Delight In My Misery [ Chapter 1 ]

Aug 23, 2010 00:16

Title: Delight In My Misery
Beta: crimson_miharu  
Pairing: YunJae
Length: Chaptered
Genre: Angst, Action, Drama, Romance




The dangling light bulb was swaying above them, dancing to a slow tempo that was triggered by the raw breath of the bitter winter. The shadow it casted as it swung back and forth enhanced the features of the three seated gentlemen. Revealing a fairly perfect nose of one, high cheekbones of another and a rather deep hollow on the cheek of the last one.

The verbal communication they once shared ceased after the heated argument, and instead, the silent language of their eyes conveyed the feelings they wanted to send across. Their stern glares were fixed, unwavering, not even when the light bulb suddenly started flickering above them were they distracted, despite the fact that it alarmed the men surrounding them and even made some reach for their hidden weapons.

Mr. Kang finally dipped his head, gesturing to one of his men to summon something.

Yunho and Changmin shared a glance, a very brief one, but the message was understood nevertheless.

"This is all I could offer." Mr. Kang uttered after a sharp intake of breath, the man he gestured to moments before slid a gaping briefcase across the table, the bundles of notes neatly stocked in it.

"Count it." Yunho ordered one the men behind him, casually leaning back in the metal chair and finally looking up at the dangling bulb, which noticeably dimmed after the flickering stopped.

The man eventually shook his head, a clear statement that the amount was insufficient.

"It seems like you can't afford our services after all." Yunho voiced in faux regret, launching to his feet seconds after Changmin did.

"But-but…" Mr. Kang protested behind them, eyes widening as he watched the retreating backs of the two.

"I'll double the amount!" He called after them, banging the table and pushing out of his chair before yanking another hidden briefcase from his men, noisily sliding it against the table.

Yunho silently twirled on his heels, leisurely pacing back to the table while Changmin was still strolling towards the rusty doors, disappearing once he walked pass it.

This time, Yunho examined the money himself, nodding to his men afterwards, who moved to seal the cases with a loud pop.

"We'll see you in Taedo." Yunho said lastly, starting towards the door before the soft clicks sounded.

"You think I'll let you go that easily you greedy bastard." Mr. Kang hissed, pressing the cold mouth of the gun deeper in Yunho's nape, unbothered by the fact that three of Yunho's men were pointing their guns at his head, while only two of his men exposed theirs.

"Tell your men to put their guns down." He demanded, forcing the gun deeper into Yunho's skin, who slightly winced but remained quite.

At Mr. Kang's second warning, Yunho chose to comply, taking slow steps in attempt to face his men, Mr. Kang hastily mimicking him, but before his lips could even part to voice out his command, he felt the light brush of the bullet on his cheek, grazing the soft skin there before settling into Mr. Kang's shoulder.

Changmin emerged from the darkness, sending a second bullet that surely pierced Mr. Kang in his chest, because in a matter of seconds he was down on his knees, gagging on his own blood and involuntary twitching before landing on the floor with a dull thud.

The guns that were pointed at him were already firing at his bewildered followers, knocking them off the ground one after another.

"What a pity." Yunho muttered as he finally joined Changmin, managing to flee after the first bullet was shot.

"I already told you he's a double-dealer." Changmin muttered back, delicately wiping his silver gun.

"I sensed that too, but it was worth a try. Maybe for once your feelings could be wrong."

"Good.  Are you happy now that you got your proof?"

Yunho cocked an eyebrow, voice clearly displaying his displeasure over his friend's unspoken accuse. "Something wrong, Changmin?"

Changmin scoffed. "Something wrong? I just shot a man who could've been a father, a husband, or a son to someone out there. He would've been living if only you didn't walk back in and listen to what I said." He spat, shoving the gun somewhere around his middle.

"Changmin?"

Changmin looked away, a deep frown making his smooth forehead wrinkle. The only sound audible at the moment was the heavy friction between the dirty ground and the limp bodies that their men were dragging to clear the scene.

"Let's get out of here." Changmin sighed heavily, and Yunho watched as his features softened before him in concealed surprise.

"I'll clean this up for you." He said, reaching for Yunho's face and lightly dabbing the small wound on his cheek, a very small smile faintly tugging at his lips.

Yunho complied with a slow nod, a smooth crease forming on his forehead as his gaze lingered at the retreating back of his friend, who later waved a hand at him to follow.

Yunho's frown only deepened.

*

Though it was painfully straining his neck, Yunho held his position; neck sharply angled as he stared at the framed painting pinned highly on the tall walls of his living room. It was almost disregarded because of its awkward position, which was suggested by the painter himself, who offered him the canvas as a token of his gratitude after Yunho and Changmin's men saved him, though it actually happened as a mistake.

Yunho only accepted the painting because of the amusing flaw he found in it. The smears and smothers of the rich colors eventually ended up with a brightly smiling Changmin, a complete contradiction of the real live one.

Changmin occasionally smiled, almost rarely, and though it sounded pathetic if applied on other individuals, it actually fitted Changmin perfectly, giving him an undeniable air of superiority and authority, partly the reason of why many feared and respected him in the criminal world. The other reasons however, varied, but aside of the dominance he attained from absolute control over his emotions, Changmin was also know for being a ruthless rival, distinguished because of the constant presences of logic he combined with violence acts he found delight in. His moves were always smart, despite the unnecessary fierceness it carried out.

That's why, while Yunho stared up at the picture, it still hadn't dawned to him yet that the person he was with last night was the same person he'd been friends with for the past twenty years of his life.

He'd been pondering over it since it took place, somehow regretting holding back the bold questions swaying eagerly on the tip of his tongue while Changmin gently sanitized his wound, which they spent instead in absolute silence and stolen glances.

Not that the change in his friend was bad, but simply odd, much precisely for him, who knew Changmin more than he knew himself and yet couldn't formulate any reason that might've triggered the sudden shift in Changmin's behavior.

Yunho's thought's came to cease when the phone rang, sparing him the little sanity he had left.

"Hello?"

"Tell me you aren't linked to the gun shots reported last night." Junsu stated flatly.

"Well…actually, we are." Yunho replied, his free hand unconsciously reaching for the bandaged cut on his face.

"Changmin was with you?" Junsu asked.

"We work together; of course he was with me."

"It's quite silly you know. You work together, involve both of your gangs, and yet refuse to merge them."

"It's easier said than done."

"Oh, come on! You're the Jung Yunho, what's so hard about putting a bunch of sadists together? They'll all fit in perfectly. Think about it, you'll take over one of the biggest gangs in Seoul and I can have Changmin all to myself."

Yunho found himself smiling at how innocent the thoughts of the detective was, but once he realized how the harsh reality stood as a barrier to it, his smile faded.

"You know it doesn't work that way." He said softly.

Junsu sighed, "Of course, a detective and a gang leader, who am I kidding?"

"Jun-"

"I only called to inform you that I've covered everything about last night."

"Thank y-"

"Bye."

"Junsu!"

"What?"

"Have you noticed anything strange about Changmin lately?"

" Except for the fact that he started parting his hair from the left; no."

Yunho cocked a brow, amused by the detective's sharp eyes. "Is that all?"

"Why, something wrong?"

Yunho sighed, "I assumed you noticed, he's been behaving strangely for the past few days."

"Define strangely."

"Well, he freely displays his emotions nowadays, and knowing Changmin, that's the last thing he'll ever want to do."

"Why say so? Maybe he just wants to change."

"Exactly, why is he suddenly changing?"

"Ooh, you're right!"

"So, any leads? Because I can't think of any."

"Maybe he's just pressured. Work and all, you know. "

"Probably, but I'm handling most of the work for the past few weeks already."

"Family problems?"

"He's the only child and his parents passed away long ago." Yunho replied, somehow surprised that Junsu wasn't aware of such important fact about Changmin.

"Oh. Hmm…maybe a lover?" Junsu asked with obvious hesitance.

"Changmin's single, and if ever he hooked up with someone, I'm sure you'll be telling me before he will."

Junsu giggled, "True." He said.

"Why don't you just talk to him directly and ask him what's wrong?" The detective suggested moments later.

Yunho sighed softly, "Eventually, I'm going to do that. Thank you, Junsu."

"You're welcome, bye-bye!"

Though Junsu already hanged up a while ago, Yunho was still holding the cordless phone to his ear, listening to the dull continuous beep while he silently debated over ringing Changmin or not, confused of why he was so anxious about a simple phone call.

"Yunho?" Changmin picked up after three rings.

"Hey."

"How's your wound? Does it hurt?"

"It's just a small cut, I'm okay."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"Does that mean I'll make a good doctor?"

Yunho found himself frowning, but played along anyway. "The irony; a gang leader who turned into a doctor, honestly, I can't see you doing anything."

"I do."

"Changmin?"

"Sorry Yun, I have to go now."

"Is there something wrong?"

"No, not really."

"Are you coming over tonight?"

"About that, sorry for not informing you earlier, but I can't. Goodbye!"

"Ch-"

The dull beep resumed after Changmin abruptly hung up, but it sounded remote this time, merely a faint hum as Yunho loosely held the phone to his ear, staring at the painting once again and pondering over the same subject occupying his mind since last night.

*

The act of shifting the pen between his lean fingers was done unconsciously, almost in sync with every time Yoochun flipped a page in front of him. The remarkably husky voice of his secretary sounded so remorse at the moment, merely a dull rumble wandering loosely at the back of his head. Though they established an eye contact, which was the indicator Yoochun used to persist with the briefing, Yunho had his mind occupied, deep in thought as he pondered over the reasons that might caused his friend to ignore him for the past few days.

".. Therefore, we're not going to hand them the amount they asked for until they release an official stat- …. Master Jung?"

It took Yoochun three calls till Yunho finally responded.

"What?" He asked after seconds of realization and composure, somehow displeased even though he was at fault.

Yoochun sighed, fully aware that he'd have to go through three full pages again. But not for now, Yunho had a meeting scheduled in about thirty minutes.

"You have a meeting with Mr. Sung in thirty minutes, so the driver's probably already waiting for you outside." Yoochun informed him.

"Is that all?" Yunho asked, launching to his feet and adjusting his suit's jacket.

"Yes, that'll be all for tonight." Yoochun pressed his folder shut.

"Very well then, you may take your leave now, Park." Yunho mused as he made his way through his office and reached for the doorknob.

"Oh, I almost forgot. One of the maids handed me a briefcase just now, and I believe it belongs to Master Shim since I didn't recognized it as yours. Shall I drop it off tonight or wait for tomorrow?"

Yunho slowly released his grip on the doorknob, but didn't turn to face Yoochun, "Never mind. I'll drop it off on my way."

The meeting with Mr. Sung seemed to take longer than he'd expected, painfully dragging on as the middle aged man blabbered about the ridiculous display of riches he conveyed into a party, which Yunho had absolutely no interest in. His thoughts however, were never sent across, as Yunho endured two hours of intense annoyance to seal a deal for their coming shipment.

By the time their meeting came to a conclusion, Yunho almost forgot about Changmin's briefcase, but was soon reminded as he spotted the sleek case gleam against the dim lights that were struggling with the hovering darkness in his car.

"Mr. Lee, take me to Changmin's place," He said, reaching for the grey case and running his hand along its smooth exterior.

To find the door of Changmin's condo unlocked wasn't quite a surprise for Yunho, since he was accustomed to Changmin's unceasing forgetfulness, despite the sharp senses he possessed.

"Changmin?" He called, stepping over the threshold and closing the door behind him.

Soft classical music was playing in the background, too low that Yunho could barely hear it. It started to fade once Yunho made his way to Changmin's bedroom, where a dull thud just sounded.

"Changmin?" He called again, expecting to see his friend startled at his unannounced visit, but instead, he found himself refusing a gape.

Whether it was a he or a she, Yunho couldn't distinguish, as it was sprawled on the bed and facing the wall directly across Yunho, softly snoring. From the raven locks Yunho guessed it was a boyish girl, since it was too long to look decent on a boy, and found himself grimacing at Changmin's preference. As she budged in the bed, still facing the wall, the blanket slipped lower, revealing a flat chest that made Yunho doubt his first judgment.

No longer able to contain his curiosity, Yunho crossed the space between them and stood against the wall she was facing, peering into the face that proved his theory wrong. Despite the feminine features, which consisted of plump lips, small nose, pale flawless skin and fairly long lashes, Yunho confirmed it was a male; a feminine one.

"Yunho?" He heard a familiar voice call behind him, clearly surprised.

Pulling back, Yunho turned to face Changmin, who just emerged out of the bathroom with a towel hanging lowly on his hip. His chocolate-brown hair hanging freely on his forehead, almost hiding his eyes as it slowly dripped, yet Yunho still noticed his lowered gaze.

"I can explain." Changmin said.

Yunho studied him, and though he thought he already managed to fill the blanks that questioned Changmin's odd behavior, he still found himself willing to listen.

Okay, so obviously, this has taken awfully long, and you can blame me and my never ending modifications.
I hope you guys will like it, and though the start is rather dark, the coming chapters will be different and btw  I can promise you that Jaemin aren't a couple..
I want to thank my lovely beta for putting up with me :D/ huggles
The beautiful poster is made by her.
Thank you!

*

yunjae, delight in my misery, chaptered

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