[SJFF] Fragments of a Memory - Chapter 6
Title: Fragments of a Memory (Sequel to Angel of Death)
Characters: Kyuhyun, OC, SJ members
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance, Drama
Type: Novel
Summary: Even if he may have been released from those invisible bonds tying him down, even if he has been allowed to return, what are the odds of a separation occurring once again?
Author's Notes: Jinri belongs to the lovely airplanewishes ♥
~ * ~
Chapter 06
"This is going to be a huge problem," the man with a dimple on his left cheek said, his arms circling limply around his wife's waist. There was a burdened expression on his face as he mulled over the turn of events on that particular day.
"It really is. If what Hyeonmin said was true, there's a large chance that Jin Ri had managed to recognise him on the streets," Angie nodded grimly in agreement, barely suppressing a conflicted sigh from escaping her lips.
Around them, the other Super Junior members and their wives who were present also had troubled looks on their faces. After Kyuhyun and Hyeonmin had excused themselves (Kyuhyun had insisted on taking Hyeonmin to the doctor as she still seemed to be under the weather), the group stayed on to discuss about the pressing matter at hand. Angie had sent them all a text message while they were still busy teasing the hell out of Kyuhyun earlier.
"But should we continue hiding this from both parties? I mean, judging by the way Hyeonmin had described the situation to you, Kyuhyun seemed to be oblivious to the reality that he had met Riri by chance on the streets," Heechul turned to look at Angie, whom merely shrugged in response. She had absolutely no idea how she should respond to that query.
"And Ri doesn't know that he's... embroiled in such a bizarre circumstance," Zhou Mi supplemented. A frown creased his forehead, fretting over the situation. Words weren’t even adequate to describe how torn he was.
"As much as I want to see Jin Ri together with Kyuhyun again, I don't think I can bear to wish for it to happen," Ryeowook muttered quietly, stifling a sniff. "Ri suffered enough during his passing; it's bound to reopen a number of old wounds."
The expression on the other members' faces fell at the unwanted reminder. They all witnessed how Jin Ri wailed and bereaved in the first few months after Kyuhyun was murdered. Her weight fell drastically during that period of time, cheeks turning gaunt as a result of it. More importantly, her usually brilliant eyes lost its shine. It was as though their beloved sister-in-law had turned into a completely different person.
If anything, they were thankful that she managed to pick herself up after Hyunjin's birth. They didn’t think they could stand seeing Jin Ri in such a state any longer than they had.
Donghae nodded in agreement. "Besides, he's seeing Hyeonmin now. After everything they've been through, and after all the sacrifices she has made for Kyuhyun's sake, it wouldn't be fair for her either,” he sighed, delivering the last slice of meat into his mouth with the help of his chopsticks.
"In any case, we should pretend that nothing had happened if Jin Ri starts talking about Kyuhyun. We really can't risk it without knowing what would truly transpire from this," Jongwoon suggested, which was met with murmurs of approval from the rest.
"Zhou Mi should remain extra cautious then," Hyukjae warned, throwing a glance at said man's direction. "You were, and still are the closest person to Riri among all of us. She might ring you up one of these days, if she really did recognise Kyuhyun.”
“Hyukjae’s right. We can’t take any chances,” Jungsoo concurred. He turned to smile at his wife when she squeezed his hand encouragingly under the table.
“I know what to do, Teukkie hyung. Don’t worry,” Zhou Mi promised, though deep down, he couldn’t quite fathom what exactly he would tell Jin Ri when the time comes. One thing’s for sure - he couldn’t bring himself to lie in her face.
With that in mind, Zhou Mi took a deep gulp, hoping that he would be calm enough to face the situation as was expected of him.
* * * * *
She stretched a little and attempted to relax the muscles in her neck, deciding to take a break from selecting photos which were required for an editorial. Her apartment was submerged in a calm blanket of silence, being in the middle of the night.
She padded towards the room next to hers, and peered within. A smile found its way to her lips. Her four-year-old was already sound asleep in his bed, having been worn out after a very long day out. A sense of calmness rose in her chest at the sight, and she walked in replace the comforter on his tiny body. He had evidently been tossing and turning on his bed, as his comforter was only covering him from thigh downwards.
Pressing a kiss on his forehead, Jin Ri then reached for his favourite soft toy - a plushie in the form of a puppy which was given by Zhou Mi - and tucked it under the comforter with him. As if sensing the sudden increase in warmth, Hyunjin stirred in his sleep, his arms wrapping snugly around the toy and his face was nuzzled deep in its fur.
Flashing another soft smile at her son’s sleeping face, the woman quietly closed the door behind her, deciding that it probably wasn’t a good idea to linger for too long. Hyunjin had a keen sense for her presence; she didn’t think it was a good idea for him to be awake at this time of the night. It was difficult to coax him to fall asleep, and she was too exhausted to attempt a second round tonight.
Jin Ri found her way back to the living room. Her slender but slightly calloused fingers glided smoothly across the surface of the bookshelf on her left, lips still softly curved upwards as she took in the sight of the numerous photo frames lined on top of it. Her gaze travelled towards the wall where even more Polaroid shots and various old photos were put up, before returning her attention to a particular photo sitting primly on the far end of the piece of furniture.
Her eyes brimmed with tears as she carefully picked the platinum frame up. She brushed the specks of dust stuck on the glass shielding the photograph away, blinking profusely as the salty fluid stung and blurred her sense of vision. It was the image of her old home, which she had fallen in love with at first sight. The building was everything she had wished for, and it was a venue for her to build a new life with the person she had planned to spend the rest of her life with.
That was, until, an unfortunate incident befell him.
Clutching the photo frame close to her chest, Jin Ri slowly slid to the carpeted floor and drew her legs close to her. She thought that she had successfully repressed the pain from the loss of her husband to the back of her mind, but obviously she was wrong.
Seeing the man who looked so much like Kyuhyun, sounded so much like Kyuhyun… Part of her wanted to be irrational and hop into his embrace, regardless of the fact that they were on the streets. The rational - and hopefully, sane - part of her mind kept on reminding her that Kyuhyun was dead. There was no way he could be freely walking around on the streets, looking exactly like how he did four years ago.
She laughed at the thought, wiping away the tears that had unknowingly flowed down her cheeks. She was being ridiculous, she knew, but the dull ache was unmistakably still there. It had taken her more than a year to get over the fact that she was a widow, yet it only required a five-minute meeting with a man to bring all the memories back to her.
It was only then did Jin Ri realise that she had been keeping herself preoccupied for the entire day after that fateful meeting, just to prevent herself from thinking about it. No wonder she felt as though she had participated in a bloody marathon race.
The silence of the night, and the intense craving for a loved one's embrace amplified that sense of loneliness. She hugged herself tight, hoping that she could seek some solace from it.
Nothing could compare with Kyuhyun's hugs, her mind reminded her, and her breath hitched in her throat.
Feeling that she was about to drown in the negativity, Jin Ri pulled herself up and staggered towards her workstation. She winced when she had accidentally knocked the penholder over, scattering the stationery all across her table. She cocked her head in attention, trying to listen for any signs that her four-year-old was awake because of the ruckus.
A barely concealed exhale shattered the tense silence moments later, when nothing could be heard from her son's room. She promptly moved to rearrange the objects on her table, though when her finger brushed against the phone, Jin Ri bit on her lip in contemplation.
She eased herself into her chair, picking up the receiver and dialling a familiar number. The dial tone sounded several times, before the person finally picked up.
"Hello...? Ri, what's wrong?" The person said, the sleep clear as daylight in his voice. A muffled conversation followed in the background, and Jin Ri's eyes widened in realisation when she noticed the time.
"Oh God I'm so sorry for disturbing you at this time of the night, Mi! I'll call you again some other time," she quickly said, and was about to end the call when Zhou Mi protested in response.
"No!" He had shouted, though he recollected himself and repeated his words in a calmer manner. "No, Ri. It's fine. Is there something wrong?" he asked, genuinely concerned about her. It was rare for her to ring him up without even checking the time of the day after all.
"I..." she started, though she shook her head after reconsidering the circumstances, despite the fact that her friend wasn't able to see the act. “I'll talk to you some other time. I feel bad for disturbing you and Huiying."
"Riri, don't worry about it. Just go ahead and talk." There was a soft ruffling of sheets, and Huiying's voice filtered through the phone. Jin Ri guessed that Zhou Mi had handed his phone over to his wife.
"You heard her." Zhou Mi's melodious laughter returned. "So what's bothering you? And did you just cry?" he asked, voice now full of suspicion and apprehension.
Jin Ri paled at the question. Was she being obvious? "No, I'm fine. I just need someone to talk to," she therefore lied, not wanting to worry him further. "I don't know, Mi. My head's in a mess."
"Work-related problems? You stress yourself out way too much for your own good, Ri."
"It's not about work," she sighed. "I think I'm losing my mind from missing Kyuhyun way too much."
She didn't know whether she had imagined it, but she thought she heard a sharp gasp from Huiying at the mention of the name. Zhou Mi's reply came before she could even dwell on it, "Oh, Ri. What makes you think in such a manner?"
"You won't think I'm crazy?" Jin Ri prompted cautiously.
"You know I'm always here to listen," he reassured.
She sighed in resignation. “Now here’s the weird part. I think I saw Kyuhyun in the crowd today while I was strolling through Apgujeong with Hyunjin,” the woman breathed, feeling every bit sceptical at her own words.
“Ri, I’m sorry I have to be blunt, but you and I both know that it’s not possible,” Zhou Mi commented wryly. Jin Ri could hear some crackling sounds; he was rubbing the back of his neck in an awkward manner, no doubt.
“I know; which is why I need someone to tell me that I’m being stupid. That I’m losing my touch with reality.” Jin Ri blew her bangs out of her eyes, and her head met the cold surface of the table. “I’m sorry; you must think that this is a ridiculous reason for me to wake you up at night.”
“Don’t be silly. I need you to tell me such things, Cho Jin Ri. I need to make sure you’re okay,” he chastised her for thinking in such a manner. I made a promise to Kyuhyun in front of his grave, he added as an afterthought.
A bittersweet smile found its way to her lips at his words. She could almost imagine his pout. Trust Zhou Mi to be able to comfort her when she needed it most. She felt almost guilty for having such thoughts. “Thanks, Mi. You’re a great friend.”
“When am I not?” he chuckled. “You should go to bed. You must be exhausted.”
“Yeah, I guess I should,” she agreed, suppressing a yawn. “I’m sorry for disturbing you and Huiying again. I’ll buy you lunch when the opportunity arises.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Good night, Ri,” Zhou Mi therefore said with another laugh, and the line went dead.
However, Jin Ri found herself staring blankly at the phone in her grip long after the call had ended, still feeling perturbed about the incident earlier that morning. No matter how she tried to convince herself that the man was probably someone who resembled Kyuhyun and not her husband himself, the immense sense of familiarity nagged at her.
In the end, the throbbing headache that arose as a result of her hyperactive mind made Jin Ri feel compelled to follow Zhou Mi’s advice and head to bed. Heaving one last sigh as she glanced out of the window, she finally flicked the lights off and retired to her own bedroom.
* * * * *
A smirk pulled up on the corner of his lips when he had walked into his private chambers, noticing the lone figure sprawled sensually across the armchair by the side. Within the blink of an eye, he reappeared right next to the woman, his long, bony fingers gripping her by the chin.
“Master,” she breathed, eyes gleaming in what he perceived to be delight… and perhaps a little intention of deceit? “You’re back.”
“Did you… need me for something?” he slurred lazily, though his gaze was still fixed on her. He was impressed that the woman didn’t even flinch when his eyes started scanning her entire body, unlike some of the lesser angels of death. Those were no fun.
A hum of contentment rumbled from his chest at the thought.
“Is it necessary for me to have a reason to be here?” she replied, her sultry eyes locking with his. She boldly raised her hands to cup her master’s face, the smile growing wider when he leaned into her touch.
“No,” he concurred - a little too easily, if she might add. However, before she could even have her suspicions raised, her master’s free hand was already tangled in her long, silken locks, tugging painfully at her roots.
“Master, what-” she uttered through a wince, though she snapped her mouth shut when the man gave another jerk. She hated the pain receptors with a passion, now that her master had reactivated them for his toying pleasure.
“Hyorin, Hyorin,” he cooed, running his cold lips along her jawline and exposed neck. “My dear little Hyorin, how naïve you are. Do you think I’m that silly to believe that you have absolutely no hidden agenda in being here, hmm?”
She gulped. Chungho was right; their master was sharp when they least expect him to. “It’s not that, Master! I-”
“Did I give you the permission to speak?” he interrupted calmly, though the simmering anger was unmistakable. It sent a shudder down the angel of death’s spine, hoping that she wasn’t going to lose her life for good in these very chambers. There was so much more she had to accomplish.
Hyorin therefore shook her head obediently, deciding not to do anything brash unless her master permitted - or forced - her to. He let out a satisfied chuckle. “Good. Now tell me, what are you trying to accomplish by coming here? Don’t attempt to leave out any details. You won’t like it when I’m forced to go through your thoughts,” he warned again. Hyorin’s breath hitched in her throat when her master bent down to suck at the skin over her collarbone. It made it difficult for her to think through the pain and pleasure that shot through her senses.
“I…” she began, licking her dry lips when she found it challenging to speak. “I’m here to talk about a certain Cho Kyuhyun.”
Her master perked up at the sound of the name, the amused smile playing on his lips. He was definitely interested, alright. “What about him?” he mused.
“I’ve learned that he has given up his powers as an angel of death,” Hyorin approached the subject cautiously, hoping that she hadn’t touched a raw nerve in her master. She had to hold herself back from heaving a sigh of relief when his grip on her loosened ever so slightly.
“Yes, that’s right,” the man nodded in confirmation, evidently pleased with his actions. “But if you’re trying to pry the reason out of me so that you can feed it to Chungho, save your breath,” he warned, violently releasing his hold on Hyorin’s hair. She winced at the pain when her head snapped back in response.
Hyorin’s eyes widened at the mention of Chungho’s name, even though she hadn’t as much thought about it. The latter was definitely going to gloat in her face and boast about how he had warned her beforehand. She swallowed the bile that rose in her throat. “May I know what your plans for him are?” she braved herself to put forth the query. “And is it possible to restore Chungho to his original position?”
“Do enlighten me on the reasons why?”
“If you intend to fool around with Cho Kyuhyun, wouldn’t it be more interesting to complicate things for him?” Hyorin proposed. She eyed his finger which was doodling randomly on the exposed skin of her thighs, wondering what was on his mind.
He unexpectedly disappeared from sight in the next moment, but not before leaving a reply that she had wanted to hear. “I’ll consider.”
She smirked.
Characters: Kyuhyun, OC, SJ members
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance, Drama
Type: Novel
Summary: Even if he may have been released from those invisible bonds tying him down, even if he has been allowed to return, what are the odds of a separation occurring once again?
Author's Notes: Jinri belongs to the lovely airplanewishes ♥
~ * ~
Chapter 06
"This is going to be a huge problem," the man with a dimple on his left cheek said, his arms circling limply around his wife's waist. There was a burdened expression on his face as he mulled over the turn of events on that particular day.
"It really is. If what Hyeonmin said was true, there's a large chance that Jin Ri had managed to recognise him on the streets," Angie nodded grimly in agreement, barely suppressing a conflicted sigh from escaping her lips.
Around them, the other Super Junior members and their wives who were present also had troubled looks on their faces. After Kyuhyun and Hyeonmin had excused themselves (Kyuhyun had insisted on taking Hyeonmin to the doctor as she still seemed to be under the weather), the group stayed on to discuss about the pressing matter at hand. Angie had sent them all a text message while they were still busy teasing the hell out of Kyuhyun earlier.
"But should we continue hiding this from both parties? I mean, judging by the way Hyeonmin had described the situation to you, Kyuhyun seemed to be oblivious to the reality that he had met Riri by chance on the streets," Heechul turned to look at Angie, whom merely shrugged in response. She had absolutely no idea how she should respond to that query.
"And Ri doesn't know that he's... embroiled in such a bizarre circumstance," Zhou Mi supplemented. A frown creased his forehead, fretting over the situation. Words weren’t even adequate to describe how torn he was.
"As much as I want to see Jin Ri together with Kyuhyun again, I don't think I can bear to wish for it to happen," Ryeowook muttered quietly, stifling a sniff. "Ri suffered enough during his passing; it's bound to reopen a number of old wounds."
The expression on the other members' faces fell at the unwanted reminder. They all witnessed how Jin Ri wailed and bereaved in the first few months after Kyuhyun was murdered. Her weight fell drastically during that period of time, cheeks turning gaunt as a result of it. More importantly, her usually brilliant eyes lost its shine. It was as though their beloved sister-in-law had turned into a completely different person.
If anything, they were thankful that she managed to pick herself up after Hyunjin's birth. They didn’t think they could stand seeing Jin Ri in such a state any longer than they had.
Donghae nodded in agreement. "Besides, he's seeing Hyeonmin now. After everything they've been through, and after all the sacrifices she has made for Kyuhyun's sake, it wouldn't be fair for her either,” he sighed, delivering the last slice of meat into his mouth with the help of his chopsticks.
"In any case, we should pretend that nothing had happened if Jin Ri starts talking about Kyuhyun. We really can't risk it without knowing what would truly transpire from this," Jongwoon suggested, which was met with murmurs of approval from the rest.
"Zhou Mi should remain extra cautious then," Hyukjae warned, throwing a glance at said man's direction. "You were, and still are the closest person to Riri among all of us. She might ring you up one of these days, if she really did recognise Kyuhyun.”
“Hyukjae’s right. We can’t take any chances,” Jungsoo concurred. He turned to smile at his wife when she squeezed his hand encouragingly under the table.
“I know what to do, Teukkie hyung. Don’t worry,” Zhou Mi promised, though deep down, he couldn’t quite fathom what exactly he would tell Jin Ri when the time comes. One thing’s for sure - he couldn’t bring himself to lie in her face.
With that in mind, Zhou Mi took a deep gulp, hoping that he would be calm enough to face the situation as was expected of him.
* * * * *
She stretched a little and attempted to relax the muscles in her neck, deciding to take a break from selecting photos which were required for an editorial. Her apartment was submerged in a calm blanket of silence, being in the middle of the night.
She padded towards the room next to hers, and peered within. A smile found its way to her lips. Her four-year-old was already sound asleep in his bed, having been worn out after a very long day out. A sense of calmness rose in her chest at the sight, and she walked in replace the comforter on his tiny body. He had evidently been tossing and turning on his bed, as his comforter was only covering him from thigh downwards.
Pressing a kiss on his forehead, Jin Ri then reached for his favourite soft toy - a plushie in the form of a puppy which was given by Zhou Mi - and tucked it under the comforter with him. As if sensing the sudden increase in warmth, Hyunjin stirred in his sleep, his arms wrapping snugly around the toy and his face was nuzzled deep in its fur.
Flashing another soft smile at her son’s sleeping face, the woman quietly closed the door behind her, deciding that it probably wasn’t a good idea to linger for too long. Hyunjin had a keen sense for her presence; she didn’t think it was a good idea for him to be awake at this time of the night. It was difficult to coax him to fall asleep, and she was too exhausted to attempt a second round tonight.
Jin Ri found her way back to the living room. Her slender but slightly calloused fingers glided smoothly across the surface of the bookshelf on her left, lips still softly curved upwards as she took in the sight of the numerous photo frames lined on top of it. Her gaze travelled towards the wall where even more Polaroid shots and various old photos were put up, before returning her attention to a particular photo sitting primly on the far end of the piece of furniture.
Her eyes brimmed with tears as she carefully picked the platinum frame up. She brushed the specks of dust stuck on the glass shielding the photograph away, blinking profusely as the salty fluid stung and blurred her sense of vision. It was the image of her old home, which she had fallen in love with at first sight. The building was everything she had wished for, and it was a venue for her to build a new life with the person she had planned to spend the rest of her life with.
That was, until, an unfortunate incident befell him.
Clutching the photo frame close to her chest, Jin Ri slowly slid to the carpeted floor and drew her legs close to her. She thought that she had successfully repressed the pain from the loss of her husband to the back of her mind, but obviously she was wrong.
Seeing the man who looked so much like Kyuhyun, sounded so much like Kyuhyun… Part of her wanted to be irrational and hop into his embrace, regardless of the fact that they were on the streets. The rational - and hopefully, sane - part of her mind kept on reminding her that Kyuhyun was dead. There was no way he could be freely walking around on the streets, looking exactly like how he did four years ago.
She laughed at the thought, wiping away the tears that had unknowingly flowed down her cheeks. She was being ridiculous, she knew, but the dull ache was unmistakably still there. It had taken her more than a year to get over the fact that she was a widow, yet it only required a five-minute meeting with a man to bring all the memories back to her.
It was only then did Jin Ri realise that she had been keeping herself preoccupied for the entire day after that fateful meeting, just to prevent herself from thinking about it. No wonder she felt as though she had participated in a bloody marathon race.
The silence of the night, and the intense craving for a loved one's embrace amplified that sense of loneliness. She hugged herself tight, hoping that she could seek some solace from it.
Nothing could compare with Kyuhyun's hugs, her mind reminded her, and her breath hitched in her throat.
Feeling that she was about to drown in the negativity, Jin Ri pulled herself up and staggered towards her workstation. She winced when she had accidentally knocked the penholder over, scattering the stationery all across her table. She cocked her head in attention, trying to listen for any signs that her four-year-old was awake because of the ruckus.
A barely concealed exhale shattered the tense silence moments later, when nothing could be heard from her son's room. She promptly moved to rearrange the objects on her table, though when her finger brushed against the phone, Jin Ri bit on her lip in contemplation.
She eased herself into her chair, picking up the receiver and dialling a familiar number. The dial tone sounded several times, before the person finally picked up.
"Hello...? Ri, what's wrong?" The person said, the sleep clear as daylight in his voice. A muffled conversation followed in the background, and Jin Ri's eyes widened in realisation when she noticed the time.
"Oh God I'm so sorry for disturbing you at this time of the night, Mi! I'll call you again some other time," she quickly said, and was about to end the call when Zhou Mi protested in response.
"No!" He had shouted, though he recollected himself and repeated his words in a calmer manner. "No, Ri. It's fine. Is there something wrong?" he asked, genuinely concerned about her. It was rare for her to ring him up without even checking the time of the day after all.
"I..." she started, though she shook her head after reconsidering the circumstances, despite the fact that her friend wasn't able to see the act. “I'll talk to you some other time. I feel bad for disturbing you and Huiying."
"Riri, don't worry about it. Just go ahead and talk." There was a soft ruffling of sheets, and Huiying's voice filtered through the phone. Jin Ri guessed that Zhou Mi had handed his phone over to his wife.
"You heard her." Zhou Mi's melodious laughter returned. "So what's bothering you? And did you just cry?" he asked, voice now full of suspicion and apprehension.
Jin Ri paled at the question. Was she being obvious? "No, I'm fine. I just need someone to talk to," she therefore lied, not wanting to worry him further. "I don't know, Mi. My head's in a mess."
"Work-related problems? You stress yourself out way too much for your own good, Ri."
"It's not about work," she sighed. "I think I'm losing my mind from missing Kyuhyun way too much."
She didn't know whether she had imagined it, but she thought she heard a sharp gasp from Huiying at the mention of the name. Zhou Mi's reply came before she could even dwell on it, "Oh, Ri. What makes you think in such a manner?"
"You won't think I'm crazy?" Jin Ri prompted cautiously.
"You know I'm always here to listen," he reassured.
She sighed in resignation. “Now here’s the weird part. I think I saw Kyuhyun in the crowd today while I was strolling through Apgujeong with Hyunjin,” the woman breathed, feeling every bit sceptical at her own words.
“Ri, I’m sorry I have to be blunt, but you and I both know that it’s not possible,” Zhou Mi commented wryly. Jin Ri could hear some crackling sounds; he was rubbing the back of his neck in an awkward manner, no doubt.
“I know; which is why I need someone to tell me that I’m being stupid. That I’m losing my touch with reality.” Jin Ri blew her bangs out of her eyes, and her head met the cold surface of the table. “I’m sorry; you must think that this is a ridiculous reason for me to wake you up at night.”
“Don’t be silly. I need you to tell me such things, Cho Jin Ri. I need to make sure you’re okay,” he chastised her for thinking in such a manner. I made a promise to Kyuhyun in front of his grave, he added as an afterthought.
A bittersweet smile found its way to her lips at his words. She could almost imagine his pout. Trust Zhou Mi to be able to comfort her when she needed it most. She felt almost guilty for having such thoughts. “Thanks, Mi. You’re a great friend.”
“When am I not?” he chuckled. “You should go to bed. You must be exhausted.”
“Yeah, I guess I should,” she agreed, suppressing a yawn. “I’m sorry for disturbing you and Huiying again. I’ll buy you lunch when the opportunity arises.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Good night, Ri,” Zhou Mi therefore said with another laugh, and the line went dead.
However, Jin Ri found herself staring blankly at the phone in her grip long after the call had ended, still feeling perturbed about the incident earlier that morning. No matter how she tried to convince herself that the man was probably someone who resembled Kyuhyun and not her husband himself, the immense sense of familiarity nagged at her.
In the end, the throbbing headache that arose as a result of her hyperactive mind made Jin Ri feel compelled to follow Zhou Mi’s advice and head to bed. Heaving one last sigh as she glanced out of the window, she finally flicked the lights off and retired to her own bedroom.
* * * * *
A smirk pulled up on the corner of his lips when he had walked into his private chambers, noticing the lone figure sprawled sensually across the armchair by the side. Within the blink of an eye, he reappeared right next to the woman, his long, bony fingers gripping her by the chin.
“Master,” she breathed, eyes gleaming in what he perceived to be delight… and perhaps a little intention of deceit? “You’re back.”
“Did you… need me for something?” he slurred lazily, though his gaze was still fixed on her. He was impressed that the woman didn’t even flinch when his eyes started scanning her entire body, unlike some of the lesser angels of death. Those were no fun.
A hum of contentment rumbled from his chest at the thought.
“Is it necessary for me to have a reason to be here?” she replied, her sultry eyes locking with his. She boldly raised her hands to cup her master’s face, the smile growing wider when he leaned into her touch.
“No,” he concurred - a little too easily, if she might add. However, before she could even have her suspicions raised, her master’s free hand was already tangled in her long, silken locks, tugging painfully at her roots.
“Master, what-” she uttered through a wince, though she snapped her mouth shut when the man gave another jerk. She hated the pain receptors with a passion, now that her master had reactivated them for his toying pleasure.
“Hyorin, Hyorin,” he cooed, running his cold lips along her jawline and exposed neck. “My dear little Hyorin, how naïve you are. Do you think I’m that silly to believe that you have absolutely no hidden agenda in being here, hmm?”
She gulped. Chungho was right; their master was sharp when they least expect him to. “It’s not that, Master! I-”
“Did I give you the permission to speak?” he interrupted calmly, though the simmering anger was unmistakable. It sent a shudder down the angel of death’s spine, hoping that she wasn’t going to lose her life for good in these very chambers. There was so much more she had to accomplish.
Hyorin therefore shook her head obediently, deciding not to do anything brash unless her master permitted - or forced - her to. He let out a satisfied chuckle. “Good. Now tell me, what are you trying to accomplish by coming here? Don’t attempt to leave out any details. You won’t like it when I’m forced to go through your thoughts,” he warned again. Hyorin’s breath hitched in her throat when her master bent down to suck at the skin over her collarbone. It made it difficult for her to think through the pain and pleasure that shot through her senses.
“I…” she began, licking her dry lips when she found it challenging to speak. “I’m here to talk about a certain Cho Kyuhyun.”
Her master perked up at the sound of the name, the amused smile playing on his lips. He was definitely interested, alright. “What about him?” he mused.
“I’ve learned that he has given up his powers as an angel of death,” Hyorin approached the subject cautiously, hoping that she hadn’t touched a raw nerve in her master. She had to hold herself back from heaving a sigh of relief when his grip on her loosened ever so slightly.
“Yes, that’s right,” the man nodded in confirmation, evidently pleased with his actions. “But if you’re trying to pry the reason out of me so that you can feed it to Chungho, save your breath,” he warned, violently releasing his hold on Hyorin’s hair. She winced at the pain when her head snapped back in response.
Hyorin’s eyes widened at the mention of Chungho’s name, even though she hadn’t as much thought about it. The latter was definitely going to gloat in her face and boast about how he had warned her beforehand. She swallowed the bile that rose in her throat. “May I know what your plans for him are?” she braved herself to put forth the query. “And is it possible to restore Chungho to his original position?”
“Do enlighten me on the reasons why?”
“If you intend to fool around with Cho Kyuhyun, wouldn’t it be more interesting to complicate things for him?” Hyorin proposed. She eyed his finger which was doodling randomly on the exposed skin of her thighs, wondering what was on his mind.
He unexpectedly disappeared from sight in the next moment, but not before leaving a reply that she had wanted to hear. “I’ll consider.”
She smirked.