My Dreamcatcher (2/3)
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Part 1
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Jongin felt his body being shaken by someone. He groaned, opening one eye slowly with a deep frown on his forehead.
"Morning, Jongin." Jongdae grinned down to him.
"Hyung..." Jongin moved his eyes to the clock before he saw his windows; the curtains were opened and the sky was bright blue, not pitch black like usual. "Morning...?"
"Yes. Morning. You didn't get any nightmare, Jongin. Congratulations." Jongdae sat down on Jongin's bed. He patted Jongin's body, and the younger stared back to him blankly.
"Wow."
"Yeah, wow. Now go wash yourself. Our brothers are interrogating Kyungsoo again." Jongdae peeled the blanket open, folding it while Jongin stood up and walked to the bathroom.
"Could you please bring me my clothes, hyung?"
Jongdae hummed, making the bed and taking clean clothes along with towel to Jongin.
Minseok asked Kyungsoo everything he knew about witch hunter, his father and his family. Kyungsoo didn't want to answer it especially to strangers but the family didn't look as dangerous as before so Kyungsoo willingly shared his stories. He even told them what he's going through whenever his father went to hunt. Kyungsoo never had a friend before so he felt good inside to know how it felt when you have someone to talk to.
"I was so scared that time when he hadn’t come back for a month. There's no way to find out if he's still alive or not. I know he's a great hunter but you just never knew. He smiled when he came back and I got angry, throwing things to him because he never took that long to come home. He said he went to the neighbor city to buy some clothes for me. Only for clothes!!"
"Do you have many clothes?" asked Junmyeon as he gave a plate of bread and eggs to Kyungsoo.
"No."
"Maybe that's why he brought you some. Parents are like that, you know. They tried to give their best to their child, not thinking that it might worried their children. I think he just wants to make you happy, as a peace offer for leaving too long?" Junmyeon ruffled Kyungsoo's head and Kyungsoo was stunned.
"W-why did you do that?"
Junmyeon went to the kitchen that connected to the dining room to bring more plates, whispering under his breath why Jongdae and Jongin were still upstairs. "Do what?"
"T-to my hair." Kyungsoo stared to Junmyeon with something on his eyes.
"Habit, I guess?" Junmyeon took a sit beside Minseok who already started eating while listening to Kyungsoo.
"But I'm not your brother. I'm no one, a stranger, someone you shouldn't trust!" Kyungsoo raised his voice a little but apologized seconds after.
"Don't worry. We know who we should or should not trust, Kyungsoo." Minseok smiled, telling Kyungsoo to eat while the food's still warm.
Kyungsoo went stiff when he saw Jongin and Jongdae coming down. He shifted a bit on his chair before setting his eyes into his own plate and ate silently.
Jongin knew that Kyungsoo was scared of him so he pushed Jongdae to sit between him and Kyungsoo.
Minseok cleared his throat, taking attention from his brothers. “Junmyeon and I already asked Kyungsoo and think that we should wait for his father to come back. He’s our only lead for now.”
"This means we don't have to go anywhere today, right? I want to sleep all day!" Jongdae chirped, "Don't you want to do the same, Jongin?"
Jongin thought for a moment before shaking his head, "I'll go to the town. I won't be able to sleep if I want to anyway."
"Let me go with you." Junmyeon suggested. "We need to buy some groceries."
Jongin wanted to go alone and clear his mind but groceries were important so he nodded and continued eating.
The town at noon was full of people and Jongin never felt comfortable around them. Junmyeon held his arm as he guided them to the store he came frequently.
Jongin let out a sigh after they went inside the store, following Junmyeon like a puppy as he talked to a middle age woman that seemed to know his brother well.
"Is that your brother, Jun?" the woman asked with a loud voice and bright smile. "He's just as handsome as you."
"Thank you, auntie. He's available today so I brought him. His name is Jongin." Junmyeon nudged his brother to make him bow politely and greeted the woman who clapped her hands.
"My, if I had a daughter I would love her to have a husband as handsome and polite as you both." the woman chuckled as she put all things that Junmyeon wanted to buy inside his basket that he brought from home. The woman gave it to Jongin after Junmyeon paid, saying that he will come back again in couple of weeks.
"Do you know many people here, Hyung?" Jongin whispered as they went back to the street.
"Yes. You should come with me more often, the people here are nice. Let's go to the bookstore, I ordered a new book from there." Junmyeon waited for Jongin to walk beside him and smiled.
"Bookstore? What book?"
"You will see."
Jongin folded his arms seeing the book in Junmyeon's hand. "Witch Hunter? Seriously?"
"What? It's a fiction book, I think it's fun to read." Junmyeon laughed with a little blush on his cheeks. "Do you want to buy something?"
"I don't know." Jongin shrugged, eyes scanning the not too small shop which had a warm feeling on it.
"Go on and take a look around, young man. I'm sure you will find one book that you want to read." The old man who owned the shop gave a grin and showed that two of his teeth were gone.
"Do you have any recommendation?" Jongin was tempted to check around but he's kind of lazy.
"How about this, The Little Prince?"
Junmyeon and Jongin turned their heads into the book that the old man was holding. Junmyeon's eyes went warm while Jongin's expression hardened.
"We will take that." Junmyeon said immediately.
"I'll take a look for a moment." Jongin said as he walked away. He took a deep breath when he reached a random aisle.
The book was one of his favorite, just like his brothers. It was the last book that his parents read to them and they hadn't finish the book yet. They left the book in their old house after their found out their parents died years before. Jongin never imagined he will come across the same book again, maybe he would be able to finish it one day despite how much it reminded him of his parents.
Jongin sighed out loud, brushing his hair as his eyes tried to find any book that has interesting cover. His eyes caught a book with white cover and had a witch drawing on it. He chuckled as he just complained about his brother about the book he bought yet he too got interest in the same type of book. It's more of a children’s book though as he saw the back of it, realizing that he's in fact in a children’s book section. He checked on the other books that had pretty drawings and took a couple of them.
Junmyeon was chatting with the owner when Jongin came back and smiled to him. "Found quite a lot, hmm?"
"The drawings are pretty" was Jongin’s reply as he gave it to the old man.
"The total will be 10 gold." The old man put the books inside a paper back and gave it back to Jongin with a smile.
Jongin waited for Junmyeon to pay and bowed to the old man after with a little smile. They went out of the store and Jongin asked if Junmyeon still had to go to another store.
"Hmm. Do you want to buy anything?" Junmyeon asked back to Jongin who shrugged.
"I don't know. I just want to walk around to think actually." Jongin took the paper bags from Junmyeon’s hands to help him.
"Thinking about Kyungsoo?"
"Yeah."
"He will lead us to D.O, don't you worry." Junmyeon put his hand on Jongin's waist, staring up at his brother who only nodded.
"At least I don't get nightmares anymore." Jongin whispered with a smile.
"Yeah, I'm glad about it too. You need to thank him later." Junmyeon chuckled when Jongin let out a groan.
"He doesn't need to know."
Junmyeon patted Jongin's back as they headed back to their home.
Jongin saw Kyungsoo sitting on their couch in the living room. The smaller boy quickly stood up when he saw Jongin and Junmyeon went inside the house.
"Oh, Kyungsoo. Where are the others?" asked Junmyeon with a smile.
"Upstairs." Kyungsoo avoided Jongin's eyes and stared at Junmyeon. "Do you need any help? I can cook." He smiled to Junmyeon who lightened up.
"That's a good idea! Come and help me cook their lunch. None of them want to help me, I don't know why." Junmyeon walked to the kitchen with Kyungsoo following behind him.
"Don't you need to go to your work place?"
Kyungsoo jumped hearing Jongin from behind him. He turned around and put his eyes into the floor. "N-no. I guess I'm fired by now as yesterday I, uh..." He gripped his pants not knowing what to say about Jongin who forced him out of the restaurant.
"Because of me? Right. I forgot. It's good then, you can stay here until your father comes back." Jongin leaned his back into the wall, eyes catching how nervous the small man in front of him was.
"I actually went to my house with your brothers. My dad hasn't come back yet. We will go back again tomorrow." Kyungsoo answered with a small voice.
"Great." Jongin walked out of the kitchen and Kyungsoo leaned into the kitchen sink with a deep sigh.
"You okay?" Junmyeon put a hand on Kyungsoo's shoulder, making him flinch.
"S-sorry. I'm fine, just scared of him."
"I should be saying sorry for what he did yesterday. You're basically our prisoner right now but I don't want you to feel like that. We know we can trust you." Kyungsoo suddenly had teary eyes and made Junmyeon panic, "Did I say something wrong? Why do you look about to cry?"
"I don't know what happened to you all, but I feel guilty because you treat me so nicely like I'm your friend. It's been so hard living alone especially when my father isn't around. I will help you for whatever you need, it's the only way I can reply you." Kyungsoo sniffed, wiping his eyes before his tears could fell.
Junmyeon squeezed Kyungsoo's shoulder, his other hand on Kyungsoo's cheek that turned a little pinkish. "Thank you. You're such a nice person. I really do hope you can help us, Jongin needs it the most." Kyungsoo replied with a small smile of his own before Junmyeon patted his head. "For now please help me cook first."
Jongin chuckled reading the first children book that he bought. It was about a witch girl who struggled to learn some magic and it's cute. The drawing was pretty and colorful that Jongin took couple of minutes to inspect the drawing for each page.
A knock came on his door and Jongin turned his head. He wait for seconds until a small voice told him the food was ready. It was Kyungsoo's.
Jongin opened the door to find Kyungsoo with his big eyes staring at him. It only last for few seconds though as he dropped his head and whispered the same thing.
"You don't have to be afraid of me. My expression is normally like this." Jongin leaned into the door frame, folding his arms.
"T-that's not it. It just that you look like you want to kill me."
"I did want to kill you."
Kyungsoo's breath hitched hearing Jongin's world. He took a step back, his hands were in front of his chest in defence mode.
"Not anymore. I know you're not her." Jongin rolled his eyes and closed the door. "Relax. You have to get used to it, you never know when your father will be back. You will see this face often." he walked passed Kyungsoo who pressed his back into the wall, pitying the man a little. It's kind of his fault that he had the same face like D.O.; making Jongin feel angry whenever he saw him.
Kyungsoo could smile and laugh when he's eating on the dining table with the Kim siblings. Jongdae kept telling stories, mostly about the witch hunting and there were some funny stories that all people on the table laughed along. Minseok and Junmyeon added comments once in a while but Jongin didn't say anything, listening intently while staring at his brothers.
Trying to calm himself wasn't easy, but Kyungsoo was learning. Just like Junmyeon said, he's a prisoner but even so, he didn't feel like one and he didn't want to do anything that could make the siblings have second thoughts about him.
Being in the lively house was something that Kyungsoo longed for. As an only child his house was always quite and as much as he enjoyed it, there were times he went out of the house and went to the town to hear people walking by and talking to each other. It was only been months since his father let him search for a job and he liked being friends with his colleagues or having a small chat with customers when the store was otherwise empty.
Observing was one of Kyungsoo's hobby and his ears always caught pieces of information before he combined it all and made a guess or prediction about someone's live. It's a fun thing to do but a few times he got scolded for daydreaming too much.
By hearing and analyzing Jongdae's stories, Kyungsoo could guess that the siblings had been moving around a couple of towns to hunt down witches. There's a story of when Jongdae mentioned their childhood, meaning that since they were children they had trained themselves to be witch hunters. It's common knowledge that when someone becomes a witch hunter he or she was once a victim and wanted a revenge.
It wasn't easy to be a witch hunter. They need to be agile, know how to use weapons, have a good reflex, and most of all, be able to kill without feeling guilty afterwards. Revenge was the most driven thing that made people kill without using their heart, only their head and that's what Kyungsoo was scared of the most from hunters.
Hunters killed so many witches that it will become easy for them to kill normal people.
"Do you want to come with us tomorrow, Kyungsoo?" Junmyeon put down his empty glass and stood up to take the jar of water and refill it.
"To where?" Kyungsoo blinked his large eyes.
"To hunt, of course! Have you ever follow your father? What weapon does he use?" The excited tone Jongdae use made Kyungsoo smile. No one knew that his father was witch hunter so he never talked about it with people.
Kyungsoo's heart suddenly beat a little faster that he could talk freely about his family without hiding it like he always did before. "He uses a gun. He always bring some knives too. He forbid me to go with him, always saying that it's dangerous. I once secretly followed him but got caught." He chuckled a little remembering his memory.
"He never teach you how to use a weapon?" Jongdae had his head above his arms on the table, looking up to Kyungsoo who shook his head.
"No. I even begged him for it but he always give the same answer. That it's dangerous and I'm too young. Finding out that all of your are hunters amazed me." a shy smile came on Kyungsoo's thick lips, his hands intertwined under the table, on his left thighs. "I feel like I don't have anything I'm good at." whispering the word, he set his gaze into the table.
"You're good at cooking, Kyungsoo." Minseok commented.
"Yeah! Cooking is a good skill to survive, you know? We would have to eat the same food everyday if Jun Hyung couldn’t cook to lower the daily expenses." Jongdae lifted his head, giving a toothy smile to Kyungsoo.
"Thank you." Kyungsoo glanced up, Jongdae, Junmyeon and Minseok were smiling to him. "It's nice to hear it."
"So, will you join us tomorrow?" Jongdae swayed his body on his seat, feeling excited to bring Kyungsoo to see them on work.
"It will be dangerous." Jongin raised an eyebrow when Kyungsoo turned to him. "We don't have time to take care of him if something happen."
Kyungsoo parted his lips, "Ah. Right. I...will stay here and take care of the house? It's a better idea, I guess." he tried to smile to Jongdae but seeing his expression, he knew his smile didn't reach his eyes and that it's obvious he looked disappointed.
"We can take care of him, Jongin. We are just surveying after all. He will be fine. Kyungsoo can join us, right, Minseok Hyung?" Jongdae gave his pout to Minseok who sighed at his request.
"I don't know. I'm okay with it but Jongin has a point too, it's dangerous. I don't want his father to blame us if something happens to Kyungsoo." He tried to explain as Kyungsoo was staring at him with hopeful eyes. "If you promise to stick by his side then he's your responsibility, Dae."
Jongdae raised his hand at that and faced Kyungsoo, "I'll protect you, Kyungsoo! We will be at the back this time so we won't get a large damage if we get hit!"
"Please take care of me. I'm scared but excited at the same time."
Jongdae and Junmyeon silently sighed when they saw Kyungsoo's smile did reach his eyes this time as it turned into pairs of crescents.
"You're going to be fine, Jongdae has the best defence." Junmyeon assured and glanced at Jongin who shook his head, obviously not agreeing with the idea.
***
Jongin wore his usual black shirt and black jacket along with a pair of boots and his black pants. He prepared for the upcoming blood splattered around his body but thinking that Kyungsoo will join them made him doubt the idea. He already cleaned his gun and all his knives the night before, bringing it along with him as he went downstairs.
His brothers were all in the living room already, checking all of their gears while Kyungsoo was standing watching them, not knowing what to do.
"You can use a knife, right?" Jongin approached Kyungsoo who looked shocked that Jongin was talking to him.
"Only to cook."
Jongin took one of his knife and gave it to Kyungsoo. "When you're in danger I'm sure you can use it for other purposes."
Kyungsoo stared at the knife and gulped, his hand was trembling when he took it. Jongin grabbed his wrist, making Kyungsoo looked up from his bangs.
"Don't hesitate. If you do, you won't meet your father anymore." It was barley a whisper but the way Jongin said it made a glint flashed over Kyungsoo's eyes. The one that said he's scared but he will keep it inside his mind.
"Alright."
Jongin watched Kyungsoo put the knife in his belt, eyes going up to see Kyungsoo was wearing dark blue pants and a black shirt. "Good choice of color." he said as he walked to his brother.
"Jongin." Junmyeon called Jongin who was checking on Jongdae with his crossbow. The younger walked to him and tilted his head. "You know he will lead us to D.O, right?"
"Yeah."
"Then you know what to do if something happens." Junmyeon gave his kind smile to a groaning Jongin. He looked down to swiped his hand over his gun, it shined as he move it a bit under the light. "Did you get a nightmare?"
Jongin pressed his lips tight, his brother was trying to remind him that there was a reason to protect Kyungsoo even if Jongdae promised to do it already. "No, I didn't."
"Great!" Junmyeon stood up and put his gun on his side, putting a hand on Jongin's shoulder and squeezed it. "You really should thank him later on."
"Later." Jongin moved away from his brother and walked to the door, his teeth gritting as he felt irritated by his brother.
Minseok and Junmyeon were side by side as they saw a small house after walking around for an hour inside the forest. The abandoned house looked like there won't be anyone living inside but they knew better that all witches had that kind of house.
Junmyeon signalled Minseok to go from the front while he went to the back. Turning his head to the other three, he told them to hide behind the trees. Kyungsoo was so dazed for a moment that Jongdae had to pull him to the side to follow Jongin who was already behind one of the big trees where he could see the house perfectly.
Minseok opened the door of the house and went inside as Junmyeon was also gone from Jongin and Jongdae's sight. Jongdae looked around them, searching for any scent or sound while Jongin had his eyes on the house.
Two minutes felt like half an hour for them before Minseok came out from the house and shook his head. He gave a signal to his brothers on the tree, waiting for Junmyeon after he checked the back of the house.
Minseok raised his crossbow when Junmyeon slowly came up, his hands were on his back as an old woman was holding him, one hand on his neck, her forefinger ready to cut his throat in any moment with the sharp, long nail.
"My, my, aren't you boys too young to be hunting for witches?" The old woman smirked, showing some of her black teeth. Her gown was colored maroon but it looked like she wore it for years as it's so dirty and old. Her grey was tied up into a bun but it's messy, some strands falling into her face. Her nose was quite pointy and there were so many wrinkles on her face, complete with a long old wound that cross from her right cheek throught her nose and ended on the left side of his forehead.
"Let him go or you'll regret it." Minseok said, not moving an inch as he already locked on his target.
"You sure you want your friend to die?" The witch let out a loud laugh, pressing her nail just a little to draw blood from Junmyeon's neck.
"Hyung." Jongin whispered to Jongdae who huffed.
"I can't get a clear shot. I don't want to hit Jun Hyung!" Jongdae frowned for a moment. "Stay here, I'll go to that side."
Jongin wasn’t able to reply as Jongdae took large steps closer to the house, leaving him with Kyungsoo who stayed frozen on his feet.
"Great." Jongin whispered to himself.
Minseok moved his eyes to Junmyeon, sending telepathy to him. Junmyeon took a deep breath, wincing a little at the small pain on his neck. The grip on his shoulder tightened and he regretted not being careful earlier. He had already checked and there was no one. He didn't think that the witch wouldcome out from the ground and take him by surprise, kicking his gun out of the way and locking both of his hands.
"You have to kill him if you want to kill me." the witch licked her lips, inhaling the scent of the man in her hold. "Too bad you'll die on such a young age. Well, not as young as those kids but still." She whispered on Junmyeon's ear.
Junmyeon widened his eyes hearing the words. He suddenly felt like all blood was rushing into his heart, picking up the pace and be blinks his eyes to Minseok who's staring at him. Minseok shook his head, not wanting to hurt Junmyeon that made Junmyeon get even angry.
"Sorry, boy. I think you have to say goodbye to--" an arrow shoot through the witch's head, stopping her from talking. She choked on her blood, her grip loosening enough that Junmyeon was able to get away from her, taking the knife on his hip and cutting the witch's neck, splattering blood to his hand and shirt. The witch's body dropped to the ground, her head following a second after, making a small thud into the ground.
Minseok quickly went to Junmyeon, grabbing the younger on the shoulder. "You're okay?"
"Yeah." Junmyeon smiled to him, putting his knife back as Minseok had his eyes on his neck.
"God, please don't do that again. Be extra careful, will you?" Minseok took our a handkerchief from his pants and gave it to Junmyeon who pressed it lightly into his neck.
"Hyung!!!" Jongdae was running from his place from behind the tree after making the shot, breathing harsh when he arrived at Junmyeon's side. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah. Thank you, Jongdae. I owe you, again."
Jongdae shook his head, taking Junmyeon into his arms and whispered, "Don't mention it. My job is to protect all of you." he chuckled into Junmyeon's neck before pulling away.
"Where's Kyungsoo?" Junmyeon suddenly remembering that Jongdae was supposed to take care of the man.
"There." Jongdae turned to the direction where Kyungsoo was with Jongin.
Minseok and Junmyeon followed Jongdae, seeing that Kyungsoo had his eyes covered by Jongin who stood behind him.
"Oh god. You think he saw it?" Junmyeon frowned, Kyungsoo will be traumatize seeing them killing a witch. He forgot to mention the possibilities of it.
"I don't think so." Minseok tilted his head a little. "Dae, take Jun's weapon. We should go back."
"Roger!"
Jongin turned Kyungsoo's body to face him, staring down at the wide eyes belonging to Kyungsoo. "You okay?"
Kyungsoo parted his lips but nothing came out from it. He didn't see how the witch died as his sight was block by Jongin. He did see how Junmyeon was being held by the witch and the thought of his father came to him. He's working alone and he always come back safe. He always asked his father about his job but he never shared it. He knew why now. He would vomit if he heard the story of it, maybe he would get a nightmare too. He suddenly felt like meeting his father, afraid that he won't be able to see him again.
Jongin looked down as Kyungsoo gripped his shirt. The smaller man was in a daze and Jongin didn't know what he was the thinking but caressed the back of Kyungsoo's head. "It's okay. Let's go back." his arm dropped to Kyungsoo's back, guiding him slowly to walk with the smaller hand still on his shirt.
"Thank you." whispered Kyungsoo, his grip tightening a little as he felt a small warmth on his back.
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Part 3
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Part 1
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Jongin felt his body being shaken by someone. He groaned, opening one eye slowly with a deep frown on his forehead.
"Morning, Jongin." Jongdae grinned down to him.
"Hyung..." Jongin moved his eyes to the clock before he saw his windows; the curtains were opened and the sky was bright blue, not pitch black like usual. "Morning...?"
"Yes. Morning. You didn't get any nightmare, Jongin. Congratulations." Jongdae sat down on Jongin's bed. He patted Jongin's body, and the younger stared back to him blankly.
"Wow."
"Yeah, wow. Now go wash yourself. Our brothers are interrogating Kyungsoo again." Jongdae peeled the blanket open, folding it while Jongin stood up and walked to the bathroom.
"Could you please bring me my clothes, hyung?"
Jongdae hummed, making the bed and taking clean clothes along with towel to Jongin.
Minseok asked Kyungsoo everything he knew about witch hunter, his father and his family. Kyungsoo didn't want to answer it especially to strangers but the family didn't look as dangerous as before so Kyungsoo willingly shared his stories. He even told them what he's going through whenever his father went to hunt. Kyungsoo never had a friend before so he felt good inside to know how it felt when you have someone to talk to.
"I was so scared that time when he hadn’t come back for a month. There's no way to find out if he's still alive or not. I know he's a great hunter but you just never knew. He smiled when he came back and I got angry, throwing things to him because he never took that long to come home. He said he went to the neighbor city to buy some clothes for me. Only for clothes!!"
"Do you have many clothes?" asked Junmyeon as he gave a plate of bread and eggs to Kyungsoo.
"No."
"Maybe that's why he brought you some. Parents are like that, you know. They tried to give their best to their child, not thinking that it might worried their children. I think he just wants to make you happy, as a peace offer for leaving too long?" Junmyeon ruffled Kyungsoo's head and Kyungsoo was stunned.
"W-why did you do that?"
Junmyeon went to the kitchen that connected to the dining room to bring more plates, whispering under his breath why Jongdae and Jongin were still upstairs. "Do what?"
"T-to my hair." Kyungsoo stared to Junmyeon with something on his eyes.
"Habit, I guess?" Junmyeon took a sit beside Minseok who already started eating while listening to Kyungsoo.
"But I'm not your brother. I'm no one, a stranger, someone you shouldn't trust!" Kyungsoo raised his voice a little but apologized seconds after.
"Don't worry. We know who we should or should not trust, Kyungsoo." Minseok smiled, telling Kyungsoo to eat while the food's still warm.
Kyungsoo went stiff when he saw Jongin and Jongdae coming down. He shifted a bit on his chair before setting his eyes into his own plate and ate silently.
Jongin knew that Kyungsoo was scared of him so he pushed Jongdae to sit between him and Kyungsoo.
Minseok cleared his throat, taking attention from his brothers. “Junmyeon and I already asked Kyungsoo and think that we should wait for his father to come back. He’s our only lead for now.”
"This means we don't have to go anywhere today, right? I want to sleep all day!" Jongdae chirped, "Don't you want to do the same, Jongin?"
Jongin thought for a moment before shaking his head, "I'll go to the town. I won't be able to sleep if I want to anyway."
"Let me go with you." Junmyeon suggested. "We need to buy some groceries."
Jongin wanted to go alone and clear his mind but groceries were important so he nodded and continued eating.
The town at noon was full of people and Jongin never felt comfortable around them. Junmyeon held his arm as he guided them to the store he came frequently.
Jongin let out a sigh after they went inside the store, following Junmyeon like a puppy as he talked to a middle age woman that seemed to know his brother well.
"Is that your brother, Jun?" the woman asked with a loud voice and bright smile. "He's just as handsome as you."
"Thank you, auntie. He's available today so I brought him. His name is Jongin." Junmyeon nudged his brother to make him bow politely and greeted the woman who clapped her hands.
"My, if I had a daughter I would love her to have a husband as handsome and polite as you both." the woman chuckled as she put all things that Junmyeon wanted to buy inside his basket that he brought from home. The woman gave it to Jongin after Junmyeon paid, saying that he will come back again in couple of weeks.
"Do you know many people here, Hyung?" Jongin whispered as they went back to the street.
"Yes. You should come with me more often, the people here are nice. Let's go to the bookstore, I ordered a new book from there." Junmyeon waited for Jongin to walk beside him and smiled.
"Bookstore? What book?"
"You will see."
Jongin folded his arms seeing the book in Junmyeon's hand. "Witch Hunter? Seriously?"
"What? It's a fiction book, I think it's fun to read." Junmyeon laughed with a little blush on his cheeks. "Do you want to buy something?"
"I don't know." Jongin shrugged, eyes scanning the not too small shop which had a warm feeling on it.
"Go on and take a look around, young man. I'm sure you will find one book that you want to read." The old man who owned the shop gave a grin and showed that two of his teeth were gone.
"Do you have any recommendation?" Jongin was tempted to check around but he's kind of lazy.
"How about this, The Little Prince?"
Junmyeon and Jongin turned their heads into the book that the old man was holding. Junmyeon's eyes went warm while Jongin's expression hardened.
"We will take that." Junmyeon said immediately.
"I'll take a look for a moment." Jongin said as he walked away. He took a deep breath when he reached a random aisle.
The book was one of his favorite, just like his brothers. It was the last book that his parents read to them and they hadn't finish the book yet. They left the book in their old house after their found out their parents died years before. Jongin never imagined he will come across the same book again, maybe he would be able to finish it one day despite how much it reminded him of his parents.
Jongin sighed out loud, brushing his hair as his eyes tried to find any book that has interesting cover. His eyes caught a book with white cover and had a witch drawing on it. He chuckled as he just complained about his brother about the book he bought yet he too got interest in the same type of book. It's more of a children’s book though as he saw the back of it, realizing that he's in fact in a children’s book section. He checked on the other books that had pretty drawings and took a couple of them.
Junmyeon was chatting with the owner when Jongin came back and smiled to him. "Found quite a lot, hmm?"
"The drawings are pretty" was Jongin’s reply as he gave it to the old man.
"The total will be 10 gold." The old man put the books inside a paper back and gave it back to Jongin with a smile.
Jongin waited for Junmyeon to pay and bowed to the old man after with a little smile. They went out of the store and Jongin asked if Junmyeon still had to go to another store.
"Hmm. Do you want to buy anything?" Junmyeon asked back to Jongin who shrugged.
"I don't know. I just want to walk around to think actually." Jongin took the paper bags from Junmyeon’s hands to help him.
"Thinking about Kyungsoo?"
"Yeah."
"He will lead us to D.O, don't you worry." Junmyeon put his hand on Jongin's waist, staring up at his brother who only nodded.
"At least I don't get nightmares anymore." Jongin whispered with a smile.
"Yeah, I'm glad about it too. You need to thank him later." Junmyeon chuckled when Jongin let out a groan.
"He doesn't need to know."
Junmyeon patted Jongin's back as they headed back to their home.
Jongin saw Kyungsoo sitting on their couch in the living room. The smaller boy quickly stood up when he saw Jongin and Junmyeon went inside the house.
"Oh, Kyungsoo. Where are the others?" asked Junmyeon with a smile.
"Upstairs." Kyungsoo avoided Jongin's eyes and stared at Junmyeon. "Do you need any help? I can cook." He smiled to Junmyeon who lightened up.
"That's a good idea! Come and help me cook their lunch. None of them want to help me, I don't know why." Junmyeon walked to the kitchen with Kyungsoo following behind him.
"Don't you need to go to your work place?"
Kyungsoo jumped hearing Jongin from behind him. He turned around and put his eyes into the floor. "N-no. I guess I'm fired by now as yesterday I, uh..." He gripped his pants not knowing what to say about Jongin who forced him out of the restaurant.
"Because of me? Right. I forgot. It's good then, you can stay here until your father comes back." Jongin leaned his back into the wall, eyes catching how nervous the small man in front of him was.
"I actually went to my house with your brothers. My dad hasn't come back yet. We will go back again tomorrow." Kyungsoo answered with a small voice.
"Great." Jongin walked out of the kitchen and Kyungsoo leaned into the kitchen sink with a deep sigh.
"You okay?" Junmyeon put a hand on Kyungsoo's shoulder, making him flinch.
"S-sorry. I'm fine, just scared of him."
"I should be saying sorry for what he did yesterday. You're basically our prisoner right now but I don't want you to feel like that. We know we can trust you." Kyungsoo suddenly had teary eyes and made Junmyeon panic, "Did I say something wrong? Why do you look about to cry?"
"I don't know what happened to you all, but I feel guilty because you treat me so nicely like I'm your friend. It's been so hard living alone especially when my father isn't around. I will help you for whatever you need, it's the only way I can reply you." Kyungsoo sniffed, wiping his eyes before his tears could fell.
Junmyeon squeezed Kyungsoo's shoulder, his other hand on Kyungsoo's cheek that turned a little pinkish. "Thank you. You're such a nice person. I really do hope you can help us, Jongin needs it the most." Kyungsoo replied with a small smile of his own before Junmyeon patted his head. "For now please help me cook first."
Jongin chuckled reading the first children book that he bought. It was about a witch girl who struggled to learn some magic and it's cute. The drawing was pretty and colorful that Jongin took couple of minutes to inspect the drawing for each page.
A knock came on his door and Jongin turned his head. He wait for seconds until a small voice told him the food was ready. It was Kyungsoo's.
Jongin opened the door to find Kyungsoo with his big eyes staring at him. It only last for few seconds though as he dropped his head and whispered the same thing.
"You don't have to be afraid of me. My expression is normally like this." Jongin leaned into the door frame, folding his arms.
"T-that's not it. It just that you look like you want to kill me."
"I did want to kill you."
Kyungsoo's breath hitched hearing Jongin's world. He took a step back, his hands were in front of his chest in defence mode.
"Not anymore. I know you're not her." Jongin rolled his eyes and closed the door. "Relax. You have to get used to it, you never know when your father will be back. You will see this face often." he walked passed Kyungsoo who pressed his back into the wall, pitying the man a little. It's kind of his fault that he had the same face like D.O.; making Jongin feel angry whenever he saw him.
Kyungsoo could smile and laugh when he's eating on the dining table with the Kim siblings. Jongdae kept telling stories, mostly about the witch hunting and there were some funny stories that all people on the table laughed along. Minseok and Junmyeon added comments once in a while but Jongin didn't say anything, listening intently while staring at his brothers.
Trying to calm himself wasn't easy, but Kyungsoo was learning. Just like Junmyeon said, he's a prisoner but even so, he didn't feel like one and he didn't want to do anything that could make the siblings have second thoughts about him.
Being in the lively house was something that Kyungsoo longed for. As an only child his house was always quite and as much as he enjoyed it, there were times he went out of the house and went to the town to hear people walking by and talking to each other. It was only been months since his father let him search for a job and he liked being friends with his colleagues or having a small chat with customers when the store was otherwise empty.
Observing was one of Kyungsoo's hobby and his ears always caught pieces of information before he combined it all and made a guess or prediction about someone's live. It's a fun thing to do but a few times he got scolded for daydreaming too much.
By hearing and analyzing Jongdae's stories, Kyungsoo could guess that the siblings had been moving around a couple of towns to hunt down witches. There's a story of when Jongdae mentioned their childhood, meaning that since they were children they had trained themselves to be witch hunters. It's common knowledge that when someone becomes a witch hunter he or she was once a victim and wanted a revenge.
It wasn't easy to be a witch hunter. They need to be agile, know how to use weapons, have a good reflex, and most of all, be able to kill without feeling guilty afterwards. Revenge was the most driven thing that made people kill without using their heart, only their head and that's what Kyungsoo was scared of the most from hunters.
Hunters killed so many witches that it will become easy for them to kill normal people.
"Do you want to come with us tomorrow, Kyungsoo?" Junmyeon put down his empty glass and stood up to take the jar of water and refill it.
"To where?" Kyungsoo blinked his large eyes.
"To hunt, of course! Have you ever follow your father? What weapon does he use?" The excited tone Jongdae use made Kyungsoo smile. No one knew that his father was witch hunter so he never talked about it with people.
Kyungsoo's heart suddenly beat a little faster that he could talk freely about his family without hiding it like he always did before. "He uses a gun. He always bring some knives too. He forbid me to go with him, always saying that it's dangerous. I once secretly followed him but got caught." He chuckled a little remembering his memory.
"He never teach you how to use a weapon?" Jongdae had his head above his arms on the table, looking up to Kyungsoo who shook his head.
"No. I even begged him for it but he always give the same answer. That it's dangerous and I'm too young. Finding out that all of your are hunters amazed me." a shy smile came on Kyungsoo's thick lips, his hands intertwined under the table, on his left thighs. "I feel like I don't have anything I'm good at." whispering the word, he set his gaze into the table.
"You're good at cooking, Kyungsoo." Minseok commented.
"Yeah! Cooking is a good skill to survive, you know? We would have to eat the same food everyday if Jun Hyung couldn’t cook to lower the daily expenses." Jongdae lifted his head, giving a toothy smile to Kyungsoo.
"Thank you." Kyungsoo glanced up, Jongdae, Junmyeon and Minseok were smiling to him. "It's nice to hear it."
"So, will you join us tomorrow?" Jongdae swayed his body on his seat, feeling excited to bring Kyungsoo to see them on work.
"It will be dangerous." Jongin raised an eyebrow when Kyungsoo turned to him. "We don't have time to take care of him if something happen."
Kyungsoo parted his lips, "Ah. Right. I...will stay here and take care of the house? It's a better idea, I guess." he tried to smile to Jongdae but seeing his expression, he knew his smile didn't reach his eyes and that it's obvious he looked disappointed.
"We can take care of him, Jongin. We are just surveying after all. He will be fine. Kyungsoo can join us, right, Minseok Hyung?" Jongdae gave his pout to Minseok who sighed at his request.
"I don't know. I'm okay with it but Jongin has a point too, it's dangerous. I don't want his father to blame us if something happens to Kyungsoo." He tried to explain as Kyungsoo was staring at him with hopeful eyes. "If you promise to stick by his side then he's your responsibility, Dae."
Jongdae raised his hand at that and faced Kyungsoo, "I'll protect you, Kyungsoo! We will be at the back this time so we won't get a large damage if we get hit!"
"Please take care of me. I'm scared but excited at the same time."
Jongdae and Junmyeon silently sighed when they saw Kyungsoo's smile did reach his eyes this time as it turned into pairs of crescents.
"You're going to be fine, Jongdae has the best defence." Junmyeon assured and glanced at Jongin who shook his head, obviously not agreeing with the idea.
***
Jongin wore his usual black shirt and black jacket along with a pair of boots and his black pants. He prepared for the upcoming blood splattered around his body but thinking that Kyungsoo will join them made him doubt the idea. He already cleaned his gun and all his knives the night before, bringing it along with him as he went downstairs.
His brothers were all in the living room already, checking all of their gears while Kyungsoo was standing watching them, not knowing what to do.
"You can use a knife, right?" Jongin approached Kyungsoo who looked shocked that Jongin was talking to him.
"Only to cook."
Jongin took one of his knife and gave it to Kyungsoo. "When you're in danger I'm sure you can use it for other purposes."
Kyungsoo stared at the knife and gulped, his hand was trembling when he took it. Jongin grabbed his wrist, making Kyungsoo looked up from his bangs.
"Don't hesitate. If you do, you won't meet your father anymore." It was barley a whisper but the way Jongin said it made a glint flashed over Kyungsoo's eyes. The one that said he's scared but he will keep it inside his mind.
"Alright."
Jongin watched Kyungsoo put the knife in his belt, eyes going up to see Kyungsoo was wearing dark blue pants and a black shirt. "Good choice of color." he said as he walked to his brother.
"Jongin." Junmyeon called Jongin who was checking on Jongdae with his crossbow. The younger walked to him and tilted his head. "You know he will lead us to D.O, right?"
"Yeah."
"Then you know what to do if something happens." Junmyeon gave his kind smile to a groaning Jongin. He looked down to swiped his hand over his gun, it shined as he move it a bit under the light. "Did you get a nightmare?"
Jongin pressed his lips tight, his brother was trying to remind him that there was a reason to protect Kyungsoo even if Jongdae promised to do it already. "No, I didn't."
"Great!" Junmyeon stood up and put his gun on his side, putting a hand on Jongin's shoulder and squeezed it. "You really should thank him later on."
"Later." Jongin moved away from his brother and walked to the door, his teeth gritting as he felt irritated by his brother.
Minseok and Junmyeon were side by side as they saw a small house after walking around for an hour inside the forest. The abandoned house looked like there won't be anyone living inside but they knew better that all witches had that kind of house.
Junmyeon signalled Minseok to go from the front while he went to the back. Turning his head to the other three, he told them to hide behind the trees. Kyungsoo was so dazed for a moment that Jongdae had to pull him to the side to follow Jongin who was already behind one of the big trees where he could see the house perfectly.
Minseok opened the door of the house and went inside as Junmyeon was also gone from Jongin and Jongdae's sight. Jongdae looked around them, searching for any scent or sound while Jongin had his eyes on the house.
Two minutes felt like half an hour for them before Minseok came out from the house and shook his head. He gave a signal to his brothers on the tree, waiting for Junmyeon after he checked the back of the house.
Minseok raised his crossbow when Junmyeon slowly came up, his hands were on his back as an old woman was holding him, one hand on his neck, her forefinger ready to cut his throat in any moment with the sharp, long nail.
"My, my, aren't you boys too young to be hunting for witches?" The old woman smirked, showing some of her black teeth. Her gown was colored maroon but it looked like she wore it for years as it's so dirty and old. Her grey was tied up into a bun but it's messy, some strands falling into her face. Her nose was quite pointy and there were so many wrinkles on her face, complete with a long old wound that cross from her right cheek throught her nose and ended on the left side of his forehead.
"Let him go or you'll regret it." Minseok said, not moving an inch as he already locked on his target.
"You sure you want your friend to die?" The witch let out a loud laugh, pressing her nail just a little to draw blood from Junmyeon's neck.
"Hyung." Jongin whispered to Jongdae who huffed.
"I can't get a clear shot. I don't want to hit Jun Hyung!" Jongdae frowned for a moment. "Stay here, I'll go to that side."
Jongin wasn’t able to reply as Jongdae took large steps closer to the house, leaving him with Kyungsoo who stayed frozen on his feet.
"Great." Jongin whispered to himself.
Minseok moved his eyes to Junmyeon, sending telepathy to him. Junmyeon took a deep breath, wincing a little at the small pain on his neck. The grip on his shoulder tightened and he regretted not being careful earlier. He had already checked and there was no one. He didn't think that the witch wouldcome out from the ground and take him by surprise, kicking his gun out of the way and locking both of his hands.
"You have to kill him if you want to kill me." the witch licked her lips, inhaling the scent of the man in her hold. "Too bad you'll die on such a young age. Well, not as young as those kids but still." She whispered on Junmyeon's ear.
Junmyeon widened his eyes hearing the words. He suddenly felt like all blood was rushing into his heart, picking up the pace and be blinks his eyes to Minseok who's staring at him. Minseok shook his head, not wanting to hurt Junmyeon that made Junmyeon get even angry.
"Sorry, boy. I think you have to say goodbye to--" an arrow shoot through the witch's head, stopping her from talking. She choked on her blood, her grip loosening enough that Junmyeon was able to get away from her, taking the knife on his hip and cutting the witch's neck, splattering blood to his hand and shirt. The witch's body dropped to the ground, her head following a second after, making a small thud into the ground.
Minseok quickly went to Junmyeon, grabbing the younger on the shoulder. "You're okay?"
"Yeah." Junmyeon smiled to him, putting his knife back as Minseok had his eyes on his neck.
"God, please don't do that again. Be extra careful, will you?" Minseok took our a handkerchief from his pants and gave it to Junmyeon who pressed it lightly into his neck.
"Hyung!!!" Jongdae was running from his place from behind the tree after making the shot, breathing harsh when he arrived at Junmyeon's side. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah. Thank you, Jongdae. I owe you, again."
Jongdae shook his head, taking Junmyeon into his arms and whispered, "Don't mention it. My job is to protect all of you." he chuckled into Junmyeon's neck before pulling away.
"Where's Kyungsoo?" Junmyeon suddenly remembering that Jongdae was supposed to take care of the man.
"There." Jongdae turned to the direction where Kyungsoo was with Jongin.
Minseok and Junmyeon followed Jongdae, seeing that Kyungsoo had his eyes covered by Jongin who stood behind him.
"Oh god. You think he saw it?" Junmyeon frowned, Kyungsoo will be traumatize seeing them killing a witch. He forgot to mention the possibilities of it.
"I don't think so." Minseok tilted his head a little. "Dae, take Jun's weapon. We should go back."
"Roger!"
Jongin turned Kyungsoo's body to face him, staring down at the wide eyes belonging to Kyungsoo. "You okay?"
Kyungsoo parted his lips but nothing came out from it. He didn't see how the witch died as his sight was block by Jongin. He did see how Junmyeon was being held by the witch and the thought of his father came to him. He's working alone and he always come back safe. He always asked his father about his job but he never shared it. He knew why now. He would vomit if he heard the story of it, maybe he would get a nightmare too. He suddenly felt like meeting his father, afraid that he won't be able to see him again.
Jongin looked down as Kyungsoo gripped his shirt. The smaller man was in a daze and Jongin didn't know what he was the thinking but caressed the back of Kyungsoo's head. "It's okay. Let's go back." his arm dropped to Kyungsoo's back, guiding him slowly to walk with the smaller hand still on his shirt.
"Thank you." whispered Kyungsoo, his grip tightening a little as he felt a small warmth on his back.
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Part 3
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