Kyuhyun was sleeping fitfully. Dreams were swamping in and out of his dream consciousness. Large dark shadows were chasing him. Sungmin was being swept away by a torrent of salt water. There was the cold, cruel laugh of someone he hoped never to hear again and a dark figure looming on the horizon of his nightmarish world.
One dream faded into the next; he was hugging Sungmin, he was playing poker with Jiyong, Sungmin was crying, he was picking up a banana which turned into a snake and then he was ordering his gang members to watch the house and be stealthy about it. He smiled in his sleep. At least he had done that to protect Sungmin. And then the dream changed. To one he hadn’t had in at least six months.
It was a dark rainy night. He could hear his footsteps on the ground making soft squishing noises. His heart was filled with purpose. He knew that he was doing the right thing. He walked into the dark building. How often he had seen this place before and yet, he never knew what it truly housed. But that wasn’t the point right now. He walked forwards, knowing it would be okay.
He was running, hand in hand with another, trying to find the spark of light, the glimpse of hope that would allow them everything they had ever wanted. It couldn’t happen again. It wouldn’t. He had tried so hard and all of his efforts were wasted. But he couldn’t hate the other. He could only hope that he would be safe.
There was a loud noise and pain erupted through him, all too familiar. It seemed an age since he had felt something like this. His grip weakened and he fell. He heard a soft voice call him and he seemed to spiral into darkness, hearing the voice call as he spiralled towards oblivion.
“Sungmin, Sungmin!”
Kyuhyun bolted upright, his eyes wide and terrified, his chest rising and falling in rapid rhythm. He looked around wildly, wondering where he was. His heart was beating quickly and he stared around anxiously. Then he realized that it was still night and that he had been dreaming.
Kyuhyun breathed a sigh of relief and closed his eyes. He had really thought he had been there in his dream. And Sungmin, someone or himself had been calling Sungmin’s name. His eyes shot open and he looked quickly to the side.
Sungmin was lying there, his eyes closed and his breathing peaceful. Kyuhyun breathed in. His love was still here. He wasn’t gone. The younger male reached out and let a hand run down Sungmin’s arm, just to be sure he was really there. The silky smooth skin beneath his fingertips assured him that Sungmin wasn’t a figure of his imagination.
Kyuhyun felt grateful. He stared at Sungmin for a minute. He was forever grateful to whatever deity allowed Sungmin to stay with him for longer. He leaned forwards and kissed Sungmin’s soft ivory shoulder. The elder male murmured slightly and moved closer in his sleep. Kyuhyun smiled.
He lay down beside the elder male and wrapped his arms around Sungmin. He sighed lightly and pulled Sungmin closer to him, kissing the top of his head lightly. Sungmin made a soft sleepy squeak and nuzzled into Kyuhyun’s shoulder.
The younger man felt his heart expand with love for his husband. He tightened his grip. Nothing, nothing, would ever take his Sungmin away from him. Not even death itself could pry Sungmin from his heart and soul. They were one. Outside, it began to rain.
~₴~≠~₴~≠~
Sungmin woke up, his senses alert and his heart beating quickly. He sat up slowly, feeling the warmth of Kyuhyun’s arms around him. He turned and looked down at the arms that were holding his torso loosely. A sad smile crept its way onto his face. The elder male gently pried Kyuhyun’s arms from around his waist.
Sungmin slipped out of bed and looked at Kyuhyun. The younger man was still sleeping peacefully. Sungmin’s smile grew slightly wider. At least Kyuhyun was calm and untroubled right now. Sungmin changed as quietly as he could and walked to Kyuhyun’s side. He reached out and caressed Kyuhyun’s face gently, letting his fingertips trail over Kyuhyun’s still slightly damp skin.
“I love you, Kyuhyun. I’m sorry. But it’s for the best,” Sungmin whispered, tears beginning to form in his eyes. He turned away and wiped furiously at his eyes. He couldn’t break down now. He took one last look at Kyuhyun’s sleeping figure. Then he walked to the door and out of the room, shutting the door silently behind him. Now he had to be careful. The sounds of rain made it easier to be stealthy, the pattering hiding the squeaks of the floorboards.
He knew Junsu and Yoochun were on duty right now, watching the security cameras and listening at the motion detectors. So he had to be careful. He didn’t know where they had installed the cameras or motion detectors which made everything harder. But Sungmin felt confident.
He crept quietly along the hall, wondering if he would be caught. Half of him hoped that he would be caught. The other part of him hoped that he wouldn’t because he didn’t want anyone to die because of him. If he really was to blame for this, it would be best to give himself up. Sungmin snuck softly along the hall, careful to keep quiet.
He was nearly at the staircase when he almost had a heart attack. Minwoong appeared randomly from around a corner. Sungmin hid in the shadows of the hallway before he realized that Minwoong wasn’t alone. Changmin was there with him. Sungmin tried to make himself as small as possible.
“You should go to sleep,” Sungmin heard Changmin say softly.
“Changmin-hyung, you should go. You’re tired,” Minwoong placed a concerned hand on Changmin’s shoulder.
“I would like to do that,” Changmin admitted reluctantly.
“It’s okay. Yoochun and Junsu are protecting me and I’m a trained police officer. I can take care of myself. And anyways, you’ve taken my shift for me twice. Why didn’t you wake me up?! Oh never mind. You can get some sleep,” Minwoong pointed firmly to the hacker’s room.
Changmin looked at him for a minute before pulling the younger male into his arms. Sungmin hid a smile. Maybe Changmin would finally bring the realization to the two of them.
“Be careful,” Changmin whispered and released Minwoong with a gentle brush of lips on his forehead and turned to walk to his room. Minwoong stared after him for a moment. Then he smiled and turned around to go downstairs. His patrol was from four to six.
Minwoong checked his watch carefully. The red fluorescent numbers read 4:07. Minwoong nodded happily at his watch. He was right on time. The magnae straightened up to look around at his surroundings. He heard a noise behind him and turned to look around. His world went black.
~₴~≠~₴~≠~
Sungmin caught Minwoong before he hit the ground. The elder male looked down at the unconscious male in his arms. He felt guilty for knocking the younger male out. He had been taught in his martial arts classes where the pressure points were on the neck for knocking someone else out. Minwoong would never know what hit him. The effect was instantaneous once two specific points were hit.
He carried Minwoong downstairs and placed him on a sofa in the living room. He covered the magnae with a blanket and made sure that he would be warm. He smiled at Minwoong, apologizing silently for the attack he had made. It was for the best.
He turned and crept silently along the hall. If he were to open the front door, the alarms would sound. So he was going to leave by the one place they had forgotten to protect. The basement windows. Sungmin crept quietly along the hall. He paused every time a board squeaked. Finally, he made it to the basement stairs. He slid down the banister, knowing that no noise would be heard.
Sungmin walked to the first room on the hall and went inside. The window was still open and ready to use. Sungmin brought a box over to the window and stepped onto it. Now he was tall enough to pull himself out. Using his arms, he hauled himself through the window, his slim body sliding easily through. He used his flexibility to his advantage and practically flipped out the window.
He ended up on the wet ground and the rain from the sky poured onto his back. Sungmin was soaked and cold within seconds but he wouldn’t go back. He was out of the house and now he had to make a run for it. He couldn’t be timid and check everything for motion detectors and cameras. He would have to run to make it.
Sungmin paused and breathed in. His hair hung wetly around his face and a few tears dripped from his eyes as he looked one last time to the building that housed his life within it. He closed his eyes and released the breath he hadn’t noticed he was holding.
He would have to become cold and unresponsive from here on out. It wouldn’t be hard. He left his heart with Kyuhyun because his body could live without emotion but his heart and soul couldn’t live without Kyuhyun.
The rain started to fall heavily and Sungmin’s clothes clung to his body. He rolled over and pushed himself up to stand. He looked around to see if there was any indication of tracking devices or of security cameras. The rain was coming down hard now. Sungmin wasted no time. He took off, sprinting across the lawn and towards the street.
Sungmin got as far as the large iron gates at the end of the driveway and stopped. There were bound to be security cameras there. The walls that separated the place from the streets were made of strong iron bars. Sungmin wrapped a hand around a cylinder of slippery metal. How was he supposed to get out now? He backed away and looked at the wall. Could he climb over?
He searched either side of the wall, hoping for a way out. He didn’t know what time it was but he was certain that he was late to meet Black Hand. He hoped that they would be patient. He noticed that the ground had been washed away slightly near one post and kneeled down to inspect it. Maybe, if he dug a little, he would be able to get out. He wasted no time. He began to use his hands to move the soil and create a large hole.
Sungmin knelt down and stuck his head through the hole. His shoulders followed and then finally his torso. He pulled his legs through and looked down at himself. He was muddy and wet but he was free. He would protect Kyuhyun and the rest of his family.
He walked towards the bus stop, slipping a couple of times on the slick ground. The streetlights provided hazy light for Sungmin to walk by. The rain was coming down in torrents and Sungmin could barely see. He managed to get to the bus stop without much trouble. Through the rainy fog Sungmin made out the faint outline of a car. He checked the license plate. The letters and numbers formed K1L13R5.
Sungmin realized now why they had such a weird number. Killers. It fit. The hidden word inside the license plate made sense to him. They were killers and they had no qualms about harming other people. Sungmin felt certain that he made the right choice. Protecting everyone I love makes this worth it.
Two figures were leaning against the black car, both of their faces hidden in shadow. From what he could see, one was a man and judging by the long hair, the other a woman. Two escorts. And one of them a woman. The women were trained in stronger combat than the men because they were the ones to do most of the contact work. Sungmin walked towards the car and stopped in front of the vehicle.
“I’m here,” Sungmin announced coldly. The two gang members pushed off the car in a fluid movement and came to stand in front of him. The woman’s brown eyes stared at him coldly. Sungmin looked defiantly back. The man smirked and turned to the member standing beside him and nodded.
“Welcome, Lee Sungmin,” the voice of the woman came clear and icy through the rain. “Search him,” the woman nodded at her companion. Sungmin stayed perfectly still as the man searched him for weapons or communication devices or whatever else they thought was a threat.
“Very good. He’s clean. Let’s go. The boss finally has his prize,” the man turned away and opened the door of the car, allowing Sungmin to enter. Sungmin walked to the car and got in. He wasn’t surprised to see the plush, rich interior of the vehicle. They had the money for this and more.
The woman got in the front seat and started the car. Sungmin felt a tear slip down his cheek and made no move to wipe it away. He was leaving all that he loved behind to be brought somewhere. He was probably going to be tortured, beaten and possibly killed. But if it kept his family safe, he would do it.
He felt the engine revive. He stared out the window, not seeing anything. He could only see his family. And Kyuhyun. He would keep that smile alive. Kyuhyun would not die. Sungmin promised himself this. He was protecting his loved ones and that’s what mattered. He would take whatever came his way.
~₴~≠~₴~≠~
As the black car of the Black Hand began to drive away, another car drove up. The grey vehicle seemed hesitant, as if unsure where to go. Then the car pulled to a stop in front of the safehouse. The four men inside nodded at each other. The car pulled a U-turn and stopped on the other side of the road.
“Is this it?” One of the men inside asked.
“Yeah. This is the leader’s safehouse,” another replied.
“Shinjung, what are we doing here exactly?”
“We’re here to protect Kyuhyun and his husband, Sungmin. Do you have your weapons?” Shinjung responded. The three others nodded.
“We’re protecting them from what?”
“Another gang. Apparently they want Sungmin.”
“They won’t get by us,” three of them cheered. None of them noticed the vanishing backlights of a car, disappearing into the rainy darkness.
~₴~≠~₴~≠~
The car sped down the highway, leading to the heart of the city. Even though it was five o’clock in the morning, the city was bustling with life. The streetlights passed over the car, illuminating Sungmin’s face every so often.
He saw, with a pang of longing, his flower shop as they drove farther into the city. He sighed and squeezed some of the water out of his shirt. He didn’t care if he was ruining the polished interior. He had to dry off somehow.
The car made a sharp turn and Sungmin pitched to the side. He straightened himself and he looked at the large dark building that was looming over the car. It was the factory that Sungmin walked by every single day when he went to the flower shop. The car was parked and Sungmin barely had time to register what was going on when the door was opened and the man extended his hand towards the building.
They had parked on the grass. Sungmin had to admit, these guys were smart. If anyone had been trailing them, they wouldn’t see tire marks on the parking lot and it was harder to tell if anyone had parked in the grass. Especially if it was raining. He got out of the car and was immediately soaked again. Goosebumps erupted on his skin as he walked towards the building.
He could hear his footsteps on the ground making soft squishing noises. His heart was filled with purpose. He knew that he was doing the right thing. He walked into the dark building. How often he had seen this place before and yet, he never knew what it truly housed. But that wasn’t the point right now. He walked forwards, knowing it would be okay.
A door behind the building was opened and Sungmin was pushed into the building. It was cold inside and the hallway that he had been shoved into was barely lit. He squinted, trying to see what was in the hall when he was hauled forwards by the woman.
“Don’t hesitate. We are on a tight schedule. I do not wish to have my head blown off for your punctuality,” the woman said, dragging him forwards. Sungmin didn’t bother resisting. He would probably be knocked out.
He was yanked into a room that was slightly warmer and brighter than the hallway. The woman pushed him down onto a chair and held him there. The man brought a coil of rope and tied him securely against the wood.
“Wait here. The boss will be here in a moment. He’s been dying for a reunion,” the man grinned. Sungmin glared at him.
“Does it look like I can go anywhere?” Sungmin snapped. The woman slapped him across the face.
“Shut your mouth. You are in our hands now. Don’t be foolish,” the woman snarled. Sungmin remained quiet. The two members left and Sungmin was alone. He raised his head and looked around. He appeared to be in an office of some kind. He let his head fall and he gazed at the floor. He had no doubts that his future was definitely going to be one of pain.
He heard footsteps coming down the hall. He wondered who the mastermind was behind all of his troubles. The door of the room opened and Sungmin looked up from his bindings. A man walked towards him.
“You!” Sungmin gasped as the man’s face came into light. It was someone he didn’t think he would ever see again.
~₴~≠~₴~≠~
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