Of Monsters and Those Not Like Us

JunQ and Sunny walked into the hideout, Sunny knocking JunQ's water bottle up while he was taking a drink, causing the liquid to spill all down his front. He sputtered and gave her a death glare, which she blissfully ignored. Until he caught her in a headlock. She yelped and pulled at his arm, trying an failing to get him off of her.

“Alright, alright, I'm sorry!” she squeaked.

“What...is going on here?” Gunwoo asked from his seat in the middle of the room. Seyong and Chaejin were with him, and they were in the middle of a board game on the floor. There wasn't much by way of furniture in the hideout, but they didn't mind sitting on the floor. Sunny and JunQ froze and looked over at the three of them.

“She spilled water on me,” JunQ said.

“He's a trouble maker,” Sunny said.

“You're never going to let that go, are you?” JunQ asked, shooting the girl a look. She grinned and shook her head. Gunwoo massaged his temples, the childish antics of the two making his head hurt a little.

“One of you, explain where you've been,” he said, giving Sunny a tired look. She shuffled behind JunQ, who didn't notice the look Gunwoo gave her.

“I took her to this healer I found. She's Gifted, like Sunny is,” Junnie said with a smile. Gunwoo raised an eyebrow, looking between the two of them. They both began to feel like scolded children.

“Where was this healer you found?” he asked.

“Aish, why are you interrogating us? It's not like we did anything illegal,” Sunny said, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms.

“He was worried about you two. That's why I suggested we play this game, so that it might take his mind off of his worry, but he's been doing terrible, so I don't think it worked,” Chaejin said, frowning down at the game as if it failed him somehow.

“Insoo is worried, too, but he couldn't leave work,” Seyong said.

“Crap, you told Insoo?” JunQ said, giving Sunny a look. “We're so in trouble when he gets off,” he muttered. She looked up at him, her expression very much like a kicked puppy.

“You shouldn't have gone alone,” Gunwoo said, standing up and walking over to them.

“Nothing happened. Yeah, the place is shady as hell, but no one messed with us,” Sunny said, coming out of hiding. She still didn't meet his eyes, though.

“But what if something had?” the older boy persisted.

“But nothing did, so there is no point of asking what if!” she snapped. They both stood, staring each other down, each daring the other to look away first. Chaejin jumped up, walking toward the door.

“I'm going to get snacks, who wants to come with?” he asked, grabbing Seyong by the collar and dragging him up. Seyong gave him a look that would have had Sunny giggling under normal circumstances. The kid walked past her and she sighed, dropping her eyes to the floor. JunQ was the next victim to be grabbed by the youngest as he dragged them away. She glanced back at them, just in time to catch JunQ sending her silent encouragement. She managed a small smile at him and mouthed an apology. The door closed behind the three, leaving Gunwoo and Sunny by themselves.

“Who would have thought the kid had that in him,” she said, mildly amused at Chaejin's antics.

“Please...don't do that again,” Gunwoo murmured. She looked up at him, and she saw how tired, how exhausted he looked. Her face softened as her eyes fell away from him.

“I'm sorry... I just... I'm sorry,” she muttered. For a moment, neither of them spoke. She finally looked back up at him. “Gunwoo, what have you been up to? You look like you haven't slept in days.” He chuckled, but there was no humor in it.

“I'll admit I haven't gotten a lot of sleep the past few nights,” he said. She furrowed her brow as a frown spread across her lips.

“Why not? Is everything okay?” she asked softly. He shrugged.

“I've had a lot on my mind,” he said.

“I bet what Junnie and I pulled today didn't help, did it?” she asked, fiddling with a string on her shirt. He sighed and pulled her into a hug.

“I'm just glad you're okay,” he said. She pulled away from him and met his eyes.

“I'm better than okay. I'm healed, Gunwoo. Do you know how good that feels? To not be in pain with every sneeze, with every intake of breath? I could push it out of my mind, but it was always there, in the background. But I'm better now. So please, please, don't worry about me anymore. I'm not defenseless. I did fine on my own before I met you,” she said. He was the one to look away, shaking his head and shrugging with both his shoulders and his hands in an almost frustrated manner.

“I can't help it. Seeing you in the hospital, seeing all of the small signs that you were hurting, that call that day, finding you like that, all of that just... I can't help but worry about all of the 'what if's. I know you're not defenseless. But I still don't want you to have to deal with a dangerous situation alone,” he said. She bit her lip, feeling guilty for being such a burden. That was why she had tried to hide everything. Why she didn't tell them about her previous run ins with that gang member. Why her face became a mask, to hide the pain. She didn't want them to worry.

“I'm sorry,” she said softly. He took her hand, stepping closer to her and kissing her on the forehead.

“I know what you're thinking. And I don't want you to think that anymore,” he said.

“But it's true,” she said, laughing softly. “I feel like I'm such a burden. That I make all of you worry more than I should. That I have no right to do so.”

“You're not a burden. Not to me.”

When the other three came back, they paused at the door, listening for any sign that it was a bad time. They didn't hear anything at all. Chaejin looked over at JunQ, an eyebrow raised.

“Either they're good, or they've killed each other,” he said. JunQ couldn't help but laugh at the youngest kid's words, reaching across him and opening the door. They found the two in question sitting on the floor, with Sunny playing with the pieces from the game Gunwoo, Seyong, and Chaejin had been playing. She looked up when the door opened, throwing a piece at the three of them.

“About time you guys showed up. I was waiting for those snacks!” she said, a wry smile on her face. The three exchanged a look, confused. They were expecting tension, or to find the two on opposite ends of the room, or something along those lines. Instead, it seemed as if nothing happened.

JunQ grinned and walked in first, while the other two were still preoccupied with being confused. He plopped down next to Sunny, throwing an arm around her shoulders. She grinned in return and poked him in the side. He retaliated by tickling her until she was curled up in a ball trying to fend him off. Chaejin and Seyong finally made their way in, comforted by the harmless scene. Seyong looked over at Gunwoo, holding up his thumb with a questioning face, silently asking if everything was okay. Gunwoo nodded just enough for him to see before pulling JunQ off of the laughing Sunny. Sunny took that opportunity to jump up and bound over to Chaejin, throwing her arms around his shoulders and pulling back with bright eyes.

“What did you bring, kiddo?” she asked with a light giggle. Chaejin's face turned bright red at the affection he still wasn't used to receiving. Although, he really should be used to it between Sunny and the rest of the boys doting on him. He smiled softly at her and held open the bag of snacks.

“I brought your favorite, sis,” he said, his face turning even brighter. Giving out affection was something he wasn't used to, either. It embarrassed him a little. Sunny squealed and clapped excitedly, reaching up and pinching his cheeks.

“You're so sweet! This is why you're the good kid,” she said, standing on her toes to kiss him on the cheek.

“If buying her snacks is all it takes to get a kiss, we might have to try that more often, huh?” JunQ said, nudging Gunwoo with his elbow. Sunny stuck her tongue out at JunQ, but missed the way Gunwoo's face burned. Seyong laughed at them and happened to glance out the window.

“Oh, Insoo's off! It's a good thing we bought him something, right?” he said, smiling brightly because it was his vote that made the kids buy the oldest a snack. JunQ said they shouldn't because he might not get off work soon, but Jinnie said they should just in case he did. JunQ and Sunny exchanged a look and hid behind the trash can. The others watched in amusement at how similar the two kids thought. Gunwoo stood up just as the door opened, walking over and muttering a few things to Insoo. Insoo sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

“Come out, you two. I won't yell at you,” he said. Sunny stepped out hesitantly, taking JunQ by the hand and forcing him to follow. Insoo fixed the two them with a stern expression. “You already know what I'm going to say, so I won't say it. Just think about your actions and what will happen if you pull something like that again.” Sunny ducked her head, throwing her arms around his waist.

“I'm so sorry...” she muttered almost inaudibly. Insoo sighed again, wrapping his arms around her and kissing the top of her head.

“It's okay, just... Don't do something so reckless again,” he said softly. JunQ joined in on the hug, earning an elbow to the ribs from the oldest member as a reward.

“Ow! So Sunny gets away with a hug and a kiss on the head, and I get elbowed in the kidney?” the second youngest protested, a light, halfhearted pout on his face. Insoo raised an eyebrow at him. “Uh, rhetorical question, don't answer that.” The kid reached into the snack bag and took out a few items, throwing an arm around Seyong's shoulders and dragging him towards the door. “Come on, you're helping me with my project for school.”

“What? Why me?” Seyong protested, not doing a very good job of getting out of the younger kid's grip.

“Because it's a subject you're good at, now stop complaining and help me!” The door shut right after that, cutting off the rest of the conversation, along with the rest of Seyong's protests.

Which was how the remaining four ended up on the floor, playing games. They were playing chess, with Gunwoo against Insoo, and Sunny against Chaejin. The game of the youngest two was coming to a close, and quickly, while the oldest two seemed to be more drawn out. The winners from each game were to face each other in a final round to determine the king.

“So Insoo, what is your role in the family now?” Sunny asked, since she had taken over the mother spot that he previously held. He chuckled and shook his head, amused that she was still on the topic after so many hours.

“I guess I would be your older brother, now,” he said.

“Ah, so you're an uncle like Seyong! Does that make Seyong my brother, too?” she asked, stealing another piece from Chaejin.

“Psh, Seyong can be Gunwoo's kid brother,” Insoo said. Chaejin and Gunwoo exchanged glances, both confused about the topic.

“Would one of you please clue us in to what you're talking about?” Gunwoo finally asked.

“We're just talking about our crazy family. Sunny is the mother, you're the father, Chaejin is the good kid, JunQ is the trouble maker, and Seyong and I are the uncles,” Insoo answered with a shrug.

“Okay, you guys are weird,” the leader said, shaking his head and giving them a look that told them they were crazy. Sunny pouted.

“Who are you calling weird?” she muttered. Insoo looked over at her and raised an eyebrow.

“Just remember, you're married to that one,” he said with a chuckle.

“Only because you dumped him on me!”

“I didn't dump him on you, I politely handed him over to you and escaped while I could.”

“You're mean.”

“What do you mean she's married? To who?” Chaejin asked, looking back and forth between them, not catching on just yet.

“She's married to Gunwoo. And you and JunQ are their kids,” Insoo said, enjoying the reaction of the leader as his face flushed.

“Gunwoo is right, you two are weird,” Chaejin muttered.

“You're supposed to be the good kid! Don't be mean,” Sunny said, pouting once again.

“I think I'm allowed to be a little bit mean. You just put me in check mate,” the youngest grumbled. Sunny glanced at the board and giggled.

“Oh, you're right, I did,” she said, clapping her hands together in glee. They both glanced at the other board and sighed.

“Their game looks like it's going to take hours to finish...” Chaejin muttered. Sunny nodded in agreement, looking back and forth between the two older boys. “I should be getting home soon, anyway.”

“I'll walk you there, then,” Sunny said with a smile. She raised an eyebrow at the two older boys. “Text me when someone wins. I'll want photo verification, so no tricks, got it?”

“Yeah, yeah. I just hope this game ends soon,” Gunwoo said, frowning over the board, planning out his next move. Sunny rolled her eyes and stood up. Chaejin followed suit, allowing the older girl to slip her arm through his.

The day had turned to night, allowing for a drop in temperature. A light breeze sent shivers down Sunny's spine. The light from the moon cast deep shadows across the ground. The animals were silent, while the insects filled the night with their unusual form of communication. Their footsteps were almost rhythmic, loud in comparison to the silence of the night.

“I'm glad to have you guys,” Chaejin muttered, almost inaudible over the insects. Sunny looked up at him and smiled warmly, hugging him briefly.

“I'm glad to have you, too, kiddo,” she said, matching his soft tone.

“I can't imagine how lonely I would have been if I hadn't met the guys. And now that you're here, I feel like... There's nowhere else I'd rather be than in your company,” he said, a shy smile gracing his features.

“Let us both be glad that fate brought us together, even if it was by threatening to end it all,” she said. “Let us both be glad that things worked out the way they did.”

“What about you? Were you lonely before meeting us, or did you have friends of your own?” the youngest asked, a quizzical frown and furrowed brow changing his expression. Sunny tilted her head, considering the question.

“I had one good friend in school, but once I graduated high school, we didn't really talk much. Then one day...she got into an accident. I wish I had been able to tell her that she meant more to me than she knew, but I guess it's too late now,” Sunny said. Chaejin scanned her face for some kind of emotion, but there was none.

“You're good at hiding how you feel, aren't you?” he blurted. She raised her eyebrows at him, and he smacked his hand over his mouth. “I-I mean-”

“Sometimes. If I don't want someone to worry about me, I can hide if I'm sad. I'm bad at hiding anger or happiness, though,” she said. A light laugh escaped her. “One time, my classmate told me that I'm terrifying when I'm angry. Then again, they brought it upon themselves.”

“I can't imagine you being scary,” Chaejin said, grinning at her.

“That's because I can't get mad at you, silly,” she said, smiling and pinching his cheek. Her smile faded as she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. She didn't hear what Chaejin was saying, she wasn't paying attention anymore. Her eyes tracked the movement, identifying it as multiple people moving in the shadows.

“-seem so innocent-”

“Chaejin. Turn around and run. Just trust me,” Sunny murmured, interrupting the younger boy.

“What? But-”

“Go!”

Something in her tone made him obey her. He turned around and started running just as three men walked out into the light in front of her. She glared at them, prepared to fight. More came from the sides, closing her in. She ran at the three in front, switchblade out and ready. She had two down by the time she heard Chaejin cry out from behind her. She turned to see that they were surrounded from all sides, and that Chaejin had been captured. One of the men, adorned with sunglasses even at this time of night and expensive looking accessories, clapped, stepping towards her. She paced slowly in front of him, her knife at ready, looking for an opportunity.

“Well, well. If it isn't our Misun. I do have quite the bone to pick with you. But first, I have need of you,” the man said. She scoffed, her expression twisting into a humorless smirk.

“Looks like the past really does catch up with you, doesn't it?” she muttered. Her face dropped into something more intimidating. “Let the kid go.”

“I'm afraid I can't do that. You see, I'm going to use him to gain your cooperation,” the man said. He looked the younger boy up and down, pulling his sunglasses down to see him better before pushing them back onto his face. “And who might this boy be, to mean so much to you?”

“The kid doesn't look like anything special. He doesn't seem like a fighter,” the man holding Chaejin said. She glared at him.

“He's not one of us. Let him go,” she said, turning her attention back to the leader.

“Like I said, I can't do that. I need him,” the leader said.

“You harm any part of him, and I'll tear you all limb from limb,” she muttered darkly.

“I wouldn't dream of it, my dear. Now, why don't we discuss the terms elsewhere?” the leader said, gesturing for the men to follow him as he walked away.

No one bothered to restrain Sunny. After all, they had her friend. They knew she wouldn't try anything while they had him. They came to their many black vans, shoving Chaejin into one and her into another. There were no windows in the back for her to see where they were going. She just knew they drove for a while. The men gave her plenty of room. They could see the expression on her face, the knife still in hand. They saw how quickly she took out the two men before without a second thought. Her eyes traveled over the faces of the men, stopping at one that couldn't have been much older than her.

“What are you doing, getting mixed up with people like this?” she asked him. He looked away awkwardly, stubbornly keeping his mouth shut. “You have so much to experience, why would you throw that away and work for these monsters?”

“Shut your mouth, mouse,” one of the other men snarled. She turned a blank face to look at the man that had spoken. That blank face scared him more than any other expression could have.

“You will not tell me what to do. Got that?” she said, tilting her head in a way that added a touch of creepiness to her. He shivered slightly, finding himself looking away from her.

They were all unnerved by the girl. They knew what she had done in the past for their leader, although not all of them were with the gang at the time. Stories went around like fairy tales, telling of her exploits in the past. How she was the leader's favorite, even though she only worked for him once in a while, before she walked away from the gang she had been in. They heard how she left the entire gang she had been with in pieces. They had seen the photos, the proof of what she did. What she was capable of. They had heard of the assassinations she had carried out, making them look like accidents or suicides.

“From what I hear, you're a monster, yourself,” the one that was about her age finally said. She looked back over at him, a thoughtful frown on her face.

“I was. I tried to leave that all behind, though,” she said. “It's not too late for you. But I fear it might be too late for me.”

“Once a monster, always a monster,” someone muttered, but she hadn't seen who it was that said it.

“True enough. Monsters can wear a mask of humanity, but they're still monsters inside,” she said with a sigh.

The van came to a stop then, which was probably just as well. The back doors opened, and the men filed out one by one. Sunny stepped out last, taking in the sight of the old warehouse. It appeared to be falling apart in places. She could smell the sea from where she was, meaning they were near the coast. A hand clapped her on the shoulder.

“Memorize this while you can. It's up to you to find your way back when you're done,” the leader said, steering the girl in.

There was a long table with chairs in the middle of the room, looking out of place in the ruined warehouse. The leader sat at the head of the table, motioning for her to sit down in the chair to his right. She did as she was instructed, not out of obedience, but to make sure they didn't do anything to Chaejin. There was a folder on the table already, as if they expected to have her there that night.

“How did you find me?” she asked, looking more irritated than scared. The leader gestured with one hand and a man stepped out. She looked at the man, her face transforming into a glare instantly. “What's this cowardly little slime ball doing here?”

“I led them to you,” the man said, his mouth twitching as he snarled at her.

“I should have killed you,” she spat.

“As if you had the strength. Where's your little body guard, now, little girl?” he asked, smirking at her. Her glare intensified.

“Enough. We have much to discuss, Misun,” the leader said, bringing her attention back to him. She made a vow to make the man that almost killed her pay for putting a member her family in danger and turned her glare to the man who had called her to that place.

“What do you want?” she snapped. He smirked at her attitude, choosing to not be offended by her fire. After all, it would come to good use for him.

“I need to make use of your services once again, little lady,” he said.

“Don't call me that. And you should know that I don't do those things anymore,” she said. The man laughed heartily, as if she just told the most amazing joke.

“Oh, but my dear, you do. I've seen glimpses of your work as of late. Not nearly as good as your previous work, but yours all the same. I want you to make sure this assassination can't be traced back to either of us,” he said, opening the folder finally.

A familiar face stared back at her. She knew him. He was the leader of the gang that had been her rival once upon a time. He chose to conduct his business in a very corporate manner, keeping a clean persona for the public while conducting his illegal business behind the scenes. He rarely got his hands dirty. He was the reason for quite a few of the smaller businesses failing, the reason for more than a few deaths. Oh yes, she knew of him old. And she hated him. But she wasn't sure if the hate was enough to make her want to murder him.

“What if I decline?” she asked softly.

“We kill the boy,” the leader said. The man holding Chaejin pulled out a knife and held it to the boy's throat.

“Don't you dare hurt him,” she growled.

“Then you'll do it?” the leader inquired, raising an eyebrow behind his sunglasses. She bit her lip. She didn't want to go back to that kind of life anymore, but if it was to protect Chaejin...

“Fine,” she finally said, snatching the folder up and walking over to the door. She paused, glancing back at the man. “You harm one hair on his head, I'll make sure you wish you were dead.” And with that, the door closed behind her.

The rain fell in a light drizzle, coating the world in reflections. The apartment building was extremely high class, with guards posted at every entrance. The man on the eighth floor shuffled into his kitchen, flipping on the light switch above the sink and grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge. He drank deeply from it, screwing the cap back on and putting it back in the fridge. He didn't notice that something was amiss. He didn't notice the window, slightly opened, letting in the rain. He didn't notice the small shadow hiding just out of sight. Instead, he shuffled sleepily back to his bedroom, crawling under the blankets and heading back into dreamland. The shadow moved, ghosting towards the open door to the bedroom, pausing out of sight just outside and listening. After a few moments, the sound of his snoring could be heard throughout the apartment, signaling that he was indeed asleep, with little chance of waking up quickly. The shadow crept in, staying low just in case, and held the rag over his mouth. If he wasn't in a deep sleep before, he would definitely be then. The girl pulled the mask down off of her face, a frown playing at her lips as she opened the small briefcase she had brought with her. With the gloves pulled over her petite fingers, she pulled the syringe out and grabbed his hand, ensuring that his fingerprints were all over the smooth glass and the end of the stem that would push the fatal liquid into his veins. She then took the bottle of the fatal liquid out of the case, again ensuring that his fingerprints were indeed on it, and set it on his nightstand. With practiced precision, she stuck the needle into his arm, pumping his blood full of poison. And she waited. His breathing came to a halt, and she carefully positioned his body to make it look like he was the one to inject the fatal liquid into his veins, rather than an outside force doing so. She left the syringe in his hand loosely, as if he held the needle until he drew his last breath. And with that, she ghosted back out the window, pulling it shut and carefully making her way back down to the ground. There was no sign that anyone else was ever there.

The girl found herself flung to the floor of a cell in the warehouse after she found her way back. They would keep her and the boy until morning, to make sure she did as she was instructed. The boy crawled over to her, pulling her up and holding her. She hugged the younger boy tightly, glad that he was safe, as promised.

“I'm so sorry, Chaejin. Just please, don't ever become a monster like me,” she muttered, afraid to let him go.

The news the next morning told of a wealthy business man who committed suicide in his eighth floor apartment. While they couldn't come up with a motive, no one questioned if it was really suicide or murder. The man who hired the girl to do the job stood in front of the cell and let the two kids go, a smirk on his face. With a few words commending her work, he practically threw them out of the warehouse, telling them to find their own way back. The two walked back in silence. He wanted to ask her if she was okay, but he could tell that she wasn't. Instead, he left her to her thoughts. Without realizing it, their feet brought them to the place they all called home, even if it wasn't their home. She glanced up at him, and he could see the range of emotions that played behind her eyes. Anger, sadness, guilt, regret, hesitation, and most of all, fear. He took her hand to give her confidence and led her to the door. Whatever awaited them, he would stand by her. Because she was his sister that he loved dearly, no matter what she did. 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I know I haven't updated in a while, and I apologize. I'll admit it, I got wrapped up in a new fic that I probalby won't post until it is 100% complete. That, and work. And YouTube. So many things eating my life. Also, I drew Sunny. 

http://ayme-kugurumi.deviantart.com/art/Of-Protection-And-Fools-Sunny-395264491

And also

http://ayme-kugurumi.deviantart.com/art/Of-Protection-And-Fools-Sunny-2-395264802

The face of the boy is left intentionally unseen, because I haven't fully dedicated a single interest, and the pose could be interpreted many ways. Such as being friendly, or brother-and-sisterly.