A Thousand Beautiful Things

Chapter Fourteen

By: Sharl/zielddhy

The strength of a Family, like the strength of an army, is in its loyalty to each other. – Mario Puzo

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It had been years since Kangin last smoked cigarettes, but now he nearly finished half a box in only one hour. He stopped smoking since Junsu began to live with them at the Kim Mansion. An irony now though because turns out the little kid –teenager, another part of him piped in– had smoked . Jaejoong had scolded him about that and Junsu promised that he would never go anywhere near ever again.

Right now Kangin would gladly give Jungsu again if it meant that Jungsu could forget seeing someone’s bloody fingers in a nicely-wrapped box. But of course no one could forget that, not even someone who had been abused by his own father and nearly killed in a car bomb.

Kangin took a long drag of his cigarette. The nicotine helped him calming his nerves and it was better than drinking. At least he’d stay sober this way. Because goddamn, he needed the sanity; he needed to keep his head cool. All the members of his Family looked upon him especially in this kind of situations.

The Don tipped the cigarette to the ashtray and took another long drag. The whole thing was beyond mess. He didn’t think much when Kibum failed to contact them few days ago because it wasn’t the first time the spy did that kind of thing. Sometime he’d go weeks even without initiating contacts with the Kim Family just in case he thought it wouldn’t be safe. He’d usually turn up sooner or later to let the Family know that he still lived.

Kibum had gone undercover to the Choi Family five years after Kangin took the office as a Don. They didn’t usually do espionage missions like this but the Chois were a bunch of tight-up bastards. They kept to themselves and no one had loose mouth, even among the low-rank members. There were very little information knew about them –those bastards knew how to stay behind the radar– so the only logical choice was to infiltrate their rank.

Kibum was the perfect choice. Despite also being a cousin to the Don, he didn’t grow up with Kangin like Heechul. His father didn’t want Kibum anywhere near the mansion because Kibum was a bastard son with a street , maybe to hide his own shame. So no one, not even Kyuhyun’s father, knew about Kibum until he arrived at the mansion.

Kangin befriended him almost immediately, mostly because Kibum was a quiet man who didn’t talk a lot but also because he was surprisingly good with guns. Kangin bonded with him over .357 magnum and countless shots later he knew he could trust the man, maybe even more so than some of his own members.

 And now the guy was missing three ing fingers, if not more.

Finally snubbing the cigarette, the Don stood up. Enough moping, time to get some work done. He stepped inside and walked towards the library, where he knew the main members were waiting for him. He would have a separate talk with Kyuhyun and Ryeowook later. They were the one who did the background checked on every one among Jungsu’s social circle so Kangin wanted to know how they could miss this one.

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The room fell quite the moment they saw Kangin opened the library’s door, looking extremely pissed. Heechul realized that his cousin was beyond angry, but the Don still managed to maintain his exterior and for that Heechul felt proud. When Heechul thought back to the days when Kangin refused to accept his position, he wanted to laugh out loud.

Kangin was a true Don, in and out. And whoever stood at this man’s way was doomed. He watched as the leader sat on the sofa, staring at the members one by one. He gazed one second longer at Kyuhyun and Ryeowook though, and Heechul knew those two would be chewed away later on that night.

“Somebody speak to me. What do we know?” Kangin said in tired voice, his face still hard.

Siwon nodded at Yunho, gesturing the surgeon to start speaking who nodded back at him. Yunho stepped forward and put photographs on the table in front of the Don. “Let’s start with the facts. We found five bodies of our Families in the abandoned warehouse area. Their faces had been removed so there’s one question there. Why? Why did they remove the faces? And second, there’s the thing with TOP sending Jungsu three fingers of Kibum’s.”

“Wait let’s not jump to that part yet; talk about the warehouse first,” Kangin interrupted.

“The fact that there were footprints there suggests that this was done by an inexperienced killer. Although there was another possibility: since there were no fingerprints, I would say that these footprints,” Yunho pointed to one of the photographs, “were left on purpose.”

“Which meant whoever did this was professional,” Yesung said.

“Yeah we know that okay, no unprofessional could rip people’s faces off like that,” Heechul snapped impatiently.

“Don’t jump to conclusions, Chullie,” Changmin replied quietly, “Anyone who has seen enough blood can do that, butchers, surgeons, the possibilities are endless. And we don’t have anything we can use as clues either. The attack on Heechul and Hangeng all those years ago, we have bullets and guns to retrace their steps. The bombing incident with Jungsu also left bomb fragments for us to analyze and conclude it was the work of street gang. But now? We only have five faceless bodies of our own members and ing footsteps.”

“Can you analyze the footsteps? Get basic understanding about the height, body weight, those kind of thing?” Siwon asked Kyuhyun in which the hacker shook his head.

“There are too many variables and the bloody footprints were left in concrete, we can only calculate somebody’s weight if they’re standing on soft surfaces because their footsteps will have a depth to it. The best I can do is measuring his shoe sizes but it won’t tell much.”

Jaejoong sighed. “We only need one hard evidence that links it to Chois and we can take action to them with that.” He hated to say this out loud, but the Chois were getting better at this. With each attack it became harder and harder to connect them to the attack although everyone knew they were the masterminds. If this continued then the Kim Family would be forced to attack the Chois without any base at all and if the Choi Family played their cards right, it would be a war of Kim Family against everybody else, even the government.

“The fingers are not enough base line to attack them? It’s hardcore evidence if you asked me,” Heechul protested. “He sent us Kibum’s fingers!.”

“If we can prove that they are the one who attack us first, we won’t get blamed. But right now they have sent us his fingers, and we have to answer why there’s a member of Kim Family in their circle,” Yunho replied, “And we can’t answer that without saying that we plant the espionage years ago.”

Heechul slammed his fist on the table, making some of the photographs fell down. “Don’t tell me you’re speaking about goddamn politics now! Who cares if we get blamed? They killed Kibum!”

“We don’t know that,” Yunho countered calmly. “We don’t know for sure if he’s dead yet or not.”

“Easy for you to say, doctor, you weren’t here when Kangin gave Kibum that mission, you didn’t know him. You and Jaejoong and Changmin were too busy looking for Xiah, the idiot who can’t get over his dead boyfriend even after six months.”

“Heechul, calm down. We need to figure out what to do without pointing fingers,” the Don said in low tone, but his body’s stance was hard. What Heechul said was not good and if Changmin’s scowl was any indication, it was only a matter of time before the genius stopped cooperating with them. They might even lose Yunho and Jaejoong as well if that happened. And right now the Kim Family needed to work together with as many members as they could.

“Okay let’s start with Kibum,” Siwon said, trying to break the awkward atmosphere, “the last contact we had with Kibum was last month, and he didn’t show up for his scheduled contacts few days ago. He hasn’t released any information about the Choi Family so far, even though he has managed to get into their inner circle since two years back. We don’t know how they managed to find out but without a doubt they do, that’s why they sent us his fingers. I don’t think they killed him yet. Most likely he will be tortured to gain some information about us.”

“So it’s only a matter of time before one of the sides break down. Either Kibum spills out the information or they give up torturing him,” Yesung concluded. He looked at Kangin, his boss, their leader, for guidance. Whatever the Don said must be done. If he ordered you to jump, you ask how far. “Now what do we do?”

Kangin once again looked at s, asking them to trust him and finally he tightened his fist. “As of now I don’t have the answer for that, but one thing is clear: I’m going to save him. Even if he’s dead I’m going to drag his ing corpse here and give him a ing proper funeral.”

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Jaejoong suggested they moved the discussion to the kitchen, he would make them something to eat, mainly because everyone’s brain felt like they have been fried. Kangin was currently having a very “brisk talk” with Kyuhyun and Ryeowook, no doubt it involved around Junsu and the loophole in the background check they did on him so the rest of them might just take a little break. Food sounded perfectly fitting.

Twenty minutes later they were all eating rice with kimchii stew and ttoekbokki except for Heechul who wanted to take some fresh air outside. Hangeng offered to go with him but Heechul said he wanted to be alone. His earlier outburst was still fresh and he was probably feeling bad about it.

Changmin still hadn’t said anything. His posture was relaxed and to Jaejoong it screamed SOS. Changmin was never a calculating type, he rarely displayed emotions but he never looked relaxed either. And despite that smart bordering genius brain, he was really just a little kid underneath the snarky behavior he seemed to take on. The fact that he didn’t say anything, not even witty words to counter Heechul’s words, meant something was bothering him.

“Min, don’t let it get to you,” Yunho said and Hangeng shot Changmin an apologetic look. “Heechul can say things he didn’t mean to, you know this.”

The genius popped a piece of ttoekbokki to his mouth. “I know,” he said in nonchalant tone. “He speaks before he thinks.”

“Well, good if you understand that,” Siwon replied. He took one last spoonful of rice and left the bowl clean. Refusing Jaejoong’s offer for second helping, the Consigliere began the discussion again. “Okay so let’s consider our options to get Kibum back? Dead or alive.”

Yesung was the one who first answered. “We can’t directly tell them that we want Kibum back. They’ll never give him and besides it’s like admitting that Kibum is part of our Families members. But there’s no other way, we don’t have any clues that can connect them to this.”

“Do we have any information about their financial records?” Siwon asked.

“You mean to cut them a deal?” Hangeng frowned, “We don’t have much information about that but we know they’re making money from drugs and narcotics. Once you start make your dough from that you don’t have to worry about it, it’s basically lifetime sustainment. And they have hundreds ruse to clean the money so that it won’t show up in government report. I say that financial deal is pretty much no go at this state.”

Jaejoong sighed, “ I hate not having a plan. We’re looking for a needle in a haystack.”

“Actually it’s more like we’re looking for a needle in a pile of needles,” Changmin offered quietly.

“What?”

“A needle would stand out in a haystack.”

“Not helping, Changmin,” Yunho said although the surgeon seemed like he was fighting a smile. Trust Changmin to come up with weird quotes that were actually facts in the middle of tense situations like this. It just made Yunho liked his dongsaeng even more. And if Changmin could say those things, it meant that he was alright.

“Drugs and narcotics,” Jaejoong mumbled. “Wait. Jungsu said that he’s tried once, is that how the Choi know about him? Well it’s a long shot but I don’t believe Kyuhyun and Ryeowook made mistakes when they checked the backgrounds. Especially since we always reevaluate and rechecked his social circles especially his friends’ so…”

Siwon nodded. “It’s worth a shot, I’ll let Kangin know about this. Those two are still with him, they can start digging into this as soon as possible.” He then took out his cell phone and sent the Don a quick text message. The reply was immediate, saying that the Don was on his way to the kitchen and he requested that some food be brought down to the computer lab where Kyuhyun and Ryeowook would be. Siwon couldn’t help but smile. Kangin was a very good boss, he played the hard ball but he always took care of s, even when he was incredibly pissed off at them.

Nobody spoke for a while, each busy with their own thoughts. The night was dragging on and it would be dawn soon. They were all tired but they knew they couldn’t get any rest yet. “Okay, back to Kibum’s case. What about weapons? Can we supply them with some high tech weapons? We have access to some of the most advanced ones and well, we have secrecy contract with the manufacturer so most likely they haven’t gotten those,” Yunho offered.

“It’s a stupid idea for two reasons,” Kangin cut off from the doorway. He sat down on a stool and accepted the food Jaejoong gave him with a nod. “One, those weapons are probably one of our advantages to them, if not the only one. Giving them access to that is just a suicidal move. Second, what makes you think they haven’t gotten those weapons yet, or worse, the more advanced ones? We have exclusive contract with the manufacturer yes, but it doesn’t mean that their competitors haven’t done the same with the Choi.”

“Hey I know this sounds crazy, but we need crazy ideas here. What about the Lee Family?” Yesung suddenly said.

“What do you mean?”

“Go through with Lee Family. They are neutral, they are notorious for being neutral, the Choi won’t suspect a thing.” Yesung his lips, his brain already formulating justifications for this out of the box idea, “I mean think about it. Lee Family is the only one who can remain to be on speaking terms with the Choi Family despite the fact that they are not one of the allies. If we play our cards right we might just able to ask Lee Family to find out about Kibum without raising any suspicions.”

Kangin blinked and looked at Yesung. “That is a brilliant idea,” he said with an amused smile. Yesung always strike him as an action type guy, but perhaps there was something more to the man than what the eye can see. His quirk habits actually reflected his odd mind and right now that mind gave one of the most interesting ideas.

“Can we contact them without the Choi notices?”

“Go with Xiah,” Changmin said, a hopeful glint in his eyes. He stared challengingly at Kangin, “you know where Xiah is. He’ll be able to contact one of the triumvirates of the Lee Family: Lee Hyukjae. They’re close friends and there’s no record of Xiah anywhere or else I would’ve found it long time ago. He’s virtually and literally non-existent, I’m quite sure the Choi won’t think twice about him.”

He shrugged, “I won’t lie; part of me will be glad this thing with Kibum happens if it means I can see Xiah again.”

Kangin thought about it for a while. He knew that Xiah’s network is unbelievable. That man can snoop his ways around some of the most tightly-guarded secrets and organizations in the world. Unlike Kibum who was perfect for undercover and espionage missions, Xiah was more on getting information in the most unlikely places. He was –at least he used to be– the only member of the Kim Family who could find out top secrets information without using torture of any kind.

Xiah was blessed with an angelic face and innocent aura that made it very hard to think that the guy was actually a part of mafia family. Even after he joined the Family, none of his outer appearance changed. The way he spoke, the way he acted, everything about him gave an ‘airhead’ feeling to it. He just needed to get close to the subjects and usually they would talk willingly. Because really, who can expect a guy who have four cats was a member of ruthless killers?

Xiah also had one of the most sophisticated networking systems Kangin had ever seen. The list of contacts he had ranged variably. But the problem was, only he who had the contacts. So when he went under the radar, so to speak, the network and the contacts were also gone with him.

It was one of the reasons why Kangin went to extreme ends until he finally found the man, when even Yunho, Jaejoong and Changmin couldn’t.

“Kangin?” Yesung’s voice broke his musing. “Are you alright? What do you think?”

The Don sighed. “To me, looks like we have no choice. But,” he said in warning when he saw Changmin’s eager gleam, “on one condition. Yunho, Changmin and Hangeng will be the one who meet with him, and I don’t accept failure. Whatever you do, I don’t care, he has to help us because this is our only chance with him.”

“So you mean he doesn’t know that you know?” Jaejoong said in surprise tone. “Well that certainly makes things more difficult.”

“We’ll do our best, boss,” Yunho answered. “Now where is he?”

Kangin smiled grimly. “He’s in Hong Kong.”

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The fact that Xiah was in Hong Kong was disturbing. The fact that he was working in a ing brothel was downright alarming.

Changmin was fidgeting during the whole flight to Hong Kong, but when Hangeng led them through twist alleys and backdoors, Changmin knew something was wrong. The roads were narrow and dirty, just like any other poverty-ridden places in a crowded city. And then they arrived.

They were standing in front of a rundown small house. A raggedy banner hung from a pole at the front house. Quick check from Hangeng confirmed that the words were written on the banner was ‘Pleasure House.’ Didn’t take a genius to figure out what kind of place this was.

“Min, calm down,” Yunho said in low tone. “You need to control yourself.”

“But he’s working in a ing brothel, how can I stay calm?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be glad he’s actually alive?” Hangeng countered. “Or do you have something against a e?”

Without waiting for Changmin’s answer, the Chinese man then knocked on the wooden door. The echo cut through the silent road. Yunho looked uncomfortable. It would be morning soon and the sooner they get off the road, the better. People would come and go, bustling their way to work and everything. Three nicely dressed men standing in front of a rundown pleasure house would be very conspicuous.

There were footsteps coming and the door was opened. A beautiful middle-aged lady greeted them with a smile, “May I help you gentlemen?” She gave them once look-over, noting their neat appearances and non-Chinese features.

“Hi, we’re tourists from Korea, just arrived three days ago” Yunho answered smoothly, “our friend recommended this place. Do you think you can help us?”

The lady smiled a sultry smile. “Depends on what you need help about.” She stepped aside to let them in. Changmin expected that the inner part of the house would be just as rundown as the outer exterior, but he was clearly mistaken. Five steps away from the door was another door, and behind it was a beautiful Japanese garden. Small, but very pretty, complete with the bamboo fountain and rounded stones. There was one small Chinese pavilion on the right corner but the lady led them even further inside.

Finally they stepped into a big traditional house. Just looking at the size meant that this place must be very expensive. Lands in Hong Kong literally meant money. If the pleasure house could afford to have this much land, then the rundown front was definitely to keep people from noticing. Hangeng smiled. “This is Hong Kong, buddy, things rarely look like what they really are.”

The interior was also in traditional decorations, but there were bits of gold, jade and pearls everywhere. Subtle, they were not for show-off, but to indicate the owner’s good taste. Yunho looked at one jade dragon and wondered how expensive it must be.

“If you please make yourself comfortable, I will be back soon,” the lady gave them one last smile and disappeared behind a silk curtain.

Soft music filtered from the other room. Males and females laughed jovially and there was a hint of incense wafting through the air. A girl came out and brought a teapot with three silver cups. Changmin tried not to think about the silver cups and the obvious implication behind that. Silver meant to ensure the guests that there were no poison and that the tea was safe to be drink.

Soon the lady was back, this time she brought dozens of courtiers with her. Some of them were males, but majority were of course females. Hangeng stood straighter in his seat, trying to look closer at each courtier and noting with relief that Xiah was not one of them. Hopefully he was the housekeeper or the cook or something.

Yunho however, nearly choked in his tea and was now coughing very violently. Changmin didn’t blame him. Because really, when he thought he was finally going to see Xiah again, he didn’t expect to see him dressing up as a female.

-End of Chapter Fourteen-

Author’s Note: I literally just deleted the rest of the plot for this story. Some things don’t make sense to me anymore and I can’t see how I can work my way around the old plot. Let’s see where we can bring this story without straying too much from Kangin x Leeteuk relationship ^^