~Chapter 6~

His Bad Side

Minho’s POV~

“Thank you,” Taemin says. “I seriously owe you.”

“Hey, if I didn’t attack you in the first place, this wouldn’t have happened.”

“Good point,” Taemin chuckles. “Why were you a bandit anyways? You seem like a nice guy. Why’d you choose that path?”

“Well, I had no choice really. Remember the last guy that you killed?”

“Yeah,” Taemin says with shame.

“Well, he met me when I was a starving and injured werewolf. He actually nurtured me back to health and helped me control myself, not changing form so often. He was a bandit, so I stayed in the mountains with them. They were bad people indeed, but to me, they were kind. Everyone treated me like I was their child. And when you came and killed them off, I couldn’t hold myself back and had to attack.”

“I-I’m so sorry.” Taemin hugs Kai and rubs his back. “I had no idea that they were so important to you. Their deaths and you hurting me must have really shocked you. I-I’m just so sorry. I was being greedy. I just really wanted to get that child and recruit my hyungs, not knowing who I was dealing with. I didn’t want to kill anyone though.” Taemin stops hugging Kai and looks at him with sad eyes. “Killing them shocked me too. I never hurt anyone with my martial arts, not to mention killing people. If I said that it didn’t bother me, I’d be lying to you. I am not a murderer. I was just trying to get out of there alive and I just had to and I—” Taemin’s lip quivers as he starts tearing up. “I’m sorry. I tried to forget about the looks on their faces as I killed them. I tried so hard but whenever I close my eyes it just appears. I regret it so much and there’s nothing I can do to help them. And now that I know that they were important to you, I just feel so much worse.”

“I get it; you don’t have to feel bad for me. You had no choice hyung. It was survival of the fittest. You had to complete your mission and you had to survive no matter what.” Kai hugs Taemin this time, trying to stop him from rambling about his mistakes. “You know, when I pictured meeting you, I pictured you to be this cool heroic man that I can look up to.”

“I’m sorry I disappointed you then.” Taemin sniffs.

“No, I still think that way. You are a hero, hyung. You were cool enough to accept such a scary mission and did it for a good cause. You only killed them because you were about to die. I can’t deny the fact that yes, it does hurt me a bit when I think back, but there’s no point in mourning the past. I have to enjoy the present time and wish for a better future.” Kai smiles. “I actually never saw you happy, not even once. I never saw you truly happy or smiling. Even when you reunited with your hyungs, you were happy, but you didn’t truly smile…”

“It was because I was ashamed of myself,” Taemin says.

“What?”

“I killed people Kai. I was a servant for a year and I am still wearing these damn chains. Compared to who I was I am so different. I wanted them to be with me so life wouldn’t be so hard, but once again, I was being greedy and wanted them to be with me. When I found out they have been through so much, it made me understand how selfish I was, wanting them to be with me to protect me. Before we left our hometown, I was like a baby to them both. They would take care of me and treated me like a cute little kid. Now that I am so weak and low, I felt ashamed.

“How can I smile when I am nothing better than a servant? How can I smile when all I want to do is leave? How can I smile when I know that I have such a huge task to do, but I am too weak and useless to complete it? Kai, if I can’t fix the problem then everything will repeat itself and my hyungs will be in a lot of pain. As the person that they have always protected, I feel obligated to protect them back. I need to protect them and let them have the chance to smile. If there’s anyone that is going to die, it will be me.” What does he mean by all of this? Does he know that one of us will die? Why in the world will he choose to die? How can he be so brave?

“I am not letting that happen to you. You won’t die.” Kai says firmly.

“One of us will and I know it. Unlike you who can only see this lifetime’s future, I know what will happen many lifetimes later! I know what I have to do to fix everything before it all burns into flames! You don’t understand and you will never understand what I’m thinking.” Taemin yells.

“Then make me understand. Explain to me everything so I can. I need to know to help you.”

“You said that you predicted that you are here to help me right?”

“Then listen to my orders. You will protect Joon hyung and make sure he lives. This is my one and only order for you.”

“But—”

“I am sorry, but this is an order. No matter how annoyed or wronged you may feel, you have to do this. If he dies, then everything will happen not in our favor.”

“What will happen?”

“When we all end up dead, we will turn into angels or demons and be against each other, sacrifice ourselves for the world, end up reincarnating in this cycle, and never get what we truly want.”

“And what do we truly want?”

“Freedom and love,” Taemin sighs. “Two things that we can never get if we continue in this cycle. I know that this may be confusing for you because you don’t know exactly what I have experienced, but you have to understand that this is very important to me. I know that I came here to fix things. This includes fixing the future for all of us, including you.”

“Why?”

“Because even in the future, you will risk your life and do everything to help me. I want your future to be free as well. You don’t deserve to be in this cycle also. Also, you need to find someone that will love you and someone that you truly love and protect not because you have to, but because you want to. I want everyone to end up being free and have someone they love and truly love them.” Taemin says.

“Yeah, you want that for everyone but yourself.”

“What?”

“I know that you all have a lover that was tied to you by fate. Jonghyun hyung told me all about it. If you die, that means Onew hyung will have his love, but you, you will not and neither does your fated love.”

“That person can find another person. Besides, if I fix the past, this means that my lover will be free. It’s okay.” Taemin nods.

“Stop trying to be a hero and save yourself from the cycle as well. You know that when time comes and you lose your life, everyone will cry for you and the cycle will actually continue, just revolving around you and not Joon hyung this time. You have to survive too you know.”

“Everyone has to die once in their life, it’s just earlier or later than we expect. If I don’t regret dying or have dark feelings, I will not turn evil and everything will be fixed. I don’t make decisions without thinking, Kai.”

“I see that your mind is set; there’s no point in me trying to talk you out of it. But when you do, I hope you find a way to have me not die in vain myself.” Kai gets up and leaves the room.

“You can stop hiding now,” Taemin says, and pours three cups of tea. “There’s no use in acting like you’re not here, I sensed you guys a while ago.”

“He’s good,” Key hyung chuckles and we both jump off the room and enter Taemin’s room.

“I wasn’t expecting us to meet like this. I mean, we haven’t talked and now I find you guys spying on me. I think that you owe me some explanations?” Taemin sips the tea and motions for us to have some with his other hand. We both drink the tea and exchange eye contact.

“Sorry for spying, we were just curious,” I finally say.

“Curious about me?” He raises an eyebrow and puts his teacup down. “Then you should have just simply stopped by and talked to me instead of spying. Forgive my impudence, but I find it rude and uncalled for. Also, now that you know Kai’s identity, I hope that you both won’t keep it in mind and do anything rash, or else I would have to stop you.” He takes another sip of his tea. “Don’t provoke me, a quiet and obedient person, to do something unlike myself.” He smiles challengingly.

Does he by any chance know that I learned my skills in the mountain with the monster hunters? How did he know that I was thinking about killing him? But, I did change my mind after realizing that he was helping Taemin…He was injured because I sent him on the mission and Kai protected him, so I wasn’t planning to actually kill him. This is really unlike me to be weary of such a weak person and actually want to keep a monster alive…“You’re reckless, arrogant, probably be dead soon, but I like you,” Key smiles and clinks his cup with Taemin’s and sips the tea. “You’re reckless because you think that you can go around threatening whoever you want to.” Key clicks his tongue and shakes his head. “Sorry I am being blunt, but your threat means nothing to me. I was never scared of a threat and I never lost in any fight I have been in.”

“Blood can only be paid by blood. I hope that can keep up that arrogance as well Kibum-ssi, but when there is a tall mountain, there will be another higher than it. One day when you lose, don’t be surprised.” Taemin says calmly.

“You—”

“I’m sorry, but it’s getting late and I need to rest. The door is that way,” Taemin cuts Key hyung off and stand up, gesturing us to the door.

“Let’s go Key hyung,” I say and drag him out before he starts a scene.

“Let me go!” Key hyung shakes my hand off and growls. “That stupid, ill-mannered boy!” He huffs. “If you didn’t pull me out I would have let him taste a bit of my skills!” He sits down angrily.

“I know, I know,” I chuckle. “Calm down Key hyung, he’s only a kid. Besides, he probably doesn’t like us because of the mission and now that we spied on him, he felt like we were rude. Truthfully speaking, I don’t blame him.”

“Why do you think he told me ‘blood pays with blood’?” Key hyung asks. “How did he know that I kill—”

“I also have a feeling that he knows that I kill monsters. Kid sure is more than we have expected. He even felt that we were there. It only takes skilled fighters to sense us. I mean, we’re skilled ourselves.”

“Right,” Key hyung sighs. “I can’t stop thinking about him telling Kai that he was willing to die…As rude as he may seem, he sure is brave and loyal to his hyungs.”

“I can see how much is bothering him in his eyes, they’re just so sad,” I point out.

“Yeah, just like your eyes,”

“Key hyung, you—”

“It’s getting late; we should both head to bed,” Key hyung says.

“Agreed,” I nod and we head our different ways.

I finally get up and stretch after hearing so much noise. It’s so early, why is it so loud? I open the door and see a crowd of people standing in front of Key hyung and an unfamiliar male. I sneak through the crowd and see Taemin standing with his sword near the male’s neck. “No matter what you say this is an intruder. If he was here with good intentions, why should he sneak in like that and even challenge me to a duel? Kibum-ssi, are you hiding something?” Taemin smirks.

“I am telling you the damn truth. Na…m Kyu is my cousin. I told him that I joined the clan so he wanted to go check it out.”

“You know the rules; outsiders aren’t supposed to be in in the clan or know about the clan. I think I have to kill this fellow.” Taemin moves his sword closer to the male’s neck.

“W-wait! Why don’t I have a say in this. I want to join the clan! Don’t go around putting your sword on people’s necks!” the male says with a soft and feminine voice. He places two fingers on the handle on Taemin’s sword and pushes it away.

“Yeah, let him join the clan. He’s been obsessing over the clan when I told him I’m joining it.” Key hyung has to be nice to Taemin. He started off on Taemin’s bad side, so the kid won’t let him go that easily.

“Rules are that only heroes and servants of at least one year may recruit people to the clan,” Taemin says. “You are not a true hero in anyone’s eyes here.”

“You—”

“Therefore, I will recruit your cousin,” Taemin cuts Key hyung off and puts his sword back into his sheath. “Nam Kyu was it?” The male nods. “Word of advice: don’t look where you are about to attack since it hints your opponent where to block and how to kill you.” Taemin walks away and back to the practicing area.

“Why the hell are you here Naeun!?” Key hyung yells after the coast was clear.

“I was bored,” Naeun smiles and looks at me. “Hello brother, long time no see.”

Minho is really a prince?! No way no way! Comments are loved~