Where were you all my life? 38/?
Chapter 38 - Taemin intro
Summary:
Kim Jaejoong is forced to do business with the mafia who keep threatening him. Changmin, Junsu and Yoochun are responsible for his security.
Jung Yunho is a cop investigating a paedophile/mafia man named Kim Jaejoong and the mafia is blackmailing him to do one job for them: kill Jaejoong.
And so their paths collided. A week later, Jung Yunho is more than a prisoner in Kim Jaejoong's house and both mafia and cops are getting near the two men.
Warnings: mention rape and abuse, some violence, smut.
Pairings: Yunjae, little hints of Yoosu
Chapter 1 - Jaejoong Intro, Chapter 2 - Attempted Rape, Chapter 3 - Payback Rape, Chapter 4 - Yunho Intro, Chapter 5 - Yunho Intro, Chapter 6 - Framed and Blackmailed, Chapter 7 - Framed and Blackmailed, Chapter 8 - Aftermath, Chapter 9 - Method of Interrogation A, Chapter 10 - Method of Interrogation B, Chapter 11 - Unexpected Rescue, Chapter 12 - Talk and Re-enact, Chapter 13 - Surprises, Chapter 14 - Something Changes, Chapter 15 - I Remember Friday, Chapter 16 - Wet Dreams, Chapter 17 - Sweet Surrender Y, Chapter 18 - Sweet Surrender J, Chapter 19 - Morning After, Chapter 20 - Talking Is Overrated, Chapter 21 - Thugs, Cops and Talks, Chapter 22 - Ready? Action!, Chapter 23 - Permission, Chapter 24 - Action vs Reaction, Chapter 25 - Changes, Chapter 26 - Police Work, Chapter 27 - Confrontations, Chapter 28 - More Changes, Chapter 29 - Different Mornings, Chapter 30 - Interrogation - The Cop Method - part 1, Chapter 31 - Interrogation - The Cops Method - part 2, Chapter 32 - Talk or Fight?, Chapter 33 - Clash of Tempers, Chapter 34 - Relax Time, Chapter 35 - Fight for Dominance, Chapter 36 - Gentle vs Hard, Chapter 37 - All is Cool,
OBS: Yes, it's a high number of chapters, but they are all tiny tiny chapters. I promise. Pinky swear.
Chapter 38 - Taemin intro
Taemin was a street kid. He had slipped through the cracks even as a little child and could not really remember a time when he was not on his own. He had been too young when he lost his grandmother and living in a bad neighbourhood meant he just started to hang out with the older kids. There were no social services coming to look for him; because since his grandmother was sick and confined to the house, he had never even been enrolled in a school. It was as if he didn’t exist. There were people who came and took care of the old woman’s funeral but nobody seemed to remember to check if the kid had someone to take care of him. Taemin was fine with that, he liked hanging around with the older kids. They would steal the best snacks from stores; he learned how to find a way to always get the clothes and shoes he wanted; there was plenty of time to play; his grandmother’s house was empty and they could just sleep there. He thought life was good.
As he got a little older he started to realise that life wasn’t really that good, especially for the older kids. The teens in the group tried their best to keep the younger ones hidden and safe, but the young ones were street smart, curious as fitting their age, and would sometimes follow the older ones to see where they went at night. That is how Taemin soon found out there was a world where old men, who were probably fathers and grandfathers, came at night to do things to teenage boys and girls that were not right. And as he got older and harder to go unnoticed, and stealing became harder, he soon realised that he would probably end up as, either a real criminal, or as one of the boys that walked a street corner in the cold hours of dawn. He was already starting to notice eyes in his direction and it scared him.
Fate intervened and Taemin was caught stealing one day. As he entered the orphanage doors, he had no intention to remain there. But the food was good and at regular intervals, he could take long hot baths and the bed was soft and clean. Taemin figured he could afford to stay a few days. Someone remembered to teach him to read and write and after a while, he no longer thought of leaving the place. There was no one from his old group to whom he was really attached to or that would miss him, so he just allowed the days and weeks to pass by.
When he started to attend a regular school, he found himself bullied by some kids. That is how he met Ren.
The slightly older kid had been bullied himself and defended the new kid. Soon, they were inseparable. The blond head of Ren could always be spotted near Taemin’s flaming red hair. The only times Taemin was not around Ren, was when this man named Kim Jaejoong showed up. Ren tried convincing him that the business man was cool but Taemin had seen too many, apparently, cool men that just wanted one thing from boys his age.
When enough time passed that he fully believed Kim Jaejoong was a good man; that is when the business man started to show up with another man. Taemin vanished from anywhere near Ren at those times. He tried warning Ren about this other man. However, since he had also been suspicious of Jaejoong, he could not get the blond teen to believe that Choi Siwon was a really dangerous man. Taemin knew the kind of look the lawyer had sent his way and the look he sent Ren. Kim Jaejoong looked at them as kids, with a gentleness always present in a sweet smile. Choi Siwon looked at them as meat, as a hole to fill; his eyes cold and calculating behind a fake smile. Taemin could not understand why even Jaejoong did not see that.
Then, Ren ended up in the hospital. Taemin went to visit, trying to keep hidden, worried if Siwon would be there. That is when he found out that Kim Jaejoong had learned who the lawyer was, and the hard way. He heard him crying in the arms of one of his bodyguards, the one with a cheerful smile, desperate and angry, blaming himself for what happened to Ren, and asking how he had not seen what type of person Siwon was. The business man was frantic and nearly crazy because he could not find a way to send the lawyer to prison.
Taemin was happy when Ren woke up, not knowing how he got there. He agreed with Jaejoong’s decision to hide the truth. Taemin wanted his friend to remain carefree and unaware of how life can be ugly. It was bitter sweet when he said farewell to Ren, but he knew his friend would be safe in the States with his new family.
Choi Siwon no longer appeared at the orphanage and even Kim Jaejoong didn’t show up for a long time. Taemin only saw Jaejoong when he came to personally deliver a present sent from Ren: a guitar. His friend kept in touch, even with the huge distance, and was encouraging him to follow music. Taemin was once again becoming happy.
Then, Choi Siwon came to visit one day, with some other men, even scarier looking, and specifically asked to see him. That night, Taemin no longer stayed at the orphanage.
…
Taemin returned to his old neighbourhood; he knew he would have no friends still waiting for him but they would also not betray him. It was an unspoken rule to protect everyone from men like Siwon whenever possible. He was only sorry he had never bothered to get closer to Kim Jaejoong, he had no idea how to contact the only person he knew would believe him and who could surely help him. After a few quiet days the teen was starting to feel a little secure, when a known predator started to ask questions. Strange questions. Some of the other kids warned him that the man was asking about a twelve year old boy with red hair, who had escaped from an orphanage. One of the older boys, Jonghyun, called the cops to report the creep.
The next day, early morning, the teenager wandered the streets, with some older boys and girls, trying to identify who was after him. That’s how he found out two very tall cops were after the man, following Jonghyun call. They approached his group, one of them with a friendly smile. Taemin held back, out of the cop’s sight, worried if the orphanage had reported him missing.
-Hi. Can I talk to you guys for a while? My name is Jung Yunho and this is my partner Lee Min Ho. We are looking for this guy.
The tall cop gave them a picture and a card.
-He’s very dangerous. We’re trying to get him arrested. And no, we are not going to send him back out again, we have actual evidence to lock him away for a long time. He won’t bother anyone around here anymore. Just point us to where he is. You guys see anything, call me on that number, ok?
The teenagers silently nodded. The cops moved to talk to other people. Taemin checked the picture and recognised the man on it. It was a creep that liked to prey on that neighbourhood from time to time. The young boy tried to keep accompanied all the time but eventually found himself alone, so he hide at his old house.
That night, the creep found and caught Taemin. The boy woke up to find himself tied while the creepy man stared at him.
-Hi, there. Bad idea of yours to return to your old house. It was the only other address I had of you. Humm, so pretty. You are quite a delicacy, no wonder Siwon wants you.
Taemin’s eyes widened in even more fear than before.
-Yep, that’s right, boy. Siwon hired me to find you. In fact, that should be his car I hear outside.
The teen screamed for help in vain. The nearby houses were also abandoned and at that hour of the dawn, none of the kids who used them to sleep had returned yet. The creep covered his mouth and dragged him to the car. One of the tinted windows lowered and Taemin recognised Siwon smiling at him with a very satisfied smile. The lawyer opened the door and pulled the kid inside.
-Good job. Here’s your money. Now, go and disappear for a while. I heard cops are after you again.
Taemin shrunk himself on the car floor, against the opposite door. He remembered the state Ren had arrived at the hospital. He feared more than the pain he knew he would experience, he actually started to pray for his life.
Choi Siwon looked at the boy and just smiled, a cold smile that made Taemin tremble even more.
…
Someone called the cops reporting the creep’s whereabouts. Soon after, Jung Yunho and Lee Min Ho were chasing after the creep. The car chase took them from dawn till early morning and to the outskirts of town. The chased man even managed to fire back at their car. Yunho drove like a madman, trying to catch the predator they were after for so long, while his partner tried to shoot back.
-Yunho! What the hell? I want to catch him too but I’d like to be alive to do it!
-Shoot his tires! This time we have evidence against him. We can lock him away. We have to catch him.
Min Ho sighed. Yunho could be like a dog with a bone. He aimed his gun carefully when more shots were heard and he felt a sharp pain on his shoulder and his chest.
-Fuck! I’m hit!
-Are you ok?
-Yeahh! Keep driving.
The creep abandoned his car outside some abandoned building. Jung Yunho wasted no time and chased after him. Inside the car, Lee Min Ho got on the radio to call the police station and report where they were while he kept on the lookout. There were no cars around and not even nearby buildings. The guy would have no place to hide.
…
Choi Siwon opened the car door, grabbed Taemin, who tried fighting and screaming again, and sent his driver away. The boy looked around him. He was in some abandoned industrial place.
-This is where I brought your friend Ren. I thought you would like to come here as well.
The lawyer smiled again at the tears that started falling down the boy’s face. They walked for a while until they finally entered some abandoned building.
-I love this place. It’s my personal playground. I can do whatever I want and not have to worry about loud screams, blood or even the occasional dead body. But don’t worry, I will make sure that you survive. I will not make the same mistake I did with Ren. I got too carried away with your delicious friend and he almost died. Worse, I spent so much time playing with him that I didn’t notice his phone was on and Jaejoong’s pretty dogs were able to track this place. Ah, but you… You don’t have anyone worrying about you, right? I was rather upset that you run away from the orphanage. And that stupid director didn’t even care about it. When I was kept with no news of you for too many days, do you believe I reported you missing to the cops? Oh, yes.
Taemin was shaking as he was led from room to room. The building was a maze, with some walls torn down, corridors and more rooms. It was easy to get lost inside it. At some wall, like many others, the lawyer stopped and pushed a hidden button behind a light bulb.
-See this open space here? I played with Ren right there. But I will use my hidden room for you. I want you to feel special. And just in case…
Choi Siwon pushed Taemin to a dirty mattress on the floor while he fiddled with some equipment on a table. Monitors started showing images of the entire building.
-There. Just in case. Now, where were we?
…
Yunho ran and ran. He had lost sight of the damn man. He held his gun as he turned around walls and peaked inside rooms. Finally he saw the guy running.
-Stop or I’ll shoot!
Yunho held him at gun point, worried if the guy would try shooting. A sudden blow on his head, made the cop pass out and fall helplessly to the floor.
…
Taemin screamed again. He had been running inside the small room, trying to fight off Siwon. The lawyer actually allowed the cat and mouse play until he got bored and grabbed the boy. Just as Siwon was about to touch Taemin, a noise from the cameras caught his attention.
-What the hell? That stupid asshole? I told him to get away. And he brings cops here instead?
Hope flared inside Taemin. He had recognised the two cops the second his eyes caught sight of the tall men on the cameras. The creep ran inside the building and one of the cops chase after him. The boy waited a little, watching with anxious eyes as the cop got nearer and nearer. He wanted to scream only when he was sure the cop would hear him.
Siwon looked at the cameras with angry eyes. He put tape on Taemin’s mouth, slapping the boy hard when the kid tried struggling again and then pushed the boy back on the mattress. The lawyer approached the hidden door and waited. He hit the cop hard on the head, grabbed the fallen gun and shot dead the man who had been smiling at seeing him there.
-Asshole! Now what? This will be crawling with cops.
Siwon grabbed the creep’s gun and threw it down a hole that he knew lead to the ground floor. Looking at the cop’s gun still in his hand, he decided to keep it and returned to the hidden room, closing the door behind him. The lawyer looked at the scared boy with a smile.
-Ok, now, be a good boy and keep quiet.
Then the man started laughing, still with the gun in his hand, making Taemin shrunk in fear.
-By the way, I just recognised the cop outside and the one in the car. They are the ones who came to my office when I reported you missing. Isn’t that a coincidence?
Through the cameras, they both saw how the cop woke up to find his gun missing and a dead man staring at him. Soon, the entire place was full of cops but no one seemed to notice the hidden room because of the maze of torn walls, corridors, small rooms and then wide open spaces. Taemin kept busy trying to quietly loosen his ropes. He was glad that Siwon was too distracted to bother him.
The entire police circus ended already in the afternoon. All the cops and all the cars left. The lawyer sighed in relief and called his driver to pick him up. He watched the footage he had, replaying carefully the moment the cop had held his gun at the now dead guy. From one of the cameras, it looked as if it was the cop who fired the gun because he had fallen out of frame when he was hit and it was only the gun in view when the fire was shot. He smiled; he could use that to blackmail the cop.
Siwon called someone else, giving instructions to find information on the cop. His driver called to and the lawyer answered.
-Come pick me up right in front of the building. Today I’m not walking.
Siwon used a bag to put the gun, the cd with the footage and grabbed the kid up.
-Let’s go. Guess I can just take you to my house. I intended to take you there anyway. I always wanted a live in toy. Don’t worry, I’ll get you a nice leash.
Taemin waited patiently. As Siwon turned his attention to closing the door properly and loosened his grip, the boy took off running. Siwon found he had his hands on an empty rope. Taemin heard cursing and loud footsteps behind him but he kept running. His lungs hurt but he kept running. Taemin had had time to study the cops searching the rooms on the cameras; he had figured a route that would be just perfect for his small size but where Siwon wouldn’t be able to follow him. Using several small holes on the walls he gained distance on his pursuer and the second he stepped outside the building he just kept running.
By the time Siwon reached his driver and his car, there was no sign of Taemin on the open field. They searched the boy in vain. The abandoned industrial site was too large, full of too many abandoned factories.
-Shit! Ok, no matter. I found him once, I’ll find him again. Let’s go home. I have to think how I want to use a certain cop.
…
Taemin run until he collapsed in the middle of some path, already in a residential area. He just stayed there for hours, too tired to move, exhausted physically and emotionally. No one walked by and the boy just remained there. Finally, he looked around him. He needed to find a place to hide, to figure out what he would do now. He couldn’t return to his old neighbourhood.
…
Chapter 39 - Countdown,
Summary:
Kim Jaejoong is forced to do business with the mafia who keep threatening him. Changmin, Junsu and Yoochun are responsible for his security.
Jung Yunho is a cop investigating a paedophile/mafia man named Kim Jaejoong and the mafia is blackmailing him to do one job for them: kill Jaejoong.
And so their paths collided. A week later, Jung Yunho is more than a prisoner in Kim Jaejoong's house and both mafia and cops are getting near the two men.
Warnings: mention rape and abuse, some violence, smut.
Pairings: Yunjae, little hints of Yoosu
Chapter 1 - Jaejoong Intro, Chapter 2 - Attempted Rape, Chapter 3 - Payback Rape, Chapter 4 - Yunho Intro, Chapter 5 - Yunho Intro, Chapter 6 - Framed and Blackmailed, Chapter 7 - Framed and Blackmailed, Chapter 8 - Aftermath, Chapter 9 - Method of Interrogation A, Chapter 10 - Method of Interrogation B, Chapter 11 - Unexpected Rescue, Chapter 12 - Talk and Re-enact, Chapter 13 - Surprises, Chapter 14 - Something Changes, Chapter 15 - I Remember Friday, Chapter 16 - Wet Dreams, Chapter 17 - Sweet Surrender Y, Chapter 18 - Sweet Surrender J, Chapter 19 - Morning After, Chapter 20 - Talking Is Overrated, Chapter 21 - Thugs, Cops and Talks, Chapter 22 - Ready? Action!, Chapter 23 - Permission, Chapter 24 - Action vs Reaction, Chapter 25 - Changes, Chapter 26 - Police Work, Chapter 27 - Confrontations, Chapter 28 - More Changes, Chapter 29 - Different Mornings, Chapter 30 - Interrogation - The Cop Method - part 1, Chapter 31 - Interrogation - The Cops Method - part 2, Chapter 32 - Talk or Fight?, Chapter 33 - Clash of Tempers, Chapter 34 - Relax Time, Chapter 35 - Fight for Dominance, Chapter 36 - Gentle vs Hard, Chapter 37 - All is Cool,
OBS: Yes, it's a high number of chapters, but they are all tiny tiny chapters. I promise. Pinky swear.
Chapter 38 - Taemin intro
Taemin was a street kid. He had slipped through the cracks even as a little child and could not really remember a time when he was not on his own. He had been too young when he lost his grandmother and living in a bad neighbourhood meant he just started to hang out with the older kids. There were no social services coming to look for him; because since his grandmother was sick and confined to the house, he had never even been enrolled in a school. It was as if he didn’t exist. There were people who came and took care of the old woman’s funeral but nobody seemed to remember to check if the kid had someone to take care of him. Taemin was fine with that, he liked hanging around with the older kids. They would steal the best snacks from stores; he learned how to find a way to always get the clothes and shoes he wanted; there was plenty of time to play; his grandmother’s house was empty and they could just sleep there. He thought life was good.
As he got a little older he started to realise that life wasn’t really that good, especially for the older kids. The teens in the group tried their best to keep the younger ones hidden and safe, but the young ones were street smart, curious as fitting their age, and would sometimes follow the older ones to see where they went at night. That is how Taemin soon found out there was a world where old men, who were probably fathers and grandfathers, came at night to do things to teenage boys and girls that were not right. And as he got older and harder to go unnoticed, and stealing became harder, he soon realised that he would probably end up as, either a real criminal, or as one of the boys that walked a street corner in the cold hours of dawn. He was already starting to notice eyes in his direction and it scared him.
Fate intervened and Taemin was caught stealing one day. As he entered the orphanage doors, he had no intention to remain there. But the food was good and at regular intervals, he could take long hot baths and the bed was soft and clean. Taemin figured he could afford to stay a few days. Someone remembered to teach him to read and write and after a while, he no longer thought of leaving the place. There was no one from his old group to whom he was really attached to or that would miss him, so he just allowed the days and weeks to pass by.
When he started to attend a regular school, he found himself bullied by some kids. That is how he met Ren.
The slightly older kid had been bullied himself and defended the new kid. Soon, they were inseparable. The blond head of Ren could always be spotted near Taemin’s flaming red hair. The only times Taemin was not around Ren, was when this man named Kim Jaejoong showed up. Ren tried convincing him that the business man was cool but Taemin had seen too many, apparently, cool men that just wanted one thing from boys his age.
When enough time passed that he fully believed Kim Jaejoong was a good man; that is when the business man started to show up with another man. Taemin vanished from anywhere near Ren at those times. He tried warning Ren about this other man. However, since he had also been suspicious of Jaejoong, he could not get the blond teen to believe that Choi Siwon was a really dangerous man. Taemin knew the kind of look the lawyer had sent his way and the look he sent Ren. Kim Jaejoong looked at them as kids, with a gentleness always present in a sweet smile. Choi Siwon looked at them as meat, as a hole to fill; his eyes cold and calculating behind a fake smile. Taemin could not understand why even Jaejoong did not see that.
Then, Ren ended up in the hospital. Taemin went to visit, trying to keep hidden, worried if Siwon would be there. That is when he found out that Kim Jaejoong had learned who the lawyer was, and the hard way. He heard him crying in the arms of one of his bodyguards, the one with a cheerful smile, desperate and angry, blaming himself for what happened to Ren, and asking how he had not seen what type of person Siwon was. The business man was frantic and nearly crazy because he could not find a way to send the lawyer to prison.
Taemin was happy when Ren woke up, not knowing how he got there. He agreed with Jaejoong’s decision to hide the truth. Taemin wanted his friend to remain carefree and unaware of how life can be ugly. It was bitter sweet when he said farewell to Ren, but he knew his friend would be safe in the States with his new family.
Choi Siwon no longer appeared at the orphanage and even Kim Jaejoong didn’t show up for a long time. Taemin only saw Jaejoong when he came to personally deliver a present sent from Ren: a guitar. His friend kept in touch, even with the huge distance, and was encouraging him to follow music. Taemin was once again becoming happy.
Then, Choi Siwon came to visit one day, with some other men, even scarier looking, and specifically asked to see him. That night, Taemin no longer stayed at the orphanage.
…
Taemin returned to his old neighbourhood; he knew he would have no friends still waiting for him but they would also not betray him. It was an unspoken rule to protect everyone from men like Siwon whenever possible. He was only sorry he had never bothered to get closer to Kim Jaejoong, he had no idea how to contact the only person he knew would believe him and who could surely help him. After a few quiet days the teen was starting to feel a little secure, when a known predator started to ask questions. Strange questions. Some of the other kids warned him that the man was asking about a twelve year old boy with red hair, who had escaped from an orphanage. One of the older boys, Jonghyun, called the cops to report the creep.
The next day, early morning, the teenager wandered the streets, with some older boys and girls, trying to identify who was after him. That’s how he found out two very tall cops were after the man, following Jonghyun call. They approached his group, one of them with a friendly smile. Taemin held back, out of the cop’s sight, worried if the orphanage had reported him missing.
-Hi. Can I talk to you guys for a while? My name is Jung Yunho and this is my partner Lee Min Ho. We are looking for this guy.
The tall cop gave them a picture and a card.
-He’s very dangerous. We’re trying to get him arrested. And no, we are not going to send him back out again, we have actual evidence to lock him away for a long time. He won’t bother anyone around here anymore. Just point us to where he is. You guys see anything, call me on that number, ok?
The teenagers silently nodded. The cops moved to talk to other people. Taemin checked the picture and recognised the man on it. It was a creep that liked to prey on that neighbourhood from time to time. The young boy tried to keep accompanied all the time but eventually found himself alone, so he hide at his old house.
That night, the creep found and caught Taemin. The boy woke up to find himself tied while the creepy man stared at him.
-Hi, there. Bad idea of yours to return to your old house. It was the only other address I had of you. Humm, so pretty. You are quite a delicacy, no wonder Siwon wants you.
Taemin’s eyes widened in even more fear than before.
-Yep, that’s right, boy. Siwon hired me to find you. In fact, that should be his car I hear outside.
The teen screamed for help in vain. The nearby houses were also abandoned and at that hour of the dawn, none of the kids who used them to sleep had returned yet. The creep covered his mouth and dragged him to the car. One of the tinted windows lowered and Taemin recognised Siwon smiling at him with a very satisfied smile. The lawyer opened the door and pulled the kid inside.
-Good job. Here’s your money. Now, go and disappear for a while. I heard cops are after you again.
Taemin shrunk himself on the car floor, against the opposite door. He remembered the state Ren had arrived at the hospital. He feared more than the pain he knew he would experience, he actually started to pray for his life.
Choi Siwon looked at the boy and just smiled, a cold smile that made Taemin tremble even more.
…
Someone called the cops reporting the creep’s whereabouts. Soon after, Jung Yunho and Lee Min Ho were chasing after the creep. The car chase took them from dawn till early morning and to the outskirts of town. The chased man even managed to fire back at their car. Yunho drove like a madman, trying to catch the predator they were after for so long, while his partner tried to shoot back.
-Yunho! What the hell? I want to catch him too but I’d like to be alive to do it!
-Shoot his tires! This time we have evidence against him. We can lock him away. We have to catch him.
Min Ho sighed. Yunho could be like a dog with a bone. He aimed his gun carefully when more shots were heard and he felt a sharp pain on his shoulder and his chest.
-Fuck! I’m hit!
-Are you ok?
-Yeahh! Keep driving.
The creep abandoned his car outside some abandoned building. Jung Yunho wasted no time and chased after him. Inside the car, Lee Min Ho got on the radio to call the police station and report where they were while he kept on the lookout. There were no cars around and not even nearby buildings. The guy would have no place to hide.
…
Choi Siwon opened the car door, grabbed Taemin, who tried fighting and screaming again, and sent his driver away. The boy looked around him. He was in some abandoned industrial place.
-This is where I brought your friend Ren. I thought you would like to come here as well.
The lawyer smiled again at the tears that started falling down the boy’s face. They walked for a while until they finally entered some abandoned building.
-I love this place. It’s my personal playground. I can do whatever I want and not have to worry about loud screams, blood or even the occasional dead body. But don’t worry, I will make sure that you survive. I will not make the same mistake I did with Ren. I got too carried away with your delicious friend and he almost died. Worse, I spent so much time playing with him that I didn’t notice his phone was on and Jaejoong’s pretty dogs were able to track this place. Ah, but you… You don’t have anyone worrying about you, right? I was rather upset that you run away from the orphanage. And that stupid director didn’t even care about it. When I was kept with no news of you for too many days, do you believe I reported you missing to the cops? Oh, yes.
Taemin was shaking as he was led from room to room. The building was a maze, with some walls torn down, corridors and more rooms. It was easy to get lost inside it. At some wall, like many others, the lawyer stopped and pushed a hidden button behind a light bulb.
-See this open space here? I played with Ren right there. But I will use my hidden room for you. I want you to feel special. And just in case…
Choi Siwon pushed Taemin to a dirty mattress on the floor while he fiddled with some equipment on a table. Monitors started showing images of the entire building.
-There. Just in case. Now, where were we?
…
Yunho ran and ran. He had lost sight of the damn man. He held his gun as he turned around walls and peaked inside rooms. Finally he saw the guy running.
-Stop or I’ll shoot!
Yunho held him at gun point, worried if the guy would try shooting. A sudden blow on his head, made the cop pass out and fall helplessly to the floor.
…
Taemin screamed again. He had been running inside the small room, trying to fight off Siwon. The lawyer actually allowed the cat and mouse play until he got bored and grabbed the boy. Just as Siwon was about to touch Taemin, a noise from the cameras caught his attention.
-What the hell? That stupid asshole? I told him to get away. And he brings cops here instead?
Hope flared inside Taemin. He had recognised the two cops the second his eyes caught sight of the tall men on the cameras. The creep ran inside the building and one of the cops chase after him. The boy waited a little, watching with anxious eyes as the cop got nearer and nearer. He wanted to scream only when he was sure the cop would hear him.
Siwon looked at the cameras with angry eyes. He put tape on Taemin’s mouth, slapping the boy hard when the kid tried struggling again and then pushed the boy back on the mattress. The lawyer approached the hidden door and waited. He hit the cop hard on the head, grabbed the fallen gun and shot dead the man who had been smiling at seeing him there.
-Asshole! Now what? This will be crawling with cops.
Siwon grabbed the creep’s gun and threw it down a hole that he knew lead to the ground floor. Looking at the cop’s gun still in his hand, he decided to keep it and returned to the hidden room, closing the door behind him. The lawyer looked at the scared boy with a smile.
-Ok, now, be a good boy and keep quiet.
Then the man started laughing, still with the gun in his hand, making Taemin shrunk in fear.
-By the way, I just recognised the cop outside and the one in the car. They are the ones who came to my office when I reported you missing. Isn’t that a coincidence?
Through the cameras, they both saw how the cop woke up to find his gun missing and a dead man staring at him. Soon, the entire place was full of cops but no one seemed to notice the hidden room because of the maze of torn walls, corridors, small rooms and then wide open spaces. Taemin kept busy trying to quietly loosen his ropes. He was glad that Siwon was too distracted to bother him.
The entire police circus ended already in the afternoon. All the cops and all the cars left. The lawyer sighed in relief and called his driver to pick him up. He watched the footage he had, replaying carefully the moment the cop had held his gun at the now dead guy. From one of the cameras, it looked as if it was the cop who fired the gun because he had fallen out of frame when he was hit and it was only the gun in view when the fire was shot. He smiled; he could use that to blackmail the cop.
Siwon called someone else, giving instructions to find information on the cop. His driver called to and the lawyer answered.
-Come pick me up right in front of the building. Today I’m not walking.
Siwon used a bag to put the gun, the cd with the footage and grabbed the kid up.
-Let’s go. Guess I can just take you to my house. I intended to take you there anyway. I always wanted a live in toy. Don’t worry, I’ll get you a nice leash.
Taemin waited patiently. As Siwon turned his attention to closing the door properly and loosened his grip, the boy took off running. Siwon found he had his hands on an empty rope. Taemin heard cursing and loud footsteps behind him but he kept running. His lungs hurt but he kept running. Taemin had had time to study the cops searching the rooms on the cameras; he had figured a route that would be just perfect for his small size but where Siwon wouldn’t be able to follow him. Using several small holes on the walls he gained distance on his pursuer and the second he stepped outside the building he just kept running.
By the time Siwon reached his driver and his car, there was no sign of Taemin on the open field. They searched the boy in vain. The abandoned industrial site was too large, full of too many abandoned factories.
-Shit! Ok, no matter. I found him once, I’ll find him again. Let’s go home. I have to think how I want to use a certain cop.
…
Taemin run until he collapsed in the middle of some path, already in a residential area. He just stayed there for hours, too tired to move, exhausted physically and emotionally. No one walked by and the boy just remained there. Finally, he looked around him. He needed to find a place to hide, to figure out what he would do now. He couldn’t return to his old neighbourhood.
…
Chapter 39 - Countdown,