Chapter Text
SICHUAN FOREST
2006 August 9, 5:25 a.m. CST
Jun sucked in too much cold air prompting his eyes to sting. He could hear the men behind him chase him through the dense forest. Broken branches and twigs scraped against his knees and cheeks. Blood trickled down his face, and his left ankle dragged uselessly behind him. He had twisted it by the river bend ten minutes ago.
Everything in his body pleaded him to rest. He couldn't. He only had one thought: live.
The men approached quicker. Jun heard the slashing of swords slicing through the dense forest. He knew that if the men caught him, mercy would not save him.
He proceeded to dash down the hill, rocks scraping against his injured ankle.
For a moment, he feared to fail his mission.
Then, a man in a green hood jumped in front of him.
Jun jumped back in terror, hand falling to his hip until he remembered he dropped his knife back at the river.
The man in the hood didn't say anything. He held a bow in his right hand, set an arrow, pulled the string taut—Jun flinched as a body tumbled from the trees.
Then another arrow was pulled. And another. Then two more bodies crashed to the floor.
"Come with me," The hooded man said.
It would be foolish to say no.
GOTHAM CITY
2006 September 15, 2:32 a.m. EST
The clicking of keys was a familiar sound to Jihoon. He hummed a tune as his father worked beside him. From the floor, he glanced up at him and smirked. His father's back was hunched like a hook as his nose was an inch from his screen.
"Straight back," Jihoon teased, returning his attention to the computer parts littered around him.
His father groaned and shimmied his shoulders to sit up. Jihoon's parents would always say the exact same words to him when Jihoon practiced piano, so his father couldn't complain. His father looked down at him and perched his glasses over his head.
"Jihoon," His father reprimanded once he saw the state of the dismantled computer.
"What?" Jihoon challenged. "I'll put it back."
Jihoon was at his father's office. His father was the Gotham Times investigative editor and would usually spend long hours in this very room.
It was a pretty cramped and dull room in Jihoon's opinion. The room was shared with three other people and was perpetually messy. Piles of papers, news-clippings, and files drowned the room. The large window was the only thing that provided an illusion of open space. His father's desk was pressed right up against it, so he always had a decent view of the city.
Typically, Jihoon would have already been in bed. But his babysitter had to study for a chemistry test, so Jihoon's father had brought him to work, and the time had gotten away from them both. They were the only two people in the building.
Jihoon didn't mind. He liked to spend time with his father, and he got to play with the computers his father's office had received from Kye Tech.
"It's not that I doubt you won't be able to put it back, but you should be asking permission before taking apart a one-thousand dollar worth computer," His father stated.
"With this RAM? This goes for two thousand easy," Jihoon replied.
"Oh, that makes me feel a lot better, Woozi."
"I'm going to be ten soon!" Jihoon whined. "You need to stop calling me that."
His father laughed deep and loud, "But you're our Jihoonie!"
Jihoon stuck his tongue out at his father. He reached for the network and graphics card and began to install them into the computer. "What are you working on?" Jihoon asked.
His father groaned and slid back to his computer screen. "My team and I have been working on a series of investigations regarding corrupt cops and police officials in Gotham."
Jihoon scrunched his brows and looked up at his father, "Cops, can be bad?"
" Anyone can, Jihoon. Remember that."
Jihoon nodded firmly.
Suddenly, they heard the elevator ping and Jihoon looked out the door of his father's office. He smiled when he saw his mother.
Jihoon abandoned the computer on the ground and rushed up to hug her. She hugged him tightly and waited for Jihoon to pull away first.
"What is my little Woozi doing out of bed this late?" His mother teased.
"Ailee had a chemistry test," Jihoon answered. He returned to his work station and carefully inserted the motherboard against the panel.
His mother looked at the parts scattered on the ground, "Hmm, this is last year's model. We just got upgraded to the newest one last week."
Jihoon's eyes opened wide, and he smiled brightly.
"No, Jihoon," She said fondly. "I need those computers, but I promise when we get new ones again, I'll bring one of the old ones home for you."
Jihoon grinned. He adored his mother, although he didn't often get to see her. His mother was the hospital administrator for Gotham General. She was always caught up in long business meetings, health planning councils, and running or attending fundraising events. So, when he did get to see her, it always brightened up Jihoon's day.
"I should be taking you home soon, though. You have your recital tomorrow--well tonight now--and you still need to practice," His mother said.
"I've been practicing!" Jihoon set his hands in front of him and mimed playing the piano. He topped it off with humming the tune.
"Ah, so you decided to go with the "A Song of a Robin"?" His mother asked fondly.
"You always said it was your favorite song."
She smiled big and beautiful and turned to her husband when he said, "We can all go home in about five more minutes. I'm almost done here."
She nodded and leaned against his desk.
"How was your staff meeting?" His father asked, continuing to type away on his computer.
His mother hummed part of the "A Song of Robin" to get a quick chuckle from Jihoon, "Long, but I was able to convince everyone that we shouldn't merge with Arkham Asylum. They should have the power to run how they see fit. If we were to merge, it would be catastrophic for both our systems. What about you? Are you still…?"
Jihoon curiously looked up at his mother's pause.
"This story needs to get published," His father responded sternly.
"But…"
His father pushed away from his desk and spun his chair to face her. "It's the right thing to do."
"I'm just worried about how you came to get this information."
His father snuck a quick glance at him, "It's fine. I promise that—"
The three of them jumped out of their skin as they heard the elevator ping on their floor.
"Is there a Mr. Lee here?" A voice cackled, loud and grating.
Jihoon's father gasped. He quickly stood and rushed to Jihoon, lifting him to his feet. Several footsteps echoed down the hallway. "Get under the desk," His father whispered. "And don't come out."
"What?"
"Jihoon. Listen to me. Get under the desk. Do not make any sound."
Jihoon nodded, anxiety filling his system. His father shoved him underneath his coworker's desk. It was the only desk where the hallway's light could not reach. Jihoon curled into a ball and tried to make himself as small as possible. He heard his father speak to his mother, "Go to the emergency exit, it's down to the hall to your left—"
"—Mr. Lee, I presume?" The same voice spoke.
Jihoon jumped in his spot and held his breath.
"Yes?" His father spoke.
"How are you doing?" The man asked. The way his voice became high-pitched sent shivers down Jihoon's spine. Slowly, Jihoon uncurled from his spot and peeked through the tiny small gap underneath the desk.
He could see his father standing in front of his mother, shielding her from the five men inside the office. Four of them were wearing plastic Halloween clown masks and had rifles strapped to their shoulders. The fifth made Jihoon's heart hammer dangerously against his chest. He was a man with caked white face paint and crudely drawn red lips in the shape of a haunting smile. His greasy green hair was pushed back against his sunken face. He had seen this man all over the news: The Joker.
Jihoon feared he would be caught with how loud his heart was beating. Surely if Jihoon could hear it, so could the others in the room.
"What do you want?" His father questioned. His voice was trembling, and that didn't soothe Jihoon's nerves.
The Joker laughed and waved his arms about, "That's not very polite! You have to say, I'm good. And you? Right?" The Joker snarled, turning back to his goons for confirmation.
They all nodded.
"We have to follow societal conventions!" The Joker giggled, "Our society will just fall apart if we didn't obey them. Wouldn't it?"
"What do you want?" His father repeated.
The Joker huffed and glared at him. "How. Are. You. Doing?"
"We're good, thanks. And you?" His mother said through gritted teeth.
The Joker laughed again. "Ah, such a classy woman. I can see who has manners here. And since you asked so nicely, I am completely and utterly angry. I shouldn't be angry. We should all be smiling and laughing all the time, but you, Mr. Lee, have brought my mood down. Do you know why?"
Jihoon saw his father glance at his computer.
The Joker saw the action. He marched forward and kicked the computer off the desk. Jihoon slapped his hands to his face to stop gasping out in shock.
"Oh!" The Joker snarled again. "You do know why I'm here." He walked back to his father and stood very close to him. "But I want to hear you say it."
Jihoon saw his father tighten his jaw, "You're paying off police officials while you and your goons terrorize Gotham's streets."
The Joker nodded very proudly, "Yes, it's true. Cops cave so easily to the color green, but don't we all? And I heard you compiled a nice list of all the people involved in this little scheme, didn't you? Down to the tip of the shoes to the top of the very head. Very clever man."
"I won't publish it," His father said.
"Oh?"
"Just let me and my wife go, and I won't ever publish the story, please."
The Joker smiled. "See, I can't do that. Because then I gotta pull double duty and then threaten the members of your investigative team, and I don't have the time for that. I have a date later tonight, and I'm not a man to go against my prior engagements. You know how that is. That's how you got your wife."
His father pleaded again.
The Joker hummed. He crossed his arms in front of him and placed a finger underneath his chin.
"Please," His mother said next. "We'll give you money. Anything. Just let us go."
The Joker dropped his arms to his sides, "Typically, I would take some cash, but seeing as you have zero assets after I just burned your townhome to the ground and my men are currently robbing a bank at this moment, your money doesn't seem to be important."
Jihoon held in his whimper at what the man had just said. He could feel tears streaming down his face, and it was getting harder to breathe.
The Joker grinned. He cackled and turned to his goons for a moment where they laughed with him. "Now. I can make this quick and easy. See, Mr. Lee, you are the warning. I shoot you, and your team is scared shitless to ever come near this story ever again. In fact, I think they'll stop investigating anything going on in Gotham all together. Wouldn't you agree?"
"Ple—" His father didn't get to finish before the Joker whipped out his gun from the waistband of his pants and fired two bullets into his father's skull. Two more shots rang out in his mother's direction.
Jihoon bit his lip until he tasted blood and dug his fingers against his ears.
He could see their bodies on the ground. His parents. His—
"What do we do with the building boss?" One of the goons squad. "Burn it?"
"Nah," The Joker chuckled. "I don't want to alert Batman of what happened here. Let's head out, I wasn't kidding. I do have a date. Oh, you should see her: tiny and quintessential adorable little thing."
The men left.
The minutes passed.
Jihoon slowly crawled out from underneath the desk and hesitantly walked forward. Jihoon released a broken sob and sank to the bottom of the floor.
GOTHAM CITY
2006 September 23, 8:37 a.m. EST
"And this will be your room," The old woman said.
Jihoon cautiously stepped inside, clutching his backpack. He glanced around the room, feeling as if the walls were closing in on him. There were three bunk beds, each one pressed against a wall to maximize whatever space was left. It definitely didn't look up to code, but no one was going to say anything as long as poor orphans had a place to sleep.
Currently, there weren't any kids inside the room as the old woman guided him to his bed. It was a small bed with faded blue sheets and a single flattened pillow. Jihoon set his stuff down on the bottom bunk, and the mattress squeaked with the weight.
"They're at school right now," The old woman answered, even though Jihoon didn't ask. "You'll be enrolled in the local school in about a week or two, okay?"
Jihoon weakly nodded.
"Do you need anything else, dear?"
My parents. My life. "No."
The woman gave him a panged smile but left him alone. Jihoon sat at the edge of the bed. His chest constricted painfully, feeling suddenly short of breath. He pressed a hand to his sternum and rubbed. The tightness hadn't dissipated as Jihoon had hoped.
The second the officers had found him clutching his mother, to when he was giving his statement, and sitting in court, Jihoon hadn't been able to relax.
He sucked in a deep breath and held it as he sunk his head to his knees. Jihoon just wanted to go home, but he couldn't. The man who had killed his parents had burned his townhome to the ground. All his possessions were gone. His entire family was gone. When his lungs started to burn, Jihoon let out the breath and sucked another one through his mouth.
His vision turned blurry around the edges. Whether from tears or lack of oxygen, Jihoon could not determine.
He had loved his father and mother. He had idolized them both. Gotham Times investigative editor and Gotham General's hospital administrator were Gotham's most exceptional people. City officials always complimented his parents for their dedication and passion to the city. Jihoon had seen it. His father worked late at night, determined to let the public know the truth. His mother poured away over meetings to make sure her patient's and staff's needs were met.
Jihoon loved their hard work and dedication. He had loved his parents.
But…
What the Joker had done...
He had taken away everything from Jihoon. His parent's goodness, his life. Jihoon had nothing.
Jihoon let out a choked sob. He sat up to roll against the mattress and press his nose against the popcorn-textured wall. Jihoon reached out a hand and ran his fingers through the wall's bumps.
Jihoon began to cry, and the stress chained around his body pulled even tighter.
GOTHAM CITY
2006 September 30, 9:00 a.m. EST
It had only been eight days, but Jihoon had come to one conclusion about this place. He hated it. He didn't want to be in this stupid orphanage anymore. He wanted to go home. He had spent most of his time crying. The other boys in the room didn't say much to him. An older, bulky kid had tried to bully and tease him for it, and the staff had tried to stop it. They had only made it worse, and each night, the kid would steal Jihoon's dinner.
He was sitting on a crumby old school bus. The seat cushions had seen better days with their torn-off cheap leather and years-old-gum stuck to the windows. Beside him, an older, tall, and lanky boy he roomed with was speaking with him.
The boy had told him his name, but Jihoon couldn't focus much on anything, and he was too embarrassed to ask again.
"This whole place is a joke!" The boy cried out over the loud ruckus of the bus. All the kids from the orphanage were boarding. The old lady and other people who worked there were trying to break up a fight between two girls upfront.
"You know a lot of us don't have dead parents like you. You're the lucky one," The boy rambled on. "Stupid social workers want to reconnect us with our parents and make them take stupid classes and shit. Like I wanna go back to my old man."
Jihoon half-heartedly listened and stared at Gotham's city orphanage through the window. There was a stupid billboard printed out in front: a young child hugging a woman with bold black lettering saying: INVESTING IN A BRIGHTER FUTURE.
At least the other boy was right in that department. This whole place was a joke.
The bus groaned and shook as the engine started up. The workers had finally settled down the children, and they were finally moving. It was Saturday. No school. Not yet, at least. Jihoon didn't want to go to school anymore. What was the point?
He finally acknowledged the boy. "Where are we going?"
"On our monthly stupid motivational field trips. I think we're headed to Kye Tech Industries today."
Jihoon nodded and pressed his forehead against the window, mindful of the gum underneath his nose. His eyes followed the streets of Gotham. The morning sun crept over the shop buildings, but its light was melting the thick smoggy hair, creating an unappealing orange haze across the city.
Garbage was piled along the sidewalks. The streets were crowded with the poor, the elderly, and the unlucky. Jihoon's eyes caught a woman pushing her one-year-old child on a busted stroller. A homeless man approached her, asking for money, but the woman kept walking, pretending that she hadn't heard him.
Jihoon sighed and shut his eyes. This was nothing like where he grew up in Gotham. He remembered his beautiful, immaculate white townhome. It had its own private garden on the roof where his father used to spend his free time with him. They used to bury their hands in fertilizer, giggling when earthworms tangled against their fingers. Jihoon remembered his mother's study. There was a piano that he and his mother used to play. Sometimes, Jihoon would hold small concerts for the neighbors out on the street. The neighbors were always neatly dressed with subtle brand labels strewn upon their person.
Jihoon had never realized how much Gotham was divided. Dreams couldn't happen here. They were beyond reach.
He recalled sitting across from an overworked social worker in her mid 50's. Her office was cramped and run-down, stacks of folders piled high to the ceiling in front of her. "Your parents never wrote a will...and neither of them had any next of kin…"
Jihoon did not remember the rest, only white noise.
The school bus finally arrived at Kye Tech. Jihoon stepped off the school bus and stared up at the skyscraper in front of him. The 67-floor building had stainless steel canopies with glass-enclosed bridges at the second-floor level. The black-colored panels stretched up to the large KT molded to the center of the building.
Jihoon was actually marveled at the sight. He had never been to Kye Tech but had always dreamed of it. He religiously followed the "Science Division," a weekly magazine. He was enraptured in the company's newest technological advancements, but his parents had never had the time to take him there.
Jihoon followed the other children inside the building. The chaperones spoke at the lobby with a nice looking woman, and she handed them each visitor badges. Two boys stuck their visitor badges onto their foreheads, and already one of the ladies from the orphanage was yelling at them. Jihoon rolled his eyes.
A few minutes later, a woman in a clean black blazer and pencil skirt came to greet them.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Park Soo Ah, and I am your tour guide for this morning and afternoon."
Kids shoved at each other to get closer to the front of the line, but Jihoon was content to be in the back with the other adults. While he knew he should have been excited to be here, he just wasn't feeling it.
The tour guide took them through a maze of hallways and rooms, giving them sneak-peeks at different technology that Kye Tech was developing. Many of them were flying drones, one was some sort of ice blaster that froze at absolute zero, and another was a new processing core that they were developing.
When they reached the end of the tour, Park Soo Ah was taking them to a private gaming room for kids. The same boy from the bus kept close to him and was chatting away about all the cool stuff that they had seen, but Jihoon struggled to concentrate.
Accidentally, he collided with a group of kids in front of him. Jihoon rubbed his nose and glanced around, wondering why they had stopped.
Kye Tech's CEO, Kye Bumzu, was walking toward them at the end of the hallway. He wore a clean press expensive suit and tie, and he was flocked by several assistants, discussing schedules and holding digital tablets for him to sign.
"Hello, Ms. Park," Kye Bumzu greeted. "Is this our tour group for the day?"
All the kids nodded and looked up at him with wide-eyes. Jihoon continued to stand in the back. Kye Bumzu smiled brightly at all of them and ignored an assistant who called his name. Jihoon had read everything about this twenty-nine-year-old man. Kye Bumzu's parents had been murdered outside a theater in Gotham when he had been just eight years old. He had been allowed to stay in the Kye Manor under his butler's legal guardianship until he was to turn eighteen and could take over his father's company. Despite his tragic upbringing, Kye Bumzu was a genius. He had graduated from Gotham University at just sixteen years old. However, unfortunately, he had gone missing during his vacation in the East Asia Sea with the CEO and son of SJ-M Enterprises. Kye Bumzu had returned to Gotham nearly three years after his disappearance, rescued from a deserted island in the East Asia Sea. The newly resurfaced man immediately fired all the Board of Directors. He took over his deceased father's company, where he had transformed the multi-million company to what it was today.
Kye Bumzu said his greetings to every kid, but then his eyes locked on his.
"Jihoon?" The man questioned. "Lee Jihoon?"
All the kids whipped their heads toward him.
Jihoon smiled, "Hi Mr. Kye," he returned politely.
"What are you doing here?" Kye Bumzu questioned with a bemused expression.
Before Jihoon could answer, one of the assistants pleaded, "Sir, please. You have a video conference in five minutes with the Board of Directors of SJ-M."
Kye Bumzu chuckled, "Please, what's Zhou Mi going to do? Cut off our company's investments?"
The assistant squawked, scared that would exactly happen. The man said his goodbyes and continued walking down the hallway.
"Alright, kids. Let's keep it moving!" Their tour guide called.
The children followed her, whispering ecstatically over getting to meet the CEO.
The kid that Jihoon has been stuck with bumped shoulders with him. "He knew your name!" The kid exclaimed. Several other children were now eavesdropping.
Jihoon nodded and explained, "He had been a family friend. He only came over to my mom's charity functions for the city and always donated to the hospital."
"That's so cool!" The kid screeched.
Jihoon could not share his enthusiasm, suddenly stuck in the memories of his parents.
They arrived in a giant room that looked like every kid's dream. There was a giant ball pit in the center of the room, but it was unlike any other. Several of the balls hovered in the air and could lift a hundred pounds into the air. Against the wall were virtual reality games and pinball machines that lit up and deposited candy for every successful save.
Jihoon awkwardly hovered next to the pinball machine as all the kids fought over the headset for the virtual reality game. He pressed the start button and pulled the lever to launch the pinball. He played for an hour lost in a trance, his fingers moving rhythmically against the two buttons. Some kids came to watch but got bored when Jihoon wouldn't engage with them in conversation.
"Excuse me," A woman's voice said softly next to him. Jihoon looked up at her, and the pinball beside him made a dinging noise as his ball fell. The woman was their tour guide, and she had a soft smile. "Mr. Kye would like to speak with you."
"Me?" Jihoon asked in disbelief.
"Yes. If you would follow me, please."
"But what about the group?"
"They are entertained. Don't worry, the group won't leave without you."
Jihoon followed her out of the room and down the hallway where Kye Bumzu had left. The woman ushered him inside into a large staff meeting room, and she shut the door, returning to the other children.
Jihoon looked around the office. Everything seemed to be made of glass, including the staff table in the center of the room. Silver desk chairs lined the counter, and Kye Bumzu sat at the head of it.
"Jihoon," Kye Bumzu declared.
"Hi?" Jihoon said awkwardly, stuffing his hands inside the pockets of his hoodie.
"Sorry for interrupting your tour, but I had heard what happened to your family and…"
Jihoon lightly kicked out his foot and threw his gaze to the ground. Kye Bumzu immediately stopped talking. He stood to his feet and walked around the staff table, leaning against it with his hip to stare at Jihoon.
"I'm so terribly sorry," The CEO said. "Incredibly so."
Jihoon looked back up and met the man's eyes. He actually seemed genuine in his apology, so Jihoon was confused. "Why are you sorry?"
The man unclasped his suit and leaned further into the desk. "I—" he paused. "I know what it feels like to lose your parents like that."
"Oh," Jihoon said, not knowing how to reply.
"Those kids, are you in school now?"
Jihoon shook his head. "I'm not returning to my old school. There's no one to take care of me there. They dumped me in an orphanage until they can figure out what to do with me."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"It's not your fault," Jihoon stated, clutching his hands into fists inside his pockets. There was a moment of silence in the room until Jihoon impatiently asked, "Why did you call for me?"
Kye Bumzu smiled haphazardly and sighed, "After...hearing on the news about your parents' deaths, it reminded me of mine. Losing your parents that young can really damage someone. And I feel extremely res…" He took a long pause this time. "I followed up with my assistants once the story had been all over the press. They had informed me that you had been transferred to the Gotham orphanage. So I reached out to them and offered an all-expense tour."
"You planned this?"
"Yes, because I..." Kye Bumzu seemed hesitant, but he carried forward. "I wanted to put in the paperwork to adopt you."
"What?" That's not what Jihoon had been expecting.
"I knew your parents."
"I know you did. You came to my parent's charity functions."
"I mean, I knew your father past those events. I helped him sometimes with his work."
"You did?"
Jihoon never remembered his father mentioning Kye Bumzu. If he had, Jihoon would have demanded to meet the CEO personally.
The man frowned but pressed on. "I have nearly all the paperwork finished, but I thought I would extend the courtesy of asking you first before submitting anything."
Jihoon was extremely confused. "I still don't understand why you want to adopt me."
Kye Bumzu sighed loudly through his mouth this time. He walked forward and kneeled on one knee, so he was at eye-level with Jihoon. "I knew your father and the reason for his death."
Jihoon's mouth parted. There hadn't been any information leaked to the press about his father's investigation. Jihoon, as far as he knew, was the only one. "Why didn't you say anything?"
"It's complicated. But I can promise you, adopting you will be for your safety."
"What do you mean?"
"Because I can keep you safe. You need to trust me, please. I failed terribly with your father, Jihoon, and now he and his wife paid the price for my mistakes. I'm offering you a chance that not many children get. You will have the best schooling, access to resources your parents never had, I can help provide for you and take care of you."
"Why is it your mistake?" Jihoon asked, focusing on that statement.
"Because I was the one who provided him with the list."
Jihoon gasped and took a step back.
"Jihoon, I didn't intend for your parents to be murdered."
He wrung his hands tightly now inside his pockets. He shook his head, thinking about his father's goodness. "It's not your fault," He mumbled.
"I'm sorry?"
"My dad always believed that bad people deserved consequences. That's what you believe, too, right? That's why you gave him the information? You knew my dad was the best journalist in the city, and he would definitely get the information out there."
Kye, Bumzu nodded. "I did, yes, but not at the cost of their lives."
"The Joker killed my parents. Not you," Jihoon said.
Kye Bumzu gave him a long look that Jihoon could not read. Jihoon stared at his face carefully, studying it to learn what the other man could be thinking. The only thing he could see that was out of place was a jaw that trembled slightly, almost like the CEO was trying not to cry. Jihoon asked, "Will I live with you?"
"It's up to you."
Jihoon thinned his lips. Kye Bumzu was a man he had idolized like his parents. He was a good man and wanted to advance technology in the city to help its people.
"Okay," Jihoon finally said. "Okay."
"Yeah?" Kye Bumzu gasped with a smile.
"When?"
Kye Bumzu stood to his full height and smugly grinned, "With my resources, I can pick you up tonight."
Jihoon gasped out in relief.
The chains that were weighing him down got a tiny bit lighter.
When Jihoon had returned to the orphanage, he had stuffed his few belongings into his backpack. He sat patiently on his bed, ignoring dinner, and just waited. He couldn't be ready to get out of this dying part of the city. The other boys entered the room and stared at Jihoon strangely but didn't say anything.
It was approaching midnight, and Jihoon was getting worried. Maybe Kye Bumzu was lying—he wasn't going to come to get him. And if he was lying to him about this, then surely he must have been lying about his parents.
"Lee Jihoon?"
Jihoon's head snapped to the doorway. A burly man was standing at the door. Jihoon did not recognize him, but he had a 'Gotham Orphanage' pin on his left breast pocket. Jihoon stood, clutching his backpack to his chest.
"Y-yes?" Jihoon stuttered.
"There's someone here for you."
Jihoon truly smiled for the first time in these past eight days. He nodded vigorously and followed the man down the hallway. They passed by several rooms, kids softly snoring and sleeping. There was a moment where Jihoon felt guilty over leaving. It was luck that Jihoon had caught Kye Bumzu's sympathy. If he hadn't been born to influential people in the city, then the CEO of Kye Tech would have never been interested. He was going to be saved. Truly. And what were these kids going to get?
His mind drew the images of the streets of Gotham. The same streets that his parents had tried so hard to help.
Jihoon vowed to come back. To help all of them. It just wasn't fair.
They bypassed the office on the first floor of the orphanage. Jihoon looked on, confused, "Don't papers have to be signed?" Jihoon asked.
The burly man huffed, "Paperworks, all done." They walked to the entrance, and the door was pushed open.
A fancy black limo was parked out in front. Jihoon sighed in relief; he had come.
Jihoon turned to the burly man to tell him goodbye, but two strong arms were suddenly wrapped around him. A heavy hand was clasped over his mouth and nose, and the other around his stomach. The man lifted him into the air. What the—
Jihoon immediately struggled. His heart stuttered inside his chest. His breath wanted to come out in sharp pants, but his source of oxygen was cut off. God, he couldn't even scream. He tried to lift his legs and kick, but the man's hold was too strong.
Jihoon's eyes opened wide when he saw another man wearing a clown mask laugh and open up the limo. Jihoon was thrown inside. He jumped to the door to open it, but the car door's locks would not budge. Jihoon gasped and slowly turned to the rest of the limo. His heart sunk, and he felt like he was going to piss himself when he saw the same man who had killed his parents, sitting calmly across the limo. He had on the same white face paint and terribly drawn red lips. His arms were thrown over the back of his seat, displaying his oversized purple-feathered coat. His green hair was greasy and fell against his cheekbones, shrouding his left eye as his right one stared Jihoon down.
"Jihoon, is it?"
Jihoon didn't answer. He was paralyzed in fear. He jumped in his seat when a gun was placed at his temple. Tentatively, Jihoon looked to his left and saw another man with a clown mask sitting right next to him.
"Answer him!" The man shouted.
"Now, now," The man said. "We got to treat our guests nicely. If Mr. Lee Jihoon doesn't want to talk, then he won't talk." He cackled loudly, and the sound grated his ears. He reached inside his pocket, "Lollipop?"
Jihoon shook his head, breathing rapidly.
"That's right," The Joker said. "Only good kids get candy, and you've been a naughty sneaky little boy, haven't you?"
Jihoon was quiet.
"Haven't you?!" The Joker screamed loudly.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Jihoon cried.
The Joker huffed. He stomped his foot twice, and the limo began to move. No, Jihoon's chances of escaping were gone.
"You were there the night I killed your parents. You know what I've been doing."
"I don't know anything," Jihoon yelled.
"Lies!" The Joker shrieked back. "Children shouldn't lie."
Jihoon whimpered and curled in on himself.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about!" The Joker shouted. "If word gets out that I've been bribing the cops, I can say goodbye to my little operations. So, we aren't going to have that now, are we?"
Jihoon took deep breaths out his nose, positive that he was hyperventilating. "I won't say anything. I promise!"
The Joker laughed and turned to address his goon. "Should we do a pinky promise with him?"
"I won't say anything!" Jihoon repeated.
"Yeah, I'm not taking my chances. Kill him."
"Wait—" Jihoon cried the exact moment something had crashed against the car.
Jihoon was jolted forward and fell forward onto the limo's carpet. The goon beside him was rocked off to the side, his gun falling away from his hands.
"What in blazes—" The Joker cried out, right when something else collided against the limo. Hard.
Jihoon gasped and sunk his nails into the floor, trying to hold on. He could feel the limo swerving.
Finally, the limo crashed against something and stopped moving altogether. All three people were thrown around the car like ragdolls. Jihoon was breathing heavily, and he slowly sat up. Jihoon looked at the man and the Joker. The man was dangling out a shattered window, while the Joker was passed out and bleeding heavily from the corner of his temple.
Jihoon felt dizzy. He clutched his head, and it came back sticky. Jihoon looked at his fingers and saw blood.
Suddenly, he screamed in surprise when the door was pulled open. Jihoon balled his hands into fists, preparing himself for whoever was on the other side. However, Jihoon swore he was hallucinating when he saw the impending black figure on the other side of the car door. It was a man wearing a black polymer suit with a giant bat painted across his chest.
"Batman," Jihoon whispered.
He had seen grainy news footage of Gotham's vigilante, but he had never thought he would see him.
"Kid, are you okay?" Batman asked.
Jihoon nodded stupidly.
Batman stretched out an arm, and Jihoon took the offered hand. Batman pulled him from the wreckage onto solid ground. Jihoon quickly looked around, but he didn't recognize the streets.
"C'mon, Joker's goons shouldn't be too far. The police are coming too. I've already alerted them," Batman said.
Batman let go of his hand and walked away. Jihoon stood stupidly in front of the wrecked limo when Batman turned back to him. "Aren't you coming?" Batman questioned.
Jihoon gasped. He ran to catch up with him.
Batman led him down the way to a black car—well, that was putting it mildly. In fact, it looked more like a giant tank, except with a sleeker design.
"That's the Batmobile," Jihoon said with surprise. He had seen footage of this too.
Batman looked at him, but Jihoon couldn't see his expression with the black cowl covering most of his face.
"Yes, I guess that's what the news has been calling it," Batman said, opening the door. Jihoon peeked around him and saw it was a two-seater. Batman urged him to get on.
Jihoon didn't know what to say, but he would instead take his chances with Batman than the Joker.
Batman didn't start the Batmobile until Jihoon had put on the four-point safety belt across his chest. When the engine rumbled, and Batman stepped on the gas, the car sped into the city streets. Jihoon sucked in a breath and clutched the bottom of the seat.
"Where are we going?" Jihoon asked.
"I'm taking you somewhere safe," Batman answered.
Jihoon nodded weakly. His head was starting to pound, and he was feeling drowsy. He scrunched his eyes shut and then opened them to get a better look inside the Batmobile. This would be his only chance to actually look.
There was a computer screen in the center console with a map of the city. Certain streets were colored differently than others, and Jihoon could see the traffic light system from the computer screen. The traffic lights would turn green when the Batmobile would approach an intersection, and Batman would continue driving, swerving seamlessly through traffic. If the Batmobile could influence the traffic system, that would mean that all the electrical, audio, and graphic processors would need to be on a single chip. Jihoon leaned back against his seat as they swerved past a truck transporting gas. The engine didn't sound like regular cars either. Jihoon didn't know too much about cars, but he would guess that the engine depended on electronic engineering. This type of technology was decades above anything Jihoon had ever encountered. It was almost similar to what he had read about in "Science Division," on the company—
"This is Kye Tech," Jihoon said aloud, turning to his left to look at Batman.
Batman tightened his hold on the steering wheel, and his jaw clenched underneath his mask. Even though it was tight, Jihoon swore he recognized that jaw. He had just seen it up close earlier today.
"Kye Bumzu?" Jihoon questioned.
Batman huffed out through his nose, "You know how many people I've saved. You're the only one to figure that out."
"Oh my god. I'm right? You're Kye Bumzu? Batman is the Kye Bumzu!" Jihoon exclaimed.
He must have been dreaming. He had hit his head when the limo had crashed, and the Batman had not saved him. He was still in the Joker's clutches. He was probably already dead.
Except, Batman kept talking, "Hey, kid are you okay?"
Jihoon was panicking now and struggling to control his breath. He tried sucking in the air, but he was only choking on it. He didn't even know that was possible. God, his chest hurt, his head was pulsating so painfully now.
"We're almost there, hold on."
Jihoon's hands came to clutch his head, and he tried to fold in on himself, but the seatbelt was preventing him from moving.
Oh god.
The Batmobile made some more sharp turns, and suddenly it stopped. Jihoon couldn't hear the engine rumbling anymore or the honking of cars. He could only hear his quick breath and the sound of his heart. He was going to die. He just knew it, or vomit, whichever came first.
Two hands unlatched his seatbelt, and before Jihoon could collapse onto his lap, two arms gripped him and pulled him out.
Jihoon clutched whoever was grabbing him until he was placed onto a cold metal table.
"Jihoon." The figure said. Who was talking? And how did he know his name?
"Jihoon!" The man gripped his shoulder and forced him to look up. Batman?
Jihoon watched as Batman removed his black cowl. It was Kye Bumzu. Holy hell.
"You need to calm down. You're in shock," Kye Bumzu said.
Jihoon knew he needed to breathe, but why did every breath feel so constricting on his chest. Was he really dying? Was he going to die like his parents? Oh, god. His parents! They were dead because of the Joker. The Joker had murdered his father because his father dared to try to speak the truth.
Jihoon sucked in a harsh breath as Kye Bumzu brought both arms around him into a hug. He regained his breathing, but he was crying now. Blood ran down the right side of his face, and tears were falling down his puffy red cheeks.
"You should have been there for them," Jihoon sobbed into his shoulder.
"I know."
Jihoon pushed away from Kye Bumzu and choked out a broken wail. He folded his body to hide from the world. His face pressed against his knees, and he cried. Kye Bumzu hovered awkwardly next to him, not knowing what to say.
"Now, the Joker is after me," Jihoon said into his knees. "He knows I know about the bribes. He's going to kill me. He almost did."
"Not if I'm around," Kye Bumzu said sternly.
Jihoon uncurled himself and hesitantly looked up at him. The man's face was tense and confident.
"I promise you, Jihoon. No harm will come to you."
Jihoon wanted to believe him. Kye Bumzu had helped the city so much already, and so had Batman.
Kye Bumzu hung his head, "I know after everything that has happened today, you must want nothing to do with me. If you wish, I can set you up with a nice family across the country where the Joker will never find you."
Jihoon was slightly awed that Kye Bumzu would go to those lengths to make sure he was cared for. However, he was hesitant to say yes to this new proposition.
If he left Gotham, that was it. There would be no coming back. If he stayed...if he stayed...Jihoon did not know what would happen if he stayed in Gotham.
He was lost in his thoughts for several long moments, but suddenly he felt something ache terribly against his head. Jihoon noticed that Kye Bumzu had neared him and used some weird clamp device to pull something from his head.
"It doesn't look like you have a concussion," The man said. "Just a few pieces of glass got stuck here at your temple. None of them are deep enough to require stitches, so you'll be good."
Jihoon didn't reply. He let the man patch him up and dress his injury. He applied a small band-aid across his temple and smoothed his thumb there.
He hadn't realized that he had shut his eyes. He opened them slowly and took in his surroundings while Kye Bumzu disposed of the small glass shards and blood-soaked cotton. They were in a cave, literally. There were giant computer screens along the wall to rival any national security system. Off to the side, there was a small workout area with weights and a mat. Slightly below the main floor of the cave was a hangar space containing several different vehicles. There was the Batmobile, a small aircraft, and a boat. Jihoon looked around his immediate vicinity and noticed they were in what appeared to be a lab with various medical equipment.
From everything in the cave, Jihoon could see that Kye Bumzu had been busy during his time as Batman. He recalled watching on the news the many lives that Batman had saved. It just was a shame that Batman couldn't help his own family.
He hung his head and chewed on his lip. "Why didn't you protect my family?"
Kye Bumzu sighed. Jihoon had heard that sigh from his father before. "There was a robbery that same day at a bank. The robbers had started opening fire on the hostages, so I had to intervene. It wasn't until the day after that I realized it was a distraction caused by the Joker so he could get to your family."
Jihoon nodded slowly.
"What's going to happen to the Joker now?" Jihoon asked.
"We can find out." Kye Bumzu stepped toward his computers, and Jihoon watched him still perched on the medical table.
He typed a few things, and on the screen, Jihoon could see a police report. "They're transferring him to Arkham Asylum."
"Is he going to be there for good?"
"Yes, it seems like it," Kye Bumzu answered.
Jihoon thinned his lips and sniffed. He wiped messily at his eyes, pushing away the dried tears. "Then... I'll stay with you."
"What?"
"My father trusted you, and...you saved me today...and…" Jihoon trailed off awkwardly. He looked up at the computer screen and at the police report. Staring at the top corner of "Gotham Police" didn't sit right with Jihoon. The police could rot. It was the Joker and the police of why he was in this mess in the first place. His father had only wanted to speak the truth, and he hadn't been granted that.
"And I want you to help me," Jihoon finally said.
"With what?"
"You said you'll keep me safe, right?"
"Yes, Jihoon."
"Then, I want you to help me drop the list of all the police officers who were working for the Joker."
Kye Bumzu gave him a long stare, but he replied in a single nod.
GOTHAM CITY
2006 November 25, 8:54 p.m. EST
It had been a few months of living with Kye Bumzu— sorry— Bumzu. Despite that Bumzu had saved him and offered him some comfort the first few days, he rarely saw the man around the manor. Usually, his days were reserved for company business and his nights patrolling Gotham's streets. The few times he did get to see him, the man was usually reserved and was too exhausted to talk.
The only company that Jihoon had was Bumzu's butler, Doogi. He was a kind, older man who also knew of Bumzu's secret.
Jihoon hadn't told anyone about Bumzu. There was no one to tell. He was alone in the manor and refused to go to school. Bumzu, at first, had tried to enroll him in Gotham Academy, the most prestigious prep school on the east coast. However, Jihoon didn't want to—it's not because he didn't want to learn—he loved learning. He just wasn't ready yet. Bumzu had seemed like he wanted to yell at him, but Doogi stepped in and told Bumzu to give Jihoon time.
Often, Jihoon walked around the manor. He wasn't allowed in the Cave, though. Under any circumstances. Bumzu had been clear about that.
It was on the fourth day of his stay when Jihoon had discovered the piano room. Doogi encouraged him to find a distraction, and Jihoon took this one to heart. It reminded him of home and brought good memories of both his parents.
He was currently sitting in the piano room playing "A Song of a Robin," when he heard the doorbell ring. At first, Jihoon didn't know what the sound was. Bumzu never had any visitors. Jihoon slowly stood up and headed out of the room into the foyer.
He saw Bumzu grumbling under his breath and walking briskly down the stairs. Jihoon hadn't even known he was home.
Bumzu opened the door, and Jihoon gaped as he saw a man he had only ever seen on TV. He was the CEO of SJ-M Enterprises, Zhou Mi.
"Hey Bumzu," Zhou Mi greeted casually, outstretching his arms into a hug.
"Why didn't you use the zeta tube?" Bumzu replied with a roll of his eyes, but he did hug the other man.
"I was carrying a delicate package," Zhou Mi said. He turned around and then cursed loudly. "Where did he get off to? He was right here."
"Who?"
"He's around somewhere. He knows not to go too far out."
“Mi,” Bumzu said sternly.
Zhou Mi looked straight at Jihoon. Zhou Mi raised an eyebrow at his presence, "Can we talk somewhere private?" The CEO questioned.
Bumzu nodded. Jihoon watched them walk into the parlor room next door.
Jihoon huffed out a deep breath through his nose and returned to the piano room. He yelped as he saw another boy sitting on the bench and press a single note.
"Ummm?" Jihoon looked back into the foyer.
The boy looked over his shoulder and smiled brightly, "Hi! I'm Jun."
"Ummm, hi?"
"This place is huge!" The boy cried out, stretching his arms impossibly wide. "I wonder if it's bigger than Mi's manor. He has a pool in the backyard. Do you have a pool?"
Jihoon shook his head. "There's a garden."
"Ah, that's boring. What's your name?"
"Jihoon."
"Nice to meet you," The boy grinned and outstretched a hand for him to shake.
Jihoon eyed the hand warily. Who was this kid? Where had he come from? Jihoon spotted an open window on the far corner of the room.
"Did you just climb through the window?" Jihoon asked instead. He walked closer to Jun.
Jun nodded almost as if he was proud of it. What the hell?
"Do you know how to play the piano?" Jun asked him.
"Do you?" Jihoon answered.
Jun grinned brightly. He made a show of rolling up the sleeves of his jacket and cracking his knuckles. He straightened his back, outstretched his fingers, and proceeded to play chopsticks.
Jihoon snorted. He nudged the other boy to the end of the bench and sat down next to him. He continued where he had left off in "A Song of a Robin." Jun was quiet next to him, watching his fingers move.
When he finished, Jun clapped. "That's so cool! How old are you?" Jun questioned like a five-year-old kid obsessed with everyone's ages.
"I just turned ten three days ago."
"Oh, cool! Happy late birthday!" Jun began to dig around his jacket pockets and then his jean pockets. He grinned in triumph and proceeded to hand him a squashed snack-sized wrapped piece of chocolate.
"Thanks?" Jihoon said, taking the chocolate.
"I'm ten too. So...is Kye Bumzu, your dad?"
"Sort of. He adopted me a few months ago."
"Ah, you're like me then. Mi took me in too. Do you want to find out what they're saying?"
"Who?"
"Our dads, of course," Jun said, standing to his feet. "Mi has been teaching me all about stealth and sneaking around. He got upset when he found out I'm better than him."
"Why would he teach you that?"
Jun grinned and took hold of his wrist. "C'mon!" Jun dragged him toward the open window.
"You can't be serious."
"Yes, it will be fun."
Jihoon bit his lip and looked at the piano. He shrugged, shoving the chocolate piece into his hoodie and climbing out of the window with Jun. They walked around the perimeter of the manor. Jun told him to stay hunched over as they walked past the windows and into the foyer.
The windows were closed, so Jun carefully picked the lock from outside and pushed open the window a fraction just to be able to hear their conversation.
"You're training him?!" Bumzu shouted.
Jihoon had never heard Bumzu sound that angry before.
"You aren't listening to me!" Zhou Mi yelled right back. "The League of Assassins is back."
"We destroyed them."
"Apparently, we didn't. The League is going by new names, but it's still the same organization that captured us when we were teens. They're calling themselves the Shadows. From the intel I've gathered, their new Ra's al Ghul is named Yán Mówáng. He has a base somewhere in China, but I haven't figured out where."
"So, how does this concern the kid?" Bumzu asked.
"A few Ghuls were after him trying to kill him in Sichuan Forest. We know what the League is capable of. That kid's parents are dead if the League was after a child."
"Why were they after him in the first place?"
"Jun doesn't know," Zhou Mi said. Jihoon stared straight at Jun as Zhou Mi continued speaking. He couldn't quite grasp what the adults were talking about, but from what he had gathered, Jun seemed to be in the same situation as him. "My guess is his parents did something to piss off the Yán Mówáng, and he's just determined to end the bloodline."
Jihoon heard Bumzu sigh, a noise he had become familiar with. "But why are you training him?"
"Because if the Shadows are after him, he needs to be able to protect himself when I can't be there for him."
"This is a new reckless. Even for you."
"Why? Because I'm giving the kid a fighting chance?"
"Because you didn't even bother to check for his family."
"I'm not stupid, Bumzu. Of course, I looked for them. I can't find anyone. The League made sure of that."
Bumzu sighed again, "Well, if you're going to train him. You need to teach him to sneak around better."
Jun flinched beside him and slapped his hands over his mouth.
"I can hear both of you breathing outside the window!" Bumzu exclaimed.
Jun shot up to his feet and waved awkwardly through the window.
"Jun," Zhou Mi reprimanded.
Jun giggled and then climbed through the window into the parlor.
"C'mon, Jihoon. You too," Bumzu said.
Jihoon begrudgingly stood up and climbed right after Jun. Both the adults had their arms crossed over their chests and were giving them disapproving looks.
"Soooooo," Jun stated, "This is what Batman looks like."
Bumzu dropped his arms. "You told him." He glared at Zhou Mi.
"Well, I had to explain to him the reason for our visit," Zhou Mi countered. He turned to Jihoon. "Who's this?"
"Lee Jihoon," Bumzu answered.
"The one whose parents were murdered by the Joker?" Zhou Mi blurted. He realized his mistake a second too late and made an apologetic face.
Jun's head snapped toward him at this news. Jihoon bowed his head and lightly kicked at the ground.
"So you're giving me lip for training Jun, but you're doing the same thing?" Zhou Mi questioned, voice rising angrily.
"I'm not training him," Bumzu responded.
Jihoon quickly glanced at Jun then at Bumzu. "Can you train me?" He asked tentatively.
Bumzu and Zhou Mi's conversation abruptly stopped. Both of them looked down at him.
"No," Bumzu said, short and straightforward, then returned to his conversation with Zhou Mi.
Jihoon's brows furrowed, and he looked back at Jun, who was still staring at him. He walked up to him. "Who's he?" Jihoon asked, pointing to Zhou Mi.
Jun grinned, "He's the Green Arrow."
"The one from Star City?"
"The one and only."
Jihoon frowned and then turned back to Bumzu, "What if the Joker gets out? What if I need to protect myself?" He asked, interrupting the conversation again.
"He won't. I said I would protect you, and I will keep my word by not involving you in this. End of discussion."
Jihoon puffed out his cheeks and marched straight to his room. Bumzu was the absolute worst. He hated being here. He hated it! He slammed his door and sat on his bed, bending in two like he usually did to hide from the world.
He stuffed his hands inside his hoodie and felt crinkly foil. Jihoon carefully removed the object and saw the chocolate Jun had given him.
Jihoon sighed, he unwrapped the candy and stuffed it into his mouth.