For SanghyunP
~Infinite Secret Santa 2013~ *Santas Revealed!*For SanghyunP
Pairing: Myungjong
Prompt: Myungsoo is the police officer in charge of Sungjong's kidnapping. Happy Myungjong ending please
It’s 2:53PM, Sunday March 20, 2013. Kim Minhee, mother of two, files a missing person’s report. Her eldest son, Lee Sungjong, aged 18, is missing.
Myungsoo enters the spacious bedroom. The mother is sitting on her son’s bed when he enters. His partner, Dongwoo, gently asks Lee Minhee questions as he scans the area. On a first look, nothing stands out. The pop idol group poster taped to the wall, the stack of textbooks on the desk, a clutter of shoes under the bed: everything looks normal, like any other high school student’s room. On the desk, there’s a picture frame of the family. Lee Sungjong with his father, mother, and younger brother. Myungsoo picks it up. Lee Sungjong’s face is clear, smile is vibrant. He’s handsome, Myungsoo thinks to himself.
“Can I take this? It’s necessary to have more than one picture of the missing person,” he interrupts. The mother gives a nod before Dongwoo continues questioning.
“Ah, this might be a little difficult. After speaking to his parents again today and some of his friends yesterday, I don’t really see any motive. There’s no legitimate reason for him to have run away or a kidnapping attempt either. Strange.” Dongwoo lets out an empty laugh. It’s a nervous laugh. He’s unsure what to make of this situation.
*
It’s March 21. More than 24 hours since Lee Sungjong was reported missing. Myungsoo runs his hands through his hair. He’s gone over the case over and over again, the same question running through his mind: who would want to abduct this kid? Lee Sungjong seems like an unassuming student. His family background is middle class. On the surface, he has no issues with family or friends. His grades are straight A’s. Honestly nothing about him screams “I hate my life. I need to run away”. But nothing about him says kidnapping is likely either. Myungsoo sighs. Solving this case would put him on the map (particularly Seoul, where the elite and highly respected officers are). Every other case he’s worked on has been low-leveled. Plus, the thought of someone not much younger than he is, tied up in some dark room, or worse, dead in a ditch…he has to solve this case soon.
“I don’t understand what the motive is?” Myungsoo taps his fingers on his desk, deep in thought. Dongwoo interrupts his mental debate by playing some video from his desktop.
“Can you turn that down?” Myungsoo doesn’t mean to snap at his sunbae, but the frustration is getting to him. To his relief, Dongwoo doesn’t seem affected by the annoyed tone.
“Actually, I think you should watch this.” Myungsoo rolls his chair over to Dongwoo’s desk. On the desktop screen, there’s a YouTube video entitled “DOWN WITH CHRISTIAN ANARCHISTS”. Dongwoo presses play. The screen is black as a narration begins. The deep voice sounds strained from anger and possibly fatigue. His rant is one filled with profanity against Christians and Christianity. With the voice still talking, a slideshow of “Christians” disrespecting Buddhist statues and monks. The narrator then goes on about the corruption of the government and who’s to be blamed.
“Sunbae, why exactly are you showing me this? Animosity between the two religions has been like this for a while…” Usually Myungsoo doesn’t mind when Dongwoo entertains him with controversial or strange videos, but now was not the time for a video.
“Shh, keep watching.” Myungsoo waits patiently. A minute later, something significant to the case they’re working on is brought up.
“We need to stop these fuckers. I’m not telling you to do it, but it would be very helpful to the cause if we taught them a lesson.” The narrator then proceeds to list a number of pastors from the Gwangju province, one of them being Lee Sungjong’s father. “You know what to do.” He laughs manically and the video ends.
“Quick, we need to send this to-,” Myungsoo starts.
“I’m already a step ahead of you. Our technical analyst traced the YouTube account’s IP address to a Mr. Byun Youngmin. I say we pay Mr. Byun a special visit.” Dongwoo winks.
*
It’s a Saturday also known as Party Day.
Sungjong is a frequent partygoer. He’s not the kind that gets wasted and has one night stands. For him, it’s more about the social atmosphere. Eat free snacks, chat with friends, and show off his dancing skills. However, this particular party was a disappointment, so he left earlier than usual.
The weather is warm for this time of year. The night is calm; the illuminated moon rests in the sky. There’s not a single person in sight. Sungjong hopes Howon is awake and online. When he gets back to his house, he wants to battle.
A shadowed figure walks up beside him.
*
When Sungjong wakes up, it’s dark. He can’t remember how he got here or why he’s here. The room is still. His hands and feet are tied to a chair and there’s duct tape over his mouth. He struggles with the tape. At most, he can move his head. The only sound in close proximity that he can hear is his heart racing. In the distance, he can pick up the sounds of engines starting and cars honking. Sungjong tries his best to squint and gain some kind of sight. However, the darkness is one akin to an endless void. He loves horror movies, probably have seen three in the past week, but movies are movies. This is real life where the cops don’t always make it in time and-
I need to think positively. His brain is fuzzy and his lungs ache from what he assumes to be chloroform. Still nothing is broken or bleeding; therefore, things could be worse. He thinks of his family and friends, holds onto the image of them like an anchor keeping him at bay. Sungjong pretends he’s anywhere, but here. The pretending works fine until the door opens. He’s momentarily blinded by the brightness.
"You're awake. Good." The man sounds pleased, though his facial expressions show nothing. Sungjong blinks a few times to adjust his eyes to the light. Towering over him is a man he's never seen before. He appears to be in his late 40s. The man squats down to stare directly into Sungjong's eyes. It's a message of control: control of the situation and control over Sungjong’s wellbeing.
"You're probably wondering why you're how. Ah, a privileged high school student with a Christian middle class upbringing. Bad things aren't supposed to happen to your kind, right?" The man chuckles. When the man had first entered the room, Sungjong was fearful, but as he kept talking, Sungjong could only feel annoyance and confusion. The words coming out of his mouth made little sense. "Anyway, getting to the point, I don't know if you realized it or not, but your father is an influential man. Yes, all religious leaders wield some influence over their sheep. Though, the degree of influence varies. You know, your father encourages people to disrespect and degrade Buddhist temples. This is not something I like. And for that he, and soon more pastors, will be punished. Your sacrifice will send a message to those idiots’. I’m proud that I was bestowed with this assignment. This is my duty, my calling!" By the end of his why-I-kidnapped-a-high-school-student speech, the words are coming out of his mouth like fire. Angry energy radiates off him in waves. The bulging eyes and skin drenched with perspiration is not exactly an attractive sight.
Sungjong resisted the desire to roll his eyes. This guy sounds crazy, like is he high or what?
*
Myungsoo and Dongwoo arrive at Byun Youngmin's residence. It takes him a whole five minutes to answer the door.
"Yes, what is it?"
"May we come in?"
*
"Well that proved to be useless." Myungsoo is slouched over the dashboard. His partner pats him on the back, understanding his frustration.
"Not necessary. Byun Youngmin unintentionally gave us a hint. While I believe him when he said that he wasn't physically involved in the kidnapping…”
“You think he had an accomplice,” Myungsoo finishes the thought process. Dongwoo nods in agreement. Myungsoo ponders on how they’re going to do this. The easiest way would be to stake out Byun Youngmin’s home and trail his car. Keeping tabs on his every move, whether the man is going to the grocery store or to the post office, they’ll be around because eventually he’s going to meet up with his accomplice. Mr. Byun didn’t seem too bright.
“I say we do an all-nighter.”
“How did I know you would say that?” Dongwoo sighs, making a left turn to drive back to the police station.
One all-nighter turns into four. By the third day, Dongwoo has bags around his eyes and Myungsoo has developed a twitch. When Dongwoo isn’t downing coffee, he likes to joke that Myungsoo is winking at him. His partner barely has the energy to roll his eyes at the sunbae’s dumb jokes.
It’s the fourth night when Byun Youngmin leaves out before dawn. This is different from his usual routine of leaving the house at noon. Myungsoo elbows Dongwoo awake, whispering “I think something’s up.” Their target exits his house with a bag of materials. Byun Youngmin suspiciously looks around before getting into his car.
Myungsoo carefully tails him, always at least 25 feet away.
*
Sungjong is sleeping when his captor kicks the door open. There was no reason for the violent kick since the door was partially opened anyway. Sungjong figures it was another one of those “I’m in control” actions. His captor’s behavior was often unnecessary and nonsensical.
The man paces the room. Every so often, he whispers something and then shakes his head like he's having an internal dialogue with himself. He stops his one man conversation when Sungjong yells into the tape. The man painfully rips the tape from Sungjong’s lips.
“What. Do. You. Want.”
“Food.” He’s near starved. The man only feeds him little pieces of meat once or twice a day. The lack of nutrients is taking a toll on his physical health.
“Now is not a good time. I’m waiting for someone.” Sungjong disregards his answer.
“I don’t care who you are waiting for. I need to eat before I, like, pass out and die.” Among his friends, Sungjong is well-known for his attitude and, at times, combative behavior. Right now, this is what his captor is experiencing when there’s a knock on the front door.
“Shut the fuck up.” He hastily puts the tape back on and runs to answer the door.
“Chansoo! You need to finish the kid off now-”
“What the hell is wrong with you? Why are you coming to my house? I bet you lead the cops straight to my door, you imbecile.” Chansoo pushes Youngmin inside and leads him to the room where Sungjong is held when he hears a “Police! Put your hands where I can see them”. Chansoo sinks to the floor. He didn’t fulfill his calling. I’m a failure.
“Hey, everything’s going to be alright, Lee Sungjong. I’m a Gwangju police officer, Kim Myungsoo.” Officer Kim is the first person, excluding his captor of course, he’s seen in days. When he whispered that “it’s all over”, Sungjong was ready to jump for joy. Except he’s still tied up. Officer Kim gently removes the duct tape from his lips before untying him from the chair. Sungjong tries to stand, but almost falls over. His limbs are numb. The officer has to lift him from the chair and carry him, bridal style. Sungjong is blushing the whole way to the squad car.
*
He's on television and in the newspapers and on the web and people everywhere are talking about him. Pride swells up in him at every mention of his name. Myungsoo is a big deal right now. Sure, kidnappings happen all the time, but the interest surrounding this particular case is heightened by the nature of the kidnappers. Religious extremists are a hot topic.
*
Sungjong’s mother forces him to visit the precinct to thank the officers. He's thanked them already, numerous times actually. (Though something in him says you could never possibly thank them enough). The gift feels heavy in his hands and the door is harder to open than it was the last time he was here. Sungjong usually isn't a nervous person, but this is a special situation. How are you supposed to feel when meeting face to face with your heroes?
"Oh, look who's here!" The shorter officer, Jang Dongwoo, greets him. He's all smiles - eyes and lips are curved upward.
"Yeah. I- this is for you and Mr. Kim. It’s a simple expression of gratitude. I could never thank you two enough." Sungjong bows deeply and hands the fruit basket over. The weight from his hands are gone. Still he feels breathless and warm all over. "By the way, where is he?"
"He should be at his desk. Come on, I'll show you the way." Officer Jang leads him to a messy desk. It's littered with newspapers clippings. The titles are different, though the story is about the same topic: him.
“HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT, LEE SUNGJONG FOUND”
“KIDNAPPERS OBTAINED, ANOTHER CASE CLOSED”
Some articles have pictures of Chansoo and Youngmin being taken into custody.
“Hey.” His tone is so casual and calm. Does he not realize how amazing he is? You saved my life.
“It’s nothing, really, I mean I was just doing my job.” Sungjong internally facepalms at him voicing that out loud. But seeing Officer Kim’s adorable dimple is worth the slip-up. Like how is he so handsome?
“Ah…yes I- thank you so much.” Sungjong bows before scampering away. He can hear his heartbeat in his ear and feel the butterflies in stomach. He’s embarrassed. Well, we couldn’t have possibly worked out, right? A police officer and a high school student, silly me and my silly crush.
*
City life is great, he made the right choice attending a university in Seoul. Nightlife is fantastic. The parties are so much better, more exciting than high school ones. His dorm room is cramped, but he was able to fit three posters of Girls’ Generation on his walls, that’s all that really matters anyway. His roommate, Lee Howon, is terribly quiet. Or maybe he just doesn’t like him. Either way, Sungjong is certain they’ll eventually become friends. Who could resist Lee Sungjong? No one.
Sungjong practically lives at Starbucks near his university. His greasy upperclassman friend, Woohyun, works there as a barista. Woohyun sometimes sneaks him a drink for free. Plus, the customers are often attractive.
Sungjong’s waiting for his latte when he hears a distinctive sweet voice.
“A grande Vanilla Bean Frappuccino please. No whipped cream.” They make eye contact. Officer Kim doesn’t have his police uniform on. He’s wearing street clothes, looking ridiculously handsome in a baby blue button-down and dark blue straight-legged jeans.
“Hey.” It’s always “Hey”.
“H-how are you?” The nervousness is back. Sungjong is maybe, kinda, totally still attracted to him.
“Great. I transferred here a month after the case ended. I’ve always dreamed of working in Seoul.” Officer Kim gives him a dimpled smile and Sungjong’s heart skips beats. “I’m off duty today. How about we play catch-up?” Sungjong nods a little too swiftly, messing up his styled hair. Myungsoo hesitates a moment before stretching his hand out to fix Sungjong’s hair.
“First, I have something really important to say: you have the cutest dimple. Like ever.” Myungsoo laughs at the seriousness in Sungjong’s voice.
“Thank you.”
A/N: the religious part might seem random orz, but there are, even now, Christian-Buddhist tensions in SK
StarlightSpirit: This whole thing is cute and adorble, even when Sungjong is kidnapped he is sassy and his attitude is the best thing ever! I don't ship Myungjong but I so enjoyed reading this! <3
Updates will be just me adding direct links as they come in and adding the santas to the chapters, don't worry too much :3
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