IMB 2012: Dead Man's Chest (2/2)
Working Title: Dead Man’s Chest
Pairing/Focus: Sunggyu/Woohyun
Rating: PG-13
Summary: When Sunggyu’s past comes back to haunt him, he finds himself in a dangerous situation.
Final word count: 12,521
The next morning saw the three men in Myungsoo’s hotel room, bright and early, planning out their next move. Myungsoo had a map laid out on the desk, possible hideouts highlighted in red. He and Sunggyu were leaning over the paper, debating the pros and cons of each location when there was a sharp rap on the door. They (including Woohyun, who was perched on the bed) looked at each other in alarm, completely still. The person rapped again, twice this time. After a quick and silent hand signal, Sunggyu and Woohyun ducked behind the bed as Myungsoo swiftly picked up a pistol lying on the counter and slipped it into the waist band of his pants, pressing into his lower back. He then carefully cracked open the door. “Yes?”
“Kim Myungsoo.” Sunggyu heard the person outside the door say. It was a man’s voice, or rather, a boy’s. It was a pitch higher than his own. Sunggyu exchanged a terrified glance with Woohyun.
“Yes?”
“May I come in?”
“Depends.” Despite Myungsoo’s tone of nonchalance, Sunggyu could see that Myungsoo was gripping the door so tight his knuckles were white. His other hand was creeping toward the gun tucked in his pants. “Tell me who you are.”
“Lee Sungjong.” The voice replied smoothly.
“What do you want?”
“I’d rather we discuss that inside, if that’s alright with you.” The voice was light, but Sunggyu could hear the seriousness lying underneath.
Myungsoo wordlessly swung the door open, and the boy stepped inside. He was about Myungsoo’s height, with long black hair that fell in front of his eyes. He wore a leather jacket, black jeans, and tennis shoes. His face was pretty, almost feminine, with round eyes and plush lips. There was a slightly feline look to him, the way he moved with almost animal grace. Sunggyu was right; he was young. He looked about seventeen years old. His eyes glanced around the room before settling on Myungsoo. “I know who you are.”
Sunggyu would’ve missed it if he had blinked. In a split second, Myungsoo was aiming his gun at the boy’s face with tight lips. But the boy had moved too, quick as lightning, and his gun- which appeared out of nowhere- was expertly trained on Myungsoo, his fingers long and slender. His face showed no trace of fear; he was even smirking a bit. “You can tell your friends to come out now. I know they’re hiding behind the bed.”
Sunggyu and Woohyun exchanged a glance before slowly standing up, not wanting to add to the tension in the room. Myungsoo’s lips flattened into a slim line. “Who are you and what do you want.”
“I told you. I’m Lee Sungjong. I work for Agency X.” Myungsoo fingers tightened around the trigger, and Sungjong held up the palm of the hand that wasn’t holding his own gun. “Whoa whoa whoa. Listen to me. I came here to help you. My partners are trying to kill you, and Sunggyu, and I’m here to offer my help.”
Myungsoo scoffed. “Offer your help, my ass. You’re a double agent. Trying to pull the wool over our eyes, huh? We’re not dumbasses.” He lifted his gun higher, pointing straight between Sungjong’s eyes.
“I’m not trying to trick you, I swear!” Sungjong’s eyes grew rounder, but he still kept his composure. “I hate my job. I hate the way I’m treated and I hate my boss. I’m here to offer you a deal- a ‘you scratch my back, I scratch yours’ kind of thing. I’ll help you get out of this mess,” he locked eyes with Myungsoo, then Woohyun, then Sunggyu, “and you help me disappear, the way Sunggyu did.”
“Why do you want to disappear?” Sunggyu couldn’t help asking. Myungsoo shot him an annoyed glance.
Sungjong turned to him. “You can’t just quit a job like mine. There’s no other way out.”
“And why do you think we’ll help you?” Myungsoo questioned, his voice still full of distrust.
“I know my partners. I know their plans and the way they think. I can help you get away,” he glanced at Sunggyu, “alive.”
“And how to we know that you’re not a double agent about to kill us?” Woohyun spoke up for the first time.
Sungjong shrugged. “You don’t. I can give you nothing but my word. I’ll have to stay with you while I help you escape so you can watch me 24/7, make sure I don’t contact anyone. And after you’ve helped me, you’ll never see me again.”
His words hung in the air while Woohyun, Sunggyu, and Myungsoo traded glances, weighing the options in their heads. After a few moments of silence, Myungsoo swallowed and nodded. “Alright. We’ll take the deal. But make one wrong move, boy, and I’ll send this bullet straight between your eyes.”
Sungjong nodded.
Myungsoo kept his gun in his hands and motioned to Sungjong with it. “Put your gun on the counter.” Sungjong obeyed, and after he sat down on the edge of the bed, Myungsoo tucked his gun back into his belt, his eyes still wary.
“Alright.” Three pairs of eyes fixed on the young boy. “Tell us everything you know.”
-
Sunggyu stared out the window as huge buildings flashed by, neon signs burning into his retinas. The leathery smell of Myungsoo’s car was somehow comforting, and the seat was soft against his back. Next to him, Sungjong’s head had rolled onto Woohyun’s shoulder, his hand placed on Woohyun’s knee. Woohyun had taken to the boy quickly, his motherly instincts kicking in once he was convinced Sungjong wasn’t a double agent. He bought him new clothes and shoes and almost shrieked when he saw how skinny he was. Woohyun was a naturally affectionate person and felt uneasy when he didn’t have someone to take care of. Usually, that person would be Sunggyu, but now Sungjong received most of his attention. And the boy didn’t mind at all. In fact, he soaked up the attention like a sponge, hanging off of Woohyun and eating everything he cooked. Sunggyu always felt a twinge of sadness whenever he looked at Sungjong. He imagined that he probably never received this kind of attention.
Myungsoo was sitting in the front seat, his eyes on the map while he gave short directions to the driver. He didn’t sleep, even when night fell. Sunggyu had dozed off a couple of times, and every time his eyes opened again Myungsoo would be awake, bent over the map.
They were headed to the warehouse. Sungjong told them that it had been discovered by Agency X and they were trying to figure out how to break in. The terror that seized Sunggyu then was still running in his veins, just as hot. What if they found it? What would they do? If they destroyed it, would he know? Would it…would it hurt? These questions ran through his head over and over and over as the night flew past the windows. If Agency X got their hands on the instructions to make another X17, everything he had sacrificed would be for nothing.
They had spent three days in the hotel after Sungjong came, planning their moves and how they would attack, if needed. If Agency X had already arrived, they might have to fight to get inside. That was the terrifying part. He, Myungsoo, and Sungjong had all been trained, at varying levels, how to fight. Woohyun, however, can’t even shoot a gun.
He glanced over at Woohyun’s face. Woohyun’s eyes were shut, his head leaning against Sungjong’s as he slept. The lights from outside the window danced over his face. Sunggyu traced the lines of his face with his eyes- the slant of his brows, the bridge of his nose, the dip of his cupid’s bow. When he finally looked away, he met Myungsoo’s eyes in the mirror. He imagined that the same misery in Myungsoo’s eyes was probably reflected in his own.
-
Sunggyu was shaken awake by Myungsoo’s cold hands. The car was utterly silent, and when Sunggyu started to grumble sleepily Woohyun’s warm hand pressed against his mouth, silencing him. Sitting up straight, Sunggyu looked out the window and his stomach clenched. Outside the car was green- green trees and long grass and thorny bushes. The sounds of a forest surrounded them, the chirping of faraway birds and the buzzing of various insects. They were near the warehouse, and a poorly concealed black van was parked behind a particularly large bush.
They were here.
Myungsoo motioned them to get out of the car, as silently as possible, in case anyone was nearby. He got out first, his gun held stiffly in front of his face. Every muscle in his body was as taut as a wire. Woohyun and Sungjong slid out next. Sunggyu followed shortly after, the pistol in his hand feeling suddenly foreign, oddly shaped in his sweating palm. Woohyun swallowed thickly, his hand pressed against his probably wildly beating heart in an attempt to slow his pulse. Sunggyu could see the pulse move his fingers up and down in a fast rhythm. Sunggyu placed his hand against his own chest, pressing hard into his skin. His fingers didn’t move. It had been a long time since they had.
Myungsoo waved to their driver, who immediately put the car into park and turned off the ignition, throwing them into complete silence. He glanced at Sungjong briefly, who nodded back wordlessly. After locking eyes with each of them, Myungsoo turned and began his path through the forest, parting branches and slashing through huge spider webs with the barrel of his gun. Twigs crunched beneath their feet, and there was an occasional scrape against a tree trunk, but overall Sunggyu was impressed by their stealth. They moved virtually soundlessly through the trees, sometimes ducking into the tall grass when Myungsoo thought he had seen movement.
They continued on for what seemed like forever, with sweat beginning to roll down their backs. Sunggyu’s hands were sweaty, his gun slipping around in his slackening grip. His feet started to get clumsy, catching all the hidden branches and dirt mounds. Sungjong, however, was effortlessly graceful. He crept through the grass like a cheetah, with a curved spine and intense eyes. He held a small knife in his thin hands that caught the light every now and then. Woohyun kept throwing the weapon uneasy glances.
Suddenly, Myungsoo threw up a hand in warning as he sank to his knees. The others followed suit. When Sunggyu peeked above the tall grass he saw a figure clad in black, about thirty feet away, slowly pacing back and forth with a huge gun nestled in his arms. He wore sunglasses and long sleeves but no hat, leaving his hair, which was a strange shade of blue, to reflect the light of the sun trickling in through the canopy. He stopped in front of a small stump and turned around, pacing back the other way.
Myungsoo motioned them closer. “A guard,” he said in a harsh whisper. “They’re definitely camping out here. Woohyun, come with me. We’ll check around the perimeter and see if there are any other guards. Sungjong, you and Sunggyu stay here. And stay quiet.”
Sunggyu and Sungjong nodded, lowering themselves until they were lying on their stomachs, hidden from view. Myungsoo nodded sharply at Woohyun then started to slink through the grass. Woohyun turned to follow, but Sunggyu grabbed his arm before he could leave.
“Be safe,” Sunggyu mouthed. Woohyun nodded, squeezing Sunggyu’s hand before slipping away.
When Sunggyu turned around, Sungjong was staring at him, a strange look on his face.
“What?” Sunggyu asked, feeling uncomfortable.
Sungjong shook his head. “Nothing. It’s just…you and Woohyun.”
“What about us?”
“You obviously love each other a lot. He really looks after you. I just…I wish someone loved me like that.” The sadness of Sungjong’s voice pulled on Sunggyu’s emotions, so he leaned over and carefully wrapped an arm around the boy next to him. Sungjong leaned into his embrace, resting his head on Sunggyu’s shoulder. “I’m not trying to start a sob session or anything. I’ve just been watching you the past couple of days, and it made me realize how much I’ve been missing. I never knew my mom- my parents divorced when I was a baby- and my dad was shot when I was ten. I lived on the streets after that, working for what I could get, and stealing when I had to. I became a pickpocket- and a really good one too. That’s how the Agency found me and recruited me. I nicked their top agent’s ID right out of his pocket on the subway. They were a little bit impressed.” Sungjong smiled slightly, a slight upturn of his lips.
“I’m sorry, Sungjong,” Sunggyu whispered, rubbing the boy’s back. “Life is hard for everyone. Some people’s lives are just harder than others.”
Sungjong chuckled. “You’re telling me.”
“So how did-”
Sunggyu’s question was cut off as a deafening gunshot pierced the air. They both stiffened, their eyes wide. Sungjong slowly peeked above the grass and saw the blue haired guard looking confused and startled, glancing around him. All three flinched when three more shots sounded. The guard, who was starting to look worried, walked quickly away, no doubt going to investigate. He didn’t take more than two steps, however, when four figures came bolting through the trees at full speed, gunshots exploding over their heads. Myungsoo and Woohyun were sprinting side by side, Myungsoo firing shots over his shoulder, as two other black-clad guards ran after them, firing their guns.
“GO!” Myungsoo shouted as they neared Sunggyu and Sungjong’s hiding place. Sunggyu, running purely on adrenaline, shot upwards, firing at the blue-haired guard. The bullet hit him square in the shoulder and he fell with a shout of pain. One of the other guards glanced at him and shouted a name. Then he turned his attention to Sunggyu, the gleam of revenge in his eyes quite frightening. Sunggyu barely had time to duck before a bullet whizzed over his head, barely missing him. Woohyun and Myungsoo rounded, turning back to fire at the two remaining guards.
One of them kept his attention on Myungsoo and Myungsoo only. With a jolt, Sunggyu caught sight of the many piercing on his ear. His face was twisted into a feral snarl as he fired again and again, only to have Myungsoo expertly evade every shot. He started to get angry and careless, shooting wildly and missing Myungsoo’s shots by a margin that was steadily narrowing. He shot three consecutive bullets, and Sunggyu watched in terror as Myungsoo twisted in the middle of his run and fell to the ground, clutching his side. The guard yelled in victory, almost running to the spot where Myungsoo was in glee. He was only three steps away when Myungsoo suddenly rose up from the grass, his side completely unhurt, and fired with perfect precision straight at the oncoming guard. The guard was able to twist away on reflex, but the bullet sliced right into his side, under his ribs. He fell with an angry cry and a hand clutched to his side.
The one remaining guard, noticing his fallen comrades, began to shoot wildly, dodging bullets from two sides as Sunggyu and Myungsoo both trained their guns on him.
Sunggyu watched with a growing sense of horror as the guard’s gun pointed right at Woohyun. It was almost as if everything happened in slow motion. Sunggyu saw him pull the trigger. He saw the bullet slide out of the barrel and spin through the air with deadly accuracy. He saw it hit Woohyun. He saw Woohyun’s face contort in surprise and then pain, his spine bending as he folded in on himself and dropped to the ground. Sunggyu didn’t hear the shouts of Myungsoo or Sungjong behind him or the shots continually firing from Myungsoo’s hand. He only heard Woohyun’s gasp and the sound of his body hitting the ground. He only saw the dark red stain spreading over the fabric of his shirt.
Woohyun was shot, Woohyun was shot, Woohyun was shot-
Sunggyu felt as if he was in a daze, his head swimming and his vision foggy.
Woohyun was shot, Woohyun was shot, Woohyun was shot-
Sunggyu watched as his own hand gripped his gun harder. He watched, totally detached, as he fired at the guard, his bullet tearing into the guard’s leg, making him collapse and scream in pain. He suddenly found himself next to Woohyun, his hands in Woohyun’s hair and cupping his cheek.
“Woohyun, Woohyun, Woohyun,” he chanted, more like a prayer than anything else.
Woohyun’s eyes were closed but his breathing was almost steady. “I- I think I’m okay. I think the bullet just grazed my shoulder.” His hand was pressed against his shoulder, covered in dark red blood. But he gently raised his arm, flexing his shoulder. He winced only a little at the movement. His eyes opened slowly to meet Sunggyu’s, fear and relief plain in them.
Sunggyu exhaled deeply, leaning forward until his forehead was touching Woohyun’s, his hand still against his cheek. “Don’t you ever fucking scare me like that again,” he whispered, Woohyun’s breath fanning over his face.
“Sorry,” Woohyun whispered back, his breath still shallower than normal. They stayed like that for a long moment, with their foreheads together and arms wrapped around each other.
It was only when Sungjong’s tentative hand landed on Sunggyu’s shoulder that they pulled apart, Sunggyu’s arm still around Woohyun’s shoulders. Sungjong looked down on them. “The guards are injured. Myungsoo says that we should take them with us and head back for a little bit. Maybe we can use them as leverage later. Someone is bound to come investigate after all the gunshots anyways. It’s probably best to get somewhere safe.”
Myungsoo had already taken the guards hostage, thick rope binding their hands behind their backs. The blue-haired guard was obviously in pain, a deep wound in his shoulder still bleeding freely. The one who shot Woohyun was limping, his leg also covered in blood. And the last guard had a hand pressed tightly against his side, his face screwed up in an attempt to hide his pain. His eyes shot streams of fire in Myungsoo’s direction, which Myungsoo promptly ignored. Myungsoo kept his gun trained on them, nudging them in the back to get them moving. The party retreated back into the woods, letting the trees keep them hidden. They found a small clearing after about ten minutes of walking. Myungsoo stopped them and all but shoved the three guards to the ground, quickly tying up their feet too so they couldn’t escape.
Sungjong, who had been hanging back during their retreat to safety, tugged at Sunggyu’s arm. “I’m going to go see if anyone’s following us,” he said softly, his feline eyes darting to the two guards.
Sunggyu nodded. He watched as Sungjong melted back into the trees, totally silent.
Once they were settled, Myungsoo ripped open his backpack and pulled out some medical supplies. He tended to the blue-haired guard first, who seemed like he needed the most care. Sunggyu grabbed some supplies and headed over to where Woohyun was sitting, a small distance away from the rest of them.
“Here, let me patch you up,” Sunggyu said, settling into the grass next to him. Woohyun watched with unreadable eyes as Sunggyu cleaned the wound and dressed it with practiced hands, slow and methodical.
“Can I ask you a question?” Woohyun broke the silence with a soft voice. Sunggyu glanced up from his work to see Woohyun staring at him.
“Go ahead.”
“What would you have done if I had really gotten shot?”
Sunggyu’s hands kept moving with an experienced ease as he pondered the question. “I’d rather not think about that. You pretty much gave me a heart attack as it is.” And it was true. Sunggyu almost felt his heart stop at that moment. Which, he knew, was impossible. “This is why I didn’t want you involved in this. I was afraid that you’d get hurt and that I wouldn’t be able to save you. That is what terrifies me the most.”
He finished wrapping the wound and patted the bandage gently. Before he could pull away, however, Woohyun caught one of his hands in his. Sunggyu looked at him, startled. Woohyun took Sunggyu’s hand and placed it against his cheek, leaning into the touch. “Thank you. For worrying about me, I mean. It means a lot to me.” Woohyun’s whisper was so soft that Sunggyu had to lean in to hear him properly.
Sunggyu gulped, his skin heating up. “You mean a lot to me, you know. I don’t know what I’d do without you. I think that’s why the thought of losing you scares me so much.”
This time when Woohyun caught his eyes, Sunggyu didn’t look away. He didn’t avoid his gaze or awkwardly break eye contact. He didn’t pull away when Woohyun leaned in closer, his eyes shining. When Woohyun’s eyes slowly slid shut, so did his. His hand slipped from Woohyun’s cheek to beneath his jaw, pulling his face forward until something soft pressed against his lips.
Kissing Woohyun felt like everything he thought it would feel like. His lips were plush and soft, molding around the shape of Sunggyu’s lips. It felt comforting and familiar, like they had been doing this their whole lives. He felt Woohyun’s lips move underneath his own, pushing against his with a gentle pressure. Woohyun tasted like mint and somehow, like sunshine. Before they broke apart, Woohyun seized Sunggyu’s lower lip in between his teeth and bit down gently as he pulled away, scraping his teeth across the sensitive skin. Sunggyu shivered slightly, and Woohyun smirked, sucking his own bottom lip between his teeth. Sunggyu smiled and was about to pull Woohyun back in for another kiss when he heard his name being called in a panicked tone.
“Sunggyu!”
They both turned to see Myungsoo rifling through his backpack, hastily throwing out bandages and ointments onto the grass. “Sunggyu, I know I put it in here, I swear-”
“Put what in there?” Sunggyu asked, instantly on alert. Myungsoo was never, ever unsettled unless something serious was happening. He sprang up and hurried over to Myungsoo’s side, Woohyun following behind him.
“The codes, the codes. The security codes to get into the vault. I put them here, in this pocket. I swear I did, Sungjong watched me do it.” Myungsoo took the backpack and held it upside down, contents pouring out onto the grass. There were bandages and creams and extra bullets. But no codes. He clawed through them anyway, spreading everything in his panic.
“Do you think someone took them?” Woohyun asked. Sunggyu stood frozen, a heavy ball of dread settling in his stomach.
Myungsoo grit his teeth, standing up. He grabbed his gun from his belt and pointed it straight at the guards. “What did you do with my codes?” he growled, his expression absolutely terrifying. Even Sunggyu shrank away in fear. He aimed at the first guard, the one who had been shooting at him, and glared. “You took it, didn’t you? What’s your name?”
“Lee Sungyeol.” The guard returned Myungsoo’s glare with the same amount of heated intensity.
“You were the one who tried to kill me, in that apartment near Incheon,” Myungsoo snarled.
The first guard snarled right back, spitting at Myungsoo’s feet. “That’s right. And I almost did, too. I don’t care about your stupid codes. My job is to kill you.”
“Great work, then,” Myungsoo snorted in derision. The guard just snarled again.
“And you,” Myungsoo moved his gun to the second guard with the blue hair, “what about you?”
“Jang Dongwoo,” he panted, his blue hair sticking to his forehead with sweat. “I don’t have your codes. I was just guarding the place when I heard people shooting.”
Myungsoo’s gun moved to the next guard, whose expression was hard and unmoving. “Lee Howon. If I had your codes, we would be inside by now.”
Myungsoo didn’t move for a moment, his eyes flickering between the three, before he slowly lowered his gun. He ran a hand through his hair before turning to Sunggyu and Woohyun. “They didn’t take them. But the question is- who did?”
“Wasn’t me,” Sunggyu said, shrugging his shoulders.
“Me either,” Woohyun said, patting himself down.
“Maybe it was….hey, where’s Sungjong?” Myungsoo peered over his shoulder, glancing around the clearing.
“He was going to check for any more guards.”
“Are you talking about that kid that was with you?” Dongwoo spoke up, his bloody hand still pressed against his shoulder.
All three turned to him. Sunggyu nodded. “Yeah, he’s the kid that used to work in your agency.”
Dongwoo’s eyebrows furrowed. “What? What kid?”
The three of them exchanged glances. “Sungjong said that he worked for Agency X and escaped because he was being mistreated.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Howon said, his eyes hard. “But I do know that we’ve been tracking that kid for weeks.”
The ball in Sunggyu’s stomach grew heavier. “What do you mean?”
“He broke into Agency X’s headquarters about a month ago and stole a couple of top-secret files. We’ve been trying to find him ever since. All that we could dig up on him was that he lives in some secret hideout with his crazy mad scientist father.”
“His father?” Sunggyu cut in, his mouth suddenly dry. “He told me his father got shot.”
Howon shook his head. “Not as far as we know. Apparently, he stole the files we had on X17. Luckily, we had made a few extra copies, but still. That information isn’t supposed to get out.”
Sunggyu could feel his breathing getting shallower and shallower. This can’t be right. Sungjong couldn’t have tricked them so well.
“So he isn’t a double agent?” Myungsoo asked.
“He doesn’t work for us,” Dongwoo answered.
“Then…who does he work for?”
Sunggyu’s hand went to his chest, by reflex, and it took him a moment of searching to realize something. He froze, pressing his palm hard against his chest. Nothing. He ran his hand up around his neck, searching for the chain. Nothing.
Oh no.
Oh no, oh no, oh no.
Sunggyu swore his blood stopped flowing.
“It’s gone.”
“What?” Woohyun jerked to face him, his face pale.
“The key, the key is gone. I had it- oh.” He had it when they were in the forest. He had it when they saw Dongwoo guarding the warehouse. He had it when he-
He had it when he was hugging Sungjong.
‘I lived on the streets after that, working for what I could get, and stealing when I had to. I became a pickpocket- and a really good one too.’
Sunggyu dug a hand into his pocket, his fingers numb, with just one last glimmer of hope. He pulled out a small slip of paper. On it was five words, written in neat, slanted handwriting.
I work for no one.
-
The inside of the warehouse was dark and dusty. The smell made Sungjong’s nose wrinkle as he moved soundlessly down the many hallways. His eyes passed over rows and rows of objects- guns and chemicals and stacks and stacks of files. He knew where he was going.
He reached the center of the warehouse and found the wire cage immediately. He smiled to himself, humming a little tune as he pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. On the paper, scrawled in Myungsoo’s messy hand, were all the security codes he needed. He read them out loud, punching the numbers into the keypad on the cage. It opened with a satisfying click.
He lifted out another cage, smaller this time. Smiling still, he continued down the list of codes and spun the dial on the lock until it too unlocked with a click.
The last cage was smaller still, locked with a simple screen. The screen was blank, devoid of any number pad or keyboard. Sungjong carefully pressed his finger to it and traced an intricate pattern.
The cage unlocked with a soft click.
“Daddy, you’re going to be so proud of me,” Sungjong whispered, lifting the lid with his thin fingers. He held his breath as he pulled out a thick file first, white and nondescript. He flipped it open briefly and lit up at the sight of extensive notes and blueprints. After a moment, he set the file aside and took a deep breath. This is what he’d been waiting for.
He slowly lifted out a wooden box, about the size of a shoebox. He held it in his hands reverently before taking off a chain from around his neck. A tiny silver lock hung from the front of the box. Sungjong gulped as he inserted the key, handing from the thin chain, into the lock. He took another deep breath before turning it, hearing the click, and the lid lifted on its own.
Sungjong’s eyes grew wide as he stared at the contents of the box.
“Daddy,” he breathed, “you are not going to believe this.”
In the silence and stillness of the warehouse, Sungjong could feel the steady vibrations of the box against his fingers. The sound, too, echoed off the walls.
Tha-thump. Tha-thump. Tha-thump.