"Kim Jongin-ssi?" He turned towards the heavyset man approaching him, noting his old age and scrutinizing gaze.

     "Do you have what I asked for?"

     "Yes... Though we couldn't get a hold of everything you had requested." Jongin looked over his sunglasses at the man, scoffing at the way the older man seemed to place himself over Jongin.

     "Oh really?" Jongin lit a cigarette and purposefully leaned towards the man, the glowing coming dangerously close to the latter's face. "Now, why is that?"

     "Much of the information you requested could only be acquired illegally and our company refuses to do as you-" the man gulped, the sudden propinquity of the bright flame startling him into silence. Jongin played with the fire, slightly blowing it as it very nearly came in contact with the man's nose.

     "Mr.-" Jongin glanced down at his nametag."-Park, I'm afraid this upsets me very much." He shifted the flame to near Mr. Park's eye. "You don't want to see me upset, do you, Mr. Park."

     "N-no, sir, I'll get the rest of it right away." He hurried away, leaving a folder in Jongin's hands. He smirked at how easily that man's confidence was crushed. Those people were all show.

      Jongin looked into the folder. "Kim Sunggyu, huh? I've got you now~"

 

-----

 

     "You think you're so great, huh?" The impact of the previous hit didn't faze Sunggyu. Idiotic grin plastered to his face, he stared the other party down.

     "Wow, L.joe, your punch has gotten much weaker over the years. Age finally getting to you?" L.joe's eyes blazed at his words. His fist was bloody and mangled from incessantly attacking Sunggyu, but he barely felt the pain over his roaring fury.

      "Kim. Sung. Gyu." His words came out a growl, eyes blazing. His fists connected with Sunggyu's face, just as it had so many times before. But Sunggyu didnt feel it. In comparison to his corrupted inner state, this pain was nothing.

     L.joe stared at Sunggyu, confused. Of all the people's he's beaten, he had been the first to actually, it seems, enjoy it. He was utterly horrified as he looked upon this mangled mess of blood and flesh, anger getting the better of him when, even after all that had happened, Sunggyu started to laugh. L.joe cracked.

     For every pound that L.joe inflicted onto Sunggyu, he screamed.

     "Who-"

     "-do-"

     "-you-"

     "-think-"

     "-you-"

     "-are!!"

 

     "Stop!" L.joe looked up at the new arrival. "What do you think you are doing?!" Woohyun cried, holding his cell phone up above his head, as if it were a weapon. L.joe ran, not wanting to ruin his not-so-perfect record further and too weak and tired to fight back any longer anyways.

     "Are you okay?" Woohyun reached out a hand to Sunggyu, concerned, but he rejected it, standing up on his own accord.

     "Do I look okay?" the elder spat, bitter from his wounds.

     "No, you don't. Which is why you should come with me to the hospital."

     "I don't- ah!" Sunggyu fell back onto his knees, the weight of his body too much for his sprained ankle. He cursed under his breath at his vulnerability, too embarrassed to look up at the other, knowing all too well that he had just proved that he did, in fact, desperately need a visit to a hospital. Woohyun sighed and supported Sunggyu's weight as they approached the car, Woohyun set on making sure Sunggyu was okay.

 

     "Other than a few bruised ribs and a sprained ankle, you are fairly healthy. Though you are leaning on the skinny side." The doctor diagnosed, wrapping Sunggyu's left ankle and giving him a stern look, silently questioning him on how he could have possibly messed himself up that badly. Of course Sunggyu didn't answer, having had been through this kind of situation more times than someone would hope for in their lifetime. If someone would hope for something like this that is.

     "You should be more careful..." Woohyun's suddenly naggy voice popped out of nowhere, sending Sunggyu's thoughts back to his original confusion: why a total stranger was helping him. He scanned his companion. Based off of his attire and attitude, Sunggyu could conclude the normality of this man, yet knew for a fact that he was quite strange. What sane man would swoop into a fierce fist fight and take this beat-up thug to a hospital to get a check up? No one in Sunggyu's world, he decided. But then again, he had an odd feeling his so called "life" wasn't the same as it was before. Nothing close to how it was before.

 

-----

 

     "You're okay with Kimchi and rice, right? It's all I have, really." Sunggyu looked around, ignoring Woohyun's rhetorical question. He had no idea where the latter had picked up his smooth talking skills, but he could really use having them himself. If he did, maybe, just maybe, he would stop fighting so much and actually get a job sometime.

     Sunggyu sighed. He hated it, his lifestyle, but couldn't help it. He spoke through his actions, and his fast temper rarely allowed his mind to kick in before he bashed some poor kid's face in. Or vice-versa. Even as a kid, the feeling of pain was the norm rather than satisfaction or, god forbid, happiness. Most people would blame what ever parents let such a thing take place-- if there actually were any adults around to supervise. Orphaned at a young age, Sunggyu grew up with the thought that no one cared enough to provide for him and that he was on his own.

     "Dinner~" Woohyun called from the kitchen.

     "Thanks.. Um.." Sunggyu stumbled on the unfamiliar words, sitting down obediently at the table.

     "Hmm?"

     "Why did you help me back there?" He was genuinely curious, accostomed to an environment where every man was for himself and himself, alone.

     "I'm not quite sure myself, Sunggyu." Woohyun stared thoughtfully at the ceiling. "Maybe, because of your stunning good looks?" He laughed good-naturedly. Sunggyu mumbled unintelligibly, but smiled all the same. Warmth spread through him, loosening his hardened mind. Must be the heater, Sunggyu thought.

 

     Sunlight woke him up that morning, which he seemed to think was a nice change from the noisy and polluted street he had previously taken to sleeping by. Woohyun had left for work hours ago, leaving Sunggyu alone in the cozy apartment.

 

"Dear Sunggyu,"

 

     A letter beside his bed read,

 

     "I hope you've warmed up to my humble abode, and me of course. ^^

     Food is in the microwave if your hungry, but help yourself to anything in the house if that doesn't satisfy you enough. I'll be home by 6 so try not to kill yourself until then ;P --W"

 

     Sunggyu chuckled to himself, rereading the cute message a couple more times for good measure. He glanced at the clock on the bedside. 10:28. I have quite some time to kill... Sunggyu slid out of bed, deciding to do something good for a change.

 

     "Not so bad, if I say so myself." Sunggyu looked up from his cleaning, startled by Woohyun's sudden appearance.

     "For someone who's still a bit rusty, it does seem pretty good." Sunggyu admired the sparkling living room for a moment, then noticed the young man standing in the doorway for the first time. "Who..?"

     "Ah sorry." Woohyun chuckled at his forgetfulness before continuing: "This is my new minion."

     The young man bowed respectfully, shooting Sunggyu a bright smile. "Hello, I am Woohyun's coworker, Lee Taemin."

 

-----

 

     "Do you have him?"

     "No, the plans are almost ready... I just need a little more time-"

     "Time?! That, is something we desperately need, not something we have." Jongin winced at the man's harsh words. "Have it done by next month."

     Jongin bowed and exited, wanting more than anything to get away from that dark room with that... Monster. To think that he could he could hate someone whose face he'd never even seen before with such intensity.... That was just how much the man seeped evil. Pure evil.

     "About the information..."

     "Get it now. No matter the method." He barked roughly towards the underman, not bothering to lower his tone. The man was the top dog, the one behind all of the bad things happening recently, to put it simply. From drug dealing to organized crime, he could do the unspoken of and get away with it without moving a single precious finger behind that veil. No one knew his face, just his voice. But that was enough to get an army of thousands willing to follow his every wish and command. Jongin thought that was outright ridiculous, but then again, he was, just as everyone else in this building, just another underling that he had found use for in recent times. He hated it, more than anything, but gave in to it. Fear really was the best way to get respect, wasn't it? Jongin laughed dryly. Respect indeed.