Trying To Catch The Sun [het!2min, slight het!onkey] [1/?]
Title: Trying To Catch The Sun
Pairing: het!2min, slight het!Onkey
Genre: AU, Humor, Romance, Drama
Rating: PG - 13
Word Count: 3,300
Disclaimer(s): I own nothing.
Summary: They used to be good friends in high school, but now that Minho's once best friend has resurfaced as a recovering drug addict, is it his respnsibility to help Jonghyun get his son back?
A/N: Beta'd by pixziestikxz
I can't believe it's him. We parted ways so hastily, he couldn't wait to get into the real world. I always resented him for abandoning me like that. Never in a million years did I think we would meet up again, let alone like this. I mean, damn, he doesn't even remember me, he's so messed up. I also have a reputation to uphold, but still, I can't turn him away. God knows I don't owe it to him. Yet I don't think I can live with myself if I don't take him in.
The man who's been passed out on my couch for the passed couple of hours starts to stir. He's smaller than me, but he isn't lacking in muscle, so I'm ready in case he flips out. My stance is solid and I'm a safe distance away as he turns sleepy brown eyes on me.
"I'm Choi Minho, you're in my apartment," I inform him as his eyes widen in surprise at his surroundings.
"Kim Jonghyun," he introduces in return,"What the fuck am I doing here?"
-That Morning-
"And the great prodigy son brings justice to the people once again!" Jinki exclaims as he jumps into the cruiser. "Tell me, how does it feel, oh Great Choi Minho, to know that the streets of Seoul are now clean of another scumbag thanks to you're courageous work?"
I frown at the cup of coffee my partner is shoving under my chin like a microphone. "You're going to burn yourself again if you aren't careful with that," I warn as I start up the cruiser's engine.
Jinki is successfully distracted as he cautiously sets the steaming cup into its proper holder, because really, he has enough burns already to be making the same mistakes. I use this opportunity to radio into the station that Jinki and I are returning, our shifts finally over. The woman on the other line gives the affirmative then congratulates me on my successful arrest. I thank her, but I'm glad when the static buzz of empty waves flows from the radio instead of her voice.
I'm Choi Minho, twenty-two years old, only a year out of the academy, and already one of the top officers in the Seoul Police Force. I'm the ideal police officer. I'm strategic and quick in my thinking, but just as agile on my feet. Many people are amazed, but what they don't realize is that I've been strictly trained for this since I was a boy. My father is the police chief over Seoul's district. He is, and always has been, dedicated to the force, so it's no surprise he expects his sons to follow in his foot steps. Unfortunately for him, my younger brother wasn't as up to the career path, so it's been placed solely on my shoulders to carry on my father's legacy of hard work and sweat for the police force.
There was never a time when I wasn't preparing for the police force, never a time I considered being anything else.
I take a sip of the hot coffee Jinki bought in celebration of our successful drug bust earlier. Despite what everyone seems to believe, it took a lot of team work to bring in the big time dealer who has been prowling Seoul for years now, not just my effort.
"We should go out for dinner tonight," Jinki is rambling with a large grin plastered on his face,"Us and the girls, to celebrate. The wife's been nagging me to go out for dinner with you guys forever now, she says I don't take her out enough." And he continues on with his marital problems while I scan the road, because even though I'm technically off duty I can't help my subconscious cop actions.
Something unsettling is in my lower gut, I can feel it, and it immediately puts me on edge. My gut acts as a sharp, instinctive alarm to any approaching danger that even my father couldn't have trained into me. It comes naturally to me and it's not something I ignore.
"Gwiboon can be such a demanding bitch, sometimes, you know what I mean?" Jinki's attention is fixed on me so I have to say something back.
I shoot him a sideways glance and shrug. "Not really," I say in all honesty.
Jinki chuckles and shakes his head. "Man, you're so lucky! Taeyeon is such a sweet girl. I bet she doesn't turn into the freaking devil reincarnated if you interrupt her soap - "
"Shit!" I cut Jinki off as I slam on the brakes.
A man comes barreling out of an alleyway only to run straight into the room, arms held up to protect his face as he prepares for impact. I grit my teeth as I exit the cruiser. From where the guy is standing, still frozen in front of the cruiser, I can tell he's messed up. Matted, inky black hair that hangs over his face and eyes so bloodshot they almost appear red. His clothes are shredded and tattered from the streets and he only has his left sock on.
"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" I ground out as I try to calm my erratic heart beat.
It's as if my voice springs the man back to life and he's running to me, gaze wild and lips moving to let out a stream of jumbled words. "Please, help me! You have to help me!" He's yelling in my face, hands grabbing at the front of my uniform.
I push him away and I give him a critical stare. There's a dull sense of recognition in the back of my mind but I ignore it, focusing on the more pressing matter of dealing with this possibly suicidal man. "What's wrong?" I ask, a calm facade in place like I've been trained to maintain.
He's shifting from foot to foot and tears start to spill onto his cheeks. "You have to help me," He whimpers," Please, they took him away."
"Sir, you need to calm down and explain the situation," I try to keep my composure. This is easier said than done when I'm standing in the middle of a side street in downtown Seoul with some man, whose most likely a drug addict, crying for me to help him.
The guy continues to blubber and I turn to Jinki for help. From behind the windshield he raises an eyebrow at me. I turn back to the guy, bite down on the corner of my lip and mull over my responsibilities as a police officer and my responsibilities as a fellow human being.
"Get in the back," I finally order, shifting so that I can open the back door to the cruiser for the man to slip inside. "Maybe they can do something at the station."
I get in and continue moving froward, only the loud sobs emitting from the backseat creating any noise. Jinki is staring at me with a slightly opened mouth expression. I make a point to keep my eyes fixed on the road.
When we arrive at the station Jinki is quick to depart, calling over his shoulder for me to call him later to know about dinner. I nod in reply, before bringing my attention to the man in the back seat. He seems to have gained control over himself again, but he still fidgeted like crazy despite the cramped space. I open the door for him to get out.
"Let's see if we can get you some help," I say, placing a firm hand around the crook of the man's elbow so as not to lose him in the wide expanse of the station's parking lot. "By the way, I'm Officer Choi Minho."
The man barely registers my introduction, too busy taking in the outside of the police station. He's taking in everything and yet I get the distinct feeling he isn't really seeing anything. He rubs at his nose using the back of his hand, mumbling about someone being taken away and needing help. He's a user for sure, cocaine by the looks of it. I frown, because if there's anything I hate, it's substance abuse. But there's a twinge in my gut, like I'm missing something. What? I'm studying the man with a hard look as we finally reach the office I know we won't be turned away at.
I knock softly before calling out, "Ms. Kim?"
"Come in!" A voice chirps from the middle aged woman seated at a large, mahogany desk. "What's up, sweetie?"
"I need a favor," I say as I step into the room, the man in tow.
"What's that - Oh!" Ms. Kim's eyes widen in shock. "Who's this?"
"I don't know, he jumped in front of my cruiser and needs help with something," I say and realize just how ridiculous I must sound. "Do you have time to help?"
Ms. Kim eyes the man curiously, but nods with a warm smile anyway. "Of course hon, why don't you take a seat?"
I nod in appreciation, guiding the man to one of the two seats in front of her neatly organized desk. He sits down, but immediately his knees are bouncing and he's tapping his feet against the tiled flooring.
"What's your name, dear?" She asks the man after catching his attention.
"Um ... Kim, Kim Jonghyun," he answers, eyes shifting as he takes in the room.
He's nervous, probably because he's been to the police station before on less than friendly terms. I watch him closely, no matter if he's just here for help he's still a questionable character and I have no idea what he can do.
Kim Jonghyun. Just like that, that dull sense of recognition I had when first seeing him comes to the front of my mind. I quickly cover the shock in my features, but can't help but shift my gaze towards this guy who claims to be Kim Jonghyun. I try to see that familiar care free face underneath the layers of grime and hard living. Although he's considerably aged, his eyes are a dead give away. But, Jonghyun graduated and went off to start a career in entertainment, I thought? How could he have possibly gone from a hopeful singer to this?
"Kim Jonghyun? What's your birth date?" Ms. Kim questions while she peers at the computer screen.
I shake myself of these thoughts. I can't let this become a personal matter.
I can't.
Jonghyun licks his lips thoughtfully. "April 8th, 1990," he says and the pauses in his speech tell me he isn't quite sure.
Ms. Kim nods as she continues to search the system. "Aha! Here you are," she scrolls down to read his profile, "It seems you've been arrested twice before? Both times for possession of illegal substances?"
Jonghyun hangs his head and nods. "I'm, I'm trying to get clean," he says shakily before a spark of energy lights through him, "I have to, they took him away!"
I place a hand on his shoulder because if he gets too worked up he'll have to leave and the whole meeting would be a waste. "You have to calm down," I say quietly.
He turns to me with those large brown eyes. "You can't let them keep him, I'm getting clean," he tries to keep his voice low but whatever he's trying to get clean of is still in his system and he can't keep control of himself.
"Are you talking about your son?" Ms. Kim cuts in and Jonghyun nods his head vigorously in reply. She looks at me with a small frown to explain, "Custody has been turned over to the state."
Beside me, Jonghyun is in tears again. My gaze shifts between him and Ms. Kim and god if I can be any bigger of a sucker. "Jonghyun, can you go wait in the hall for me?" I keep my voice steady as sobs continue to wrack his body.
"You have to help, please," he's whimpering, "They took my kid, they took my house. Please!"
I stare into his eyes as I speak, "Jonghyun, I'm going to do whatever it takes to help you. Can you please go wait in the hall?" It's painful to speak to him as if we have no background.
He stares at me, studies my firm expression as if he's searching for a lie, but finally stands and exits the room. I wait until the door clicks softly behind him before turning to Ms. Kim.
"Is there anything I can do?" I ask, begging her next word to be 'yes'.
Ms. Kim pinches the bridge of her nose. "Hon, he's a cocaine addict. He's going to need rehab and steady employment before the state will even consider returning his kid," she frowns, "I know you want to help, but he's got to help himself first. Why don't you just take him down to the homeless shelter? He can get a warm meal and bed there, at least."
I nod my head in agreement to her words. "Yeah, okay," I stand up and start moving towards the door, "Thanks, Ms. Kim."
"Anytime, doll," She calls before I'm out the door.
Jonghyun jumps as I enter the hall. "So?" he asks, expectant.
After all the training I've gone through, all the preparation it takes to become a top notch police officer, I feel pretty comfortable in my ability to read people. Despite the homelessness and cocaine addiction that should be a dead give away I should just mark this guy up as a lost cause, I can't help but feel like maybe Jonghyun has a chance. He wants to get clean, wants to change all for his son. What kind of person does that make me if I ignore him?
"There's nothing we can do right now," I say and scratch the back of my head, "How about you come back to my apartment, since you have no where to stay?"
Jonghyun absently wipes at his nose. "I've got to get him back," he hasn't bothered to wipe away the tear stains from his cheeks so it makes his words sound just that much more desperate.
I offer him a handkerchief. "You will, but it's not going to be easy," I lead him down the hall, "Why don't you get a shower and some food first?"
"O - Okay," Jonghyun says and runs a hand through his hair, "I guess I could use a shower."
We leave the station then to take the train back to my apartment. Jonghyun isn't nearly as jumpy as before now that he's not as worked up, but I'm still worrying. How am I going to get him help? He couldn't possibly have the money for rehab. I massage my temples; I do have a savings account that I've been stashing money in. That's the money I'm saving for the ring, though. I let out a groan, I'll just have to talk it over with Taeyeon.
"Nice place," Jonghyun comments as we enter the apartment, but I hear a wheeze to his words.
"Sorry the elevator was out," I say as Jonghyun tries to catch his breath.
Jonghyun just shakes his head, because the train ride seems to of mellowed him out. "Where's your bathroom?" He asks with drooping eyelids.
"Follow me," I order, grabbing an extra towel and washcloth out of the hall closet before showing him the bathroom. "Let me know if you need anything."
He nods wordlessly, exhaustion written across his face. Do I ever know how he feels. I leave him to shower up and walk soundlessly to my kitchen. I've been working the night shift since eight last night and it's already ten in the morning. I wouldn't be so bad off if we hadn't done that bust, it was so stressful it's like tacking on an additional ten hours to the day. So many lives rode on decisions I made during the bust.
I run my hands through my shaggy hair while slowly releasing a breath. Getting stressed out isn't going to help anyone. I start banging around my kitchen, searching for something edible to serve Jonghyun. Normally I just go to Taeyeon's for food, so all I can find is instant ramen and some coffee. I put on water to boil and start up my trusty coffee pot. By the time Jonghyun returns, hair hanging in a dripping mess, the meal is almost ready.
I let out an exasperated sigh and grab a towel. "It's the middle of winter, you can't walk around with wet hair," I chide quietly, reaching over and drying off Jonghyun's hair tentatively. Really, to think he's older than me.
Jonghyun shuts his eyes, relaxing against my touch and letting his body move along to the pull of my hands. Once I'm satisfied with his hair, I turn back to grab the bowls of ramen and mugs of coffee. I place them on the small table I have, where Jonghyun is already seated, before grabbing chopsticks and then settling down myself.
"I'll eat this well," Jonghyun says with a sharp nod before practically inhaling the noodles.
"So, you have a son?" I ask, trying to start conversation. "What's his name?"
Jonghyun looks up, a smile tugging at his lips. "Yooguen, my son's name is Yooguen," his eyes are lit up with pride as he lets out a small chuckle, "I call him Yooguen Mooguen, he loves it."
I want to ask him more questions, because honestly I'm intrigued by just how much he loves his kid, but Jonghyun is more intent on his food. I watch him eat and I can't help but wonder about the old Jonghyun. Is he still in there? He must be, no one but Jonghyun can be so passionate. What happened to make him go down the path of addiction if he cares so much about his son?
I sip casually at my coffee and stare off as I become immersed in my thoughts. It's not until a curt 'bang' sounds that my attention is drawn back to the present. Jonghyun's already finished his meal and passed out on the table, the 'bang' being the collision of his head against the hard surface of the tabletop. I set my cup down and stand up, stretching my back to get ready to heft Jonghyun's solid body over to the couch.
Amidst transporting the dead weight that is Kim Jonghyun to the couch, my phone starts buzzing in my pant's pocket. I let out a groan, dropping Jonghyun onto the couch non-too-gently before answering the call.
"Choi Minho speaking," I say and I try to hide from my voice the utter exhaustion that I'm feeling.
After a short conversation with my father, who calls just to inform me of some dinner I need to attend so I can rub elbows with some much needed connections, I feel like the walking dead. I stumble into my room and collapse onto my unmade bed, letting myself catch up on some much needed rest.
I'm woken from my peaceful slumber only four short hours later. I grumble and moan as I drag myself to my feet, the urgent need to relieve myself stronger than my will to sleep. Also, I need to start calling around and checking out the rehabilitation facilities in the area for Jonghyun. Oh, which reminds me I need to call Jinki and cancel dinner plans with him. Definitely no time for sleep. Once I'm done in the bathroom I go back into my room to change out of my uniform, only now realizing I fell asleep in it. I trade it out for some comfortable sweat pants and a hoodie. I send my bed a wistful look before leaving my room, heading to the kitchen to dig up my lap top and cell phone to start checking things off my to do list.
A very disappointed Jinki, calls placed to several different rehab centers, and two hours later, I can finally shut off my computer and set down my phone. That's when I notice my house guest beginning to stir. I drag myself up from my chair to go over and inspect Jonghyun, ready for him to wake up in any mood.
Jonghyun's first words aren't what I'm expecting, but they seem civil enough. "You ran in front of my cruiser, asking for help," I tell him evenly, watching his every movement like a hawk.
He sits up, rubbing at his nose. He looks groggy still, but the twitch is starting up in his body again. "Why the fuck am I here?" He repeats, voice rising.
I take a step back, this is not going to end well. Jonghyun's eyes re open wide now, blazing, and he's quick to jump to his feet. All clarity of the situation he had is out the window as he stares up at me.
"What - what do you want?" He demands and his hands are balled up in fists,"What the hell do you want?"
I put my hands up in surrender. "I just want to help you," I say in my best take-control-of-the-situation voice, "I need you to just calm down so i can explain - "
"How the fuck am I supposed to calm down!" Jonghyun lashes out, sending the contents of my coffee table and the table itself flying across the floor as he sends it toppling to its side.
He's shouting incoherently now and smashing anything in sight. My neighbors are not going to appreciate the noise, aside from the fact that my apartment is currently being trashed. I need to do something quick. Just as Jonghyun is starting for the TV I tackle him to the ground, pinning his arms behind his back and restraining his legs with my own.
"Get the fuck off of me!" Jonghyun roars, but he's not strong enough to pull away from my grip.
"You need to calm down," I repeat, having to yell to be heard over him.
Jonghyun continues to struggle underneath me. This isn't working. I wrack my mind for a solution to this problem, a way to handle this situation with a limited amount of damage.
"Remember Yooguen, Jonghyun?" I shout into his ear.
"What have you done to him, you fucking bastard!" Jonghyun's struggle becomes stronger now and I really have to fight to keep him down.
"I'm going to help you get better so you can be with him again!" I continue, praying Jonghyun's stable enough to listen to reason.
"What can you do?" Jonghyun growls, "They took him, they took my son away!"
This would all be so much easier if he just remembered me, trusted me. We stay on the ground for another good five minutes, me wrestling him down with all my strength and reminding him of his son while he continues to fight and yell until all his energy is used up. Finally he gives up and his face smashes into the hard wood flooring. A familiar, steady stream of hot tears makes its way down his face.
"I want to be there for Yooguen," he says while choking back sobs, "I just want to take care of my kid."
I don't loosen my hold on him, until I'm sure he's calmed down. "I know, that's why I'm going to help you."
There's absolutely no resistance from Jonghyun now as he slumps against the floor, pressed down by my weight. I warn him that I'm letting go and that he needs to stay on the ground before standing up. He listens, remaining on the floor as he weeps.
"I am going to help you, Kim Jonghyun.," I promise, "But you need to be willing to help you, too."
He doesn't respond. Behind me my phone begins to ring again and I slowly walk over to it. I keep my eyes set on Jonghyun's prone form the entire time, answering the phone quietly.
"Choi Minho speaking - "
"Hey baby, I'm on my way over!" My girlfriend's familiar sing-song voice chirps over the line.
My forehead wrinkles in a deep frown. "I don't think that's a good idea Tae," I say. I'm not having the person I care about most in the world around an unstable addict, no matter how good of a person I know he is underneath it all.
"Yeah, okay," she laughs into the phone, "See ya' in five."
The line cuts off. I stare dumbfounded at the phone before looking up to take in the current state of my apartment. The living room is completely wrecked and there's a man sprawled out on the floor with a bloody nose. Forget the dangerous situation it puts her in, Taeyeon's not going to let me hear the end of it when she finds out what I've gotten myself into.
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A/N: There will be a lot more 2min from here on out