“Speak.”


Silence followed as Hyunseung continued glaring at Hongki, wanting nothing but to return to the hospital to check on Yoseob who was still in the operation theatre, however, he had rushed over to the police station when the other officers called to say that Hongki was refusing to say anything.


“Tell us where did you get the ear and finger.” Hyunseung commanded, gritting his teeth to restrain the anger that was simmering in him. That man’s persistent smirk was getting to him and he would love to punch it off his face. He watched as Hongki started drumming his fingers on the table, the small pitter-pattering noise getting on his nerves.


“I’ll only talk to Junhyung.” Hongki declared just as Hyunseung was about to slam those fingers down hard. He eyed the senior inspector defiantly, “If you want to get anything out of me, it would only be from him. I’m not going to entertain you guys.”


“Entertain?! You think you are the host of this place now?” Hyunseung growled as he gripped the sides of table, completely ticked off by now, “Do you think he would talk to you at this point of time?”


“Too bad then”, Hongki slurred indifferently.


The senior inspector rolled his eyes, “you have to speak up no matter what. We have enough evidence to arrest you.”


“But”, Hongki grinned, “You still have questions that you need answers to.”


Hyunseung lost his patience and slammed his hands hard on the table, “Enough with these games. Speak up!”


“I told you, I’ll only speak to Junhyung”, Hongki replied coolly, admiring his fingernails as he spoke.


“Junhyung is in the hospital, waiting outside the operation theatre for Yoseob who is fighting for his life inside. Do you really think he would come all the way to the police station to speak to you? In fact, he probably hates you and the last person he would want to see in this world at this very moment is you!”


“Well then, let’s make things easier for me then,” Hongki mumbled as he suddenly lunged forward to grab the pen that the officer beside Hyunseung was scribbling with and stabbed himself on the wrist repeatedly and maniacally. Everybody was in a frenzy, trying to hold him down while he laughed hysterically, “Now, you have to bring me to the hospital and get Junhyung to meet me there. I’ll only speak to him and him alone.”


------


Junhyung sat outside the operation theatre, staring at Mir, Woohyun, Doojoon and Dongwoon who were going on and on about some things but not really catching what they were saying. He was watching their mouths, trying to listen intently but all he heard was Yoseob’s last words repeating themselves loudly in his head. ‘I don’t want to say goodbye, but I have to. I love you, Junhyung.’ That was not how he envisioned his reunion with Yoseob. He had something less bloody, less dramatic, less goodbyes in mind.


“You goons, couldn’t you guys have followed Hongki since you all are working in the same building?” “Well, sorry but Mr-stuck-in-the-hospital, do you think we could have outsmart that man when the police couldn’t? Of course we tried but he managed to slip away!” “Yeah, we really tried our best!” “My brother is pretty smart, that I got to agree.” “But still!”


“Do you think he would be fine?” Junhyung interrupted their mindless quarrelling, his voice cracking as he spoke.


Doojoon looked at him worriedly and glared at everyone else pointedly, using his eyes to wordlessly tell them not to say anything stupid for now, “Jun, he will be. He’s a tough fella, this is nothing to him. The knife is probably like a fork prodding him only.” He scowled when he saw Mir scrunching his face up in a look of disbelief, knowing that although it sounded like he was making the problem much smaller than it really is, he just wanted to give Junhyung a little more hope that Yoseob might turn out fine.


The CEO did not even notice the exchanges that the other men were having but just sighed in the direction of the operation theatre. He stared at his feet quietly, hugging his knees to his chest as he continued running the words that Yoseob last said to him through his head. The soft whisper, the tenderness of it, it was etched in his mind but the cold reality of it punched the soul out of him.


“He will be fine,” Dongwoon murmured gently, “You just have to believe that he will be.”


Junhyung nodded silently, leaning a tear-stained cheek on his knees, looking away from them all. Doojoon and Dongwoon looked at one another gloomily, they didn’t want the CEO who kept his distance from everyone and remained silent, refusing to speaking, to return. They wanted their friend who was all jolly and carefree with an impish Yoseob by his side. They took their place at the sides of the CEO and patted his back comfortingly.


“Junhyung”, Hyunseung suddenly appeared in front of them with a serious look. “Hongki that sick man injured himself to land himself in the hospital. He refuses to reveal anything to us and insisted that he would only speak to you. We’ve brought him to this hospital and he’s conscious right now, could you… Do us a favour and get the answers we need from him?”


“What?! Why should we give in to that idiot’s request?!” Mir shouted angrily, standing up with his fist tightly clenched up. “Let him kill himself then! He deserves it after doing what he has done to Yoseob!”


“Hey, that’s my brother we are talking about!” Woohyun interjected, feeling that it is pretty ludicrous for his brother to even still be requesting something but the fact that they were related by blood did not make the bashing of his brother comfortable to him, no matter what terrible sins his brother had done.


“So what? He is a murderer!” Mir continued, refusing to back down. It was one thing to be slightly mad at Junhyung for indirectly causing this to happen but seeing the CEO being so crestfallen had prevented him from saying anything harsh. However, it was a whole other issue when it comes to Hongki because he was the one who had directly landed Yoseob to be in such a predicament. It didn’t help that he knew that Hongki tried to end his life when Woohyun did not have the heart to.


“I’ll go”, Junhyung’s hushed voice rang across the hallway loudly. “I’ll go see him.”


Hyunseung gave a look of gratitude and showed Junhyung the way while Mir gaped at him wordlessly like a goldfish. As the CEO walked away, he turned and mumbled softly to Doojoon and Dongwoon to inform him immediately if there are any updates regarding Yoseob. The two nodded their head and gave him assuring smiles, telling him to wait for their good news. The smiles faded away as Junhyung walked away, hope in them disappearing as they wondered when was Yoseob ever wrong and if he didn’t think he could make it…


------


“Junhyung!” Hongki tried to jump from his bed but was held back by the handcuffs that was around his wrists and the handles of the bed. “Come closer to me”, he begged as he saw the CEO standing rigidly by the door. Junhyung sighed and took a few steps forward and sat on a chair by Hongki’s side. He took in a deep breath and intertwined his own fingers together, focusing on them as he spoke.


“Why?”


Hongki narrowed his eyes, “Because nobody can separate us. Not your parents, you any stupid police officer. Junhyung, you are so important to me and I have to keep you by my side. I love you so much. You don’t know how much I need you, you don’t know how I always imagine the things we would do together.”


“You , even in public, by looking or thinking of me. That’s not normal Hongki. You need help.” Junhyung lifted his head and finally looked straight into Hongki’s eyes, his expression stern and firm.


“I love you, you’re my everything.”


“Love isn’t like this. Love isn’t this harmful, isn’t this selfish. Why, Hongki, why? You’re not answering my question.”


Hongki whispered lowly and harshly, “I’ve told you, nobody can separate us. I would not let anyone separate us.”


“Not that… I’m asking why, why have you become… so cruel?”


Hongki’s eyes widened, caught off guard at the question, and frowned, “I’m not… I just… I love you, Junhyung.”


“Can’t you see the state you have caused Yoseob to be in? He’s barely alive when we got to him. How could love have done that?!”


“He deserved it!” Hongki shouted, “He took you away from me! He was asking for it!”


“He loves me”, Junhyung interjected firmly.


“No, I love you Junhyung.”


“Yoseob loves me. He loves me so much that he is willing to die for me. He loves me so much that he would make sure that nothing bad would happen to me. And I love him. But you? You keep claiming that you love me but you harm everybody around me. You murdered my parents, you killed those innocent security guards, you almost killed Mir and now, you are taking Yoseob away from me. If you loved me, you would want me to be happy. Does this look happy to you?!” Junhyung yelled as he pointed as his own face.


Hongki shook his head in denial, t