[SJ Fic] Sugar, Spice and Everything Nice (Part Two)
Kyuhyun lay haphazardly on the sofa, his legs propped up on the arm rest and his arm dangling lazily by his side. He watched the television intently, attempting to delude himself into believing that the documentary on Sperm Whales was even slightly intriguing.
A shadow fell over Kyuhyun and Ryeowook stood in front of him, effectively intruding his peripheral vision. Kyuhyun looked up, visibly annoyed. “What?” he snapped.
Ryeowook’s mouth was set in a firm grimace. “Your boss called- he wants to know why your reports are several weeks late. He thinks you’re conspiring something against the Law Enforcement Force.”
Kyuhyun tsked and adjusted himself so that he was sitting up on the plush red sofa. “Of course I am. Now leave me to my time wasting.”
Ryeowook shook his head in disbelief and flicked a white envelope at his roommate’s face. Kyuhyun flailed his arms and sputtered before catching the envelope between his fingers. “The opportunities you get when you do nothing” muttered Ryeowook sourly, storming off towards his room.
Kyuhyun probed the envelope wearily, he wouldn’t put it past Ryeowook to have implanted a bomb inside of it or something. “What is this?” he asked, suspicious.
“A chance” replied Ryeowook, grinning to himself.
- - -
He heard shouting from the other side of the doorway. Yelling and heated words. Kyuhyun waited outside the door awkwardly, cringing at Kangin’s booming voice resounding through the prison. He could overhear the unmistakable sound of a woman pleading softly, the familiar voice was smothered in heartbreak and resent.
The door clicked open softly, and Kyuhyun caught sight of Kangin fuming towards an open window. A woman sat on a single arm chair, her head resting wistfully on her palms. The slanted light from the doorway hit her hair, illuminating the highlights.
“Sunny?...” Kyuhyun thought out loud, squinting his eyes to be sure. However, the door was soon slammed shut and a guard appeared in its place.
“Cho?” he asked looking directly at Kyuhyun, his eyes astringent.
Kyuhyun’s lower lip wibbled in anxiety and he began precipitating from his palms. “Um, yeah, I needed Kangin to take me to Sungmin’s cell- but I can manage on my own.”
The guard gave a hearty laugh at Kyuhyun’s antics and grabbed him by the wrist, leading him out the door and into the hallway of jail cells. Kyuhyun was too busy trying to loosen the guard’s grip on his wrists to notice they had taken an early left turn. “Uh, hey! Actually, Sungmin’s cell is just up ahead-”
The guard let go of Kyuhyun’s wrist and turned to confront him, taking the keys off his belt. He wore a lewd grin on his face as he began unfastening the lock on an unfamiliar cell. The lighting was consistent through out all of the prison, but it seemed to Kyuhyun that the lights here were significantly dimmer than the ones outside Sungmin’s cell.
“Hey, this isn’t my-”
“I know Cho. Your patient has had his family visiting hours shifted to earlier in the day.” the guard interrupted matter-of-factly. Kyuhyun felt indignant, and was about to reprimand the guard for not notifying him eariler until he was halted by a raised hand. “Don’t worry though, we’ve made different arrangements for you.”
He pushed Kyuhyun harshly inside the cell where he almost collided into the occupant. “Wait- what?”
The guard chuckled and the clicking of the lock followed. “This is usually Kibum’s guy, but he’s on sick leave. Just do what you can with him and I’ll be back in an hour or so.” He waved his hand half-heartedly before retreating down the hall.
“You’re Kibum’s replacement? Are they effing me?” came a scratchy voice next to Kyuhyun.
Kyuhyun had to will himself not to jump, though he felt his legs quiver at the proximity between him and the man. He could feel the man’s breath dance along his earlobe- it was unnerving at the least. Nonetheless, he pressured himself to overcome his fears and face his perpetrator.
“Um, hello. I’m Cho Kyuhyun, and your name?” he asked, beckoning for the man to answer.
The man smiled at him, and Kyuhyun grudgingly admitted he was rather attractive. Had it not been for the hollow shells of his eyes and the cracks which decorated his lips. That was until he spoke, and it didn’t matter that he had the face of an angel- to Kyuhyun he was a demon. “The name you’ll be screaming in your sleep.” He eyed the flesh that was exposed of Kyuhyun’s neck and licked his lips.
Kyuhyun swallowed and clenched his fists, refusing to be taunted. “I doubt it, now if you can just tell me what Kibum usually did-”
“Kibum and you are different people. Kibum wasn’t a filthy whore for one.” the man teased, making no effort to conceal the happiness he felt at seeing the hurt flash in Kyuhyun’s eyes.
“We have CCTV cameras installed.” Kyuhyun warned, instinctively holding out the pen he carried with him as protection.
The older male stepped forward and pushed Kyuhyun’s hand downwards. “I have no intention of hurting you, bitches like you are pathetic to use” he snarled. Kyuhyun bit back tears that were threatening to let slip. The man looked overhead at the security camera that watched them and waved. “Although. It wouldn’t make for a bad sex tape.”
- - -
Kyuhyun spent most of the session struggling to stand up, each word hurled at him was like a bullet. They penetrated him at the most sensitive places, but never any vital points that would bless him death. Crude words were thrown and cut him deeply. He had never felt so worthless. So dirty.
He wanted to blame the unsavoury criminal who shot the foul words at him- but he couldn’t. It was his job to be able to handle this. The situation wasn’t unfamiliar, it was a situation Kyuhyun would have to analyse and observe at University every single day.
He realised that what he had with Sungmin wasn’t the normal- no it was far from the unexceptional. This- having demeaning words thrown at him every other minute- was the normal. This is what he had been trained to face.
Kyuhyun had thought he’d been doing his job right, when in fact he hadn’t been doing his job at all.
When he was directed to Sungmin’s cell later he made no sound. And as soon as the guard had deposited him safely and Kyuhyun was sure they were alone, he broke down. He broke down into undignified and unprofessional tears.
He felt arms curl around him and pull him close, he felt his hair being pulled back softly and the comforting embrace of someone who seemed to genuinely care that he was broken. He buried his face deeper into the hug, trying to forget how torn his manly pride was at the moment.
“Did you miss me that much” whispered Sungmin, his words wafting into the darkness and dispersing through the air.
“It’s more the thought of being back” joked Kyuhyun, his voice cracking in the middle of the sentence. He cringed and Sungmin pushed his head to rest on his shoulder. “People- people are- not nice-” Kyuhyun stuttered, his words patterned with violent sobbing.
“I know. Believe me. I know” Sungmin said, arms still encircling Kyuhyun as his eyes stared into the darkness which surrounded them.
- - -
“I’m going to China for a few days” muttered Kyuhyun, his head resting listlessly on Sungmin’s. He had exhausted himself of tears fifteen minutes ago and the after effects of compromising his dignity had began kicking in. Mainly not being able to look Sungmin in the eyes anymore.
Sungmin stiffened beside him and shifted so that Kyuhyun’s head fell abruptly onto the floor, he seethed and released an annoyed grunt. “Why?” asked Sungmin.
Kyuhyun rubbed his head tenderly and continued giving his attention to the floor. “Well, my Professor from University sent one of my old essays to his criminal anthropologist friend and-” a gratified smile spread across his face and as his eyes met Sungmin they glinted with self-pride “-he wants to meet me for an interview”
He expected a congratulations, a standing ovation, or even a ‘well done’. However Sungmin simply stared at him dumbfounded. “Does that mean I get a new counsellor?” he asked, his voice conveying disappointment.
Kyuhyun was at a loss for words. ‘Does it really matter?’ he wanted to say. But he didn’t, because he knew it did matter. It mattered a lot. “Uh, no. I’m contracted, so basically I can’t ditch this place until I finish my assignment.”
“Um, okay then. Congratulations? What if China sucks though?” Sungmin teased, not missing a beat to mock Kyuhyun’s good fortune.
Kyuhyun scoffed and crossed his arms across his chest. “China will be amazing. It’ll be a new start. New job. New people. Even a new name.”
Sungmin looked flabbergasted, his face contorted into one of disbelief. “Why would you need a new name?” his eyes narrowed suspiciously and he leaned closer to examine Kyuhyun’s face for traces of deception. “You aren’t under the witness protection program are you?”
Kyuhyun flailed his arms and pushed Sungmin back. “No! Well, it’s not like I have a new name- it’s more like a Chinese version of my own name.”
“Eh?”
Kyuhyun sighed and pronounced sharply and clearly. “Kui Xian”
“That. Is. So. Weird. What’s wrong with good old Kyuhyun?” Sungmin criticised.
“Just because you don’t know how to say it without sounding like a try-hard” retorted Kyuhyun, defensive.
“Kyu Zhan” stated Sungmin confidently. Kyuhyun looked at him for about a second before collapsing into raucous laughter. The older male pouted and banged his fist against the wall in frustration. “It’s not like it matters anyway. I won’t be seeing China for a long time as it is.”
Kyuhyun regained his composure, clutching his stomach in an exaggerated fashion. He pulled Sungmin closer and the older male struggled in his grip stubbornly before giving up. “It’s not that hard” Kyuhyun insisted crouching down, his elbows propped onto his knees. “Just say it with me.”
Sungmin glared back at him, not yet recovered from the previous blow at his pride. “Haha. No. I’m not five.”
“Come on it’s easy!” persisted Kyuhyun, shaking Sungmin by the shoulders until he complied and knelt down in front of him. “Okay! Are you ready?” asked Kyuhyun, slightly giddy at the prospect of teaching Sungmin a new language. Or something close to that. “Now repeat after me. Kui”
“Kyu”
“Xian”
“Zhan”
Kyuhyun shook his head, agitated. “No, no! Again. Kui”
“Kui”
“Good. Now, Xian”
“Zhan”
Kyuhyun fell on all fours, worn out and defeated. Sungmin simply grinned “Have you given up yet?”
Kyuhyun chuckled under his breath and muttered a ‘hardly’. He propped himself up and placed his hands on Sungmin’s shoulders, clutching them firmly. He leaned in close, leaving little personal space between them.
“Wh-what are you doing?” stuttered Sungmin, jittery now that his personal bubble had been popped.
Kyuhyun however seemed oblivious to the tension which had invaded Sungmin’s mind and he focused his eyes on Sungmin’s lips. “What are you doing wrong? It’s so easy” he mumbled, face so close that the words tickled Sungmin’s neck causing him to squirm. “Try again. Kui” he repeated, observing the shape Sungmin’s mouth formed during the pronunciation. “Come on. Kui.”
‘Hen’
“Kui”
“Xian”
‘Ry’
“Li!” Sungmin yelled, astounded at the syllable that had escaped from his mouth.
“Li? What? Not even close-” Kyuhyun stopped abruptly, suddenly aware of how close they really were. And how nice it felt too. He noticed Sungmin’s chin quiver and his eyes widened in realisation. “I...” he began, but trailed off. “Can’t do this.”
“Do what?” Sungmin asked, feigning an ignorance they both knew couldn’t possibly exist.
The rattling of the door being pulled open caused them both to jump apart towards opposite sides of the cell. Each looking at each other wide-eyed and fearful, contemplating how they managed to screw everything up so badly.
Kangin loomed over the duo, leering at them both. “Did I interrupt a punch-up or something?” he asked Kyuhyun, shooting daggers into his very being. Kyuhyun shook his head quickly. Not even close. “Well then hurry up. I have things to get to.” he shot a dirty look towards Sungmin’s direction before storming out of the cell. Kyuhyun scampered after him ungracefully, mute and not looking back.
Sungmin buried his face in his hands and thought about how he’d have preferred capital punishment.
- - -
“Run away. Leave. You said Berkley accepted you right? Just go!” Sungmin whispered harshly.
Henry shook his head and swallowed, holding back tears. “It’d break Dad’s heart...” he murmured.
“That’d be absolutely tragic” drawled Sungmin sarcastically. “You’re miserable. You don’t deserve this” he insisted.
Henry looked around, checking to see if anyone was watching them before pecking Sungmin quickly on the cheek. “He wouldn’t hurt me. He’s my Dad, he has paternal instincts embedded in him. Right?”
“No- not right-”
Henry cut him off. “Look, it’s almost six. I have to leave now.” He hesitated a little before kissing Sungmin quickly and sweetly on the mouth, leaving the older boy slightly mesmerised. Henry mouthed a quick ‘bye’ before running off, leaving Sungmin alone. Feeling completely and utterly useless.
- - -
China knows how to throw a party. Was the first thought which drifted through Kyuhyun’s mind when he entered the ballroom. He gawked openly, admiring the hall’s decor and the myriad of colours which danced around the floor. A large crystal chandelier hung elegantly overhead, saturating the room with it’s bright light. Classical music floated dreamily through the air and Kyuhyun let himself get drunk off it. His worries evaporated by the glowing room he had found himself in.
A hand tapped his shoulder gently and Kyuhyun grudgingly turned around, eyes still glazed over. “Yes?” he asked, almost wistfully.
“Excuse me. Kui Xian?” a man asked in fluent Korean, offering Kyuhyun a pink tinted beverage.
Kyuhyun accepted the beverage hesitantly. “Um... yes?”
The man’s eyes lit up and a bright smile played across his face. “Ah! I’m Zhou Mi! My employer has heard some good things about you” he praised, winking. “I work for Geng and Li Yin law firm-”
“Oh!” Kyuhyun exclaimed, embarrassed at his previous antics. To compensate he bowed deeply and apologised repetitively. “I am so sorry! I didn’t realise! Thank you for the invitation-”
Zhou Mi laughed off Kyuhyun’s repentance and lifted him up. He gestured towards the grand room before them. “We can talk about business later Kui Xian. Have some fun.” Kyuhyun grinned and nodded enthusiastically.
- - -
Sungmin stirred awake, his sleep disrupted by the harsh whispers uttered outside his cell. He forced open one eye and let out a tired groan.
“Married! You think this game of yours is funny!”
At the sound of the voice Sungmin cracked both of his eyes open and jolted up from his very plain, very uncomfortable bed. Something felt odd. He looked around the room and noticed that the flickering light which usually indicated the presence of the security camera was nowhere to be seen.
“If you have nothing better to say, then shut up. I’m sick of-”
“This? You’re sick of this! What is this exactly! Huh, Sunny!”
Sungmin pulled the thin sheet which served as his blanket towards himself, anticipating what would happen next.
- - -
Kyuhyun sipped his drink fervently, taking in his new surroundings. “So, are events like these a usual thing for you guys here?” he asked. He could certainly get used to this.
Zhou Mi laughed and slapped Kyuhyun playfully on the back. “Parties like these happen quite often. Our firm just happen to know the right people.”
“I could get to know them too” Kyuhyun replied, his eyes following a certain woman who flowed around the dance floor like a swan.
“Kui Xian, we really would like to have you on our team. As you know our team recently lost our criminal psychologist, and we wanted someone fresh-faced and new. Someone who really knew the theory work down to the last bone-”
“I sure hope you’re talking about me” Kyuhyun laughed, half joking and half worried. Everything seemed so surreal, too many good things were occurring too fast.
Zhou Mi laughed again and took a sip of his own pink drink to calm himself down. “Of course! But we do hope you know what this involves-”
“I pick up languages really fast! I really do! I’m almost completely fluent in English, did you know?” Kyuhyun bragged, almost hysterical. He would do anything to keep this opportunity close to him.
“We don’t doubt that you do, Kui Xian. It’s just... you’re going to have to move to China and-”
“Oh!” Kyuhyun exclaimed. “Well duh”
Zhou Mi cocked an eyebrow. “And you’re fine with that? You won’t miss anyone?”
“Well, I have a roommate I’m fond of. But we can Skype.” He pondered for a bit but began repressing his memories once thoughts of a certain criminal threatened to spill over his mind. “But no. No one in particular.” he asserted, finishing his drink quickly.
- - -
The door clanged open and Sungmin huddled closer into the blanket, praying he was concealed by the darkness. He saw a petite figure being forced inside his cell- Kangin’s burly figure followed.
“And this makes you a better man than Seulong how?” Sunny shrieked.
“Where did he even come from? Do you get hitched to every guy you meet after we break up!” bellowed Kangin, approaching Sunny threateningly and grabbing her wrists. Sunny struggled in his grip, pulling her hands away. However, Kangin’s hold was strong.
“Let. Go. KANGIN!” she screamed, breaking loose of his hold and inadvertently swiping her hand across his face. A heavy silence followed and all that was audible was the heavy breathing of the three occupants in the cell.
“Bitch” Kangin growled dangerously. He withdrew his baton from his belt and swung it threateningly towards Sunny.
Sungmin leaped from his position and tackled Kangin against the wall.
- - -
The woman’s hands rested lightly on Kyuhyun’s shoulders, her smile was bright and dazzling. It suited the hall. Thought Kyuhyun.
“Um, I’m Victoria. Victoria Song” she introduced herself in a Korean, and Kyuhyun felt incompetent at not knowing mandarin more fluently. He also fell a bit in love.
Zhou Mi leaned towards Kyuhyun and whispered something quickly into his ear. “She’s our junior investigator. I’d get acquainted with her. Fast.” Kyuhyun felt more than happy to oblige.
Victoria lead him to the middle of the floor where she took the lead in dancing. She was as graceful as she looked from afar- and even more beautiful. Kyuhyun fumbled over his own feet as he tried to keep up with Victoria who looked completely at ease despite Kyuhyun blatantly slowing her down.
“So Kui Xian, how’s China so far?” she asked, guiding his feet and holding his waist lightly. .
Kyuhyun grinned like a pubescent boy experiencing his first crush. “Um, it was good. This party is really grand. I almost feel like I come from poverty.” he answered. Victoria giggled simply to be polite. Nonetheless it was like music to his ears. The elaborate setting they were in blurred and all there was in his mind was him, Victoria and the soft sound of music. This is the way it’s supposed to be, he thought.
“It must hurt, the thought of leaving Korea.” she spoke gently, eyes rooted on the floor. Kyuhyun shrugged indifferently in response, Victoria didn’t notice however and continued. “I had to leave my family and friends when I transferred here too, I miss them a lot. Especially my fiance.”
At the mention of fiance Kyuhyun expected something heavy to drop in his stomach. However, nothing came, no unbearable feeling of heartache whatsoever. He deduced he must be in the denial stage of grief. “Fiance. Wow. Do you have a date scheduled?”
Victoria laughed solemnly and spun them both around. “Ex-Fiance actually. I made a decision to leave him when I came here.”
Awkward.
Kyuhyun cleared his throat and contemplated things to say and tangents he could take to make the conversation slightly less uncomfortable. “Oh, well. You’re happier this way right? I mean great job, great people, great pay. It’s all good right?”
Right?
Victoria rested her head on Kyuhyun’s shoulder, seemingly forgetting she was dancing with someone who was a complete stranger a few minutes ago. “I don’t know, sometimes I think I was just running away”
- - -
It was a blur to Sungmin. Everything was a messy blur. Sunny’s shrieks, Kangin’s enraged howls and Sungmin’s own heavy breaths mingled into what was simply noise. Noise with no meaning.
Kangin struck the back of Sungmin’s head with his baton and he fell, writhing on the floor in pain. Cries of agony escaped his lips- it caught no ones attention however. If anyone heard him they’d presume he was simply another prisoner, caught in the nightmares of his past that haunted them at night.
Kangin’s eyes were glazed over with fury, irrationality coordinated his every move and he unsheathed his gun from it’s case and pointed it at Sunny’s direction.
Sunny stood shell shocked, mute and fearful. As Kangin was about to pull the trigger Sungmin caught his knees, effectively buckling him over and causing the gun to fall from his hands and clatter to the floor.
Sungmin pried the baton out of Kangin’s hands and attempted to take a swing at him. The guard however pushed Sungmin aside with little effort as he staggered upright and stormed towards Sunny.
In a moment of desperation he swung the baton again, with more force and gusto than before. He closed his eyes, willing himself not to miss, hoping that when he opened them it’d simply be a dream. He felt the baton collide with something hard and opened one eye.
Kangin was crouched down, having effectively dodged the blow. In front of him lay Sunny, a relieved smile graced her face and blood trickled from underneath her head. Her eyes glinted, open and unmoving.
Sungmin shook his head at the corpse, his eyes as wide as saucers and blinking disbelievingly. He crawled towards her body and poked it, praying for any signs of life.
“I would have never hurt her...” Kangin spoke, his voice quivering.
‘You were about to shoot her!’ Sungmin wanted to shout. He wanted to push Kangin against the wall and make him say that it wasn’t his fault. That if Sungmin hadn’t killed her, Kangin would have anyway.
But he heard the lock rattle into place and Kangin’s footsteps thump down the hall. And with no one to watch him except Sunny’s dead body, he screamed.
- - -
As soon as Kyuhyun completed his interview (making bad jokes and even worse attempts at conversation) he booked the closest flight back to Korea with plans to finish what he had started.
- - -
Sungmin knocked tentatively on the front door of Henry’s home. He figured he should have called first or something, but Henry had always had that bad habit of entering Sungmin’s abode without even knocking so he figured he could be forgiven this one time.
A few minutes passed and no one came to the door.
Sungmin furrowed his eyebrows and tried twisting the doorknob which effectively clicked open. He jumped back, not expecting that at all.
‘Hello?’ he called, entering the house cautiously. Empty wine bottles were strewn all over the floor and the lights were turned off, giving the room a less than welcoming grey hue. Henry had told him about what his home was like when his father was still here, and so Sungmin had prepared himself for the worst, but he couldn’t stop his heart from clenching in worry anyway.
“That will do for now.”
Sungmin jumped a little until he realised the gruff voice was coming from the backyard. It was preceded with grunts and thumping noises. He supposed that he should leave now, come back later or text Henry when he got home. But his curiosity got the better of him and he maneuvered his way towards the back of the house.
He peeked through the entrance of the backyard., Henry’s father stood over a pile of dirt, panting heavily, his hands rested on his knees and his head faced downwards. Next to him lay an abandoned shovel and-
Sungmin’s breath caught in his throat.
A gun.
He was probably jumping to insane conclusions- Mr. Lau could have been burying the carcass of their Labrador, Winnie, who honestly speaking had been looking off for weeks. Not that Sungmin had the heart to tell Henry or anything. Except Sungmin felt something lick his ankle and as he looked down squirming, Winnie was at his feet- a knowing sadness in his eyes.
There were other explanation as to why he hadn’t seen Henry for the last two days, Sungmin supposed. Maybe he had contracted cancer, or AIDS, or typhoid- not that any of those were better alternatives.
In the midst of his hysteria, Winnie let out an unforgiving ‘woof!’ and Sungmin had to stop himself from screaming.
“Winnie? Is that you?” Mr. Lau turned around to face the door and Sungmin could see the spatters of blood on his shirt. It would be a good time to back away slowly and run out of the house. He could chat with Henry on IM later and everything would be settled. “Winnie you mongrel! Come out here unless you want to have the same faith as Henry!” Sungmin had to stifle a scream, he couldn’t deny it anymore.
Winnie nudged the door open and ran towards what he now knew to be Henry’s grave, leaving Sungmin in complete view of Mr. Lau. Not that Sungmin cared anymore, he didn’t really care about anything anymore.
- - -
Kyuhyun opened the door to his Superior’s office feeling revitalised. For the first time in his life Kyuhyun had made a decision he didn’t regret, and damn did it feel good. His new found confidence however was drenched as soon as he entered the office. His Superior sat slouched behind his oak desk, his features hard but his eyes filled to capacity with grief. When he noticed Kyuhyun he clenched his fists and threw an unsuspecting paperweight towards his general direction.
Kyuhyun flinched, covering his face with his clipboard. “What- what did I do?”
“WHAT DID YOU DO!” bellowed his Superior, clutching his head. He was close to a nervous breakdown. “I ASKED YOU TO FIND HIS MOTIVE! I ASKED YOU TO CRUSH IT! THAT’S YOUR JOB, AND YOU CAN’T EVEN DO IT PROPERLY!” He kicked the underneath of his desk, causing the items on it to move out of place, and in some cases break completely.
“What- what are you talking about?” Kyuhyun asked, befuddled and scared.
“Soonkyu is dead!” Kyuhyun’s jaw dropped, but he still didn’t understand how this was his fault. “She’s dead because your whore killed her!”
“My what!” Kyuhyun exclaimed. For a minute for whatever reason he presumed his Superior was talking about Leeteuk, until the actual implications settled into his mind. “Sungmin! That’s nonsense! How would he even get out of his cell!”
“She was found in his cell. Dead. And he held the baton which killed her in his hands. You tell me how that’s nonsense Cho!” his Superior argued.
Frankly, Kyuhyun could list several reasons why it was absolute nonsense. “Okay, for one. How would Sungmin even get a baton anyway. The only thing he has in his cell are the clothes on his back and that dinky excuse for a bed.”
His Superior shook his head as if trying to deny all reason that was shot at him. “It doesn’t matter anyway. He’s getting his payday, Kangin should be putting him to sleep at this moment.”
At that Kyuhyun’s head snapped up, and he suddenly became aware of the gravity of the situation. “What? That’s unfair- shouldn’t he get a trial at least!”
His Superior rested his head on his desk, clutching at his tufts of hair. “He should have been killed for his last murder anyway, had the judge not decided to be lenient.”
Kyuhyun didn’t listen as he bolted out of his Superior’s office and towards the prison hall. He ran swiftly through the line of cells, the inmates had become used to his biweekly presence and simply ignored him this time around. He kept on running until he was outside Sungmin’s cell, where the former was handcuffed, gagged and lay on the floor. Kangin loomed above him, pistol ready in his hands. Kyuhyun rattled the bars of the cell and Sungmin turned to look at him. His eyes were apologetic.
“What now?” snarled Kangin, annoyed at having been interrupted.
Mr. Lau kicked the tufts of dirt that were scattered around him, finding amusement in Sungmin’s composure.
Sungmin crouched down in front of the grave and began playing with the soil. “That’s not Henry is it-”
“Nope, you’re spot on. That’s the fag alright.” Mr. Lau picked up the shovel from the ground and circled Sungmin. “Would you like to join him?”
“This- this isn’t fair!” stuttered Kyuhyun. “You have no proof!”
Kangin scoffed. “Of course I have proof! I was a witness!”
Kyuhyun could see Sungmin trying to loosen the cloth bound around his mouth to no avail. The sight was almost pathetic. “He’s not an animal. At least have some humanity.”
Kangin looked almost hysterical, his eyes were round and his hair was unkempt. “He killed Sunny- I don’t have much sympathy for him. But if you really want to involve yourself- feel free to watch.”
Kyuhyun shook the door in protest but this time went ignored, he slammed his head against the bars and made eye contact with Sungmin. He mouthed words to Sungmin, words that he didn’t have the courage to say before his epiphany inducing trip to China. Sungmin’s eyes laughed at him, and for a moment Kyuhyun let himself ignore the reality of the situation.
Kangin grabbed Sungmin by the chin and forced him to look forward. “Face your death like a man.” he hissed, freeing Sungmin of his mouth gag. The young man spluttered, but other than that no words came out of his mouth.
Kyuhyun looked on helplessly, until he spied a gun near the corner of the room. It went unnoticed by both occupants in the cell, but it was ridiculously close to the jail bars and Kyuhyun could probably snake his arms through to grab it.
Sungmin noticed the gun from earlier next to him, he extended his hand and caught the trigger between his fingers. He pulled the pistol closer to himself, tucking it under his legs, hoping Mr. Lau was too caught up in his dramatic monologue to notice.
“I’d rather not kill you though- because people might actually notice you’re missing” Mr. Lau ranted, leaning on his shovel. “But I could probably give you a concussion and maybe that’d give you amnesia. Oh yes! That’s be absolutely tragic and convenient!”
The gun felt heavy in Sungmin’s hands and he wasn’t sure what he was about to do with it.
Kangin was comfortable with his pistol as he aimed for Sungmin’s forehead. Kyuhyun however fumbled with his, his hands were sweaty and it made it difficult for him to get a good grasp on it.
‘Mr. Lau talks a lot’ was what went through Sungmin’s mind as he aimed the gun at the man, in retrospect it was rather inappropriate a thought considering the circumstances.
Kangin got his finger ready on trigger just as Kyuhyun was about to pull. Kyuhyun wondered whether or not he would regret this later, it’d be such a shame considering his streak of ‘I regret nothing!’. He also pandered over the idea of how anti-climatic it would be if the gun had no bullets in it.
“So Sungmin what do you think?” Mr. Lau turned around to face Sungmin once again, he never got to hear the young boy’s reply however, as the resounding sound of a bullet being shot was followed by the thump of Mr. Lau’s body against the brown dirt.
The gun and Kangin fell to the floor at more or less the same time. The back of Kangin’s head hit the door of the cell and Kyuhyun stepped back shocked. He watched the non-existent rise and fall of Kangin’s chest and the regret he had thought about earlier began to hit.
Kyuhyun wriggled his arms through the bar and reached for Kangin’s belt where the keys hung casually. He loosened the key-chain and snuck it back out of the bars, unlocking the cell and stepping over Kangin’s body carefully. Kyuhyun approached Sungmin, who was blinking disbelievingly at Kangin’s body, and began wordlessly freeing the older man’s hands from the cuffs.
It was only when they were out of the cell and safe that Kyuhyun let himself actually look at Kangin. Look properly and think about how Kangin probably had a mother that had given birth to him, maybe a father who he used to go out camping with, god knows even a little sister who he would give daily piggy back rides to. The ideas melded together in his head and came out in the form of tears sliding silently down his cheeks. “Oh my gosh...” he whispered.
When the police came and crowded the crime scene, Sungmin didn’t look up from his fetal position. He watched from the corner of his eyes as the uniformed men flipped Mr. Lau’s body and fussed over the wound in his chest where the bullet penetrated. Sungmin wanted one of the men to pick up the shovel and dig through the suspicious mould of dirt that lay inconspicuously in the middle of the garden. He wanted one of them to discover Henry’s body and realise that Mr. Lau wasn’t the victim like they thought he was. Of course Sungmin had wanted many things, none of them were ever granted.
One of the policeman hauled him up and handcuffed his arms behind his back. Sungmin didn’t protest. He simply murmured to himself “I’m a killer”
The words left Kyuhyun’s mouth unwillingly, and he couldn’t help but think that he was just stating the obvious.
Kyuhyun felt Sungmin wrap his arms around his waist. He spoke his first words to Kyuhyun since their awkward parting a few days ago. “Go figure” he muttered under his breath.
- - -
Sungmin sat on Kyuhyun’s couch with his knees drawn to his chest. “Where do we go from here?” he asked.
Kyuhyun sat beside him, blowing at his mug of hot chocolate. It had been a miracle alone that they hadn’t been hounded as soon as they escaped from the prison. “China” he answered casually, letting his voice betray no emotion.
Sungmin gaped at him incredulously. “China? Where did that come from?”
Kyuhyun shrugged. He refused to admit to Sungmin he had thought out their entire life plan on the return trip to Korea- because there was sappy and then there was just pathetic. “Spur of the moment. I have a good feeling about China.”
“We aren’t going to make it past the gates” Sungmin argued, taking on a patronising tone.
Kyuhyun sipped at his hot chocolate, he refused to show any weakness. He had compromised his self-pride enough when he dissolved into a blubbering mess as they were making en route to Kyuhyun’s apartment. “I have this friend called Heechul.”
“Yeah...”
“He knows people. In fact, he himself is wanted in several districts in Japan.” Sungmin snorted. “No, I’m serious! He can get you a fake passport and everything! In China we can live low for a while. I can trust Ryeowook not to whistle, he can keep us up to date on whether the authorities even care about us anymore. Then once the whole thing blows over we can try and sneak back to Korea. But not Seoul, we can start a small fishing industry in Busan or Mokpo or something and-” he cut himself off abruptly when he caught Sungmin looking at him with a twisted grin. “What?” he asked, shifting in his seat.
“Did you think this through beforehand or something? Because that’s kind of girly.” Sungmin teased and Kyuhyun turned a light shade of red.
“No, I did not-”
“Aaw. Do you scribble ‘Kyu Heart Min’ all over your clipboard? You don’t have a closet shrine for me do you?” Sungmin taunted, prodding Kyuhyun’s stomach playfully.
Kyuhyun pounced and pinned Sungmin on the couch, who grabbed the nearest pillow and tried to suffocate Kyuhyun with it. The younger man tried a new tactic and tickled Sungmin’s ribs, causing him to squirm and throw a mini fit. “Fine! Fine! We’ll go to China!” he cried in between shameless giggles.
- - -
They stood at the edge of the balcony looking down at the bright lights of Beijing’s street. The hustle bustle of the city’s night life was their sole companion in the foreign country.
Kyuhyun gripped Sungmin’s hands tightly, his nails digging into Sungmin’s soft flesh. He held on firmly as the feeling of solitude began trickling through his veins. Beijing was beautiful, but Seoul was extraordinary. Ryeowook was extraordinary. Heechul was something special. And even Leeteuk wasn’t all that bad himself. He yearned for the companionship of those he left behind.
Sungmin ran his thumb over Kyuhyun’s knuckles. “This isn’t all that much of a happy ending, is it?” he asked.
Kyuhyun shook his head and looked Sungmin in the eye, a flood of conflicting emotions going through him. He held Sungmin’s face delicately between his palms and leaned in closely, lips only mere inches apart. “No it’s not. But it’s far more than I could ask for.” he whispered softly before closing the distance between them.
- - -
Fin
a/n: See what happens when I try to be deep? Incoherency. I don't even know how an idea like this could spawn to be over 11ks, I mean I think it might be because most of this is incoherent rambling, but I couldn't be too sure.
I don't know why but to me Kyuhyun/Sungmin has always been an incredibly angsty/dysfunctional pairing, or an incredibly cracky/dysfunctional pairing. Either way I didn't want to make the ending too happy, I'm telling myself that it'd ruin the mood of the story when really it has no mood and I am overcompensating by refusing them a happily ever after.
And yes, yes. I can only imagine how much legal jargon or whatever I got completely wrong. But it's fiction for a reason? And I have nothing better to do but write 11k stories for another different, but not completely unrelated, reason.