お帰り [Welcome Home] - Chapter Sixteen
Title: お帰り [Welcome Home]
Authors: curionenene and yeonah
Chapter: 16/?
Fandom: SS501 + Epik High and TVXQ Cameos
Pairings: KyuMin, HyunSaeng
Rating: PG-16
Warning: Angst, AU
Summary: Black and white... white and black. It isn't always possible to tell what is good and what is evil; and four players in the never-ending fight for freedom would know. In a world where things are painted by shades of grey, taking a stand could mean life or death. And the struggle to be free, truly free, may tear them apart until there is nothing left but ash.
A/N: KyuJong, HyunJoong, and Tablo are played by curionenene , while JungMin, YoungSaeng and Mithra are played by yeonah .
It was almost surreal, watching JaeJoong’s head detach itself from his body. The non-human who had slain so many, killed so easily by his hand. Now, even to the normal KyuJong, everyone looked so small, so insignificant. He could kill them all now if he wanted to.
The other self in him smirked at this, telling KyuJong that this was normal, that this was what he was supposed to feel. And for a moment, the ankou almost believed it… until the words which Mithra spoke pierced into his head.
KyuJong’s white eyes shifted over to where JungMin lay, and he could tell that the human was not yet dead, although was dangerously close to it. Too close - so much so that even if a healer was there right now, he or she would probably not be able to save the human.
‘So what?’ A part of him thought. ‘Kill him. End his misery.’
But for the first time in his life, that part was easily pushed away. And the dignified manner faded as KyuJong’s eyes widened, and in an entirely human action, he rushed over to JungMin’s side, frantically pulling out the tail lanced through JungMin’s stomach. “Min! Oh, God…Min!”
JungMin seemed entirely out of it, and it was a miracle he was even partly conscious. Each breath he took spattered more blood across his lips, coughing as it filled his lungs even as more flowed from the gaping hole in his stomach.
A faint moan left him before his eyelids fluttered, and the human slowly opened his eyes. His unfocused gaze went straight to KyuJong above him, in all his ankou glory, and maybe dying could be an adrenaline rush too because JungMin managed a smile.
"Hey," he got out before coughs stole his breath away again. Gasping quietly at the pain, JungMin turned his hand over so the bloodstained ring was visible. "I think this is yours," he murmured, eyes threatening to close again.
Belatedly he thought of what was supposed to happen if he looked at KyuJong like this, and the redhead peered up at him again, wondering if he was supposed to be able to tell if he was dead. But he hadn't died from looking at him...not that it would make much of a difference. He couldn't feel anything anymore, his breathing easing out, but not in a good way.
He wondered if he was supposed to care.
The only way for a normal human to counter-act the effect ankou’s had of them was to already be dying. And it was in this way that JungMin wasn’t dead on sight, not that that was reassuring at all.
“No…Min…no…” KyuJong’s hands shook as they gently cupped the human’s face, thumb wiping away the blood that had split over his chin. “Min…no…you can’t leave me. I…”
Tears threatened to spill over from his eyes as the next words were whispered out from fearful lips. “I haven’t even told you that I love you.”
Why wasn’t anyone coming to help? JungMin was dying, and no one was coming. It was just him and KyuJong…what could KyuJong do in this situation? What could he, an ankou with sealed power-
Wait. No…his powers weren’t sealed.
He could save JungMin.
Eyes filling with hope, KyuJong now placed shaky hands over the hole in JungMin’s stomach, looking like a vain bid to stop the bleeding, but in reality so much more powerful. “Min…I love you…so…”
“Don’t die.”
Giving up trying to follow what KyuJong was doing, JungMin's eyes fluttered shut even as he smiled faintly at the ankou's words. He wanted to say something in return, probably that he loved him back, but his mouth refused to move anymore, deciding it liked being immobile perfectly fine, and JungMin couldn't disagree. It was so dark all of a sudden, and he knew he should be fighting it, but the pull was too strong, the relief it gave from the pain soothing, and he just wanted to sleep...
Suddenly power pulsed around him, a strangled gasp tearing its way from his throat as he felt the sinking sensation stop cold. The pain came rushing back, but he couldn't scream, and then just as suddenly as it was there it was gone again.
JungMin's body arched up off the ground as the hole in his chest started to close, blood flowing back into him and bones repairing themselves, organs closing and muscles knitting and finally, finally, his skin closed again, leaving a thin white line across his stomach and back where the lance-like tail had pierced him clean through.
The human sank back to the ground, eyes fluttering shut as he fell into a darkness of a different kind, breathing slow but steady as his fingers curled slightly around the ring in their grip.
KyuJong’s breathing was heavy as he watched JungMin heal. And when it was finally over, he pulled his hands away, observing the unbroken skin, the steady breathing and the healthy color that was quickly returning to JungMin’s cheeks.
A sigh of relief rushed out from KyuJong’s lips, tears flowing out from his eyes. “Thank God…you’re…” his eyes fluttered closed, exhaustion beginning to hit. “…Okay…”
And there was a bright glow as the writing on KyuJong’s arms slowly began to retract, fading back into oblivion, gathering speed even as his wings began to fold in on themselves, reverting back into their inert state. Then the white robes shimmered before collapsing into silver dust, blown away by an invisible wind.
White eyes flickered back to brown, and his reversion back into his human state complete, KyuJong fell unconscious next to JungMin.
Feeling the loss of power in the air as the ankou collapsed, Mithra watched the smoke finally clear, revealing the two anti-hunters unconscious up ahead.
A sigh of relief left him as he glanced at Tablo. "They did it." Finally the kitsune that had been haunting them all for years was dead. Not to say the occasion was completely joyful...there were many dead, many injured. There would be funerals and ceremonies.
But for now, they could rest.
Slowly sitting up, YoungSaeng felt the earpiece fall out but didn't bother picking it up. Shaking his head to clear it, he slowly opened his eyes...and stared.
"D...Daniel hyung? You...might want to..." He couldn't even finish his sentence, shock overriding all.
For in his arms, although alive, HyunJoong wasn’t exactly the man that YoungSaeng had just saved.
In fact, he wasn’t a ‘man’ anymore.
Tablo frowned, coming over to see what the problem was, and promptly froze. “What…the…?”
The HyunJoong sitting in YoungSaeng’s lap was now half his original size. Everything had shrunk - his hands, his feet, his face. The only thing that hadn’t changed was the length of his hair…and Tablo had a sneaking suspicion that when HyunJoong opened his eyes, they would be the only thing that was bigger than they originally had been.
“…He’s…a kid.” Tablo decided to state the obvious. Yep, that was how shocked he was.
YoungSaeng blinked owlishly down at the child in his arms, voice completely gone. What? What had happened? You didn't just...turn a full-grown man into a ten-year-old. If he was even ten.
"H-h-how...” Reached with a shaking hand, YoungSaeng carefully brushed locks of hair out of HyunJoong's eyes, feeling the soft skin. Baby skin. "How is this even possible?"
JaeJoong had turned HyunJoong into a child.
Tablo shook his head, even though an inkling of an idea did pop into his mind. But this…this had never happened before. “I…I’m not really sure. I mean…I heard JaeJoong say something about cursing HyunJoong but this…”
“This is just…unbelievable…” Tablo ended off, his usually bright mind entirely stumped.
“Mmmm…” Tablo was then distracted by a soft moan, and his eyes flickered down to see HyunJoong stirring from his sleep. “Young…Saeng…?”
Attention caught as well, YoungSaeng's gaze went back to HyunJoong, shifting his arms around the child so he could hold him easier. Compared to how heavy he'd been when YoungSaeng had snatched him away from JaeJoong, he was suddenly a feather.
"Hyun?" YoungSaeng whispered, suddenly afraid. If HyunJoong's body was that of a child, what about his mind? What if he wasn't his HyunJoong anymore?
But no...HyunJoong hadn't known him as a kid...
Shakily brushing fingertips against one soft, chubby cheek, YoungSaeng watched with worried golden eyes as HyunJoong slowly woke up.
Blinking blearily, HyunJoong groaned a little, feeling rather strange. “Mmm…where are we?” He yawned, stretching, still unaware of what had happened.
Tablo had been thinking along the same lines as YoungSaeng, he knelt down, staring at HyunJoong who blinked back up at him. “Daniel hyung…?”
“…” Tablo don’t know what came over him, but he immediately sighed, his head dropping. “God…he’s exactly how he was when he was ten…”
YoungSaeng just stared at HyunJoong, unable to comprehend this. HyunJoong...HyunJoong was...
Not sure if Tablo's reaction was a good thing or not, whether that meant HyunJoong's mind had reverted to that of a child or not, the felinefolk ducked his head as his shoulders started to shake, tears gathering and falling.
Even if he was a child now...he was alive. He was all right.
A choked whimper escaped the felinefolk before he held HyunJoong against his chest, cradling the child and running his fingers through HyunJoong's hair and crying. "You're alive...you're alive..."
Still tired and half asleep, HyunJoong was rather surprised when YoungSaeng started to cry, cradling HyunJoong to his chest.
He did wonder why YoungSaeng could hold him so easily, and why he felt this childish giggle bubbling up from his throat (he suppressed it of course), but that was pushed to the back of his mind, because YoungSaeng was crying and HyunJoong didn’t want that.
“Hey…of course I’m alive.” HyunJoong chuckled, entirely like his adult self. The words coming out a little strange from the ten-year-old mouth. “I’m not going anywhere…”
And he was still himself. Reflecting on that, YoungSaeng gave another faint mewl in response as he nuzzled against the soft locks of hair, tears still falling and it seemed unlikely to let up anytime soon.
Mithra watched them, then turned to see some of the other anti-hunters returning from picking up KyuJong and JungMin's limp forms. "Hate to break this short..." he sighed. "But we need to move before either the police show up, or the hundreds of hunters left in the city do."
Nodding and sniffling, YoungSaeng ran his hand along HyunJoong's back. "I promised," he whispered, cradling him close. "Let's get you home, okay?"
“Mmm…” HyunJoong nodded, realizing somewhere in the back of his brain that something big had happened, and also that there was something wrong, but he was too tired to think about it now. But strangely enough, an errant thought popped up at the back of his mind, and he smiled, mumbling a small bit of Japanese he’d picked up from somewhere. “Okaeri…”
Somehow…it just felt right to say it.
Blinking, YoungSaeng lifted his head enough to look down at the child. After a moment, a shaky smile formed on his lips. "Tadaima," he whispered back, nuzzling him lightly before standing, HyunJoong held securely in his arms.
Time to go home.
******************
It was dark when KyuJong woke up.
He had shot straight upward, eyes protesting in pain when they were opened too fast, the grit in them having sealed them shut. Rubbing his eyes, quickly, KyuJong frantically looked around for something, and only calmed down when he finally saw it, lying safe and serene by his side.
Letting out a sigh of relief, KyuJong brushed a hand against the slowly rising chest where a hole had almost taken this man’s life. “JungMin…”
JungMin was still asleep, red hair covering his eyes. Though his life had been saved, the healing had taken energy right out of him as it had KyuJong.
The hand against his stomach caused the human to stir slightly, curling up a little and catching the hand against his chest instinctively with his own before he settled again.
KyuJong started in surprise when JungMin caught his hand so suddenly, before a smile graced his face, and he leaned down to leave a soft kiss on JungMin’s lips. “My brave, brave maste- no…my partner. Thank you for risking your life for me.”
There was no way for JungMin to have heard him, but the light pressure against his lips drew out another reaction, one arm wrapping around KyuJong and pulling him close as he was prone to doing whenever the ankou tried to wake him up. Once the pressure against his lips left, JungMin buried his face against KyuJong's neck with a faint, sleepy mumbling that made no sense whatsoever, but wasn't really meant to.
KyuJong had let out a yelp when JungMin pulled him closer and into something that resembled a stranglehold if he hadn’t immediately shifted himself to prevent from getting choked. Swallowing a little when JungMin nuzzled up to his neck, KyuJong couldn’t help but letting out a resigned chuckle. Trust JungMin to act exactly the same even after being so close to death.
Running fingers through JungMin’s hair, KyuJong spent the rest of the time JungMin was asleep reviewing the reasons why he loved this reckless, noisy, rash, tactless, beautiful human.
Yes, there were that many reasons.
**********
“…Woah… My eyes are… huge.”
Despite the fact that his nerves had taken quite the shock lately and he still felt uncomfortably close to tears, YoungSaeng couldn't help the soft chuckle that escaped him at that. He watched from behind HyunJoong as his master examined his new body in the mirror.
"Is that all you can say?" The felinefolk asked, a little flabbergasted how HyunJoong was completely not panicking. If he had woken up in a child's body, YoungSaeng wouldn't have calmed down for days.
He wanted to ask if HyunJoong had remembered all that had happened yet, but didn't, waiting for the other man(boy?) to take it all in.
“Huh?” HyunJoong turned around, pausing from looking at his new body. “Well, what else can I say?”
Tilting his head, HyunJoong frowned, feeling the slightly frazzled feeling YoungSaeng’s energies were giving off. Now that Tablo had completely taken off the seal on HyunJoong, he didn’t even need to concentrate to feel things like this. “You okay?”
Blinking at the question, YoungSaeng forced a small smile and nodded. "Yeah. Just wondering how we're going to fix this," he said, feeling completely out of his depth. The felinefolk had never used spells before, let alone curses, and his knowledge of them was limited. Finding a way to bring HyunJoong back to his usual self wouldn't be easy...though he was sure Tablo and Mithra would be looking for a way as well.
"Most people would be a little more panicky if they woke up to a body half their age," YoungSaeng pointed out, leaning against the wall.
“Yeah… well… I’ve seen weirder things…” HyunJoong shrugged. Being in a body like this, he was reminded of his younger years where all sorts of non-humans had been attracted to him…and not all of them exactly in their right phrase of mind (although in a harmless sense, not like JaeJoong had been).
Pausing, HyunJoong turned around and slowly tottered over to YoungSaeng’s side, still a little unused to this lower sense of gravity. Then he paused once he was in front of YoungSaeng, looking upwards at the felinefolk who was now close to twice his height. “…I wanted to reassure you that everything would be okay…but this is a little hard to do looking up.”
The smile on the felinefolk's lips eased slightly, and he crouched down so he was on HyunJoong's eye level. "Better?" he asked quietly, before sighing, golden eyes dimmed back to brown. "I just wish you didn't have to go through any of that," YoungSaeng said. He could still hear HyunJoong's screams ringing in his ears like an echo. "I'm sorry, HyunJoong."
"Either way...I think we're taking something of an unplanned-for vacation from the organization," he chuckled faintly. "Until we find a way to remove the curse."
“Yeah…Hey.” HyunJoong sighed, shaking his head as he cupped YoungSaeng’s cheeks with his small hands. “All that shit happened before you came. You are in no way responsible for anything that happened…and I should be the one thankful that you stuck by me all the way…”
“So, thank you, YoungSaeng. For rescuing me.” HyunJoong chuckled, planting a rather sweet kiss on the felinefolk’s cheek and grinning an entirely saccharine smile.
YoungSaeng blinked when HyunJoong kissed his cheek, and wondered if this was what HyunJoong felt when he compared the felinefolk's human and kitten forms. Something that YoungSaeng would have never accepted from an adult HyunJoong was perfectly fine from the child version.
After a long moment, he finally smiled again, unable to stop himself from messing up HyunJoong's long hair a little. "So...what now?" he asked with a sigh. "Is Daniel hyung keeping us hostage here forever?" There was nothing they could do to help the anti-hunters anymore...and quite frankly YoungSaeng wanted to curl up on the couch in HyunJoong's apartment and sleep all the worry, stress and fear off.
“Knowing him…probably…” HyunJoong sighed along, “When I was a kid, he was just this huge ball of ‘don’t’s. ‘Don’t stay out too late’, ‘Don’t talk to strangers’, ‘Don’t play with the new stock of weapons’, ‘Don’t tease the fire demon’, ‘Don’t take candy from the Fae’, ‘Don’t flirt with the Toire no Hanako…why were you found in the girl’s bathroom anyway?!’”
“And that was a very good question, you know.” Tablo’s voice sounded as the door squeaked open, giving HyunJoong a deadpan stare. “You said all that on purpose didn’t you? To irritate me?”
HyunJoong’s response was to widen his already huge eyes to an enormous state, attempting to look innocent, and pulling it off at a ridiculously high level of success.
"Well, those are just you lacking common sense," YoungSaeng replied. "Unless you like the Fae hanging you upside-down by tree branches for trying to steal their candy." They were possessive creatures.
Unable to hide the way his lips quivered and curled upwards at the way HyunJoong gave Tablo the dreaded 'puppy eyes'. "I bet you anything he did," the felinefolk said, standing and managing not to look at his master in case HyunJoong turned the look on him.
“Hey! I didn’t steal from them…they offered it to me…” HyunJoong pouted, before mumbling. “Although they hid all their real candy, bastards tried to offer me leaves and twigs they covered with glamour…”
Then he noticed the way YoungSaeng avoided looking at him, and quickly slid into a position so that he could stare up at YoungSaeng with his huge, googly eyes, his methods spanking of years of practice. “Aw…YoungSaeng…you’re too mean…”
YoungSaeng make the mistake of looking down at HyunJoong, and bit his lower lip, squirming uncomfortably under the wide-eyed gaze. "I-I am not!" he protested, averting his eyes because if he didn't, he would squish HyunJoong to death. "D-Daniel hyung, when will we be able to leave?" he asked, trying to change the subject.
“Oh yes you are!” HyunJoong insisted, cutting in before Tablo could reply. “YoungSaeng’s a meanie!” And looking down, he sniffled, hunching down, and looking, for all the world entirely miserable.
Tablo watched all this with much amusement, hiding his grin with his hand, thankful that for once HyunJoong had another victim to direct his attack on. Seriously, that boy never changed…
Even though he knew HyunJoong was only doing it to get to him, YoungSaeng panicked anyways when he saw the reaction. Being the youngest of the litter, he'd never had to worry about children before, and never built up a resistance to their tormenting.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" he squeaked, looking to Tablo for help but seeing he wasn't going to get any. Awkwardly, he patted HyunJoong's head and ran his fingers through the boy's hair. "I'll...I'll treat you when we get home, okay? Beef, or whatever you want."
HyunJoong’s recovery from his misery was almost instantaneous. “Yay! Beef!” He cheered, instinctively wrapping his arms around YoungSaeng’s neck, nuzzling into the felinefolk’s cheek. “Thanks, Saeng~”
Tablo snorted, shaking his head. He wasn’t going to intervene in the slightest - he’d dealt with HyunJoong for years, but the boy was smart and always managed to get what he wanted, even years after growing out of the ‘cute attacks’. “Anyway, I was here to tell you that we’re going to have a meeting about what we’re going to do from now on. Everyone’s gathered except for you two, KyuJong sshi and JungMin sshi.”
YoungSaeng squeaked when HyunJoong nuzzled against his cheek, awkwardly patting the ten-year-old on the back. He was such a pushover. And this whole 'kid!HyunJoong' thing was going to take a lot of getting used to.
Looking up at Tablo again, YoungSaeng nodded and straightened. "Alright then...should we go look for them?" The felinefolk asked, looking down at HyunJoong again.
Tablo shrugged, “Mithra went ahead to call them, but I don’t see why we shouldn’t join him… Besides, I think we’ll see a very entertaining scene there...”
**************************
Okay… this was definitely not good for the ankou. He should have never agreed to this.
“Jung…Min…aah…s-stop…mmmph…”
"Why should I?" was the innocent reply, the mischief in the redhead's eyes anything but. "I don't think you really want me to stop."
He was enjoying this far too much to want to stop anyways.
Grinning like a Cheshire cat, JungMin ran his hand along KyuJong's sensitive wing again, fingertips ghosting over the tips.
KyuJong was about to give JungMin a million and one reasons why, starting with the fact that he was going to collapse into one embarrassing mess soon when JungMin ran his fingers yet again on his right wing. Needless to say, the protest died on his lips, replaced by sensual moans instead. “Aah….Min…”
JungMin chuckled, barely resisting the temptation to lean forward and catch those soft lips with his own. He'd managed to convince KyuJong to show him his wings shortly after waking up, and he was pretty sure the ankou was never going to listen to a request like that again.
Finding that sensitive spot again, JungMin finally gave in and pressed his lips to KyuJong's.
Outside the door, Mithra sighed and wondered why he always had to interrupt the vocal ones. Daniel must have sent him to gather these two on purpose.
“Woah…they’re really going at it…” Suddenly a head popped up from under Mithra’s hands, huge brown eyes grinning at the scene. “Hey, Saeng…looks like your little ‘help’ from long ago paid off!”
His hearing sharp, even though those words had been said pretty softly, KyuJong immediately broke out of his dazed stupor and pushed JungMin off him with a yelp. Why did they always forget to close the door?
"I don't think you should be listening to this," YoungSaeng informed HyunJoong, covering his master's ears.
“I’m not really ten, YoungSaeng!” HyunJoong complained, trying to squirm out of YoungSaeng’s hold.
"You shouldn't be listening regardless, you pervert," YoungSaeng sighed, keeping HyunJoong firmly in his grasp, something infinitely easier now that his master was half his height.
JungMin yelped as he nearly tumbled off the bed, and then grinned as he started to laugh. "Kyu, you're a tomato."
“And whose fault is that?!” KyuJong swiped at JungMin, quickly keeping his wings back where JungMin couldn’t touch them.
Mithra exchanged a look with Tablo. "From now on, you're 'waking them up' on your own."
“Eh…but Mithra…” Tablo whined, sounding at least half his age.
Laughing, JungMin barely avoided the hit and quickly leaned forward, crushing their lips together for a split second before jumping to his feet. "You liked it anyways~" he sang with a laugh, retreating to the door where the others were waiting. Looking at him, you'd have no idea the redhead had, just a few hours ago, been lying inches from death with a gaping hole in his stomach.
KyuJong sighed at JungMin’s accusation - there was no way he could deny it without lying, but that didn’t mean he needed to be happy about it. Pretty much sulking as he followed JungMin to the door, he childishly refused to look at his master.
Tablo snorted in amusement as he looked at the four gathered before him, exchanging a look with Mithra. To think that this was the future of the anti-hunter organization. “Anyway, let’s go meet with the old geezers. It won’t be pleasant, but we’re going to have to get it over and done with.”
HyunJoong stopped struggling at that, he eyed Tablo with a steely look. “How black-faced are those old farts?”
"Let's just say they aren't happy and leave it at that," Mithra sighed. "We'll try to field most of their questions, but unfortunately there will be some only you can answer. I think after that, you'll all be able to leave," he finished, looking at Tablo for confirmation.
YoungSaeng sighed, ears flat against his hair. This was going to be a pain...but once it was over, hopefully they'd get some rest. "Let's go then," he murmured, hands against HyunJoong's shoulders.
JungMin blinked at the expressions on their faces, glancing at KyuJong in confusion. Just how bad was this going to be?
KyuJong shrugged - he’d never dealt with the higher ups much before, so his guess was as good as JungMin’s.
Catching the look on their faces, HyunJoong chuckled, running a hand through his hair. “Oh…it’ll be bad. We lost close to half of our forces bringing down JaeJoong. Our edge with an insider in the HQ is gone. And even though we were there, we didn’t manage to free the prisoners in the HQ dungeons…the only upside is that the hunter forces are just as badly damaged…but still, we’ll be lucky if we get away with just a slap on the wrist.”
“Yeah…” Tablo agreed as they began to walk towards the main hall were the meeting was going to take place. “Hopefully they won’t do something stupid and actually make a decision on what to do…”
"That'll be the day," YoungSaeng muttered, starting to walk as well. He disliked their leaders as much as the others did, finding them not much better than the hunters they were against. "Well, we did the best we could, and I'd like to see them do any better." Their hemming and hawing would have cost the organization even more in terms of resources and lives.
JungMin frowned lightly, falling beside KyuJong as they walked. "This should be fun..." Sarcastic for once. Glancing at his partner, the redhead slipped his arm around the ankou's waist, giving a small, sheepish smile. "Am I forgiven?"
KyuJong blinked, turning to JungMin, before remembering what he was supposed to be angry for. He chuckled, leaning onto the human a little shyly. “Oh. That…I never really was angry at you…but next time. Show a little restraint. Please.”
"All right, all right," JungMin chuckled, smiling at how KyuJong leaned into him a little as they walked. "...Or at least remember to close the door next time, right?" The redhead asked, eyes dancing as he leaned over and kissed KyuJong's cheek lightly.
HyunJoong’s eyes danced as he peeked behind him, unable to restrain the childish smile on his face. Even though his adult mind was still intact, his behavior and hormones seemed to be affected by his physical state. Hence, the undeniable tendency to act all fluffy and cute.
“I’m glad…” He commented to YoungSaeng, with a soft smile.
YoungSaeng looked down at HyunJoong, blinking. He'd been lost in thought about what they were supposed to tell the higher-ups. "Glad? About what?" he asked, voice quiet as they walked, one hand still lightly against HyunJoong's shoulder, as if to reassure himself that his master was still there.
“That everything worked out fine between them.” HyunJoong replied, casting one last glance at the happy couple behind them.
He left the other part of his thoughts unsaid.
‘Maybe things between you and me…will be just as fine…’
Authors: curionenene and yeonah
Chapter: 16/?
Fandom: SS501 + Epik High and TVXQ Cameos
Pairings: KyuMin, HyunSaeng
Rating: PG-16
Warning: Angst, AU
Summary: Black and white... white and black. It isn't always possible to tell what is good and what is evil; and four players in the never-ending fight for freedom would know. In a world where things are painted by shades of grey, taking a stand could mean life or death. And the struggle to be free, truly free, may tear them apart until there is nothing left but ash.
A/N: KyuJong, HyunJoong, and Tablo are played by curionenene , while JungMin, YoungSaeng and Mithra are played by yeonah .
It was almost surreal, watching JaeJoong’s head detach itself from his body. The non-human who had slain so many, killed so easily by his hand. Now, even to the normal KyuJong, everyone looked so small, so insignificant. He could kill them all now if he wanted to.
The other self in him smirked at this, telling KyuJong that this was normal, that this was what he was supposed to feel. And for a moment, the ankou almost believed it… until the words which Mithra spoke pierced into his head.
KyuJong’s white eyes shifted over to where JungMin lay, and he could tell that the human was not yet dead, although was dangerously close to it. Too close - so much so that even if a healer was there right now, he or she would probably not be able to save the human.
‘So what?’ A part of him thought. ‘Kill him. End his misery.’
But for the first time in his life, that part was easily pushed away. And the dignified manner faded as KyuJong’s eyes widened, and in an entirely human action, he rushed over to JungMin’s side, frantically pulling out the tail lanced through JungMin’s stomach. “Min! Oh, God…Min!”
JungMin seemed entirely out of it, and it was a miracle he was even partly conscious. Each breath he took spattered more blood across his lips, coughing as it filled his lungs even as more flowed from the gaping hole in his stomach.
A faint moan left him before his eyelids fluttered, and the human slowly opened his eyes. His unfocused gaze went straight to KyuJong above him, in all his ankou glory, and maybe dying could be an adrenaline rush too because JungMin managed a smile.
"Hey," he got out before coughs stole his breath away again. Gasping quietly at the pain, JungMin turned his hand over so the bloodstained ring was visible. "I think this is yours," he murmured, eyes threatening to close again.
Belatedly he thought of what was supposed to happen if he looked at KyuJong like this, and the redhead peered up at him again, wondering if he was supposed to be able to tell if he was dead. But he hadn't died from looking at him...not that it would make much of a difference. He couldn't feel anything anymore, his breathing easing out, but not in a good way.
He wondered if he was supposed to care.
The only way for a normal human to counter-act the effect ankou’s had of them was to already be dying. And it was in this way that JungMin wasn’t dead on sight, not that that was reassuring at all.
“No…Min…no…” KyuJong’s hands shook as they gently cupped the human’s face, thumb wiping away the blood that had split over his chin. “Min…no…you can’t leave me. I…”
Tears threatened to spill over from his eyes as the next words were whispered out from fearful lips. “I haven’t even told you that I love you.”
Why wasn’t anyone coming to help? JungMin was dying, and no one was coming. It was just him and KyuJong…what could KyuJong do in this situation? What could he, an ankou with sealed power-
Wait. No…his powers weren’t sealed.
He could save JungMin.
Eyes filling with hope, KyuJong now placed shaky hands over the hole in JungMin’s stomach, looking like a vain bid to stop the bleeding, but in reality so much more powerful. “Min…I love you…so…”
“Don’t die.”
Giving up trying to follow what KyuJong was doing, JungMin's eyes fluttered shut even as he smiled faintly at the ankou's words. He wanted to say something in return, probably that he loved him back, but his mouth refused to move anymore, deciding it liked being immobile perfectly fine, and JungMin couldn't disagree. It was so dark all of a sudden, and he knew he should be fighting it, but the pull was too strong, the relief it gave from the pain soothing, and he just wanted to sleep...
Suddenly power pulsed around him, a strangled gasp tearing its way from his throat as he felt the sinking sensation stop cold. The pain came rushing back, but he couldn't scream, and then just as suddenly as it was there it was gone again.
JungMin's body arched up off the ground as the hole in his chest started to close, blood flowing back into him and bones repairing themselves, organs closing and muscles knitting and finally, finally, his skin closed again, leaving a thin white line across his stomach and back where the lance-like tail had pierced him clean through.
The human sank back to the ground, eyes fluttering shut as he fell into a darkness of a different kind, breathing slow but steady as his fingers curled slightly around the ring in their grip.
KyuJong’s breathing was heavy as he watched JungMin heal. And when it was finally over, he pulled his hands away, observing the unbroken skin, the steady breathing and the healthy color that was quickly returning to JungMin’s cheeks.
A sigh of relief rushed out from KyuJong’s lips, tears flowing out from his eyes. “Thank God…you’re…” his eyes fluttered closed, exhaustion beginning to hit. “…Okay…”
And there was a bright glow as the writing on KyuJong’s arms slowly began to retract, fading back into oblivion, gathering speed even as his wings began to fold in on themselves, reverting back into their inert state. Then the white robes shimmered before collapsing into silver dust, blown away by an invisible wind.
White eyes flickered back to brown, and his reversion back into his human state complete, KyuJong fell unconscious next to JungMin.
Feeling the loss of power in the air as the ankou collapsed, Mithra watched the smoke finally clear, revealing the two anti-hunters unconscious up ahead.
A sigh of relief left him as he glanced at Tablo. "They did it." Finally the kitsune that had been haunting them all for years was dead. Not to say the occasion was completely joyful...there were many dead, many injured. There would be funerals and ceremonies.
But for now, they could rest.
Slowly sitting up, YoungSaeng felt the earpiece fall out but didn't bother picking it up. Shaking his head to clear it, he slowly opened his eyes...and stared.
"D...Daniel hyung? You...might want to..." He couldn't even finish his sentence, shock overriding all.
For in his arms, although alive, HyunJoong wasn’t exactly the man that YoungSaeng had just saved.
In fact, he wasn’t a ‘man’ anymore.
Tablo frowned, coming over to see what the problem was, and promptly froze. “What…the…?”
The HyunJoong sitting in YoungSaeng’s lap was now half his original size. Everything had shrunk - his hands, his feet, his face. The only thing that hadn’t changed was the length of his hair…and Tablo had a sneaking suspicion that when HyunJoong opened his eyes, they would be the only thing that was bigger than they originally had been.
“…He’s…a kid.” Tablo decided to state the obvious. Yep, that was how shocked he was.
YoungSaeng blinked owlishly down at the child in his arms, voice completely gone. What? What had happened? You didn't just...turn a full-grown man into a ten-year-old. If he was even ten.
"H-h-how...” Reached with a shaking hand, YoungSaeng carefully brushed locks of hair out of HyunJoong's eyes, feeling the soft skin. Baby skin. "How is this even possible?"
JaeJoong had turned HyunJoong into a child.
Tablo shook his head, even though an inkling of an idea did pop into his mind. But this…this had never happened before. “I…I’m not really sure. I mean…I heard JaeJoong say something about cursing HyunJoong but this…”
“This is just…unbelievable…” Tablo ended off, his usually bright mind entirely stumped.
“Mmmm…” Tablo was then distracted by a soft moan, and his eyes flickered down to see HyunJoong stirring from his sleep. “Young…Saeng…?”
Attention caught as well, YoungSaeng's gaze went back to HyunJoong, shifting his arms around the child so he could hold him easier. Compared to how heavy he'd been when YoungSaeng had snatched him away from JaeJoong, he was suddenly a feather.
"Hyun?" YoungSaeng whispered, suddenly afraid. If HyunJoong's body was that of a child, what about his mind? What if he wasn't his HyunJoong anymore?
But no...HyunJoong hadn't known him as a kid...
Shakily brushing fingertips against one soft, chubby cheek, YoungSaeng watched with worried golden eyes as HyunJoong slowly woke up.
Blinking blearily, HyunJoong groaned a little, feeling rather strange. “Mmm…where are we?” He yawned, stretching, still unaware of what had happened.
Tablo had been thinking along the same lines as YoungSaeng, he knelt down, staring at HyunJoong who blinked back up at him. “Daniel hyung…?”
“…” Tablo don’t know what came over him, but he immediately sighed, his head dropping. “God…he’s exactly how he was when he was ten…”
YoungSaeng just stared at HyunJoong, unable to comprehend this. HyunJoong...HyunJoong was...
Not sure if Tablo's reaction was a good thing or not, whether that meant HyunJoong's mind had reverted to that of a child or not, the felinefolk ducked his head as his shoulders started to shake, tears gathering and falling.
Even if he was a child now...he was alive. He was all right.
A choked whimper escaped the felinefolk before he held HyunJoong against his chest, cradling the child and running his fingers through HyunJoong's hair and crying. "You're alive...you're alive..."
Still tired and half asleep, HyunJoong was rather surprised when YoungSaeng started to cry, cradling HyunJoong to his chest.
He did wonder why YoungSaeng could hold him so easily, and why he felt this childish giggle bubbling up from his throat (he suppressed it of course), but that was pushed to the back of his mind, because YoungSaeng was crying and HyunJoong didn’t want that.
“Hey…of course I’m alive.” HyunJoong chuckled, entirely like his adult self. The words coming out a little strange from the ten-year-old mouth. “I’m not going anywhere…”
And he was still himself. Reflecting on that, YoungSaeng gave another faint mewl in response as he nuzzled against the soft locks of hair, tears still falling and it seemed unlikely to let up anytime soon.
Mithra watched them, then turned to see some of the other anti-hunters returning from picking up KyuJong and JungMin's limp forms. "Hate to break this short..." he sighed. "But we need to move before either the police show up, or the hundreds of hunters left in the city do."
Nodding and sniffling, YoungSaeng ran his hand along HyunJoong's back. "I promised," he whispered, cradling him close. "Let's get you home, okay?"
“Mmm…” HyunJoong nodded, realizing somewhere in the back of his brain that something big had happened, and also that there was something wrong, but he was too tired to think about it now. But strangely enough, an errant thought popped up at the back of his mind, and he smiled, mumbling a small bit of Japanese he’d picked up from somewhere. “Okaeri…”
Somehow…it just felt right to say it.
Blinking, YoungSaeng lifted his head enough to look down at the child. After a moment, a shaky smile formed on his lips. "Tadaima," he whispered back, nuzzling him lightly before standing, HyunJoong held securely in his arms.
Time to go home.
******************
It was dark when KyuJong woke up.
He had shot straight upward, eyes protesting in pain when they were opened too fast, the grit in them having sealed them shut. Rubbing his eyes, quickly, KyuJong frantically looked around for something, and only calmed down when he finally saw it, lying safe and serene by his side.
Letting out a sigh of relief, KyuJong brushed a hand against the slowly rising chest where a hole had almost taken this man’s life. “JungMin…”
JungMin was still asleep, red hair covering his eyes. Though his life had been saved, the healing had taken energy right out of him as it had KyuJong.
The hand against his stomach caused the human to stir slightly, curling up a little and catching the hand against his chest instinctively with his own before he settled again.
KyuJong started in surprise when JungMin caught his hand so suddenly, before a smile graced his face, and he leaned down to leave a soft kiss on JungMin’s lips. “My brave, brave maste- no…my partner. Thank you for risking your life for me.”
There was no way for JungMin to have heard him, but the light pressure against his lips drew out another reaction, one arm wrapping around KyuJong and pulling him close as he was prone to doing whenever the ankou tried to wake him up. Once the pressure against his lips left, JungMin buried his face against KyuJong's neck with a faint, sleepy mumbling that made no sense whatsoever, but wasn't really meant to.
KyuJong had let out a yelp when JungMin pulled him closer and into something that resembled a stranglehold if he hadn’t immediately shifted himself to prevent from getting choked. Swallowing a little when JungMin nuzzled up to his neck, KyuJong couldn’t help but letting out a resigned chuckle. Trust JungMin to act exactly the same even after being so close to death.
Running fingers through JungMin’s hair, KyuJong spent the rest of the time JungMin was asleep reviewing the reasons why he loved this reckless, noisy, rash, tactless, beautiful human.
Yes, there were that many reasons.
**********
“…Woah… My eyes are… huge.”
Despite the fact that his nerves had taken quite the shock lately and he still felt uncomfortably close to tears, YoungSaeng couldn't help the soft chuckle that escaped him at that. He watched from behind HyunJoong as his master examined his new body in the mirror.
"Is that all you can say?" The felinefolk asked, a little flabbergasted how HyunJoong was completely not panicking. If he had woken up in a child's body, YoungSaeng wouldn't have calmed down for days.
He wanted to ask if HyunJoong had remembered all that had happened yet, but didn't, waiting for the other man(boy?) to take it all in.
“Huh?” HyunJoong turned around, pausing from looking at his new body. “Well, what else can I say?”
Tilting his head, HyunJoong frowned, feeling the slightly frazzled feeling YoungSaeng’s energies were giving off. Now that Tablo had completely taken off the seal on HyunJoong, he didn’t even need to concentrate to feel things like this. “You okay?”
Blinking at the question, YoungSaeng forced a small smile and nodded. "Yeah. Just wondering how we're going to fix this," he said, feeling completely out of his depth. The felinefolk had never used spells before, let alone curses, and his knowledge of them was limited. Finding a way to bring HyunJoong back to his usual self wouldn't be easy...though he was sure Tablo and Mithra would be looking for a way as well.
"Most people would be a little more panicky if they woke up to a body half their age," YoungSaeng pointed out, leaning against the wall.
“Yeah… well… I’ve seen weirder things…” HyunJoong shrugged. Being in a body like this, he was reminded of his younger years where all sorts of non-humans had been attracted to him…and not all of them exactly in their right phrase of mind (although in a harmless sense, not like JaeJoong had been).
Pausing, HyunJoong turned around and slowly tottered over to YoungSaeng’s side, still a little unused to this lower sense of gravity. Then he paused once he was in front of YoungSaeng, looking upwards at the felinefolk who was now close to twice his height. “…I wanted to reassure you that everything would be okay…but this is a little hard to do looking up.”
The smile on the felinefolk's lips eased slightly, and he crouched down so he was on HyunJoong's eye level. "Better?" he asked quietly, before sighing, golden eyes dimmed back to brown. "I just wish you didn't have to go through any of that," YoungSaeng said. He could still hear HyunJoong's screams ringing in his ears like an echo. "I'm sorry, HyunJoong."
"Either way...I think we're taking something of an unplanned-for vacation from the organization," he chuckled faintly. "Until we find a way to remove the curse."
“Yeah…Hey.” HyunJoong sighed, shaking his head as he cupped YoungSaeng’s cheeks with his small hands. “All that shit happened before you came. You are in no way responsible for anything that happened…and I should be the one thankful that you stuck by me all the way…”
“So, thank you, YoungSaeng. For rescuing me.” HyunJoong chuckled, planting a rather sweet kiss on the felinefolk’s cheek and grinning an entirely saccharine smile.
YoungSaeng blinked when HyunJoong kissed his cheek, and wondered if this was what HyunJoong felt when he compared the felinefolk's human and kitten forms. Something that YoungSaeng would have never accepted from an adult HyunJoong was perfectly fine from the child version.
After a long moment, he finally smiled again, unable to stop himself from messing up HyunJoong's long hair a little. "So...what now?" he asked with a sigh. "Is Daniel hyung keeping us hostage here forever?" There was nothing they could do to help the anti-hunters anymore...and quite frankly YoungSaeng wanted to curl up on the couch in HyunJoong's apartment and sleep all the worry, stress and fear off.
“Knowing him…probably…” HyunJoong sighed along, “When I was a kid, he was just this huge ball of ‘don’t’s. ‘Don’t stay out too late’, ‘Don’t talk to strangers’, ‘Don’t play with the new stock of weapons’, ‘Don’t tease the fire demon’, ‘Don’t take candy from the Fae’, ‘Don’t flirt with the Toire no Hanako…why were you found in the girl’s bathroom anyway?!’”
“And that was a very good question, you know.” Tablo’s voice sounded as the door squeaked open, giving HyunJoong a deadpan stare. “You said all that on purpose didn’t you? To irritate me?”
HyunJoong’s response was to widen his already huge eyes to an enormous state, attempting to look innocent, and pulling it off at a ridiculously high level of success.
"Well, those are just you lacking common sense," YoungSaeng replied. "Unless you like the Fae hanging you upside-down by tree branches for trying to steal their candy." They were possessive creatures.
Unable to hide the way his lips quivered and curled upwards at the way HyunJoong gave Tablo the dreaded 'puppy eyes'. "I bet you anything he did," the felinefolk said, standing and managing not to look at his master in case HyunJoong turned the look on him.
“Hey! I didn’t steal from them…they offered it to me…” HyunJoong pouted, before mumbling. “Although they hid all their real candy, bastards tried to offer me leaves and twigs they covered with glamour…”
Then he noticed the way YoungSaeng avoided looking at him, and quickly slid into a position so that he could stare up at YoungSaeng with his huge, googly eyes, his methods spanking of years of practice. “Aw…YoungSaeng…you’re too mean…”
YoungSaeng make the mistake of looking down at HyunJoong, and bit his lower lip, squirming uncomfortably under the wide-eyed gaze. "I-I am not!" he protested, averting his eyes because if he didn't, he would squish HyunJoong to death. "D-Daniel hyung, when will we be able to leave?" he asked, trying to change the subject.
“Oh yes you are!” HyunJoong insisted, cutting in before Tablo could reply. “YoungSaeng’s a meanie!” And looking down, he sniffled, hunching down, and looking, for all the world entirely miserable.
Tablo watched all this with much amusement, hiding his grin with his hand, thankful that for once HyunJoong had another victim to direct his attack on. Seriously, that boy never changed…
Even though he knew HyunJoong was only doing it to get to him, YoungSaeng panicked anyways when he saw the reaction. Being the youngest of the litter, he'd never had to worry about children before, and never built up a resistance to their tormenting.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" he squeaked, looking to Tablo for help but seeing he wasn't going to get any. Awkwardly, he patted HyunJoong's head and ran his fingers through the boy's hair. "I'll...I'll treat you when we get home, okay? Beef, or whatever you want."
HyunJoong’s recovery from his misery was almost instantaneous. “Yay! Beef!” He cheered, instinctively wrapping his arms around YoungSaeng’s neck, nuzzling into the felinefolk’s cheek. “Thanks, Saeng~”
Tablo snorted, shaking his head. He wasn’t going to intervene in the slightest - he’d dealt with HyunJoong for years, but the boy was smart and always managed to get what he wanted, even years after growing out of the ‘cute attacks’. “Anyway, I was here to tell you that we’re going to have a meeting about what we’re going to do from now on. Everyone’s gathered except for you two, KyuJong sshi and JungMin sshi.”
YoungSaeng squeaked when HyunJoong nuzzled against his cheek, awkwardly patting the ten-year-old on the back. He was such a pushover. And this whole 'kid!HyunJoong' thing was going to take a lot of getting used to.
Looking up at Tablo again, YoungSaeng nodded and straightened. "Alright then...should we go look for them?" The felinefolk asked, looking down at HyunJoong again.
Tablo shrugged, “Mithra went ahead to call them, but I don’t see why we shouldn’t join him… Besides, I think we’ll see a very entertaining scene there...”
**************************
Okay… this was definitely not good for the ankou. He should have never agreed to this.
“Jung…Min…aah…s-stop…mmmph…”
"Why should I?" was the innocent reply, the mischief in the redhead's eyes anything but. "I don't think you really want me to stop."
He was enjoying this far too much to want to stop anyways.
Grinning like a Cheshire cat, JungMin ran his hand along KyuJong's sensitive wing again, fingertips ghosting over the tips.
KyuJong was about to give JungMin a million and one reasons why, starting with the fact that he was going to collapse into one embarrassing mess soon when JungMin ran his fingers yet again on his right wing. Needless to say, the protest died on his lips, replaced by sensual moans instead. “Aah….Min…”
JungMin chuckled, barely resisting the temptation to lean forward and catch those soft lips with his own. He'd managed to convince KyuJong to show him his wings shortly after waking up, and he was pretty sure the ankou was never going to listen to a request like that again.
Finding that sensitive spot again, JungMin finally gave in and pressed his lips to KyuJong's.
Outside the door, Mithra sighed and wondered why he always had to interrupt the vocal ones. Daniel must have sent him to gather these two on purpose.
“Woah…they’re really going at it…” Suddenly a head popped up from under Mithra’s hands, huge brown eyes grinning at the scene. “Hey, Saeng…looks like your little ‘help’ from long ago paid off!”
His hearing sharp, even though those words had been said pretty softly, KyuJong immediately broke out of his dazed stupor and pushed JungMin off him with a yelp. Why did they always forget to close the door?
"I don't think you should be listening to this," YoungSaeng informed HyunJoong, covering his master's ears.
“I’m not really ten, YoungSaeng!” HyunJoong complained, trying to squirm out of YoungSaeng’s hold.
"You shouldn't be listening regardless, you pervert," YoungSaeng sighed, keeping HyunJoong firmly in his grasp, something infinitely easier now that his master was half his height.
JungMin yelped as he nearly tumbled off the bed, and then grinned as he started to laugh. "Kyu, you're a tomato."
“And whose fault is that?!” KyuJong swiped at JungMin, quickly keeping his wings back where JungMin couldn’t touch them.
Mithra exchanged a look with Tablo. "From now on, you're 'waking them up' on your own."
“Eh…but Mithra…” Tablo whined, sounding at least half his age.
Laughing, JungMin barely avoided the hit and quickly leaned forward, crushing their lips together for a split second before jumping to his feet. "You liked it anyways~" he sang with a laugh, retreating to the door where the others were waiting. Looking at him, you'd have no idea the redhead had, just a few hours ago, been lying inches from death with a gaping hole in his stomach.
KyuJong sighed at JungMin’s accusation - there was no way he could deny it without lying, but that didn’t mean he needed to be happy about it. Pretty much sulking as he followed JungMin to the door, he childishly refused to look at his master.
Tablo snorted in amusement as he looked at the four gathered before him, exchanging a look with Mithra. To think that this was the future of the anti-hunter organization. “Anyway, let’s go meet with the old geezers. It won’t be pleasant, but we’re going to have to get it over and done with.”
HyunJoong stopped struggling at that, he eyed Tablo with a steely look. “How black-faced are those old farts?”
"Let's just say they aren't happy and leave it at that," Mithra sighed. "We'll try to field most of their questions, but unfortunately there will be some only you can answer. I think after that, you'll all be able to leave," he finished, looking at Tablo for confirmation.
YoungSaeng sighed, ears flat against his hair. This was going to be a pain...but once it was over, hopefully they'd get some rest. "Let's go then," he murmured, hands against HyunJoong's shoulders.
JungMin blinked at the expressions on their faces, glancing at KyuJong in confusion. Just how bad was this going to be?
KyuJong shrugged - he’d never dealt with the higher ups much before, so his guess was as good as JungMin’s.
Catching the look on their faces, HyunJoong chuckled, running a hand through his hair. “Oh…it’ll be bad. We lost close to half of our forces bringing down JaeJoong. Our edge with an insider in the HQ is gone. And even though we were there, we didn’t manage to free the prisoners in the HQ dungeons…the only upside is that the hunter forces are just as badly damaged…but still, we’ll be lucky if we get away with just a slap on the wrist.”
“Yeah…” Tablo agreed as they began to walk towards the main hall were the meeting was going to take place. “Hopefully they won’t do something stupid and actually make a decision on what to do…”
"That'll be the day," YoungSaeng muttered, starting to walk as well. He disliked their leaders as much as the others did, finding them not much better than the hunters they were against. "Well, we did the best we could, and I'd like to see them do any better." Their hemming and hawing would have cost the organization even more in terms of resources and lives.
JungMin frowned lightly, falling beside KyuJong as they walked. "This should be fun..." Sarcastic for once. Glancing at his partner, the redhead slipped his arm around the ankou's waist, giving a small, sheepish smile. "Am I forgiven?"
KyuJong blinked, turning to JungMin, before remembering what he was supposed to be angry for. He chuckled, leaning onto the human a little shyly. “Oh. That…I never really was angry at you…but next time. Show a little restraint. Please.”
"All right, all right," JungMin chuckled, smiling at how KyuJong leaned into him a little as they walked. "...Or at least remember to close the door next time, right?" The redhead asked, eyes dancing as he leaned over and kissed KyuJong's cheek lightly.
HyunJoong’s eyes danced as he peeked behind him, unable to restrain the childish smile on his face. Even though his adult mind was still intact, his behavior and hormones seemed to be affected by his physical state. Hence, the undeniable tendency to act all fluffy and cute.
“I’m glad…” He commented to YoungSaeng, with a soft smile.
YoungSaeng looked down at HyunJoong, blinking. He'd been lost in thought about what they were supposed to tell the higher-ups. "Glad? About what?" he asked, voice quiet as they walked, one hand still lightly against HyunJoong's shoulder, as if to reassure himself that his master was still there.
“That everything worked out fine between them.” HyunJoong replied, casting one last glance at the happy couple behind them.
He left the other part of his thoughts unsaid.
‘Maybe things between you and me…will be just as fine…’