Hunt The Prey
Love? Hate? Death.
Changmin POV
I waved one final time to the three of them, seeing them head towards their car, before turning around and heading towards Heechul hyung's office. I entered without knocking and was unsurprised to see him on the phone, talking in rapid succession as he prattled on something about a ruptured stomach wall. I didn't really concentrate. And besides, didn't you have to eat like, three whole days worth of food to get that kind of thing? I was a big eater, but obviously three days worth of food would be too much even for me to take.
Greedy pig.
I sat myself on the floor, my back leaning against Hyung's office desk and plugged in my earpiece before taking out one of my textbooks to read. Heechul Hyung started twirling with a lock of my hair distractedly as his phone conversation continued. I don't know what was up with him, but Heechul Hyung was weird like that.
Doctors.
A twelve songs later (I wasn't really counting the minutes), Heechul Hyung's phone call finally ended. How did I know?
'Yah!' I felt one of my earpieces being rudely plugged out.
Yeah that's how.
'Ne?' I answered, looking up at him.
'Had your pills, yet?'
'Ne. One of the attending nurses gave them to me,' I lied bluntly.
I was rewarded with an almighty smack to my head.
'Shim Changmin.'
'No I haven't...'
Heechul broke out in a -- might I say creepy? -- grin, before he got up and walked to the medicine cabinet.
'I love how I can always tell when you're lying.'
'I love how I can always tell when you're flirting with my dad,' I answered straight up.
'WHAT DID YOU SAY?!'
'Nothing, hyung.' Heheh no use playing with fire without first aide.
Hyung came back and sat on the floor beside me, handing me several pills of assorted colours and sizes. I mentally counted them. Eight pills. Three lesser than last time. Which was a good thing I guess.
Popping them in my mouth one by one, I swallowed each dry, before taking the cup of water offered by Hyung.
Once done, I had to go through another check up by a specialist. I had no idea why, but supposedly because I always avoided taking my pills, my health kept deteriorating and so I had to go for constant check ups.
Do not yell at me. I just don't like popping random stuff in my system.
My check up ended around three and through several amount of begging, I was finally allowed to go home.
'Hyung, I'm going,' I announced as I stood at the doorway, peering in to see Hyung on his computer typing in rapid succession.
'Annyeong,' he answered without even looking up.
'Ne...' I mumbled back.
Now. The only problem was that I left my guards at the mall. Who was going to pick me up now?
************
In the end, I took to calling my driver from home. I don't have a license, you see. Siwon appa apparently doesn't allow me to drive. He somehow likes the idea of having others drive me around so he knows where I am.
It's irritating at times, but I guess that's what you have to deal with when you're the adoptive son of the Korean Minister of Health.
Soon the driver came and took me home. I apologized to him for making him come all the way, but he kept laughing it off and said it was just his job.
I briefed him through about my day on the way home, chatting animatedly about the day's events, making him howl with laughter on my exaggerated fairytale of a day. He was still laughing by the time we were waved through the gates of my house and at the main doors, where he had to stop in order to drop me off.
He said goodbye as I slipped out and he drove off. I was smiling as I watched him drive away, but the smile pretty much dropped off my face the moment I turned around and saw my guards, who had apparently been waiting outside my house for me to return since....well, since I had ran away with the trio yesterday.
Oh Lord... That was yesterday, huh?
'Heheh,' I squeaked when I saw their crossed arms and menacing glares aimed straight at me. I gave them my prettiest eye smile and meekly lifted my right hand, keeping it close to my chest. 'Hi.'
I bolted.
*************
Man, I didn't even get to run halfway across the lawn (we have a huge lawn, mind you), before I felt an arm -- a very big, very beefy arm -- grab my waist and hoist me up onto a shoulder.
'Yah! Put me down!' I shrieked, my legs flailing wildly in the air.
I heard the bodyguard hyungs chuckle, apparently amused.
'Shim Changmin, you've made us wait outside the door for you all day and that's all you have to say? Where are your manners?'
'Eric Hyung, if you don't put me down this instance I will burn your ing house down!'
As a response, Eric Hyung let go of his hold on me, making me tumble to the grass floor. Just before I hit the ground, I felt another pair of arms catch me and hold me to their chest. I immediately knew who it was and wrapped my arms around said person's neck.
'Jun Jin Hyung, Eric Hyung was ing trying to kill meh!!'
Jun Jin Hyung only chuckled while Eric Hyung put his hands up in a dramatic shrug only a person as ghetto as he is can achieve.
'You told me to put you down. So I did.'
'Not. In. The. Literal. Sense. Idiot.'
Andy Hyung, usually the silent one, broke out in a soft laugh while Minwoo Hyung came and pinched me painfully on the cheeks.
'Yah. Watch your mouth, Changmin ah. Nothing spoils language more than vulgarities. And you realize how long all of us had been waiting for you? You had us really worried, you know that? You should know what to say.'
I frowned and pulled out of his muscle pulling hold before looking at each of them in the eye and apologizing.
'I'm sorry for making you all worry over me. I'll call next time. Or inform you beforehand. Whichever works.'
Hyesung Hyung chuckled before answering with his barely audible voice. 'It's alright, Changmin shi. It is our duty as bodyguards to constantly watch over you.'
I grinned at his answer, before looking up at Jun Jin Hyung.
'Now, Royal Steed. Onwards, to home!' I exclaimed, pointing my arm up to the sky dramatically.
Jae Jin rolled his eyes at my antics but started walking anyways.
Heheh. Nice, having bodyguards.
We walked -- or rather, they did -- to the house, making a grand entrance as they announced my arrival. Well, it wasn't really grand, but considering that you're twenty one years old in a thirty three year old's arms surrounded by his buff friends in a house with constant activity, that was quite grand.
Jun Jin took me to my bedroom and dumped me unceremoniously on the bed while Hyesung Hyung patted me down for any... God knows what. This was my house and my room of course I was allowed to bring anything I wanted inside. After emptying my pockets, Andy Hyung went through my phone and deleted any pictures and messages that could be used to identify the owner (me, obviously) while Eric Hyung did a standard body check up on me. In all honesty it was quite irritating but this was the routine I was used to so no questions were really asked.
Once satisfied, I was ordered to take a bath (I knew they used that as an excuse to strip search -- those erts) while Minwoo Hyung assembled together an outfit for me. I was lucky Minwoo Hyung had a very decent sense of style. If this were the real cops, I would've been dressed in a sack of potatoes.
It took a while before I was successful in kicking them out of the room, but once I did, privacy was pure bliss. I flopped down on my bed, wiped out.
I was just about to fall asleep when I heard my door being opened fractionally.
A quiet, timid voice greeted me, making me smile even in my tired state.
'Onii-chan?'
I opened both eyes to see my adoptive little brother peering into my room, only his head visible as the rest of his body hid behind the door.
'Hey,' I answered, not even bothering to get up.
He broke out in a grin and bounded towards me, smoothly hopping onto my bed and lying on his front perpendicular to how I was lying.
'Onii chan! Where'd you go?'
'Eh. I was out and about. Where you from?'
'Nowhere. I was at home the whole day today.'
I frowned. 'Not bored?'
Karam frowned in return. 'Board? How can I be a board? I am human, Onii chan.'
I laughed at his silliness. 'No. Bored. As in nothing to do.'
Karam's eyes lit up as he understood. 'Oh! No. I just woked up.'
'Woke. No 'D' in woke, Karammie.'
Karam nodded. 'Yes. And yesterday I was also asleep the whole day. Then at night I watched some horror movies and fell asleep, but I woke up in bed! Ridicule!'
I bunched my brows together in confusion before it hit me.
'Oh, you meant miracle! Not ridicule, Karammie. Miracle.'
Karam's mouth formed a little o, before he rested his chin on his folded hands placed on the bed. 'Korean is hard, Onii chan.'
I smiled as I ruffled his hair slightly. 'You'll get used to it.'
Karam's lips formed a little smile, before he moved to peck me on the lips. 'Arigatou gozaimas, Onii chan.'
Before he could move away, I cupped his face in my hands and moved myself closer to kiss him deeply, my tongue running smoothly along his lips before gaining access into his mouth. I heard Karam whine slightly, then sigh and break into a smile as he played along with me. I was just going to play around some more, when the both of us heard a familiar voice yelling 'I'm home!' from downstairs.
As quick as a flash, the kiss ended and Karam was gone, having gone to run downstairs. I couldn't help but laugh to myself at his speed, before I got up myself.
Yeah, Karam and I were brothers, but not in a literal sense. He was adopted two years after I was, taken from a monastery in Japan that had been recently discovered to be abusing its orphan children. Karam had been abused for basically most of his life, so he was by nature quiet and submissive. He barely talked in the first few.months, but he got better with time. And yes, in case you were wondering, I love Karam more than a brother but I'm not really sure if I do as a lover as well. Basically, its pretty complicated. The same way Heechul Hyung uses medicine to heal people, I use love to do the same. Kinda cliche? Well I'll have you know that my first ever test subject (Karam) was a major success, thank you very much.
I rolled of the bed and made way to the stairwell, leaning over it to look at the front door, now completely ajar with Karam hugging the person who had only just entered.
Said person looked up at me and broke out in a grin waving at me.
'Annyeong,' I greeted, 'Appa.'
************
'Did you get me anything?' I asked as Karam and I rolled around on Appa's bed.
Appa was busy unpacking, loads of his stuff being strewn around in his room. I knew he had only just arrived home from China and was probably suffering from some sort of jetlag, but I didn't really care. He had been gone for nearly three weeks! Of course I had missed him.
Looking over his shoulder, Appa grinned at me.
'Of course I did,' he answered before rummaging in his bag once again. I propped myself up on my elbows as I stared at his back, patiently awaiting his present.
Something hit the side of my head and I turned to look, only to see Karam's foot in my face. The said boy was looking bored, his head and arms hanging off the side of the bed, looking at me with his huge puppy dog eyes.
'Yah,' I growled, pushing his foot away, 'Karam...'
Karam looked up at me to give me a pout.
'Haaaaaiiiiii...?' he asked, intentionally pulling the word to be unnecessarily long.
Before long, Appa came towards Karam and I, holding his hands behind his back. I almost rolled my eyes at how weird he looked, but I bit my tongue.
"I have a surprise for you~!!" he sang-songed.
"Whatisitwhatisitwhatisit?" Karam started babbling in Japanese.
His native tongue seems to slip out whenever he gets too excited. It's lucky that Appa and I speak it quiet fluently.
"Aja!" Appa proclaimed excitedly, handing us two small packages about the size of an A4 sized paper, with a height of about a five inches.
"What is it?" I asked, taking the package from him.
Karam was already ripping his open, and a squeal of delight could soon be heard from him. I turned to see what Appa had gotten him.
It was a scroll, decorated with Karam's name, written in Chinese calligraphy. I had to admit, it was beautiful. I was never an artistic person, so when I said it was pretty, I meant it.
Karam unravelled the scroll and stared at the artwork for a while. I knew full well that he couldn't read the Hanja, but rather was fascinated by the brushstrokes, and the pictured the artist had cleverly drawn along the edges. Karam almost sacredly ran his hand over the ink, truly awed by the work.
I knew he was going to be preoccupied for a few minutes, so I opened mine.
What I saw made me drop my mouth in awe.
"You got me..." I couldn't even continue my sentence.
I reverently took my present out and held it in my hands.
It was the infamous Little Red Book of China.
The original book.
It must have cost an extreme fortune.
"Appa... Gomawo!" I held the book to my chest almost lovingly. This book must have been so rare to find.
Don't get me wrong, I am not captivated by the idea of communism, nor am I a fanboy of Chairman Mao. I just like studying about History and understanding the minds of great people. I mean, I really, really like studying the minds of great people.
Appa gave a grin, knowing he had achieved his goal of making us happy.
Yoochun POV
By the time the meeting was over, it was already night time. Yunho, Jaejoong and I exited together, with our youngest on the verge of falling asleep as he continuously rubbed at his eyes and yawned.
Yunho held on to his hand as we walked, steadfastly ignoring Junsu, who was walking behind us. I knew this was going to be the start of a beautiful friendship between the two of them.
Jaejoong peered over at Junsu after some time, who was still a small distance away from us.
"Hey," Jaejoong called in his sleepy state, "Junsu hyung! Faster, or we're gonna leave you behind! Palli ka!" Jaejoong made a hand gesture towards him, asking him to move faster. "Palli!"
Yunho and I looked behind us to Junsu, who was coldly staring back at us. His gaze was level with us, almost as if he held no fear.
The four of us were among the best Outposts Nine had ever produced and I could almost sense the competition between Yunho and Junsu growing.
"Junsu hyung!" Jaejoong called with exasperation, "Palli!"
Junsu seemed to blink in confusion, as his cold eyes fell upon our youngest, who was looking as if he might just fall asleep right then and there.
"You guys go ahead. I have somewhere to go."
I blinked at the sound of Junsu's voice.
It was the first sentence I had ever heard him say. His voice... It was not what I expected. Soft, melodious yet sharp and cold.
"Arasso!" Jaejoong replied, rubbing his eyes once more, "Jae Jae is gonna head off to bed now. Yunnie," Jaejoong lifted his arms up, "Carry me?"
Junsu seemed to observe us for a while, before he headed to wherever it was he was going.
"I have a feeling there's gonna be some friction between the three of us," I said nonchalantly.
Yunho nodded, an asleep Jaejoong already in his arms.
"We shouldn't let our personal feelings get in the way of the mission. We're professionals, and are henceforth expected to act as such."
I nodded my understanding.
"Still, I pity Junsu somewhat."
Yunho turned to look at me, eyes questioning.
"He doesn't really have anyone, does he?"
"What do you mean?"
"He doesn't have what we have."
"And what do we have?"
"Each other."
A ghost of a smile appeared on Yunho's lips and my heart leapt.
"Your childish thinking will get you nowhere, do you know?"
I laughed a little at the statement.
"Yeah, I know."
"I hope you don't lose it, that childish thinking of yours."
My smile had dropped in shock. Did Yunho just...?
"Thanks," I said, collecting myself before I became an idiot and lost the moment between us.
The three of us exited the building, heading to our respective vehicles.
"Yoochun."
I turned around.
"Do you want to... sleep over at my place?"
I grinned, leaping at the opportunity.
"Yeah!"
"Good. You can drive."
"..."
******************
We reached Yunho's crib half an hour later, and I immediately crashed on the sofa the moment I entered his house.
"You do realize there are four guest rooms for you to choose from?" came Yunho's voice from behind me.
"I know. I just like the feeling of crashing on soft material. Can you lend me your iPad? I want to do some blueprints in preperation for our mission."
Yunho shook his head.
"You are to go to sleep immediately. Energy is needed for the days ahead of us."
I frowned but nodded, and proceeded to get myself off the couch and climb up the stairs to the nearest room available, crashing once more on the bed and without even realising, fell asleep.
Yunho POV
I peered into Yoochun's room from the doorway, seeing Yoochun already asleep. Stepping inside, I proceeded to cover him with the duvet. Winter was pretty cold around this area.
Making sure he was comfortable, I slipped out as soon as I finished, and made my way to my room. Grabbing my iPad, I began making the necessary plans and arrangements for the night ahead.
Tonight was the night.
The night where I would kill Jung Ji Soon and his wife.
Jaejoong POV
I was asleep in my Neverland, dreaming off pink flying unicorns with chainsaws as horns and angels that had wings made of knives that were used to kill demons made of cotton candy. I was riding the biggest unicorn of all, and it was eating of the dead body of Donghae. Beside me, Yunnie, who had pink hair, smiled. I lke when Yunnie smiled.
He rarely ever did.
"Jaejoong, shall we kill some more?"
I was about to answer when I heard someone call my name. Immediately, I felt myself falling from the dream into reality.
"Noo~!" I whined, "Horsie..."
"Jaejoong. Want to play a game?"
Immediately, I opened my eyes, blinking away the evil demons in my vision to see Yunnie sitting beside me, staring down at me with excited eyes.
"What game?"
"Hunt The Prey."
I quickly sat up.
"Ooh! Yes, yes, please!"
"Come on then. Get dressed."
I slipped off the bed, jumping with excitement. Wee~ It has been some time since Yunho and I played Hunt The Prey. We used to play it every fortnight, but my urges to kill got out of control too easily and we had to stop soon after. It was a pity Chunnie hyung never plays with us.
Yunnie says it's because Chunnie Hyung doesn't like playing games, he'd rather spend the time reading a book or practicing his shot. Honestly, Chunnie Hyung has no idea of what he's missing out on!
I followed Yunnie to his room where he handed me our full black outfits. Black jeans, black sweater, black beanie, black backpack.
"What do you want to use this time, Jaejoong?"
I tapped a finger on my lower lip, deep in thought.
"Oh, oh, oh, oh!! Let's use the dagger today."
"Which dagger?"
"The big one! The one that has serrated edges!"
Yunnie walked over to his armoury and stared at his weapons for some time, before he found the one I wanted.
"Here," he suddenly said. "Catch."
Yunnie has an exceptionally high throw. Not that I'm complaining, but I'm barely shoulder height to him! I leapt up in the air and caught the dagger by the blade, landing nimbly on the balls of my feet.
"Nice catch," Yunnie complemented.
"Yunnie~" I whined, stomping my foot, "You weren't even looking!"
Yunnie peered from behind the armory.
"I don't need to look to know how good you are," he answered.
I smiled at the compliment.
"Jae Jae. Is. Awesome!" I agreed, brandishing the blade about, flipping it between my fingers and throwing it in the air and catching it.
Yunnie came back from the armory holding a dagger of his own, equal size, type and length to mine, only his had a white ribbon tied around the hilt instead of mine, that was canary.
"Alright!" I said, clinking my blade against Yunnie's, "Who's our prey?"
With his iPad, Yunho showed me the details. I read through all of it quickly enough, storing it in my head for further use.
"Urgh," I grimaced, "Jae Jae doesn't think he'll enjoy killing this one, Yunnie."
"Why not?"
"Because," I explained, tapping the screen of the iPad with the tip of my blade. "His sins are gonna corrupt Jae Jae's pure blade."
"I'll buy you another one later."
"Yay!" I cheered, hugging Yunnie around his waist, "Yunnie. Is. Awesome!!"
"Alright then," Yunho said as he patted my head, "The game is about to start."
I quickly let go of him and stood facing him, showing my watch to him.
"Synchronized?"
Yunnie nodded.
"Are you ready?"
I nodded excitedly, practically bursting with energy.
We stared at our own watches, watching the second hand tick, tick, tick closer and closer to the number twelve. My legs coiled themselves in anticipation.
Three. Two. One.
"Go," the two of us whispered.
And we were off, Yunho leaping out his bedroom window, me following closely behind him. Yunho landed on a tree branch swiftly and softly, while I made a grander exit by landing feet first on the soft grass below. I looked up to Yunho as I landed, Yunho doing the same to me.
The two of us started running in different directions, with the same destination in mind.
The race was on.
Yunho POV
I leapt down from the tree brach, impressed that Jaejoong had made a perfect landing from his jump that was nearly five meters high. Jaejoong looked at me from where he was, an evil glint of excitement shining brightly in his eyes before he took off running. I ran in the opposite direction, hoping to catch up with him halfway.
I may be taller and faster, but Jaejoong was young and nimble. His energy would last a much longer time than compared to mine.
Running down the field into the garage I had hidden a small distance away from the house, I was surprised to see Jaejoong on my motorcycle, driving away into the night.
"Bye-bye, Yunnie!" he waved at me in a small tease.
I couldn't help but be worried. He had only just turned sixteen. What if he happened to meet with an accident?
I cursed myself for not placing a more secure lock on the vehicles, before I leapt into my Ferrari and gunned the engine, speeding off into the night, right behind Jaejoong.
Traveling through highways in the sportscar was easy and I soon caught up to Jaejoong, right beside me on the motorcycle.
Winding down my window, I turned to look at him. Jaejoong lifted his helmet visor up just enough for me to see him wink at me, before he gunned the accelerator and zoomed off, slipping through traffic like a mouse.
Challenge accepted.
Catching up with a motorbike on a car was some feat, but it turned out to be possible, as I saw Jaejoong turn into a neighbourhood area, before he disappeared once again. This time, I knew what o expect, so I parked my car a distance away from where I knew Jaejoong would park the motorcycle, and I started running full speed ahead.
It was twenty minutes of full running before I came across the seven foot high fence that signalled the start of a private residential area. Using the momentum I had gained from the past twenty minutes, I pushed myself on, and did a great leap, landing about six feet off the ground, my fingers looped through the fence to support my weight. From there I started climbing, slipping through the barbed wire on the top with relative ease. I landed silently and this time, did not start running.
This was an area filled with a lot of people, and a lot of cameras. Security would be present, although I wouldn't expect it to be so tight. Padding along silently, I kept to the shadows, avoiding any well-lit areas, and kept my eyes open for cameras. I was soon at the back of the building. I heard soft clanging from above me and looked up.
To see Jaejoong grinning at me through the air vent.
I was impressed. I was a full grown adult, so I would never be able to go up there without generating too much noise. But Jaejoong had youth and his weight on his side. He would have absolutely no problem sneaking through them.
I scanned the premises, looking for anything I could use to my advantage. Then I saw it.
Pipes, that lined the walls, next to a stack of windows that signalled the homes of the residents living in the apartment. I looked behind me. Wide, empty space. No one would notice.
I started climbing.
On the twelfth window I climbed by, I stopped. According to the address, this would be where Jung Ji Soon would reside.
Collecting my energy, I made a leap towards the ledge. As luck would have it, winter snow had made the cement slippery and I miscalculated. But I was able to catch myself from falling.
Now, I was dangling twelve floors from the ground, with only one hand as a support.
I grunted. I'd been through worse.
I started swinging back and forth, finding momentum for me to leap straight into the open window. At the count of three, I let go.
And landed perfectly in the kitchen.
I stood up, and heard the sound of a scuffle, before I sighed.
Jaejoong had arrived before I did.
Making my way out of the kitchen, I entered the living room, just in time to see Jaejoong slash through the throat of the female victim, who I presumed to be Mrs Jung. Her jugular vein burst open, making blood splatter all over the room and Jaejoong.
Jaejoong looked up at the feel of my presence and smiled.
"You're late, Yunnie," he smiled, blood dripping down his face, "I win."
I came towards him and pecked him on the lips, feeling the taste of foreign blood in my mouth.
"Good job," I congratulated. "Did you kill them both already?"
"Jaejoong shook his head.
"No, I think that one is still alive, but barely."
I looked to where Jaejoong had pointed with his blade and saw Jung Ji Soon, bleeding by as many stab wounds as I cared to count. I came closer to him, kneeling in front of his face.
"You didn't cut through deep enough, Jaejoong," I explained, pointing to his neck. "See? You cut through the jugular but not through the windpipe. He will probably bleed to death, which might take a longer time than usual."
As I said this, I couldn't help but stare at his face. There were similarities between our features that made me want to ask whether we were related.
But somehow I didn't really want to know.
"Oh," said Jaejoong, "Should I kill him now?"
"Let me."
I had been waiting for this. Waiting for the time that I could take my revenge on behalf of Changmin. For all the hurt he had cause such a happy and jovial person. He deserved to die.
I came closer to Jung Ji Soon, staring at him as he stared right back, his eyes full of terror, fear and despair. Tears gathered around his eyes as he tried to get away from me.
There was nowhere to go.
I stabbed my dagger deep into his throat, cutting through windpipe, artery and spine, before I twisted the knife and pulled it out as ferociously as I could. Jung Ji Soon made a gurgling noise as he took his last breath, before he collapsed in a heap.
Unlike Jaejoong, blood did not come out in a splatter that covered me from head to toe. Blood only leaked from the wound, since he had already lost so much blood in the first place.
"Come on," I said, "Let's get out of here."
Jaejoong turned to follow me out the window, when he suddenly backtracked.
"Oh, wait a minute, Yunnie! I forgot the ribbon!"
Jaejoong ran back into the living room, where he unwinded his ribbon from his dagger hilt and wrapped it gingerly around Jung Ji Soon's wrist.
A sign that the prey had been caught, and the game had been won.
Jaejoong ran back to me, dripping with blood, as I held out my hand. He was quick to grab it as the two of us made our way back home.
The game was over, and now it was time to rest.
Changmin POV
I was cooped up in my room, sprawled on my bed as I read the Little Red Book while Karam was sprawled on the floor with a paint brush and a few bottles of ink, trying to copy the calligraphy on the scroll, when there was a knock on the door.
"Hai~" Karam answered, knowing I would be too absorbed in the book to bother.
The two of us looked up at the sound of the door opening and saw Appa entering, holding his Galaxy Tab.
"Hey Min-ah, my friend told me to show you this report he saw on TV the other day. I think it might interest you."
I scooted over as Appa came to sit beside me on the bed. Karam joined us soon, out of mere curiousity.
Appa clicked on a video he had saved and pressed play.
A reporter soon came into view, reading out a scripted piece of news.
'A horrific find was made today in the residential area of Seoul. Jung Ji Soon, as well as wife, Jung Jeo Hyun were found dead in their apartment building, after their neighbour's cat had snuck in to their home, only to exit with blood sticking to its fur. Both were in their fifties and believed to be unarmed when the murder happened. Nothing was stolen or missing from the crime scene, and police are classifying this as an act of revenge and are imploring any eyewitnesses to assist them in the investigation by calling their helpline."
Two pictures appeared on screen, both of the victims' faces taken in passport style photos, as well as the hotline for eyewitnesses to call.
"The Jungs were found to be tortured before their deaths, with Mr Jung having twenty-seven stab wounds along his body, his stomach gutted and his groin cut off, before he was killed with a slash along his throat. His wife suffered an equally horrific fate when her eyes were gouged out and twelve stab wounds were found along her body, as well as a slash to similar to that of her husband's. The only clue that seems available is a piece of yellow ribbon wrapped around Jung Ji Soon's wrist."
The video ended there.
My eyes were wide open in shock as I looked at Appa, who in turn looked back at me with a frown.
"Do you know who they are?" he asked.
Of course I knew. How could I forget. They were the people who had made my life a living hell in all the ten years I had stayed with them.
The man who had me. The woman who had abused me.
The couple who made sure I had endured every form of abuse physically, mentally and ually possible.
Even looking at their faces, even thinking of them, it made me shake with fear, made me tear up with terror at the memories the two of them had permanently etched into my brain.
"Changmin?" Appa called for my name, breaking me out of my trance.
I blinked several times and looked up at him.
"W-what?" I stuttered, stumbling behind my words.
"You okay?"
Karam peeked at me behind Appa's shoulder, eyes wide with curiousity.
"Onii-chan?"
I forced a smile as I looked at the two of them.
"Yeah," I said, blinking my tears away, "I'm fine."
"Do you know them?" Appa repeated his question.
I nodded.
"Yeah, I do. It's not like I could easily forget after what they put me through. They were my second foster family after the first one died in the accident."
There was silence, before Appa continued in a hushed whisper.
"You still remember..."
"Yes, Siwon," I said, a hard set in my eyes as I turned to look at him once more. "I do. Very clearly."
Slowly, Appa moved to place his arm behind my shoulders and gently pull me into his embrace. I bristled slightly when he wrapped his arms around my head and placed his chin atop my head, but otherwise, I didn't move.
"Changmin," Appa said in his smooth, reassuring voice. "It's going to be alright. They're gone now. They will never hurt you."
And then it hit me.
Like a bat striking a ball, the sudden realization made me hitch my breath in shock.
A flashback happened right in front of my eyes.
I was back in the hospital, dazed, confused, and fogged with sleep and medicine. I also remember my speeding heartbeat, my fear irrationalizing the situation.
And I heard someone counting to ten.
I remember being scared less. I remember being in my delirium, I thought that that voice belonged to my previous foster father.
"Changmin," I remember him saying my name. "Listen. Your father is not here. He will never come, nor lay a filthy hand on you again. He will be taken care of.'"
I remember my tears stopping then, as I came to realize that this was not, in actual fact, my previous father. It was Yunho.
And he was here. Here to protect me from my father.
"He will not live to touch you."
Flashback over.
I blinked several times in realization.
Could it be... that Yunho had killed him?
I replayed the words in my head.
He will be taken care of. He will not live to touch you.
He will not live to touch you.
No way.
I shook my head to rid myself of the thoughts. Yunho may be a cold person at first sight, but he had heart. I remember he had cracked a sliver of a smile at me. I remember he had stayed completely still for a whole night to let me sleep.
There was no way Yunho would do that. There was just no way.
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