Jongin had been jumping anywhere ever since.

He had been more—no, extra careful.

Six months had passed since then—since Junmyeon’s death, and since his last encounter with Jongdae.

He refused to eat for the first days. He could still feel Junmyeon’s cold body in his hands like it was only yesterday. This drained him more and more and Jongin drowned miserably in his own sadness with no one to talk to. It had crossed Jongin’s mind once to end his life, but it was certainly not what Junmyeon would have wished. Sure, his life felt empty and meaningless without his brother by his side, but…

He had to move on.

Jongin then understood what Junmyeon meant that it was dangerous for anyone else to find out. All this time, he thought even if anyone did, they would just freak out. He had never thought they would try to kill him.

Even so, he had never wanted to find out more about Jongdae. Jongin felt it was best of him to just forget everything. He felt if he tried to dig deeper about Jongdae, he would just fall into a pit of even deeper problems.

So he tried to forget.

Jongin accidentally met another Jumper a few months after that.

His first encounter with Krystal was in Rome—in the Colosseum, to be exact. He jumped right in the middle of her battle with two guys in uniform. Krystal had a gun in her hand, and fortunately, Jongin was able to teleport someplace else before her bullet got to him. The battle ended with Krystal winning as she shot the two men coldly and they dropped lifelessly to the ground. Jongin had to look away because of the amount of blood.

Krystal teleported right in front of Jongin and the latter’s eyes widened in shock. Did she just…?

“U—um,” Jongin stammered awkwardly. “Hi.”

Krystal noticed the confusion that was etched across Jongin’s face. She simply smiled at him as she put one hand on her hip. “Hi. You must be new. Do you want some explanation?”

Jongin dumbly nodded. Very straightforward, he absently thought.

“Welcome to the war.”

“…huh?”

“Either you die, or they die.”

Jongin didn’t respond right away, but he had a feeling he understood what she said.

“If you want to win a war, you should never quit.” Krystal placed the gun on her back and nodded at Jongin. “That’s what winners do.”

“Winners…”

Jongin jerked his chin to the direction of the two bodies.

“You said…they. Who are they?”

“Paladins.”

Jongin’s gaze shifted to something they held in their hands. It appeared to be high-voltage cables or something...but it was merely an item, a device. Jongdae didn’t use anything like that, but Jongin was certain the effect would be the same.

“They’re stupid extremists that think people like us aren’t supposed to live,” Krystal scoffed as she kicked one of the bodies in disgust. “That you and I, we’re abomination. We’re not supposed to be born. Ugh, it makes me sick just to think about it. The most often sentence they repeat is, ‘Only God can be in several places at the same time’. Did they seriously think we asked for this power before we were even born?”

“Wait. You mean…there are more like us?”

Krystal gave Jongin a serious look. “Jumpers? A lot. Paladins? A lot more.”

Jongin’s expression darkened. He recalled something Jongdae said a few months back…something about he had to kill all Jumpers. Did it mean Jongdae had been killing people like him…? Did it mean Jongdae was a Paladin…?

“We should leave,” Krystal said abruptly, breaking Jongin’s thoughts. “Before more of them come.” She was about to walk away when she realized Jongin wasn’t moving. “Hey. I said we should leave.”

Jongin glanced at her.

Krystal sighed. “What’s your name?”

“…Kai.”

“I’m Krystal, Kai. Look, I know it’s none of my business, but… Did they kill your family?”

Jongin narrowed his eyes.

“Because they killed my sister,” Krystal explained willingly. “They’re looking for our kind, but if they can’t find us, then they get to our family. Dirty trick, huh? They hunted my family because they wouldn’t give me away, so that’s why I hunt them down.” She sent one last disgusting look at the corpses. “You know what, Kai?”

Jongin held his breath.

“You should, too.”

 

 

 

 

 

Jongin knew what Krystal said was right.

But Jongin had never wanted to seek revenge.

Sure, it was unfair for him to lose a brother for something he didn’t even understand at that time. He never meant any harm. All he wanted to do was to meet Junmyeon… And truthfully, Jongin had never known if he wasn’t the only one. But revenge…

Getting back to Jongdae…

No.

He still chose not to do it, because it was not what Junmyeon would’ve wanted.

If Junmyeon was still alive…

Besides, several months had passed and Jongin hadn’t met Jongdae ever since. He didn’t know if Jongdae had stopped looking for him because he felt guilty after what happened to Junmyeon, or that his luck just hadn’t worked out and he couldn’t find Jongin.

It didn’t matter, as long as Jongdae never showed up in his life again.

So Jongin tried to rebuild his life once again.

It took him quite a long time, but Jongin was starting to get a hold of his life back. He didn’t think or regret about Junmyeon as bad as before. Slowly, but surely, he was able to get a good night sleep, one where he managed to sleep soundly until the morning, and one where he didn’t jerk awake in the middle of the night from nightmares about the older male’s death.

He was going to be okay.

But still, his heart felt empty.

Jongin felt lonely.

But he couldn’t risk anyone got hurt again…he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if anything happened to his family.

So that was why it was better for him to be alone for the rest of his life.

 

 

 

 

 

Eventually, the loneliness devoured Jongin.

There were times when Jongin looked enviously at people who were laughing and chatting over their coffee or at a couple who was holding hands, with the girl resting her head on her boyfriend’s arm. Other times, Jongin saw people giggling into their phones, patches of pink decorating their cheeks, wondering who they were talking to and what they were talking about.

Friends…?

Siblings…?

Parents…?

Jongin closed his eyes at the thought of his parents.

Did his father ever miss him…? Did he ever look for him…? Would it be okay to jump back home? Or would it be better to just give him a call…? And what about his mother? Was his mother safe? Did she ever look for Junmyeon?

What was it like to have friends?

To be in the crowd, walking without fear about having to get caught?

To hold hands with someone you care?

What was it like to live a normal life…?

Jongin felt like crying at his own thoughts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Why did you kill Agent Chen?”

“…”

“Is it because he was simply a Paladin?”

“…”

“Is it because he hunted you down?”

“…”

Baekhyun stole a glance at his wristwatch. He was starting to get impatient.

The time kept on ticking, and yet no matter what Baekhyun asked, Jongin still wouldn’t answer. He was starting to doubt if the tan male was still sane or if he still had the ability to speak, because of the whole electric thing. What if it damaged the Jumper’s brain? It was a possibility…

Baekhyun threw a look at Sehun—it was what he had been doing for the past few hours whenever he felt stuck—hoping for a hint, but the latter stayed nonchalant. He sighed softly as he turned his head back to Jongin. Baekhyun’s eyebrows wrinkled as he got lost in his thought.

Normally, a criminal would show his confident side, especially if they were faced with someone like Baekhyun. They would try to outsmart their interrogator during the questions, but it would only make Baekhyun understood them more.

This Kai was definitely different.

Instead of showing off, Jongin chose to keep quiet. His expression never changed, although sometimes, Baekhyun was certain his question would pick Jongin’s curiosity—or at least tempted the other male to answer, but it didn’t.

Baekhyun examined Jongin’s face seriously.

What breaks you?

His thought was interrupted by Sehun’s voice.

“Can I talk to you for a moment?”

Baekhyun blinked momentarily before nodding. He then got up from the chair and walked to Sehun. “What is it?”

Sehun narrowed his eyes. “I’m sorry, but I just had to ask. Are you really as good as they say? I told you, you were recommended to us. But from what I see, it’s nearly two hours and you haven’t been able to dig anything out of him.”

Baekhyun felt slightly offended. “Excuse me? Do you doubt my ability? Well then, I thought you should know that I’m not a mind reader, Mr. Sehun. You only give me a thin file with slight information. The kind of information I can get if I hire a private investigator. If you want me to interrogate someone—moreover a criminal, you need to give me something I can use against him. A case—a name, anything!”

“I’ve given you a case—Chen.”

“But that’s not enough!” Baekhyun grunted in frustration. “You’ve seen his reaction—he didn’t even breathe when I mentioned his name. What else did he do besides killing one of your agents? Like I said earlier, he never robbed a bank, he never hurt anyone…”

Sehun gritted his teeth.

“Look,” Baekhyun sighed. “If you want me to find out why he killed Agent Chen, then I will make a statement that it’s simply because of this stupid war between your people and his—Jumpers and Paladins. But it’s not only because of that, is it?”

Sehun flinched slightly.

“Because if it is, he wouldn’t still be here. He’d probably be dead somewhere and his death will be dismissed as an accident. Now you,” Baekhyun’s tone became dangerous as he pointed at Sehun. “Tell me what else you know, or else I’ll claim he’s innocent.”

After a moment that seemed like forever and getting endless terrifying glare from Baekhyun, Sehun finally took a deep breath and he held his hands up in resignation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jongin was close to ending his life when he first met Kyungsoo.

He almost got to the depression stage where he felt ultimately worthless.

Jongin had lost count of how many drinks he had that night. He thought it would be better to die when he wasn’t sober. His eyes were starting to water—was it from having too much drink or something else, Jongin didn’t know. Suddenly, he felt something warm landed on his palm, and Jongin dumbly looked up.

An angel…no, a person.

Jongin’s throat went dry.

He was probably the most beautiful person Jongin had ever seen.

Other than Junmyeon, that was.

The male had adorable doe eyes, and there was this…calming light radiating from his body like an angel—okay, perhaps Jongin really did have too many drinks. But even in such state, his brain was still able to think that Kyungsoo was beautiful. A lot of people were beautiful, of course, but this doe-eyed male by the bar was…

…different.

“I think you’ve had enough,” Kyungsoo said with a soft, kind voice. “I’ll bring you a glass of water.” With that, Kyungsoo left to get him water.

Between surprised and embarrassed, somehow, Jongin felt grateful that he was still alive. Unconsciously, his eyes followed every movement the beautiful male made. He watched as Kyungsoo talked to the bartender. Something strange and weird—and yet, warm—seeped into his heart, wondering when was the last time he ever felt like this?

Jongin broke his gaze when someone laughed too loud beside him—obviously drunk, drunker than him. He waited patiently until the drunken male walked away from the bar, and casually fixed his gaze back to the male who had caught his attention.

It should’ve been nothing.

It should be just for a second—five, ten seconds max.

But when Jongin stared back at the beautiful male, it was as if the latter had been waiting because when their eyes met, Kyungsoo bloomed into a smile.

For the first time in a long time, Jongin’s heartbeat quickened.

But it wasn’t fear.

It was…

…hope.

 

 

 

 

 

Jongin came back to see Kyungsoo every night.

It turned out that Kyungsoo was still in college, and he was working part-time as a waiter.

Jongin tried to be discreet about his feelings for Kyungsoo, but it was useless. Not wanting to get drunk, the tan male ordered club soda instead and Kyungsoo giggled shyly every time he delivered the drink to Jongin.

It happened for a week until one night, Jongin decided to stay until closing time. There were only few regulars left, until one by one, they all went home and there were only Jongin and Kyungsoo. Jongin felt a bit nervous when Kyungsoo smiled kindly at him, but oh God, Kyungsoo’s smile worth everything.

Funny how their first conversation happened after days of merely smiling and stealing glances at each other, but to be honest, Jongin was glad he didn’t rush. Jongin knew he didn’t deserve happiness, not with the power he had, but just for this once, he wanted to know Kyungsoo more. He wanted to have someone to share with, someone to talk to, even though they couldn’t be more…

Their conversation flew smoothly.

Slowly, but surely.

Jongin kind of liked it…no, he loved it.

Before he realized it, he and Kyungsoo were already close. Too close, in fact. They weren’t official, but if it kept on happening…

It made Jongin scared, and he selfishly thought of pulling away when it was time. It wasn’t safe for Kyungsoo to be around him. Dammit, what was he thinking? He shouldn’t have started all this! He should just die so that no one else got hurt!

But when Kyungsoo softly kissed him on the lips, sealing their feelings, it made Jongin calm and he didn’t feel like throwing everything away.

What was it that he felt…?

How could Kyungsoo be so kind to him?

Desperate, Jongin held Kyungsoo so tightly in his arms that it made the latter unable to breathe properly.

Was it wrong…?

He wanted to protect Kyungsoo from harm.

“Jongin…?”

Jongin snapped out of his thoughts when Kyungsoo put a hand on his arm. He took a step backward almost abruptly.

“Jongin, what’s wrong?” Kyungsoo asked worriedly.

“…nothing,” Jongin replied as he pressed a hand against his forehead. “I need—I need to go.”

“What? Where are you going?”

“This—this is wrong. We can’t…you can’t be with me, Kyungsoo. I’m dangerous. You’re not safe with me.”

“How is that true, when I feel the safest when I’m with you?”

Jongin groaned and covered his face with his hands. “No. You don’t know that.”

“I do,” Kyungsoo said stubbornly as he stepped closer to Jongin. “I do, Jongin. Jongin, look at me.”

Jongin sighed in defeat and he carefully looked into Kyungsoo’s eyes. What he saw within those beautiful black orbs was the truth about Kyungsoo’s feelings.

Fondness.

“Don’t push me away,” Kyungsoo whispered sadly. “Don’t be afraid. I don’t know your secrets, Jongin, but it’s all right. There’s nothing you can do that will make me run away. I want to be with you…”

“But…but you don’t know me…”

“You’re a kind person, Jongin. That’s all I need to know…”

Jongin did his best to hold the tears that were threatening to fall. Kyungsoo leaned closer to him, and Jongin loved how warm it was whenever the former was near.

Did he deserve this…?

A second chance to start everything?

“Will you grow old with me, then…?” Jongin asked in a cracked voice. “Will you live with me forever…?”

That kind of question was too sudden, even for Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo’s eyes widened, but then they softened in understanding.

Jongin got a bashful nod as an answer.

 

 

 

 

 

Jongin stopped using his ability to jump.

He started using doors, elevators, stairs, and public transportations.

It was tiring at first because he was used to just jump anywhere he liked, but now that he lived with Kyungsoo, the habit needed to stop.

He tried to get a job, but he had never finished his high-school, so he couldn’t get a good one. Luckily, Jongin got a job in a convenient store. The paycheck was okay—at least it helped Kyungsoo pay the bills. They didn’t have much, but it was enough.

Jongin figured it was safer for Kyungsoo to know nothing about him. Kyungsoo, on the other hand, never asked much about his life. He once asked about Jongin’s family, but he stopped asking when Jongin didn’t answer. The doe-eyed male was very understanding and caring that Jongin desperately wished their relationship would last forever.

Jongin felt the happiest whenever he was with Kyungsoo.

The first time they made love, it nearly damaged Jongin’s sanity.

His brain became unfocused, but it was different. It wasn’t painful at all. It was like Jongin saw fireworks and rainbows at the same time.

Kyungsoo with clothes was beautiful, but Kyungsoo without clothes was even more breathtaking. Jongin felt like kissing a newborn baby because of how soft Kyungsoo’s skin was.

Everything about Kyungsoo drove Jongin insane.

The way Kyungsoo moaned underneath him.

The way Kyungsoo entwined their fingers together.

The way Kyungsoo’s breath hitched when Jongin touched a sensitive spot.

Jongin never stopped staring at Kyungsoo the whole time.

When Kyungsoo cried out Jongin’s name when he ed, Jongin felt like a king.

A winner.

But the feeling instantly dissipated when Kyungsoo burst into tears. Jongin went panicked as he tried to wipe Kyungsoo’s tears away.

Was it something he did?

Was he being too rough?

Did he hurt him?

Kyungsoo looked dumbfounded at the questions before chuckling sheepishly. “Don’t be silly, Jongin,” he said as he smiled between his tears. “I’m just happy…”

Jongin was so relieved that he blurted out without thinking,

“I love you.”

Kyungsoo’s smile disappeared at that. He gazed at Jongin with an unreadable stare, but perhaps he was just wanted to make sure.

“I love you so much, please don’t leave me…”

“I won’t,” Kyungsoo whispered against Jongin’s lips. “I swear…”

Jongin felt utterly calm in Kyungsoo’s arms. They stayed like that for a long time, until Kyungsoo was the first one to fall into deep slumber. Minutes later, Jongin felt his eyelids became heavy and soon, he followed Kyungsoo into the dreamland.

If only Kyungsoo knew that he was also happy.

No.

Jongin was glorious.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sehun leaned his back against the wall with his hands in his pockets. Beside him, Baekhyun waited patiently until the blond-haired agent started talking.

“You may think that this interrogation is useless…”

“Why is that?”

“Because I was the one who asked for this interrogation.”

“You?” Baekhyun frowned. “It wasn’t your boss or the higher person in chain of work?”

“It was my request before he goes to trial.” Sehun breathed loudly. “I guess…I just want to know what happened between him and Chen, that’s all.”

“I acknowledge that you wanted me to find out why he killed him.”

“Yes.” Sehun took another deep breath. He glanced at his hand before continuing. “You see, Chen... He was our best agent in history. The best Paladin there was. But that was understandable. He had this…power. Something a human isn’t supposed to have.”

“What kind of power?”

“Us mortal Paladins use high-voltage cables to attack Jumpers, because it’s the only way to make them unfocused, so that they won’t be able to jump anywhere else. But Chen…what he had was natural.” Sehun paused. “He had the power of thunder. He controlled it easily.”

Baekhyun’s expression changed and Sehun had a feeling what he was going to say.

“No, I know what you’re thinking, and this is not a mutant movie. After reading the file, you know that these Jumpers exist, and so do people like Chen.”

“You mean…there are others like Agent Chen?”

“If that’s true, then they’re hiding very well. We’ve searched around the world, but it seemed like Chen was the only one. Perhaps…perhaps he was special. Just one in six million.” Sehun pressed his lips together into a thin line. “Anyway, after Chen’s death, I went to his apartment. No reason, I just wanted to. But it was then I found out that for the last few years, he had been hunting down specifically two Jumpers.”

Realization dawned upon Baekhyun. “Let me guess…one of them was Kai.”

A nod. “And the other one was someone named Kris.”

“Kris?”

Sehun nodded once again. “Chen…he wasn’t like that. Hunting certain Jumpers, I mean. He used to think that every Jumper needed to be killed, and none of them were special. So it just got me to think…what happened?”

Sehun turned to Baekhyun with a serious expression.

“What happened so that he only hunted down these two…?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jongin had never felt so peaceful before.

His fear slowly disappeared, and he was able to live a normal life.

Whenever he woke up in the morning, his most loved person was there beside him. And there was nothing Jongin wanted more. Kyungsoo was all he ever needed. Each day, Jongin’s feeling grew deeper and deeper toward the shorter male, and it was a permanent one.

Jongin was deeply in love with Kyungsoo.

Nothing had gone wrong for the past year. And it should stay that way. Jongin was going to live with Kyungsoo for the rest of his life.

But even something horrible could happen to good things.

That day, the tan male was at work when he got a call from Kyungsoo. Jongin felt a bit odd, because it was rare for Kyungsoo to call him at work, unless it was really important. He dismissed the strange feeling as he picked up.

“Hello.”

“Babe,” Kyungsoo said with his sulking tone and Jongin could picture him pouting at the other line. “You didn’t tell me your friend was coming. Luckily I was at home. I was about to step outside, you know?”

A terrible shiver ran down Jongin’s spine. “Wait. My friend?”

“Yeah. He said he’s been looking for you everywhere. He said you disappeared without a trace and he was dead worried for you.”

“Babe, I swear I don’t have any friend. Did you open the door for him? Did he tell you who his name was?”

“Eh? He said his name is Jongdae…”

Jongin’s knees instantly went weak.

“Babe, get out of there!”

“Jong—“

The call ended and Jongin knew something was wrong.

“Kyung—dammit!!”

Distressed, he was about to teleport when he realized some of his co-workers were around. Jongin yanked his apron and jumped right after he got into the storage room. He heard his boss yelling something, but who cared about work, right then, his most important person was all he could think about:

Kyungsoo.

“Kyungsoo!!” Jongin cried the minute he arrived at their apartment. “Babe?? Where are you?”

The room was a mess—obviously, there had been a struggle. He wished for a reply, a scream, anything that indicated Kyungsoo was still alive, but there was nothing.

“Kyungsoo?!”

He hastily headed to their bedroom, but his steps halted upon kicking something behind the couch.

Kyungsoo was lying on the floor.

The view scared Jongin so much that without thinking, he pulled Kyungsoo’s body into his arms and teleported to the hospital.

“Please, help! Help him!”

Some of the nurses looked shocked because Jongin came out of nowhere, but then ran to his side and took Kyungsoo away. The situation became loud when they shouted at each other about Kyungsoo’s condition as they brought him into the emergency room.

“Please save him,” Jongin whispered to no one in particular. “Please, save him…”

The nurses were still shouting but everything buzzed in Jongin’s ears.

Jongin’s hands were trembling badly as he hugged himself. What had he done…? He tried to calm down, but it was impossible. How could he, when the person he cared the most got hurt because of him…?

Who tried to hurt him…?

Jongdae.

Jongin’s fear and sadness were soon replaced by hatred at the thought of the name.

Jongdae was responsible for hurting the people he cared about. First it was Junmyeon. And now, it was Kyungsoo… It was definitely on his hands. But how? How did he find them? Didn’t Jongin stop teleporting since a long time ago? And why? Jongin didn’t do anything about his brother’s death, he did nothing at all. He didn’t want revenge, but what did he get in return?

.

It was unfair.

Jongin’s tears slowly subsided and his hands stopped trembling. He glanced at the emergency unit’s door, praying to God to please save Kyungsoo.

But whatever the result was, Jongin was certain, that he had to kill Jongdae.

It was time to end this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I think…”

“Yes?”

“He’s a cold-blooded killer.”

“What makes you say that?”

“All Paladins have trackers,” Sehun explained. “Sometimes chasing Jumpers can be a real pain in the . They jump to a lot of places and we can follow them through their jump scars, but imagine what to do if we end up in a jungle or a desert instead of a city. So if more than 24 hours we haven’t reported back, it means we’re probably deserted somewhere in the world.”

Baekhyun hummed in understanding.

“That week, Chen hadn’t reported for days. It was typical of him to do that. Sometimes he just enjoyed chasing Jumpers too much that he forgot that he had reports to do. Whenever one of us called him, he would just laugh in our face and said that we worry about him too much.”

Baekhyun commented nothing.

“My colleagues wouldn’t bother checking on him. But that day, it was my turn. His phone was turned off. He could be in a plane for all I know, so I waited for another 24 hours. His phone was still off on the next day, so I deliberately tracked him down.

Turned out, he was in the Arctic.

And according to the GPS, he had been there for two days. It could be nothing, but I was curious. So I traveled halfway around the world, only to find that Kai was there sitting calmly, watching the sharks. Chen’s tracker never moved, and it didn’t take a genius to figure it out.”

“He…” Baekhyun went pale. “…fed Agent Chen to the sharks?”

“Apparently.”

Baekhyun audibly gasped and covered his mouth with his hand. He then threw his gaze back to Jongin, who still looked expressionless as ever inside the jail.

“Feeding people to the sharks isn’t something you normally do,” Sehun continued quietly. “Throw him off a cliff, sure. Drop him from the highest mountain, why not. But sharks… I just couldn’t help but think that it was personal. Perhaps…Chen did something he shouldn’t have. Something that made Kai couldn’t forgive him.”

The two of them wordlessly stared at Jongin.

“Then the question is,” Baekhyun muttered. “What the hell did he do?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jongdae was easy to find.

In fact, it seemed like he made himself standing out in the crowd so that Jongin could find him easily.

The fight was inevitable, but it was expected.

Jongin grabbed Jongdae’s collar and he teleported into somewhere in Madagascar so that no one would bother him. He screamed in pain when Jongdae sent a wave of sparkling electricity to his direction, but Jongin didn’t give up that easily to the pain.

He was much, much stronger now.

“Why are you doing this?” Jongin seethed scathingly as he punched Jongdae as hard as he could, despite the fact that his ears were buzzing. “Answer me, you bastard!!”

“Why?” Jongdae snapped back as he spat blood to the ground. “Why, you asked?? I am a devoted Paladin, you idiot Jumper!"

"That doesn't mean you have the right—"

A Jumper had killed my family and ever since then, I have sworn that I would kill all Jumpers! Paladins are my family, they’re the only ones I trust with my life! So you have no idea when I found out that the senior I adore the most had a Jumper as a brother and he had been protecting him!!”

Jongin gaped disbelievingly.

“Junmyeon-hyung…was a Paladin?”

“Oh crap. You have no idea, haven’t you?” Jongdae snorted mockingly. “Now let me tell you: Your mother, too. They left your family in order to fully devote their lives to become Paladin.”

“That’s…that’s absurd!” Jongin said defensively. “My mother left because she didn’t love my father anymore!”

“Oh God, that’s what every parent says to their children about divorce, how can you be so stupid?? You can believe what you want, but that’s the truth.”

Jongin became speechless. It made sense. It was too much to take right then, but with all that happened, it was possible that it was really the truth. And to think that he found out from the guy who killed his brother...

“ So now you know,” Jongdae said darkly. “I couldn’t forgive your brother even if I wanted to.”

 “…you…killed my brother only because of that?”

Jongdae looked away and for the first time, Jongin witnessed regret within his eyes. “I never meant to kill Junmyeon. But he was in the way when I attacked you, so he deserved it.”

Jongin slowly curled his fingers into a fist, his anger was starting to come back. “My brother only wanted to protect me. But is that what you think when you attacked Kyungsoo? That he deserved it…?”

“Come on, do you seriously think people like you deserve to live a normal life? You are a freak! An abomination!! Death is what you deserved and you all should go to hell!!”

Jongdae’s words felt like a hard slap on Jongin’s cheek.

“Your boyfriend is so stupid, wanting to live a life with you. I hate stupid people like him, but now that we have this conversation, I hate your brother even more. Do you know what I hate about your brother the most? It’s the fact that he, a Paladin, protected his Jumper brother, and then got romantically involved with that Chinese Jumper. It’s a tragic love story, and also a disgusting one.”

Jongin’s eyes widened. His brother had a lover…?

“A Paladin that breaks an important rule…”

Jongdae looked very determined when he said,

“Junmyeon deserved to die.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another hour passed by and their time was almost up.

Truthfully, Baekhyun needed more time, but it would be just a big waste of time if Jongin decided that he would never speak. What Jongdae did to him remain a mystery as long as Jongin kept his mouth shut. So he decided to just make a statement based on what he felt about the Jumper, and not based on the files the government gave him.

“Hello, Kai,” Baekhyun said, confidently this time. “Our time is almost up.”

Jongin stayed still.

“If you ask me, it was fun having a wordless conversation with you, but if I’m allowed to speak out my thoughts… I think you’re innocent.”

Sehun listened closely behind Baekhyun.

“This file…” Baekhyun patted the folder on his lap. “…says that you’re an abomination. That they have the right to eliminate people like you, who have the ability to teleport anywhere you like. That only God can be at several places at a time.”

Jongin merely batted his eyelashes.

“But then tell me, what does that make Agent Chen? He can controls thunder, and no one thinks he’s a freak?”

That caught Jongin’s attention. The Jumper lifted up his chin to look at Baekhyun, and Baekhyun held his breath for a second when their gazes locked.

And there were emotions within Jongin’s black orbs.

Agony.

It was so painful that Baekhyun’s heart throbbed like someone had stabbed an invisible knife into his chest.

“Enough.”

“You…” Baekhyun’s voice cracked, suddenly understanding everything with just a single expression. “You just wanted…revenge, didn’t you?”

“Our time’s up, Mr. Baekhyun,” Sehun said. “We have to go.”

“Agent Chen…he did something that made you really angry, right?” Baekhyun continued with a shaky voice. “Say something, Kai! It was a self defense—that was why you killed him! That he made you do it!”

“I said enough,” Sehun warned Baekhyun sternly. “We’ve given him the chance to speak and he didn’t use it wisely. There’s nothing more we can do. Your interrogation is over, Mr. Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun opened his mouth to argue, but then he realized Sehun was right. He forced himself to nod, despite the fact that his heart felt heavy.

Baekhyun inadequately gathered his things and he cast one last glance at Jongin’s jail. He felt unfair to leave Jongin now that he understood, but he had to. He watched Jongin squirming in visible pain when he was being electrocuted again. A tear almost fell down his cheek, but he bit his lower lip very hard to prevent it. Baekhyun turned around and he was about to follow Sehun to the door when Jongin said,

“Hey, doe-eyed boy.”

Both Sehun and Baekhyun froze in their tracks at the sound of Jongin’s voice. Baekhyun looked over his shoulder so fast, he almost cracked his neck.

“You’re really beautiful,” Jongin said softly and there was sincerity underneath his tone. “Can I…see you again?”

Baekhyun ignored the fact that Sehun was actually rolling his eyes beside him and nodded shyly without thinking. “Of—of course…”

Jongin’s lips twitched into a small, relieved smile and Baekhyun felt a terrible pang in his chest.

“How about…at seven?”

It morphed into a sad smile. “Seven is fine. But if I cannot make it, I’m sorry.”

Baekhyun felt like crying at the response.

“No. You’ll get there, I’m sure…”

With that, Baekhyun went to exit the room with Sehun following closely behind him. He took one last look at Jongin before stepping outside for certain.

The door closed with a soft thud, as if it understood the melancholy situation.

See you, Jongin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jongin sat by himself in silence. He had no idea why he chose Arctic of all places... Jongin flinched slightly when Jongdae's painful scream was heard, as he was being devoured by the sharks. But the funny thing was he felt nothing but relieved. If Jongdae said Junmyeon's death was worth it, then so did his with the sharks.


The tan male glanced up at the sky. How long had it been...? He should go back to Kyungsoo.


Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of someone from the corner of his eye and Jongin directed his gaze to the person. A blond-haired male was walking towards him, but Jongin had a feeling he meant no harm.


Sehun followed Jongin’s gaze at the pool of sharks. “Is that Chen?”


Jongin didn’t answer.

“Don’t say anything. Just stay quiet until it’s time.”

Jongin frowned at him, which Sehun replied by shrugging.

“He’ll take care of everything.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sehun walked Baekhyun to his car.

Neither of them said a word ever since they stepped out of the room. Both were drowned in their own thoughts, but nobody seemed to be in the mood to share. It was Baekhyun who fractured the silence first.

“So…this is me,” Baekhyun pointed at his car.

Sehun nodded. “Will you be alright by yourself?”

“I will,” Baekhyun smiled. “Thank you for your concern…”

“All right.”

“You’re not going to kill me, right?”

Sehun choke on nothing.

“Because honestly, I feel like I’ve done nothing…”

It took Sehun a while to calm down and he shook his head. “Believe me, you’ve done very well. At least I think I know you did.”

“But Chen was your best agent. And finding someone with the same power would be really hard…”

“It’s probably for the best.” Sehun absently wiped his palms on his shirt. “You are right, you know? We talk about how Jumpers aren’t supposed to live because only God has the right to jump anywhere, but…what does it say about Chen, then?”

Baekhyun tilted his head to a side. “What are you going to do…?” Baekhyun earned a shrug in return, and he watched Sehun as the blond-haired male stared off into the distance.

“Probably quit. I need a long vacation, anyway.”

“I’ll be waiting for a postcard, then,” Baekhyun chuckled as he got into the car. He started the engine and drove away after waving goodbye to Sehun. “Thank you. And goodbye, Mr. Sehun.”

“Goodbye.”

Sehun waited until the car went out of his sight. He stretched his hands up as he looked at his surrounding with no interest. It was going to be dark soon, so everyone else seemed to have gone home. The parking lot was almost empty.

“Who was that? Your new boyfriend?”

Sehun rolled his eyes before turning around to face his colleague. He knew who it was without even have to look. “Are you jealous, Chanyeol? Is he your type? Do you want his number?”

“Nah, I prefer the ones with eyeliner,” Chanyeol grinned unabashedly. “But seriously, who was he, Sehun?”

“Byun Baekhyun.” Sehun made an annoyed face. “And we were just discussing unimportant things. You don’t need to know anything about it.”

“Whoa, wait!” Chanyeol grabbed Sehun’s shoulder abruptly and gave the latter a very curious look. “Wait a minute. Did you just say Byun Baekhyun?”

“I did.”

“But…that’s not Byun Baekhyun.”

Sehun stopped walking as he turned to the taller male. Chanyeol seemed to be panicked and he explained something, but all Sehun could hear was buzzing sounds. He merely waved a hand dismissively as a sign that he didn’t care, earning a louder protest from Chanyeol.

“You’re talking senselessly. Come on, it’s getting cold out here.”

“B-but—“

Sehun walked back to the building with a small smile across his face and glanced at his wristwatch. It was nearly seven o’clock.

I know, Chanyeol.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

End.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jongin teleported into a restroom and he almost slammed his face against the stall in process. Fortunately, no one was there to witness it. The tan male weakly leaned against the cold wall, trying to calm his erratic heartbeat. Everything seemed to be spinning around him. He had been electrocuted for days, and he could only hope it wouldn’t do much damage to his brain.

After gaining his balance back and a bit of strength, Jongin dashed out of the restroom. Jongin wobbled slightly and bumped into several people on his way out, but he made it outside. The night breeze greeted his face, as if it granted the freedom he had been waiting for.

“Babe?"

Kyungsoo.

"Babe, is that really you?”

Jongin breathed in relief at the mention of his name. He immediately turned to the source of the voice, and he almost broke down and cry at the sight of his boyfriend. “Hi, Kyungsoo.”

“Babe, you’re safe—”

Jongin ouch-ed when Kyungsoo lunged forward to him with the latter instantly burying his face against his chest. Jongin immediately felt warmth flooding his soul as he wrapped his arms around the smaller male’s figure. It was obvious Kyungsoo was crying when Jongin felt something wet on his shirt.

“Don’t cry, please… I’m here,” Jongin whispered. “Oh my God…you’re alive, Kyungsoo. You’re really alive…”

“I’m okay,” Kyungsoo sobbed. “I’m okay…”

Jongin pulled away momentarily to get a good look at his lover. Nothing seemed wrong, except for the tears that kept on running down Kyungsoo’s face.

“But you…how?” Jongin carefully wiped the tears on Kyungsoo’s face with his thumb. “I mean, how did you…”

“Someone named Yifan came by to the hospital and he said he could help me get you back,” Kyungsoo let out a heavy sigh. “To be honest, I didn’t understand at all…but he said I should just come to this Baekhyun’s apartment and read the folder…and improvise. And then he said someone will help me play along.”

“Improvise…?”

“I don’t know anything more than that, I swear. I almost broke down when I saw you in that condition. What do they think you are, a dog? Chained to the wall…with all that electrocution… I almost couldn’t take it. They were treating you so badly…”

“I’m alright.”

“Jongin…how did you get out?”

Jongin’s mind went back to Sehun. The blond-haired agent came back a few seconds before seven o’clock, telling him something and that he only had ten seconds to jump somewhere safe. It was too sudden that when Sehun screamed it was time, Jongin teleported to the place he could think about: the bar where Kyungsoo worked. It seemed like he made the right choice, because Kyungsoo was there.

Jongin recalled the words Sehun told him before he teleported and decided to keep it to himself.

“I…I didn’t know,” Jongin lied. “All of a sudden, the lights went out and I just…jumped here.”

“Oh. Well, it doesn’t matter how…you’re safe now,” Kyungsoo rested his forehead against Jongin’s chest. “You need to rest. We should go somewhere safe…” The doe-eyed male offered his hand to Jongin, but the latter hesitated and bit his lower lip thoughtfully. “Jongin?”

“You know about my power now,” Jongin said quietly. “Are you going to hate me…?”

The way Kyungsoo smiled at him made all of his doubts vanished to heaven-knew-where. It was very calming that Jongin felt like he could trust his life to this person.

And to this person only.

“You’re a kind person,” Kyungsoo stated sternly. “That’s all I need to know…”

Jongin slowly broke into a smile and he took Kyungsoo’s hand in his.

“Where do you want to go?”

Kyungsoo’s grip on Jongin’s fingers tightened.

“Surprise me, babe…”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What Sehun said before Jongin teleported was,

“I’m that Chinese Jumper’s brother.”