The Killer's Nightmare - Chapter 4
Jaejoong/Yunho, Yoochun/Junsu
The ultimate killer he is, but what is it that haunts him so?
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | snippet |
The Killer's Nightmare: Chapter 4
“Wait, let me get this clear. First you got a run to kill this Yunho’s boss and now he wants you to teach him how to cook?” asked Yoochun, quite unable to accept the idea.
Junsu shook his head and said, “I don’t get what’s so complicated about this. Why don’t you just take him down? It’s the simplest way out there… ”
Yoochun nodded his head, fully agreeing with the other. Both of them thought Jaejoong was being ridiculous.
“I don’t know, maybe he’s trying to lure me in. But don’t you see? He could have killed me there and then at the club. He had a chance, but he didn’t. He may have realized that there’s someone else behind all this - “
“Who is the client,” said Junsu, catching Jaejoong’s drift.
“And so…if I do kill him…” Jaejoong drawled, looking at the other two expectantly.
“You’ll be giving his entire gang a real reason to come after you. Right?” asked Yoochun, the last to comprehend the situation.
It seemed like Jaejoong had a deal; cook lessons in exchange for the car and dagger. But the way he saw it: Jaejoong could always choose to cut the hassle with brute force and still get his stuff back. Yoochun only wondered what consequence each would carry.
Changmin jerked his neck to the left and to the right, cracking his joints to ease the sore that had built up from reading. He was over at Yunho’s apartment again, and was keeping the other company as he cleaned up the place after a few months’ neglect.
“Have the rest of the men recovered from the invasion?” Yunho asked as he kneaded the damp cloth. He was thinking about selling the place, since he hardly resided in the apartment, save for the bedroom, where he only used one piece of furniture - the bed.
Only for sleeping, of course. Yunho hardly had time for himself, much less for others.
“I think so… most of them are fine now. By the way, that guy…who is he? Do you know?” asked Changmin as looked up from his book. He was finishing it for the second time.
“I wish I knew myself - but I’ve got a hunch that he belongs to the Nameless. Someone paid them the big bucks to get rid of our boss.”
Changmin nodded in understanding before returning to the world of Hogwarts. He felt not the grief that Yunho did, but only a passive acknowledgement of the supposed loss. Changmin never liked Jung Joomin, and some part of him seemed to actually celebrate his passing.
“So you’re trying to hire him to teach you? And cooking, of all things?”
“Yeah, it’s a way to keep him…close. I met him by chance that night - I couldn’t think of anything there and then. All I knew was that he was good at cooking… so I guess cooking lessons were most apt?”
“That you’re right, he’s good. Besides you can’t get him to train you in marksmanship, how ironic would that be!” Changmin chuckled.
Yunho laughed with him, before both of them resumed their previous activities and silence set in.
Jaejoong pushed the seatbelt into place, the matching of gadgets producing a metallic click sound. Yoochun was in the driver’s seat beside him, having agreed to give him a lift since the other didn’t have his car.
Light piano music played in the background, filling in quietness between them. Drives with Yoochun were always quieter, since he was never talkative, and they hardly needed words anyway. It gave Jaejoong a kind of comfort he couldn’t describe.
Just as they were about to reach Chambers, Yoochun’s alert rang. Jaejoong took the device from the storage compartments between their two seats, and casually read the details out. He then scrolled to the bottom where there would always be one picture of the target, and scorned in disgust.
It was an unflattering picture.
Jaejoong held the device to Yoochun, who risked a glance at the screen before coming up with a similar expression. Then he began to burst into laughter, when he realized that they were both accessing the physical appearance of the man he was about to kill.
Jaejoong seemed to notice this, too, for he too joined in soon after.
“Alright, thanks for the ride. I’ll get myself back to headquarters. Be safe,” said Jaejoong as he exited from the car.
Using what time he had before anyone may turn hostile, he quickly surveyed the Chambers compound in search of his Audi, but it appeared that Yunho scooted it off someplace else. In its original parking lot was instead an Aston Martin, black sheen radiating from every inch in the sunlight.
“Jaejoong?”
He turned around to see Yunho ambling towards him, accompanied by a stranger on his left flank.
“This is Changmin. I don’t think you met him the other day.”
Jaejoong shook hands with Changmin, still wary of them both. He didn’t like staying in the Chambers estate, for he was certain it housed many vengeful gangsters after him and he wasn’t sure of Yunho’s influence over them, or if Yunho was even serious about their deal.
He didn’t even know for sure, that he wasn’t about to get himself killed.
All he knew, however, was that he needed his dagger back in its original position beside his heart.
Changmin seemed to sense Jaejoong’s reservation, and spoke, surprising both Yunho and Jaejoong. “You can relax, Mr. Kim, we’re not going to hurt you. Our…brothers won’t even dare to think about it. Yunho has them held back on leashes, so don’t worry.”
“That wasn’t necessary at all,” Jaejoong replied, refusing to admit the feelings that Changmin had already detected. Awkwardness seeped in before Yunho decided to speak.
“So… I take it that you’re agreeing to our deal?”
“Well, if we’re going to have them here, you have to tell me, because I’d have to come with armor and guns,” said Jaejoong in a considerable effort to be funny.
Yunho smiled while Changmin rolled his eyes.
“No, personal affairs are not to be carried out here. Will my place be okay? I think it’d be more convenient as well since there are a couple of grocers nearby,” said Yunho, who was visibly happy that Jaejoong had agreed.
“Fine by me.”
Jaejoong exited from the black Aston Martin first, eager to escape from the confining area. Despite Yunho and Changmin’s effort to make the ride comfortable, Jaejoong’s hand had been wrapped around his Glock throughout. He was actually a little displeased at Changmin’s presence, for it meant a possible 2v1 situation for the rest of the day, where they would also have the upper hand because of Jaejoong’s unfamiliarity with the environment.
Vigilance was one of the first things he taught himself to survive.
The market was rather quiet for a Saturday afternoon, so the 3 of them could shop pretty comfortably without having to jostle around. With the help of Changmin’s long list of recipe suggestions, Yunho and Jaejoong finally decided to make yukgaejang. Jaejoong didn’t have a problem with it, while Yunho was slightly apprehensive, doubtful of his abilities. Changmin was just excited to be in for a good meal.
There were awkward moments here and there, for Changmin and Yunho found it hard to orientate themselves around Jaejoong. Their usual casualness had disappeared, and Jaejoong knew he was the cause, since the two couldn’t possibly behave the way they did on a daily basis.
He was guilty for another matter as well, for Yunho gave in most of the time whenever decisions (what to buy, which type to buy) had to be made and just paid for the groceries.
Jaejoong had to admit that Yunho was a nice man.
An hour and four grocery bags later, Yunho drove them back to his apartment, the topmost of the three large apartments in the building. As they stepped into Yunho’s loft, Jaejoong felt thoroughly surprised with the set-up of the place. The walls were a simple mixture of black, gray and white and his belongings were very organized, everything packed into neat stacks or stashed away into cupboards and storage compartments.
Then again, he surprised himself even more, for knowingly entering a supposed enemy’s territory.
The older pair unpacked the groceries together in the minimalist kitchen - the number of times the owner had actually used it was very much evident.
“I’ll cook this time and you watch. The next time I come over you’re going to cook yourself and we’ll work from there. That okay?” Jaejoong suggested, turning around to face him.
Yunho hesitated for a moment, considering if he could learn it all in one day. Part of him told himself that he was good enough, while the other part reminded that he could never cook to save his life. But the impossible - Jaejoong had agreed to the lessons - had already happened, so he shouldn’t let Jaejoong down, should he?
“I’ll do my best.”
Right at this moment, Changmin ambled in and quickly swiped a box of cereal from the cupboard. He flashed the thumbs-up sign to Yunho, and strolled out of the kitchen as soon as he entered.
Yunho rolled his eyes as Jaejoong resisted his laughter. Changmin was always satisfied with enjoying the food and not the process of preparing it.
“First we have to marinate the beef strips with the seasonings, then soak the noodles in warm water for it to soften, then chop up the onion and chilies, crush the garlic and finally add them all together in a boil. Got that?”
Yunho nodded, already making mental notes in his head. He watched Jaejoong work around the kitchen, familiar and quick like it was his own. They were quiet for most, save for random times when Yunho requested him to repeat a step or came up with another question.
And then they came to the chopping of ingredients.
The moment Jaejoong picked up the knife, Yunho instinctively flinched, moving a few steps back from the other. They stayed in their positions for a long awkward moment, before Jaejoong - realizing the danger he was posing to the other - dropped the knife onto the counter.
“I’m sorry- “ they apologized simultaneously.
The next few minutes was spent in unbearable awkwardness with them standing two meters apart, until Jaejoong offered rather casually, “You know, if you happen to have a butter knife, I wouldn’t mind using that too.”
Yunho laughed, and it seemed to be settled between them that neither of them had the intention to harm. They waited for the soup to boil, and with the first sign of it being done, Jaejoong turned the gas off.
He picked up one of the few spoons he’d managed to find in Yunho’s kitchen, and dipped it into the pot. The older man blew lightly at the spoon of soup and brought it to his lips for a taste.
“Is it any good?” Yunho asked from behind him. The entire kitchen was engulfed in the thick aroma of Jaejoong’s concoction - Yunho was eager to try.
The blond man was about to dip the spoon into the pot a second time, but remembered it was Yunho, not Yoochun. Considerate, he quickly switched for another, scooping up a small amount and blowing at it tenderly. He then turned around to pass the spoon to Yunho, who ended up having his hands full.
“Come on, just open your mouth,” Jaejoong said, not wanting the soup to spill. Awkward, Yunho didn’t know what else to do but obey.
The soup washed down his tongue where he felt as if he could taste every unique flavor of each ingredient. But before Yunho could comment on the food, Changmin stalked into the kitchen, exclaiming, “It smells heavenly, hyung, can I try some too?”
Hiding his smile, Jaejoong nodded, pleased, and spooned another portion for Changmin.
“God, that has to be the best yukgaejang I’ve ever tasted! Ahh!” said Changmin as he removed the spoon from his mouth.
“Yeah, where did you ever learn to cook like that?”
Upon hearing those words from Yunho’s mouth, Jaejoong paused. He seemed to think for awhile, but yet stumbled with his words that would otherwise have been a simple answer. “I…. I was taught by a relative. When I was younger. That’s all.”
The other two immediately sensed that they had prodded a sensitive spot and ended the question there. Awkwardly, Yunho and Changmin went on their ways to set up the dinner table.
With a pair of thick oven mittens, Jaejoong lifted the porcelain pot, bringing it to the dining table where Yunho and Changmin waited eagerly for the food. As he lowered the steaming pot onto the wooden insulator on the table, a sudden realization hit Jaejoong.
“Where is the rice?”
The ultimate killer he is, but what is it that haunts him so?
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | snippet |
The Killer's Nightmare: Chapter 4
“Wait, let me get this clear. First you got a run to kill this Yunho’s boss and now he wants you to teach him how to cook?” asked Yoochun, quite unable to accept the idea.
Junsu shook his head and said, “I don’t get what’s so complicated about this. Why don’t you just take him down? It’s the simplest way out there… ”
Yoochun nodded his head, fully agreeing with the other. Both of them thought Jaejoong was being ridiculous.
“I don’t know, maybe he’s trying to lure me in. But don’t you see? He could have killed me there and then at the club. He had a chance, but he didn’t. He may have realized that there’s someone else behind all this - “
“Who is the client,” said Junsu, catching Jaejoong’s drift.
“And so…if I do kill him…” Jaejoong drawled, looking at the other two expectantly.
“You’ll be giving his entire gang a real reason to come after you. Right?” asked Yoochun, the last to comprehend the situation.
It seemed like Jaejoong had a deal; cook lessons in exchange for the car and dagger. But the way he saw it: Jaejoong could always choose to cut the hassle with brute force and still get his stuff back. Yoochun only wondered what consequence each would carry.
Changmin jerked his neck to the left and to the right, cracking his joints to ease the sore that had built up from reading. He was over at Yunho’s apartment again, and was keeping the other company as he cleaned up the place after a few months’ neglect.
“Have the rest of the men recovered from the invasion?” Yunho asked as he kneaded the damp cloth. He was thinking about selling the place, since he hardly resided in the apartment, save for the bedroom, where he only used one piece of furniture - the bed.
Only for sleeping, of course. Yunho hardly had time for himself, much less for others.
“I think so… most of them are fine now. By the way, that guy…who is he? Do you know?” asked Changmin as looked up from his book. He was finishing it for the second time.
“I wish I knew myself - but I’ve got a hunch that he belongs to the Nameless. Someone paid them the big bucks to get rid of our boss.”
Changmin nodded in understanding before returning to the world of Hogwarts. He felt not the grief that Yunho did, but only a passive acknowledgement of the supposed loss. Changmin never liked Jung Joomin, and some part of him seemed to actually celebrate his passing.
“So you’re trying to hire him to teach you? And cooking, of all things?”
“Yeah, it’s a way to keep him…close. I met him by chance that night - I couldn’t think of anything there and then. All I knew was that he was good at cooking… so I guess cooking lessons were most apt?”
“That you’re right, he’s good. Besides you can’t get him to train you in marksmanship, how ironic would that be!” Changmin chuckled.
Yunho laughed with him, before both of them resumed their previous activities and silence set in.
Jaejoong pushed the seatbelt into place, the matching of gadgets producing a metallic click sound. Yoochun was in the driver’s seat beside him, having agreed to give him a lift since the other didn’t have his car.
Light piano music played in the background, filling in quietness between them. Drives with Yoochun were always quieter, since he was never talkative, and they hardly needed words anyway. It gave Jaejoong a kind of comfort he couldn’t describe.
Just as they were about to reach Chambers, Yoochun’s alert rang. Jaejoong took the device from the storage compartments between their two seats, and casually read the details out. He then scrolled to the bottom where there would always be one picture of the target, and scorned in disgust.
It was an unflattering picture.
Jaejoong held the device to Yoochun, who risked a glance at the screen before coming up with a similar expression. Then he began to burst into laughter, when he realized that they were both accessing the physical appearance of the man he was about to kill.
Jaejoong seemed to notice this, too, for he too joined in soon after.
“Alright, thanks for the ride. I’ll get myself back to headquarters. Be safe,” said Jaejoong as he exited from the car.
Using what time he had before anyone may turn hostile, he quickly surveyed the Chambers compound in search of his Audi, but it appeared that Yunho scooted it off someplace else. In its original parking lot was instead an Aston Martin, black sheen radiating from every inch in the sunlight.
“Jaejoong?”
He turned around to see Yunho ambling towards him, accompanied by a stranger on his left flank.
“This is Changmin. I don’t think you met him the other day.”
Jaejoong shook hands with Changmin, still wary of them both. He didn’t like staying in the Chambers estate, for he was certain it housed many vengeful gangsters after him and he wasn’t sure of Yunho’s influence over them, or if Yunho was even serious about their deal.
He didn’t even know for sure, that he wasn’t about to get himself killed.
All he knew, however, was that he needed his dagger back in its original position beside his heart.
Changmin seemed to sense Jaejoong’s reservation, and spoke, surprising both Yunho and Jaejoong. “You can relax, Mr. Kim, we’re not going to hurt you. Our…brothers won’t even dare to think about it. Yunho has them held back on leashes, so don’t worry.”
“That wasn’t necessary at all,” Jaejoong replied, refusing to admit the feelings that Changmin had already detected. Awkwardness seeped in before Yunho decided to speak.
“So… I take it that you’re agreeing to our deal?”
“Well, if we’re going to have them here, you have to tell me, because I’d have to come with armor and guns,” said Jaejoong in a considerable effort to be funny.
Yunho smiled while Changmin rolled his eyes.
“No, personal affairs are not to be carried out here. Will my place be okay? I think it’d be more convenient as well since there are a couple of grocers nearby,” said Yunho, who was visibly happy that Jaejoong had agreed.
“Fine by me.”
Jaejoong exited from the black Aston Martin first, eager to escape from the confining area. Despite Yunho and Changmin’s effort to make the ride comfortable, Jaejoong’s hand had been wrapped around his Glock throughout. He was actually a little displeased at Changmin’s presence, for it meant a possible 2v1 situation for the rest of the day, where they would also have the upper hand because of Jaejoong’s unfamiliarity with the environment.
Vigilance was one of the first things he taught himself to survive.
The market was rather quiet for a Saturday afternoon, so the 3 of them could shop pretty comfortably without having to jostle around. With the help of Changmin’s long list of recipe suggestions, Yunho and Jaejoong finally decided to make yukgaejang. Jaejoong didn’t have a problem with it, while Yunho was slightly apprehensive, doubtful of his abilities. Changmin was just excited to be in for a good meal.
There were awkward moments here and there, for Changmin and Yunho found it hard to orientate themselves around Jaejoong. Their usual casualness had disappeared, and Jaejoong knew he was the cause, since the two couldn’t possibly behave the way they did on a daily basis.
He was guilty for another matter as well, for Yunho gave in most of the time whenever decisions (what to buy, which type to buy) had to be made and just paid for the groceries.
Jaejoong had to admit that Yunho was a nice man.
An hour and four grocery bags later, Yunho drove them back to his apartment, the topmost of the three large apartments in the building. As they stepped into Yunho’s loft, Jaejoong felt thoroughly surprised with the set-up of the place. The walls were a simple mixture of black, gray and white and his belongings were very organized, everything packed into neat stacks or stashed away into cupboards and storage compartments.
Then again, he surprised himself even more, for knowingly entering a supposed enemy’s territory.
The older pair unpacked the groceries together in the minimalist kitchen - the number of times the owner had actually used it was very much evident.
“I’ll cook this time and you watch. The next time I come over you’re going to cook yourself and we’ll work from there. That okay?” Jaejoong suggested, turning around to face him.
Yunho hesitated for a moment, considering if he could learn it all in one day. Part of him told himself that he was good enough, while the other part reminded that he could never cook to save his life. But the impossible - Jaejoong had agreed to the lessons - had already happened, so he shouldn’t let Jaejoong down, should he?
“I’ll do my best.”
Right at this moment, Changmin ambled in and quickly swiped a box of cereal from the cupboard. He flashed the thumbs-up sign to Yunho, and strolled out of the kitchen as soon as he entered.
Yunho rolled his eyes as Jaejoong resisted his laughter. Changmin was always satisfied with enjoying the food and not the process of preparing it.
“First we have to marinate the beef strips with the seasonings, then soak the noodles in warm water for it to soften, then chop up the onion and chilies, crush the garlic and finally add them all together in a boil. Got that?”
Yunho nodded, already making mental notes in his head. He watched Jaejoong work around the kitchen, familiar and quick like it was his own. They were quiet for most, save for random times when Yunho requested him to repeat a step or came up with another question.
And then they came to the chopping of ingredients.
The moment Jaejoong picked up the knife, Yunho instinctively flinched, moving a few steps back from the other. They stayed in their positions for a long awkward moment, before Jaejoong - realizing the danger he was posing to the other - dropped the knife onto the counter.
“I’m sorry- “ they apologized simultaneously.
The next few minutes was spent in unbearable awkwardness with them standing two meters apart, until Jaejoong offered rather casually, “You know, if you happen to have a butter knife, I wouldn’t mind using that too.”
Yunho laughed, and it seemed to be settled between them that neither of them had the intention to harm. They waited for the soup to boil, and with the first sign of it being done, Jaejoong turned the gas off.
He picked up one of the few spoons he’d managed to find in Yunho’s kitchen, and dipped it into the pot. The older man blew lightly at the spoon of soup and brought it to his lips for a taste.
“Is it any good?” Yunho asked from behind him. The entire kitchen was engulfed in the thick aroma of Jaejoong’s concoction - Yunho was eager to try.
The blond man was about to dip the spoon into the pot a second time, but remembered it was Yunho, not Yoochun. Considerate, he quickly switched for another, scooping up a small amount and blowing at it tenderly. He then turned around to pass the spoon to Yunho, who ended up having his hands full.
“Come on, just open your mouth,” Jaejoong said, not wanting the soup to spill. Awkward, Yunho didn’t know what else to do but obey.
The soup washed down his tongue where he felt as if he could taste every unique flavor of each ingredient. But before Yunho could comment on the food, Changmin stalked into the kitchen, exclaiming, “It smells heavenly, hyung, can I try some too?”
Hiding his smile, Jaejoong nodded, pleased, and spooned another portion for Changmin.
“God, that has to be the best yukgaejang I’ve ever tasted! Ahh!” said Changmin as he removed the spoon from his mouth.
“Yeah, where did you ever learn to cook like that?”
Upon hearing those words from Yunho’s mouth, Jaejoong paused. He seemed to think for awhile, but yet stumbled with his words that would otherwise have been a simple answer. “I…. I was taught by a relative. When I was younger. That’s all.”
The other two immediately sensed that they had prodded a sensitive spot and ended the question there. Awkwardly, Yunho and Changmin went on their ways to set up the dinner table.
With a pair of thick oven mittens, Jaejoong lifted the porcelain pot, bringing it to the dining table where Yunho and Changmin waited eagerly for the food. As he lowered the steaming pot onto the wooden insulator on the table, a sudden realization hit Jaejoong.
“Where is the rice?”