bloody elixir.
this tale is like a fatal maze. it tells the story of a man and three different women; entangled in a web of (what they think was) love and lies, spun together out of hatred and lust and odium and hungry desire. it doesn’t end with a happy ending but there are some things you should know before you proceed.
the man had three different lovers - two older than him and one younger.
he loved one.
he broke one.
and he killed one.
“i don’t love you anymore.”
the crystalline wine glasses topples over onto the white plush rug, dark burgundy seeping into the threads of the carpet like fresh blood. beads on the sparkling chandelier vibrate, as if they are laughing at the entire situation. the room is too silent but the thud of her body against the floor is clearly heard.
“wh-what do you mean?”
her facial features appear childlike again in her anxiety. her entire body seems to have shrunk and she immediately materializes as who she is - a gangly, insecure teenager who pins her heart on her sleeve and has all the money in the world but nobody to share it with.
she has (had) him but not anymore, she presumes.
“what do you think it means?” inquires minho calmly, hands tucked into the pockets of his trench coat. his ironic serenity injects fury into her. she grabs the wine bottle from the table and throws it at him. her aim is off in her extreme wretchedness; the bottle crashes into pieces against the wall.
he approaches her. “now, now, krys,” he murmurs, “watch your temper. we’ve discussed this many times before.” he extends a hand toward her but she leans away as if it is something so vile. “get away from me.”
“baby - “
“get away from me!” she snatches the fallen wine glass and slams it into the floor beside her. the shards claw viciously at the blonde wood of the floor; the icy splinters hack deep into her delicate skin and blood spurts out of the cuts in generous gushes.
minho views the spectacle in silence, hands remaining in his pockets as he gazes at her tranquilly (it’s okay for him to watch her torture herself this way because he doesn’t feel guilty since she’s the one harming herself) through dark doe eyes. he warns, “be careful, soojung-ah.”
“don’t fucking call me that!”
her arms tremble as the pain finally surges thourhg her veins. she bites down on her bottom lip so hard she could draw blood. her eyes are jaded and livid as she stares at him from under a mass of pretty black hair. “go away.”
“krys - “
“go!”
he turns in the direction of the front door without a word. he walks slowly and deliberately, without a single glance at her (he hears her gasps and the rushed searching of the perfect bit of serrated glass and the lush tear of her skin and he feels numb) at all.
minho ultimately reaches the door. he looks back at krystal, violently stabbing her wrists with the ragged pieces, letting more and more blood spilling onto the rug and floor like gloomy drops of rain.
drip, drip, drip, drip.
he smiles as he closes the door behind him.
her dingy apartment is empty and quiet, save for the occasional clicking and vibrating of the worn-out radiator. the only noise that could be heard is the rustle of yellowing paper as her finger flips the page of the book she’s reading. ever so methodical and neat.
tap, tap, tap.
a knowing grin curves her pink lips upward as she hears the light tapping against her front door (he’s unusually early; she doesn’t know what deeds he has accomplished before coming but she decides she doesn’t care) that echoes clearly even in the cold night. she vacates her seat to answer it.
“you’re early tonight.”
minho enters the tiny apartment, shaking the flakes of snow off his jacket. he takes it off and hangs it on a hook on the wall. “well, my errand - someone else was willing to finish it for me.” he smiles tenderly at her, letting his icy hand camber under the warm angle of her chin.
her eyelashes flutter downward and her breath hitches as his strong arm wraps itself around her waist, pulling her closer. puffs of his frosty breath mingle with hers, their chests rising and falling against each other in sync.
yuri knows there’s something wrong with this picture (too amorous, too slow, too warm, too perfect) but since she can’t figure it out, she thinks it’s still quite alright.
“are you hungry? i have some food in the kitchen. i can reheat it for you if you want me to,” she suggest, linking her pinky with his as she drags him toward the kitchen. his eyes are fondly warm as he nods, accepting her offer.
they reach the murky yet immaculate kitchen. he sits down at the undersized kitchen table and pours beer into a plastic cup. his eyes trace her every move as she bustles busily around the small space, picking up pots, pans and spoons.
“why don’t you chop up these carrots for a quick soup? it’ll be faster if you do it.” yuri speaks to him distractedly since she stirring something in the pot. a blush creeps up her cheeks as his arms snake their way around her waist again. but she becomes wary as they clutch her tighter and tighter.
“minho - “
first comes a barely audible grunt, followed by a swift slash and finally a brutal scream (it doesn’t last long as it dies into a little wheeze at the very back of her throat and her eyes roll; even in her last moments, her gaze is short of accusing) that pierces his ears.
even as her cadaver is splayed motionless across the grimy floor, yuri is still so beautiful. the only way anybody could tell she’s dead is by the blood. pools of deep red liquid, sweeping the floors like rivers.
a lone tear drops down his cheek. he should feel no emotion doing this and he doesn’t but he’ll sort of miss her. minho wipes it away with the back of his hand without any noise. before he leaves, he tosses the knife into the sink.
flecking the carrots she had so lovingly asked him to slice with red.
(he rummages for a spare key over the door. a grin of victory makes its way onto his face as his fingers close around a tiny piece of metal. he slips it out of its hiding place and jams it into the keyhole, turning the doorknob with a single twist.
he finds his sweet, sweet krystal sprawled on the speckled rug. the blood around her wrists has dried but the rusty smell in the air is still there. her beauty outshines the shadowy crimson all over her lithe body but it coaxes a sad smile from within him still.
he kisses her frozen-open eyes and whispers a gentle i love you and thank you for making my job a lot easier for me.)
“why, hello, stranger.”
he’s a little startled as he hears the voice but then a nearby light flickers on. his tension melts into a soft smile as he approaches her slowly. “hello to you, too,” murmurs minho, shrugging out of his jacket and flinging it onto the nearby armchair.
eunseo moves a bit to make room for him on the bed. a small groan escapes him as he descends onto the downy bed, sinking deeper and deeper into the endless sheets of white. “you look exhausted,” scolds the older woman, letting her nimble fingers dance over his broad chest.
“i had…a lot on my plate tonight.” that is the only explanation minho could afford to give as he frowns, wanting to elucidate (it’s not that he wants to forget because to him there is nothing to be disregarded) but having a difficult time to.
“come here,” he orders finally, aware that he has more or less hurt her feelings. relieved by his invitation, she crawls up to him. her eyes close blissfully as he tucks her under his arm. she feels safe, protected. Nothing - or no one - can harm her because he will always be there.
“how much do you love me, minho?”
he clutches her tighter to his side, smoothing her hair down with his free hand. “believe me when i say this, eunseo,” he hums. “i love you more than i love myself. i love you more than i have ever loved anyone in this entire world. you are my entire world.”
her stunning lips curl into a graceful smile as she mutters, “really?”
“of course. really and truly,” minho promises, kissing the top of her head, and eunseo just know staht this is where she belongs - with a man who would never leave her and would always cherish her as she deserves. a man who will never make her bleed.
(a man who wouldn’t watch as dark cherry trickles down her body, soaking her shirt, shorts, skin. she can trust minho because she knows he won’t.
he isn’t like that. nothing like that. not at all.)
suddenly, he chuckles. “i want to marry you someday, you know? i want all of that but only with you.”
she doesn’t reply, secretly basking in pleasure. then minho whispers, “but before that, i have something really special to show you.”
“what is it?”
click, whirr, bang.
he snorts sympathetically, shaking his head. eunseo shouldn’t have bought white bed sheets; the blood makes too much of an abstract pattern.
he places the gun in her lifeless fingers, patting them gently with a smile.
(he lies awake later that night in his own bed, looking up at the ceiling. he’s at peace, really, but he couldn’t help but to admit that his head is jumbled up with muddled thoughts. he realizes there is one life he should’ve spared.
he just doesn’t know which.)
pardon me, but there is something i’ve forgotten to correct earlier.
he actually killed all three of his lovers.
the one he broke is pretty obvious.
and it’s up to you to figure out which one was the one he loved.