Witness - 3
1 | 2
After a long moment of self pity, Minho meant to walk back to his bedroom. Instead he walked straight into the wall next to the master bedroom. He slammed so hard into it that he's dizzy for a moment, and by the time he's clear headed again, Onew appears.
"Having trouble?" His grin is as unsettling as ever.
"You're still here," Minho mutters.
Onew laughs softly, taking hold of Minho's shoulders and turning him, guiding him back towards the bedroom. "You would be more upset than you know if I left."
Minho doesn't have it in him to question or argue that point. He walks carefully along, following Onew's guidance, and soon the man is shutting the door behind them. Minho starts to walk towards his bed. He has every intention of lying down. When he starts walking in the opposite direction, Onew takes hold of his shoulders again and helps him turn the right way.
Minho pouts and finally sits down on the bed. "To get this straight.."
"Yes?" Onew's eyes light up. The man kneels down in front of Minho like a man about to propose, beaming up at him.
Minho sighs heavily, "You're from another dimension."
Onew's grin stretches wide, deep dimples and white teeth taking up half of his face. His fists raise in the air by his head again, shaking with excitement, but just when it looks like he's about to say 'yay' or something like that, Minho hurries to move the conversation forward.
"That boy that I saw," a contrast with Onew's extraordinary pleasure, tears sting at the back of Minho's eyes and his lips tremble in his effort to control his voice, "who murdered," he says with effort as a thick ache in his throat tries to stop him, "he was also from another dimension?"
Onew drops his fists and his expressions softens out. He still smiles, but much more calmly as he nods a confirmation.
"He 'trips'. Like you do?"
"No, unfortunately there are other ways of getting from dimension to dimension. That's why I'm going to have to return him to his own. That or murder him, whichever seems easiest."
"That's horrible," Minho comments and moves backwards on the bed.
"As you saw, he's very horrible himself. I was trying to warn you before, and I hope that by now you can take me a little more seriously. Now that you're a witness, he'll stop at nothing to kill you."
"Why?" Minho shakes his head, "The police can't do anything, right? What does it matter if I saw it?"
"Those who witness an otherworldly act shall perish. It's a law of dimension travel and he happens to be an enforcer."
"I wouldn't know anything about it being otherworldly if you hadn't told me," Minho argues, with panic rising in his voice. "And what does that make you? You're breaking the law, aren't you?"
"It's not a very just law, is it?" Onew hops to his feet with a cheerful expression and gives Minho a pat on the head. "We'll be outlaws together."
"I don't want to be an outlaw," Minho protests, scooting back further on his bed.
"That's quite a shame, because the other option is of course being dead. But good luck with that!" Again, Onew turns towards the door and starts walking, "And rest in peace!"
"That's horrible," Minho mutters, raising his voice to ask, "Can't I have a trial or something?"
"Of course not," Onew chuckles maniacally, his head shaking after the absolute absurdity of the question, "It's an unjust law."
"And what am I supposed to do?"
"After Lee Taemin is gone, there won't be any problems left for you. He's working alone, after all. Until then," Onew turns to Minho, for once without a smile at all. He stares intensely at Minho, "you're going to have to trust me, absolutely, entirely, with everything in you no matter what the circumstance. If you do so, I will keep you safe until he's gone."
"What's in this for you anyway?" Minho drops his gaze from Onew, looking miserably at the floor, "You didn't have to save me or.. any of this."
"I have a remarkably good heart, this is just how we do things where I'm from," Onew says, his grin renewed as he plops down onto the bed next to Minho. "Now then, do you trust me?"
Minho looks at him, "I don't know about that," he sighs, "This is a lot."
Onew reaches over and pats Minho's thigh this time. "What do you have to lose from playing along?"
"That depends on how to play." One more time, Minho tries moving away from Onew. He successfully crawls to the top of the bed, sitting by the oversized hotel pillows. It occurs to him just then how tired he is. It's not like he could possibly sleep with all of this on his mind though. "I guess I can't tell anybody."
Onew grins excitedly again, crawling up the bed to join Minho next to the pillows, "You're right. So smart."
As the man reaches out as if he just might pinch Minho's cheeks this time, Minho ducks and nearly slides off the bed. "Why are you like this?"
"Like what?" Onew's grin is unchanged.
Minho sighs, straightening up. "Nothing..."
He feels a shift, Onew tensing up next to him. A new voice speaks from the other side of the bed, and when Minho looks, he's shocked to see a stranger standing there. That stranger speaks before Minho even has time to form a gasp.
"Who's this, Onew?"
"He's a witness. L--"
The stranger yells, "TAG!", and Minho screams when new arms encircle him and bright light blinds him in a familiar way. Used to it already, he isn't surprised when his vision clears on an entirely new place. It's warm, sunny, and crowded, appearing to be a small town where an event is being held. The air is filled with smoke from nearby cooking grills, but it smells really good.
Minho looks at the man that embraces him. He's shorter and big headed, with a grin that doesn't come near rivaling Onew's. Minho pushes away, asking, "Who are you?? Why are we here? Where are we??"
"Uh..." The stranger grabs onto Minho's arm and starts dragging him through a crowd, "It doesn't translate."
"What?"
The stranger explained, as he kept leading Minho around people, "My name doesn't translate to this dimension. When dimens trip, they can speak whatever language they need, right? But it's all gotta translate from our original language. My name doesn't."
Minho gave a loud exasperated sigh, "Forget your name then!" Even with the stranger leading him around, his feet seem to be trying to follow their own direction. He feels dizzy.
"We're playing a game," the stranger says with a slight laugh, "And we're in America."
"What game? What?"
"It's tag," the man looks around, "Where is he though?"
"Onew?" Minho tries to level his voice, "How would he guess that we're in America?"
"TAG!" Onew appears laughing, wrapping his arms tight around Minho. This time, the bright light that enters Minho's eyes gives him a headache.
When they reappear in a new area, a nightlit city with a beautifully lit up fountain, Minho pushes fast away from Onew and clutches his head. "Please, please stop."
"Ahhhhhh!" Onew laughs and steps to Minho, touching his forehead. "You got jetlag. I'm sorry."
"Jetlag?" Again, Minho gives a heavy sigh, "Can we go back? Please?"
"The game just started. We have to hide or he'll tag us again."
"Are you serious right now?" Minho's voice changes to a mutter, insecure and quiet, "You can't make me play your stupid game."
"Oh I see," Onew says, the grin on his face growing in that unfathomably cheerful way. Something about that grin tells Minho 'I know something you don't', and Minho thinks strongly about telling Onew off then. Of course, he'd rather Onew not be mad at him. At this point, he has to rely on him if he likes it or not. Especially now, when he's who knows where..
"You see what?" Minho manages to ask calmly.
"Nothing important," Onew says, but he still grins that grin, "I better get you home."
"TA--"
Onew grabs a tight hold of Minho, "No, we're not playing. You win."
The stranger stares blankly at Onew, "I win? What do you mean I win?"
"Bye~!" Onew says happily.
Minho sees the stranger stepping towards them with a stunned expression, and he hears the beginning of the word "wait". Then, Minho is in his hotel room again, finally. Dizzily, he pulls out of Onew's arms and attempts to drop straight onto the bed. Instead, he falls face first onto the floor.
"That looked painful," Onew tells him.
"Ow," is all Minho says.
After a long moment of self pity, Minho meant to walk back to his bedroom. Instead he walked straight into the wall next to the master bedroom. He slammed so hard into it that he's dizzy for a moment, and by the time he's clear headed again, Onew appears.
"Having trouble?" His grin is as unsettling as ever.
"You're still here," Minho mutters.
Onew laughs softly, taking hold of Minho's shoulders and turning him, guiding him back towards the bedroom. "You would be more upset than you know if I left."
Minho doesn't have it in him to question or argue that point. He walks carefully along, following Onew's guidance, and soon the man is shutting the door behind them. Minho starts to walk towards his bed. He has every intention of lying down. When he starts walking in the opposite direction, Onew takes hold of his shoulders again and helps him turn the right way.
Minho pouts and finally sits down on the bed. "To get this straight.."
"Yes?" Onew's eyes light up. The man kneels down in front of Minho like a man about to propose, beaming up at him.
Minho sighs heavily, "You're from another dimension."
Onew's grin stretches wide, deep dimples and white teeth taking up half of his face. His fists raise in the air by his head again, shaking with excitement, but just when it looks like he's about to say 'yay' or something like that, Minho hurries to move the conversation forward.
"That boy that I saw," a contrast with Onew's extraordinary pleasure, tears sting at the back of Minho's eyes and his lips tremble in his effort to control his voice, "who murdered," he says with effort as a thick ache in his throat tries to stop him, "he was also from another dimension?"
Onew drops his fists and his expressions softens out. He still smiles, but much more calmly as he nods a confirmation.
"He 'trips'. Like you do?"
"No, unfortunately there are other ways of getting from dimension to dimension. That's why I'm going to have to return him to his own. That or murder him, whichever seems easiest."
"That's horrible," Minho comments and moves backwards on the bed.
"As you saw, he's very horrible himself. I was trying to warn you before, and I hope that by now you can take me a little more seriously. Now that you're a witness, he'll stop at nothing to kill you."
"Why?" Minho shakes his head, "The police can't do anything, right? What does it matter if I saw it?"
"Those who witness an otherworldly act shall perish. It's a law of dimension travel and he happens to be an enforcer."
"I wouldn't know anything about it being otherworldly if you hadn't told me," Minho argues, with panic rising in his voice. "And what does that make you? You're breaking the law, aren't you?"
"It's not a very just law, is it?" Onew hops to his feet with a cheerful expression and gives Minho a pat on the head. "We'll be outlaws together."
"I don't want to be an outlaw," Minho protests, scooting back further on his bed.
"That's quite a shame, because the other option is of course being dead. But good luck with that!" Again, Onew turns towards the door and starts walking, "And rest in peace!"
"That's horrible," Minho mutters, raising his voice to ask, "Can't I have a trial or something?"
"Of course not," Onew chuckles maniacally, his head shaking after the absolute absurdity of the question, "It's an unjust law."
"And what am I supposed to do?"
"After Lee Taemin is gone, there won't be any problems left for you. He's working alone, after all. Until then," Onew turns to Minho, for once without a smile at all. He stares intensely at Minho, "you're going to have to trust me, absolutely, entirely, with everything in you no matter what the circumstance. If you do so, I will keep you safe until he's gone."
"What's in this for you anyway?" Minho drops his gaze from Onew, looking miserably at the floor, "You didn't have to save me or.. any of this."
"I have a remarkably good heart, this is just how we do things where I'm from," Onew says, his grin renewed as he plops down onto the bed next to Minho. "Now then, do you trust me?"
Minho looks at him, "I don't know about that," he sighs, "This is a lot."
Onew reaches over and pats Minho's thigh this time. "What do you have to lose from playing along?"
"That depends on how to play." One more time, Minho tries moving away from Onew. He successfully crawls to the top of the bed, sitting by the oversized hotel pillows. It occurs to him just then how tired he is. It's not like he could possibly sleep with all of this on his mind though. "I guess I can't tell anybody."
Onew grins excitedly again, crawling up the bed to join Minho next to the pillows, "You're right. So smart."
As the man reaches out as if he just might pinch Minho's cheeks this time, Minho ducks and nearly slides off the bed. "Why are you like this?"
"Like what?" Onew's grin is unchanged.
Minho sighs, straightening up. "Nothing..."
He feels a shift, Onew tensing up next to him. A new voice speaks from the other side of the bed, and when Minho looks, he's shocked to see a stranger standing there. That stranger speaks before Minho even has time to form a gasp.
"Who's this, Onew?"
"He's a witness. L--"
The stranger yells, "TAG!", and Minho screams when new arms encircle him and bright light blinds him in a familiar way. Used to it already, he isn't surprised when his vision clears on an entirely new place. It's warm, sunny, and crowded, appearing to be a small town where an event is being held. The air is filled with smoke from nearby cooking grills, but it smells really good.
Minho looks at the man that embraces him. He's shorter and big headed, with a grin that doesn't come near rivaling Onew's. Minho pushes away, asking, "Who are you?? Why are we here? Where are we??"
"Uh..." The stranger grabs onto Minho's arm and starts dragging him through a crowd, "It doesn't translate."
"What?"
The stranger explained, as he kept leading Minho around people, "My name doesn't translate to this dimension. When dimens trip, they can speak whatever language they need, right? But it's all gotta translate from our original language. My name doesn't."
Minho gave a loud exasperated sigh, "Forget your name then!" Even with the stranger leading him around, his feet seem to be trying to follow their own direction. He feels dizzy.
"We're playing a game," the stranger says with a slight laugh, "And we're in America."
"What game? What?"
"It's tag," the man looks around, "Where is he though?"
"Onew?" Minho tries to level his voice, "How would he guess that we're in America?"
"TAG!" Onew appears laughing, wrapping his arms tight around Minho. This time, the bright light that enters Minho's eyes gives him a headache.
When they reappear in a new area, a nightlit city with a beautifully lit up fountain, Minho pushes fast away from Onew and clutches his head. "Please, please stop."
"Ahhhhhh!" Onew laughs and steps to Minho, touching his forehead. "You got jetlag. I'm sorry."
"Jetlag?" Again, Minho gives a heavy sigh, "Can we go back? Please?"
"The game just started. We have to hide or he'll tag us again."
"Are you serious right now?" Minho's voice changes to a mutter, insecure and quiet, "You can't make me play your stupid game."
"Oh I see," Onew says, the grin on his face growing in that unfathomably cheerful way. Something about that grin tells Minho 'I know something you don't', and Minho thinks strongly about telling Onew off then. Of course, he'd rather Onew not be mad at him. At this point, he has to rely on him if he likes it or not. Especially now, when he's who knows where..
"You see what?" Minho manages to ask calmly.
"Nothing important," Onew says, but he still grins that grin, "I better get you home."
"TA--"
Onew grabs a tight hold of Minho, "No, we're not playing. You win."
The stranger stares blankly at Onew, "I win? What do you mean I win?"
"Bye~!" Onew says happily.
Minho sees the stranger stepping towards them with a stunned expression, and he hears the beginning of the word "wait". Then, Minho is in his hotel room again, finally. Dizzily, he pulls out of Onew's arms and attempts to drop straight onto the bed. Instead, he falls face first onto the floor.
"That looked painful," Onew tells him.
"Ow," is all Minho says.