"I can't have you getting in the way of my next target."

Luhan's words rang throughout Woohyun's mind. Slowly, the agent forced himself to lift his head. The initial shock of the attack was receding, and the pain was now hitting him in excruciating waves. Blood. There was so much blood. It was getting everywhere, blossoming on his shirt, sliding along the knife and onto the floor like a platoon of scarlet soldiers. Where was all of this red coming from? Had flesh wounds always been this painful? Woohyun tried to keep his thoughts straight, tried to keep his mind clear of the fog, but it was hard. He was losing focus.

"You- You're-" he rasped, fighting off the nauseating feeling.

"I- I'm-" Luhan mocked. Apparently finding the situation to be amusing, he laughed, the high-pitched sound ringing like a pair of cruel bells. It was the polar opposite of the cheerful facade he'd put on before. "Looks like the brilliant detective has finally figured it out. Congratulations, Woohyun. I guess you're not as slow as I thought you were."

In a none-too-gentle manner, Luhan withdrew his blade from his target's body. Woohyun almost choked. He should have expected that move coming, but the pain was making it too hard to think clearly. Everything was happening one step too fast for him. As he tried to concentrate on the words of his assailant, Woohyun staggered back, all the while clutching at the gash on his abdomen.

"It really is a shame," Luhan continued. He sighed and shook his head. Droplets of rainwater riveted from his hair down to the curve of his jawline, but he made no move to wipe them away. "I never planned on killing you as well. Just Sunggyu. It was only supposed to be Sunggyu. But you were getting too suspicious of me, Woohyun. I knew you didn't have any evidence to go from- I left the scenes spick and span, if I do say so myself- but I couldn't afford to take the risk. It was just too dangerous."

Woohyun's throat burned. His vision was blurring and he felt an iron hot sensation spreading throughout his torso. He wanted to cough and spit the bile out of his mouth, then find an ice pack or three to soothe the fiery ache, but strangely he couldn't bring himself to do so. All the injured man could do was press his fingers against his wound and hunch further down.

"So you decided killing the both of us was a safer bet?" Woohyun's retort came out as a haggard croak. "Ingenious. Is this the part where I start crying and beg you to spare my life?"

"Don't take it so personally," his assailant dismissed with a wave of the hand. "It's purely business, you understand. I have nothing against you as a person. In fact, if you hadn't been assigned to this case, I think we would have made great friends. We're a lot alike, you and I."

"I'm nothing like a murderer," was all the CS inspector managed to say. His strength was rapidly draining away, and every muscle in his body was screaming at him to let go already. The part of Woohyun's brain that hadn't been frozen with pain noted the oddity of the situation. How had a single knife wound sapped so much of his stamina away? Unless a vital point had been hit, it wasn't possible to be in the state he was in. It took every inch of his willpower to simply stay upright on his feet.

Luhan gave him the look-over. "Think what you want. I'm not here to argue with you. But I will tell you this: I'm the smarter of us two." 

At last, Woohyun could take it no more. His knees gave out and he collapsed onto his side, still clutching at the bleeding gash. It was alien to him, feeling the blood coat his hands and his body begging to find a state of peace.

Hurts. It hurts. Why does it hurt so goddamn much?  The agent gritted his teeth and forced himself to block the pain receptors. Pain is just a message, and messages can be ignored. Gathering every bit of strength he had, he made an attempt to push himself upright...

... but not one of his limbs answered to his command.

Above him, Luhan clucked his tongue. "I told you, didn't I? We have a lot in common, but intelligence isn't one of them." He twirled his blade around in a languid fashion. "Do yourself a favour and stop trying to move, Woohyun. You won't be able to, no matter how hard you try. Save the effort and stay still like a good boy."

Muscles stiffening up, torso unable to move, energy rapidly depleting from a single stab... Woohyun swore. He narrowed his eyes at the red-soaked weapon in Luhan's hand, cursing himself for falling into the trap so easily.

"You bastard..." It was becoming even more difficult to talk, as his facial muscles were beginning to feel the side effects as well. But his fury overpowered his deteriorating state- with anger as his fuel, he was absolutely determined not to let Luhan walk away unscathed. "You- This-" 

Luhan grinned at him. It was a nice smile, one that embodied a casual yet charming air. Woohyun wouldn't have minded it if they were taking a stroll in the park, for instance, or chatting about the daily news over a cup of tea. But seeing as this man was standing over him with a lethal weapon drenched in his blood, the agent decided that he could have done without the Joker effect.

"Is the part where I reveal my ingenious plan to you?"  he mocked Woohyun's earlier question. "I guess there's no harm in letting you know, since you're going to be dead soon anyways. I told you, it's me who's the smarter one here, isn't it?" 

Still smiling, the honey-haired man ran a finger down the blade. Skin and metal did not touch, but the action was close enough to mirror that of a gentle caress. "I won't be like those villains in the movies who take forever to cut to the chase. Two words, Mr. Nam: Botulinum toxin."

Woohyun hissed. He'd figured it was a poison of some sort that Luhan had used along with the knife- the entire blade was probably coated in it- but it hadn't crossed his mind that it'd be botulinum. Criminals typically liked using flashier, more well-known toxins. Cyanide, arsenic, aconite, strychnine... Of all poisons, why botulinum?

Luhan ignored the interjection and continued. "I knew I couldn't beat you on my own. Remember that day we first ran into each other in the alley? I was the one holding the gun, yet you managed to tackle me like it was nothing. To tell you the truth, I was pretty impressed. You have a lot of guts, Woohyun. Chasing after an armed man like that. Even shooting a bullet wasn't enough to stop you.

"Maybe that's why I chose botulinum as my helping hand." Luhan raised his knife to eye-level and examined it thoughtfully. "Botulinum toxin causes botulism, if you didn't know. Do they teach you about this stuff in the CSI force? If they don't, they should consider making it a training course. That sort of knowledge could save somebody's life one day. Anyways, you've probably put it together by now, but the main thing it's good for is muscle paralysis. Your limbs have already been frozen, and soon your respiratory system will shut down as well. And after that..." He trailed his eyes over Woohyun's rigid form.

"Well, there's a reason why botulism is known to be fatal."

Woohyun wanted to swear. He wanted to yell. He wanted to pick himself off the floor, grab Luhan by the neck, and turn his perfect smile into a crooked, ugly mess of teeth. But he couldn't. He physically couldn't bring himself to move his arms or legs at all, and it was literally killing him. The only thing that was active was his brain. It was a whirlwind of downright anger, frustration, loathing, and... and...

And that was when he realized.

He was afraid.

Afraid, because he felt helpless. Afraid, because he was dying and there was nothing he could do about it. But above all, he was afraid because once he was dead then Luhan would be free to go after his real  target, Kim Sunggyu. And the unsuspecting agent would have no idea of what was in store for him.

Unaware of the change in Woohyun's thoughts, Luhan released a sympathetic sigh. "Oh, don't be so upset, Woohyun. Death comes to everybody sooner or later. I just happened to speed up the process. Actually, now that I think about it, you should be more grateful. I'm letting you off easy here. Once the toxin hits your lungs, it'll only be a few minutes before everything's over and you can rest." 

The immobile man drew a shallow breath. It was like trying to force a mass of thorns and cotton down his airway, but even so, he welcomed the pain. Anything to keep him grounded, to help him focus on the situation at hand.

"Sunggyu... But Sunggyu... Why..." he gasped, forcing the words out. 

Luhan brushed a strand of wet hair out of his eyes. "Sunggyu? Why did I pick Sunggyu as my next victim, do you mean?" He didn't need to wait for confirmation as he already knew the answer to the question. Instead, the armed man simply waved his hand in an airy manner, treating the topic as if it were of the same importance as the weather forecast. "I told you. I like Sunggyu. He's a decent guy, though his intuition could use a little sharpening up. I think he'll be rather fun to mess around with."

A sudden smirk twisted his lips as he held up his knife to the light. "Just imagine, me dragging this very blade across his body, splitting the skin and watching as his blood seeps out. I can hear his screams already. Tell me, how well does your partner handle pain? The less they can endure, the more fun it is, after all."

"... You're crazy," Woohyun decided in a strangled whisper.

Luhan glanced down at him. "You think so? What gave it away?"

"You still didn't answer my question," the agent panted. He felt an invisible weight compressing his lungs, but he coughed a few times to hold the feeling at bay. "Just liking a person doesn't justify wanting to kill them. Tell me the truth. Why Sunggyu? And Jung Ara, Park Donghoon... What did they do to deserve their deaths?"

Chuckling, Luhan squatted down beside Woohyun's injured form. "Playing Sherlock until the very end, I see. But I guess even your great detective skills couldn't solve this one. They all had the same look in their eyes, didn't they? The same pathetic, miserable expression, like there was something in their lives that was hurting them but at the same time, they just couldn't get enough of it. Something that they wanted badly enough to put up with the inevitable pain." He shook his head.

"Don't you see? I did them a favour. I took away their sadness and gave them peace instead."

"By murdering them?"

"By relieving them," corrected Luhan. "It's not as bad as you think it is. If you knew Ara and Donghoon, you'd understand. Ara was a young girl who never quite recovered from her father's sudden death. And Donghoon? He was in love with his sister-in-law. They both hid their pain pretty well, don't you think? It took a whole lot of persuading for them to open up about their secrets. Sunggyu, on the other hand..." He gave his immobile victim a knowing smile.

"Sunggyu was like an open book. I didn't even have to talk to him to know what his worries were. You gave him a really hard time, the poor guy."

"That's it? They looked miserable?" Woohyun croaked. He tried to ignore the way Luhan was talking as if Sunggyu was already dead. "Just because they were being human, you decided to end their lives? And now you're talking about it like it was no big deal. How could you murder them so easily?"

The honey-haired male shrugged. "It wasn't so hard. The first time you kill someone; that's when you have the most doubts, the most anxieties. Then it's smooth sailing from there on out. Besides, you think the world's gonna end if one person kneels over once in a while? People die every day, Woohyun. They die and when they do, new ones are born to take their place. It's a never-ending cycle. We die, we're born, and the world still goes on."

As he listened to those nonchalant yet bone-chilling words, Woohyun stared at the gleam in Luhan's eyes. It was a look that had been cleverly hidden during their previous meetings, but now that the case had revealed itself, there was no use in hiding it any longer. Sadistic, amused, and hungry for a satisfaction food couldn't provide, it made Woohyun wonder how a person could take the subject of life and death so lightly... 

"You're just like the Tin Man. Both of you are empty shells, missing the one thing that makes you fully human. Only you're not incapable of loving. You're just incapable of living."

Despite the situation, Woohyun felt the corners of his mouth twitch. How sad it was, that at long last, he finally understood what Sunggyu had been trying to tell him. He wasn't missing a heart. It had never been a heart. Though what good did the revelation do now, if he was knocking at death's door and ready to be ushered in at any moment?

Woohyun shut his eyes and blocked out another wave of pain. Was it really going to end like this? No, it couldn't. He refused to go down this way. His legs were completely stiff and his arms were locked against his will, but his neck could still move a bit. He had to live, he had to stay alive. Because after this lethal night was over, he decided, there was something he absolutely needed to see through.

Luhan stood up and stretched his arms, seemingly unconcerned with Woohyun's attempted resistance. "Well, now that we've had our chat, I should probably get going. Time is running out, and I'd say yours is just about up. Though I have to thank you for cooperating so nicely. It sure made everything run a lot smoother. I didn't expect you to let me in so quickly and without a fuss, but I'm glad you did. I just hope Sunggyu is just as easy to get to-"

"I wouldn't count on it, if I were you."

Luhan snapped his head towards the doorway as a lithe figure stepped inside the room. Upon hearing the new voice, Woohyun knew at once who it was- yet he couldn't stop himself from staring in disbelief, either. 

A drenched Sunggyu took another step closer as he evaluated the scene before him. His hair was plastered to his forehead and his shoes made a wet squishing sound as he walked, but that didn't seem to affect the way he pointed his revolver at Luhan with steady hands.

"Well, well, look who's come to join the party." Luhan was the first to recover from his surprise. He eyed the weapon that was aimed at him, but kept his voice as carefree and light as ever. "We were just talking about you, Sunggyu. Though you're a bit earlier than I imagined... I suppose it doesn't really matter. You're going to end up in the same place as your partner here, anyway."

The word 'partner' shook Woohyun out of his shock. A dozen questions ran through his mind- how did Sunggyu get here? Was he alone? How did he know about Luhan's planned attack?- but he pushed the clamoring thoughts away. There was only one question he wanted the answer to, and he couldn't wait until after the killer was in handcuffs.

"Why are you here?"  Woohyun rasped, lifting his head further up.

Sunggyu met his gaze. "I gave up on you once. I'm not about to make the same mistake again."

A slow clapping sound filled the room. Sunggyu's eyes snapped back to his target as Luhan applauded, looking at the two agents with a toothy grin. 

"And so the quarreling partners make up and renew their friendship," he announced. "Right on time, too. If you had been just a minute late, Woohyun would have been gone like a light. But don't worry, Sunggyu, I'll help you forget about him. Just a few minutes of hurting, then poof! You can sleep for an eternity."

"You talk as if my death has already been sealed," Sunggyu replied. His calm tone was at odds with the tense grip he had on his revolver.

Luhan sent him another smile. "Isn't it? You practically walked in and offered yourself on a silver platter. I should thank you; it saved me the trouble of having to get you myself. How did you even get in, anyway? Did Woohyun give you a spare key?" 

"No," answered the older man, taking another careful step forwards. "He just has a bad habit of not locking the door when there are visitors. And while I'm at it, I might as well tell you that reinforcement is outside. Even if you take me down, there are twelve teams of officers armed and waiting for you. You're surrounded, Luhan. Don't make it any worse for yourself than it already is."

The poison was now taking its last toll on Woohyun's body. He gasped, trying to gulp down a mouthful of air, but all he succeeded in doing was rattle his airway. His lungs were constricting and his brain felt foggy. Was it finally going to end here? Was the Tin Man really going to die this way?

"- wouldn't call your bluff?" Luhan was laughing. He was only a few steps from where Woohyun was, but his voice sounded so far away. Distant. Like he was speaking from the other side of a glass wall. "I can read you like a book, Sunggyu. You're lying about reinforcement being here, aren't you? I'm willing to bet that no one's outside and you're actually all alone. What confidence. Did you honestly think you'd be able to handle me on your own?"

"I wouldn't call it confidence. More like the desire to put an end to your mad killing spree," Sunggyu said, ignoring the questionable matter of back-up. He slowly walked closer to the assailant, gun still held out in front of him. "This is your last warning, Luhan. Put the knife down and back away from my partner. Things won't get any better by just standing there."

"I think it's a little too late for him," Luhan chuckled. "Look, he's already stopped breathing. Oh, well. Guess you should have come sooner." 

Sunggyu whipped his head towards Woohyun's direction. His vision was becoming tinged with red, but Woohyun was able to make out the growing horror and panic in the brunet's eyes. The expression gave him an odd sense of relief. Surely this, as well as the fact that Sunggyu was even here at all, meant that the older inspector didn't entirely hate his guts? Maybe, just maybe, there would even be a place for forgiveness-

An abrupt flash of movement cut off his rambling thoughts.

Taking advantage of Sunggyu's distraction, Luhan lunged forwards. He ripped the gun out of the agent's hands and tackled him to the floor. Sunggyu yelled out, but surprise had given Luhan the upper hand. 

Woohyun watched in muted agony as the two wrestled each other in front of him. The weapon had landed right next to his face, and that, more than anything, made him want to rip his hair out in frustration. It was right there, and under normal circumstances it would have been so easy to grab it and put an end to things. 

Instead, all he could do was exhale a shallow, helpless breath and struggle to keep his eyes open.

'The Tin Man and the Lion. A funny pair we make, you and I.'

The last thing Woohyun saw was Luhan driving the poisoned blade into Sunggyu's leg, before finally allowing darkness to claim his sight.

[A/N] Okay. I know. I'm sorry =x= I know it's been forever since I last updated, but things have been difficult for the past few months. Luckily I'm starting to pick up writing again! There are only two more chapters until this story finishes, and I personally can't wait for it to reach the ending! Thank you to everyone who's read/ subscribed/ commented so far; you amazing people make my day <3