18. Infernum Scriptor Portas

 

Infernum Scriptor Portas: "Hell's Gates "

 

 

 

"I never imagined that one day..."

 

 

It is now the opening of infernum scriptor portas.

 

 

"... I'd find myself fighting for my life."

 

 

 

= = = Soundtrack: Super Junior - Shake It Up! = = =

 

Clink.

 

Zip.

 

"Shirin-ah, are you ready?" Taemin-ah's voice cut through my thoughts as I was zipping up my knife pocket. I looked towards the door of my room in the brotherhood meeting house, seeing him dressed up in an outfit that wasn't mean for war. It gave me the feeling that he's being suddenly laid back, but it wasn't hard to keep on staring at him.

 

Ever since his confession to me, I kept on realizing a lot of things. Taemin-ah's smiles towards others are usually faked, but not towards me. He shows genuine concern when we're training, but when I tell him that he shouldn't go easy on me, he follows what I say. He hesitates when I ask him to do something out of the ordinary, like to teach me how to maneuver a motorbike, but he believes in what I can do.

 

And he has quite the looks too.

 

In a sense, Taemin-ah's charm is more of the two-faced kind. He appears as gentle and calm, but once a haughty smirk lines his lips, his aura changes. He then exudes an air of manly confidence that could rival those of... Kai-sshi himself.

 

"Yeah. I'm just stocking up on the throwing knives by my belt, and I'm trying to hide another blade by my boot. Changkamanyo." I said before kneeling and reaching towards my right boot, revealing a pocket for about two knives.

 

"Oh. I'll help you with that. Come here." Taemin-ah said before going to my bed and sitting on it. When I finally pulled myself into an upright position, he made me stand beside him and let my right leg step on his thigh.

 

"Taemin-ah..."

 

"Kwaenchana. Just let me do it for you." He cut me off as he took hold of my boot and slid the first knife in. After the second knife went inside, he tapped my knee gently as a signal to put my leg down.

 

"Thanks, Taemin-ah. Keep your phone open, arasso? I'll contact you immediately on the first sign of danger." I softly told him, and he replied with a nod. I proceeded to walk out the door, feeling the pocket of my pants for my phone and breathing a sigh of relief when I felt it.

 

But I haven't reached the door of my room when I felt a tug on my wrist.

 

"I'll bring you to Club Mirage... for the sake of your safety and my sanity." Taemin-ah said while going to my side and wrapping an arm around my shoulder, leading me down the corridors of the brotherhood meeting house.

 

I don't know why, but I caught myself smiling at that.

 

= = =

 

"Hey Shirin-ah! I've already assembled our men earlier today!" Changjo-yah shouted to me as I passed through the doors of the ReapedSouls VIP room, amidst the other brothers of both his and my subgroups. At the sound of his voice, everybody turned to me.

 

I just nodded to them, acknowledging their presence, and at that, the men began exiting the VIP room.

 

"Good. Are the guards still around? I haven't seen our men when I came out of Taemin-ah's car..." I asked, my steps towards Changjo-yah's direction. In reply, he nodded his head. He was seated on the couch in one side of the room, and I sat beside him.

 

"Yeah. They just don't show themselves much. Maybe later on, though, they'll be visible. It's almost... nine now anyways." Changjo-yah answered, momentarily stopping to look at his wristwatch.

 

"Anyways, do you wanna have some fun for a while? I'm giving these men a break until about nine-thirty or so, that could help in blending us in the club environment. But, they couldn't go all out in partying... since they're needed to be on beck and call later on." He added, and with a few nods of understanding from me, he smiled.

 

"You know, partying could be a cool idea, but I'd rather stay here. I'm not in the mood to go on the dance floor." I said with a playful grin on my face, rejecting the offer. Changjo-yah just let me bask in the silence that had been eating me up inside.

 

"Oh. Before I forget. Sunny-sshi had already finished with the research. Seems like that Kai guy is a force to be reckoned with." He opened the topic, and despite my resolve to not be distracted, my eyebrows still rose, and I found myself asking him about the results.

 

"Well, let me see. Sunny-sshi told me about what she found about him. Firstly, he's one of the best fighters in the whole of Korea right now, but only recognized in the underground. He's still a student, presumably in the same grade as you or a year above yours..." He began, but he paused to ask me something.

 

"Wait a minute. What year are you in anyways? I know you're my schoolmate, but I haven't found about anything regarding your year and stuff." He asked me, and I chuckled at him before answering.

 

"Well, I'll be graduating next year, but I'm already on my final year now. My course is trimestral, so I'd still be studying until around February next year. It's gonna be my final trimester come first day of classes of the normal school students." I said, not quite sure if Changjo-yah understood me.

 

"Oh, I see. Then perhaps, that Kai really is above your grade, since he's already graduating, too. But as far as I know, that all-boys university across ours is on a strict, normal, semestral system. Only our university offers trimestral courses in that area." He told me, and I once more asked him about the other information that Sunny-sshi told him.

 

"Oh, yeah, back to the guy. He's currently the second-in-command of the SkullBeaters, which we all know. But, the leader of that brotherhood is already considering him to be equal to him in rank. I guess he'd become a leader too, not very long in the future. He's also a chick magnet to the eyes of the public. He's been known to be the dream guy of different girls, may it be in the status of heiresses or to the general public. Maybe because he's a part of the posh side of the Korean Population." He began again, and I nodded my head, taking the information in.

 

Wait a minute. Kai-sshi is part of the posh side of the Korean population? How could he be? Only the owners of companies or children of those people could be part of that portion of the population...

 

"But then he would have to be a son of a CEO or something..." I said, trying to make the puzle pieces fit.

 

"Exactly. He is. However, here's the catch. He's an illegitimate child, only part of the family by his father's blood. His dad owns a huge media company. It's LMA if I'm not mistaken..." He continued, and my eyes widened.

 

How come almost every man that's had something related to me turns out to be sons of the heads of huge businesses?

 

First, Taemin-ah.

 

Then... Kai-sshi.

 

Now that I think of it, those two look alike somehow.

 

"And, regarding his lovelife, he had been involved with a young woman three or four years ago. But then, the girl died. I asked Sunny-sshi about the specifics of that, but she didn't say anything else. She just said to me that embarking on that research that you had tasked her was like looking into her family's secrets. I don't know what that meant, but she didn't prod on anymore about him after that." Changjo-yah ended.

 

It makes sense.

 

Looking back again on the words that he told me back in the brown room, he said that 'she' is already dead and lifeless. He also said that he has lost 'her'.

 

Then, my suspicions were confirmed. The girl really DID die. But by what means?

 

I looked at my wristwatch, my eyes widening at the time.

 

"Omo. Changjo-yah, it's almost nine thirty. I think you should round up the guys again." I told him, and when he nodded, I stood up from the couch and went to that familiar window that I shot just a few months ago.

 

It's been fixed already.

 

I peered through it, seeing the guards that have been assigned by Chanho Oppa emerge from the shadows and take their posts.

 

There are about twenty men standing.

 

Men began filing up into the VIP room and reported to me and Changjo-yah as he had called for them. When everyone had already reported, I counted them all.

 

A total of thirty-six men. Eighteen belonging in Changjo-yah's subgroup, and the rest with me.

 

"Alright. I'm pretty sure that Changjo-yah had briefed you regarding the posts that we're going to take for the ambush if ever the SkullBeaters attack. Proceed to your posts. Three successive gunshots shall be our signal. When the enemies had shot three times, or when either of us leaders and guards had shot three times, then we all attack. Is it clear?" I commanded, and the men had acted accordingly. Just after a few seconds, the room was already devoid of people except for Changjo-yah and I.

 

I looked back at the window, and my eyes furrowed in confusion.

 

Only nineteen guards were standing.

 

I was sure that there were twenty earlier.

 

"Changjo-yah, look at this. There are twenty guards supposedly, right?" I asked him, who in turn went beside me and looked at the window as well.

 

"Yeah. Wae?" He asked back.

 

And in the next few seconds, our eyes widened.

 

A figure of a guard had fallen to the ground. And when I looked closely at the details, something was sticking out the guard's body.

 

A throwing knife.

 

This is it.

 

"Changjo-yah! They're attacking! Come on!" I shouted to Changjo-yah, my footsteps picking up speed as we both rushed out of the VIP room and down to the place where I had witnessed my first brotherhood war ever.

 

Last time, I was only a witness to the sights and sounds of hell.

 

Now, I become a part of its fires.

 

= = = = = = 

 

Important Notes:

 

This is my second update for the week. Stay tuned for the next update tomorrow, and ENJOY!

Please comment too, so that I know how I'm doing. =]

 

Thanks to Purplehearts for subscribing to the story. I hope you like the fic so far.

 

Oh, and before I forget... I posted the first part of a five-part story with EXO-M's leader Kris in my AFF blog. If you guys want to take a look, here's the link for it: http://www.asianfanfics.com/blog/view/296685

 

Check back also for the next parts. <3

 

Enjoy! =]

 

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