for comfyeol;; (8200 words)

“I know that you are awake. There’s no use in pretending.”

Myungsoo resiliently kept his eyes shut, doing his best to tune out the voice. How long had he been sitting here like this? A day… maybe more? His memory was hazy, his mind jumbled; that could have been due to the previous punch to his temple. His tongue peeked out from his mouth, running over his lip… at least it had stopped bleeding now.

“Come on, this will be much more enjoyable for the both of us if you talk back.”

No . Myungsoo wanted to retort, it wasn’t as if he was trying to pretend that he was sleeping. He was quite aware of the situation that he found himself in, but that didn’t mean he had to be cordial about it. This guy, this Sungyeol - the name that he only remembered based on the sheer number of times the guy had introduced himself since he had been manhandled into this chair - seemed to be unable to keep his mouth shut. He just kept talking and talking; first to Myungsoo, then to himself when Myungsoo ignored him, and then the cycle would repeat.

He wasn’t exactly feeling sympathetic; he was the one tied down to the hard wood chair, his arms bound down to his sides with scratchy, unforgiving rope. He was the one who had been stuck in this same position, unable to move or readjust his body, the discomfort so intense that he couldn’t even pinpoint which area of his body was hurting the most. The collar of his school uniform kept scratching against his neck in the most annoying of ways, and there was no foreseeable end to this.

“There’s no reason we can’t be civil.”

Myungsoo opened his eyes at that, his dark stare burning into the man in front of him. He was a little caught off guard, not that he had any expectations, but he definitely wasn’t imagining the voice coming out of… this. Sungyeol looked young, probably somewhere close to his age, although his puffy cheeks spoke otherwise. He was smiling, perfectly white teeth gleaming in the tiny room and his eyes were big and bright, almost inviting and… kind. Sungyeol had his bangs swept to the side, his dark brown hair stopping just above his ears. He looked like he could be a student, seemed like the type who would know everyone’s name in class and make a point to say hi to his teachers. He just gave off a vibe of warmth, everything about his face and his body language open and welcoming.

The only thing that didn’t fit the picture was the 9mm handgun, the barrel trained in Myungsoo’s direction, not pointed at him directly, but close enough to let him know that it would only take a second, one wrong move on Myungsoo’s part, and Sungyeol would bring him down.

Suddenly he felt angry, all his frustrations bubbling up in his stomach, the rage he had been containing spilling out from his mouth. “No reason? No reason? You kidnapped me! You stole my freedom and tied me to this ing chair, and you want me to be civil? You’re ing nuts! I don’t want to be your friend, I don’t want to talk to you, and I’ll be damned if I keep you company and help cure your boredom while I am your captive. So you can go yourself.” He glared at Sungyeol, feeling even more furious that the boy’s smile had gotten wider and wider as he yelled at him.

“Your voice gets higher and higher when you’re frustrated. It’s kind of cute.”

“ you.” Myungsoo bit out nastily.

Sungyeol just tilted his head in response. “It cracks a bit too. How old are you?”

“Don’t act like you don’t know.” Myungsoo was pissed, beyond pissed and everything that he had been holding down since the moment he had been snatched off the street started to come out. He had promised himself that he wouldn’t be weak, that he wouldn’t give his captors the satisfaction of seeing him cry, but he was tired and confused and hurt. Before he could stop them the tears were falling from his eyes, and for the first time since he laid eyes on him, Sungyeol’s smile disappeared.

“Hey… don’t-”

“Why?” Myungsoo cried out, his voice sounding shaky to his own ears. “Why are you doing this to me? I haven’t done anything wrong-”

“You have.” Sungyeol cut him off, his eyes serious. “Otherwise you wouldn’t be here. People don’t just appear on our list… they are placed there for a reason.”

“Is that what you tell yourself so you can sleep at night? That the people that you kidnap-” He paused, his eyes darting down to Sungyeol’s weapon, “That you kill deserve it?” He laughed bitterly, his split lip again. “You’re a ing joke. So don’t try to play with me, don’t pretend to be nice, don’t even try to talk to me anymore, when I know exactly how this story is going to end.”

Sungyeol sighed, placing his gun down on the ground before standing up. He walked over to the makeshift table and grabbed a towel, approaching Myungsoo cautiously. He lifted it up to wipe away Myungsoo’s tears, but the boy refused his help, turning his head stubbornly to the side. “Don’t.”

“Let me help you.”

“What’s the point? Does it really matter at all?”
 

Sungyeol grabbed his chin, forcing him to look straight at him. He wiped the boy’s face dry, his eyes downcast, avoiding that heavy stare. “It does.” He paused in his movements, the towel hovering over Myungsoo’s cheek. “I have to admit though… when I saw you I was surprised. You didn’t seem like the type.”

“The type?” He watched Sungyeol walk away again, twisting his neck to try to follow his movements around the room. “The type to do what?”

Sungyeol sat down back in front of him, picking of up his gun and resting it in his lap silently. Myungsoo sighed, leaning his forward to try to get Sungyeol’s attention. “Come on, you’ve been trying to talk to me all damn day, and now when I actually want to you’re quiet?”

Sungyeol narrowed his eyes at him, as if trying to decide if Myungsoo’s confusion was an act. “You really expect me to believe that you don’t know why you’re here?”

“Don’t I at least deserve to know what I’m being accused of?” He pushed down his pride, the severity of the situation making him capable of enduring the embarrassment. “How would you feel if you were the one sitting here? One moment I’m walking home after school and the next… I wake up in an abandoned warehouse with all these guys shouting at me, and when I try to ask questions I get a right hook to the head.”

Sungyeol laughed softly, shaking his head. “Our leader doesn’t exactly like to talk… I’m pretty sure that half of the reason he assigned me to guard you was so he wouldn’t have to listen to my rambling. Sunggyu can be… impatient when people question his authority, and you should be thankful; he usually goes for the nose when he’s introducing his fist to people.”

Myungsoo looked at Sungyeol in somewhat disbelief. “You want me to actually be thankful that he punched me?”

“Well, you have a really cute nose. It would have been a shame if he had broken it.” Myungsoo felt a ridiculous urge to laugh, the seriousness in Sungyeol’s tone amusing him. But he held it in, biting his lip and looking down. “What’s your name?”

Myungsoo shook his head at him. “Why are you asking me that? You already know.”

“I want you to tell me.”

Myungsoo paused, shifting slightly in the chair. The question suddenly seemed personal, and he was unsure if he wanted to do as Sungyeol asked him.

“If I’m going to break the rules for a pretty boy, I should at least know his name.”

“Are you actually hitting on me right now?” Myungsoo asked incredulously.

“Poor choice of words, considering the current situation.” Sungyeol smirked, crossing his long legs at the ankles. “I think that flirting would be much more appropriate.”

“So you are shamelessly flirting with me. You’re delusional enough to actually think that I would be interested in you, after you kidnapped me?”

“You haven’t cursed at me for a least a couple of minutes… my charm and undeniable beauty are starting to weaken your resolve. I can feel a connection forming between us already.” Myungsoo shook his head, his captor’s logic astounding him. “Tell me your name.” Sungyeol asked again, his foot slightly nudging Myungsoo’s shoe. “Don’t play so hard to get.”

“It’s Myungsoo.”

“Myungsoo, huh?” Sungyeol tapped his lips, thinking it over. “It’s cute, but it doesn’t seem to suite you.”

“You think you can come up with something better?” Myungsoo asked dryly, and Sungyeol nodded confidently.

“Yeah, I think I could. Myungsoo isn’t a name for such an attractive guy. Myungsoo is a name for a boy who wears nerdy glasses, who likes math, and reads for fun. No disrespect to your parents though, obviously they didn’t know how hot you’d grow up to be when you were a baby.”

“I look good in glasses, math is extremely practical, and reading is fun. I never met my parents though, for your information.” Myungsoo corrected him.

“So that explains the coldness.” Myungsoo raised an eyebrow, and Sungyeol shrugged his shoulders. “Sorry for your loss.”

“I got over it a long time ago.”

“Good to hear. Dating boys with emotional baggage can be draining.” Sungyeol admitted, pushing his bangs back dramatically.

“You’re crazy.”

“So you’ve said.” Sungyeol chirped, his teeth cheekily. “But you like me anyway. I can already feel the love.”

“Quit playing around, and tell me why I’m here.” Myungsoo demanded, but then softened his tone. “Please.”

“You’re going to be trouble for me.” Sungyeol remarked seriously, his large eyes flickering over Myungsoo’s body. “But lucky for you I like trouble.”

Myungsoo waited patiently for Sungyeol to start, deciding not to push his luck. Sungyeol took a deep breath in, and then began in a purposely monotone voice. “We got the order yesterday. Kim Myungsoo; 18 year old student; considered a high level threat to the government for potentially leaking information to North Korean insurgents.”

“I’m not-” A look from Sungyeol silenced him, and he shut his mouth so he could continue.

“Someone from the private sector contacted us, gave us your profile and we accepted the job. You were a risk that needed to be handled. If we remove you from the equation, then we get paid a certain amount. If we deliver you alive, then we get more. If we give you away alive and well, we get the most. You know how the military likes to pay such special attention to spies.”

Myungsoo shook his head, the words not making any sense to him. “I don’t understand… How could I be considered a risk to the government? A spy? I’m…” He shrugged his shoulders, looking at Sungyeol desperately. “I’m a nobody. I don’t have any family, barely any friends. All I did was go to school and my internship.” He looked to Sungyeol, as if he had all the answers. “How could I be a threat to anyone?”

“You tell me.”

“I can’t.” Myungsoo stressed, starting to feel his desperation take over him. “I really can’t.”

Sungyeol sighed, putting his gun down and crossing his arms. “Does the name Kwon Minjae mean anything to you?”

Myungsoo shook his head, puzzled at the foreign name. “I don’t know anybody by that name. Is he important in figuring out why I’m here?”

“I would assume so, considering he is the one who ordered the hit on you.” Sungyeol replied, his voice betraying none of his emotions. He was watching Myungsoo like a hawk, gauging his reactions as he tried to figure him out. Could it be possible that the boy was being sincere?

“That’s crazy. How could someone that I’ve never met, want something so bad to happen to me? This is just all so confusing and I don’t know what’s going on… what’s going to happen to me…” Myungsoo trailed off, his head starting to hurt as he pondered his situation.

Sungyeol tilted his head, his long hair falling out of his face so he could see Myungsoo clearly. “I’m such a er for a pretty face.”

“Excuse me?”

Sungyeol stood up, pushing his gun closer to the wall - and further away from Myungsoo - with his foot, before slowly walking over to the bound boy. He crouched down in front of him, resting his forearms on Myungsoo’s thighs. He stared into the dark eyes, raising a hand to caress the boy’s face. “Sunggyu should have never left me in charge of guarding our target. He should have known what would happen if he left me alone with you.”

“W-what are you saying?”

“That I think I’m letting your beauty get to me… because I might just believe you.” Sungyeol admitted with a small smile.

“I’m innocent. I haven’t done anything.” Myungsoo swallowed down the lump in his throat, staring down boldly into the bright brown eyes. “I swear.”

Sungyeol shifted away from him, his body moving slowly as he walked around the captive’s chair. “You’re hot, so I’ll bite. We can play hypotheticals. If you were to be innocent, then that would insinuate that Kwon Minjae set you up. And in order for that to happen, you must have done something to someone close and important enough to him that would make him go to such lengths to get revenge.”

Myungsoo shook his head. “But I’m not familiar with him, so I wouldn’t know if I upset anyone he would be associated with.”

“Has anything happened recently? Anything out of the ordinary? My organization isn’t exactly the most common, or the most legal. We don’t just get our targets from petty people. We get our orders from very powerful, very rich people. And for you to be on our list, you must have pissed off somebody important.” Sungyeol stopped pacing, turning to face Myungsoo with a serious expression. “You really can’t think of anything? You were listed as a threat to the government.”

Something flickered through Myungsoo’s eyes, something that he desperate tried not to think about, especially in the presence of someone like Sungyeol; someone who wouldn’t understand. He tried to turn away but his captor caught his chin, forcing his head back.

“You know what you did; don’t try to lie to me. I saw that look on your face and it was guilt.”

Myungsoo closed his eyes, trying to keep the emotions sealed inside of him. “You think you’re so damn smart. That you’ve got me all figured out.”

“Yeah. Maybe I do.”

The younger boy scoffed, shifting in his seat. “You don’t know anything about me.”

“What makes you so sure?” Sungyeol countered, bending down to Myungsoo’s eye level.

“Because it isn’t guilt you were seeing... it was shame.”

Sungyeol regarded Myungsoo silently for a few minutes, before standing up with a sigh. Myungsoo didn’t watch him walk away, but he heard his footsteps move around the room before the loud screech of metal against the concrete had him startling. The other man reentered his line of vision, thankfully only making the noise to set up a simple folding chair. The gun was back, resting not so innocently in Sungyeol’s lap as he tried to make himself comfortable.

“Tell me your story.”

“Why? There’s no point; you wouldn’t believe me even if I did.”

The brunette shrugged his shoulders. “You’ve got nothing better to do. I haven’t got orders yet on how to proceed with the drop off but they will come through soon. So now’s your only chance to plead your case.”

“It’s not like it will change anything. We both know that I’m not going to make it out of this thing in one piece anyways.” Myungsoo said dishearteningly. “Plus I can’t- talking about it…” He shook his head, as if that would make the thoughts go away. Voicing them out loud would mean acknowledging that it was real, and that was something that he barely managed to do himself.

The room lapsed back into silence; Myungsoo’s breathing labored and Sungyeol’s nearly undetectable. The student let his eyes drop closed, contemplating trying to save his strength and get some rest while he had the chance. The minutes ticked by but Myungsoo could feel his captor’s eyes on him like a weight, never once drifting away from his form. He resolved to ignore it, but eventually he grew tired of it, unable to fully relax when he knew the other boy was staring at him so intently.

“What?” He bit out, not bothering to open his eyes.

“I was just wondering. This secret you’re keeping… this person you’re protecting; are they really worth dying for?”

Myungsoo’s eyes flew open, his teeth baring as he heard the insinuation. “ no; I would never protect him! That’s why I-”

“Why you what?” Myungsoo clamped his mouth shut, furious that the other boy had managed to get a rise out of him so easily. When he didn’t continue, Sungyeol spoke up again. “At least tell me the man’s name.”

“How do you know it’s a man?”

“You said so, not me.” Myungsoo opened his mouth to argue but Sungyeol cut him off before he could try. “You said I would never protect him. So who is he?” The student shook his head, not wanting to play along but Sungyeol wouldn’t let it go. “Come on; the least you could do is give me the details. Someone who manages to make a pretty boy like you so loyal, has got to be one hell of a man. You won’t entertain my flirting, you must love him very much.”

“Don’t talk about things you don’t understand!” Myungsoo yelled, wanting to throw a fist but the ropes preventing him from doing so. “I’m not loyal to him, don’t you get it? I sure as hell never loved him, I never even wanted him, I was the only one to ever tell him no and now I’m here!” He didn’t want to but he teared up again, his emotions getting the best of him. “I hate him… I hate him so much that it scares me. But I never could have imagined that it would end up like this.”

He felt long fingers cup his cheek, Sungyeol’s thumb brushing the single tear away. “Then tell me what happened. I promise I won’t judge you. I promise; whatever you’ve done, I’ve probably done worse.” Sungyeol’s eyes seemed honest. “At this point… what have you got to lose?”

Myungsoo’s nostrils flared, his legs shaking as he thought of the man he despised. “It started at the beginning of the fall semester. It was my senior year so I was trying to pick up some more extracurriculars, build up my resume. You know my parents aren’t around and my fosters…” He shrugged noncommittally. “It’s not like they are bad people but they were in it for the paycheck, not th