Chapter 25: Wonderland II

Time of death 14:30pm October 8th, 2014

The corridor was empty and silent, somewhat gloomy. Jongin sat on a bench beside the wall, waiting. The door of the ward opened and Min Seok walked out. His face was lowered so it was impossible to say what kind of expression he was making. Jongin sprang to his feet but was entirely ignored. The older male walked past him with his head hanging low until he suddenly collapsed by the wall. Jongin glanced at the window of the ward and saw how a nurse covered the patient’s face with the blanket. A frustrated sigh left his lips and he walked to Min Seok. The latter flinched when a hand landed on his shoulder.

“Leave me”, he shot Jongin a glare and pressed himself into the wall, leaning his head against the cool surface. Sitting in that kind of position, he seemed small and vulnerable. The look on his face was empty; he didn’t appear sad or shocked, just completely blank.

Staying in the same position for hours, he didn’t move an inch, didn’t even blink once as if frozen. Jongin waited for him at a good distance, pacing back and forth then sitting down and then getting to his feet again. He had no idea who the dead old man was and why it affected Min Seok like this. He didn’t know what he was doing there either, but since Min Seok had let him come it meant they were close and that’s all what mattered.

Suddenly Min Seok got up and spun around, he had the usual dark but playful look on his face, completely wicked. Slipping his hands in the pockets of his slacks he walked towards Jongin and past him.

“Come doll”, he simply said and Jongin trailed behind him. He didn’t ask anything because he knew that Min Seok didn’t like noisy people. He preferred silence and spoke only when he had to, expecting similar behavior from people around him. There was always a smirk on his face as if he was ridiculing everything, the whole world. Maybe he was. He turned out to be a sarcastic person, everything was just a joke to him be it someone’s life or a funny video online. His sarcasm had no boundaries and it seemed to have swallowed all other feelings.  He was confident but never pretended to be stronger than he was. In fact, he appeared weak and fragile; his body was nothing but a meaningless vessel to his morbid thoughts. He wasn’t angry or disappointed, he was just messed up.

It was obvious that something was wrong with him mentally, but he wasn’t crazy or irrational. No, he kept himself together at all times and that’s why it was hard to tell if he even felt anything at all. The only time when he seemed to relax and let go was during . Even when he was drunk or under the influence of drugs, he seemed to be sober. Everything about him was wicked and warped. He was unnaturally cruel and harsh when he wanted to be. He enjoyed pain, inflicting and receiving. He enjoyed seeing fear around himself and had an unhealthy fixation with blood. Nothing mattered to him. He was completely free from morals or such feelings as sympathy or guilt. He was trapped in cruel darkness, in the wonderland of his own wickedness. He was insane yet completely sane. They called him Mr. Rabbit because he seemed so harmless on the outside, but he was fast to show that it wasn’t so.

“You know?” Min Seok stared at the ceiling as he puffed out cigarette smoke.

After leaving the hospital, he had taken Jongin to the hotel suite, where they usually met, and they had . Of course, no was fun for Min Seok if drugs weren’t involved and this time he had settled on ecstasy, which was an unusual choice for him taking into account the effects. He had been gentler and softer than usual.

For a long moment, they lied side by side on the white sheets, stark , waiting for the drug to fade off. Jongin had his eyes closed. He couldn’t bear to look at Min Seok’s scarred body for longer than necessary. The older male had been stabbed, burned, shot, and tortured in every possible way. Jongin didn’t know the history of Min Seok’s scars, but he could guess that he had willingly accepted a lot of the torture if not even inflicted it upon himself. What wasn’t scarred was covered in black thin ink.

“That man who died, he was my first love.”

“What?” Jongin asked with a mix of surprise and disbelief. He opened his eyes and turned his head towards Min Seok, his cheek pressing into the fluffy pillow. The older male kept smoking his cigarette while blankly staring at the ceiling. His calmness often terrified Jongin, especially at the moment, and his heart swelled with anxiety, beating in abnormal rhythm.

“My aunt introduced him to me.”

Jongin furrowed his brows, thinking that the man had looked old, disturbingly old.

“I was 8 then.”

There was a short heavy silence and Jongin gulped, not liking where this discussion was going. The drug was still circulating in his system and it made him feel nauseous. He trembled slightly and cold sweat appeared on his forehead. He was sick of feeling like this, but he couldn’t do anything about it. He felt trapped into something he couldn’t handle, Min Seok’s wonderland.

“My aunt invited him over. The first day he came we only talked and he gave me sweets. He was nice.” Min Seok spoke with monotone voice like a robot. “The next day he came he held me on his lap and told me to his index finger.”

Jongin grimaced, his heart stirring in his chest. The lack of emotion and the completely dead tone of Min Seok’s voice mixed into something horrifying when his uncontrollable imagination took the best of him.

“Of course, I didn’t do it. It was weird. Do you know what he did then?”

“Wh-what?” Jongin stuttered.

“He went to get a jar of honey and then coated his finger with it. Then he told me to it clean. I liked honey so I did it.” Min Seok dumped the cigarette into the ashtray on the bedside table and picked up a new cigarette. “He came every day for one week and every time he’d make me his fingers. It was getting addicting.” He sat up, leaned against the headboard, and lighted the cigarette. “Guess what he made me next?” He glanced at Jongin as he took a drag, smoke coming out from his nose and mouth. “His dic.k.” His lips tugged into a barely noticeable smirk.

Jongin paled, pained expression spreading across his features. He had no idea why he was suddenly panicking but the anxiety within him grew greater by each second. He didn’t want to hear any of this, he’d rather die.

“He took off his clothes and told me to touch him everywhere, to his a.ss. He said he’d reward me if I did what he wanted.”

Jongin covered his mouth with his palm and gagged.

“I liked it. Everything tasted like honey, his s, his skin, and even his . He always praised me afterwards and that made me feel good. I was happy then, the happiest in my life”, Min Seok spoke leisurely as if talking about something completely normal.

“Please”, Jongin croaked, his breathing growing uneven. He felt sick to the core of his being.

“I liked him. He was nice. He always brought me gifts and took me to interesting places like movies, the zoo, circus. He called it dating. He touched me and made me feel good and warm. He told me he loved me, no one else ever did. I liked it how he sometimes spent the night and held me while sleeping.”

Min Seok watched how Jongin got up and staggered to the bathroom, admiring his body and smooth tanned skin. It felt so right against his rough and scarred. “No one understands me.” He shook his head and angled his face upward, puffing out cigarette smoke. “How sad.”

The vomit was already spilling out before Jongin could reach the toilet bowl, he managed to keep it in his mouth and spat it out only after collapsing on the cold tiled floor. He couldn’t stop retching even after there was nothing to vomit anymore. His knuckles turned white from his thigh grip of the toilet bowl.

“You are so sensitive”, Min Seok appeared at the door, already dressed in his pants. “Does it disgust you that much when I show some feelings?” he smiled darkly but suddenly the look in his eyes sharpened when he saw blood on Kai Ji’s chin. He dropped his cigarette and rushed to the younger male’s side. Jongin yelped, slid into a corner, and covered his face with his arms. He didn’t see Min Seok, he saw a monster, a back blur with blood red eyes and sharp teeth. He started coughing, blood spilling from his lips. His insides were on fire and he groaned at the burning sensation in his throat.

“Look at me, Kai doll, look here”, Min Seok grabbed Jongin’s wrists and pulled his hands away from his face. The latter was crying and whimpering, his unfocused eyes darted all over and his bloodied lips quivered. “My poor doll”, Min Seok said soothingly, worry flashing behind his eyes. “I think you overdosed.” He pulled Jongin into a hug; it was warmer and softer than ever before. “It’s okay, calm down and I’ll take you to the hospital”, he whispered gently, his callous hand Jongin’s messy hair. “I’m sorry.”

 “Ah”, Jongin whimpered, sobbing loudly into Min Seok’s shoulder. He was a mess and he was starting to lose himself, especially when Min Seok was constantly playing his sick mind control games with him, testing him left and right, pushing his boundaries and toying with his sanity. Jongin couldn’t even tell when he was high and when sober anymore, the state of drunkenness remained at all times and he felt like getting even higher to escape the hell. He couldn’t tell if he hated or loved Min Seok, he couldn’t tell left from right.

“I was just joking earlier. It was a joke”, Min Seok said hastily. “Just a story I made up.” His voice didn’t sound convincing, it came out weak and miserable. A tear rolled down his cheek and he hugged Jongin even closer to himself, suddenly craving for warmth. “Kai ah, I’m so relieved he is dead.” And he sounded like a man who had been finally freed from a prison of his atrocious past. He sounded like a child.

“He said he would take me to the wonderland when he gave me the white pill.

And then he me.”

In Operation

Eun Yoo stood in front of the emergency room and stared at the red light. Her face was bank and her eyes misty, she was afraid to expect anything at all. After what she had to go through already, this was certainly an unexpected blow.

“Unni, why don’t you sit down?” Shin Hye tugged at her sleeve.

Eun Yoo didn’t respond. She didn’t even glance at the younger female. Her eyes were focused on the red light and that’s what kept her from tumbling on the floor and screaming.

“Unni-“

“Don’t touch me”, she hissed against all expectations, her voice coming out gruff and low.

“Unni?” Shin Hye stared at her in shock. But Eun Yoo only tossed her a glare, her jaw tightened and brows furrowed. She quickly shifted her eyes back at the red light.

 “Let her be”, Ha Ni’s strained voice came from behind. She was sitting on the bench beside the wall with a blanket on her lap, her eyes red and puffy.

“Why can’t dad be here?” Shin Hye’s eyes filled with tears. “What if oppa- what if something goes wrong?” She covered her face with her palms. “Oppaaaaa”, she wailed. “My only oppa, my favorite oppa. What am I going to do without him? Oppa”, she sobbed like a little child and Eun Yoo pulled her into a hug with one arm, her eyes never leaving the red light. “Unni, I miss oppa already. I miss-”

“Shhh, oppa knows”, Eun Yoo whispered. “Shhh.”

Ha Ni sighed and lowered her gaze. She had called Hyuk Jae earlier but he was in Japan attending an important meeting and his phone had been turned off. She had left him a message and was sure that he would hurry back as soon as he saw it. She understood that he was a busy man, but sometimes she really hated him for being away so much.

With a flicker, the red light changed to green and the door of the emergency room opened. Ha Ni stood up and Shin Hye stopped crying, everyone’s eyes were on the doctor. He pulled the mask down and flashed a rest-assuring smile.

“The surgery took longer than expected but the patient’s condition has stabilized.”

Eun Yoo let out a weary sigh and lowered her gaze, tears glistening in her eyes.

“What a relief!” Ha Ni placed a hand over her heart. It had seemed to be still all this time and now it finally started beating again.

“Thank you ahjussi! Thank you!” Shin Hye grabbed the doctor’s hand and bowed, with tears in her eyes. “Thank you so much.”

“Unfortunately we had to remove his left kidney and he also lost quite a lot of blood so he might be feeling very weak for some time. Once the effects of the anesthetics wear off, he should wake up.”

“What about his head?” Eun Yoo asked quietly.

“fMRI scans revealed no injuries. He was lucky this time.”

“What the fu.ck do you mean by lucky?! You call this lucky you bloody bastar.d! Do you even know what you are talking about?” Eun Yoo screamed inside her head but on the surface she showed no signs of anger, she was too drained from energy. Besides, ever since Sehun had been wheeled into the emergency room the doctors had rest assured that his life was not in danger. She had not believed them at first, skeptical about everything when it came to Sehun. Now, she was thankful and relieved, so relieved that she finally allowed herself to faint.

When Hyuk Jae arrived at the hospital, a day had already passed since the surgery. He refused to go home even though he had come straight from the airport without his luggage, he had left it behind. After the anesthetics wore off, Sehun didn’t wake up. It was already the second day of the coma and Hyuk Jae hadn’t slept a wink. He barely left his son’s side, sitting by his bed and holding his hand, begging for him to wake up. No matter what anyone told him, he refused to eat, take a shower or rest. The only time he left Sehun’s side was when he went to bathroom or received a call from work.

“How is… he?” Jin Ki asked cautiously. He had caught Hyuk Jae outside the ward talking on the phone.

“I don’t want to see you right now.”

“I’m sorry something like this happened.”

“You are sorry?” Hyuk Jae scoffed, glancing at the shorter man from under his bangs. “The first time I met you I knew you were nothing but a rotten bast.ard.”

“Hey now…” Jin Ki was clearly offended by these words. “You know that Da Hyun….”

“And it’s your damn fault”, Hyuk Jae hissed.

“I told you to keep him out”, Jin Ki pointed out smartly, crossing his arms over his chest. “So don’t take it out on me now.”

Hyuk Jae looked away, tugging at his hair in frustration. They were telling him to keep a prosecutor from investigating a crime! That was not exactly the easiest mission out there, especially when his son was so darn stubborn. “What the fu.ck happened exactly?”

“Things got out of hand and Kang Min made it all worse by getting Min Seok involved.”

“I’m sick of hearing that name”, Hyuk Jae grunted. “Can’t you do something about him already?”

“I was onto it but since things turned out like this the trial has been pushed back too.”

“Foolish idiot”, Hyuk Jae whispered, glancing at the door of his son’s ward. “Maybe we should have told him…” Then his sharp eyes shifted at Jin Ki, the man looked honestly miserable and tired.

“Why did you let Kang Min get the tattoo in the first place?”

“You know it… Go Jun insisted and-”

“It never stops to amuse me how the only time you actually listen to him things turn out like this”, Hyuk Jae said sarcastically, crossing his arms over his chest. “Why exactly…” His voice trailed off, he just couldn’t understand. Why? How?

“It was for Da Hyun’s sake”, Jin Ki said helplessly. “When it comes to her you know me. I can’t argue.”

“Da Hyun’s sake my a.ss”, Hyuk Jae spat. “And where is your Da Hyun now? Huh?”

Jin Ki closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“You shouldn’t have let Go Jun have-“

“Shut your trap”, Jin Ki growled. When his eyes opened they were dim and distant. “Never bring that up again.”

“Pathetic”, Hyuk Jae spat and turned his head away.

“Anyway, you look pretty bad.”

“I wonder whose fault that is…”

“Maybe you should stop being stubborn and take a rest.”

“Look in the mirror…”

“I just did and I liked what I saw.”

“Then you must be blind”, Hyuk Jae spat and added under his breath: “Shrimp.”

“What did you just call me?” Jin Ki’s face stiffened. “I thought we were through that!”

“You idiots never stop bickering, do you?” Sun Mi walked up to the two. She stifled a yawn while looking them up and down. “You both look horrible.” It’s not that she looked any better, for once she wasn’t wearing any make up and her hair was on a messy bun. Her clothes were wrinkled and she was wearing hospital slippers on her feet. At the moment, she was far from being the perfect woman she so hard strived to be.

“That can’t be helped, I guess”, Hyuk Jae muttered with a hint of irritation in his voice.

“What do you want, anyway?” Jin Ki’s eyes fell on the folded newspaper under Sun Mi’s armpit.

“Have you two read the news?”

“What happened now?” Hyuk Jae grunted.

“Promise to not get a heart attack, okay? We don’t want to lose you just yet”, Sun Mi gave Hyuk Jae a firm look as if to emphasize her words.

The latter fidgeted cautiously and exchanged looks with Jin Ki, who only shrugged with a frown.

“All right then”, Sun Mi took a deep breath before opening the paper and holding it up for the two men to see the headlines on the front page. Hyuk Jae and Jin Ki were both equally surprised and shocked, but it was Hyuk Jae who suddenly gasped for air and clutched to his sweater above his heart. Seeing that he started to hyperventilate, Jin Ki grabbed his arm and led him to a nearby chair.

“You have no heart, sister”, he tossed Sun Mi a scolding look.

“He would have found out sooner or later”, she argued, her eyes settling on Hyuk Jae’s pale face. “I told you not to panic too much.”

“What, what…” Hyuk Jae muttered. “What the hell is that sh.it?” he shrieked, pointing his finger at the paper in a very overdramatic manner. “What? Just what?”

Jin Ki scoffed to himself and crossed his arms over his chest, a dark smirk tugging at his lips.

“I don’t know but I like the outcome, anyway.”

“You bastar.d! Can’t you shut your trap for once?” Hyuk Jae hissed at him.

“I knew you would lose this round.” Jin Ki pushed Hyuk Jae’s head. The latter gritted his teeth, about to stand up, but Sun Mi held him down.

“Oppa, not now…”

Hyuk Jae lowered his eyes and his fingers curled into tight fists. He couldn’t bear to see Jin Ki’s smiling face now. It was too much. Sometimes he really hated this man. He was too cruel.

“Who is behind this stunt?”

“Rabbit.”

“Of course, I should have known…” Jin Ki glanced at Hyuk Jae, something mysterious flashing behind his eyes. “Even though this round might not be over just yet, I better go pay a visit to Mr. Rabbit and thank him.”

“Why don’t you just do that”, Sum Mi said flatly.

“Well then, my lovely sister. My dear friend…”

For a while, it was silent. Hyuk Jae propped his elbows on his thighs, holding his head between his hands. Suddenly he felt cold fingers wrapping around his wrist.

“Are you okay?” Sun Mi asked with a hint of worry in her voice. He glanced at her and saw that the look in her eyes had softened. For once she didn’t look like a she-devil but like a mother. Hyuk Jae found that a bit ironic.

“How about you?” He flashed a weary little smile as he straightened up and sighed deeply.

“For the time being I fine.” She pulled her hand away and let it drop on her lap. Her face seemed to grow paler and her eyes dimmed as she thought about something.

Out of old habit, Hyuk Jae pat her head. It took her by surprise since he hadn’t done it for such a long time. In fact, it surprised him too, but he soon felt a surge of warmth shooting through him, bringing a gentle smile to his lips.

“I really miss Go Jun at moments like these”, Sun Mi sighed. When she closed her eyes she could almost feel his powerful presence beside herself. He always used to hold onto her hand so tightly like he was never going to let go.  But now his warm hand wasn’t there, it would never be there ever again. Instead of soothing, the memory of him only hurt.

“Me too.”

If Go Jun had been there with them he wouldn’t have said anything. But it was his silence what had made him so special in the first place, anyway. They really missed his silence. Just like when he had been there, they had missed his voice.

*

“Da Hyun”, Sehun muttered incoherently once his eyes fluttered open. He couldn't tell if he was still at the scene or somewhere else, or if everything had only been a bad dream. His body ached, it burned everywhere, he gasped for air, his eyes almost bulged from their sockets and he arched his back. “Da Hyun, Da Hyun”, he called out, panting, in pain, confused. The last thing he saw was her, he heard gunshots and there was blood everywhere. Anxiety shook him and he started hyperventilating.

“It's all right, it's all right, Sehun! Everything is all right”, Eun Yoo grabbed his hand, her soothing voice never reaching him.

“Da Hyun”, he called out in hoarse voice. “No, no, no!” All he could see was blood, he could still hear the gunshots, the ruckus, see her worried face. She was in pain, in so much pain, hurt, wounded, maybe even dead.

Sehun grabbed onto his stomach, feeling blood there, it was wet and sticky. He still felt the knife in his flesh even though he was now lying on a hospital bed far away from it all. He only calmed down when the nurse rushed into the room and gave him an injection. His breaths soon became even and he fell back into a dark slumber, sweat rolling down his temples, his teeth gritted together.

Every time Sehun woke up he came back to the same scene at the warehouse, lying on the cold floor with a knife sticking from his lower back. The blood was seeping through his clothes, his own blood and the world was red to him. There were gunshots and wounded Da Hyun collapsing on his chest. He couldn't decide whether he was on fire or ice cold, his eyes saw nothing but the same nightmare repeating on a loop again and again.

Every time there was a different person standing next to him and every time the nurse came with the syringe. It was like a scene straight from a horror movie. They were cruelly torturing him, making him go through the same torment again and again and again. Every time his eyes fluttered open, he was more exhausted than the last time, and he felt like he was slowly bleeding to death. He didn't want to go to sleep, didn't want to close his eyes, he was afraid he'd never be able to wake up again.

“Where is Da Hyun?” he yelled, his voice hoarse and strained. “Da Hyun!”

“Son, calm down. Calm down first”, his father's miserable voice answered from somewhere above. He didn’t even sound like himself, he sounded like a ghost.

“No! No!” Sehun squirmed on the bed, his clothes were drenched in sweat and he shivered from cold yet he felt like he was on flames. “Da Hyun!” he demanded.

“Sehun, dear. Calm down!” His father held him still for the nurse. “Everything will be all right.”

“Bring her! I want to see her”, Sehun cried out. “I don't want to sleep! Let me go! No!”

The syringe slipped from the nurse's hand, still stuck into his upper arm. He was moving around, fighting back, breathing sharply yet there didn't seem to be enough air. His heart was beating madly in his chest, so fast he thought it would explode soon. He started hyperventilating and fell on the pillows his eyes rolling back. He gasped for air gripping on the blankets and the last thing he saw was his father crying, but he didn't know who those tears were meant for, him or “Da Hyun...”

Next time Sehun opened his eyes, he was too tired to move. Lying lifelessly on the pillows he stared at Jongin's worn out face. His best friend was sitting beside the bed staring at him with unreadable expression in his eyes. He had definitely lost weight and looked nauseous. He looked like cr.ap, actually.

“You smell like cigarettes”, Sehun muttered. “Did you start smoking again?”

“Sort of”, Jongin answered in a gentle whisper. “How are you feeling?”

“Really bad”, Sehun flashed a weak smile. “How long have I been like this?”

“Four days. They had to perform a small surgery, it went well. You lost quite a lot of blood but no vitally important organs were damaged. Well, they removed one kidney...  It’s been seven days since the surgery, but you caught a high fever and have been having nightmares and hallucinations”, Jongin explained tiredly, worry evident in his eyes. He slowly moved to place his palm on Sehun's forehead. “It seems like the fever has gone down quite a lot.”

“God, I feel like I'm back from dead”, Sehun uttered a dry chuckle.

“Eun Yoo, your mother and sister have all been crying nonstop. You even made your father cry, he was sobbing like a little baby”, Jongin chuckled warmly. “I have to admit that seeing you in such a state was pretty horrible. You were going crazy and the look in your eyes was insane. For a moment, I thought I have lost you, babe.”

“Sh.it, I don't even want to know”, Sehun muttered, closing his eyes.

“Once you even fell off the bed, yelling and screaming. Your body is covered in one huge bruise from head to toe, you got beaten pretty bad there”, Jongin kept talking in low voice, wiping Sehun's bangs off his forehead. He paused and his lips quivered, for a moment he looked like he was going to start crying but he held himself together. “I’m sorry”, he whispered in ghastly unnatural voice.

Sehun let out a soft sigh. “You were the one who called me there.”

“Please, bear with it for a little longer.”

“It doesn’t look like you are going to explain anything.”

“You won't die, I can promise you that.”

“I’m in.”

“Good, because you are arrested for Jung Woo's murder.”

It was not the wound, not the burning sensation of a bullet piercing through the flesh, and not the overwhelming ache. More than anything, Da Hyun's body suffered from the shock caused by the injury. She woke up on the hospital bed confused and weak, unable to even move her body. Her family members came and went but she didn't say a word, she only listened to their voices telling her things she couldn't process at the moment. She saw Hong Kyu walking around healthy and in one piece, but she didn't ask about Kang Min or Sehun, she couldn’t.  All she wanted to do was sleep, so she slept and no one rushed her to get up. Everything became completely still and calm for a week.

There were no dreams, everything felt only empty and meaningless. The relief of being alive mixed with the pressing danger of reality. Da Hyun thought about what had happened at the warehouse and it made her feel nauseous. How did Sehun end up there? Why did they stab him? Why did Kang Min ask her to go there? What was Jongin up to lately? Why did Sehun show up at her apartment with that photograph? Where was this all going to? What was she supposed to do now?

“Sehun”, Da Hyun called out in her sleep, tears squeezing from between her closed eyelids. “Sehun.” She knew he was okay, he had to be. After all, she had broken the sacred rule of the underworld just for his sake. Just because. She had the feeling that he was alive, somewhere near, probably closer than she even expected. Lying on her stomach, her cheek sinking into the pillow, she stirred in her sleep, reaching out her hand. “Sehun”, she muttered incoherently, in a quiet barely audible voice.

A warm hand grabbed hers and squeezed gently. “I'm here”, a husky voice spoke calmly. “I'm here, don't worry.”

“Hmmm”, Da Hyun smiled in her sleep. He was alive and he was there. No one else had such a warm hand. It felt good when that firm hand her hair, when it rubbed her back spreading warmth everywhere. “I'm sorry.” His lips brushed against her cheek and he planted a kiss on the corner of . “Da Hyun, baby...” His whisper was full of need, desire, love, and tenderness. All that mixed together into comforting bubbly ardor inside of her. “I love you.”

Never protect anyone.

Bulls.hit!

When Da Hyun's eyes fluttered open she was alone and she sat up, rubbing her eyes. It was impossible to say if Sehun had really been there, but her heart beat restlessly just at the thought of it. The door opened and So Hwan strolled in with a smile on her pretty face.

“You are awake.”

“Yeah... I'm hungry.”

“Gosh Hyunnie, you finally spoke”, she gushed, rushing to Da Hyun's side. “How are you feeling?”

“How many days has it been again?”

“Five, since you were admitted.”

“How about Sehun?” Da Hyun asked carefully and frowned when she saw So Hwan's uncertain expression. “Don't tell me he died.”

“No, heavens no! He is doing just fine... Or I think his health is fine but...”

“Just spit it out.”

“Don't be too shocked.”

“I won't.”

“Promise?”

Da Hyun groaned in frustration. “Just tell me.”

“I think he has been taken to the prison hospital or something.”

“What?” Da Hyun frowned. “Why?”

“He is the main suspect for Jung Woos murder.”

Da Hyun's jaw dropped and her eyes opened wide. “You are kidding me...” It had to be a lie.

Jung Woo’s murder.

Not who, but why?

Going alone anywhere was forbidden for Da Hyun after the incident. Hong Kyu stuck to her side like glue and even followed her to the ladies' room just in case she planned to escape through the window. Even though he could be outrageous sometimes, his presence took Da Hyun’s mind off the unpleasant things. And they always ended up bickering about the most ridiculous things.

On the sixth day after the incident Da Hyun was discharged from the hospital and the first place she went to was home. Hong Kyu slouched on the sofa, flipping through women's magazines and chewing loudly on his gum while Da Hyun took a shower, applied lotion on the wound and changed her clothes.

Dressed into a pair of skinny jeans and a sweater, she marched out finally looking like a human. She seemed to be reviewed compared to the ghastly Da Hyun at the hospital. Now she had a thin layer of makeup on her face and it made her look livelier.

“Let's go”, she called out, grabbing her biker jacket and pulling on her boots.

“Go where?” Hong Kyu raised his brows in surprise. “I thought your mother told you to rest.”

“Let's just make a quick visit to the prosecutor's office.”

“The trial will be held on Thursday...”

“Not that, I need to meet up with Jongin.”

Losing interest in her own trial, Da Hyun was planning to get to the bottom of Jung Woo's death. He had disappeared for two months before his death, in other words gone into hiding. Mi Rae had met up with him for one month until finally losing contact with him. Da Hyun had already questioned her about the matter and she did admit that Jongin had asked her a lot of questions about this as well, even more than about the money laundering, which he was supposed to be working on. At least at some point.

The door was ajar and Da Hyun slowed her pace, Hong Kyu almost bumped into her back. He gave her a questioning look and she brought her index finger to her lips. They tiptoed closer, listening to the conversation.

“And this is all?” Jongin asked blandly.

“This is what he sent today. There will be more after the trial is over.”

“Whatever, really. As long as I get it in the end”, Jongin's voice got a frustrated note.

“The trial will be held on Thursday, right?”

“Yes, 2pm sharp. If he wants to come and watch he is welcome.”

“If it doesn't go on smoothly boss won't be happy.”

“It will go smoothly”, Jongin rest assured, sternly. “Why are you always doubting me?”

“And why is it taking so long to get rid of the prosecutor? Didn't you arrest him already?” the other male complained with his whiny voice.

“If someone hadn't injured him like that he would be sitting behind the bars already”, Jongin spat. “So thanks for ruining that too...”

“It wasn't exactly my fault, you know.”

“I don't want to talk about it. I'm busy. Just pis.s off, will you.”

“Since when-”

“I said pis.s off, what part of that didn't you understand?”

“Even if hyung favors you, it doesn’t mea-“

“It means I can do whatever the I want. Got it?”

Da Hyun shuddered at unfamiliar cold tone in Jongin's voice. She exchanged looks with Hong Kyu and they both looked at the door when they heard approaching footsteps. They quickly pretended to be just arriving as a young man in black suit passed them, sparing them a mere sideways glance.

“Oh, Da Hyun”, Jongin smiled when he saw her entering. His voice was now back to normal and his brown eyes full of warmth. He was dressed into a charcoal fitting suit, dashing as always. His hair tame, his fringes covering his forehead, from left to right. There was nothing out of ordinary about him, his eyes twinkled the same way as always.

But everything was now different. Simply everything. “He is going to put Sehun behind the bars for what?” Her eyes caught a black briefcase on the desk and puzzle pieces clicked in her brain. After all, Jongin had admitted that he loved money. Now that she gave it a thought, he never said he wouldn't put her behind the bars. One thing hadn’t changed. He was still the same sleek player with secretive thoughts and mysterious actions.  “No one knows what he is thinking.”

“I'm just about to go question Sehun. Wanna tag along?”

This time, Da Hyun got to stand on the other side of the mirror. Jongin walked her in with his hand on her lower back and, for the millionth time, she wondered if that talk about him being gay was just a lie after all. There was another man she had never seen before and they quickly bowed for simple greetings. Hong Kyu stopped next to Da Hyun and looked around curiously. She again, had her eyes fixed on Sehun, who was already waiting in the questioning room.

For t