The hanging overhead lamp sways from the impact of the last blow, causing the shadows to dance on bare concrete walls.  Humid and moldy, the stagnant air of the warehouse basement doesn't make it any easier to breathe through the multiple lacerations on Minseok's lungs.  Hands tied from a vinyl rope hanging from a meat hook, Minseok coughs are more like a sputter, splattering blood on the smooth walls.  

The left eye is already too puffy to look out of, but Minseok turns his focus to the man in the shadows.  Though it's Chanyeol that's beating him, the man in the back is the one calling the shots.

"Again" comes a low, quiet voice from the dark recess of the room.

Gripping the metal band around his gloved fist, Chanyeol punches with his right fist, cutting across Minseok's left cheekbone once more.  The bone underneath is no doubt fractured from the last hour of abuse.  However, there's no time to even breath in between before a well placed push kick to Minseok's bare chest knocks the wind out of him.  Minseok coughs, head hanging, even more violently than before but the cords on his wrists keep him in place.

"Take his pants off" says the deep voice.   A deep inhale precedes an exhale emitting a cloud of smoke just visible through the single beam of light over Minseok's head.  "But keep his underwear on."

There's a smirk hidden in the man's tone of voice.  Minseok grimaces, not from the pain but more from imagining what the man has in store for Minseok.  He hears the scrape of a sole on the floor as a cigarette is stamped out.  Chanyeol's hands are rough on Minseok's belt and the force with which Chanyeol jerks the fabric down and off his legs makes Minseok jolt and sway from the hook.  The movement jostles his painful bones and tugs at the mangled flesh.  Minseok lets out a curt sound of pain.

"Don't tell me you're giving up now" the man chuckles.  "The proud, heavy lipped Kim Minseok, breaking already?"

In front of him, Chanyeol's eyes are like a dead fish's, unseeing and glazed over.  Minseok wants to say something to him - perhaps call out Chanyeol's name or perhaps beg and plead for him to come back to his senses. 

'You said you would always be on my side!  Was our relationship that weak?'

However, when Chanyeol's eyes focus briefly on Minseok's face, they register nothing and Minseok fails to suppress a sob.  In the end, Minseok's not some female lead in a B rated soap opera and Chanyeol isn't the type of man who can be moved by things like emotion - at least, not anymore.

"Chanyeol-ah..."  The name escapes Minseok's lips, more for Minseok himself than for the owner of the name.  At the very least, Minseok doesn't want to forget the things that have transpired between them.

Chanyeol makes one final tug, wrenching the pants free from Minseok's feet and his shoes along with it.  Leather shoes dully clatter on the hard floor then roll into some dark corner.  Standing upright once more, Chanyeol awaits his next order, eyes locked on Minseok's bloody body like a target to be eliminated.  There are multiple bloody bruises on Minseok's sternum, but that's not what makes his heart hurt.

"Touch him."

Slowly, Chanyeol palms just below the band of his underwear.  A warm temperature simmers through the thin fabric, gathering friction until a white hot heat makes Minseok's twitch.  When Minseok musters enough courage to look up, Chanyeol's eyes reflect nothing but ice.  The tears fall from Minseok's eyes unbidden, try as he might to stop them.  The moisture catches the light from above, glistening on top of Minseok's face through the blood and bruises.  It's then that there's the click of fancy dress shoes on the concrete floor, getting closer to where Minseok hangs.  Minseok closes his eyes, the last drops of tears dripping down his chin to the floor.  The man in the shadows draws near and Minseok can smell the familiar scent of musk and tobacco.  

"So, it's true" the man scoffs, voice filled with disbelief.

Minseok opens his one good eye and weakly lifts his head to face the man in control of Chanyeol.

"They told me that Kim Minseok was obsessed with his new toy but, I didn't believe it - until now."

The man finally steps from the shadows and into the light.  The man in the sleek black suit is shorter than Chanyeol, barely, reaching his shoulder.  However, the aura that the shorter man emits is enough to make Minseok's cold turn to ice.  The man reaches a hand up to Chanyeol's shoulder, pushing back lightly and signaling him to back off.  Chanyeol bows and retreats one step into the shadows.  When he does so, Minseok feels the distance like an acute loss and lets out a shaky breath.

"Do Kyungsoo" Minseok's voice sounds shredded, just like the state of his knuckles and knees.  "Please."

There's a low chuckle that comes from Kyungsoo as his eyes flicker back and forth from Chanyeol to Minseok. 

"Let Chanyeol go" Minseok whispers, voice hoarse.

Kyungsoo shakes his head slightly and though his mouth curves with his amusement, his eyes are still dark and cold.

"Who would have known that the reason behind Kim Minseok's retirement would be because of some-" Unlike Kyungsoo's previously calm and slow demeanor, Kyungsoo suddenly places a swift kick to the side of Minseok's knees,  "- ing," another kick, this time to Minseok's lower abdomen, "-stupid," Kyungsoo swings his arm back, eyes blazing with resentment and anger, "- robot?!"  A final punch to Minseok's face makes Minseok's neck snap to the right, sending out a spattering - a tooth and a mouthful of blood.

Chanyeol stands unmoving to the side, hands behind his back and eyes locked on some spot on the wall opposite to him.  If Chanyeol registers anything, he doesn't say.  If he remembers the past two years with Minseok at all, his eyes don't betray it.  If at any time, Chanyeol recalls the I-love-you's whispered during the recent hot summer nights, Chanyeol doesn't let it show.  There's nothing behind those cold gray eyes and though Minseok knows it, he finds it hard to let go.

As Kyungsoo keeps beating the man that he once loved enough to make his right hand man - his partner in running the underground empire they'd built - Minseok briefly thinks that it must be nice.  It must be nice being a humanoid automaton able to have memories wiped clean at any time.  It must be nice being a mafia boss able to control anything and anyone.  Because there are exactly two humans and one cyborg in this room and somehow, Minseok is the one at the bottom of the pole.   And though, amongst the humans, one is sobbing on the inside and the other is trying to cry through the blows, the robot in this is feeling nothing - nothing at all.   

To the human, perhaps a declaration of love would be enough to end this.  To the robot, perhaps unplugging his power source would be the end of it all.  Either way, Minseok had messed it all up for himself.  Unfortunately, the one Kyungsoo was trying to unplug from life was Minseok.  Tragically, the one being Minseok had promised his love to wasn't made of flesh and blood.