Diabolical Pact

Der Märchenclub
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Chapter 37

[Diabolical Pact]

 

 

 

A week had passed since Kim Ryeowook’s funeral.

 

It was a cycle that Jessica had gotten to be rather sick of. She attended one funeral to another. Jessica thought that Kangin’s funeral would have been the last she needed to attend for a long, long time, but no. The horror continued. The fact that the killing still occurred even when Jung Soo had died and the girl named Taeyeon had been arrested only showed that nothing had been settled.

 

Der Märchenclub still brought terror, even when no meeting was convened anymore. There was a vague realization that the horror was not in the form of the formal meeting, but it simply was in the fate designed for them all since the invitations were received, since the decisions were taken, and since the entries were made.

 

The number of murders had made Jessica think of a new resolution. There was no guarantee she would escape the death row. She knew that eventually all people would die, but to think that her death might be lurking very, very near, made her introspect herself.

 

She had not been the kindest person ever. She had always been a spoiled brat. She treated people coldly, she spoke of cruel things, she often hurt people.

 

She knew that she could not change overnight, but she actually tried to be a better person.

 

Perhaps it was one of the reasons why she decided to approach him in that café that day –even when it was not part of a courtesy, even when she had no benefit to make out of it.

 

It was a small coffee shop in the busy street of Seoul. He was wearing casual clothing, reading a book calmly. It was not a sight she expected to see from him, but she supposed, she was not the only person changing due to the whole fiasco.

 

“How have you been doing?” Jessica asked as she stood beside him

 

Heechul slowly pulled his gaze away from the page he was reading to look up at Jessica. There was a mild surprise shown in his eyes, a glint of curiosity, but there was no usual hostility in them. He deliberated for a moment, as if not sure what to do, before awkwardly, he kicked the chair in front of him slightly away so that there was a gap for her, easing her to sit in front of him.

 

She took the weird gesture of hospitality and seated herself at the chair.

 

“Fine, I guess,” he sighed. He frowned again, however. “Not to be rude or anything, but what business brings you here?”

 

Jessica shrugged. “I often go here actually. You’re the one who’s not a regular here.”

 

Heechul sighed. “Yeah, you’re right. It’s actually the coffee shop that Ryewook used to go to. He used to spend his afternoon here, reading book or gazing at the people –mostly to find some interesting information from the other visitors.”

 

“And that book?” Jessica nudged at the book Heechul was holding. “His favorite book?”

 

“Sort of. He reads a lot of books. Not the hard stuffs like what Kibum loves to read, but Ryeowook read a lot of book. This one in particular, was one that he always forced me to read, but I always ignored his suggestion,” he paused. “I kinda regret it. It’s a really good book. Had I read it sooner, I could have discussed the content with him.”

 

“At least you’re reading it now. It’s not without use.”

 

The consoling words sounded honest, but it was not that Heechul could agree immediately. But then again, he was too tired for an argument and instead, he settled for a murmur, “Yeah… I suppose so.”

 

Another silence visited them. Heechul momentarily gazed at the view outside the coffee shop, and Jessica copied his action. After almost a minute of silence, the Jung lady shifted her chair slightly backward. Putting aside her usual irritation on Heechul, Jessica thought that it really would be best to leave him be for the time being. “I’ll just go to my usual spot. You just continue with your –“

 

“Give me some time.”

 

She blinked. A part of her did not even realize he was still aware of her presence there. “Huh?”

 

“Give me some time,” Heechul repeated. His head slowly looked up to her again. “I know I promised you that we would find the truth about your parents’ death. I would still help you, but I just need a couple more days off, after that we can begin to talk it out.”

 

Jessica sighed. “It’s okay. You don’t have to.”

 

“I have to,” Heechul affirmed. “It’s not just for your parents. It’s for Ryeowook too. The fact that I can let him go doesn’t mean that I will stop searching for the truth behind his death. Your parents’ death, the whole Der Märchenclub affair, and Ryeowook’s death…they are all related.”

 

Nothing was absolute, but Jessica began to believe the same. She did not know what to say in response to Heechul’s statement, so she asked another thing instead. “Kibum…Is he still nowhere to be found?”

 

Heechul’s silence confirmed her conclusion.

 

Jessica let a deep sigh came out of . Yet another uncertainty –and she still could not get used to any of it.

 

 

 

 

 

The Nightingale stared impassively as the two prison guards fell to the ground, neither of them was moving.

 

Dead.

 

The Circus Master also glanced with disinterest at his two ex-subordinates. Well, they were not exactly his real subordinates. Sure, he managed to include some of his trusted men into the police squad, but not all the police were his allies. The two dead prison guards were the prime example of those who chose to protect justice instead, those whose lives remained insignificant in his eyes.

 

He then grabbed a pair of latex gloves and a sheet of handkerchief from his trousers’ pocket. Carefully wearing the gloves, he then removed all traces of his fingerprints on the soundproof gun using his handkerchief. It was the umpteenth time he did so, the umpteenth time he tried to wash his hand clean from the mess he created himself, so the task was done quickly, effectively. Once he was ascertained that his fingerprints were erased from the metal surface of the gun, he handed the tool to his now only colleague.

 

Behind the special, private prison bars, Taeyeon did nothing to reach the offered gun.

 

The Circus Master arched one fine eyebrow. “Don’t be difficult, Nightingale. You know the plan. You just have to do it.”

 

Her reply was about something else. “You killed Leeteuk Oppa.”

 

The Circus Master fought the urge to roll his eyes. “I’ve told you a countless time, it’s not like I like the idea of losing a comrade, especially in a big, ongoing mission such as this. Killing him was also troublesome for me, you know? But I have to do it. You would have also been expected to do the same thing if you had been in my shoes.”

 

“I wouldn’t. I would never kill Leeteuk Oppa.”

 

“Don’t you understand? This mission is something that the Story Teller would have wanted to continue. Go on. Grab the gun. Don’t let the Story Teller’s life get into waste like this.”

 

The careless comment the Circus Master let out concerning Jung Soo enraged Taeyeon. In a speed of sound, Taeyeon let her arm reached out of the bars to grab the hypocrite police’s collar. She pulled it at full force until the Circus Master’s head hit the metal bars that were her prison with a loud bang.

 

The force she had done to him made another side of him awakened. Instinct countered by instinct. Fighting the mild nausea that he felt when his head was brutally hit towards the bars, the Circus Master then twirled the soundproof gun he had and pressed it to Taeyeon’s temple. He let a low hiss escaped his lips, “I don’t want to lose another comrade in such a big mission. Don’t make me do this, Nightingale.”

 

Taeyeon gritted her teeth at the display of his power over her. Though with grunting, she agreed to let go of her grip around his collar. Unfortunately for her, the Circus Master didn’t share the mutual temporary peace offering. The cold mouth of his gun was still firmly pressed on Taeyeon’s head. The Circus Master was not exactly a tall man, but Taeyeon herself was not tall. She still needed to lift her chin up to properly send him the death glare. “I will kill you one day. Mark my words.”

 

“After this mission ends,” the Circus Master began. “You might want to take your revenge. If you can, that is.”

 

“I don’t give a on this mission. I did it because Leeteuk Oppa was involved in it. I found no reason to do this anymore now.”

 

“You’re not a kid, Nightingale,” said the Circus Master with a reprimanding tone. “This is still part of your responsibility. No, actually. This is mandatory. And I don’t like to repeat myself, so you must have realized that I really don’t want to do the unnecessary thing such as losing a partner in a complicated mission such as this.”

 

He knew she would never agree to his words. The Circus Master was kind of used to it. Ever since Taeyeon was a small kid, she had always disagreed to almost everything he said. But at the very least, the girl was no longer resisting. It was not that his small talk about responsibility and mandate got into her mind (the Nightingale, he knew, was someone who never cared for stuffs like that), but the fact that she decided not to struggle anymore made a small burden off his shoulders.

 

The Circus Master was always a cautious man though. He might have not pressed the gun to Taeyeon’s head anymore, but he still ensured that the gun would be ready to harm her if she chose to do unnecessary things. 

 

“I’m not sure if you’ve paid heed to the plan, so let me tell it to you again,” offered the Circus Master. “The story goes like this: you managed to use your skill to steal a gun from one of the prison guards and killed them both. Grabbing their key…” he paused to throw her a chain of key that would buy her the freedom out of her confinement. “…you escape and hide at that place until further instruction is provided to you. While I, tonight, I am investigating the case with y other loyal subordinates, so I have nothing to do with you escaping.”

 

The Nightingale remained silenced.

 

“Do you understand, Nightingale? Should I repeat it again?”

 

His hidden mockery was not undetected. Shooting another dangerous glare to him, she stressed out, “No.”

 

“Perfect,” he said as he forced her to hold the gun he was holding with the rubber gloves. That way, it was her fingerprints that stayed at the gun. Her hand did not try to struggle when he forced her to hold her gun. He smiled sweetly as pointed another gun to her. “That one in your hand is out of bullets. I just need your finger prints on it. So don’t try to test my trust on you.”

 

“We’ve never had one to begin with,” she reminded.

 

“Ah, you’re right. But still,” he shrugged. Taking some steps backward, he then nudged at an emergency door (which, according to the protocol, should be built in every prison). “You’ll escape through this door. I’ll make sure that no police will wait on the other side of the door. But after that, you’re on your own. Don’t do anything reckless until I instruct you to. Understand?”

 

Her hatred was clearly shown in the iciness of her voice. “Yes.”

 

The Circus Master smiled. “See you later, Nightingale.”

 

 

 

 

 

The ride was bumpy but it was not like Jessica could blame it to Hankyung, who was driving the car. She knew that though she was inside a car designed for off-road track, it would not completely annul the friction the big wheels had with the uneven path that was laid before her eyes. That, and the fact that she was forcing herself to read the documents in Kibum’s laptop made her nauseous.

 

Heechul cringed at the sight of her pale face. “Don’t vomit in my car. I’ll force you to clean up the mess yourself if you do.”

 

Heechul seemed to have gained back his cocky attitude, and that way, Jessica could not say that she would still be lenient to him. “I’m just slightly feeling nauseous. Doesn’t mean I’m going to vomit in your car,” she pointed out.

 

“I could never be too careless when I’m dealing with you.”

 

“Really? You’re careless enough not to bring your own bodyguard with you,” she pointed out –still disagreeing with his prior decision not to bring additional help.

 

“I don’t like being watched. And besides, this is what this Chinese guy is here for, right?”

 

Without averting his sight from his steering wheel, Hankyung merely replied, “I am here only to protect Miss Jessica. Don’t expect me to shield you from any upcoming danger, Kim Heechul-sshi.”

 

“Why this guy –“

 

“Shut up, you two,” Jessica said with a scowl as she finally decided to turn Kibum’s laptop off and darted her eyes to the scenery outside. It was both a best and worst idea to team up with Heechul in solving the mystery. The good thing about working together with him was that he allowed her to thoroughly investigate through the files containing background research of people involved in Der Märchenclub –the files that Kibum had compiled for the past few months. The files were precious, and she was sure she would not have been able to have access to such extensive information had it not been for Heechul’s permission. But the worst side of it, as expected, was that she had to bear his foul, chatty mouth –that apparently, did not learn to be civil enough despite their partnership.

 

It was through the files kept in Kibum’s laptop that they managed to find further information about the orphanage house the assassin girl and Jung Soo used to be in. Jessica and Heechul had come to a mutual understanding that the way to solve the whole interlinked mystery was to work on what could have been worked on. The truth behind Jessica’s parents’ death remained blurry, even after Jessica scrutinized the past documents of the previous Der Märchenclub. The background research on all the families involved in Der Märchenclub also provided nothing new to their investigation. The priority, thus, was focused on solving the mystery behind the assassin group. Kibum had not had the chance to thoroughly trace back the assasins’ past, so Jessica and Heechul decided to take over the job.

 

Their destination was the Oryu Orphanage, which was located not only outside of Seoul, but also at a very remote area. As the car rode through the bumpy road, Jessica could not help but wonder who would be in their right mind building an orphanage at such area. But then again, it made the orphanage worth being suspected on. At least two of the kids from the orphanage were insane enough to kill people, it was quite an indication that there must have been something wrong with the system running in that place.

 

After nearly two hours of a hell ride out of the outskirt of Seoul, the car finally stopped at its destination.

 

Before Hankyung could open the door for his mistress, Jessica did the job herself. She anxiously stepped out of the car to take a better view at the sight before her.

 

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05/5/13: change the posters for chap 6, 9, 12, 14, 15, 18, 25, 26, 27

Comments

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yeonniestan94 #1
Coming back to reread this. For a moment i thought the story was deleted because i search for this on the jessica tag. Kekeke...
Found it finally thanks to Haesica😀😀
Macaroonssi
#2
its 2021 and I'm stil here so.....
aseulmonsta
#3
❤️
gyuhyeon #4
I'm here again for the nth times. This is my fav fanfic ever! I used to dislike sugen pairing but this fanfic brought a new light. Pinboo, could you please sign this story up for a drama please? It will be daebak really.
bwtplove
#5
Chapter 50: This chapter will always traumatized me. Imagine to encounter something like that as child..... :(
bwtplove
#6
Chapter 38: I thought Sunny x Sungmin's side story will be my fav one...but after reading Kibum's story....I guess the ranking change. I could understand the hatred he has toward his family so well. It's such an emotional story to me and the way the poor always have a big heart than the rich....you really did a great job at interpreting this.
LeiLeiLeiLeiLeiLei #7
Hi there! I actually read this fic when I was younger, and I wanna reread it but it's members only :(

I have long forgotten my old AFF account....... AHH how do I reread? hehe
shiningshawol13
#8
Hi! I don't know if you'll be able to see this comment, but yeah, just gonna share my thoughts here hahaha.

So I reread Project: Cupid and Der Marchenclub earlier this week because I've been feeling nostalgic lately and thought, hey, maybe I could reread my favorite Super Generation fanfics coz why not?

And well, I'd just like to say that your works remain to be one of my favorites. It's been years since you've published this, years since I've first read it (early 2015). I could still remember the times when I read a chapter or two in between classes back in college, struggling not to give in to the urge to read them while in class hahaha! This is the first time in a long while that I read it again but everything is still as wonderful and impactful as when I first read it.

Der Marchenclub, in particular, is my favorite Super Generation fanfic. Reading it again cemented that fact in my mind. I loveeeee the plot! In particular, I love how you utilized previously uttered lines and details, smoothly tying a to b. I love the flow of the narration, I know you must've hit some rough blocks, too, but in the end, the writing is just superb: the balance between the dialogue and narration is very nice. I love the characterizations and how utterly realistic and imperfect and humane there are (Heechul's my fave haha), though I agree that there are some characters you could've developed more (Yoona and Siwon, for instance, as you mentioned in yuor DMC blog haha). Overall though, I'd go so far as to say that your work is a masterpiece. I took my time re-reading it again, took my time to appreciate the smoothness in the flow, the humanity of the characters, the thrill of solving the mystery. Every single scene played out in my head, and I could perfectly picture Super Generation here (man, I miss them!). This story, the whole plot, it's a very good material for a TV series, that's how good it is.

It's also good in inspiring people. This fanfiction, your fanfiction - it reignited my desire to write again. These past few years I've been stuck in a slump, probably because of the combined stress from my personal and college life, plus the slightly growing distance from kpop, that I wasn't able to continue any of my stories here at all. I even find it hard to write anything because I began to doubt myself. Whenever I type something up, I ended up not finishing it or just erasing it because it feels off. I've graduated now though haha, so college's one factor off the things stressing me out, but I still didn't dare try to write again. At least, not until I read your stories again.

Der Marchenclub (and Project: Cupid!) reminded me of my love for YoonHae, for HeeSica, for SNSD and Super Junior, and most of all, my love for writing. It made me want to try writing again, mostly about YoonHae and HeeSica hahaha!

So I wanted to say thank you. Thank you for creating Der Marchenclub, thank you for creating your stories, and thank you most of all, for sharing it with us and not deleting it. A few days ago I tried searching again some of my favorite YoonHae fanfics, I can't remember their exact titles but what I know is that it's on livejournal (and soon remembered that it's written by muffinmaverick, if you know her hehe). However, I found out that she deleted her account, which means that even her stories were deleted. It suffices to say that I was utterly devastated. Fanfictions are some of my ways of coping even back then, so to find out that I could no longer read them again really pained me. I know the author must have her reasons, and she has all the right to delete her own account and works, but it still hurt. So really, thank you for keeping this precious works here in this site, thank you for sharing it with us still.

I think I'm kinda rambling at this point haha but what I want to say is that your works have inspired me again, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. I'm sure there are other readers out there, too who were inspired to hone or jumpstart their craft after reading your stories. So once again, I would like to say thank you to you. I'm still not very confident, I'm still doubting my skill but well, that can be honed and what's important is that I'm trying again, right? Haha.

Anyways, I miss seeing Super Junior and SNSD together, and reading Der Marchenclub again made me very nostalgic. I'm not that active here in asianfanfics nowadays but I think there are fewer and fewer Super Generation stories now, which I admit breaks my SONELF heart a little. I think it's fitting, though, since our idols have grown more and are living their own lives now, and we're living our own. It won't stop me from writing about them, though haha! If you ever get back to writing again (and I hope you do, I miss reading your stories!), I hope you know that there will still be people who'll welcome you back, and readers who will read your works.

Once again, thank you for writing!! Thank you for bringing Der Marchenclub and your other works to light, and for sharing it with us. :) It's rough in our world right now due to the pandemic but I hope you'll stay safe!