Crimson Leaves {Chapter 1 - Tea leaves tattering in the wind.}
He sipped delicately at the steaming cup of tea, watching absentmindedly at the minute pieces of tea leaves swirling around in the brew, waiting patiently for the dregs to settle before lifting the rim to touch lightly at his pursed lips. He breathed in deeply of the pleasant wafting scent of jasmine into his soul, revelling in the warmth seeping delightfully into his slim fingers tightly wrapped around the little porcelain cup. Junsu sighed out tiredly, glancing at the clock that ticked solemnly in a shadowed corner of his worktable.
3AM... It’s getting quite late…
He settled the cup firmly on the hard wooden desk, swivelling in his leather padded chair, before rising to pad silently across the carpeted flooring of his study. A single lamp illuminated the dimly lit room, throwing shadows chaotically across the panelled walls, breathing life into the artfully painted sakura blossoms that danced a skittering waltz upon their rice paper frames that sectioned his private study into a half. Junsu sidestepped the Japanese screens, that an associate had thoughtfully gifted him for the successful closure of a deal, walking past a worn out armchair with holes peeking through their stained fabric.
The soft tinkle of a bell reverberated through the room. Junsu felt a gentle smile curve his lips as he gazed down lovingly at scintillating yellowed irises that stared back up at him blearily. She dipped her black head dismissively, flicking her tail in languid grace as she licked tentatively at a white dipped forepaw. He lifted a finger to scratch her fondly behind the ears. “Chika, what are you doing up so late?” Junsu murmured.
Her ears perked up in reply, as she gradually slowed her repeated licks, sliding her eyes closed in pleasure, lazy purrs thrumming through her sleek black pelt that responded with each soothing stroke of his fingers threading in her fur. Junsu smoothed the ruffled fur on her head, before huffing out a tired sigh and slipping back into the chilly confines of his bedroom. He chuckled as she stood up to follow him stubbornly into the room, brushing her tail demandingly against his legs fleetingly before she jumped up to curl her tail around her neatly tucked body, possessively claiming the large expanse of his bed as her domain.
Junsu ignored the arrogant flick of her tail, narrowing his eyes against the brunt of the blustery wind, cupping a palm around a faltering flame that momentarily warmed his icy fingers. His bedroom window was thrown wide open to the bitter wind that shrieked its tempest outside his garden. It blew delicate showers of snowflakes to drift into his bedroom in little whorls, small fluffs of white that settled at the base of his window. Icy fingers crept past his snug coat, burrowing frosty breaths to trail down his neck in shivers, as Junsu sucked in a lungful of acrid smoke.
He breathed out a wispy coil to tatter apart on the freezing wind. Amid the constant screeches of the wind that wrecked havoc upon his garden, an eerie silence pressed heavily down on his ears.
“How long can you stay out there, you think?” Junsu commented seemingly to no one in particular, his words trailing away on the wind. His eyes remained impassive, mild curiosity playing within his orbs as he glanced down fleetingly at the glowing stub of his dying cigarette.
Silence greeted him.
Junsu smirked as he watched out of his periphery, a streaking blur of ink vaulting over the wooden slats surrounding his courtyard. The room visibly warmed with the closing of his windows, Junsu's eyes trained upon the waning light outside his blanketed garden, before wooden whorls of peppered grains greeted his sight. Junsu turned away from the window, flicking off the light switch and slipping his feet under the draughty covers.
***
An uncomfortable burn trailed a searing heat along his aching legs, settling into numb, pounding flashes of pain that coursed through the soles of his feet. Junsu shifted his weight, a flash of irritation coursing through his veins, his genial smile faltering for a split second before it slid back into its place. His eyes tightened in barely restrained anger, a corner of his lips lifting in fractured annoyance as he exchanged genial greetings with the ring of insignificant boot-lickers, crowded around him in a suffocating circle like vultures circling with avaricious eyes, squawking menacing grins as they sought the swiftest way to peck past his stout defences.
He laughed instead. Chuckling insignificantly at a quip one of his partners had drunkenly stuttered. He hid his revulsion at the stench of alcohol riding heavily upon the older man’s breath, stepping back quickly to avoid the tottering push the man had swung unconsciously his way. God, they were chafing against his nerves. He exchanged a silent glance with his right hand man, tucked discreetly away from the milling crowd surrounding Junsu, darkened shadows thrown awry by the overhead chandeliers shading Yunho's sharp features into a silent mask of obscurity. Yunho nodded slightly, an almost imperceptive cock of his head that could have been mistaken for a simple habit.
He was here.
Junsu felt his mood brighten considerably, following Yunho's sharp gaze to rest amused eyes upon the bowed head of a waiter, stepping discreetly between the refined folk. His light feet danced an intricate weave, sidestepping the elegantly coiffed up-dos of the wives with surprising alacrity. Well, that was to be expected. Junsu shook his head slightly in disappointment, his perceptive eyes taking note of the tell-tale signs of the man’s fleeting wary glances around the room, the slight sheen of sweat misting upon his otherwise serene countenance.
Junsu waited patiently whilst he flirted idly with one of his business partner’s daughters, easily appeasing her coy glances with confident words, and charming smiles that he bestowed politely upon her. She thrilled with barely concealed excitement, her heavily lined eyes revealing slight smudges as her lashes fluttered prettily up at him, while she nursed a forgotten glass of champagne between immaculately manicured nails. Junsu felt like vomiting. Or shooting something, or someone. His fingers twitched, itching to curl around the rounded edge of a revolver, revelling in the comforting weight of the black metal within his palms, feeling the familiarity of the whole process playing out in his head, smoothing his frazzled nerves.
Pointless, meaningless chatter drifted about him, tatters of conversation floating like ribboned phrases to hurl themselves ineffectually against the haze of exhaustion that clouded his mind. Junsu breathed in deeply between parted lips, almost choking on the cloying perfume that mixed with bead of sweat, glistening upon her collarbone. The man was almost upon them.
“I see,” Junsu murmured in low tones, leaning forward slightly to dip a confiding head towards her awaiting ears. “Well too bad your daddy can’t let you attend the after party. It strictly for business partners only. But, then again, I don’t think you would like it. It’s situated in the lower districts of downtown Seoul. I can’t let a pretty flower like you get dirtied by the ugliness found over there, now can I?” He winked at her secretly, an easy grin spreading over his face, ignoring her rosy blush for something much more attractive. He laid his gaze upon the man’s face, enjoying the slight widening of his orbs as he murmured a formally, stiff greeting, lifting the gilded tray wordlessly forward for Junsu to pick amongst the many crystal, long necked glasses of bubbling champagne.
He pretended to browse through the selection, before picking up a glass by its thin stem, placed glaringly obvious between two murky glasses of dark wine. He inclined his head to the side in polite thanks, sipping delicately at its smoothed edge, feeling the slight sting of the fizzy alcohol against his tongue, before it slithered down his throat- a silken caress of velvet- deceptively masking the slight trace of poison that unfurled within his belly, almost instantly. He licked at the pearled dewdrops left behind on his lips for good effect, noticing the way the other man eyed him keenly.
Junsu received a gentle bow from the waiter. He marvelled at the way his dark tresses swayed with each movement. A straight narrow nose plucked out a sharp, sideline profile. A permanent pout formed between a full set of lips, curved upwards sinfully in a scarlet blush, complemented large pools of pitch midnight. They were unreadable and hardened into icy, glinting chips, betraying no hint of emotion, disallowing many appreciative eyes the barest peeks of his personality past his cold, porcelain façade. What a beauty. What a shame.
The languid haze of alcohol seeping through his veins, camouflaged a darker, sinister venom that trailed under the veil of drunkenness to numb his consciousness. Junsu's vision flickered briefly, his grin widening under the warm glow of the delicately, tinkling chandeliers, as he watched the fading silhouette of a rigid back meld swiftly into the throng of guests.
His job was done.
As soon as the man had disappeared, he signalled Yunho with a discreet tap of his finger against his breast pocket, politely excusing himself from the smothering company, barely glancing at the crestfallen countenance of the young woman as he strode swiftly away. “Do you have the antidote?” Junsu asked steadily, his voice coming out low and clear. He chuckled lightly at something Yunho had murmured unintelligibly, appearing for the entire world as if they were discussing irrelevant business details.
Yunho gave a curt nod, gesturing mutely at the stiff frames of their attending ‘bodyguards’, who shifted noiselessly to effectively block the entrance to the man’s bathroom. Junsu chucked the contents of the champagne glass into a nearby flowerpot. Once the undercurrent of low murmurs, the musical tinkling of wineglasses, and the calming throb of a gentle bass faded from their senses, Junsu crumbled to the floor. He staggered unsteadily, clutching in vain at a marbled countertop, harsh pants echoing within the small confines of the hotel’s bathroom.
Yunho crouched beside him quickly, sliding the needles tip expertly between a pinched sliver of skin, to inject a colourless fluid into Junsu's artery. Sure and steady, it was over in a few seconds. Junsu levelled a stare at him, thanking him wordlessly. He was feeling the effects already, his rapid gasps gentling into a deep, even rhythm. Yunho finally crinkled a hesitant smile that entire evening, his stoic façade peeling away to reveal warm brown eyes, his brows furrowing in a tightened line of worry. Junsu broke into a reassuring, tired lift of his lips, a feverish chuckle escaping past his trembling lips.
“Don’t think I’ll be gambling my life so easily, ever again.” He whispered waveringly, fixing his tie in the glossy mirror, smoothing the creases in his jacket, slipping back into the immaculate appearance of a Mafia boss.
***
Jaejoong fell back on his haunches, finally allowing the tremulous quivers to wrack his thin body, burrowing his head into his hands, threading crazed fingers into his mass of locks, tugging roughly at the roots. His worn sneakers squelched sickeningly in the muddied ground, as he shifted his weight, throwing his head back to lean against the rough, crumbled brick surface of the building. Steam trailed silken strands from an open vent nearby, belching up the sour reek of the city’s underground pipe system. His fingers untangled themselves from his raven black hair, clamping themselves around the familiar slim stem of a cigarette, as he lifted it to pursed lips.
The flare of an orange glow faintly illuminated his pale, pallid skin, before his face was engulfed by gloomy shadows again. A thin trail of acrid smoke curled away from the lit end, dispersing itself into the frigid air, mingling with crystallized puffs that escaped from between parted lips. Jaejoong sighed in frustration, breathing out in a slow, steady stream of smoke, willing his frazzled nerves to halt their spritely dance, trampling around his chaotic thoughts, flinging them continuously into a muddled pandemonium. He was so close, so very close to the man.
The man who had ruined my family, my life, my mother.
He felt a determined grimace lift his lips in an ugly, bitter smile. The first phase of his painstakingly crafted plan was already set into motion. He simply could not stop now, just because the mere presence of the other man had rattled his core. Jaejoong flicked the cigarette, watching a nub of ashes swirl around in a hypnotising circle, before tattering apart on invisible wintry fingers, floating swiftly away on whatever course the wind had taken a fancy to. He reached his free hand into the breast pocket of his waiter’s crinkly vest, pulling out an outdated model. He punched in the familiar numbers, pressing the plastic surface against his ears, listening indefinitely to the monotonous ring before someone picked it up.
“It’s done,” Jaejoong stated firmly, answering the gravelly query on the receiving end. “his head will roll tonight. Araso.” He uttered deathly low, repeating the words loudly to his own ears with conviction. The line went abruptly dead, the screen flashing a last greenish glow across his hooded eyes before it too went ominously blank. He stared at it for a moment, his eyes narrowing into glinting slits, nurturing the growing embers of his stoked anger. It had cultivated over the years, strengthened with a single-mindedness that terrified him, shaping itself into a sleek, dart of perseverance. It would end when his objective was achieved.
It would end when Kim Junsu died.
He straightened abruptly, taking swift steps away from the back door of the hotel’s restaurant, purpose coursing through each rigid line of his taut body as he ghosted away into the enfolding shadows.