The words Kibum had just uttered rang over and over again in the tense silence that ensued. Jonghyun’s jaw dropped slack in pure shock more than anything else. Kibum was dying of anxiety on the inside from waiting for Jonghyun’s proper response. Then, after what seemed like an eternity, the latter seemed to regain his senses.  

“Kibum, what kind of a sick joke is that?! Getting hit on the head really made you lose your mind, didn’t it?!” Jonghyun said, obviously not taking him seriously. Kibum sighed heavily, for he felt like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

His own best friend couldn’t understand him. Jonghyun was in the same position as him and yet, he couldn’t understand. And the worst part of it all was that Kibum couldn’t even blame him for not taking him seriously.

“It’s not a joke, hyung… I’m serious… I love MInho,” Kibum said it again. There was nothing weird at all about admitting his love for the military man. But what was awkward and rather hurtful was the look he received for saying it.

“You are confused! Very, very confused. You may love him, but not like that, Kibum! That is so, so wrong…” Jonghyun seemed to be finally accepting the full meaning of what Kibum said, although at the moment he seemed to be more confused than he claimed Kibum to be.

“I know what y-“ Kibum began, only to be interrupted by the other.

“You love him like brothers do. Or even best friends like us do. Nothing more, Kibum! Pull yourself together!”

Now, the accusations were turning into psychological analysis of Kibum’s feelings. It annoyed Kibum to no end. Why couldn’t he understand that Kibum would have had to think about a million times before finally admitting to something as unusual as this? Did Jonghyun really think that Kibum woke up one morning and decided that he was going to go against all human nature and fall in love with another man?

“Then, how will you explain the physical attraction, hyung?” Kibum questioned him.

“It’s normal for men to admire traits in other men. Just like how women do. I have admired Jinki hyung’s smile for years but that doesn’t mean that I’m in love with him!” Jonghyun said, full of conviction. Kibum didn’t even bother hiding his scoff. Jonghyun was obviously in denial about his hyung.

“So what you’re saying is that it’s normal for me to want to bed Minho because ‘men always admire traits in other men’?” Kibum asked explicitly, making Jonghyun cringe at his choice of words.

 “I’m in love with him, hyung. I want to be with him, spend the rest of my life with him. I know I can’t be married to him or anything. All I want is a life with him. And it’s obvious that you feel the same way about Jinki hyung…”

“You’re wrong, Kibum. I want nothing of that kind with Jinki hyung. And neither do you with MInho. I’m worried about you, Kibum. I don’t know what is making you say this but you better stop this instant…” Jonghyun looked at Kibum in a mixture of worry, anger and confusion.

“I thought you of all people would understand, hyung…” Kibum said in a bearably audible volume, feeling defeated by the world.

“Well, you are wrong again, Kibum, because I sure as hell don’t get it!” Jonghyun burst out in frustration. A tear that Kibum was holding back desperately escaped out of his will. He wiped it away, knowing that he couldn’t do anything about Jonghyun anymore. He may come around some day to understand him. Or he may not. What is for sure now, is that he would never look at Kibum the same way again. Besides, Kibum doesn’t know how much he had offended Jonghyun by coming out at him like that.

These are the moments that Kibum wanted, no, needed support to keep him going and keep him from breaking. And at the moment, only one person was capable of it- the very same person who has turned his back on Kibum for who knows how long more.

 “Okay, look, we can just forget about all of this and move on. I will just forget that this conversation even took place, if you promise to get some help for your… whatever it is your problem is…” Jonghyun said, sounding calmer now.

Kibum laughed, humourlessly. Jonghyun frowned, yet again.

“This is not funny, Kibum.”

“I don’t need help, hyung. I need Minho. And for you to understand me.”

Jonghyun brought a hand up to rub his temples impatiently. He looked just like his father when he was tensed up like this.

“I can’t talk to you right now, Kibum. Tell me when you start thinking normally and then we’ll start talking again!”

With that, Jonghyun stomped away from Kibum purposefully towards the house. Kibum could only watch helplessly. Why was he always so helpless? So incapable of protecting himself from getting hurt? He always lays his heart out to those closest to him, only to have it stepped all over, knowing that he would do the same no matter how many times he gets hurt.

Kibum ached for the only cure to all his worries.

“Minho-yah, I need you…”

The next few days made Kibum feel like he was in hell. Jonghyun avoided being alone with Kibum like he had the plagues or something. He wouldn’t go as far as kicking Kibum out of his house but he sure was doing everything to make Kibum’s stay as unwelcomed as possible. He also seemed to be extra conscious of how he behaved around Jinki when Kibum was around. It was more times that can be counted on both hands that Kibum saw Jinki’s efforts to hold Jonghyun’s hand or touch him be turned down. Jonghyun really was set on proving Kibum wrong and it made Kibum sad that his best friend was being blind to his own love.

But no one was more depressed about this than Jinki himself, of course. Kibum had caught him staring at Jonghyun across the dinner table with a forlorn expression as the latter spoke to his father or to his sister very animatedly. Jinki had stopped arguing with Kibum since that day. However, that didn’t mean that the hateful stares stopped. Whatever the issue was, he probably assumed that Kibum was the cause of it. If Jinki was not such a suspicious man who loved to snoop around Kibum’s business, he would have reached out to the older because after all, they were going through the same thing.

With all the tension in the air whenever the three of them were in a room together, combined with the unnatural silence that fell over them every time, it was no surprise that Kibum’s grandmother started sensing something. All Kibum could do when his grandmother interrogated him out of the blue one evening was smile awkwardly and wave it off as just another of their childish squabbles. She didn’t seem too convinced but Kibum was glad that she didn’t ask further questions.

Kibum was also glad that he had the guest room to himself, for only the four walls bear witness for the tears that wet his pillows every night. Well, he probably deserved that for being an ‘abomination’ like Jonghyun had said.

“What did you do?!” Jinki’s voice was strained in a whisper. He put on a serious expression but Kibum saw the hurt in his eyes more than anything else.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about…” Kibum answered simply. He looked back to the house. Jonghyun should already be out by now. They were supposed to be going to the village today because it was the day that the military men were coming in. Kibum was told to stay at home but he had insisted on following. Why? He didn’t know why. Just because his instincts told him to go. Besides, Jonghyun was going to need the help with that last job since the cobbler only trusted Kibum in this matter.

“Do not lie to me. He’s been acting weird since he talked to you the other day. What happened?” Jinki asked him. Surprisingly, his tone was not one of accusation but one of pure curiosity and concern. Kibum was sure that those emotions were not meant for him, though.

“We had a small fight. Nothing serious,” Kibum said.

“That’s quite hard to believe. If it’s a fight between you two, why is he acting weird around me?” Jinki was persistent.

“I don’t know, hyung!”Kibum exclaimed in frustration that he couldn’t keep bottled up anymore. He turned to walk away to prove a point- that he really didn’t want to be stuck between the other two. Kibum stopped, however, when he felt a hand grab hold of his wrist. The grip was tight but not forceful.

“Kibum, listen… I know I’m not very nice to you sometimes and that you dislike me. You are entitled to hate me as much as you want but please, please tell me what’s wrong with Jonghyun…” Jinki said in a very small voice. This was a side of Jinki that Kibum has never seen, vulnerable and no hint of ego in his words. It brought out the maternal side in Kibum and he felt bad for bursting out at him like that at him earlier.

“I’m sorry, Jinki. I can’t tell you…”

Jinki was obviously not satisfied with this answer.

“Can you at least tell me if it’s my fault?” Jinki asked, looking Kibum straight in the eyes, expectantly. It reminded Kibum of a kid. He smiled a little at that image.

“You two are hopelessly in love and you don’t even realize it,” Kibum thought to himself.

“How can you be the cause of a fight between him and I?”

“Well, I do get carried away sometimes when I’m fighting with you.” Jinki admitted, much to Kibum’s surprise.

“That’s true-“ Kibum managed a small smile, “-but be assured that it’s not your fault, hyung…”

Jinki seemed to be relieved but it only lasted a few seconds as the worry reappeared on his face.

“Then, what is the cause of his problems?” Jinki asked.

“Me… I… I disappointed him… He’s just upset about it…”

Was it safe to be so honest with Jinki?

“And I guess you won’t tell me what about, then?” Jinki asked.

“I can’t…” Jinki nodded, understanding.

Wow. When did he learn to respect boundaries? Jinki looked down at his feet for a while before looking up again.

“Is there anything I can do then, to help patch it up between you two?” Jinki asked, yet again to Kibum’s surprise. Where was all of this coming from?

“Are you saying that you want to help me and Jonghyun settle our fight? Really?” Kibum asked, not even masking the shock in his voice.

“I’m not a bad person, you know. I just say the wrong things most of the time…” Jinki said.

“And?” Kibum persisted.

Jinki sighed.

“And I tend to ask a little too much. And I get a little jealous when it comes to Jonghyun. And I…”

“Woah, woah, woah. You don’t have to tell me everything….” Kibum said, smiling up at the older man who smiled back down at him, warmly. He hadn’t seen that smile since that day Kibum caught the other two playing in front of Jonghyun’s room. It was nice to see, after all the crying he has been doing lately.

Someone cleared their throat, the sound so obnoxiously loud. Kibum turned in the direction on instinct to see Jonghyun standing near the car with his arms crossed and trying to look nonchalant.

“Well, if you’re done talking-“ Jonghyun paused to let his eyes wander downwards. Kibum followed his eyes and almost jumped when he realized Jinki’s hand never left his wrist from earlier. Jinki seemed to only realize this now as well and he immediately retracted the hand to rub the back of his neck awkwardly.

“-we should be moving…” Jonghyun finished, before getting into the car and slamming the door shut. Jinki and Kibum shared a brief, awkward glance before moving to the car as well. Then, they drove to town at a speed only Jonghyun could manage when he was particularly ticked off.

When the three of them arrived in town, they were shocked to find the place deserted. They drove up until where the road stopped and parked there to continue on foot. Kibum was immediately on guard noticing the eerie silence and from what he observed about the other two, they were just like him too. Jinki even seemed ready to combat any moment now, being the ex-military man he is.

“Where’s everyone? Did we miss something?” Jonghyun asked, looking around.

Jonghyun’s questions were soon answered when they turned a corner and they came to the gathering place at the centre of the town. It seemed like the entire village was gathered there. From old to young, everyone was crowding around a centre stage (or more like an elevated part of the area where announcements were usually made.) Kibum heard a faint official-sounding voice carry through the crowd to him but he couldn’t see the source of it. Although the stage was elevated, it didn’t make a difference when you stood far away from it and when you are blocked by so many people.

Jonghyun started to part the crowd as he struggled to get the front. When people started noticing who it was that was pushing them aside, they started to make way by themselves. Most of them wore terrified expressions while some others looked just plain confused. It made Kibum want to get the front faster to find out what was the source of all this confusion.

Kibum broke out of the crowd after Jinki. Jonghyun was standing beside him with Jinki on his other side, both of them staring fixatedly at the stage.

“-second order of the Japanese Government, all goods being sold are subject to tax. The tax will be determined based on the type of product, demand and quality, ranging from 10 to 20 percent. Third order of the Japanese Government, all taxes are to be paid to…-“

The man in the khaki uniform read out loud from a letter on the stage. Two men carrying heavy weapons stood behind him, looking fierce and ready to kill. Well, so was Kibum right now, only he carried no weapons. What made him angrier still was that the man reading out the orders was Korean. Had he no love for his own country? Or at least enough self respect to not let the Japanese enslave him?

“-the 1^st of every month to avoid severe punishments…-“

“I’m sorry to interrupt your very important speech but you are not welcome here. None of you are.”

Those words stopped the man in his tracks. He looked up with an almost funny-looking, shocked expression. All the villagers turned their heads in the direction of the voice. Some even gasped at the brave words spoken by the voice while others whimpered in fear, thinking of what was running in the minds of those two Japanese men at the interruption.

“Who said that?” the man asked, lowering the letter to look around at the crowd.

“Our products are from our efforts. We don’t need to pay anyone for them!”

Jonghyun tugged on Kibum’s wrist roughly, whispering for him to stop. Well, look at that. He wouldn’t talk to Kibum for days and then, now when Kibum was out doing something really stupid, Jonghyun decides to talk to him again.

“I see you have objections. Let’s hear them, boy,” the man said, looking down on Kibum with a smug look. He put his hand up in a stop gesture when the men behind him asked him something.

 Kibum took a step forward and heard a few more women gasp in shock.

“You have no rights coming here to our land and telling us what to do. We do not take orders from people who do not respect us,” Kibum said, feeling courageous out of nowhere. It could get him killed for all he cared, but he needed to show the villagers something- that standing up for themselves is something that can be done, something that should be done. Their people have suffered enough for remaining silent for too long. This was the time to speak up. Not to back away into the dark corner and watch as they are run over by oppressors.

“Then, who do you take orders from?” the man said, obviously not taking Kibum seriously. He probably thought that Kibum’s young blood was driving him to be this outspoken to prove to be a hero. Kibum didn’t want to be a hero. He wanted everyone to be their own heroes. He of all people knew what it felt like to be constantly depending on others to protect him and well, it was time he stood up for himself.

“Our village head is the only person we trust.”

“Well, your village head is not cooperating and he is going to get you all into deep trouble very soon with his ideas. The Japanese army is kind to those who obey them so I suggest that you all follow what I say. And that goes to you too, boy!”

“Bull! The Japanese army is cruel. Period. Do you all believe what he’s saying?-“ Kibum was cut off by the man.

“You’re crossing the line boy. I am one of you. So you can all trust me, alright? Besides, you have no choice but to,” the man said with conviction. Some villagers seemed to be buying this. This made Kibum see red and drove him to spill out all his thought without restrain. When else will he able to get this across to his fellow villagers?

“Don’t believe him! He’s not one of us. Not anymore-“ Kibum turned to the man again, “-You became one of them the moment you chose to become their slave. Just a dog following the orders of the master for a piece of bone. Hope you are satisfied with your bone while your countrymen die in vain,” Kibum sneered at him.

“Enough!” the man said, glowering at Kibum now. He spoke to the men behind him and they began to walk towards Kibum. Jonghyun immediately started to shield Kibum but Jinki held him back in a tight grip. Whatever conflict going between the two became unimportant to Kibum as he turned to face the villagers to say all he wanted to say before he was taken away.

The villagers started stirring in panic. Kibum thought he heard wailing in the background too.

“You don’t have to listen to him. All we have to do is defend ourselves. We have the strength. We have families to protect. We only need to join forces. Fight for yourselves. Unite before the enemy so that they are overwhelmed by our will power. Don’t you want the children to have a future? Don’t you want to live a peaceful life?-“

 Kibum was cut off again, but this time by the hands of the Japanese men grabbing him from the back and holding his hands behind his back. Kibum struggled to get out. Jonghyun struggled in Jinki’s hold to come to him while Jinki struggled to keep him from running to Kibum, not looking Kibum’s way all the while. People show their true colours in the moment of distress, don’t they?

 “Let go off me!“ Kibum spat at the men behind him, earning himself a glare. He wondered why they wouldn’t just shoot him and get this over with. They carried the weapons, after all. Something told Kibum that the man must have something to do with this. Kibum knew somehow that whatever the man has planned, it would be better for Kibum to be shot than to go through that.

“Please, I beg of all of you to start acting for yourselves. No one is going to do it for you,” Kibum cried out to the villagers, making as many eye contacts as possible desperately as he was dragged backwards by the men. Kibum kicked and thrashed around to get out of their hold but it was to no avail.

And then, suddenly, the hands were gone. Kibum fell forward onto his knees as he was released from the hold. Before Kibum had the time to turn around and to see why he was released, he heard someone in the crowd yell something inaudible to Kibum. Something that sounded almost like a battle cry.

Kibum watched as the youth of his village charged forward from within the crowd towards the stage. One lifted Kibum onto his feet before continuing to the three Japanese army men.

It became a mess. People shrieking from every direction to attack the men. The two Japanese men were mobbed by the crowd who beat the lights out of them. Among the men, Kibum recognized a few as the British military men who really seemed like they knew what they were doing, removing the guns from their reach so that there could be no casualties because of it.

The man on the stage looked shocked beyond words from the sudden fight from the villagers. He knew his two men cannot be saved anymore from the villagers and so, he began to take off before people started coming after him as well. Before he ran off, though, he turned to where Kibum was, immediately catching him with his eyes with the precisions of a predator. He sent a threatening look to Kibum. Something along the lines of ‘We’ll meet again.’ Then, he ran like he would never see the daylight again (which he probably wouldn’t if he stayed.)

The squelching sound of blood capillaries spilling blood reached Kibum’s ears and he instantly knew, that the two Japanese men were gone. Kibum looked around himself as the crowd began to quiet down. The women and children who went into hiding came out slowly from their places.

Kibum’s heart grew with pride seeing the fiery passion of his fellow villagers as they looked down at the defeated enemy. Kibum never asked for violence but if this was what it took to restore some balance in this world, then there had to be violence, right? This was definitely not the end, for the Japanese is definitely going to come back stronger. Kibum was happy, nonetheless, knowing that this time they would be prepared and united.

Slowly, the people started cheering as the full understanding that they had just stood up against the enemy and won settled on them. Jonghyun crashed into Kibum out of nowhere and was sobbing into Kibum’s shoulder as he held him in a tight, tight hug. Kibum couldn’t return the hug, half because his hands were trapped immobile on his sides and half because he was too stunned by everything that has just taken place.

“Y-you are such an idiot, Kibum! Do you realize that you almost got yourself killed?! If Minho hadn’t saved you… I don’t e-even wanna think about it!” Jonghyun sobbed more than said those words. Kibum froze at the name he heard.

“M-minho?” Kibum stuttered out, his eyes catching something among the celebrating crowd.

A familiar face half smeared in blood. A familiar pair of lips pressed into a thin line. A familiar pair of eyes boring right into Kibum’s soul.

(A/N) Chapter 24!!! Enjoy, my lovely subbies!!! <3

Written in the middle of the night and I have not the energy to read through once more to check for errors so please forgive my spelling or grammar mistakes!!!  I feel like I have to explain the random Onkey in the middle of this chapter that wasn't supposed to exist but that I added anyway (because I can't resist me some Onkey?? Hehehehe...) Seriosuly, though, it was inspired by a fancam I saw recently and I thought, well, it will add to the plot so.... :P Don't worry!! This story is still dedicated to everything Minkey, I just like writing jealous Jong too much!!!

And in case anyone didn't understand what 'to bed' someone means, well think again, I think you'll understand!! *wriggles eyebrows suggestively* XD I just felt like being a little old-fashioned writing that...

I have to go now!!! But before I go, I have very important news!! Actually this is not new but something rather old, so I have some important olds?? (Please kill me for my lame joke!! OTL) Anyways, the important thing is that.......

I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH!!!!

Hehehehe... So thank you very much for all the wonderful comments and for subscribing to my humble work!!!!!! XD

Have a good day people!!! <3