Chapter Text
Inside a small, rundown apartment in Seoul, Oh Sion wakes up with a jolt.
The blinds are still drawn, but even through half-lidded eyes he can tell that it’s way too early for a Saturday morning, his room drowned in darkness and the air chilly and eerily still. He shifts with a soft groan, turning onto his side and reaching blindly for his phone on the bedside table. His fingers knock against it before finally curling around the edges. The screen lights up the second he taps it, and the sudden brightness makes him flinch.
He squints against the glare, eyes burning.
5:47 AM. The numbers finally register and he drops the phone back onto the table with a dull thud.
Great. Twenty minutes. He barely got twenty minutes of sleep.
He’s been tossing and turning all night, his thoughts too loud, too fast, unsure what to make of the mail that he received yesterday. Though he’s terribly exhausted from all the thinking, no matter how hard he tries to go back to sleep, his body seems to have made the decision for him. No more sleep.
After what feels like hours of wrestling for another wink of sleep, Sion gives up. He sits up, runs his fingers through the mop of messy black hair. He lets himself stay for a few more minutes like that, but that doesn’t last long either. He feels restless again, and with a dejected sound, he swings his legs over the side of the bed and shuffles toward the bathroom. Maybe a shower will help.
A few minutes of contemplating life in front of the bathroom mirror and a long shower later, Sion finds himself in the kitchen, searching through his cupboards to find something that’ll hopefully help him whip up something to gulp down for breakfast.
He busies himself looking through the cupboard shelves. But out of the corner of his eyes, Sion can see it.
A plain white envelope, sealed with an eagle crowned by a lone star, a symbol that Sion is all too familiar with. It sits so innocently in the middle of the dining table like Sion hadn’t lost sleep over it. He would’ve put it away if it did anything to help lessen his anxiety, but he knows it’s futile, so he just makes peace with it.
Exposure therapy, he tells himself.
Breakfast is scrambled eggs, sausages, and two pieces of toast.
He sets the plate slowly down on the table and begins chewing his toast, the smell of burnt toast filling his nose but eyes fixed on the cursed piece of paper in front of him. Staring at it won’t make it disappear, but a man can dream.
He desperately needs his brain to stop. Grabbing his phone, he starts scrolling through the news, hoping it distracts him, but of course, it doesn’t help. His feed is filled with reports of yesterday’s Kaiju attack on the coastal defense wall border between Korea and Japan. The fourth attack in six weeks. An all-time high. They are expecting more attacks. Rangers are dispatched to all corners. A video of a Kaiju taking a Jaegar down in one swift swing of a tail plays, an animalistic roar followed by the clash of heavy metal against concrete erupting through the speakers.
Good fucking morning, I guess.
Putting his phone down, he knows he can’t ignore it any longer. With a shaking hand, he reaches for the envelope and pulls the paper free, scanning its contents for what feels like the hundredth time in the past twenty-four hours. Fingers curling around the edge of the crisp cream colored paper, Sion reads it with bated breath.
HQ - Command Division
Shinsei Shatter-dome
Tokyo, Japan
2nd of February, 2054
Oh Sion
382, Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu,
Seoul, South Korea.
Subject: Request of Mandatory Service to the PPDC
Dear Mr. Oh,
Pursuant to PPDC operational protocol and your prior service record, you are hereby requested to report for mandatory duty effective immediately.
Upon arrival at Headquarters, you will be required to undergo an initial evaluation and a fast-track training program to ensure operational readiness and compliance with current PPDC combat and safety standards. Assignment details will be issued following the successful completion of this training phase.
Compliance with this request is considered a priority. Failure to report without prior authorization may result in administrative action.
Thank you for your continued service and dedication to the PPDC mission.
Sincerely,
Marshal Choi Minho,
Director, Pan Pacific Defense Corps.
Pan Pacific Defense Corps. Sion can’t help but let out a scoff. When he stormed out of the Tokyo Shatter-dome exactly half-a-decade ago, Sion was so certain that it would be the last time he’d ever hear from that godforsaken place.
But alas, he was wrong. Not only is he going back to the PPDC, this time around he doesn’t even get a choice. There’s really no way out of this. And he knows exactly what he’s walking back into.
Sion thinks of what he lost the last time he stepped foot in there. Thinks of Yushi. Thinks of Jaehyun.
And Sion wishes he felt more anger, more outrage, more...anything, but it doesn’t come. What settles in instead is colder and heavier, a slow and sinking dread pressing down on him.
A video loops on his abandoned phone, talking of blood-thirsty Kaijus, of nations scrambling to unite once again to defend their lands, of cities bracing for destruction and of valiant soldiers risking it all to save millions of lives.
He sees and hears it all.
And blanks it all out.
Three days later, he hands in his resignation.
Sion doesn’t tell his manager the real reason he’s leaving. It’s just too complicated and honestly he doesn’t feel like getting into it. Instead, he lies through his teeth and says he’s moving on to a new job. Yes, same role, it’s an opening for an Accountant. It’s just better pay. Thankfully, his manager doesn’t pry. Nods and wishes him the best with a smile on her face.
On his last day, his coworkers throw him a small farewell party in the company lunch room. It’s nothing fancy, store-bought cupcakes (they’re all coffee-flavored, because that’s Sion’s favorite), paper cups with some soft drinks, topped off with a tacky banner that says SAD TO SEE YOU GO. WE WILL MISS YOU! that they definitely re-use for every farewell around here.
Still, it’s nice. They were a good bunch. They laugh about old projects, about the insufferable clients and tells him how much they’re going to miss working with him.
He smiles. Promises he’ll keep in touch. He already knows he won’t.
That same evening, he meets up with Wonbin for a drink.
“Sorry, sorry. Got held up in a meeting.” Wonbin apologizes, sliding into the seat across from him and sighing gratefully as he takes the cold beer Sion hands over.
He takes a hearty swig and relaxes into his seat. “Alright, spill. What’s going on? You look like hell.”
Wonbin is the only real friend Sion has made ever since he moved from Tokyo to Seoul. Starting off as coworkers, the two quickly got along after finding out that they are both from Mokpo. Even after Wonbin left for another company, they stayed close, often meeting up and keeping in touch with each other. He is also the only person around here that knows about Sion’s time in Japan with the PPDC.
By the time Sion finishes explaining, Wonbin is staring at him with wide eyes, his beer practically forgotten.
“So you’re really going back?” Sion nods.
“Okay, so first of all, are you insane?” Wonbin pauses and narrows his eyes. “Do you even want to go back in there? You hate that place.”
“Not really.” No. Not at all. “But, it’s not like I have a choice.”
“Dude, fuck them” Wonbin curses loudly. “Calling you back like that? Knowing why you left and after what happened to Jaehyun.” Sion’s chest tightens at the mention of Jaehyun. Instinctively, his fingers brush the chain around his neck, fiddling with it. “I talked to Riku,” Sion glances at Wonbin, over the rim of his beer. “He’s still there.”
“What about Yushi?” Wonbin asks. “You talked to him? Is he still there?”
“No? Why does it matter? I don't care.” Sion tries to brush it off. But Wonbin hits a nerve and he’s irritated and it feels like it’s prickling him. “We haven’t spoken in years. Plus, we weren’t exactly on good terms when I left.”
“Jesus Sion, I’m actually worried about you. At least Riku is there and I know you’re not completely alone and going insane in there.”
A beat passes. No one speaks.
Wonbin starts biting into an onion ring, then freezes mid-chew, eyes widening. He gasps loudly, startling Sion so badly he nearly falls off his seat.
“Holy shit, did you tell your mom? Does she know?”
Sion groans, buries his face in his hands, and shakes his head.