chapter nine

A searing pain pierced my skin before the screams escaped my lips. Blood trickled down and before I knew it, a small puddle of crimson red was forming just below my chair. My arm went numb and I could barely move it, with the sharp object still punctured deep inside. Jongin smiled a satisfactory smile, not moving an inch from where he was just a minute ago. Yifan didn’t scream. He didn’t move at all. Only his wild and furious eyes expressed what he felt. I knew he wanted to help me, but he couldn’t. He tried to, but he couldn’t.

“You’re pathetic,” Yifan spat out. “ you.”

Jongin turned . That was the last thing Kyungsoo had said to him. The helpless, innocent Kyungsoo who only asked him to stop. To stop hurting people for his own sake. But at that moment, Jongin only seeked for power and control. He didn’t stop to think about what he was actually doing. He didn’t stop to think about what he’s done to Kyungsoo.

From dark and violent eyes, they dimmed and turned glassy. The smirk from his face disappeared and was replaced with a blank and sorrowful expression. He drew another knife from behind and pointed it straight to Yifan’s direction. “You were there , weren’t you?”

“When Kyungsoo died? Yes, I was there,” Yifan replied calmly. He didn’t fear the knife that could have been thrown right at him any moment now.

“I didn’t kill him. He’s still alive,” Jongin pressed.

“You left him in pain -- ” Yifan smiled. “ -- so I killed him for you.”

Jongin’s hand trembled. He dropped the knife and it made a clank as it reached the wooden floor. He clenched his jaw and his intense eyes were welled with tears. He staggered forward and threw punches at Yifan, who bled even more than before. That’s when Yifan began screaming, Every punch thrown must have stung his entire body; it must’ve broken every part of him. He cried and cried for help and that’s when we heard a pair of footsteps running up to our room.

It was Tao, all sweaty and breathing heavily. An arm against the door, he scanned the room for the source of the screams until his eyes landed on Yifan. Yifan, who was still being beaten up by a furious Jongin. Yifan didn’t bother protecting himself. He knew that he deserved it. After all, he was the one who killed Kyungsoo, not Jongin. I , myself, am mad at him for that. But I forgave him easily , knowing that it was for good intentions.

Tao ran forward and threw his arms around Jongin , dragging him back and pushing him down the floor. He kept an arm tight around his neck and pushed the rest of his body down with his knees. “What the hell, Jongin?” he asked furiously.

“He killed Kyungsoo!” Jongin choked out angrily. “Kyungsoo was innocent! He didn’t hurt anyone!”

“Everyone who died was innocent,” Tao said quietly. “Why is dui