motion. He sinks further into the touch as a result. The smell of something floral hits his nose, grounding him like a blanket would. Despite the serenity there's an ache within his rib cage, an itch he can't quite place. Something is….wrong. When was the last time he felt so rested? He's been so busy, stress keeping on edge as he - he - what exactly…? It's hard for him to remember what he'd been doing before this.
'Soleum-ah'
It's such an achingly familiar voice that Kim Soleum feels tears prick the corner of his eyes unbidden. He feels like it's been such a long time since he's heard his mothers voice when in reality it should've just been yesterday. There's a heaviness to his eyes that makes him fight to open them. A look reveals that where her face should be, it's instead a mosaic of fleshy, non-descriptive colors that mold and drip together. And yet, he is not horrified, the image registering as his mother's somewhere in the back of his mind.
'Don't look for us, Soleum-ah,' she continues. Despite the gentleness at which she spoke, there was an underlying sense of urgency in her tone. It's hard to understand why. Why would he have to look for her if she's right here? Surely the rest of his family was right next door as well - making breakfast or getting ready for the day. Her hand covers his eyes. 'It's for your own good, Soleum-ah. Forget about us.'
The way she speaks he's not sure if she's only talking to him anymore, or herself as well. It makes it all the more confusing. Forget about them? His family? His friends? Kim Soleum doesn't want to. Why would he want to? Without them he - what does he - what does she mean? The ache in his chest spreads out and stirs him into wanting to act but he doesn't know how. He only manages to register the empty feeling of loss gnawing at his throat. Kim Soleum never gets the chance to voice any of his questions. His mother, his feelings, everything fades away in a moment.
Instead he's left staring up at transparent ceiling with only fog visible beyond it. Try as he might to recollect his dreams, the details are already slipping from his grasp. In the end he remembers nothing about it. With the only reminder being the pain both in his chest and head. Kim Soleum stares up at the ceiling that's far different from the white, opaque ceiling of his apartment complex. It's enough to stir him into the present where he realizes he's lying on some stiff mattress that creaks as he sits up to survey the room. He's sure it's a room, at least. It's round with just the bed, desk, chair, and a few books nearby. There was a plate of food as well - uneaten. On the desk were two things: a small, pink stuffed rabbit and a lantern with an odd blue glow within it.
Turning to look beyond that does little for the mounting confusion swirling within his head. Around him looks about the same as the ceiling - transparent, sure, but only fog visible beyond it. There's also a muffled noise, almost like wailing or someone pleading, but the walls around him block out most of it. Anxiety causes his heart rate to spike as his mind whirls. Where…where was this exactly? If he had to hazard a guess it almost seemed like some odd, fantasy like prison, but that made no sense. He tries to remember what might've led to this but comes up with nothing. Kim Soleum remembered being at work and he'd left early to attend some…event. There's a pounding in his head as he tries to think of details past that, his hand flying to cradle it. But it's impossible. It's like taking a piece of film and cutting out parts before gluing them back together to submit it. Instinctively he knows something is missing, there should be something more there, but that doesn't mean he knows what.
His hand trembles against his head as he takes in a few shaky breaths. Calm down. Panicking won't help him. He's not injured, the place doesn't scream torture chamber, and other than being hungry he doesn't sense anything else wrong. Kim Soleum doesn't even entertain the thought of calling out. The walls muffle noise and he'd sound just like any other person here if he did, so there was no point. Waiting it is. It's not a long wait, as it turns out, but he does discover a few things in the mean time. Two odd tattoos on his wrist that he didn't have before and doesn't know the meaning of. The rabbit is just a keychain but it feels oddly…familiar in a way? Alive? So he pockets it. What does almost scare him to death is the way the light of the lantern flees before circling him in a crazed manner. 'A will o' wisp' his mind helpfully supplies even if it doesn't make sense since those are things of folklore and legends. Importantly, not real.
Oh, right.
How could he forget the most important part?
Kim Soleum is missing his arm. He wonders how he hadn't noticed it earlier. Had the confusions of everything just molded together or had he actively been blocking it out…?
And while trying not to panic about that fact, the wisp somehow, someway, turns into said arm and gives him a thumbs up. Something meant to be comforting, he's sure. What he's not not sure of is how long it takes before he stops hyperventilating, hand clutching and clawing at his chest as he desperately tries to take in deep breaths. It says something about him that after it he almost laughs in his delirious state of fear. Should he be glad he can't remember the pain of losing it?
It's towards the tail end of this that he realizes he's being watched. He freezes, blurry vision sharpening immediately. Slowly he drags his gaze up from his own knees, where he'd fallen to the floor, until it settled along one wall. That wall was no longer obscured in just fog, instead a man stands among it as surrounds him. The man is tall and rather bulky. He has short, cleanly cut black hair and sharp gray eyes that stare straight at him in a overwhelming picture of worry. The outfit is exactly what he'd picture some officer or civil servant wearing. It's enough to confirm his suspicions. Some sort of jail. But why? What did he do? How long is he going to be kept here?
"-Grapes - Agent Grapes, are you alright?" There's an urgent tone to the mans voice. It takes Kim Soleum a moment to realize he's talking to him. There isn't anyone else he could be talking to, really. His brow furrows as he watches the man step closer and rests his hand against the wall. So they knew each other - not just as some prisoner and guard or whatever this was, but knew each other, enough to warrant worry.
Kim Soleum licks his lip and pushes himself up onto unsteady feet. But he doesn't approach. "…Excuse me. I - uh, I don't know where I am. Is there a reason I'm being held here? Did I do something?"
Silence. The man's eyes flicker down once as if looking at something on the wall, then back up to him. Then they stare at each other. He tries not to shift or avert his gaze, doing that screams 'guilty', but it's hard and he feels his hands clamming up. Finally, the man's hand drops. The worried look on his face is replaced with something more pensive, but he can still see traces in his eyes. He sees the man gathering himself together and a moment later there's a blank slate in front him. It makes him more uncomfortable than he'd like to admit.
"Agent Grapes-
"Kim Soleum," he corrects. "That's my name."
"….." The man's stare is heavier than lead. "…Agent Grapes. Am I correct in assuming you do not recall where you are, why you're here, or who you are?"
Kim Soleum's face doesn't react a bit. Even if he wanted to wrinkle his nose a little at the blatant ignoring of his name. "I remember who I am. Where I was before. My name is Kim Soleum. I'm an officer worker. I was on the way home from work and…" Nothing. He woke up and he was here now.
"What is the name of the Company you work for?"
"It's - It's…." It's that question that causes another ricocheting pain in his head. He realizes that he doesn't remember the name of the Company. On top of that, he doesn't remember what that company did. The names of his coworkers, friends, none of that. Just vague emotions tied down to even vaguer memories. He can't hide the shake of his hands now or the way his eyes can't settle on one thing as he racks his memory. "I can't - remember - why can't I remember-?"
"Calm down."
It was hard for him to calm down when he could tell that the Agent in front him was trying to keep calm himself. Shouldn't they be better at this type of thing? Is it because of personal relations? Then he shouldn't have been allowed to approach in the first place. He couldn't tell if his headache was from the thought of that or everything else in general.
"It'll be alright," the agent assured. He held up his hand in a placating gesture as he backed away. With a jolt, Kim Soleum realized that he was about to be left behind. "Stay right here. I'll be back."
He quickly rushes forward a step or two but the man is already gone. Stay right here? Kim Soleum barks out a short, delirious laugh. Where else was he supposed to go? For a few tentative moments he stands there and stares. The foggy walls provide no answers and no one else emerges. One foot at a time, Kim Soleum walks back over to the bed and sits heavily on the edge. In the time it takes for anyone to return he end up thinking himself into a circle that leads nowhere. All it does it bring up the same questions and very little answers. Kim Soleum remembers his name and that he worked for a company - but does not remember any specific names or details. He is an 'Agent'(?) and yet is being held in some sort of prison for questioning. All in all, a whole bunch of nothing.
He's already exhausted and he's just woken up.
Kim Soleum isn't sure how much time passes before he hears his name being called once more. Looking away from the rabbit he'd been holding, he sees that same Agent standing there. Bracketing him are two creatures that are hard to describe. Guards, he's sure, but they don't seem to have a solid form that his eyes can settle on. He reaches up to scrub at his eyes but nothing changes. Just like the wisp, his hand, and well, everything, he's realizing that things are odder than they seemed. It's almost familiar in its own way.
What happens next douses that feeling entirely. The images of the figures grow and warm, stretching obscenely across the walls around them as if they're becoming giant. In the end he can't quite make them out anymore and instead gets the sense that his entire cell is being moved. It reminds him of a giant hamster ball and he's very terrified at how accurate his comparison just might be. Nondescript shadows and shapes pass along the foggy walls in a delirious dream like state. Halls, maybe? Floors? More hands and people? He can't tell. Kim Soleum is left clutching the rabbit and lantern for some sort of comfort in his powerless situation.
Then all of a sudden there's the sensation of squeezing, a sucking feeling as something grabs at him and pulls, his heart seizing in his chest - and then he's outside. Outside his cell that is because he quickly realizes he's still in some room. A space stretches before him, seemingly endless as pools of water decorate the grounds in familiar patterns. There's a fog that settles around him like a sauna.He catches the glimpse of his reflection in one and quickly turns away to survey the area completely. Nothing changes. An uncertain feeling tickles his chest - he realizes neither his arm nor the rabbit had come with him. Just him.
"Kim Soleum, you are under suspicions of contamination," a voice from somewhere echoes. He sees nowhere it could've come from and the tone itself lacked direction. What did they mean by contamination? A sickness - they think this was caused by some illness? "Please look into the pools and tell me what you see."
"How is this supposed to treat me?" he asks, looking up into the empty space above him. Contamination usually meant some sort of quarantine, some preventative measures. Why had they even bothered releasing him if they thought something was wrong with him?
Not that he wanted to stay locked up. It was just the principle.
There is no response. After what he thinks is a few minutes of waiting he finally gives in. Evidently, they wouldn't be doing anything until he listened to them. So, Kim Soleum begins walking. He looks into his fair share pools but in every one all he sees is him - tired eyes, pale complexion, he could tell he hadn't been taking proper care of himself for awhile leading up to this. Or his captors hadn't, anyway. Once or twice he thought he glimpsed some shadow over his shoulder but that was all. Still he told them what he saw in each one. Over and over, far too many times, before they finally deemed him worthy of release.
Not an actual release. Kim Soleum finds himself back in that little prison, being transported again once more. The feeling was making him motion sick. He wonders if he'd be confirming anything if he gave into the feeling of nausea and threw up all over the floor. Probably. So he resigns himself to keeping whatever lunch he had, inside. It was difficult to tell but he thinks the trip was shorter this time around. And when he's released once more, it was into an actual room instead of whatever practical trick there had been before.
Some sort of medical wing, judging off the few beds he sees lying around and the sterile white walls and floors. But that's the only glimpse he gets before his shoulders are being seized and there's a face far too close to his. The man in front him has messy brown hair, a jagged scar cutting across his neck, and deep blue eyes that look like he hasn't slept a wink in the last few days. They're also trying to stare into his soul currently, face twisted in worry as he turns Kim Soleum's face this way and that.
"Grapes-sii," the man says in a voice bordering on whining. "Bronze here has to be mistaken right? You haven't forgotten your Sunbaes, right?"
There's that whole Grapes nickname again. Kim Soleum knew he liked them, but had he really gone so far as to use it as some agent nickname? And Sunbae? Those two? He stares at him blankly. Then with his free hand he slowly reaches up to remove the man's hands from his shoulders.
"…I'm afraid I don't remember anything beside my own name," he says. He does feel bad when he sees the crest fallen look on the mans face. The other agent nearby grabs his shoulder and pulls him back some. It's not just the three of them there, he realizes upon spotting three others nearby. A doctor hovers beside him, a guard at the entrance, and what he thinks is some senior agent.
"Agent Bronze, Agent Choi, if you would," the older agent says to the two, gesturing for them to give him some space. It's a relief - both the space and finally having a name for the two. Not that he knows which is which yet.
With that, the doctor takes over. Kim Soleum is sat down on one of the beds as a check up begins. He can almost pretend its some regular health check up, if it wasn't for the chatter of those nearby and how eyes keep occasionally staring into his head. But he keeps his gaze solely on his lap as he complies with whatever the doctor needs of him. But he listens, oh does he listen.
"Could there have been something left from the bindings?" The agents are trying to whisper but failing at it. It's ridiculous that they're even bothering with the attempt, when it's just them in the ward and it's quiet enough to hear a pen drop. Shouldn't he know what was going on with himself anyway? He's got amnesia, he's not mentally frag- okay, maybe he is, but still he'd rather know.
"Someone could've tampered with him inside of the glass prison," another suggests. There's a scoff and he thinks he hears the sound of someone shoving another.
"That's nearly impossible. Far too much work to do that, and who would've anyway? Every investigator is catalogued and they checked the cameras - no tampering."
"…To himself maybe?" That's the quietest whisper but he still catches it. From the sounds of it, he thinks it's from the blue eyed one, but it's hard to tell. There's a suspicion that he would've done this to himself?
"Grape's wouldn't have gone that far." He's not sure which agent says it, but he's thankful that they have that much faith in him. Certainly more faith than he had in himself at the moment.
In the end, through the back and forth, all he gets is that they're just as lost as he is about the whole ordeal. Which is very comforting. Apparently something like this should be impossible within that glass prison. He also gets the feeling that, despite the suspicions, they also think it was impossible for him to have done it himself. It's apparent they suspect someone, who's caused issues before it seems, but he doesn't get any definite hints as to who or why he's involved in it. And not too soon after, the doctor finishes with him.
With a clip board in hand the doctor turns towards the others and finally delivers his verdict. "No signs of tampering, bindings, or any lingering contamination that we can sense. Nothing on the brain scans. All his vital signs came back stable - other than some sleep deprivation and malnutrition, he's in good health."
They hadn't given him a single MRI or any other X-ray so he's not exactly sure how they were able to tell that. What odd things did they have going on here exactly? Unconsciously his eyes drift to his 'hand' where he clenches and unclenches it before, unwittingly, it gave him a thumbs up. He fought a sigh. When he looks back up he realizes that both the agents are staring at him - the doctor and remaining agent speaking quietly near the door. Their gazes make something in him prickle and it takes everything in him not to look away.
"…Which one is which?" he asks while glancing between them. "Your names, I mean."
Something about what he says makes the black haired one clench his jaw while the other clenches his fist. Was it the problem of having to reintroduce themselves to someone they were always acquainted with..? Likely.
"Agent Bronze," the black haired one, Bronze says, while pressing his hand against his chest. Then he gestures to the blue eyed one beside him. "Agent Choi."
"And I'm - well, I was - Agent Grapes," Kim Soleum says, which causes their faces to darken more if it was even possible. Testy with feelings, those two are, he realizes. Maybe he'd be too if he wasn't already completely drained by everything going on.
"You are. Agent Grapes," Choi clarifies. Great, it seems like both of them were stubborn when it came to referring to him like that. He gives up on trying to argue.
"Right. And we were…teammates?" he asks slowly, torn between phrasing it as a statement or a question. Before they can open their mouths and correct him with something like 'we are teammates' he continues on. "What is this then? The National Intelligence Service?"
Kim Soleum doesn't remember ever wanting to become a part of the NIS. But maybe he forgot his reasoning of that among everything else. He watches as Agent Choi's face twists, like he finds that suggestion amusing. It makes Kim Soleum feel a little indignant and he can't help the frown that crosses his face.
"…This is the Disaster Management Bureau," Bronze says. Once again, nothing about it rings a bell. Was there a branch of government named that and he didn't know? How top secret was it in that case? They didn't really scream 'top secret government agency' considering he wasn't being dragged around in a blind fold or anything. Maybe that was a bit dramatic.
The confusion on his face must be more obvious than he meant it to be. Bronze's face twitches in concern again even though it's never really went away. "Do you not remember that either?"
Kim Soleum's head shake comes as no surprise. But before either of them can address that, the agent near the door calls them both over. Their talk is brief and soon enough everyone leaves the room except for Agent Choi, who's to watch him. For a moment they look at each other. Then the next, Kim Soleum is staring down at his hands, turning his wrist to eye the tattoos on the inside just to have something to look at. He's not left like that for long. He hears foot steps and then feels the bed dip as Agent Choi takes a seat beside him.
It's awkward. Unbearably so. Even with the few words exchanged between them, it's enough for him to feel the expectations they have of him. They weigh on his shoulder heavily. None of this is his fault, or at least he doesn't think so, but he still can't help but feeling guilty. Judging off their looks and reactions, he assumes they were friends on top of being coworkers. And he's no good at this - comforting people. Still, his eyes flicker tentatively to the slumped figure beside him. Kim Soleum shifts a little and lifts his head.
"Um. I'm sure it'll be alright, Choi-ssi. I don't know much, but aren't cases of amnesia like this usually temporary?" It's words both for the agent and for himself. Not remembering anything about yourself other than your name was unnerving and he was too focused on the confusion to feel any loss or sadness, but he's sure it would come soon enough. "…Sorry. For forgetting. And causing trouble."
Agent Choi doesn't react to his words at first, doesn't even glance at him. But then he sees how the mans shoulders begin to shake slightly and Kim Soleum feels a douse of cold water hit him. Is - did he make the agent cry-? No. The sound he's making begins to sound much like a laugh instead and he watches in confusion as the man covers his mouth. It would've been better if he had been crying, because now he doesn't quite know what to do. Had his words been that funny?
It takes a moment for the chuckling to subside. But when it does, the man wipes a tear from his eye and turns to Kim Soleum. There's a smile on Agent Choi's face and something about it lets him relax a little. He can still see the tell tale signs of sadness and something else swirling in those eyes of his (guilt…?), but for now he seems to be shoving it aside. A hand lays itself on his shoulder and gives it a squeeze.
"That's just like you Grapes-ssi," the man teases, giving his shoulder a little jostle. "Comforting me when it should be the other way around. Aigoo, what are we going to do with our Hubae, hm?"
Kim Soleum forces his hands to relax against his thighs and gives a small smile back. He can feel how it twitches at the edges, doesn't quite reach his eyes, but he hopes it's better than nothing. "Ah, well…I-"
"Don't worry. Whatever happened, whatever happens, we'll take care of you." The serious look in Agent Choi's eyes has returned. His grip on his shoulder tightens before the agent forces himself to relax. It's a bit ominous. Kim Soleum doesn't know how much he believes those words. But it's enough for the remaining tension to leave his body, for now. When he finally nods at him, Agent Choi releases him.
The atmosphere around them is more comfortable now that the heart broken look on Agent Choi's face has faded away. Beside him the agent leans back hands splayed behind himself on the bed. He remains sat up right, fidgeting with the stuffed animal in his hand. The little key chain is quickly becoming some sort of stress relief toy for him in the short time period he's been conscious.
"I suppose I should give you the run down of things while they deal with the boring stuff huh?" Choi gives him a little nudge, his grin a little lazier now. "Let's see…how about I start with the basics? Want to know how we met, Grapes-ssi?"
In the face of his silence, Agent Choi explains the most important things. One of those include what the Disaster Management Bureau is - he remembers nothing about Darkness-ess or Disasters, something about them doesn't quite click in his mind. Did something like that really exist? Why hadn't he ever experience or heard about that before? There's an odd feeling of disconnect where he feels like he's missing something. Then Agent Choi explains that he might've been one of the lucky few whose never even bad a brush with one, besides a few 'ghost stories' online. That…must be it, he's sure. But still something…
When Agent Choi talks about him, Agent Grapes, he feels like there's a few things the agent is glossing over. He talks about how he got hired and was a capable rookie who breezed through destroying disasters and saved citizens left and right. It's said so dramatically it makes him seem like some super hero and its ridiculous. Kim Soleum? Him? Doing all of that? There was no way,he remembered enough about himself to remember how big of a coward he is. But when he tries to tell Agent Choi about how he dodged a date because it was for a horror movie, the man simply laughs at him.
Then there's the whole deal about why he was locked up. Apparently there'd been some strong binding on him - Agent Choi has to explain what that is as well- that would've caused him to die. How he used to work for some manipulative company that doesn't care for their employees. He notes how, when explaining that he faked his death to escape them, Agent Choi doesn't quite meet his eyes. The icing on the cake is that apparently he'd been deemed clean and was going to be released tomorrow - allowed to continue as an Agent, but under close supervision. Which is just his luck, really. It's all so much information to digest and his head is pounding by the end of it. Kim Soleum massages the bridge of his nose as he sighs.
"…That was…alot. And if I'm being honest Choi-ssi I don't think I understood half of it," he says. The mention of working for a company named Daydream didn't ring any bells. Even if he didn't remember the name, thinking back on it, he does remember the vague sense of only completing paperwork. Nothing about being some sacrificial lamb. Something about ghost stories did ring true but it also hurt alot to think about, so he decided to leave it be for now. The biggest issue is how highly they seem to think of him and what that may cause.
There's a singular knock on the door and then it creaks open. The older agent from earlier pokes his head in. He gives him a side-long glance before nodding at Agent Choi. "They need you for questioning as well. He'll be safe here."
Was there a reason he wouldn't be safe there…? Well. Maybe something with the whole Darkness thing he brought up. Admittedly, the idea that he could be dragged into a ghost story at any moment was terrifying…
Agent Choi nods and rises with a groan, stretching his arms out above his head. Then he reaches out, giving Kim Soleum's hair a ruffle before he's walking over to the agent. "We'll be back, Grapes-ssi."
…And then he was alone, again. With everything going on he hadn't realized just how relaxed he'd gotten with other people beside him. It's like he's not used to being by himself, which is odd because from what he remembers of before, he was alone a lot. So even if he didn't remember the agents personally, it seemed his body did. Kim Soleum is sure there's a guard or two beyond the door, but it's little comfort. The silence is oppressive and he finds himself tense all over as he waits for anyone's return with the final verdict of what they'd do with him.