Chapter 2

Flashback

Life for Sanemi had been a vibrant tapestry woven with joy and security. As a young boy, he was a curious and bright child who loved to study, and his father, a man of quiet strength and unwavering support, fostered every one of his passions. Standing at an imposing six feet tall, his father was a striking figure with jet-black hair and the powerful, sculpted frame of an athlete. Most days, he wore a tailored suit, a testament to his high-level, yet secret, office job. He worked tirelessly to provide, ensuring his family lacked for nothing.

To Sanemi, his father was an anchor, a source of endless support and affection.

Sanemi's childhood was a symphony of happiness. He celebrated every birthday with a cake and a mountain of gifts, and his deep love for music was nurtured with a grand piano, an acoustic guitar, and a full drum kit, all purchased by his doting father. In his free time, his father was a devoted kickboxer.

By the time Sanemi turned thirteen, he began joining his father in their home gym. His father, a skilled and intermediate fighter, patiently taught him the intricate footwork and powerful strikes of the sport. Sanemi quickly took to it, and their training sessions became a cherished ritual, a time for shared sweat and laughter. Everything in their world felt stable and perfect, until one day, without warning, that world was shattered.

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The afternoon air felt heavy and humid as Sanemi walked home from school. He was kicking a loose pebble down the sidewalk, humming a tune from a song he'd just learned, when he saw them: two sleek black cars parked in front of his house. He'd never seen them before. An unsettling prickle of unease ran down his spine, but he dismissed it and headed straight for the front door.

Inside, the silence was unnatural. He found two men in dark suits and sunglasses sitting in the living room, their presence a stark contrast to the familiar warmth of their home. They were talking in hushed tones with his mother, who looked pale and fragile. Deciding not to interrupt, Sanemi slipped past them and retreated to his room.

After a long, restless hour, he watched from his window as the two cars pulled away, the men disappearing as quickly as they had arrived. A knot of anxiety tightened in his stomach. He went back to the living room to check on his mom, but he was not prepared for what he found. She was sitting on the sofa, her face buried in her hands, her body shaking with silent sobs.

"Mom, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" Sanemi asked, his voice cracking with fear. His mother seemed to be in a world of her own, lost in a sea of grief.

"Mom... Mom, please, tell me!" he pleaded again, his heart pounding in his chest.

She finally lifted her head, her eyes red-rimmed and full of unshed tears.

"It's your father," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

"Dad? What happened to him?" Sanemi's voice was a desperate whisper.

"They said he's dead, son. Your father is dead." The words were a physical blow, and the air left Sanemi's lungs.

"No, Mom, I don't believe this," he insisted, shaking his head. The person who had given him everything, who had made his world feel so safe, couldn't be gone. It was a lie. It had to be.

"They said he was sent on a secret mission," his mother continued, a fresh wave of tears streaming down her cheeks. "Him and five others. They were all killed. Their bodies were never recovered."

"No… no, it can't be."

The denial was all he could cling to. He stumbled back to his room, a hollow ache spreading through his chest.

He grabbed his phone and tried to call his dad's number, but the line went straight to a dead tone. Collapsing to the floor, he sat with his back against the bed, wrapping his arms around his knees. The weight of the world seemed to settle on his young shoulders. His mind replayed every beautiful memory, every kickboxing session, every shared laugh, each one now a source of unbearable pain.

A short while later, his mother came in. Despite her own profound grief, she put her son first. She sat beside him and wrapped him in a warm hug, a silent comfort in a world gone cold.

"We will have justice for him, Mom," Sanemi said, his voice now firm, a newfound resolve burning in his eyes. "We'll make them all pay for this." His mother said nothing, she just held him tighter, the only comfort they could offer each other.

The next two weeks were a blur of lawyers and investigations. The police report confirmed his father's death, but his workplace provided little cooperation, offering no details about the mission or why their bodies were never found. Refusing to accept this, Sanemi's mother opened a formal case, but they quickly learned that the organization her husband worked for was powerful and had connections deep within the government. With no information about his father's true line of work, the case was a brutal uphill battle.

They hired expensive, experienced lawyers, but nothing could save them. The organization won, and they were ordered to pay a massive compensation fee. They lost everything. The house was sold, and they moved into a small, cramped apartment.

Sanemi watched his life unravel in the blink of an eye. The joy and security he had once known were replaced by a cold, harsh reality. His mother, beaten and exhausted by the legal fight, decided it was time to give up.

"It's better to just save ourselves," she'd said, and the words echoed in Sanemi's mind, a betrayal of the promise he had made.

The stress consumed him. His personality began to shift. He became withdrawn, his mind a constant swirl of anger and grief. One day, sitting in class, he stared out the window at the distant, indifferent sky and whispered,

"Dad, why did you leave? What's the point of this life now that you're gone? Look at what I'm going through."

The once-promising student became a ghost of himself. His grades plummeted, and he started living a reckless, careless life. He was lucky to get into college, but his life never returned to normal. His mother tried her best, but it wasn't enough to fill the void. He continued to drift through life, until one day, he found himself at an unfamiliar location, signing something that would change his life forever.

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Present

"What did I just sign into?"

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