[Fanfic] In the Dark {Chapter 11: Ground Zero}
Title: In The Dark {Chpt. 11: Ground Zero}
Author: Roxy (lady_monochrome)
Pairing(s): MinJae, YunJae, YooSu, HoSu, Yunho x Boa
Length: Chapter 11 of 15
Word Count: 9,389
Genre: AU, Drama, Mystery, Suspense, Psychological
Rating: NC-17
Warning(s): Serial murder, explicit crime scenes, fucked up sociopathic individuals, drug abuse and prostitution.
Summary: Young Detective Shim was awarded in his short successful career with a major crime investigation. A series of murders have been terrorizing the citizens of Seoul and it’s up to him, and his team, to solve the crime before more people could fall victim to the vicious killer.
A/N: Are you shocked?! O__O hehehe After six months of waiting… It’s been a difficult six months of my life, many things have changed but alas these past few days I’ve had enough peace of mind to let the muses inspire me. (This rant continues at the bottom if you care xD)
ENJOY!
My confidence is leaving me on my own (All alone)
No one can save me and you know I don’t want the attention.
Bat Country by Avenged Sevenfold
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Wednesday Night
7:59 pm
He shouldn’t be there. He really shouldn’t, but what was he supposed to do when he received a call like the one he had that afternoon.
“Kim Jaejoong will be dancing in the Black Dahlia tonight. It’s his grand performance after being absent for a few days. You might want to check it out. It’s going to be mind blowing.”
There was no way he could ignore that. He wasn’t about to let Yunho hurt Jaejoong anymore than he already had. Plus if he plays his cards right and the situation provides for it, he might even be able to arrest the dangerous man. One little slip was all it would take and Changmin would jump at any opportunity to legally restraint that monster. The only way to find out if anything like that could happen though was stepping into the Black Dahlia. ‘Fuck…. This is a very bad idea.' Unfortunately for Changmin he had little choice.
The purple neon lights were shinning down from the elegant entrance and the exotic looking sign on the side of it that announced the obvious. There was a considerable line outside; the establishment was about to open its doors. There were two gigantic looking men standing by the doors. They were both very pointedly turning their heads to Changmin’s every step, since he wasn’t making the line, until the detective reached the entrance. Had he been in his work clothes he probably wouldn’t ever be able to walk inside. He had been told before that he reeked of police. So the detective prepped for the occasion. He was wearing a pair of tight fitting dark blue jeans, a dashing vertical line pattern blue/gray button up with long sleeves rolled up to his elbows, the first two buttons were left open, a black vest over that and black dressing shoes. He was also wearing a pair of diamond earrings that he rarely got to use due to the nature of his job, and his eyeglasses. All in all he looked like a wealthy intellectual.
“You have to wait in the line like everyone else. We’re not open yet.” The bouncer on the left barked. Changmin nodded then leaned over to the man.
“I’m here to speak with Mr. Park. Tell him it’s Shim Changmin and it’s urgent. He’ll know.” One bouncer looked to the other and then they both raised an eyebrow. The next thing to come from their mouth was a roar of laughter. For the moment Changmin felt slightly insulted but that didn’t stop him. He rolled his eyes and reached into his back pocket. He hadn’t wanted to do this, it was detrimental to his goals, but he extracted his police ID and flashed it at the man. “Now you go tell Park Yoochun that Detective Shim needs to speak to him about official business.” This time both bouncers frowned. The one on the right sighed and raised his hand to his ear. There was a small radio device there where he communicated with someone on the inside. After about a minute he received an answer and the bouncer nodded at Changmin. They both stepped aside and let him pass.
Immediately as the doors opened Changmin felt his training kicking in. Every single person he passed by was quickly scrutinized. All possible exits were assessed and he scanned the area for familiar faces among the staff. Worries flooded him with shadows in every corner, threats in every niche. The first face he came in contact with was the manager of the club. ‘Kim Junsu' The man was scrambling around, apparently in a hurry, passing Changmin by without a single sign of recognition. As suddenly as he had appeared the manager disappeared but another person he did not recognize came walking his way. “Good evening Detective Shim.” The man nodded at him as his form of a casual bow. “My name is Boom, follow me to Chun’s office.” Changmin nodded and followed. He vaguely remembered how things looked in that place from the last and only time he had been there; the corridors were just as dim lighted, confusing and labyrinthine. So many things could be waiting for you around the next corner. Changmin wondered if perhaps Jaejoong was there already.
“Yo, Detective Shim.” The sudden hand on his shoulder made him jump in his skin and he turned around in the blink of an eye scaring the man that had tapped him. “Woah, calm down.” It was none other than Park Yoochun, owner of the Black Dahlia. “I never thought I’d see you here again. But I guess even people like you need to unwind sometimes right.”
Changmin nodded. “Of course. But…”
“I know why you’re here detective. Looks like the word got around fast.” They were standing on the hallway still. Yoochun had bumped into them while walking back to his office. “Boom, thanks man.” The boss waved his employee off and dragged Changmin into the office which the detective only then noticed was right ahead of them. Once they were inside the office Yoochun turned to him. “Please have a seat. A friend of Jaejoong’s will always be a guest to this establishment.”
“I’m not here just to see Jaejoong.” Changmin finally said, preferring to stay on his feet.
Yoochun turned with a raised brow. “Something you need from me Detective?”
“I’m sure you know the kind of mood Jaejoong has been in the last week.” Changmin started. “Is he even up to this kind of attention right now?”
“I asked him the same thing but he said, and I quote, he would much rather do this than drown in sorrow. Something about Aeyoung convincing him.” Changmin nodded in understanding then Yoochun beckoned him sit. The detective shook his head in protest. “Suit yourself. Now, let’s set things straight first. I know you’re Jaejoong’s boyfriend, or something like that. At first I thought it was a bad idea to have police involved with the people at my club but after recent events I started thinking the opposite. You already know of our affiliations with Senator Jung Yunho.” Changmin nodded. “He’s becoming too much of a threat to this establishment lately and his last doings… let’s just say I’m taking this personally now. He’s endangering my club’s reputation, risking my boyfriend’s life and making my friend’s life a living hell. And this last part is where our concerns meet. Jaejoong has come to be more than an employee to me. He’s a smart guy, easy going and free of too many taboos. But I’m sure you know all this already.”
“What are you getting at Park?”
“We need to stop Yunho before someone ends up dead namely my boyfriend Junsu or Jaejoong.” Changmin had the urge to tell him many have already ended up dead at his hands but he didn’t want to give away too much. He inserted his hands in his pockets and nodded while intently looking Yoochun to the eye reading the man’s intentions like only his training and experience could tell him.
“I received a call this afternoon. It was an unidentifiable voice. It announced that Jaejoong would be having a special show tonight. Who organized this?”
“It was Jaejoong himself along with Junsu’s crazy ideas. What’s with the weird call though?”
“I’m afraid it might have been Yunho and he might be planning something bad for tonight.”
“Shit!” Yoochun got to his feet and started pacing back and forth. “This is bad. He’s too unpredictable.”
“The caller said the performance would be mind blowing. That’s what really has me worried. You think he could’ve planted explosives under the stage? Is planning to shoot Jaejoong? Is there a good vantage point in the main area for sniping?” With a very worried expression Changmin began listing the possibilities, having to stop so he could breathe properly. “You have to cancel this. You have to get Jaejoong off the stage.”
Yoochun looked up, just as worried as the detective and sighed. “The only one who will call this off is Jaejoong. He really insisted that I do this for him. With how he’s been doing lately I wouldn’t want to limit him but… Wait.” Yoochun picked up a radio device from his desk. “Boom, inform security that no one is to come into the club until I give the notice.”
‘Alright boss'
Yoochun looked up to the detective. “Let’s go check it out. If there’s anything in this club that could harm Jaejoong, we’re going to sniff it up.”
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“Jaejoong-ah.” Jaejoong stirred from his position on the lounge couch backstage. He could hear his name being called out but he couldn’t quite place the strange feeling that was creeping up on him. “Jaejoong-ah.” This time he was sure he heard it and so looked up. “Finally, you sleeping beauty. Get the hell up!”
“Noona?!” The dancer sat up immediately upon seeing the image of his late sister. He couldn’t believe it. There was simply no way. It had been months since Jikyung was found dead. He was there to identify the body, he was there at the funeral, he held her stiff hand in his. “I must be going crazy…”
“You only realize that now? Pabo, listen to me, there isn’t much time.” What seemed to be his elder sister kneeled down in front of him and held his hands. “There’s no point to this. You have to stop!”
“What? What do you mean Noona?”
The woman didn’t answer, she smiled at him, stood up and slapped her hand across his face. Jaejoong was left speechless. “Listen very carefully this time. Stop this. You have nothing to prove to me Jae.” Her tone softened and she kneeled in front of her confused little brother again, bringing him into her arms. “You need to go live your own life now Jae. You’re finally free to do as you please and somehow you end up down the same road as me. Jung Yunho is a terrible man and I would hate to see you fall victim to his dark mind. More so you haven’t done your true duty Jaejoong. I can’t accept this and I should swing you another one just to get it through that thick head of yours.” Jaejoong was still very much speechless. “Aish!” Jikyung got up again and slapped her other hand across her brother’s cheek. “Kim Jaejoong!! You have a daughter to protect!! How dare you let a man like Jung Yunho walk into her life and you knowing about it didn’t do anything!! I should do more than slap you right now. Are you really that dense?! You need to stop moping around, stop this nonsensical charade that has become your life and think about what’s really important. One: Aeyoung. Two: Your happiness. Now get off your lazy ass and go get your stuff in order. Damn it!”
Jaejoong woke up from his dreams in a start. He almost fell off the couch he had been sleeping on. “What the…” He had fallen asleep backstage. “That almost felt too real.” He murmured to himself before trying to rub his sleepiness away.
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“Boss, what happened?” Boom was walking towards the two men coming from the office areas.
“We’re changing the security protocol for tonight. I need you to go tell the security team to inspect each and every person that comes into this club, no exceptions. Even the VIP costumers. We’re talking about a code orange here. Got it?”
“Yes sir.” Boom said and then ran off to put the code orange in motion. The rest of the security team had already gathered at the main hall and were all awaiting instructions from Yoochun.
“Ok gentlemen. There was a phone threat directed at our Youngwoong. This is no ordinary prank; we’re dealing with a dangerous threat here. We need to do a sweep of the entire stage area and its surroundings including backstage and bar. Don’t leave anything unchecked-”
“Chunnie!!!” Junsu suddenly came running into the main hall. “What’s going on?”
“Junsu, where’s Jaejoong?” Changmin immediately asked forgetting all sorts of honorifics.
“He’s taking a nap in the staff lounge. Why?”
“Junsu, take Changmin to the staff lounge.” Yoochun ordered. The manager seemed confused but then nodded anyway and motioned for Changmin to follow. The detective was lead through the labyrinth of corridors again until they reached a door that read ‘Employees Only.’
“Jaejoong-ah!!” Junsu called out and finally found the dancer crouching in a corner holding his face between his hands. “Jaejoo- Oh there you are!” He half ran to the dancer on the floor and crouched in front of him. “Hey are you ok?”
“I’m ok…”
“Jaejoong-ah… why do you look so sad?”
“I’m not sad… just… nervous I guess. I- I don’t know if I can handle the crowd just yet.” He hid his face deeper between his arms and brought his knees closer to his chest.
“Hey, you know what Chunnie said. If you don’t feel up to it you don’t have to do it and that’s not a luxury a lot of dancers get around here.”
“Thanks Su, but- I don’t know. I feel like I have to do this.”
“We’ve had this conversation before remember? It’s what led to making the plans for tonight.” Jaejoong only nodded. “Come on Joongie. Get up from there.” Junsu pulled the other man to his feet and then gave him a bone crushing hug. “Jaejoong fighting!”
“Oh! God! You’re crushing- me” Jaejoong was let go and he looked up sensing another presence in the room. The view left him a lot more breathless than Junsu’s bear hug. “Changmin! What are you doing here?!” Suddenly he felt extremely self conscious in his skimpy outfit and bare feet. His hands went immediately to cover his chest area which was the most exposed.
“Jaejoong-ah.” Changmin smiled at him, stepped closer, he had the need to embrace the man but he stopped himself. Just knowing that Jaejoong was unharmed gave him the satisfaction he needed. He took a step closer to the dancer but Jaejoong took two steps back away from him. “Jae?”
“You shouldn’t be here Min.” Jaejoong didn’t feel all too good about Changmin watching him at his job. Not like he was ashamed to be an exotic dancer, even more so the detective knew this from the very start, but he still didn’t like the idea of his love interest watching him shed clothes for a crowd of howling wolves. It gave him the same sort of feeling as if his daughter were to watch him dance. It just didn’t feel right.
Changmin on his part didn’t feel any sort of animosity towards Jaejoong’s job and if he were to admit it to himself he was even looking forward to watching the performance. But he did sense the uncomfiness in the dancer’s demeanor. “Jaejoong-ah. Although I’d love to see you perform. That’s not the reason why I’m here.” The dancer looked up with a question in his eyes. “We have a horrible feeling that Yunho planned something bad for tonight. I got a suspicious phone call telling me to come see your show. I just know something bad is going to happen. I’d rather not risk it and send you out there to be killed or blown up or humiliated.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Junsu asked with his hands on his hips. “What could Yunho have possibly planned that would put Jaejoongie in danger? Come on, sounds ridiculous.”
Changmin jumped at the comment, not being able to stop himself. “He’s already done plenty of bad to Jaejoong what makes you think that he won’t try anything tonight just to see him suffer.”
“Oh please, Yunho couldn’t hurt a fly if he wanted to.”
“What the hell is your problem?! Are you blind or just plain stupid?!”
Jaejoong had to step in between the detective and the manager before Junsu would say anything else stupid. “Stop it!! Both of you! This is serious Junsu!”
Changmin spoke again. “Regardless of what you think Jaejoong’s life is in danger right now and you need to cooperate with us.”
“Ugh! Right whatever.” Junsu finally said, exasperated and left the two to their own stuff but not before yelling over his shoulder. “Tell me whatever stupid ideas you guys come up with ‘cause I’m sure you’re all just inventing shit.”
As soon as the door was closed Jaejoong jumped in between Changmin’s arms. He snuggled his face into the detective’s chest and left a few kisses there, momentarily forgetting his insecurities. “Changmin?” Jaejoong mumbled.
“Yeah” Changmin circled his arms around the dancer’s shoulders, embracing him tightly, leaving random kisses on his head.
“What is Yunho up to now?” He didn’t want to admit it, but Jaejoong was scared to the core. He already knew what the senator was capable of and he was scared he could be the next victim. ‘Noona’ he suddenly thought ‘Is this what you were warning me about?’
“I’m not sure Jae. Yoochun and his security team are making sure the premises are safe. They’re screening each and every person that walks into this club. We’ll make sure you’re safe. But I think you’ll be safest if you don’t go on stage tonight.”
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The doors of the Black Dahlia were finally opened to the public and although with a little more difficulty everything went as per usual. Packs of people flooded the dance floors, the more laid back guests lounged around nursing drinks and networking. Park Yoochun was on top of it all watching from the surveillance room that was suspended ominously over a corner of the club.
“So what are we watching out for?” Junsu asked as he paced the entire air surveillance window, looking down at the club goers below.
“Anything abnormal Su. How many times have I told you? Everything and anything as minimal as it may seem. You’re an expert at catching drama; look out for possible fights and stuff.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment” He answered Yoochun’s mocking remark accompanied by a smirk and a blown kiss then he set to do just that, look out for drama. “So what did Joongie decide to do?”
“He’s not going on stage.”
“And the detective?”
“He’s back stage with Jae.” Silence stuck to the air for a few seconds, different thoughts going through both their minds.
“Is it such a good idea to have him around? You’ve never been so comfortable around police authority before. What if he-”
“That’s not gonna happen.” Yoochun cut Junsu off before he finished that sentence. “We’ve always been extremely careful and right now my personal priority is to protect my club’s integrity. I won’t let anything rash happen, nor will I let Yunho just run over us and do whatever he wants anymore. He’s too unpredictable Su. As a matter of fact I wish you would stop seeing him.”
Junsu’s immediate response was a loud scuff. “Like that’s gonna happen! You know how I feel about him.”
“You don’t feel anything for anyone, that’s the only thing I know.”
“Ouch… You wound me.” The manager answered with mockery.
“Shut up Junsu. You very well know what you have with Yunho is purely superficial. You don’t feel anything deep for him and he doesn’t give a fuck about you. You’re both just using each other and don’t even try to deny it Junsu.” The manager was sporting a deep frown but didn’t interrupt his lover. “I am SICK and TIRED of your Yunho antics. He’s a dangerous man Su. If you keep clinging onto his arm you’ll only end up dead in a ditch somewhere.”
“Chun… It’s not like that…”
“Shut up!! Just SHUT UP! Listen to me for once Kim Junsu!!” Yoochun was next to Junsu in milliseconds and grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him violently. The rest of the surveillance team looked on with worry creased faces, throwing confused glances at each other. “I don’t want to receive that call Su… You know what my worst nightmare is? Do you?!”
“N-no Chunnie”
“It’s getting that call, from the police… asking… asking me to ID your body. Driving over to the morgue… seeing you on a stainless steel table, pale and cold and lifeless… Junsu… Please…” Tears had begun pooling inside Yoochun’s eyes and Junsu had to look down in shame. He couldn’t possibly look Yoochun in the eye after that confession. He felt shame in bringing his only true lover such worries. That he would have to suffer every day because of his antics.
“I’m sorry Yoochun…” was all he could muster at the moment but that was enough to be pulled into his Chunnie’s loving arms. “I’m sorry I’m such a burden. I know you don’t have to do this, but you do it anyway. I know I’m not the easiest person to deal with but you’re always there, especially when I need you most. I know you’ve sacrificed your own happiness to be with me… and I’m sorry.”
“Shut up Junsu. You are my happiness. If I take all your bullshit it’s because I love you and don’t ever forget that. All those men and women we’re always fooling around with, they’ll come and go but we will always be here.” Yoochun took a deep breath and let go of Junsu, looking him straight in the eyes. “Please, stop seeing Yunho. He’s just another one of those that come and go. He needs to go already.”
Junsu nodded, looking very serious for a change, and smiled. “Alright Chunnie. I will.”
“Uh… Sir.” One of the security officers called from behind the loving scene looking like he really hated to interrupt his boss in such a moment. “We have a situation in the back door.”
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“Changmin…” Jaejoong and the detective were sitting in one of the VIP rooms by themselves. An uncomfortable silence had settled in the room and Jaejoong finally decided he needed to break it.
“Yes Jaejoong?” Changmin turned to him getting the feeling that Jaejoong was about to tell him something important.
“I saw my sister…”
“Your sister?”
“Yes… in my dreams. Guess what she did.” Jaejoong smiled just thinking about it.
Changmin thought for a minute then chuckled trying to imagine it. “I bet she slapped you.”
Jaejoong chuckled. “You really are a detective. Good memory.” He leaned his head on the detective’s shoulder sighing deeply. “She also told me I was being stupid. Do you think I’m being stupid?”
“I think you’re confused Jae.” was Changmin’s honest answer. Jaejoong lifted his head off the detective’s shoulder and looked at the man with a creased brow. “I believe that what you’re doing is to prove to yourself that you can take control of your life. That you weren’t happy with your sedentary life and you are trying to prove to yourself that your parents no longer have control over your decisions. That you are your own person. This isn’t about helping us solve the case, although if you do that would add up to your mission, it’s more about telling yourself that you can take charge of your life.”
Jaejoong raised both eyebrows and blinked a few times. “Wow…” He had never really given it much thought but hearing it put that way it was pretty spot on. “What? Are you a psychologist now too?”
Changmin laughed at the comment then shook his head. “Nah, I’m just very observant. Remember?” he pointed at himself “Detective.” Which made Jaejoong laugh.
“You are really something detective.”
“Speak for yourself Kim”
“Hey!” Jaejoong playfully started hitting Changmin on the shoulder. The detective started laughing eventually grabbing the dancer by both arms and bringing him forward to collide with his chest where he managed to lock the man in a very tight embrace. “Min!! This is police brutality!! Let go!!”
Laughing the detective brought his captive up to face level and loosened his hold on him. “Jaejoong…” He was smiling sweetly, brushing the dancer’s bangs away from his face. “I’m kinda sad I didn’t get to see you dance.”
“You perv” Jaejoong shoved him away with a smirk. He stood up from the velvety sofa and put both hands on his hips, a feral look on his face. “How about a private show?”
Changmin raised an eyebrow. “A private show? Here? We’re in the club Jae.”
“Correction. We’re in one of the club’s VIP rooms. Once that door over there is locked” he explained while pointing at the only door in the room. “There will be absolutely no interruptions.”
Changmin looked from said door to Jaejoong then back to the door then back again to the dancer where they stayed. “Jae… I don’t know…”
“Come on Min. You know how much any of those people out there would pay to have a private show with me? Trust me, it’s a lot of money, I know, I’ve been offered it.” The statement made Changmin frown and Jaejoong began chuckling. “You just need to stop thinking Min. You need to forget you’re a detective for a few moments and just let go. Come on babe.” Jaejoong began swinging his hips from side to side, taking small steps towards the detective as he did so. Changmin seemed to still be thinking but he wouldn’t take his eyes off Jaejoong. He looked on as the other approached him, in his revealing outfit, swinging his tiny hips. By the time he realized it Jaejoong was straddling his lap, grinding against his crotch.
“Do you do this often?” Changmin couldn’t help but ask.
“No babe. This one is just for you.” Without taking offence Jaejoong smirked, letting his fingers dig into the detective’s soft hair. It had become longer since the first time they had met, he liked it that way. “I’ll take your dumb look right now as a yes.” He finally said, getting off Changmin’s lap and taking a few steps back until his back hit the pole that was right in the middle of the room. Jaejoong smirked, grabbing hold of the metal rod while starting to grind his butt and back against it.
Meanwhile Changmin was simply sitting there, speechless, not knowing what to do with himself as he watched Jaejoong begin his dance. Everything about the man was seductive: his beautiful face, his strong arms, his lean figure and that irresistible smirk. His skinny jeans hung low on his hips. They were ripped pretty much everywhere except on the crotch. He was using a v-neck with an impossibly low V that left nothing to the imagination. Under the seductive dim lights a small glint came from the left side of Jaejoong’s milky white chest and Changmin noticed it was a piercing. ‘How come I hadn’t noticed that before?’ But he didn’t dwell much on it instead focusing on the sensual man and his body that was made of pure sin. At that moment, without even taking a piece of clothing off, Changmin realized why so many people went to see Jaejoong despite his little experience in the field of exotic dancing. He just had that aura that draws you in.
Changmin got up from his spot on the sofa and walked all the way to Jaejoong. Without a word he grabbed the dancer by the hips and began dancing with him, grinding his hips against Jaejoong’s, feeling the other man’s body so close to his. “You are a true vision Kim Jaejoong.” Changmin all but whispered in the dancer’s ear.
Jaejoong brought his hands up to wrap around the detective’s shoulders, pulling him even closer to his body. “And you are quite a good dancer Shim Changmin.”
The two men became enraptured in their dance, simply feeling each other’s warmth. Arousal became thick around them, heavy breaths dancing over each other’s mouths. Without warning Changmin grabbed Jaejoong’s face and brought their lips abruptly together. His desire was a little short of primal. It was all tongue and teeth and biting of lips.
Just as sudden as the kiss began it ended but in the same fashion Changmin swept Jaejoong off the floor rushing them both onto the biggest sofa in the room where the primal kiss resumed. In a matter of minutes both men were entirely naked, grinding against each other, breaths labored. “Damn Changmin- You’re like the hottest man I’ve ever been with.” Jaejoong managed to huff out between heavy pants.
“Likewise.”
“This is kinda kinky. I’ve never had sex in a public place before.”
“You need to stop talking Jae.” Changmin kissed the man to keep him from rambling but then got a better idea. “How about you make your mouth busy so you stop rambling.”
Jaejoong smirked immediately shuffling off the sofa onto his knees. He looked up at the detective, licking his lips. “You didn’t quite give me the chance before but I’m pretty skilled with my mouth.”
“How about you show me instead of telling me.”
“You’re an impatient man detective.” The only answer Jaejoong got from Chagmin was a groan that made him chuckle plus confirmed what he had just said. “Relax Min. Enjoy it.” Before the detective could reply anything Jaejoong began caressing the man’s inner thighs slowly inching closer to the desired area with every stroke of his hands. Hot breaths were teasingly blown on Changmin’s hard cock while the hands came closer and closer, the stimulation making it twitch in anticipation. To Changmin it seemed like forever when he finally felt Jaejoong’s hands on him. The contact made him release a long moan, throwing his head back while thrusting his hips onto Jaejoong’s hand.
“Baby, you have to watch me.” Jaejoong told Changmin. The detective looked down again just in time to see Jaejoong opening his mouth and lowering it onto his cock, closing it around the tip. He sucked it into his mouth and then let it slide out, making lewd noises as he repeated the move. The view made Changmin groan in pleasure and he was completely hard by then. He swore if he had to watch Jaejoong suck on the tip of his dick like that for five more seconds he would come right there on the dancer’s face.
“Damn. Jae… Fuck..”
Jaejoong sucked more of it into his mouth. He slurped and swirled his tongue on the sides starting a bobbing motion with his head that alternated between fast and teasingly slow. Changmin’s hands immediately came down to tangle in Jaejoong’s hair, pulling at it in pure pleasure.
“Shit! You weren’t kidding.” Changmin let Jaejoong suck away at his proud cock until he thought he couldn’t handle it anymore and he pulled the man away from his crotch. “You better sit on this now or I’m throwing you on this couch and fucking you until you can’t think straight.”
“Damn, is that a threat or a promise?” Jaejoong was out of breath, panting, his lips red and glistening. They had never looked so enticing. It only fueled the detective’s desire. Changmin didn’t even think about it he grabbed Jaejoong and threw him face down on the sofa. “Fuck! Changmin!” The detective grabbed the dancer’s hips propping them up, spreading him. Without another thought he dove face first right between Jaejoong’s cheeks and licked. The action caught Jaejoong by surprise raising a loud moan from his throat. “Angh! Yeah.. that feels good. So good…” His hips seemed to move on their own, pressing back onto the detectives face.
Changmin pressed his tongue more insistently into the other man’s body, breaching the outer rim of muscles. When he thought the area was wet enough he brought one of his fingers up and pressed it in right beside his tongue. He didn’t wait even five seconds to insert a second one, stretching out the skin, licking, sucking, getting more impatient after ever thrust of his fingers and tongue.
Jaejoong was lost in a world of pleasure, forgetting everything around him. He didn’t even care that he would come before the best part came around, though he could argue that statement. Feeling Changmin’s tongue and fingers pleasuring him like that could rival the coupling itself. “Shit! Shit! Shit! God!!” Before anything louder could escape his mouth his breath caught at the exchange between mouth and a very thick, pulsating, leaking cock. “Aaaahh!”
The detective’s hips rocked against Jaejoong’s, his hands holding tight onto the dancer’s slim hips. “Damn, Jae, you feel so fucking good.” He groaned close to Jaejoong’s ear. He bit into his lover’s shoulder trying to keep from making too many noises. Bite by bite he was leaving a trail of future bruises that spanned the whole of Jaejoong’s upper back including his neck. Slowly but steadily the detective’s thrusts became harder, firmer with more purpose. Jaejoong’s body felt on fire, his every nerve ending acting up. Neither knew how long it really lasted, both simply enjoying the feeling of being so deeply connected, forgetting everything bad prior to that night, feeding off each other’s energy.
At this point Jaejoong began jerking himself off, feeling static shock from within, sensing the moment moving closer. At the same time Changmin’s thrusts grew more insistent, more powerful, his pants heavy and hot over his neck. “Fuck Jae, I’m coming!” Jaejoong responded with his own orgasm that caught him right at that moment, making him tense and groan, gripping Changmin tight inside of him, milking the man’s orgasm that filled him up until it leaked.
When the wake of the moment washed ashore the detective was holding himself up with both hands on the back of the sofa slowly retracting away from Jaejoong until his softening cock slid out of him, milky cum following it. Jajeoong supported his own weight by leaning his chest on the back of the sofa still catching his breath.
“Damn” Changmin leaned his face onto Jaejoong’s shoulder and laid a few kisses there.
“You said it.” Jaejoong leaned back laying his head on Changmin’s opposite shoulder. He brought his hand up and laid it on the detective’s head threading his fingers through his slightly damp hair. Way on the back of his mind he was grateful that Yoochun had given him the roofies on the night Yunho took him, otherwise the memories would’ve probably prevented him from moving on and enjoying his time with his favorite detective. Every time they met he felt his heart swell even bigger with love, appreciation and admiration. Desire grew between them as well but he hoped that wasn’t all that mattered and that the detective was just as deep in his feelings as he was.
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Friday Afternoon
2:08 pm
Inside such a big building equipped with heavy duty air conditioning one would never think a damn fly would be distracting a serious detective. Also in such an esteemed governmental institution such as the SMPA one wouldn’t think Homocide Detectives would be just sitting in their desk staring at a damn fly. Buzzing around the office it was driving Detective Shim crazy. Every time he tried concentrating in his paper work it would fly by and his eyes would instantly seek bloody murder. Ironic, yes.
“Detective Shim” The SMPA messenger burst through his door, ever the rude guy that doesn’t knock. “Package for you.”
“A package?”
“Yeah.” The young man waved a white bubble envelope in the air. The detective left his desk and walked up to the man to receive the package. He wasn’t expecting anything but seeing as he worked in SMPA it shouldn’t really surprise him. Packages came and went through this office at a million a minute. It was probably some old evidence results he had already forgotten about due to the overload of work with his recent cases or something of that nature. But in a bubble envelope?
“Thanks.”
“Have a good day detective.” Changmin nodded at the guy waving as he read the front of the envelope. It had no return address only his name and the department’s address. He brought the envelope up to the light to see better but the paper was too thick to see through it.
“I don’t like this.” From his desk Changmin took a letter opener and quickly ripped the envelope at the bottom, doing it in reverse just as a precaution. Nothing happened. He looked inside. The only item within was what seemed like a disk. He brought the thing out and indeed it was a CD. It had no name, no label, just a blank CD. “Ugh, I really don’t like this.” Having a terrible feeling about that disk he did the only thing he could think of when he had no idea what to do.
He called Top.
“Hey, Top?” Changmin peeked his head out of his office calling for his partner. The tall raven haired detective popped up from one of the many cubicles in the department and waved.
“What’s up man? Need help with something?”
“Yeah, come over here please. I need your help going through some evidence analysis from our last scene.” Without further questioning Seunghyun moved out of his desk to step into his partner’s office.
“What is it?”
“I just got this package delivered to me.”
“Related to our last scene? I thought we were pretty much done with that case.” Top asked with an incredulous face.
“No, sorry. That was just so we wouldn’t attract too much attention. It’s an anonymous package.”
“What the hell man. Let me tell you, you have gotten into some deep shit with this White Lotus case. All these weird things happening. How the hell did an anonymous package get up here? Was it inspected?”
“No. Completely unhampered.”
“Shit. Did you open it?” At the question Changmin pulled out the CD he had found inside the envelope to which Top raised a questioning eyebrow.
“Please watch it with me. I don’t know what it is, but I’m popping it in the computer and I’m kind of scared shitless.”
Top stood there just staring at the round thing then up at his companion and shook his head. “This better not fuck up the computer or it’s coming off your salary. You should be telling the old Scrooge about this, not me.”
“I know but… If this is from…” He lowered his voice. “Yunho, then I want to see it first.” His fellow detective nodded, took the CD from Changmin’s hand and walked over to the computer. Changmin took a seat in front of his computer while his partner dragged the client chair around to sit next to him. “Ready?” Top shrugged and pushed the CD into the CPU.
The computer recognized the foreign hardware, it was a video. The detectives clicked for it to play. The media player came up on the screen and after a few seconds a familiar scene began playing.
“Aaaahh!”
The detective’s hips rocked against Jaejoong’s, his hands holding tight onto the dancer’s slim hips. “Damn, Jae, you feel so fucking good.” He groaned close to Jaejoong’s ear.
Changmin’s eyes became the size of Jupiter and he couldn’t have hit the close button any faster. Of course that was made very difficult by the trembling of his hands. “Shit…” Changmin’s heart was racing at the speed of light at that moment. He didn’t dare even turn to look at his partner for fear of what would be reflected on that expressive face.
“SHIT!” Top got abruptly up from his chair, almost knocking it down. When he realized he had yelled too loud he lowered his voice to a desperate whisper. “What the hell man?! What was that?! What is your ass doing in an amateur porn video?!”
“It’s not porn!!” Changmin hissed in his own equally panicked whispers. “No one was supposed to be there. No one was supposed to know!!” With the frustrated statement he began pulling at his hair with his eyes shut tight trying not to go into a panic attack.
“Shim Changmin.” Top began in a low, careful tone. “Why in the world would you, knowing what the situation is, make a video of you and Jaejoong?!” Changmin screwed up his face as his partner continued. “If this gets in the hands of the Chief you know exactly what’s going to happen! Are you stupid?! Where did your famous detective instincts go?!”
“Sssh!!” Changmin got up from his own chair and grabbed Top from the collar of his shirt. “Are you the stupid one Choi Seunghyung?! Obviously I know what something like this could entail and I obviously did NOT tape myself with Jaejoong, even less in a public place!! I did NOT make this video! Somebody else did and this is clearly an act of black mail.” He abruptly let go of his friend and co-worker whom shook himself back into composure.
“I’m sorry. This is just unbelievable. When did this happen?”
“Two nights ago.”
“Well you hadn’t told me you went and screwed your girlfriend that night. Sheesh, way to leave the juicy details out.”
“TOP!”
“Sorry, sorry!” Top shook his head pacing in front of the desk. “So you think it was Yunho?”
“It HAD to be him. I mean…” Changmin suddenly stopped his train of thought a whole new idea coming to him. “Damn him!!” Top stopped his own pacing and looked at his partner with a questioning brow waiting for the lead detective to elaborate. “The whole thing about the phone thread was just a decoy!!”
“What?”
“This is what that bastard wanted to begin with!!”
“You mean he posed the threatening call just so you would show up at the club and end up with Jaejoong?”
“Shit. Maybe he didn’t exactly plan to get a sex tape out of this, but he was most definitely aiming to get film of Jae and me together. He’s been trying to get me kicked out of the investigation since I got my hands on the leather shoes. What better way than presenting evidence of me being involved with one of the victim’s family members in a more than compromising position.”
“And in a strip club to make matters worse.”
Heavy knocking was heard at that moment on the detective’s door that made both detectives jump in place. “Yes? Come in.” The head of the Homicide Department appeared at the door looking very serious as always.
“Shim, I want to see you in my office.” With that he closed the door and was on his way.
Detective Choi turned to his partner with a worried expression. “Good luck man.”
Changmin nodded at him looking like he was about to cry. “Thanks I guess… Could you uh…? Could you put that CD away?”
“Sure. I’ll take care of it. Just go.”
“Thanks Top.” Changmin made his way out of the office leaving his partner behind just standing in the middle of the room.
“Ugh… I just saw my partner having gay sex with his boyfriend…” The man shivered but dispelled the thoughts… or at least tried to.
On the other side of the department Changmin was standing in front of his boss’ office. He knocked and peered inside. “You wanted to see me boss?” The big man behind the desk waved at him to come inside.
“Take a seat Shim.”
Changmin took the offered seat. He was mentally preparing himself for the worse. What if the Chief got a copy of the video? What if I get fired? What if I get kicked out of the investigation?!
“I’ve heard some rumors Detective Shim.” His boss began leaning back on his chair looking straight into Changmin’s eyes.
“Rumors? What kind of rumors sir?”
“That you have been expressing less than professional behavior towards one of our clients.” Directly to the point in traditional Chief fashion. “Specifically that you might be involved with the younger brother of one of the white lotus victims.” Changmin frowned at the statement but inside he was sighing with relief, though he dared not scratch out the possibility of the boss having seen the video just yet. Plus he didn’t like the way his boss mentioned the fact that the person was male. “Well? Are you going to tell me it’s not true already?”
Changmin shook his head and chuckled a bit. “Of course it’s not true sir.”
“So you’re not involved with Kim Jaejoong?”
Hearing his lover’s name so surely coming from his boss’ mouth made him almost falter. Regardless he managed to keep his composure using every tip from the manual. “Between Kim Jaejoong and I there’s nothing more than a professional-client acquaintanceship. He’s our informant; he’s been helping me with gathering the hear-say of the dancers in the clubbing business. I’ve visited his home to speak of said information a number of times and that’s it. There’s nothing more to it sir.” He didn’t even dare ask where the rumors came from. Besides he was sure Yunho was behind somehow. Or maybe he wasn’t being as careful as he thought he was. Jaejoong had picked him up from work in more than one occasion and the man had also visited him in his office. Still he had no reason to believe anyone had seen him in an unjustifiable situation with the man. That is if we leave the whole CD incident aside.
The Chief took in a big breath and released it. “You better not be lying to me Shim. Kim Jaejoong is not only a victim family member and your informant but he’s also a possible target. Being romantically involved with a person so wound up around your case could cloud your better judgment and most of all render you biased rather than impartial towards this case which is a very dangerous place to be. Don’t fuck up Shim. After such a streak of successful cases in the past you don’t want your biggest case to come toppling down because of some booty call. Your career and especially your reputation will go right down with it. You hear me?”
Changmin ground his teeth to keep his mouth shut but bowed to his boss. “I’m completely aware of this boss. Don’t worry.”
“Good. Now tell me. How is the progress in the case? Have you gotten word back from the lab?”
“The comparison analysis should be ready before the end of this week. Which means we better have them before the end of tomorrow or we might just need new staff down there.”
“You don’t need to worry about that anymore.”
“Huh? Why? What happened boss?”
The Chief took a folder that was on top of the pile of paperwork on his desk and handed it over to the detective. “Take a look.”
Changmin’s eyes shone, he looked at his boss with eyes that could only be compared with that of a child who got exactly what he wanted for Christmas. “For real sir?” The Chief nodded at him to open the folder and so he did. He only read a few sentences in the evidence description to make sure it was what he thought. ‘Track Mark comparison analysis.’ The rest didn’t matter; he skipped all the technical typing and went down to the results. ‘Positive match’. Changmin was static in his chair, stunned, relieved, about to cry from the excitement. “YES!” He threw his head back in celebration, the folder almost falling out of his hand. The Chief was smiling.
“Congratulations Shim, you have your primary suspect. But remember, it’s not over yet. This case seems like it’s cursed so you should stay on your toes.”
“More like a very cunning and powerful person is behind it all. We’ll see boss. This is one big step forward. There’s little doubt in my mind that we have our killer.”
“I hope you’re right Shim and at the same time… I hope you’re wrong. Jung Yunho…. That’s a tough man to have as a suspect. I couldn’t believe it when you told me.”
“Well Chief. This job is full of surprises.”
“Not very pleasant ones at times.”
“Tell me about it…”
The atmosphere in the office had turned lighter and thankfully nothing else came of those supposed rumors but inside Changmin a fire was burning with the intense heat of napalm chemicals. When he finally got his hands on that senator…. He couldn’t do much without giving himself away but on the very least he hoped to see the man rotting in jail.
“So what’s your next step detective?” The Chief asked.
“Let’s bring him in. We have to question him. But judging by the kind of evidence we have and the nature of the murders, I say we issue an arrest warrant and a search warrant.”
“What are you going to detail in the search warrant though? Shouldn’t we wait until we interrogate him?”
“Normally I’d say we should wait but… We’re dealing with a serial killer. And judging by the fact that the victims are found naked I say he’s probably taking souvenirs.”
“Hmp, sounds good then.”
----------------------
Later that night
9:47 pm
“Finally!” Detective Shim Changmin had just arrived to his apartment building. It had been a terribly long day despite the fact that he had been in the office less hours than he usually was. Before he headed up to his apartment he stopped at the mailbox to check if he had anything that day. He almost dreaded opening the mail box with the bad luck he’d been having that particular Friday. Was it the thirteenth? It sure felt like one.
The key was inserted, the lock opened. Changmin opened the small container box and… there was nothing. He released a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding at that moment. “Thank god.”
“Um… Hyung” Changmin turned around to face the source of the voice. It was the building’s reception security guard. The young man was in his early twenties, paying for college with his security guard job. He wasn’t the bravest man Changmin had ever encountered but he was a good kid. From time to time he would stop to talk with the young man, share advice with him and encourage him to continue his social science studies.
“What is it Wooyoung?” The young guard was staring intently at the screen under the reception counter.
“I just saw something odd in the rear courtyard camera. Could you come over and see it?”
Changmin immediately felt worried. Something told him that the surprise he didn’t get in the mail would be lying on the building’s courtyard. “What is it?” The guard pointed at the center of one of the few screens on the counter. There was something between the bushes. “Can you zoom in on it?” Wooyoung nodded and did as he was asked. As the camera zoomed in the figure beyond the bushes became clearer. It looked like a person was sitting between the bushes.
“Is that a person…?” The young security guard asked with incredulity.
“It looks like it. Want to go check it out?”
“Uh… sincerely?”
“Come on Mr. Security Guard. Let’s go check it out.” Changmin held onto the young man’s arm and dragged him in the direction of the rear door. Outside things were shrouded in darkness and shadows but the spot they were heading to had the most lighting. Their mysterious image was towards the back of the courtyard beyond the bushes that lined the wooden terrace. Both men made it there but the only one that stepped forward was the detective. He leaned over the bushes. “Wooyoung” He motioned for the security guard to step closer which he did albeit very hesitantly. “Come on, hand me your flashlight.” With extremely shaky hands Wooyoung gave Changmin his flashlight and finally stepped right next to the detective.
“I-I- Is that….?” The beam of light from the flashlight shone down on the ground. As the detective swept the ground with it they came across a pale foot. “AAAAH!” Wooyoung jumped right back out from the bushes shaking from head to toes. “WHAT THE FUCK?! IT’S A DEAD PERSON!! DO SOMETHING HYUNG!!”
“SSSHH!! Stop yelling or you’ll alert the entire neighborhood. Calm down ok? Be a man!” Wooyoung nodded, then shook, then nodded then shook his head again at the detective’s words. He was shaking like a Chihuahua and stood frozen on the spot. Changmin shone the flashlight all over the body lying at the foot of a Ficus tree. It was a woman, completely naked, pale as a bleached feather, her long black hair falling neatly over her shoulders; her hands were crossed on her lap, a white lotus sitting between them. Another White Lotus victim. Changmin noticed there was something different about this case, her legs were spread wide open but something was covering her crotch. He took a closer look, trying his best not to step closer in fear of ruining evidence. There was a note between her legs… addressed to Detective Shim. “Shit…” He walked back out form the bushes and placed a hand on the young man’s shoulder that was still looking like he could faint any minute. “You’re ok. It’s nothing. Just breathe.” As the security guard took unnecessarily quick breaths, probably on the brink of hyperventilating, Changmin took out his cell phone and dialed the department. “Take deep breaths dongsaeng, you’re going to faint if you keep breathing like that.” Wooyoung nodded and shook his head again trying hard to regulate his breathing. Meanwhile on the other side of the line there was an answer from the office. “Hey! Top! I’m so glad you’re still in the office.”
“What is it man?”
“It’s another White Lotus victim.” As he said this Changmin heard Wooyoung next to him whispering. ‘Shit, shit, shit, shit’
“What?! Where?”
“Right behind my building.”
“No way, for real? You think it’s coincidental?”
“Absolutely not.”
‘Shit, shit, shit, shit’
About thirty minutes later the building was swarmed by police men, homicide detectives and part of the White Lotus task force team. Every single person that came out to see what was going on was stopped and interviewed by police. Nobody had seen anything. Not even the young security guard who confessed he had been doing homework that night during his shift and wasn’t paying attention to the screens. “It’s a very calm and nice building. Nothing ever happens here so I wasn’t expecting anything like this to happen.” Wooyoung had told the detectives.
When Changmin inspected the scene along with his partner and the CSIs he was the first to see the note. Of course it was addressed to him so the CSI let him have the first look. He carefully opened it, wearing gloves so he wouldn’t leave prints on it.
You have failed the last test Detective Shim.
The bread was much too tempting was it?
It’s only human to feel hunger.
Top, who had been reading over his shoulder, looked up at his partner as Changmin did the same. They looked into each other’s worried eyes knowing exactly what the other was thinking. This had got to do with the video.
It all made sense to the two detectives. Jung Yunho probably knew he was close to being tagged for the various murders and saw his only escape in sabotaging the investigation for the detective by producing material that could get him kicked out of the case. That way he could probably get his hands in who would be the next detective to take the case.
“That fucking bastard… I’m sure I’ll be hearing from him soon.” Changmin felt helpless. If the footage in that video got out to the media his entire career would be ruined. He wasn’t sure the city would take their famous detective being gay, his boss would definitely be pressured to kick him out of the case and ultimately his reputation would be so damaged that there was no way he would be able to recover without permanent scars. Not mention his ass would be all over the internet and Jaejoong would be thrust into the spotlight, a collateral victim to the whole mess. What was Detective Shim to do? Nothing else but wait until Yunho contacted him, which he was sure he would.
He was now at the mercy of the one man he needed to catch.
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PREVIOUS / NEXT
A/N: So it's been very difficult. My muses weren't reaching me. Univ has been more difficult than usual just because of my deteriorated mental health. It sounds terrible but really I've just been having an existential crisis xD I'm about to graduate and I have no idea what I'm going to do. On top of that my parents got divorced a few months ago and everything's gone down the drain from there >_> Now I'm living in the house I grew up in 12 years ago!! (aka Grandma's second floor apartment) and we've pretty much sold everything big in our old house to pay off debts and all. At least at this moment we have some more peace of mind and the muses finally came to me. I've been working on this chapter for three days!! I'll try my best to write the next one, but I warn you!! I'm starting my University Practice next week in the district court plus taking classes at night. We'll see how it goes ^_^
A/N2: GUYS!! Here's a little advertising. For those interested in Asian artist's RPGs check out Sacred Heart Academy. The full description and advertisement is in this post in my journal.
Author: Roxy (lady_monochrome)
Pairing(s): MinJae, YunJae, YooSu, HoSu, Yunho x Boa
Length: Chapter 11 of 15
Word Count: 9,389
Genre: AU, Drama, Mystery, Suspense, Psychological
Rating: NC-17
Warning(s): Serial murder, explicit crime scenes, fucked up sociopathic individuals, drug abuse and prostitution.
Summary: Young Detective Shim was awarded in his short successful career with a major crime investigation. A series of murders have been terrorizing the citizens of Seoul and it’s up to him, and his team, to solve the crime before more people could fall victim to the vicious killer.
A/N: Are you shocked?! O__O hehehe After six months of waiting… It’s been a difficult six months of my life, many things have changed but alas these past few days I’ve had enough peace of mind to let the muses inspire me. (This rant continues at the bottom if you care xD)
ENJOY!
My confidence is leaving me on my own (All alone)
No one can save me and you know I don’t want the attention.
Bat Country by Avenged Sevenfold
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Wednesday Night
7:59 pm
He shouldn’t be there. He really shouldn’t, but what was he supposed to do when he received a call like the one he had that afternoon.
“Kim Jaejoong will be dancing in the Black Dahlia tonight. It’s his grand performance after being absent for a few days. You might want to check it out. It’s going to be mind blowing.”
There was no way he could ignore that. He wasn’t about to let Yunho hurt Jaejoong anymore than he already had. Plus if he plays his cards right and the situation provides for it, he might even be able to arrest the dangerous man. One little slip was all it would take and Changmin would jump at any opportunity to legally restraint that monster. The only way to find out if anything like that could happen though was stepping into the Black Dahlia. ‘Fuck…. This is a very bad idea.' Unfortunately for Changmin he had little choice.
The purple neon lights were shinning down from the elegant entrance and the exotic looking sign on the side of it that announced the obvious. There was a considerable line outside; the establishment was about to open its doors. There were two gigantic looking men standing by the doors. They were both very pointedly turning their heads to Changmin’s every step, since he wasn’t making the line, until the detective reached the entrance. Had he been in his work clothes he probably wouldn’t ever be able to walk inside. He had been told before that he reeked of police. So the detective prepped for the occasion. He was wearing a pair of tight fitting dark blue jeans, a dashing vertical line pattern blue/gray button up with long sleeves rolled up to his elbows, the first two buttons were left open, a black vest over that and black dressing shoes. He was also wearing a pair of diamond earrings that he rarely got to use due to the nature of his job, and his eyeglasses. All in all he looked like a wealthy intellectual.
“You have to wait in the line like everyone else. We’re not open yet.” The bouncer on the left barked. Changmin nodded then leaned over to the man.
“I’m here to speak with Mr. Park. Tell him it’s Shim Changmin and it’s urgent. He’ll know.” One bouncer looked to the other and then they both raised an eyebrow. The next thing to come from their mouth was a roar of laughter. For the moment Changmin felt slightly insulted but that didn’t stop him. He rolled his eyes and reached into his back pocket. He hadn’t wanted to do this, it was detrimental to his goals, but he extracted his police ID and flashed it at the man. “Now you go tell Park Yoochun that Detective Shim needs to speak to him about official business.” This time both bouncers frowned. The one on the right sighed and raised his hand to his ear. There was a small radio device there where he communicated with someone on the inside. After about a minute he received an answer and the bouncer nodded at Changmin. They both stepped aside and let him pass.
Immediately as the doors opened Changmin felt his training kicking in. Every single person he passed by was quickly scrutinized. All possible exits were assessed and he scanned the area for familiar faces among the staff. Worries flooded him with shadows in every corner, threats in every niche. The first face he came in contact with was the manager of the club. ‘Kim Junsu' The man was scrambling around, apparently in a hurry, passing Changmin by without a single sign of recognition. As suddenly as he had appeared the manager disappeared but another person he did not recognize came walking his way. “Good evening Detective Shim.” The man nodded at him as his form of a casual bow. “My name is Boom, follow me to Chun’s office.” Changmin nodded and followed. He vaguely remembered how things looked in that place from the last and only time he had been there; the corridors were just as dim lighted, confusing and labyrinthine. So many things could be waiting for you around the next corner. Changmin wondered if perhaps Jaejoong was there already.
“Yo, Detective Shim.” The sudden hand on his shoulder made him jump in his skin and he turned around in the blink of an eye scaring the man that had tapped him. “Woah, calm down.” It was none other than Park Yoochun, owner of the Black Dahlia. “I never thought I’d see you here again. But I guess even people like you need to unwind sometimes right.”
Changmin nodded. “Of course. But…”
“I know why you’re here detective. Looks like the word got around fast.” They were standing on the hallway still. Yoochun had bumped into them while walking back to his office. “Boom, thanks man.” The boss waved his employee off and dragged Changmin into the office which the detective only then noticed was right ahead of them. Once they were inside the office Yoochun turned to him. “Please have a seat. A friend of Jaejoong’s will always be a guest to this establishment.”
“I’m not here just to see Jaejoong.” Changmin finally said, preferring to stay on his feet.
Yoochun turned with a raised brow. “Something you need from me Detective?”
“I’m sure you know the kind of mood Jaejoong has been in the last week.” Changmin started. “Is he even up to this kind of attention right now?”
“I asked him the same thing but he said, and I quote, he would much rather do this than drown in sorrow. Something about Aeyoung convincing him.” Changmin nodded in understanding then Yoochun beckoned him sit. The detective shook his head in protest. “Suit yourself. Now, let’s set things straight first. I know you’re Jaejoong’s boyfriend, or something like that. At first I thought it was a bad idea to have police involved with the people at my club but after recent events I started thinking the opposite. You already know of our affiliations with Senator Jung Yunho.” Changmin nodded. “He’s becoming too much of a threat to this establishment lately and his last doings… let’s just say I’m taking this personally now. He’s endangering my club’s reputation, risking my boyfriend’s life and making my friend’s life a living hell. And this last part is where our concerns meet. Jaejoong has come to be more than an employee to me. He’s a smart guy, easy going and free of too many taboos. But I’m sure you know all this already.”
“What are you getting at Park?”
“We need to stop Yunho before someone ends up dead namely my boyfriend Junsu or Jaejoong.” Changmin had the urge to tell him many have already ended up dead at his hands but he didn’t want to give away too much. He inserted his hands in his pockets and nodded while intently looking Yoochun to the eye reading the man’s intentions like only his training and experience could tell him.
“I received a call this afternoon. It was an unidentifiable voice. It announced that Jaejoong would be having a special show tonight. Who organized this?”
“It was Jaejoong himself along with Junsu’s crazy ideas. What’s with the weird call though?”
“I’m afraid it might have been Yunho and he might be planning something bad for tonight.”
“Shit!” Yoochun got to his feet and started pacing back and forth. “This is bad. He’s too unpredictable.”
“The caller said the performance would be mind blowing. That’s what really has me worried. You think he could’ve planted explosives under the stage? Is planning to shoot Jaejoong? Is there a good vantage point in the main area for sniping?” With a very worried expression Changmin began listing the possibilities, having to stop so he could breathe properly. “You have to cancel this. You have to get Jaejoong off the stage.”
Yoochun looked up, just as worried as the detective and sighed. “The only one who will call this off is Jaejoong. He really insisted that I do this for him. With how he’s been doing lately I wouldn’t want to limit him but… Wait.” Yoochun picked up a radio device from his desk. “Boom, inform security that no one is to come into the club until I give the notice.”
‘Alright boss'
Yoochun looked up to the detective. “Let’s go check it out. If there’s anything in this club that could harm Jaejoong, we’re going to sniff it up.”
-------------------
“Jaejoong-ah.” Jaejoong stirred from his position on the lounge couch backstage. He could hear his name being called out but he couldn’t quite place the strange feeling that was creeping up on him. “Jaejoong-ah.” This time he was sure he heard it and so looked up. “Finally, you sleeping beauty. Get the hell up!”
“Noona?!” The dancer sat up immediately upon seeing the image of his late sister. He couldn’t believe it. There was simply no way. It had been months since Jikyung was found dead. He was there to identify the body, he was there at the funeral, he held her stiff hand in his. “I must be going crazy…”
“You only realize that now? Pabo, listen to me, there isn’t much time.” What seemed to be his elder sister kneeled down in front of him and held his hands. “There’s no point to this. You have to stop!”
“What? What do you mean Noona?”
The woman didn’t answer, she smiled at him, stood up and slapped her hand across his face. Jaejoong was left speechless. “Listen very carefully this time. Stop this. You have nothing to prove to me Jae.” Her tone softened and she kneeled in front of her confused little brother again, bringing him into her arms. “You need to go live your own life now Jae. You’re finally free to do as you please and somehow you end up down the same road as me. Jung Yunho is a terrible man and I would hate to see you fall victim to his dark mind. More so you haven’t done your true duty Jaejoong. I can’t accept this and I should swing you another one just to get it through that thick head of yours.” Jaejoong was still very much speechless. “Aish!” Jikyung got up again and slapped her other hand across her brother’s cheek. “Kim Jaejoong!! You have a daughter to protect!! How dare you let a man like Jung Yunho walk into her life and you knowing about it didn’t do anything!! I should do more than slap you right now. Are you really that dense?! You need to stop moping around, stop this nonsensical charade that has become your life and think about what’s really important. One: Aeyoung. Two: Your happiness. Now get off your lazy ass and go get your stuff in order. Damn it!”
Jaejoong woke up from his dreams in a start. He almost fell off the couch he had been sleeping on. “What the…” He had fallen asleep backstage. “That almost felt too real.” He murmured to himself before trying to rub his sleepiness away.
-----------------------
“Boss, what happened?” Boom was walking towards the two men coming from the office areas.
“We’re changing the security protocol for tonight. I need you to go tell the security team to inspect each and every person that comes into this club, no exceptions. Even the VIP costumers. We’re talking about a code orange here. Got it?”
“Yes sir.” Boom said and then ran off to put the code orange in motion. The rest of the security team had already gathered at the main hall and were all awaiting instructions from Yoochun.
“Ok gentlemen. There was a phone threat directed at our Youngwoong. This is no ordinary prank; we’re dealing with a dangerous threat here. We need to do a sweep of the entire stage area and its surroundings including backstage and bar. Don’t leave anything unchecked-”
“Chunnie!!!” Junsu suddenly came running into the main hall. “What’s going on?”
“Junsu, where’s Jaejoong?” Changmin immediately asked forgetting all sorts of honorifics.
“He’s taking a nap in the staff lounge. Why?”
“Junsu, take Changmin to the staff lounge.” Yoochun ordered. The manager seemed confused but then nodded anyway and motioned for Changmin to follow. The detective was lead through the labyrinth of corridors again until they reached a door that read ‘Employees Only.’
“Jaejoong-ah!!” Junsu called out and finally found the dancer crouching in a corner holding his face between his hands. “Jaejoo- Oh there you are!” He half ran to the dancer on the floor and crouched in front of him. “Hey are you ok?”
“I’m ok…”
“Jaejoong-ah… why do you look so sad?”
“I’m not sad… just… nervous I guess. I- I don’t know if I can handle the crowd just yet.” He hid his face deeper between his arms and brought his knees closer to his chest.
“Hey, you know what Chunnie said. If you don’t feel up to it you don’t have to do it and that’s not a luxury a lot of dancers get around here.”
“Thanks Su, but- I don’t know. I feel like I have to do this.”
“We’ve had this conversation before remember? It’s what led to making the plans for tonight.” Jaejoong only nodded. “Come on Joongie. Get up from there.” Junsu pulled the other man to his feet and then gave him a bone crushing hug. “Jaejoong fighting!”
“Oh! God! You’re crushing- me” Jaejoong was let go and he looked up sensing another presence in the room. The view left him a lot more breathless than Junsu’s bear hug. “Changmin! What are you doing here?!” Suddenly he felt extremely self conscious in his skimpy outfit and bare feet. His hands went immediately to cover his chest area which was the most exposed.
“Jaejoong-ah.” Changmin smiled at him, stepped closer, he had the need to embrace the man but he stopped himself. Just knowing that Jaejoong was unharmed gave him the satisfaction he needed. He took a step closer to the dancer but Jaejoong took two steps back away from him. “Jae?”
“You shouldn’t be here Min.” Jaejoong didn’t feel all too good about Changmin watching him at his job. Not like he was ashamed to be an exotic dancer, even more so the detective knew this from the very start, but he still didn’t like the idea of his love interest watching him shed clothes for a crowd of howling wolves. It gave him the same sort of feeling as if his daughter were to watch him dance. It just didn’t feel right.
Changmin on his part didn’t feel any sort of animosity towards Jaejoong’s job and if he were to admit it to himself he was even looking forward to watching the performance. But he did sense the uncomfiness in the dancer’s demeanor. “Jaejoong-ah. Although I’d love to see you perform. That’s not the reason why I’m here.” The dancer looked up with a question in his eyes. “We have a horrible feeling that Yunho planned something bad for tonight. I got a suspicious phone call telling me to come see your show. I just know something bad is going to happen. I’d rather not risk it and send you out there to be killed or blown up or humiliated.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Junsu asked with his hands on his hips. “What could Yunho have possibly planned that would put Jaejoongie in danger? Come on, sounds ridiculous.”
Changmin jumped at the comment, not being able to stop himself. “He’s already done plenty of bad to Jaejoong what makes you think that he won’t try anything tonight just to see him suffer.”
“Oh please, Yunho couldn’t hurt a fly if he wanted to.”
“What the hell is your problem?! Are you blind or just plain stupid?!”
Jaejoong had to step in between the detective and the manager before Junsu would say anything else stupid. “Stop it!! Both of you! This is serious Junsu!”
Changmin spoke again. “Regardless of what you think Jaejoong’s life is in danger right now and you need to cooperate with us.”
“Ugh! Right whatever.” Junsu finally said, exasperated and left the two to their own stuff but not before yelling over his shoulder. “Tell me whatever stupid ideas you guys come up with ‘cause I’m sure you’re all just inventing shit.”
As soon as the door was closed Jaejoong jumped in between Changmin’s arms. He snuggled his face into the detective’s chest and left a few kisses there, momentarily forgetting his insecurities. “Changmin?” Jaejoong mumbled.
“Yeah” Changmin circled his arms around the dancer’s shoulders, embracing him tightly, leaving random kisses on his head.
“What is Yunho up to now?” He didn’t want to admit it, but Jaejoong was scared to the core. He already knew what the senator was capable of and he was scared he could be the next victim. ‘Noona’ he suddenly thought ‘Is this what you were warning me about?’
“I’m not sure Jae. Yoochun and his security team are making sure the premises are safe. They’re screening each and every person that walks into this club. We’ll make sure you’re safe. But I think you’ll be safest if you don’t go on stage tonight.”
------------------------------
The doors of the Black Dahlia were finally opened to the public and although with a little more difficulty everything went as per usual. Packs of people flooded the dance floors, the more laid back guests lounged around nursing drinks and networking. Park Yoochun was on top of it all watching from the surveillance room that was suspended ominously over a corner of the club.
“So what are we watching out for?” Junsu asked as he paced the entire air surveillance window, looking down at the club goers below.
“Anything abnormal Su. How many times have I told you? Everything and anything as minimal as it may seem. You’re an expert at catching drama; look out for possible fights and stuff.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment” He answered Yoochun’s mocking remark accompanied by a smirk and a blown kiss then he set to do just that, look out for drama. “So what did Joongie decide to do?”
“He’s not going on stage.”
“And the detective?”
“He’s back stage with Jae.” Silence stuck to the air for a few seconds, different thoughts going through both their minds.
“Is it such a good idea to have him around? You’ve never been so comfortable around police authority before. What if he-”
“That’s not gonna happen.” Yoochun cut Junsu off before he finished that sentence. “We’ve always been extremely careful and right now my personal priority is to protect my club’s integrity. I won’t let anything rash happen, nor will I let Yunho just run over us and do whatever he wants anymore. He’s too unpredictable Su. As a matter of fact I wish you would stop seeing him.”
Junsu’s immediate response was a loud scuff. “Like that’s gonna happen! You know how I feel about him.”
“You don’t feel anything for anyone, that’s the only thing I know.”
“Ouch… You wound me.” The manager answered with mockery.
“Shut up Junsu. You very well know what you have with Yunho is purely superficial. You don’t feel anything deep for him and he doesn’t give a fuck about you. You’re both just using each other and don’t even try to deny it Junsu.” The manager was sporting a deep frown but didn’t interrupt his lover. “I am SICK and TIRED of your Yunho antics. He’s a dangerous man Su. If you keep clinging onto his arm you’ll only end up dead in a ditch somewhere.”
“Chun… It’s not like that…”
“Shut up!! Just SHUT UP! Listen to me for once Kim Junsu!!” Yoochun was next to Junsu in milliseconds and grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him violently. The rest of the surveillance team looked on with worry creased faces, throwing confused glances at each other. “I don’t want to receive that call Su… You know what my worst nightmare is? Do you?!”
“N-no Chunnie”
“It’s getting that call, from the police… asking… asking me to ID your body. Driving over to the morgue… seeing you on a stainless steel table, pale and cold and lifeless… Junsu… Please…” Tears had begun pooling inside Yoochun’s eyes and Junsu had to look down in shame. He couldn’t possibly look Yoochun in the eye after that confession. He felt shame in bringing his only true lover such worries. That he would have to suffer every day because of his antics.
“I’m sorry Yoochun…” was all he could muster at the moment but that was enough to be pulled into his Chunnie’s loving arms. “I’m sorry I’m such a burden. I know you don’t have to do this, but you do it anyway. I know I’m not the easiest person to deal with but you’re always there, especially when I need you most. I know you’ve sacrificed your own happiness to be with me… and I’m sorry.”
“Shut up Junsu. You are my happiness. If I take all your bullshit it’s because I love you and don’t ever forget that. All those men and women we’re always fooling around with, they’ll come and go but we will always be here.” Yoochun took a deep breath and let go of Junsu, looking him straight in the eyes. “Please, stop seeing Yunho. He’s just another one of those that come and go. He needs to go already.”
Junsu nodded, looking very serious for a change, and smiled. “Alright Chunnie. I will.”
“Uh… Sir.” One of the security officers called from behind the loving scene looking like he really hated to interrupt his boss in such a moment. “We have a situation in the back door.”
---------------------------
“Changmin…” Jaejoong and the detective were sitting in one of the VIP rooms by themselves. An uncomfortable silence had settled in the room and Jaejoong finally decided he needed to break it.
“Yes Jaejoong?” Changmin turned to him getting the feeling that Jaejoong was about to tell him something important.
“I saw my sister…”
“Your sister?”
“Yes… in my dreams. Guess what she did.” Jaejoong smiled just thinking about it.
Changmin thought for a minute then chuckled trying to imagine it. “I bet she slapped you.”
Jaejoong chuckled. “You really are a detective. Good memory.” He leaned his head on the detective’s shoulder sighing deeply. “She also told me I was being stupid. Do you think I’m being stupid?”
“I think you’re confused Jae.” was Changmin’s honest answer. Jaejoong lifted his head off the detective’s shoulder and looked at the man with a creased brow. “I believe that what you’re doing is to prove to yourself that you can take control of your life. That you weren’t happy with your sedentary life and you are trying to prove to yourself that your parents no longer have control over your decisions. That you are your own person. This isn’t about helping us solve the case, although if you do that would add up to your mission, it’s more about telling yourself that you can take charge of your life.”
Jaejoong raised both eyebrows and blinked a few times. “Wow…” He had never really given it much thought but hearing it put that way it was pretty spot on. “What? Are you a psychologist now too?”
Changmin laughed at the comment then shook his head. “Nah, I’m just very observant. Remember?” he pointed at himself “Detective.” Which made Jaejoong laugh.
“You are really something detective.”
“Speak for yourself Kim”
“Hey!” Jaejoong playfully started hitting Changmin on the shoulder. The detective started laughing eventually grabbing the dancer by both arms and bringing him forward to collide with his chest where he managed to lock the man in a very tight embrace. “Min!! This is police brutality!! Let go!!”
Laughing the detective brought his captive up to face level and loosened his hold on him. “Jaejoong…” He was smiling sweetly, brushing the dancer’s bangs away from his face. “I’m kinda sad I didn’t get to see you dance.”
“You perv” Jaejoong shoved him away with a smirk. He stood up from the velvety sofa and put both hands on his hips, a feral look on his face. “How about a private show?”
Changmin raised an eyebrow. “A private show? Here? We’re in the club Jae.”
“Correction. We’re in one of the club’s VIP rooms. Once that door over there is locked” he explained while pointing at the only door in the room. “There will be absolutely no interruptions.”
Changmin looked from said door to Jaejoong then back to the door then back again to the dancer where they stayed. “Jae… I don’t know…”
“Come on Min. You know how much any of those people out there would pay to have a private show with me? Trust me, it’s a lot of money, I know, I’ve been offered it.” The statement made Changmin frown and Jaejoong began chuckling. “You just need to stop thinking Min. You need to forget you’re a detective for a few moments and just let go. Come on babe.” Jaejoong began swinging his hips from side to side, taking small steps towards the detective as he did so. Changmin seemed to still be thinking but he wouldn’t take his eyes off Jaejoong. He looked on as the other approached him, in his revealing outfit, swinging his tiny hips. By the time he realized it Jaejoong was straddling his lap, grinding against his crotch.
“Do you do this often?” Changmin couldn’t help but ask.
“No babe. This one is just for you.” Without taking offence Jaejoong smirked, letting his fingers dig into the detective’s soft hair. It had become longer since the first time they had met, he liked it that way. “I’ll take your dumb look right now as a yes.” He finally said, getting off Changmin’s lap and taking a few steps back until his back hit the pole that was right in the middle of the room. Jaejoong smirked, grabbing hold of the metal rod while starting to grind his butt and back against it.
Meanwhile Changmin was simply sitting there, speechless, not knowing what to do with himself as he watched Jaejoong begin his dance. Everything about the man was seductive: his beautiful face, his strong arms, his lean figure and that irresistible smirk. His skinny jeans hung low on his hips. They were ripped pretty much everywhere except on the crotch. He was using a v-neck with an impossibly low V that left nothing to the imagination. Under the seductive dim lights a small glint came from the left side of Jaejoong’s milky white chest and Changmin noticed it was a piercing. ‘How come I hadn’t noticed that before?’ But he didn’t dwell much on it instead focusing on the sensual man and his body that was made of pure sin. At that moment, without even taking a piece of clothing off, Changmin realized why so many people went to see Jaejoong despite his little experience in the field of exotic dancing. He just had that aura that draws you in.
Changmin got up from his spot on the sofa and walked all the way to Jaejoong. Without a word he grabbed the dancer by the hips and began dancing with him, grinding his hips against Jaejoong’s, feeling the other man’s body so close to his. “You are a true vision Kim Jaejoong.” Changmin all but whispered in the dancer’s ear.
Jaejoong brought his hands up to wrap around the detective’s shoulders, pulling him even closer to his body. “And you are quite a good dancer Shim Changmin.”
The two men became enraptured in their dance, simply feeling each other’s warmth. Arousal became thick around them, heavy breaths dancing over each other’s mouths. Without warning Changmin grabbed Jaejoong’s face and brought their lips abruptly together. His desire was a little short of primal. It was all tongue and teeth and biting of lips.
Just as sudden as the kiss began it ended but in the same fashion Changmin swept Jaejoong off the floor rushing them both onto the biggest sofa in the room where the primal kiss resumed. In a matter of minutes both men were entirely naked, grinding against each other, breaths labored. “Damn Changmin- You’re like the hottest man I’ve ever been with.” Jaejoong managed to huff out between heavy pants.
“Likewise.”
“This is kinda kinky. I’ve never had sex in a public place before.”
“You need to stop talking Jae.” Changmin kissed the man to keep him from rambling but then got a better idea. “How about you make your mouth busy so you stop rambling.”
Jaejoong smirked immediately shuffling off the sofa onto his knees. He looked up at the detective, licking his lips. “You didn’t quite give me the chance before but I’m pretty skilled with my mouth.”
“How about you show me instead of telling me.”
“You’re an impatient man detective.” The only answer Jaejoong got from Chagmin was a groan that made him chuckle plus confirmed what he had just said. “Relax Min. Enjoy it.” Before the detective could reply anything Jaejoong began caressing the man’s inner thighs slowly inching closer to the desired area with every stroke of his hands. Hot breaths were teasingly blown on Changmin’s hard cock while the hands came closer and closer, the stimulation making it twitch in anticipation. To Changmin it seemed like forever when he finally felt Jaejoong’s hands on him. The contact made him release a long moan, throwing his head back while thrusting his hips onto Jaejoong’s hand.
“Baby, you have to watch me.” Jaejoong told Changmin. The detective looked down again just in time to see Jaejoong opening his mouth and lowering it onto his cock, closing it around the tip. He sucked it into his mouth and then let it slide out, making lewd noises as he repeated the move. The view made Changmin groan in pleasure and he was completely hard by then. He swore if he had to watch Jaejoong suck on the tip of his dick like that for five more seconds he would come right there on the dancer’s face.
“Damn. Jae… Fuck..”
Jaejoong sucked more of it into his mouth. He slurped and swirled his tongue on the sides starting a bobbing motion with his head that alternated between fast and teasingly slow. Changmin’s hands immediately came down to tangle in Jaejoong’s hair, pulling at it in pure pleasure.
“Shit! You weren’t kidding.” Changmin let Jaejoong suck away at his proud cock until he thought he couldn’t handle it anymore and he pulled the man away from his crotch. “You better sit on this now or I’m throwing you on this couch and fucking you until you can’t think straight.”
“Damn, is that a threat or a promise?” Jaejoong was out of breath, panting, his lips red and glistening. They had never looked so enticing. It only fueled the detective’s desire. Changmin didn’t even think about it he grabbed Jaejoong and threw him face down on the sofa. “Fuck! Changmin!” The detective grabbed the dancer’s hips propping them up, spreading him. Without another thought he dove face first right between Jaejoong’s cheeks and licked. The action caught Jaejoong by surprise raising a loud moan from his throat. “Angh! Yeah.. that feels good. So good…” His hips seemed to move on their own, pressing back onto the detectives face.
Changmin pressed his tongue more insistently into the other man’s body, breaching the outer rim of muscles. When he thought the area was wet enough he brought one of his fingers up and pressed it in right beside his tongue. He didn’t wait even five seconds to insert a second one, stretching out the skin, licking, sucking, getting more impatient after ever thrust of his fingers and tongue.
Jaejoong was lost in a world of pleasure, forgetting everything around him. He didn’t even care that he would come before the best part came around, though he could argue that statement. Feeling Changmin’s tongue and fingers pleasuring him like that could rival the coupling itself. “Shit! Shit! Shit! God!!” Before anything louder could escape his mouth his breath caught at the exchange between mouth and a very thick, pulsating, leaking cock. “Aaaahh!”
The detective’s hips rocked against Jaejoong’s, his hands holding tight onto the dancer’s slim hips. “Damn, Jae, you feel so fucking good.” He groaned close to Jaejoong’s ear. He bit into his lover’s shoulder trying to keep from making too many noises. Bite by bite he was leaving a trail of future bruises that spanned the whole of Jaejoong’s upper back including his neck. Slowly but steadily the detective’s thrusts became harder, firmer with more purpose. Jaejoong’s body felt on fire, his every nerve ending acting up. Neither knew how long it really lasted, both simply enjoying the feeling of being so deeply connected, forgetting everything bad prior to that night, feeding off each other’s energy.
At this point Jaejoong began jerking himself off, feeling static shock from within, sensing the moment moving closer. At the same time Changmin’s thrusts grew more insistent, more powerful, his pants heavy and hot over his neck. “Fuck Jae, I’m coming!” Jaejoong responded with his own orgasm that caught him right at that moment, making him tense and groan, gripping Changmin tight inside of him, milking the man’s orgasm that filled him up until it leaked.
When the wake of the moment washed ashore the detective was holding himself up with both hands on the back of the sofa slowly retracting away from Jaejoong until his softening cock slid out of him, milky cum following it. Jajeoong supported his own weight by leaning his chest on the back of the sofa still catching his breath.
“Damn” Changmin leaned his face onto Jaejoong’s shoulder and laid a few kisses there.
“You said it.” Jaejoong leaned back laying his head on Changmin’s opposite shoulder. He brought his hand up and laid it on the detective’s head threading his fingers through his slightly damp hair. Way on the back of his mind he was grateful that Yoochun had given him the roofies on the night Yunho took him, otherwise the memories would’ve probably prevented him from moving on and enjoying his time with his favorite detective. Every time they met he felt his heart swell even bigger with love, appreciation and admiration. Desire grew between them as well but he hoped that wasn’t all that mattered and that the detective was just as deep in his feelings as he was.
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Friday Afternoon
2:08 pm
Inside such a big building equipped with heavy duty air conditioning one would never think a damn fly would be distracting a serious detective. Also in such an esteemed governmental institution such as the SMPA one wouldn’t think Homocide Detectives would be just sitting in their desk staring at a damn fly. Buzzing around the office it was driving Detective Shim crazy. Every time he tried concentrating in his paper work it would fly by and his eyes would instantly seek bloody murder. Ironic, yes.
“Detective Shim” The SMPA messenger burst through his door, ever the rude guy that doesn’t knock. “Package for you.”
“A package?”
“Yeah.” The young man waved a white bubble envelope in the air. The detective left his desk and walked up to the man to receive the package. He wasn’t expecting anything but seeing as he worked in SMPA it shouldn’t really surprise him. Packages came and went through this office at a million a minute. It was probably some old evidence results he had already forgotten about due to the overload of work with his recent cases or something of that nature. But in a bubble envelope?
“Thanks.”
“Have a good day detective.” Changmin nodded at the guy waving as he read the front of the envelope. It had no return address only his name and the department’s address. He brought the envelope up to the light to see better but the paper was too thick to see through it.
“I don’t like this.” From his desk Changmin took a letter opener and quickly ripped the envelope at the bottom, doing it in reverse just as a precaution. Nothing happened. He looked inside. The only item within was what seemed like a disk. He brought the thing out and indeed it was a CD. It had no name, no label, just a blank CD. “Ugh, I really don’t like this.” Having a terrible feeling about that disk he did the only thing he could think of when he had no idea what to do.
He called Top.
“Hey, Top?” Changmin peeked his head out of his office calling for his partner. The tall raven haired detective popped up from one of the many cubicles in the department and waved.
“What’s up man? Need help with something?”
“Yeah, come over here please. I need your help going through some evidence analysis from our last scene.” Without further questioning Seunghyun moved out of his desk to step into his partner’s office.
“What is it?”
“I just got this package delivered to me.”
“Related to our last scene? I thought we were pretty much done with that case.” Top asked with an incredulous face.
“No, sorry. That was just so we wouldn’t attract too much attention. It’s an anonymous package.”
“What the hell man. Let me tell you, you have gotten into some deep shit with this White Lotus case. All these weird things happening. How the hell did an anonymous package get up here? Was it inspected?”
“No. Completely unhampered.”
“Shit. Did you open it?” At the question Changmin pulled out the CD he had found inside the envelope to which Top raised a questioning eyebrow.
“Please watch it with me. I don’t know what it is, but I’m popping it in the computer and I’m kind of scared shitless.”
Top stood there just staring at the round thing then up at his companion and shook his head. “This better not fuck up the computer or it’s coming off your salary. You should be telling the old Scrooge about this, not me.”
“I know but… If this is from…” He lowered his voice. “Yunho, then I want to see it first.” His fellow detective nodded, took the CD from Changmin’s hand and walked over to the computer. Changmin took a seat in front of his computer while his partner dragged the client chair around to sit next to him. “Ready?” Top shrugged and pushed the CD into the CPU.
The computer recognized the foreign hardware, it was a video. The detectives clicked for it to play. The media player came up on the screen and after a few seconds a familiar scene began playing.
“Aaaahh!”
The detective’s hips rocked against Jaejoong’s, his hands holding tight onto the dancer’s slim hips. “Damn, Jae, you feel so fucking good.” He groaned close to Jaejoong’s ear.
Changmin’s eyes became the size of Jupiter and he couldn’t have hit the close button any faster. Of course that was made very difficult by the trembling of his hands. “Shit…” Changmin’s heart was racing at the speed of light at that moment. He didn’t dare even turn to look at his partner for fear of what would be reflected on that expressive face.
“SHIT!” Top got abruptly up from his chair, almost knocking it down. When he realized he had yelled too loud he lowered his voice to a desperate whisper. “What the hell man?! What was that?! What is your ass doing in an amateur porn video?!”
“It’s not porn!!” Changmin hissed in his own equally panicked whispers. “No one was supposed to be there. No one was supposed to know!!” With the frustrated statement he began pulling at his hair with his eyes shut tight trying not to go into a panic attack.
“Shim Changmin.” Top began in a low, careful tone. “Why in the world would you, knowing what the situation is, make a video of you and Jaejoong?!” Changmin screwed up his face as his partner continued. “If this gets in the hands of the Chief you know exactly what’s going to happen! Are you stupid?! Where did your famous detective instincts go?!”
“Sssh!!” Changmin got up from his own chair and grabbed Top from the collar of his shirt. “Are you the stupid one Choi Seunghyung?! Obviously I know what something like this could entail and I obviously did NOT tape myself with Jaejoong, even less in a public place!! I did NOT make this video! Somebody else did and this is clearly an act of black mail.” He abruptly let go of his friend and co-worker whom shook himself back into composure.
“I’m sorry. This is just unbelievable. When did this happen?”
“Two nights ago.”
“Well you hadn’t told me you went and screwed your girlfriend that night. Sheesh, way to leave the juicy details out.”
“TOP!”
“Sorry, sorry!” Top shook his head pacing in front of the desk. “So you think it was Yunho?”
“It HAD to be him. I mean…” Changmin suddenly stopped his train of thought a whole new idea coming to him. “Damn him!!” Top stopped his own pacing and looked at his partner with a questioning brow waiting for the lead detective to elaborate. “The whole thing about the phone thread was just a decoy!!”
“What?”
“This is what that bastard wanted to begin with!!”
“You mean he posed the threatening call just so you would show up at the club and end up with Jaejoong?”
“Shit. Maybe he didn’t exactly plan to get a sex tape out of this, but he was most definitely aiming to get film of Jae and me together. He’s been trying to get me kicked out of the investigation since I got my hands on the leather shoes. What better way than presenting evidence of me being involved with one of the victim’s family members in a more than compromising position.”
“And in a strip club to make matters worse.”
Heavy knocking was heard at that moment on the detective’s door that made both detectives jump in place. “Yes? Come in.” The head of the Homicide Department appeared at the door looking very serious as always.
“Shim, I want to see you in my office.” With that he closed the door and was on his way.
Detective Choi turned to his partner with a worried expression. “Good luck man.”
Changmin nodded at him looking like he was about to cry. “Thanks I guess… Could you uh…? Could you put that CD away?”
“Sure. I’ll take care of it. Just go.”
“Thanks Top.” Changmin made his way out of the office leaving his partner behind just standing in the middle of the room.
“Ugh… I just saw my partner having gay sex with his boyfriend…” The man shivered but dispelled the thoughts… or at least tried to.
On the other side of the department Changmin was standing in front of his boss’ office. He knocked and peered inside. “You wanted to see me boss?” The big man behind the desk waved at him to come inside.
“Take a seat Shim.”
Changmin took the offered seat. He was mentally preparing himself for the worse. What if the Chief got a copy of the video? What if I get fired? What if I get kicked out of the investigation?!
“I’ve heard some rumors Detective Shim.” His boss began leaning back on his chair looking straight into Changmin’s eyes.
“Rumors? What kind of rumors sir?”
“That you have been expressing less than professional behavior towards one of our clients.” Directly to the point in traditional Chief fashion. “Specifically that you might be involved with the younger brother of one of the white lotus victims.” Changmin frowned at the statement but inside he was sighing with relief, though he dared not scratch out the possibility of the boss having seen the video just yet. Plus he didn’t like the way his boss mentioned the fact that the person was male. “Well? Are you going to tell me it’s not true already?”
Changmin shook his head and chuckled a bit. “Of course it’s not true sir.”
“So you’re not involved with Kim Jaejoong?”
Hearing his lover’s name so surely coming from his boss’ mouth made him almost falter. Regardless he managed to keep his composure using every tip from the manual. “Between Kim Jaejoong and I there’s nothing more than a professional-client acquaintanceship. He’s our informant; he’s been helping me with gathering the hear-say of the dancers in the clubbing business. I’ve visited his home to speak of said information a number of times and that’s it. There’s nothing more to it sir.” He didn’t even dare ask where the rumors came from. Besides he was sure Yunho was behind somehow. Or maybe he wasn’t being as careful as he thought he was. Jaejoong had picked him up from work in more than one occasion and the man had also visited him in his office. Still he had no reason to believe anyone had seen him in an unjustifiable situation with the man. That is if we leave the whole CD incident aside.
The Chief took in a big breath and released it. “You better not be lying to me Shim. Kim Jaejoong is not only a victim family member and your informant but he’s also a possible target. Being romantically involved with a person so wound up around your case could cloud your better judgment and most of all render you biased rather than impartial towards this case which is a very dangerous place to be. Don’t fuck up Shim. After such a streak of successful cases in the past you don’t want your biggest case to come toppling down because of some booty call. Your career and especially your reputation will go right down with it. You hear me?”
Changmin ground his teeth to keep his mouth shut but bowed to his boss. “I’m completely aware of this boss. Don’t worry.”
“Good. Now tell me. How is the progress in the case? Have you gotten word back from the lab?”
“The comparison analysis should be ready before the end of this week. Which means we better have them before the end of tomorrow or we might just need new staff down there.”
“You don’t need to worry about that anymore.”
“Huh? Why? What happened boss?”
The Chief took a folder that was on top of the pile of paperwork on his desk and handed it over to the detective. “Take a look.”
Changmin’s eyes shone, he looked at his boss with eyes that could only be compared with that of a child who got exactly what he wanted for Christmas. “For real sir?” The Chief nodded at him to open the folder and so he did. He only read a few sentences in the evidence description to make sure it was what he thought. ‘Track Mark comparison analysis.’ The rest didn’t matter; he skipped all the technical typing and went down to the results. ‘Positive match’. Changmin was static in his chair, stunned, relieved, about to cry from the excitement. “YES!” He threw his head back in celebration, the folder almost falling out of his hand. The Chief was smiling.
“Congratulations Shim, you have your primary suspect. But remember, it’s not over yet. This case seems like it’s cursed so you should stay on your toes.”
“More like a very cunning and powerful person is behind it all. We’ll see boss. This is one big step forward. There’s little doubt in my mind that we have our killer.”
“I hope you’re right Shim and at the same time… I hope you’re wrong. Jung Yunho…. That’s a tough man to have as a suspect. I couldn’t believe it when you told me.”
“Well Chief. This job is full of surprises.”
“Not very pleasant ones at times.”
“Tell me about it…”
The atmosphere in the office had turned lighter and thankfully nothing else came of those supposed rumors but inside Changmin a fire was burning with the intense heat of napalm chemicals. When he finally got his hands on that senator…. He couldn’t do much without giving himself away but on the very least he hoped to see the man rotting in jail.
“So what’s your next step detective?” The Chief asked.
“Let’s bring him in. We have to question him. But judging by the kind of evidence we have and the nature of the murders, I say we issue an arrest warrant and a search warrant.”
“What are you going to detail in the search warrant though? Shouldn’t we wait until we interrogate him?”
“Normally I’d say we should wait but… We’re dealing with a serial killer. And judging by the fact that the victims are found naked I say he’s probably taking souvenirs.”
“Hmp, sounds good then.”
----------------------
Later that night
9:47 pm
“Finally!” Detective Shim Changmin had just arrived to his apartment building. It had been a terribly long day despite the fact that he had been in the office less hours than he usually was. Before he headed up to his apartment he stopped at the mailbox to check if he had anything that day. He almost dreaded opening the mail box with the bad luck he’d been having that particular Friday. Was it the thirteenth? It sure felt like one.
The key was inserted, the lock opened. Changmin opened the small container box and… there was nothing. He released a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding at that moment. “Thank god.”
“Um… Hyung” Changmin turned around to face the source of the voice. It was the building’s reception security guard. The young man was in his early twenties, paying for college with his security guard job. He wasn’t the bravest man Changmin had ever encountered but he was a good kid. From time to time he would stop to talk with the young man, share advice with him and encourage him to continue his social science studies.
“What is it Wooyoung?” The young guard was staring intently at the screen under the reception counter.
“I just saw something odd in the rear courtyard camera. Could you come over and see it?”
Changmin immediately felt worried. Something told him that the surprise he didn’t get in the mail would be lying on the building’s courtyard. “What is it?” The guard pointed at the center of one of the few screens on the counter. There was something between the bushes. “Can you zoom in on it?” Wooyoung nodded and did as he was asked. As the camera zoomed in the figure beyond the bushes became clearer. It looked like a person was sitting between the bushes.
“Is that a person…?” The young security guard asked with incredulity.
“It looks like it. Want to go check it out?”
“Uh… sincerely?”
“Come on Mr. Security Guard. Let’s go check it out.” Changmin held onto the young man’s arm and dragged him in the direction of the rear door. Outside things were shrouded in darkness and shadows but the spot they were heading to had the most lighting. Their mysterious image was towards the back of the courtyard beyond the bushes that lined the wooden terrace. Both men made it there but the only one that stepped forward was the detective. He leaned over the bushes. “Wooyoung” He motioned for the security guard to step closer which he did albeit very hesitantly. “Come on, hand me your flashlight.” With extremely shaky hands Wooyoung gave Changmin his flashlight and finally stepped right next to the detective.
“I-I- Is that….?” The beam of light from the flashlight shone down on the ground. As the detective swept the ground with it they came across a pale foot. “AAAAH!” Wooyoung jumped right back out from the bushes shaking from head to toes. “WHAT THE FUCK?! IT’S A DEAD PERSON!! DO SOMETHING HYUNG!!”
“SSSHH!! Stop yelling or you’ll alert the entire neighborhood. Calm down ok? Be a man!” Wooyoung nodded, then shook, then nodded then shook his head again at the detective’s words. He was shaking like a Chihuahua and stood frozen on the spot. Changmin shone the flashlight all over the body lying at the foot of a Ficus tree. It was a woman, completely naked, pale as a bleached feather, her long black hair falling neatly over her shoulders; her hands were crossed on her lap, a white lotus sitting between them. Another White Lotus victim. Changmin noticed there was something different about this case, her legs were spread wide open but something was covering her crotch. He took a closer look, trying his best not to step closer in fear of ruining evidence. There was a note between her legs… addressed to Detective Shim. “Shit…” He walked back out form the bushes and placed a hand on the young man’s shoulder that was still looking like he could faint any minute. “You’re ok. It’s nothing. Just breathe.” As the security guard took unnecessarily quick breaths, probably on the brink of hyperventilating, Changmin took out his cell phone and dialed the department. “Take deep breaths dongsaeng, you’re going to faint if you keep breathing like that.” Wooyoung nodded and shook his head again trying hard to regulate his breathing. Meanwhile on the other side of the line there was an answer from the office. “Hey! Top! I’m so glad you’re still in the office.”
“What is it man?”
“It’s another White Lotus victim.” As he said this Changmin heard Wooyoung next to him whispering. ‘Shit, shit, shit, shit’
“What?! Where?”
“Right behind my building.”
“No way, for real? You think it’s coincidental?”
“Absolutely not.”
‘Shit, shit, shit, shit’
About thirty minutes later the building was swarmed by police men, homicide detectives and part of the White Lotus task force team. Every single person that came out to see what was going on was stopped and interviewed by police. Nobody had seen anything. Not even the young security guard who confessed he had been doing homework that night during his shift and wasn’t paying attention to the screens. “It’s a very calm and nice building. Nothing ever happens here so I wasn’t expecting anything like this to happen.” Wooyoung had told the detectives.
When Changmin inspected the scene along with his partner and the CSIs he was the first to see the note. Of course it was addressed to him so the CSI let him have the first look. He carefully opened it, wearing gloves so he wouldn’t leave prints on it.
You have failed the last test Detective Shim.
The bread was much too tempting was it?
It’s only human to feel hunger.
Top, who had been reading over his shoulder, looked up at his partner as Changmin did the same. They looked into each other’s worried eyes knowing exactly what the other was thinking. This had got to do with the video.
It all made sense to the two detectives. Jung Yunho probably knew he was close to being tagged for the various murders and saw his only escape in sabotaging the investigation for the detective by producing material that could get him kicked out of the case. That way he could probably get his hands in who would be the next detective to take the case.
“That fucking bastard… I’m sure I’ll be hearing from him soon.” Changmin felt helpless. If the footage in that video got out to the media his entire career would be ruined. He wasn’t sure the city would take their famous detective being gay, his boss would definitely be pressured to kick him out of the case and ultimately his reputation would be so damaged that there was no way he would be able to recover without permanent scars. Not mention his ass would be all over the internet and Jaejoong would be thrust into the spotlight, a collateral victim to the whole mess. What was Detective Shim to do? Nothing else but wait until Yunho contacted him, which he was sure he would.
He was now at the mercy of the one man he needed to catch.
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A/N: So it's been very difficult. My muses weren't reaching me. Univ has been more difficult than usual just because of my deteriorated mental health. It sounds terrible but really I've just been having an existential crisis xD I'm about to graduate and I have no idea what I'm going to do. On top of that my parents got divorced a few months ago and everything's gone down the drain from there >_> Now I'm living in the house I grew up in 12 years ago!! (aka Grandma's second floor apartment) and we've pretty much sold everything big in our old house to pay off debts and all. At least at this moment we have some more peace of mind and the muses finally came to me. I've been working on this chapter for three days!! I'll try my best to write the next one, but I warn you!! I'm starting my University Practice next week in the district court plus taking classes at night. We'll see how it goes ^_^
A/N2: GUYS!! Here's a little advertising. For those interested in Asian artist's RPGs check out Sacred Heart Academy. The full description and advertisement is in this post in my journal.