Fic: Searching for... - Chapter 3A
Title: Searching for... ... - Chapter 3A
Author: vic_sim
Disclaimer: I don't own anyone, anything, except for the plot.
Characters: Super Junior + Henry, Zhou Mi, DBSK
Category: General
Rating: PG-13
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A/N: Thank you everyone for waiting for my post…. I finally found the time to post the next chapter! Hope you all enjoy it!
The chapter is dedicated to renichifreak!! Happy belated birthday!! I know it’s been weeks since your birthday! But I hope you’ll still enjoy the chapter and that you enjoyed your birthday!^^
As for the next chapter, I may be able to get it up in two days time! I’m officially on holiday!
“Zhou Mi, what’s going on?”
Zhou Mi stood up to answer the question from the head.
“The head of the gang was killed two weeks ago. It was an internal struggle for power. The second most powerful ascended the spot, but started rooting out the spies in the gang. I was betrayed by one of my informants in another gang. And someone in our gang leaked out the fact that we had data with regards to all the other gangs. He started hunting me for it. I was handed the disc and told to return here while the rest distracted him.”
Zhou Mi handed the disc in front of him to the head.
“What’s the situation there right now?”
“I’ve been trying to establish communication with people there, but so far, it has not been successful.”
The head nodded gravely, knowing the implications behind Zhou Mi’s statement.
Zhou Mi sat down with an emotionless face, not betraying anything he was feeling at the moment. As the discussion headed towards things happening within the country, he stared at the bank spot in front of him, refusing to catch the eyes of any of his friends.
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Sungmin fiddled with his hands at the table. He was really concerned with what Zhou Mi was going to report. It had been a long time since such a huge meeting had been called with all the elders. Sungmin truly had a bad feeling about all these. The circumstances that surrounded Zhou Mi’s return - not that Sungmin was not glad that his friend was back after all those years - were not boding well.
He listened as Zhou Mi narrated the events almost emotionlessly that chronicled the aftermath of the death of the leader. It was unsurprising that all the gangs started to fight for territory, as it was what always happened whenever a leader died. What was surprising was how Zhou Mi’s position was compromised by both his contacts and someone from their gang.
“I’ve been trying to establish communication with people there, but so far, it has not been successful.”
Sungmin had to school his expression at that statement, for he knew that there were elders around who were watching him. He had already been in trouble with some of them, and he would only make things worse for Zhou Mi. Sungmin forced himself to listen to the rest of the meeting, not looking at Zhou Mi once, although he was worried about his friend. Why of all days must everyone have something to report?
Shindong on the other hand had no qualms about staring at his friend for the rest of the meeting. He was not an important person, unlike Sungmin. The only reason why he was in the meeting was because he was Sungmin’s personal guard and needed to know about the possible threats Sungmin might be facing in order to protect him. As the focus of the meeting shifted away from Zhou Mi, Shindong kept an eye on his friend. He saw the stress lines on Zhou Mi’s face, the dark circles under his friend’s eyes, the worried glance in Zhou Mi’s eyes that was not visible to anyone but people who knew him well. And Shindong was certainly one of them. Shindong could not wait for the meeting to be over.
Sungmin held himself until all the elders had left, before signalling to Shindong to accost Zhou Mi to his room. Despite the fact that most people knew that the three of them had grew up together, Sungmin was careful to distance himself from Zhou Mi in front of others for he knew that things were never as peaceful as they seemed on the surface. There were always people waiting to strike out at him, even if Sungmin knew that his future did not lie within these walls. Sometimes Sungmin wished he was born to an ordinary family.
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Zhou Mi did not resist as Shindong pushed him along the corridor. He knew where Shindong was bringing him, despite the fact that they were going in a round-about manner to Sungmin’s room. It was one of the routes the two of them had developed when they were younger to get to Sungmin’s room without arousing suspicion from other people around. Though Shindong had not said a single word to Zhou Mi besides leading him, Zhou Mi knew from the tight hold Shindong had on his arm that his friend was concerned. Zhou Mi blinked, letting a small smile grace his face. It was good to know that there were friends who stayed the same no matter what.
Shindong quickly let both of them through the door to Sungmin’s room when they arrived. Zhou Mi looked around the room, observing the changes made to the room during the years he was in China. The room reflected almost nothing of the character of the boy he knew those years ago. He wondered briefly what happened when he left. It seems like we have all underwent our own trials during our time apart.
Sungmin noticed the questioning look on Zhou Mi’s face as he looked around the room. Calmly, Sungmin placed the tray of tea down on the table. One by one, they settled on the floor, just like they did three years ago on the day before Zhou Mi left for China. The only difference was that they were no longer kids, but adults, and they were three years older.
“Has it been three years since we’ve gathered in your room?” Zhou Mi asked voice wistful.
Sungmin and Shindong held their silence, knowing that Zhou Mi would begin when he was ready.
“So much has changed since then.”
They all knew what Zhou Mi was referring to.
“But one thing hasn’t. Within the walls of my room, we are simply just friends.”
Sungmin looked straight into Zhou Mi’s eyes to bring across the fact. There was no status difference in his room. They were simply three childhood friends who grew up together.
Shindong and Zhou Mi smiled, remembering the first time Sungmin had said that to them.
“None of you knew the actual reason I was sent there.”
Zhou Mi began, looking down at his reflection in the cup.
“I was to infiltrate the biggest gang in China to gather information. As you know, the boss wanted to set up a base in China as well. So I was sent to China to work with a group of people there to infiltrate the various gangs.”
Zhou Mi remembered the shock when he was told of his mission. He had not wanted to do it, but it was a chance for him to see his family and a chance to prove himself such that Sungmin no longer felt the need to protect him. If he and Shindong were able to rise in their ranks, they would not need to hide their friendship with Sungmin anymore.
Zhou Mi went into the mission with a determined heart. But as he became involved with the people in the gang, as he developed friendship with some of the people, he could not help but feel conflicted. The many times he had wanted to call his family, to call Sungmin and Shindong just to hear a familiar voice, he stopped himself for one he would only worry them, and two he would be discovered. He skipped past all these, keeping those feelings of loneliness, of despair to himself as he described what happened after the death of the leader.
“Everything was going well, until the second-in-command killed the leader. He had been eying the spot for a long time, and I knew it was only a matter of time before he did it. We, meaning all of us infiltrated in the gangs, were planning to drop out soon for we had all the information needed, but the death threw us off. Immediately the whole situation in China was chaos. Most of them managed to drop out unseen due to the chaos, handing the data over to the main base. I was the only one still in the gang for the new leader was trying to root out spies in the gang. It would have aroused their suspicion if I had simply disappeared and put everyone into jeopardy. I was planning to cite a reason to visit my family when he called for a meeting…”
Zhou Mi almost wanted to just skip the meeting and disappear. He knew that something was going to happen then. But too many people were watching his movement right then that he could not run off. Carefully, Zhou Mi sat a position where he could almost have a clear view of everyone in the room as well as mapped out an escape route in his mind. He needed to get away for he still had the data required on him.
“Today, I call this meeting for we have finally discovered the remaining spy in our gang.”
Zhou Mi’s heart fell at the not so subtle glance in his direction by the leader. His mind immediately registered everyone’s presence in the room, and planning the time to escape.
“Zhou Mi, would you like to enlighten everyone?”
Zhou Mi tried to hide his shock at the question directed to him.
“I’m sorry, Sir.”
The leader nodded, “Why not let me enlighten everyone then?”
Zhou Mi felt a knot in his stomach as the leader walked closer to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.
“Would you like to tell everyone who you’re working for?”
Shocked faces turned towards Zhou Mi. He had risen in the ranks of the gang in the past three years, working hard in order to gather the information. As he gained status, he had also gained a group of people who believed and followed him. The looks of disbelief in the people who had willingly followed him hurt him. He knew from the start that all these were just a lie, just a role he had to play. But he had found friends and comrades in the people there.
Zhou Mi kept silent.
“Not speaking? Well, bring in the guy.”
He tensed, wondering what was going to happen next.
The doors to the meeting room opened, letting in a familiar silhouette. Zheng Jie? The name echoed in Zhou Mi’s head. Why in the world is he doing here? Don’t tell me… Zhou Mi refused to let his mind continue on that thread of thought. He did not want to comprehend why his good friend was doing in the room.
“My dear boy, why not tell everyone what you told me?”
Zheng Jie looked at Zhou Mi. Zhou Mi was almost willing his eyes to convey the message across. Zheng Jie, don’t do it. Please. Don’t do it.
“He’s the spy.” Zheng Jie pointed straight at Zhou Mi. Silence encased in the room as everyone comprehended the words.
“He’s lying.” Zhou Mi said quietly, denying the words. “Would you believe him, someone who came up from nowhere, or me, someone who has worked in the gang for the past three years?”
Zhou Mi said, walking closer to Zheng Jie.
As people contemplated his words, Zhou Mi felt something pressed into his hands. Don’t do this, Jie. Please. Zhou Mi pleaded in his heart, even as he knew what was going to happen next.
“Came up from nowhere? Well, I would like to let all of you know that I have proof.” Zheng Jie announced, instantly attracting the attention of everyone in the room including the leader. It was something he had not shown the leader before.
Zhou Mi took the chance to sneak away from Zheng Jie, moving towards the door.
Zheng Jie reached into his jacket, as if to pull out something that would incriminate Zhou Mi.
Timing it perfectly, Zhou Mi knocked out the two guards at the door, pushing through the door as Zheng Jie fired. Hearing the shouts, Zhou Mi knew that Zheng Jie had managed to hit the leader. Chancing a glance back as he ran, the two friends saw each other one last time. Zheng Jie’s smile was forever imprinted on Zhou Mi’s mind.
再见，朋友。(Goodbye my friend.)
Zheng Jie mouthed, before turning back to the fight.
Zhou Mi forced himself to continue running, ignoring the various gunshots behind him, knowing that not all of them were fired from his friend’s gun. Knocking out the various guards on his way out, Zhou Mi made it out of the building where he saw a black car waiting. He jumped into the vehicle, spotting two friends in the car.
“Go.” The softly whispered word sent the car moving, with everyone knowing what it meant.
“Mi, Zheng Jie knew what he was doing.”
Zhou Mi ignored his friend on his right.
“He came up with the plan. We needed you out. You’re the only one who can legally get into Korea.”
Zhou Mi knew the reason, but he did not want to accept it. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the note.
His friend fell silent, not knowing what else to say.
Slowly, he unfolded the paper.
A tear fell onto the paper as he read.
Sungmin ached to reach over to touch his friend as Zhou Mi narrated the story. As Zhou Mi paused, unable to continue, Sungmin inched forward. Zhou Mi’s hands tightened around the cup he was holding, the tea going cold in it. He could still remember the smile his friend gave him at the end. Why?
Zhou Mi jerked as he felt someone touch his hand. He looked up to see Sungmin smiling softly at him. Sungmin gently uncurled his fingers around the cup, removing the cup from his grasp. Sungmin replaced the cup with his warm hands, wrapping around Zhou Mi’s longer fingers. Shindong moved behind Zhou Mi, wrapping his arms around Zhou Mi’s waist.
“Young Master…”
Sungmin cut Zhou Mi off before he could complete the sentence. “What did I say Mi? There’s no difference within these walls. Just three friends.”
“Just friends.” Shindong whispered into Zhou Mi’s ears.
It seemed as if it was exactly what Zhou Mi needed to hear.
This was the place where he could be - not Zhou Mi, the son of Zhou Shenghua; not Zhou Mi, part of the Lee gang; not Zhou Mi from China - just Zhou Mi, the friend of Lee Sungmin and Shin Dong Hee. And friend of Zheng Jie.
Tears fell from his eyes as Zhou Mi mourned for the loss of his friend, for the guilt of surviving, for the fact that he had to sacrifice his friend to be here right now, and he cried for the guilt that he was happy to be there with Sungmin and Shindong.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Part B