Soul's Requiem (Chapter 6)
Through the warm haze of unconsciousness there was the sound of a voice muttering something in a soothing tone. Jaejoong couldn’t understand it, his mind too foggy to distinguish words. But he didn’t really want to understand anyway. He was happy like he was, limbs heavy as if every muscle in his body was just hanging limply. He was relaxed and pain free, as if he were simple floating on a bed of fluffy clouds.
The voice came again, sounding as if it were issuing a sort of command. Jaejoong wasn’t sure if it was his subconscious doing as the voice commanded, but he began to move his jaw slowly, feeling something give-way under his teethe.
As he rose back to the waking world, his sense of taste began to return to him, spreading a vile, acidic flavor through his entire mouth. He coughed harshly and spat the vile mix out of his mouth, noting that there seemed to be grains of sand mixed in.
With a disgusted groan, he opened his eyes, blinking into the shadow-ridden room as the reality of his situation impacted him once again. He shivered despite the blanket that was wrapped secularly around his body, protecting him from the chilly air.
His eyes swiveled within their sockets, coming to rest on the wild figure crouching next to him. He felt his gut clench at the sight of manic eyes staring down at him with a mixture of fear, curiosity and the slightly wild and unpredictable edge that was always there.
“What are you doing?” Jaejoong’s voice came out harshly, cracking slightly at the last word.
“I’m feeding him.” The boy snapped back at the pile of rats in the corner, his voice annoyed and slightly impatient. “If you don’t like it, then just leave.” He growled before reaching above Jaejoong’s head with his left hand.
When the boy brought his hand back and forcefully shoved it into Jaejoong’s mouth, it became painfully clear what it was that Junsu was feeding him. Vomit. The same vomit that Jaejoong had heaved into the corner before passing out.
He felt his stomach clench again as he quickly rolled onto all-fours and spat the contents of his mouth onto the cell floor. He felt like he was going to be sick again. Junsu was insane beyond any question, the boy had lost his mind. That was what worried Jaejoong, the fact that just being kept in this cell for years was enough to make someone crazy…then would this happen to him in the end?
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” He coughed harshly, spitting whatever salvia was left in his mouth, onto the floor.
Junsu sat blinking at him for a moment before suddenly standing and starting to pace the length of the cell. “You were right. He’s angry. Very, very angry.” His small hands clutched at junks of his matted hair, his eyes wild with a look that Jaejoong couldn’t even begin to understand.
“I’m not angry.” That was a lie, but he had this strange guilt in the pit of his stomach that made him feel sympathy towards the other male.
“You said your name was Junsu, right?” Jaejoong questioned as he dragged the back of his left hand across his mouth, grimacing slightly when his hand pressed against a sore spot near the corner of his left mouth. He must have bruised his face when he’d fainted. He touched at the sensitive spot with gentle fingers, wincing whenever he pushed too hard.
The boy stopped his pacing, turning dark eyes on Jaejoong’s sitting form. His lips twitched before he rolled his shoulders and began his pacing again. “Yes.” He muttered towards the floor, brow furrowed as he if were contemplating some troublesome thought. “Junsu. Juicy, juicy, Junsu. That’s J-U-N-S-U….I think. I don’t know. I just guessed. If you say it really slow. It kinda sounds like that. I don‘t really know.” His sentences were broken, jumping and darting as much as his eyes did.
Back and forth. Back and fort. Again and again and again. Like a caged animal at a zoo, so claustrophobic and trapped that they can’t do anything else to release their stress but pace back and forth. He would sometimes stop and mutter something about Jaejoong to his “friends”, and then he would begin again.
“How long have you been here?” Jaejoong nearly whispered, eyes full of the fear and pity that was currently washing over him in waves. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to feel revolted or angry that someone would simply throw a person into a small, dark room and let them rot there till they went crazy.
“Uh, took me…uh…Feburary…2003. I remember. Remember because.” He stopped and gripped at his hair, looking troubled. “Killed everyone. All went bye-bye.” He formed the shape of a gun with his fingers and pointed towards his own head, “SPLAT. Brains on the walls! Brains on the pretty red walls. No.” He stopped again, eyes large and panicked, “Not red. W-white walls. White walls smeared with blood! SHUT UP! SHUT THE FUCK UP!” He turned and screamed at the pile of dead rats, fist clenched at his side, blood dripping from his closed palm.
Jaejoong pressed himself against the wall, heart galloping within his chest as he watched the other male rage through the room, words panicked and crazy. Three years he’d been down here…and surely they hadn’t killed his family with him watching? The simple thought of watching his father get killed made Jaejoong want to get sick again.
“J-Junsu.” He hated the quiver in his voice, hated that he couldn’t be stronger right now. He had always been weak, never capable of really taking care of himself. Changmin had always been there with him, guiding him, even though Jaejoong was older. But now he had no one but a boy who had watched his family die and now had conversations with dead rats. He felt his hands begin to tremble and his throat constrict as the full reality of his situation sank in. He would either be left to go insane here with Junsu, or be killed for something that his father had done. This wasn’t fair! What had he done in life that would warrant this? Who had he hurt or what had he said that would put such a path before him?
“No, I told you before that I won’t do it! STOP SCREAMING AT ME!” His small hands pressed against his ears as he sank to the floor, eyes closed tightly as if he were hearing and seeing something he didn’t want to.
He rocked back and forth, pulling his knees to his chest and resting his forehead against bent knees. “I won’t kill him. He’s….he’s…not here to hurt us. No. No he’s not. He’s like….like us. Just like us. We’re all the same. Everything is alright. Alright. Alright. Everything’s alright.” He chanted over and over as he continued his rocking.
Jaejoong found himself mimicking Junsu’s position, his own knees pressed firmly against his chest, as if this would somehow protect him. He was scared now, even more scared then when he’d been in the back of Daniel Henney’s car. Those rats were telling Junsu to kill him? What if he listened to them? Jaejoong let out a soft sob, tears gathering in his eyes and spilling down his cheeks. He’d never felt such suffocating panic in all his life. He knew that if Junsu decided to kill him, that the boy would do it without a problem. He was insane, everything within the boy’s mind obviously made sense to him. Killing Jaejoong would be the logical thing to do if he came to the conclusion that Jaejoong was dangerous.
There was a sound of outside the door which caused both boys to freeze and turn large eyes onto the solid mass of metal. When the jingling of keys spread through the room, Junsu was up and off the floor in a flash, his small body zipping across the room to huddle next to his pile of rats, his back to the door.
Jaejoong didn’t know what to do. He felt the stupid urge to throw the blanket over his head and huddle in the corner like some child fearing the monster that was under the bed. But just because he couldn’t see the monster, didn’t mean it wasn’t real…and this monster was real beyond a doubt. It was here to rip Jaejoong to pieces.
The door swung open and Jaejoong sat frozen with fear, some part of him already knowing who was about to walk through that door. His hands had already started shaking and his breath had become as panic sank her claws into his heart.
“Good evening, Love.” Indeed it was Daniel Henney that strolled in through the open door, his gate strong and imposing as he entered the room. It was as if he sucked the light straight from the cell and yet he almost seemed to glow with a black light all his own. He paid no attention to Junsu’s shivering form, burning eyes pinned solely on Jaejoong.
“My, don’t you look positively appealing all bruised and battered?” The lust practically dripped out of every pore of his body, its epicenter at the core of his dark eyes.
Jaejoong didn’t know what to say, every time he blinked there was a flash of what Henney had done to him. Words of hate and anger lodged in his throat, but he could hardly get them passed that massive build-up of fear that was constricting his throat and setting his entire body to trembling. He was beginning to wish that Junsu had killed him. At least then he would have had to worry about Daniel Henney’s filthy hands touching him ever again.
He shivered as he remembered the way those large, rough hands gripped around his hip, pinning him against the door.
Henney clicked his tongue softly in a show of mock-sympathy, “What is it, Jaejoong? Do you feel dirty? Like I’ve hurt some part of you? Something broken, Jaejoong?” He came so close, within three inches of Jaejoong’s shivering form. He lowered his body into a crouch, slight smirk tilting his lips upwards. He had a bundle of clothes in his right hand, witch he dropped onto the floor at his feet.
He wanted to scream and rage and cry, he wanted to beat Daniel Henney’s face to a pulp before lodging a built in that perverted head. He wanted to sink into the floor and suffocate underneath cold stones and damp dirt.
But his body let him do nothing but sit and stare of Henney with eyes full of unadulterated fear. He could do nothing to this man, but Daniel could do anything to him. He could have his body, his mind, anything he wanted. Jaejoong couldn’t stop him, and nobody else would. Not here.
Henney’s mouth twitched slightly and his eyes showed annoyance. “I asked you a question, bitch, so answer it.” He fisted his hand in the back of Jaejoong’s hair and jerked the small head backwards, a cruel smile twisting his lips upwards at Jaejoong’s shocked yelp of pain.
“Did I hurt you?” He whispered against Jaejoong’s ear, skin growing damp under his hot breath and lips.
“Y-yes.” His lips trembled as he spoke, mutilating that simple word as it left his mouth. His muscles were already tensed, fearing the thought of another rough penetration. He was terrified now, mind scrambling to compensate for the numbing fear that was shutting down his entire body. His arms felt too heavy to move and legs felt like metal; the only thing that seemed to be working properly was his tear-ducts, which were spilling salty drops of panic down his cheeks.
A vicious smirk lifted Henney’s mouth as he leaned in slightly, “I’m sorry, Jaejoong. If you had told me to stop, I would have. It’s all your fault that you got hurt.” He crooned darkly before his tongue pressed against the line of Jaejoong’s jaw and drew upwards, wiping away the tears that were trekking down the younger male’s face.
All his fault. The pain and humiliation was his fault. It made no sense if he looked at it logically. But his logical mind seemed to have retreated into the shadows, leaving behind a chaotic and uncertain mess of emotion that took whatever Henney said and believed it like some sick child worshiping their hero.
“I don’t want to hurt you, Jaejoong. I care about you.” Daniel whispered again, his left hand come up to rest lightly against the curve of Jaejoong’s neck. “I’m the only one who really cares about you.” He stroked his fingers along the young male’s cheeks, removing the cold droplets from his chilled skin.
‘He really cares about you. Believe him!’ Some part of Jaejoong’s mind screamed at him again and again, ranting on in an attempt to drown-out the small voice that was telling Jaejoong that someone who raped him would not care for him at all . He was confused and unsure of what to think. So he didn’t. He just sat there, limp and unresponsive, completely lost in a sea of conflicting thoughts and emotions.
“Say thank you, Jaejoong, or I’ll have to punish you.” Henney’s grip tightened on Jaejoong’s neck, causing the younger male to cough slightly.
Jaejoong fought the urge, pursing his lips and narrowing his eyes. He couldn’t give himself over to the man who had…had…what had he done? If everything was Jaejoong’s fault…then what had the other man done that should have bothered him so badly?
‘What am I thinking?’ Jaejoong growled at himself, suddenly feeling stupid, ‘He raped me and now he’s got me thinking it’s my fault!’ His glare intensified and he opened his mouth slightly. “Fuck you.” He growled harshly before sending his right fist into Henney’s cheek. As soon as he made contact with the other male’s face, he felt something pop in his hand and a fiery-hot pain washed through his entire body within seconds.
Jaejoong let out a sharp yell of pain, as Henney, unaffected by Jaejoong’s hit, grabbed the smaller boy’s right hand in a firm grip.
His right pinky was bent sharply to the right, definitely dislocated.
“This is what happens when you don’t do what I say. Bad and Painful things. Your finger is dislocated and I have to fix it to make sure you get better. It’s going to hurt.” His voice was full of vindictive joy, a smile pulling across his lips as he tightened his grip on Jaejoong’s hand in order to keep the male from pulling away. After gripping his finger firmly, he pulled back with quick and violent movement, the pop from inside of Jaejoong’s hand could be heard through the entire cell.
But that was covered by Jaejoong’s scream of pain. He felt the pain ripping through his body and he couldn’t do anything else but let it tear through his throat, cracking his voice with its intensity.
The sharp, fire-like pain only lasted a few more seconds before his finger settled into a raw, throbbing pain. That had been one of the most painful things he’d ever felt.
He sobbed harshly, all the fight gone from his body.
“So thank you, or I’ll dislocate it again.” Henney commanded, gripped Jaejoong’s hurt finger once again.
“Thank you!” Jaejoong sobbed, shaking his head in a silent plea for Daniel to leave him alone. “Thank you, thank you.” He added again, groaning slightly as larger fingers clamped around his swollen pinky.
He had been broken by the pain. He might as well have licked the dirt off of Henney's shoes.
“That’s a good boy.” Daniel crooned before he stood and eyed the trembling Jaejoong with a look of animalistic satisfaction. “Now, I’ll need you to put these on for me. I’m taking you somewhere special.” He kicked the clothes at Jaejoong, sending dirt and small pebbles to rain down on the smaller male. “Make it quick, though. I’m already running behind schedule.” He sounded slightly impatient now as he took a few steps away from Jaejoong, arms crossed lightly over his chest.
Jaejoong dressed with slight haste, biting his lip to keep back the mewls of pain that pressed at his lips every time he moved his right hand. What would he do if his hand was permanently hurt? His passion in life would be ripped away form him if he wasn’t able to use his right hand. What kind of music could he make on a piano using only his left hand? He held back a sob at the thought of losing his music. Everything was getting taken away from him, especially the things that mattered most.
One thing that was slightly distracting him as he dressed in too-big jeans and black tee-shirt, was the fact that Daniel Henney had only said he was taking Jaejoong “somewhere special”, which probably meant that he was in for pain of the sexual kind. He wanted to ask where they were going, but he knew that would only bring him more pain if Henney even decided to give him an answer at all.
“Good enough.” Daniel turned on his heel and began to move towards the door, knowing that Jaejoong would follow him.
He did.
Jaejoong started to shuffle his way out of the cell, eyes linger on Junsu, who was still sitting in the exact same position he’d been in when Henney entered the room. The boy hadn’t even made an attempt to get out of the open door. Truly insane.
Jaejoong had forgotten about the blindfold, so as soon as he walked out the door, he let out a surprised yelp to find his head suddenly stuffed into another sack.
His heart raced at the sudden attack and he came to a complete stop, knees bent as if he were going to fall to the floor.
“You didn’t think I was going to forget, did you?” Henney laughed darkly before wrapping his long fingers around the wrist of Jaejoong’s hurt hand to pull him forward.
Pain pulsed through his entire arm, and the only option he had was to move quickly in order to relieve some of the pressure on his hand.
They walked for about ten minutes and rode in one elevator. Jaejoong assumed they were going up, since he hadn’t felt the drop in his stomach that usually came with going down in a lift.
Something smelled musty, most likely the sack over his head, and the bright lights usually found in elevators, was sending prickles of light into the dark cavern around his head. His breathing sounded incredibly loud, so he slowed it slightly, ears perked to hear anything that might give him a clue as to his location.
There was nothing. Not even elevator music.
The lift came to a halt and Jaejoong listened to the doors sweep open. Warm air caressed his chilled skin and informed him that he’d entered a part of the building that was obviously connected to a heater. Apparently the prisoners warmth wasn’t that important.
Henney jerked him forward easily, not even seeming to notice that Jaejoong was fighting his grip slightly.
They walked for about five more minutes before Henney slowed at the sound of a door creaking open greeted Jaejoong’s ears.
There was the sound of talking within the room, masculine laughs and catcalls echoing against the walls and floor.
“Ah, get off the fuckin’ table, Heechul!” A ripple of laughter spread through the room, the sound of chopsticks clinking against glass bowls was a kind of constant hum in the loud room.
“Yah, you don’t like it, you can go find somewhere else to shove your dick, Kibum.” A sassy voice shot back, distinctly male yet with a feminine edge.
“Oh-ho, the gang whore has quite the tongue.” The same voice from before, sounding slightly perturbed.
“Better believe it, Bitch.”
Jaejoong felt the tug at the top of the sack and the bag slid from his head, leaving him squinting against harsh lighting. He heard the room still before he could really see it.
When his eyes had finally adjusted, he let his hand fall away form his face and glanced around the room. There were three tables in the room, set to form a square with one side missing. The people at the table varied in looks, though most fit the typical gang stereotype with tattoos and menacing muscles. There were five of them in all, three of witch Jaejoong was able to recognize. The two brutes that had been there in the cell when he’d first arrived…Kangin and Shindong. Then there was Sungmin, who, when he saw Jaejoong, gave a merry wiggle of his fingers as greeting. Jaejoong shivered.
“What the fuck, Min? Are you playing nice with the prisoners now?” Someone broke the silence, the same voice that had been talking to the “gang whore”.
He was a stocky man with shaggy, black hair and cold eyes. He had a slightly round face and it made Jaejoong think of a mouse, for some reason. Perhaps it was his nose or mouth, both of witch were rather small.
Sungmin pouted and crossed his arms over his chest, “There’s more to keeping a prisoner then slapping him around until he talks. Isn’t that right, Joongie-ah?” He turned a bright smile on Jaejoong, eyebrows raised slightly.
Jaejoong only nodded his head, the picture of Junsu flashing through his mind as he stared down at the cook. He saw a correlation between the two, as if Sungmin was just a version of Junsu that had learned to function normally within the bounds of his insanity. Again, he shivered.
“Joongie?” Someone in the room scoffed, following the sneer with the sound of mock-retching. “You faggots in love already?” That had come from Kangin who was sitting at the end of one of the rectangular tables.
“Please don’t call me a faggot.” Sungmin turned a bright smile towards Kangin, eyes squinting from the magnitude of his grin. “Besides, that actually means a bundle of sticks for a fire, which I am not. Also, if I choose to like men over women, then that’s my choice, wouldn’t you agree?” The boy’s fingers played lightly over a steak-knife resting next to his plate.
Silence fell over the room, each one of the men turning their attention away from Sungmin and his smiling, unspoken threat against Kangin.
Why the hell was that boy the cook?
“Whatever.” Kangin grumbled towards his plate, not making eye contact with the smaller, more energetic boy.
“I would say that I have a special affection for him, though.” The boy smiled fondly towards Jaejoong, wiggling his fingers in a wave, once again.
“Oh-ho, last guy that you had a “special affection” for ended up with out eyeballs or a dick.” Kibum laughed slightly, wiggling his eyebrows at the small cook. “Just let me be there when you get tired of him.”
“He’s not currently open to receiving special affection.” As soon as the words had left Daniel Henney’s mouth, every eye in that room fell to their plates and not a spec of food was lifted off that table as everyone respected the claim that had been laid on Jaejoong by Daniel.
“Now, the Jungs will be joining us for dinner tonight, so keep your disgusting mouths shut, unless you have something to say that will help.” Henney growled darkly, his hand clenching around Jaejoong’s small left shoulder as he spoke.
“Yes sir.” Chorused around the room, not a single head lifting.
“You are not to get up after Mr. Jung has been seated, and you’ll stay in your fucking seat until all of them have left. There will also be a lady in the room tonight, so I don’t want to hear a fucking word about her. Do you understand me?”
Again, “yes sir” rang throughout the room before complete silence established its reign once again.
“If any of you think you can’t handle that, leave now so I don’t have to break your legs afterwards.” Silence fell again, no one even shifting in their seat at Henney’s words.
At that moment, a door in the back, left corner of the grey room swung open and a party of four strode into the room.
At the front was a man so imposing, Jaejoong couldn’t look at him for very long. He was completely collected and groomed to perfection. He was clad in expensive fabric and his graying hair was cut perfectly, not a strand out of place. His eyes were the things that caused Jaejoong to tremble slightly. They were cold and calculating, no emotion glittering within the depths of black pupils. He was an average height, probably 5’10, with a slim body that bespoke a lifetime of control.
Behind him was a younger male, seeming to be around Jaejoong’s age, if not a bit older. He too was clad in an expensive suit, but that seemed dull when compared to his angular face. He was striking in his masculinity, but entirely calm and collected, as if nothing could affect him without him allowing it to. His hair was slightly short with auburn bangs swept over his right eye. On his arm was a petite woman with long and silky brown hair. She was beautiful, but it was hardly her looks that made it so. No, it was something within the way she held herself, as if she were the most confidant person on earth. She had life in her dark eyes, though it was carefully monitored, it was still there. She was clad in a simple black dress that clung to the smallest part of her waist before flaring slightly and ending just above her knees.
Bringing up the rear of the party was a slender male with a smirk pressed cleanly on lips as if it were a constant feature on his mischievous face. Unlike the rest of the party, he was wearing a grey, silk shirt that hugged his slender form nicely, along with a pair of dark washed jeans. He managed to make the look seem dressy, despite its casual air.
He tossed a stray lock of his sleek, chin-length hair out of his face, the black strand gleaming in the rooms lighting.
All four of them took a seat at the head table, the elder man in the middle with the second man on his right and the last man on his left. The woman sat next to the man on the right, her eyes already casting over Jaejoong’s form with a curious sort of air.
“This is him?” The voice was cold, uncaring and deadly as he slipped from the elder man at the table. Jaejoong assumed he was “Jung” as Henney had called him.
“Yes, sir. This is the only son of the leader of the Kim Organization.” Henney supplied in a clean, matter-of-fact voice. He still seamed at ease, but his voice had taken on an edge of definite respect.
“What’s his name?” The man asked simply, not evening acknowledging Jaejoong’s presence within the room.
“Kim Jaejoong. He’s twenty-two and is currently attending Oxford.”
They continued taking, but Jaejoong was too busy looking over the younger males at the table. He was as scared of them as he was intrigued. The male on the right didn’t even turn his eyes in Jaejoong’s direction, dark gaze locked on Henney, unmoving and emotionless. It was as if he didn’t even acknowledge Jaejoong as a real person within the room. The male on the left, however, was openly staring at Jaejoong, eyes lingering on the boy’s bruised cheek before he cracked a smile and offered him a wink. Jaejoong averted his gaze, blushing slightly.
“So, he won’t talk?” Jung finally asked Henney, crossing his arms over his thin chest.
“We’ve only questioned him once, but he claimed not to know anything.”
“Question him again. If he keeps up the act, then find anther method of getting what we need.”
“Of course sir.” Henney bowed and then began to jerk Jaejoong out of the room.
Other methods? Surely that didn’t mean torture? Did it? Jaejoong felt himself beginning to tremble, the pain in his hand dimming slightly as the reality of his situation began to sink in once again. They were going to torture him if he wasn’t able to answer their questions. But what was he going to do? He didn’t even understand why the took him in the first place.
Jaejoong had been so busy contemplating his future, that he hardly noticed when Henney led him into a rather large bedroom decorated in blood-red and silver.
He startled out of his thoughts when he heard a door lock and felt a hand tangling in his hair.
Oh no.
=---------------------------------------------=
“So then, I yell at him to turn to the right, the fucking idiot turns to the left, like the big pig he is. Shot him right in the head. I swear the thugs around here are getting more stupid as time goes on.” Eunhyuk sighed as he scooped himself up more Kimich Jigae and then resumed his seat at the large square table where Siwon, Changmin, Donghae and Hankyung had gathered for dinner.
“I can totally understand where you’re coming from.” Changmin jumped in, casting a meaningful glare towards Siwon who was sitting opposite him. “Seems like so many people are under this impression that big muscles are what matter.” Stupid idiot with his stupid ideas about what real strength was. Changmin detested him.
“I’m pretty sure it’s a combination of both.” A soft voice broke into the conversation, completely capturing Changmin’s attention.
Lee Donghae. The man who was teaching him the ropes for the gang world. He was absolutely the most adorable thing Changmin had ever seen. So sweet with large eyes and fluffy brown hair. He was energetic and twenty on top of everything else. He was legal! Which meant that sex was a yes if Changmin could get him, which he didn’t doubt he could. He’d seen the way the smaller boy blushed adorably whenever Changmin leaned closer or touched his hand or arm.
“I can see where you’re coming from, Donghae-ah.” Changmin nodded his head, wisely before placing some pickled vegetables on Donghae’s bowl of rice. He knew those were the boy’s favorite, and the pleased blush that spread across Donghae’s face was enough to let him know what he had just scored a few more points.
“Yes, so I guess that means you still,” emphasis on that word, “don't have what it takes to be a good gangster.” Siwon shot at him with an acerbic tone edging his words.
Changmin watched as Siwon’s eyes fluttering to Donghae as the smaller boy let out a slight chuckle. ‘That bastard!’ Changmin growled to himself as he watched a pleased smile whisper over Siwon's face. ‘He’s attracted to my wonderful little angel. I cannot let this big ape get in my way.’ He thought darkly as he sent his most obvious glare towards Siwon…or the “big ape” as he was prone to calling him now.
This battle was just beginning.