{EunHae} Where the Sun Sets in Paradise {TWO}
Title: Where the Sun Sets in Paradise
Genre: Angst | Romance | AU
Rating: R
Pairing: EunHyuk/DongHae {maaaybe also DongHae/EunHyuk?}
Warning: Violence | Language | Prostitution | Drugs | Adicctions
Summary: In a starless night, two souls that should have never crossed their paths find themselves fighting against the same shadow in the darkest corner of Paradise.
ZERO | ONE
::TWO::
“So you’ve really never been to the city? Ever?”
HyukJae rolled his eyes and for the thousandth time that week asked himself why in God’s name possessed him every time he didn’t push DongHae into the water to drown (they lived in an island after all)-it was only Tuesday.
It was some weird kind of spell DongHae casted over him, with those big doe eyes and knowing smirk that got on his nerves, which just made impossible for him to close the door in front of the blonde’s pretty face.
And no, it wasn’t because he was hot.
It wasn’t because he feared for his life.
It wasn’t because he wanted to keep him under control.
The truth was… there wasn’t any specific reason of why he kept DongHae around, which made it worse because it meant he let DongHae stick around just because he wanted to.
It was that kind of inexplicably ridiculous things in life that just… happen to someone.
And DongHae was so annoying too.
He had this amazing ability of flipping out on anything HyukJae told him.
Like when he had explained that there was only one real Satellite TV in the whole island, which was a giant flat screen at their precarious mall’s food court and DongHae had nearly hung himself.
“It’s just… No TV!” he had whined like a little bitch (which, according to HyukJae, was his right), until HyukJae assured him there were better things to do. They did have internet everywhere, though. And with that DongHae felt like he could breathe like a human again.
Which HyukJae hadn’t been able to do since DongHae had ‘moved in’.
“So that’s a no?”
“No, DongHae. I’ve never been to the city nor do I ever want to go…” HyukJae said, walking ahead of the blonde on purpose; DongHae was a new face casually walking around, something you definitely didn’t see often, and HyukJae was tired of the uncalled attention and being greeted as ‘who’s this handsome face?’.
“But why?”
HyukJae shrugged. It had proven futile explaining the few citizens who had asked him why he didn’t have any interest in going to their precious city.
First, there was no transportation there but one’s feet or bikes. Second, you could immediately tell a Resident apart from a citizen from miles, and if discrimination worked both ways as he thought it did, he would be looked down on right away. Finally... HyukJae didn’t comprehend that necessity of getting to know something so ephemeral, so distant and non-relatable to his own life. He was perfectly happy with things as they were, but what if he didn’t after he had taken a look at what the other side had to offer? That’s a risk HyukJae couldn’t afford taking.
He didn’t know it yet, but he was purposely shutting down on what other people might have called ‘dreaming’.
“Look, it’s Hyukkie!” SooYoung beamed from behind the counter as soon as the bell rung and the familiar face came into view, and HyoYeon jumped over it to greet them.
“And his new pet! How’s it going boys?”
DongHae hadn’t been around the whole island yet, however if he had to choose, he’d say Las Chicas was his favorite place already. The diner was by far the cleanest, coziest place you’d fine around, and the food was simply exquisite. Damn, even their onion rings tasted like French cuisine to DongHae’s mouth.
Also, the Spanish syllables of the name danced so funnily on his tongue he just had to bug HyukJae three days straight by saying ‘vamos to Las Chicas’ nonstop.
“DongHae found himself a job” HyukJae explained with a flat voice as he sat on a stool in front of the counter, nodding to SooYoung when she silently asked if he wanted their usual milkshakes.
“Yay! I’m so glad, Hae!” HyoYeon said, but DongHae scrunched up his nose.
His new job at the butcher’s wasn’t really a career path he would have gladly taken back in the city. Not that his previous job had been such blast. But still.
HyukJae had snorted, quick to pinpoint the similarities between both.
“I’m not, that means he’ll be sticking around…” HyukJae grimaced at the thought of DongHae and him becoming… friends.
“Well, I like him, he’s cute” SooYoung complimented cheerfully, and HyukJae could have sworn he saw DongHae’s imaginary tail wiggling happily. You wouldn’t think so if you knew why he came here in the first place. “Here you go gentlemen. One chocolate and one strawberry.”
“He’s taking me to buy some clothes!” DongHae explained, having a huge sip of his milkshake-which, by the way, was the best milkshake he’d ever had.
“Oh, that’s cool. You’re going over to Lulu & TaeMin’s?” SooYoung asked, but left unanswered since a flood of costumers suddenly barged in and HyoYeon was already busy.
“Is there anywhere else to buy in this stinky place?” HyukJae mumbled anyways.
“I just hope is not where you buy your little night outfits.”
“Suuuuure, says the guy I found in tight leather clothing.”
DongHae laughed soundly and playfully punched HyukJae on the shoulder. The redhead just smiled one of his sincere gummy smiles that made DongHae’s pulse appear on the weirdest places… like his stomach, for example.
It was uncanny, but his thoughts about the island had always been so gloom and judging. Well, it wasn’t completely unfathomable; everyone in the city talked about what a shadow to society this place was, but they just never talked about how people lived in it. Real people like SooYoung and HyoYeon who were about the healthiest kids he knew and just tried to make sense of their lives with the few tools destiny had left them.
By night, yes, it was sort of a sea of decadence; drugs and alcohol and sex flowing through the streets naturally and unrestricted, yet by day the same people who smoked, drank and fucked could be found laughing, crying, bonding with their peers. Sure, it wasn’t completely the same as in the city, or around the world, but the fact that it was different didn’t automatically make it wrong.
And even if SooYoung had temper issues and ate way too much, and even if HyoYeon didn’t let anyone touch her but SooYoung or Yuri, and even if Yuri had a bit of an eating disorder going on, and even if HyukJae or HeeChul sold their bodies for a living… why did that made them the bad guys? It was just a different world, one other people wasn’t used to.
It wasn’t as if he was a saint, but he had grown in an environment that had turned him into a hypocrite once he had had to take on his former job. He killed people for a living, yet he preached everyone’s life belonged to God?
DongHae’s eyes were being ripped opened by some strange force that circled the island, his blood felt as if it was pleasantly hardening and slowly boiling into sweet thickness.
If he had thought he’d been in and out of hell before…
…he was just discovering how his life had barely begun.
Lulu & TaeMin's was one of the coolest stores DongHae had ever been to. It was also one of the gayest, but meeting HeeChul had successfully raised his rainbow-tolerance to the point such term didn't seem weird anymore. Well, it wasn't as if DongHae was precisely straight. Truth be told, albeit he wasn't a virgin, DongHae had had little time in the city to explore whatever his sexual orientation might be. Growing up struggling to pay what seemed like endless debts could cause that.
Maybe that should be his first project here.
"Hey! Hyukkie! Long time no see!" an ash blonde long-haired girl jumped off the register counter and promptly walked towards them. "And not alone I see?"
"Yep, this is DongHae. Dude, where's Lu Han?" HyukJae confidently stepped into the huge psychedelic store, not really caring if DongHae followed or not.
"She's a dude?!" DongHae stared at the thin girl dressed in red skinny jeans and black printed tank top and his lips twitched. He heard her-no, him- snicker behind him and HyukJae chuckled.
"Yeah, TaeMin is only fifteen... and pretty" he explained as if it made a big difference. "Wait until you see Lulu..." he winked.
Lu Han and TaeMin were part of a brewing sixth generation that no one really knew how appeared until it did. They were mostly orphans, offspring of prostitution and carelessness, and their worldview on the island and the rest of the world was completely opposite from the prior Residents'.
They came and went from the island to the city, afraid of no one, youthful and relaxed. TaeMin was also the youngest person in the whole island to fully pay a bank loan-Global G Inc. was the only established bank in the city and, unless you wanted to get involved with underground sharks, the one that also operated for the island. Considering that most people died without paying half their loans, it was a huge accomplishment.
Not to mention their clothing selection was handpicked, really. DongHae had never seen such an awesome store he could actually shop at.
He tried and tried things on, so fast and swift that HyukJae had stopped keeping track of how many times he had entered the fitting rooms-curiously enough, HyukJae hadn't forgotten how many DongHae had gone out shirtless: seven.
But even that got boring after an hour, so HyukJae walked towards a rack of red clothing, browsing carelessly, thinking about the upcoming festival (if you could call it so) and how SungMin had been looking forward to it so much.
He stopped between a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, sighing defeated.
Where in God's name was his best friend?
HyukJae's blood turned cold at the mere thought of SungMin, his dear SungMin, being in danger or harmed in a place that was much too far to even imagine. On the other side, one tiny part of him tried to believe that perhaps he had known someone was coming for him and hence had decided not to return.
This tiny chance was the only thing he had left to keep his nerves together.
If anything were to happen to him...
"Hey, Hyuk..."
A whisper behind him caressed his ear gingerly and he gulped. That nickname, jeez. DongHae was such a fucking chameleon it had already stuck on his tongue.
"Y-yes?"
"Try this on for me, would ya'?" his tone was sultry and seductive, just the tinniest bif of lethal, and it made HyukJae shiver slightly.
Nope, this wasn’t flirting. Not at all.
HyukJae laughed it off awkwardly.
“Just do it, please. I want to see you."
Nope, this didn’t sound dangerously like a porno intro. Not at all.
"S-sure." HyukJae stuttered, taking the red military-style jacket in his hands and heading for the fitting room.
He realized only when he had settled in front of the mirror that his heart was racing violently.
There was just something about DongHae; something about the bare nature of the blonde that inevitably drew HyukJae closer to him. It was raw attraction beyond his reasoning, and it was messing around with HyukJae's ultimate survival instincts.
"HyukJae, are you ready?" DongHae's cheery voice was heard behind the thin door of his fitting room and HyukJae decided to go out because, yes, the jacket was quite flattering.
DongHae smiled, pleased, and ran his fingers across HyukJae's shoulder, subtly biting his lips.
"Well, it suits you" he mumbled, blushing much like a school girl and HyukJae couldn't help but wonder once again if this man was really a trained lethal assassin. "Will you wear this for the festival?" DongHae asked hopefully. HyukJae groaned.
This discussion had been going on since New Year, when he had told DongHae that Residents didn't celebrate New Year's, because it was the night the Casino had been opened so many years ago. Instead, they had their own native holiday: Crimson Festival, held the second week of February every year.
It was by furthest HyukJae's favorite time of the year, the only time when he let go of himself and started caring for life for a change. And even if he was too preoccupied to think about festivals, DongHae's excitement only powered by the fact that he hadn't celebrated New Year’s was starting to rub off on HyukJae.
"Yeah, I'll buy it."
+
DongHae sighed contently as he watched the giant screen in the back wall of the food court while lapping at an ice-cream. The movie that was on wasn't very good, but at least he had some entertainment while HyukJae worked.
It wasn't DongHae's favorite time of the day, the night.
At night things were different.
As if a mask of steel fell upon the island the same people that had greeted him so casually at the morning were now drinking, smoking, dancing, intoxicating themselves... it was the business of the lost, and HyukJae had clearly told him he'd better stay put until he came looking for him.
That night, however, DongHae wasn't in for a tranquil mood. That night something pulled him out of the mall the minute the credits started rolling, stirring him to ignore HyukJae’s advice and go strolling into the pitch blackness of the grave streets.
It was like reminiscing his first night. He had walked for so long with a gun in his pocket and only one target in mind and he had found something entirely different in the process. Much like that night would be, save for the gun.
As he walked, several people passed through him, dressed in few fluorescent clothes, laughing and reeking toxicity. It was a bleak smell that made DongHae scrunch up his nose yet at the same time convinced him to follow their youthful steps.
He was, after all, a pointless character. His life was already practically over. He couldn’t go back, he could barely move on in such a place. He could subsist, yes, but he wouldn’t get back the life God ripped away from his hands.
What could he do but follow the first thing that flashed before his eyes?
The teen crowd opened a door that could be mistaken for a wall, into a windowless place DongHae was no really tempted to frequent. So he kept walking as if nothing, when tainted windows and a neon sign caught his eyes.
He smirked.
Maybe it was time for a new milestone.
As he entered he was greeted by soft ballads and several framed photographs of tattooed skin. It was a small place pestered with the smell of wine and the buzzing sound of the tattoo machine.
DongHae liked it. It reminded him of the time he had gone to get his tattoo done. His… ‘teacher’ had given him the money as the last lesson, and all the pain that had caused had erased all the other pain he had been constantly feeling back then, even if only for a couple of minutes.
DongHae, it’s okay. It’s a job. Try to pay and move on. Just never forget your soul. But it wasn’t okay. It most certainly wasn’t. He had kept his soul but his job was gone and with it his family. Without his family, then, his soul was meaningless.
“You’re a new face” a deep, liquid-caramel-like voice greeted him, and the blonde was met by the sight of curly brown hair, pale grayish skin, questioning brown orbs and smirking pink lines.
This man looked different from any tattoo artist he’d ever seen. To DongHae he seemed more like a skinny sleep deprived junkie than the tough muscular gorillas he was used to. DongHae stepped farther in and looked around.
“I want a tattoo.”
“That takes me by surprise” the man said sarcastically and DongHae snorted. Of course. Watch your mouth. “Are you new in the island? I have eidetic memory, and a candy-eye toy-boy like you can’t remain hidden in such a small town.”
“Yes, I am. And I want a tattoo… What would you recommend?”
The man frowned.
“What’s your name?”
“DongHae. Yours?”
“KyuHyun. And I don’t do recs. If you don’t know what to get you just shouldn’t get anything. A tattoo is a birth and death mark. It has to mean something and-”
DongHae stopped listening as his mind came to a halt when he picked up a small frame with a photograph of teens KyuHyun and HyukJae hugging and smiling sincerely into the camera. “You know HyukJae?”
“Everyone knows HyukJae. I particularly, am a very close friend of his and his roommate. I am also his neighbor’s boyfriend. I am the keeper of hidden feelings and dirty secrets and you… you’re the one who came to kill Ming.”
He pronounced the words carefully and tastily, as if he wanted to ravish in the reaction he might get from uttering them. The blonde tried to stutter a question about his knowledge but KyuHyun replied him before he could make up his mind.
“I told you, they tell me everything. Well, HeeChul does, mostly. You should know I was with HeeChul in the whole ‘killing you’ idea. You, sir, deserve no mercy.”
“I-I-I don’t…” DongHae suddenly wished he had a gun or some sort of weaponry to defend himself in case this junkie-looking tattoo guy tried to kill him.
“Or that’s what I thought. Looking at you… my gut tells me you’re not the cold-blooded murderer I thought you were, you know?”
It was true. When KyuHyun had heard the story, he had immediately suggested grabbing DongHae while he slept and throwing his lifeless body into the river, but after HyukJae had drastically opposed, he had had to settle for HeeChul promising they would call him the second DongHae got over the line.
“I had pictured you entirely differently,” at least not like a Golden Retriever looking for his ball.
“Hum, and that’s good?”
“If you want to live it is” KyuHyun snapped, then pointed at the tattooing chair. “Sit and talk before I slice you up.”
DongHae obeyed like a kicked puppy, looking at the ground under his feet at a lack of a better focus for his sight. “It starts with a big necessity. It always does.”
“Goodbye Mister Kim, have a nice day!” the head nurse of the unit smiled tenderly at him as YoungWoon handed her his visitor’s card.
“Thank you Mrs. Song, take good care of him, alright?”
“Yes, of course I will. Oh, and Doctor Min told me you’ve already started the paperwork for the surgery?”
YoungWoon smiled, and nodded quizzically. “Yes, Yes I have. It’s finally happening, ahjhumma!”
“Congratulations!”
“You need money, yet are insolvent, so the bank won’t lend it to you. You start to grow desperate. You get to the point where eating is less important than your issue… or maybe your issue is that you have nothing to eat. Whatever it is… they come to you first.
“You receive a black cardboard clover with a number and S.O.S written on it. You know it’s them, and you actually feel relieved because they have come to rescue you from your misery. You call and from that point… they own you.”
YoungWoon walked through the crowded streets of the city with his hands in his pockets. As he advanced, the lights dimmed, the buildings stopped shinning and became a bit older, a bit more ragged, a bit browner too. It was the old part of the city that albeit surprisingly preserved, still showed the ruthless crawling of time through its walls.
He entered a building just like any other, the receptionist smiled pitifully yet professionally at him.
“Hey, KangIn-ssi. Before you go to discuss your next mission with President, Mr. Moon needs you to stop by his office in the accounting floor to talk about the readjustment of your debt and your last payment.”
YoungWoon groaned inwardly. Not this again.
“It sounds amazing, right? Endless resources with a tax rate of only 0.5%. Beautiful, no? Well, there’s a catch, of course. You know it’s there, but you choose to ignore it because… well, what other choice do poor people like us have?
“It’s endless money, for an endless debt. You work and you work and no matter how well you do or how much dirt you take care of for them, it’ll never pay that idiotic tax rate. As ridiculous as it may sound.
“You didn’t want to end up like this, you know? Most of us hadn’t hold a gun in our hands until they make us. You do what they ask you to. No matter what it may be. Because no one regulates that side of the city’s finances, and so you could easily end up dead under a bridge and nobody would give a damn because you’re poor and one less of those isn’t exactly bad news for rich people.
“Ah, YoungWoon-ssi!” Mr. Moon lifted himself and offered a seat at the other man, who looked at him miserably from his tiny chair that differed so much from the huge leather one where Mr. Moon was seating. Talk about overcompensation.
“To the point, please. You have to understand time is precious and a new job is awaiting me.”
“Sure, sure. Let’s talk numbers. You have managed to repay fifty percent of the debt, which is quite impressive yet not enough. Your last job was supposed to pay off ten percent, raising to a solid sixty, yet why does it appear here you only earned half of what you were supposed to earn?”
Bullshit. The job had been done flawlessly, and whatever complains his bosses may have about it would be arisen by nothing more than monetary interest. KangIn was the best at what he did…all the more reason to not let him go.
“That’s… peculiar,” YoungWoon said, because there was nothing else he could do.
“Yes, indeed. But well, shall we recalculate?”
YoungWoon sighed. What choice do I have? “Yeah, let’s.”
“Can’t you give it up?” KyuHyun asked, suddenly empathizing with DongHae’s situation. He came from a family that had only recently moved into the island, becoming Residents, and he still remembered clearly the situation that had led to it.
Desperation was the rightful mother of impulsiveness.
“Yeah, you may try. Once I knew a person who did. It was a girl, actually. She said she couldn’t take any more souls; that she needed to quit. She promised she would repay every penny, even if it took all her life. But when you finally decide it, you… well, she knew too much. They say you get a red cardboard clover. And the words on it are the last thing you’ll ever read before they get to you and you no longer exist.”
“Kangin! How nice to see you! Did Moon give you a hard time?” the President of Clover (a theatrical nickname given to hide his true identity, of course) saluted and YoungWoon sat in front of the computer screen that represented their faceless president.
“No sir. Everything’s clear.”
“Good. So… have you heard about DongHae’s latest mission?”
YoungWoon frowned. DongHae?
“Hum… well…” he didn’t mean to stutter like that, but he was taken aback by the sudden question. He did his best to remember. “I think he mentioned… going to the island, perhaps?” he let out a pained sigh. “Honestly, I don’t know sir. I just… we don’t really talk about our missions like that.”
“Yes, that sounds about right. Well, I must inform you that DongHae has not only failed his mission, but hasn’t returned since then. He has disappeared. And you have to agree this is most unacceptable behavior.”
YoungWoon closed his eyes, wishing he wasn’t the one to have been chosen for this. Wishing that DongHae hadn’t ran away. Hell, wishing he wasn’t having this conversation.
The President paused.
“I sense that you must know what you next task is…”
Ugh.
“Am I the one to bring him back?”
The voice chuckled pleased.
“Precisely. And at any cost, YoungWoon-ssi.”