“Chanyeol-ah,” Joonmyun smirks around his cigar, absently pulling his bleached hair back. “I’m so glad you could join us.”

☄

A shiver runs through him at his name being called so casually by someone like Joonmyun and the way he said it; like he was pinning Chanyeol down with only words. He doesn’t reply, mainly because he doesn’t know what to say but also because it’d probably be better to hold his tongue.

“A little birdy told me—” there’s the tiniest of glances in Baekhyun’s direction. “—that you’d like to terminate your contract.” Chanyeol nodded. He wasn’t going to jump through Joonmyun’s hoops or be his puppet. The blonde took out his cigar with a shrug, making the smoke flow like a river around him. “Okay, that’s fine by me.”

He couldn’t hide his surprise but he knew that couldn’t be it. “But—” There it was. “—I just ask that you do one last thing for me.”

The boss inhaled on his cigar as he pretended to mull things over. Chanyeol wasn’t going to like this, he couldn’t begin to think what Joonmyun was plotting.

“All you have to do is win against Zitao here.” He gestured to the intense cat guy with a wave of his cigar. Chanyeol could feel bile rise into his mouth.

Fight again?

Of course he could do it, he was capable, but he didn’t want to, no matter how much his knuckles ached with want. Joonmyun raised an eyebrow at Chanyeol’s silence.

“Don’t want to? Well of course you don’t have to, but you wouldn’t like the consequence.”

A catch. Of course. Chanyeol is well and truly screwed.

“Boss, isn’t this too much?” The guy ‘Zitao’ whined, and wow, his voice does not match his looks. A vein popped on Joonmyun’s forehead.

“No, Zitao. Shut up.”

“But Boss—”

“No. So what do you say Chanyeol-ah?” He could do it. He’s probably faced people stronger than this Zitao; what’s so special about him anyway? He’s out of practise though, one bad move and that could be it. His blood pulses through him, and he can hear his heartbeat in his ears. He knows what answer he should give, but why is he deliberating? “I haven’t got all day…”

“Look, you won’t go to the cops right?” Zitao turns to him, with an earnest expression. It startles the redhead out of his thoughts. “You won’t tell anybody about this place or what happens, you’re clever, right?” He finds himself nodding. He wouldn’t dream of it. Getting Joonmyun into trouble sounds worse than what’s happening now. “See! Let him go, he’s harmless.”

It earns Zitao a burning glare. “I thought I told you to shut up.” The man adopts an expression reminiscent of a scorned puppy and stands back in his place.

The boss’s gaze returns to Chanyeol, pointed and expectant. There’s no way out, no way to avoid this. “Won’t do it?”

Chanyeol shakes his head. No.

“Well then,” Joonmyun’s tone is apologetic however his grin is anything but. “Zitao.”

“But Boss! I don’t want—”

“Do it!”

It all happens in a split second. He sees Sehun and Baekhyun get out of the way from the corner of his eye. He sees Zitao coming for him like a bat out of hell.

And he hears the shot fired.

Zitao has knocked him to the floor in a pounce, but he’s surprised too. And from over his shoulder, he sees Joonmyun’s blonde hair fall out of view like a leaf falling from a tree.

What.

The man is off him quicker than lightning, running the short distance to his boss who is now bleeding on the floor.

What?!

“Boss? Boss!” Zitao tries tapping his cheeks, shaking his shoulders, trying everything and anything to wake him up, as if he’s asleep, all to no avail. He smears blood all over Joonmyun’s once crisp and expensive suit in his efforts. It’s so red.

Someone… Someone has shot Joonmyun. Chanyeol can’t believe this.

“Sehun, call a damn ambulance!”

“I can’t, the cops will be all over us, it’ll be the end!” The argument gets drowned out by the white noise and the replaying echo of the gunshot in his ears as he looks at Joonmyun’s unmoving body. Is he breathing? He quickly looks at Sehun who is roaring at Zitao with empty hands and then to Baekhyun who is watching the fallen man in utter disbelief on his knees, skin as pale as snow and probably as cold to the touch. But his hands and balled up on his jeans.

Who… Who on earth had fired the gun?

Then, there’s someone pulling him up to his feet. He doesn’t really realise it until they whisper ‘let’s go, Chanyeol.’

What’s Kris doing here?

None of this makes sense. He can’t tear his eyes away from Joonmyun. Is he really dead? Just like that?

Suddenly, Kris is in front of him, taking his chin in one big hand. “Chanyeol, come on, snap out of it. We’ve got to get outta’ here!”

But as Chanyeol moves his gaze back down to Joonmyun, he notices the black metal clutched in Kris’s grip.

No…

No.

“Chanyeol!” Kris tries again.

“You…” But Kris has had enough. He grabs the redhead’s arm roughly and begins to pull him away from Zitao’s anguished roars at Sehun, and away from the hollow Baekhyun. He drags him away from Joonmyun’s body, lying lifeless on the floor of the ring. He drags him away with his arm in one hand, and a pistol in the other.

THE END.

thank you for not only reading this story, but for subscribing, commenting, upvoting, and supporting it. thank you you so very much. now, before you start asking for sequels and such, please know that I am considering it. Nothing is set in stone, but I'm thinking about it. Thank you once again, I hope to see you again soon. <3