'Cause We Need a Little Controversy 1/2
'Cause We Need a Little Controversy
itachibana13
PG-13; drama, action.
minho/key; 14,368 words.
so apparently because everyone hates author's notes, here's an author's note. this was my, uh. very, very, very late shinee big bang entry. yeah, the one i never got to post. ): BUT HERE IT IS. I HAVE FINISHED IT. huge shout out to yumiuesagi for listening to me rant about absolutely nothing and tell me that i'm normal. :) and to pause because she's the one who actually pushed me to finish this ;______; ILU MEGAN. GO WRITE ME ONKEY. and to lazychaoz simply because i thought this was amusing.
itachibana13: \O///////////////
itachibana13: okay while you gape at my awesomeness
itachibana13: i'm going to pee
lazychaoz: XDDDDDDDDDDD
lazychaoz: how anticlimatic.
Now this looks like a job for me
So everybody, just follow me
Cause we need a little, controversy
Cause it feels so empty, without me
“You have five seconds.”
“I don’t have it!”
“Three, two…”
“I really don’t-!”
“Game over.”
“Kim Kibum, this is the fourth time in a row you’ve been more than half an hour late to the class.”
“Yeah, um. About that-“
“Normally, I honestly wouldn’t care, but you have to come into the room in such an elaborate way-“
“I dropped my stuff! When hard objects fall, they make noise.”
“Four days in a row. You have no excuse for this. I don’t want the disruptions to happen again. You may leave.”
Kibum walks out of the seminar hall furiously, Nikes slapping the floor in aggravation.
There's a familiar buzzing of his cell phone, and Kibum lets out an annoyed sigh, hitting the send button.
"Key, your next-"
"I'm at college, go away."
“Exactly. Fifth floor, room 514. She’s alone, so do it quick.”
“You’re kidding me,” Kibum groans, quickly switching his destination, and fishes around for the gun in his backpack. After hearing the clanking of steel, Kibum grips the object steadily, and approaches the door. Glancing in a bit, there’s a girl at a computer, and he recognizes the face. She’s in his class; Kibum sighs, and opens the door, changing his expression.
“Oh, Kyuyeon, you’re here! Hi,” Kibum smiles, and the girl looks up from the computer.
“Hi Kibum, are you looking for something?”
Out of the corner of his eye, he notices her fingers quickly moving, pressing buttons rapidly, before she stops and rests her hands in her lap.
“Actually, yeah. Have you seen my usb cord? I was typing a paper in here yesterday, and oh. I was sitting behind you.”
Kyuyeon raises an eyebrow, “No, sorry, I haven’t. You’re, uh, you’re welcome to look around, though.”
“Thanks, tell me if I’m being annoying, okay?”
“Alright.”
Kibum spends a good two minutes clambering around under the desk behind her, before he finally takes out the pistol, pointing it to her back. He can see Kyuyeon stiffen up as the cold medal presses against her.
“Um, Kibum, what is that?”
Kibum chuckles low, “a gun, why?” He gets up from the floor, and walks around to stand in front of her, gun pointed to her forehead. He can see the panic registering in her face, and Kibum has to stop himself from laughing. “It was nice knowing you. Kind of.”
There’s a gunshot, and a hysterical screech pierces the air, followed by Kibum dropping out of the window, and climbs in the third floor window, which coincidentally happens to be open and empty.
He flips his mobile open, and is greeted with the same voice as before.
“Good job Key. She’s worth five grand in black market for hacking into various programs. You get that five.”
Kibum raises an eyebrow, “Thanks for telling me after she’s dead, and all five? Someone is feeling quite generous today.”
“We made more off bets.”
Kibum rolls his eyes, “Onew, get laid.”
“Right, Key. Anyways, go, scream and call for help, or you’ll look suspicious. Bye.”
Kibum runs out of the classroom upstairs to see a hoard of students gathered around the door of the classroom he was previously in. Trying to put on his best horrified façade, he runs up to the group of students, and shrieks, “Oh my God, what happened here? Why is there… did she-!”
The acting kind of sucks, but everyone is in too much of a panic to notice.
“Everyone, mo-move out of the way!” a demanding police officer shoves their way through the crowd. After screaming at everyone to go away, he detains the student that happened to find the body first, and Kibum escapes once again.
“Kibum, this is Minho, say hi!” Jonghyun, his wishes-to-be-but-due-to-difficulties-isn’t-really best friend says. He’s majoring under drama and theatre, while Minho is going for a business degree.
“Um, hi,” Kibum smiles awkwardly, and Minho does the same back.
"So," Jonghyun laughs at the atmosphere. "I have to actually go now, my class starts in ten minutes. I need to get my books, and it's across campus, so I'll be going now." He gives one more sheepish smile before running off. "Bye, and have fun!"
Minho and Kibum stare at him running off as Minho fixes his posture, looking around. "Feels like he just set us up on a blind date."
Kibum laughs. "You too? No way." He pauses for a moment and shakes his head. "That bastard."
Minho chuckles. "Yeah. So...what now?"
Kibum shrugged, "Well. I have to go to the art studio for a project I have to finish, wanna come along?"
Minho smiles, "Sure. I have no classes for the rest of the day."
The walk to the art studio is quiet, and actually isn't that awkward.
...okay, it is.
But, it's not as awkward as it would usually be with someone you just met about five minutes ago - not even.
When they finally reach the room, Kibum turns on the lights and looks at Minho. "You can just put your stuff down there, I'm going to set up."
Minho nods and does what he's told, and then asks. "So, what is this project on?"
"Abstract art, emotions." Kibum laughs, "I haven't gotten a clue of what I want to do. Well, I do. But it's really not coming out the way I want it to."
Minho thinks for a moment, and then asks, "Well. What do you want to do?"
Kibum raises an eyebrow. "I was thinking of an unrequited love. You know, with the sadness and all? But, I don't want to use the color black."
Minho stares at the canvas, covered in blotches of black, red, and blue. "A little too late for that."
Kibum laughs. “Yeah, I didn’t want to use it at first, but I really couldn’t think of anything else.”
Minho replies. “I thought artists weren’t supposed to think, just feel. It’s a project on emotions, isn’t it?”
Kibum shrugs. “I’ll think about my emotions after college. What colors do you think I should use?”
Minho thinks for a second, chewing on his bottom lip. “I think… white.”
“White?”
“White.”
“How is white sad?”
Minho frowns. “How is white happy?”
Kibum sighs. “Touché.”
“Give it a shot,” Minho smiles, “I think it’ll work.”
“The shit,” Kibum mutters, “I just met you and you’re already doing my work for me.”
Minho just laughs.
Kibum stares at the canvas blankly, finally picking up the paintbrush.
“I told you white,” Minho stares at him.
“I understand Korean, thank you very much. I want green though.”
Minho watches him paint in silence, trying to grasp whatever the hell he’s painting, because frankly it looks like a four year old finger painting.
Then Kibum’s phone rings.
He looks over to Minho. “Can you get that for me? It’s in the side pocket. Which phone is it?”
Minho opens his bag and sees two phones. One is a typical red hand phone. The other is a blackberry-like mobile, but Minho’s pretty sure that’s not a very normal phone.
“The black one.”
Kibum stops painting. “Oh. Can you bring it over? And don’t touch anything on it.”
Minho does. “Why do you have two phones?”
“One for work, one for leisure.”
“For leisure?” Minho stares at it, and Kibum gives him one quick glance before pressing the phone against his ear.
“Can you hear it?”
“No. Should I?”
“No.”
“You have two offers, Key. One is to kill Kim Seunghyuk - he works for the government in making nuclear weapons. The prize is fourteen billion won, but the person who requested you is North Korea’s Prime Minister - Choi Jaemin.”
“And the other?”
“The second is seven million won. Your target is the CEO of Samsung, Lee Changri. Park Woohyun has personally requested you. The dates for both assassinations must be done before April fourteenth. You have to choose an offer before midnight.”
The phone goes dead as Kibum sighs. “Why is it always midnight?”
Minho gives him a look, and he laughs.
“It’s nothing. I just have something to do for my boss before midnight.”
Minho nods and Kibum looks around. “Actually, I think I should do that now. We could meet up later with Jonghyun.”
Minho smiles. “Alright, that’d be cool.”
Kibum watches Minho walk out of the room, and puts all the utensils away. He then heads over to his dorm, in which he looks up four names: Lee Changri, Kim Seunghyuk, Park Woohyun, and Choi Jaemin.
Nearly three hours later, he’s plugged into the program that his target is chosen, and in about two minutes he gets a text message from Jinki about Changri’s schedule, all the way up until April the seventh.
“Wow, you’re kind of loaded,” Kibum says lamely when he walks into Minho’s dorm room with Jonghyun.
“I know right?” Jonghyun grins. “His father is head of the technology management department or something in Samsung, right Minho?”
Minho just nods.
“Oh,” Kibum mutters lamely. “Samsung.”
“Oh, right. There’s a company party, and my father is making me go. He said I could bring one or two friends. You guys want to come? It’s on March twenty third.”
“I’ll have to think about it. I’ll get back to you on that,” Kibum replies instantly.
Jonghyun nods in agreement. “I’m probably free though,” he laughs. Then get’s distracted. “ Oh, is that an Xbox 360? I never knew you had that Minho - what games do you have?”
Minho and Jonghyun spend half an hour playing video games while Kibum sits on Minho’s bed behind them, punching letters in his black phone.
“Well isn’t this place grand,” Kibum sneers, eyeing the chandelier above them. “What do you think Jinki hyung?”
“Oh, um. H-hey, you can’t use my real name. If there are bugs here, we’re screwed.”
“Sorry Onew. How’d you come up with that name anyways?”
Jinki rolls his eyes. “Okay Key, off task. Can’t you kneel down? What if someone sees your face? You’re going to get us killed Key.”
“My dearest apologies, but I don’t care. Besides, we’re on the upper floor, no one will see us.”
“More like random upper hallway that surrounds the perimeter of the ballroom. What if Minho or Jonghyun sees you?”
Kibum kneels down.
“That’s what I thought. Why are you so carele-oh, there he is!” Jinki points to the crowd below them, and Kibum spots him easily. He shakes hand with someone else, and laughs as the person next to him says something.
“He seems kind of popular. I might feel bad for doing this now,” Kibum chuckles. He turns to Jinki. “On your word, captain.”
“At the thirty, aim right for his temple.”
Kibum winces. “That’s kind of harsh?”
Jinki laughs. “We’re giving him benefit of the doubt; he’ll get killed instantly. Any other place and it would take a while for him to lose consciousness.”
He shrugs. “Your word.”
When the clock finally lands on eight thirty, Jinki signals Kibum and gets up to secure and exit.
“Exit fifty one, okay? The red door in the back. It only leads to one place, and I’ll be there. Got it?”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t screw this up, Kibum.”
“I won’t.”
A moment after Jinki leaves, he stands up, scanning the crowd one more time before pushing back the cuff of his outfit and taking out a gun. He steps back a little, and focuses. Kibum’s always been the best at aiming, and is wonderfully gifted at handling guns.
So he presses the trigger. It hits bull’s eye.
There’s a sudden wave of panic from below, women start to scream, and people are baffled.
Now all Kibum has to do is run to the red door at the end of the hallway. But no, he has to see Jonghyun and Minho. Did they see? What were their reactions?
So he takes a gamble and looks over the railing from above. His eyes almost instantly lock with Minho’s, and he freezes.
Until someone screams bloody murder and points up at him.
Kibum panics, and looks around to see someone already running towards to one end of the staircase. The side the red door is on.
Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. He takes off, running down the hallways getting out his communicator and screaming, “Onew! Onew! Get the fuck out of here, now.”
“Key? What happened? Key, Key, listen to me. You are to get out of there as fast as you can and as soon as you’re out, press your communicator. You got it?”
When Onew get’s nothing in return but the sound of Key’s harsh breathing, he turns the device off and leaves the building’s perimeter.
Kibum opens the door nearest to him, and goes through a maze of doors, entering the employees only rooms and going through lobbies and bars and he’s pretty sure there are now security guards after him, and the police was going to be here anytime soon.
Kibum takes a sharp right, and shoots one of the windows, covering his head from the flying glass pieces. He takes a second to see if there’s anyone behind him, and jumps out, scarring his arms and legs.
Kibum takes a moment to gain his senses again, but when he gets back up on his knees someone aims a flashlight at him, and he instantly shields his face from the blinding light, stumbling forward as he does so.
Kibum grits his teeth, spitting out blood.
“Hey, that looks like…”
He instantly looks up at the voice, recognizing the owner.
Shit. Jonghyun.
“Minho!”
Kibum starts to run frantically, not caring where he goes but he can tell Minho is running behind him and damn that kid is fast. Almost in hysterics, he takes out his gun again and shoots blindly behind him. When Kibum hears someone scream in terror, the running behind him stops, and he makes it out safely. He presses the button on his communicator and Jinki picks him up in a new record of five minutes.
“God damnit Jinki, I could’ve recognized that scream from anywhere. It was - ow fuck, that hurts!”
Jinki rolls his eyes, and pulls out another piece of glass from his skin. Kibum flinches, but lets him throw the broken piece into the little container.
“You’re an assassin.”
“Yeah, but-”
Jinki sighs. “You’re an assassin.”
“I shot Jonghyun!”
Jinki pus the tweezer down, and stares Kibum in the eyes. “Kibum, you’re an assassin. You murder people. If Jonghyun ever gets in the way, then so be it. Good bye Jonghyun.”
Kibum sighs, looking at the floor.
Jinki smiles at him. “It’ll be okay, don’t worry Kibum. Now move your arm a bit that way so I can stitch it up.”
Kibum does so, and watches Jinki’s every moment closely.
“I think he saw me.”
Jinki chuckles. “If he didn’t see you with that flashlight, there must be something wrong with his eyesight.”
“Hyung.”
Jinki is silent for a while, pushing the needle through his skin. “Well,” he starts, “as long as they don’t figure it out, it should be okay.”
“If they do? What if like, they don’t tell people about me?”
“Then just don’t let Taemin find out.”
“Oh my God, Minho let me just lie down here for a while, okay?”
Minho and Key exchange glances, laughing.
“Way to suck, Jonghyun.”
“Way to blow, Kibum.”
Kibum sits next to Jonghyun. “Who’s the one that’s supposed to be talented with their mouth?”
Jonghyun punches Kibum on the arm, doubling over in laughter. Kibum grins to Minho, and motions to sit down on the grass with them. He does so, and Kibum punches him on the arm.
“Oh, Kibum, what was that for?”
“Being too good at soccer. C’mon, give poor Joongie a break.”
Jonghyun look at him skeptically. “Joongie? What the shit?”
“You know how much he sucks at sports.”
Minho laughs. “True enough.”
Jonghyun casually puts his arm around Kibum’s shoulder. “So like, can we do something that’s more my style?”
Kibum laughs at him. “You’re style? We’re not locking ourselves in the music room again. We already learned Minho can’t sing.”
Jonghyun makes a face at him. “Fine. We won’t lock ourselves in music rooms. Oh hey, why don’t we go visit Tiffany, Yuri, and Sooyoung at the café?”
Kibum whines. “Why? They’re not that hot Jjong. And Sooyoung still hates me for calling her a boy.”
“That was your fault. She has short hair, and she’s flat, but she’s still a pretty obvious girl. Right Minho?”
There’s a slight pause, and Kibum looks towards the taller boy. “Minho?” Jonghyun waves a hand in front of his face, and he snaps back to reality.
“What? Oh, um. Sorry guys. I was thinking.”
“About Sooyoung?”
Kibum hits Jonghyun behind the head. “You wish, don’t you?”
Minho laughs. “Nah, it was just. Y’know, the party Jonghyun and I were at.”
“Oh.” Jonghyun’s mood visibly deflates.
“Sorry for bringing it up,” Minho smiles awkwardly, “it’s just a bit nerve wracking.”
“Oh.” Kibum’s mood deflates even more.
“Let’s just forget I said that,” Minho smiles awkwardly.
“No, it’s cool. What about it were you thinking about?”
Minho shrugged. “I’m not even too sure myself. I don’t think it’d bug me that much if I hadn’t seen him.”
“What did he look like?” Kibum stares at him, clenching his hand.
Minho and Jonghyun exchange glances.
Jonghyun shrugs. “Don’t know too well, he covered his face as soon as we aimed the flashlight at him. He was taller than me though.”
Minho stares at him. “Okay, Jonghyun. Everyone is taller than you.”
He sighs in dismay.
“He didn’t look like anything special, you know? Since we didn’t see his face.” Kibum just nods aimlessly. “Well,” Minho says, “let’s go inside.”
Jonghyun instantly gets up. “I’m starving!”
“He just wants to get away from the soccer field.” Kibum grins, and Minho laughs.
“Oh my gosh, no. No, no, no!” Kibum shrieks. “Damn you all!”
Jonghyun and Minho laugh evilly, violently pressing buttons on their controllers.
Kibum sniffs. “Who the hell likes Call of Duty anyways?”
“Don’t be mad ‘cause you lost,” Minho taunts.
“I could totally beat your ass in real life.”
“Bring it,” Minho smirks, and Jonghyun screams.
“Goddammit! Screw you Minho! Wait, I’m not dead yet! Oh snap!”
Kibum rolls his eyes at them, and flops down on Minho’s bed.
Key walks into headquarters the next day, heading into the basement. He finds Jinki under a car, mechanics sprawled around him.
“Hey Onew.”
“Hi Key.” Onew greets him lazily, sliding out from under the car. Wiping grease off his forehead, he smiles. “Reason for your coming?”
“I wanted to see my baby,” Kibum pats the hood of the car. “And I wanted to know when and why we’re using her for our next mission. And since we’re on the mission topic, what is the mission? Thanks for agreeing to it without my consent again, Onew.”
“You’re welcome,” he laughs, “I figured you’d like it anyways. Ever been in a drag race before?”
“No. Is this relevant?”
“Apparently. Our next target is Park Jungshin. He’ll be in the drag race. We’re supposed to enter the race and kill him.”
Kibum watches Jinki pick up a wrench and slide back underneath the vehicle. “Can’t we just kill him outside the race?”
“The race is tomorrow. Besides, apparently the guy who hired us wanted to send some other guy a warning of some sort.”
“Oh.” Kibum frowns. “So. What kind of drag race is this, illegal street car racing?”
He hears Jinki laugh. “Well, it says we have to assassinate him in a legit race, but hey. We could totally hit up the streets tonight and earn some extra cash on gamblers.”
Kibum laughs, and then silently watches as he works.
“You know,” Jinki says after a while, “Taemin’s going to college.”
“Okay.”
“He’s going to your college.”
“Oka- wait, what? Why?”
Jinki frowns. “I’m not too sure, but for whatever reason it is, I’m not too sure if I like it.”
Kibum looks at the clock. “The only two people he could possibly be looking after in that college is me and that other kid in the lower division. I don’t even know his name. Do you think he’s assassinating someone?”
“He would just tell you do it, wouldn’t he?” Jinki sticks his hand out from under the car. “Wanna hand me a screwdriver?”
Kibum kicks it towards him and Jinki nearly misses it, jabbing his hand into the small end.
“Ow! I said hand it, not kick it.”
Kibum snorts and looks back up at the clock. “Whatever, I’m going back to college. I have class in two hours. Hit me up when it’s time to go, okay?”
“No problem.”
“Hey Kibum, guess what’s going on tomorrow!” Minho jabs him in the side and Kibum messes up a stroke, stepping on his foot.
“The due date for my art project? Yeah, thanks for noticing.” Kibum smiles sarcastically and continues to paint.
“It’s the national car races! C’mon, don’t tell me you don’t watch car racing.”
Kibum gives him an incredulous look. “I told you already - I don’t watch sports. Besides, does car racing count as a sport? You don’t use your body. You’re in a car.”
“You don’t need to use your body,” Minho frowns. “Jonghyun and I are watching it tomorrow in my room, wanna come?”
“Sure, maybe after I like, you know, get an A on this project?”
“Does that mean no?”
“No. I mean, yes.” Kibum shakes his head. “I mean, get out so I can concentrate! And no, I’m not going.”
Minho gets up. “Okay, I’m leaving.”
“Don’t come back until I say you can!”
“Hi guys,” Jonghyun opens the door, walking into Kibum’s room.
Kibum’s jaw drops and glares at Minho. “Did you forget to lock the door? I might just have to kill you now.”
Minho shrugs. “It’s only Jonghyun.”
Jonghyun pouts. “What’s wrong with me being here? Minho’s here.”
The end of Kibum’s mouth twitches. “Yes, well. He was just on his way out.”
Jonghyun seats himself down on his couch, and Kibum just sighs. “Okay Jonghyun, what do you want?”
He smiles in triumph. “Well, I heard rumors of car races going on around here. Did you guys hear about that?”
Kibum inwardly groans. Why was his life screwed over like this, again?
“Just about the whole college knows, Jonghyun. Some girl invited me to go with her to see one.” Minho plopped down next to Jonghyun. “I said yes, just ‘cause I wanted to see a race.”
“And for the hot chicks,” Jonghyun adds. “You know, the ones that wear like, a bikini top and shorts. They’re the ones with the flags!”
Kibum snorts. “I’m pretty sure that’s only in video games and movies.”
Jonghyun ignores him. “I’m going to go watch too. Jessica’s coming with me. Oh, Kibum, you’re going right? Right?”
Kibum feels like he’s walking on thin ice now. “I will tell you the same I told Minho right before you came in. I will not leave this room for anything other than like, food and survival needs until I finish this project. Now, I would truly appreciate it if you guys left.”
He grabs Jonghyun’s hand and tugs him to his feet. Kibum points to the door, scowling. “Out.”
“What about Minho?”
He turns to said person, and glares at him. Minho grins back at him, making no attempt to get up.
“I’ll kick you,” Kibum threatens, and Minho snorts.
“I’m scared.”
And so Kibum does, and Minho curses loudly, grabbing his leg. “Holy shit, aren’t you supposed to be like, not jacked or something? Goddamn Kibum.”
Jonghyun snorts. “I think it’s already bruising.”
Kibum smiles. “You’ll get a matching mark if you don’t leave.”
Grudgingly, Minho gets up and walks out with Jonghyun. After they leave, Kibum falls back on his bed, stuffing the pillow into his face. “Why must they go everywhere I have work,” he drones, and then throws the pillow at the wall. He fumbles around for his black phone and texts Jinki. ‘jjong and minho are gonna be there. Let’s keep us top secret, k?’
Nearly two seconds later, he gets a text back, and signs at the message. ‘k’.
After staring at the clock for a couple minutes, he goes back to his art project, resentfully hating the world through his watercolors.
“I think I might hate you,” Kibum tells Jinki. “Just so you know.”
Jinki beams at him, putting his sunglasses on. “I suggest you choose quickly between the helmet and sunglasses, the ref is coming.”
Kibum grabs the helmet, sliding it onto his head as soon as the referee comes.
Jinki talks to him as Kibum stares outside, looking for Jonghyun and Minho. Why did they have to come? Didn’t they know they could get arrested? Kibum rolled his eyes. They probably didn’t, which was pretty stupid. Not like he expected them to be smart or anything.
“Key,” Jinki says. “We’re going to start.”
Kibum nods. “What am I supposed to do? Two people can’t drive a car, and you’re driving.”
Jinki shrugs. “Tell me when a car is coming too close, when I should speed up, stuff like that. Sit back and look cool, look for your bffs. Distract yourself.”
So Kibum does, relaxing in his seat and stares out the window. He watches the girl (in a bikini top and shorts - Jonghyun was right) hold the flag up, and every car revves their engine. The smell of gasoline reaches his nose, and Kibum feels like he’s gonna puke.
“Oh my god, Onew. I think I might throw up.”
Jinki laughs. “Please open the window if you’re really going to.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he watches the girl wave the flag down, and Jinki presses on the gas pedal.
Kibum’s stomach does flips, and he grabs onto the handles of the car above the window. He turns to look at Jinki, who’s looking out onto the road. He gazes down at the speedometer, watching as the needle moves right.
“Concentrate,” Jinki states. “C’mon Key. You have to aim. Practice. I’m going to go even faster tomorrow.”
Kibum makes a strangled noise, looking out the window.
“Red car,” Jinki says, “aim for the red car.” Kibum nods and takes out a lazer light. It’s a toy, but it’ll do for now. He clicks it on, and it turns out to be harder than expected. The lights passing by him are horribly distracting, and his head spins. It’s terribly nauseating. The light moves in and out of the target, but Kibum finally gets a lock on. He keeps his hand steady, presses his finger down, and bam.
If he had a gun right now, that car wouldn’t have a driver anymore.
Instead the light turns off, and Jinki sighs as Kibum slouches in his seat.
“That was faster than I predicted,” he smiles. “Good job.”
“I hate cars,” Kibum mutters.
They end up finishing in first place; Jinki wins about three hundred thousand won.
Kibum never sees Minho or Jonghyun there. That should be making him relieved, but he can’t help but be a little disappointed.
Minho shrugs. “We didn’t go.”
“Why? You seemed pretty excited about it.”
“Yeah, well. My girl just didn’t feel like going,” Minho states.
Kibum stares at his ice cream. “What about Jonghyun?”
Minho laughs. “He got unlucky. Food poisoning.”
Kibum snorts, breaking into laughter. “Wow. That is so not cool.” He pauses for a moment. “Should we visit him now?”
There’s a silent moment where they stop walking, look at each other, and grin in unison. “Naah,” they laugh. Minho walks forward a bit, kicking a rock.
“So, are you watching the race today?” Kibum asks.
“On TV? Yeah. Why? Are you?”
Kibum shakes his head. “I’m heading out into the city today.”
“By yourself?”
Kibum gives him a look. “Did you think I would go by myself?”
“Well. It’s you. Can you blame me?”
Kibum laughs. “I’m offended. No, I’m going with a high school friend. We’ll be out most of the day.”
Minho snorts. “Yeah ‘cause most of the day doesn’t apply to right now.”
“It’s a Saturday, Minho. You’re the only one who would go for a ten o’clock walk.”
“It was supposed to be a jog until you came.”
Kibum grins. “I’m glad I put you to your senses.”
“Hardly.”
Kibum ignores him. “Let’s sit over there,” he points to one of the benches and starts to walk, Minho following closely behind.
He sits down on the bench and faces Minho. “So, who are you going to cheer for in the race?”
“Park Jungshin.”
“Oh,” Kibum nods. Well that sucks for him.
“Do you have anyone in mind?” Minho asks.
Kibum gave him an incredulous look. “Does it look like I would have anyone in mind? C’mon Minho, I’m choosing shopping over car races.”
Minho grins. “Oh right. I forgot you’re a transvestite in training.”
Kibum punches him in the stomach, and Minho doubles over, wheezing. “Motherfuc-”
Kibum shrugs. “I told you not to mess with me.”
“No you didn’t,” Minho nearly cries. “Goddamn, I don’t get how you’re so strong. When you kicked me at your room, that was pretty damn hard too.”
Kibum laughs. “I work out in my room?”
“Ouch,” Minho says one last time before sitting properly on the bench again.
Kibum chuckles again before holding his ice cream out in front of him. “Ice cream to make you feel better?”
Minho scrunches his nose. “Um. No thanks.”
“Why? Ice cream is the best thing ever!”
Minho pushes his hand away. “That’s nice to know. Not interested.”
“Not interested?” Kibum mock gasps. “Oh lord, oh pray! How dare someone be not interested in the wonder that is ice cream!”
“Oh dear,” Minho plays along, “’tis a pity, one obviously cannot live without ice cream for too long.”
“Of course, son. It takes away the happiness of the soul if one were to be without ice cream for so long.”
Minho nods. “But alas! One could escape this fate by being lactose intolerant.”
Kibum pauses. “Are you? Wait, no you’re not. You’re always drinking milk.”
“I’m not in an ice cream mood?” Minho tries.
“Bitch, you can’t not be in an ice cream mood. It’s freaking eighty something degrees outside, and you’re not in an ice cream mood? I will stuff this into your face if I have to.”
Minho grins. “Go for it.”
So Kibum thrusts the ice cream into his face, but Minho leans back, nearly missing it. Kibum pushes down on Minho’s chest, making Minho land flat on his back, and puts the cone next to his mouth.
“It’s a wonder how it’s not melting yet.”
“If it starts to drip, you can guarantee I will get it on your face somehow, so you might as well take it.”
Minho grunts, taking the cone from Kibum. Kibum pushes the cone into his face anyways; wet ice cream lands on Minho’s cheek.
Kibum laughs manically to himself as Minho wipes it off with his hand. “Okay, that was not cool.”
“Heeeh,” Kibum sticks his tongue out, giggling like a school girl.
Minho opens his mouth to say something, but the church bells go off nearby, and Kibum squawks. “Oh my god, is it already twelve? No way, no way, no way! Shit, I gotta go. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay Minho? Bye!”
“Bye,” Minho calls out faintly, but Kibum’s too far to hear it already.
“I’m sorry for being late,” Kibum bows deeply, and Jinki just stares at him.
“Doesn’t matter, you haven’t the faintest idea about technology anyways. But do look like you’re doing something, Taemin is coming to check up on us any time now.” Jinki hands him a clipboard, and motions to a pink packet on the table. “Write down all the levels of the items listed. Oh, and want a piece of pocky?”
Kibum chuckles, and grabs a piece off the table and starts eat it as he scans through the list and starts to check on the car.
“I think we need more cleaning fluids,” Kibum comments.
“Oh? How lucky, I just happened to bring some with me.”
Both Jinki and Kibum turn to look at the newcomer, even though they both already know who it is.
“Wassup Taemin,” Jinki grins from the below the car.
“You have a grease stain on your cheek, riiiight there,” Taemin laughs, pointing to the edge of his cheekbone.
“Oh, thanks.” Jinki mutters, about to wipe it.
“Please don’t wipe it with your even more greasy gloves. Lemme get paper towels,” Kibum frowns, running to the back of the room.
He watches Taemin out of the corner of his eye as he comes back, handing Jinki a paper towel.
“Hope this all goes well,” Taemin grins. “This is your first nationally live assassination, right? I can’t wait. You do remember the plan, right?”
Jinki gives him thumbs up. “After murder head to back of car, car will crash, we’ll escape through end opening and you’ll blow a hole in the wall. We’ll escape, and all is well.”
Taemin nods. “Yup, that seems to be it. Onew hyung is prepared!”
Kibum shrugs. “My aim is one of the best.”
Taemin smiles sweetly. “I’m sure it is. Oh, after we succeed, considering we do, wanna go out for food?”
“Food?” Onew looks up. “I’m so game. Chicken?”
“Chicken? Eh. Oh. Let’s go for ice cream! What do you think, Key?”
Kibum stares at him. “T-that’d be cool.”
“Good? Alright. I’ll be waiting in the audience then. Good luck! Remember, his car number is forty three.” He flashes Kibum one more sugarcoated smile before exiting the garage.
Kibum nearly drops to his knees. Ice cream. Mother fucker, he knew it. Of all times to get evaluated, it was that one. Taemin is one son of a bitch.
“Please don’t think out loud,” Jinki calls out. “You curse a lot when you think, I don’t like it.”
“Sorry,” Kibum frowns.
“What’s up with ice cream anyways?” Jinki asks.
“Um,” Kibum frowns. “I was hanging out with Minho, stuffed ice cream in his face, and I guess Taemin was there and saw it.”
“Oh?” Jinki smiles. “That’s nothing to get mad over. It was probably just an evaluation.”
A light turns on above their heads, Jinki and Kibum look up.
“Time to head out,” Kibum says, and Jinki gets to his feet. “Here,” Kibum tosses a helmet over, and puts his own on his head.
He gets in the passenger seat, checking all the compartments. “We’re missing a gun.”
Jinki shuts the door, rolling his eyes. “You left it at headquarters.”
“I want my gun,” Kibum presses.
Jinki stares at him. “That’s just too bad then. You don’t need fifteen guns to kill one man Key. Your aim is one of the best, as you said yourself.”
Kibum sighs. “Alright, whatever, let’s go.”
They head to their station, and Jinki informs Kibum, “Okay, so they’re going to introduce the cars one by one, and we’ll make a warm up lap and then stop at the start line. Then the race will start and we’ll do our business.”
Kibum nods, going through the guns in his head, wondering which one he should use.
The announcer calls out some name Kibum’s never heard of before, but apparently that’s their aliases, so Jinki pulls out of the garage, driving carefully around the arena.
“Which gun should I use?”
Jinki bites his lip, thinking. “The really small one. Not the revolver, though.”
Kibum shifts through the compartments, taking out an automatic pistol. “This one?”
“Yeah, that one.”
“But I like the big one better.”
Jinki raises an eyebrow. “Do you have a gun fetish? No, seriously.” The car starts to reach the start line, so Jinki presses the brake pedal and they slow to a stop.
“When should I shoot? As in, what lap?”
“Start aiming around the end of round one, then shoot on lap two.”
The referee stands in the tower with the flag raised in the air in one hand. In the other, he counts down with his finger. Three, two, one.
He waves the flag down - Jinki steps on the gas pedal. The car races forward, ahead of all the other cars already.
“Onew, it’s hard to aim when we’re in front of the person we need to kill.”
“Sorry,” Jinki smiles, lightly pressing on the brake.
“Get on the other side of car,” Kibum orders, cocking the gun.
Jinki does so, and towards the end of the first lap, Kibum holds the gun up trying to get a lock on. As soon as he aims, the car veers right, and Kibum falls back.
“Onew! What the fuck are doing?”
“Sorry, sharp turn.”
Kibum grabs the gun, looking out the window. “I’m going to throw up,” he comments.
It takes a little longer, but right before the third lap starts, the window goes down. Jinki counts for him. “Three, two, one.”
The shot goes right into the window, breaking it the second it hits. Kibum fires two more bullets, breaking the windshield.
By now the people in the stands are panicking.
“Look where you’re shooting, Key.”
“Sorry,” Kibum mumbles. “This one should do it.” Kibum shoots a fourth time and Jungshin slumps over the steering wheel. The car crashes into the wall and catches on fire.
“Okay, get up Key. Move to the back.”
Kibum unbuckles his seatbelt and climbs to the back seat, shooting the window open. “Come on Onew,” he warns.
Jinki gets up and jumps back, and the car collides into the wall a mere moment later. Before it hits, they jump out, running for the wall.
Jinki grins. “Perfect.”
“I’m gonna puke.”
It’s the garage where they started from, and as expected, Taemin opens the garage.
“Security?”
“Taken care of,” Taemin laughs bubbily. “That took four laps, not three. What took so long?”
“Sorry,” Kibum muttered. “My fault. I missed the second and third shot.”
“Maybe you need to work on aiming?”
Jinki steps over a dead officer. “He’s carsick.”
It’s miserable, really. They leave the perimeter undisturbed and get into the van.
“No more car missions?” Taemin frowns. “But they’re so exciting.”
“I’m going to throw up,” Kibum gasps. “Hand me a paper bag.”
Part I || Part II
itachibana13
PG-13; drama, action.
minho/key; 14,368 words.
so apparently because everyone hates author's notes, here's an author's note. this was my, uh. very, very, very late shinee big bang entry. yeah, the one i never got to post. ): BUT HERE IT IS. I HAVE FINISHED IT. huge shout out to yumiuesagi for listening to me rant about absolutely nothing and tell me that i'm normal. :) and to pause because she's the one who actually pushed me to finish this ;______; ILU MEGAN. GO WRITE ME ONKEY. and to lazychaoz simply because i thought this was amusing.
itachibana13: \O///////////////
itachibana13: okay while you gape at my awesomeness
itachibana13: i'm going to pee
lazychaoz: XDDDDDDDDDDD
lazychaoz: how anticlimatic.
Now this looks like a job for me
So everybody, just follow me
Cause we need a little, controversy
Cause it feels so empty, without me
“You have five seconds.”
“I don’t have it!”
“Three, two…”
“I really don’t-!”
“Game over.”
“Kim Kibum, this is the fourth time in a row you’ve been more than half an hour late to the class.”
“Yeah, um. About that-“
“Normally, I honestly wouldn’t care, but you have to come into the room in such an elaborate way-“
“I dropped my stuff! When hard objects fall, they make noise.”
“Four days in a row. You have no excuse for this. I don’t want the disruptions to happen again. You may leave.”
Kibum walks out of the seminar hall furiously, Nikes slapping the floor in aggravation.
There's a familiar buzzing of his cell phone, and Kibum lets out an annoyed sigh, hitting the send button.
"Key, your next-"
"I'm at college, go away."
“Exactly. Fifth floor, room 514. She’s alone, so do it quick.”
“You’re kidding me,” Kibum groans, quickly switching his destination, and fishes around for the gun in his backpack. After hearing the clanking of steel, Kibum grips the object steadily, and approaches the door. Glancing in a bit, there’s a girl at a computer, and he recognizes the face. She’s in his class; Kibum sighs, and opens the door, changing his expression.
“Oh, Kyuyeon, you’re here! Hi,” Kibum smiles, and the girl looks up from the computer.
“Hi Kibum, are you looking for something?”
Out of the corner of his eye, he notices her fingers quickly moving, pressing buttons rapidly, before she stops and rests her hands in her lap.
“Actually, yeah. Have you seen my usb cord? I was typing a paper in here yesterday, and oh. I was sitting behind you.”
Kyuyeon raises an eyebrow, “No, sorry, I haven’t. You’re, uh, you’re welcome to look around, though.”
“Thanks, tell me if I’m being annoying, okay?”
“Alright.”
Kibum spends a good two minutes clambering around under the desk behind her, before he finally takes out the pistol, pointing it to her back. He can see Kyuyeon stiffen up as the cold medal presses against her.
“Um, Kibum, what is that?”
Kibum chuckles low, “a gun, why?” He gets up from the floor, and walks around to stand in front of her, gun pointed to her forehead. He can see the panic registering in her face, and Kibum has to stop himself from laughing. “It was nice knowing you. Kind of.”
There’s a gunshot, and a hysterical screech pierces the air, followed by Kibum dropping out of the window, and climbs in the third floor window, which coincidentally happens to be open and empty.
He flips his mobile open, and is greeted with the same voice as before.
“Good job Key. She’s worth five grand in black market for hacking into various programs. You get that five.”
Kibum raises an eyebrow, “Thanks for telling me after she’s dead, and all five? Someone is feeling quite generous today.”
“We made more off bets.”
Kibum rolls his eyes, “Onew, get laid.”
“Right, Key. Anyways, go, scream and call for help, or you’ll look suspicious. Bye.”
Kibum runs out of the classroom upstairs to see a hoard of students gathered around the door of the classroom he was previously in. Trying to put on his best horrified façade, he runs up to the group of students, and shrieks, “Oh my God, what happened here? Why is there… did she-!”
The acting kind of sucks, but everyone is in too much of a panic to notice.
“Everyone, mo-move out of the way!” a demanding police officer shoves their way through the crowd. After screaming at everyone to go away, he detains the student that happened to find the body first, and Kibum escapes once again.
“Kibum, this is Minho, say hi!” Jonghyun, his wishes-to-be-but-due-to-difficulties-isn’t-really best friend says. He’s majoring under drama and theatre, while Minho is going for a business degree.
“Um, hi,” Kibum smiles awkwardly, and Minho does the same back.
"So," Jonghyun laughs at the atmosphere. "I have to actually go now, my class starts in ten minutes. I need to get my books, and it's across campus, so I'll be going now." He gives one more sheepish smile before running off. "Bye, and have fun!"
Minho and Kibum stare at him running off as Minho fixes his posture, looking around. "Feels like he just set us up on a blind date."
Kibum laughs. "You too? No way." He pauses for a moment and shakes his head. "That bastard."
Minho chuckles. "Yeah. So...what now?"
Kibum shrugged, "Well. I have to go to the art studio for a project I have to finish, wanna come along?"
Minho smiles, "Sure. I have no classes for the rest of the day."
The walk to the art studio is quiet, and actually isn't that awkward.
...okay, it is.
But, it's not as awkward as it would usually be with someone you just met about five minutes ago - not even.
When they finally reach the room, Kibum turns on the lights and looks at Minho. "You can just put your stuff down there, I'm going to set up."
Minho nods and does what he's told, and then asks. "So, what is this project on?"
"Abstract art, emotions." Kibum laughs, "I haven't gotten a clue of what I want to do. Well, I do. But it's really not coming out the way I want it to."
Minho thinks for a moment, and then asks, "Well. What do you want to do?"
Kibum raises an eyebrow. "I was thinking of an unrequited love. You know, with the sadness and all? But, I don't want to use the color black."
Minho stares at the canvas, covered in blotches of black, red, and blue. "A little too late for that."
Kibum laughs. “Yeah, I didn’t want to use it at first, but I really couldn’t think of anything else.”
Minho replies. “I thought artists weren’t supposed to think, just feel. It’s a project on emotions, isn’t it?”
Kibum shrugs. “I’ll think about my emotions after college. What colors do you think I should use?”
Minho thinks for a second, chewing on his bottom lip. “I think… white.”
“White?”
“White.”
“How is white sad?”
Minho frowns. “How is white happy?”
Kibum sighs. “Touché.”
“Give it a shot,” Minho smiles, “I think it’ll work.”
“The shit,” Kibum mutters, “I just met you and you’re already doing my work for me.”
Minho just laughs.
Kibum stares at the canvas blankly, finally picking up the paintbrush.
“I told you white,” Minho stares at him.
“I understand Korean, thank you very much. I want green though.”
Minho watches him paint in silence, trying to grasp whatever the hell he’s painting, because frankly it looks like a four year old finger painting.
Then Kibum’s phone rings.
He looks over to Minho. “Can you get that for me? It’s in the side pocket. Which phone is it?”
Minho opens his bag and sees two phones. One is a typical red hand phone. The other is a blackberry-like mobile, but Minho’s pretty sure that’s not a very normal phone.
“The black one.”
Kibum stops painting. “Oh. Can you bring it over? And don’t touch anything on it.”
Minho does. “Why do you have two phones?”
“One for work, one for leisure.”
“For leisure?” Minho stares at it, and Kibum gives him one quick glance before pressing the phone against his ear.
“Can you hear it?”
“No. Should I?”
“No.”
“You have two offers, Key. One is to kill Kim Seunghyuk - he works for the government in making nuclear weapons. The prize is fourteen billion won, but the person who requested you is North Korea’s Prime Minister - Choi Jaemin.”
“And the other?”
“The second is seven million won. Your target is the CEO of Samsung, Lee Changri. Park Woohyun has personally requested you. The dates for both assassinations must be done before April fourteenth. You have to choose an offer before midnight.”
The phone goes dead as Kibum sighs. “Why is it always midnight?”
Minho gives him a look, and he laughs.
“It’s nothing. I just have something to do for my boss before midnight.”
Minho nods and Kibum looks around. “Actually, I think I should do that now. We could meet up later with Jonghyun.”
Minho smiles. “Alright, that’d be cool.”
Kibum watches Minho walk out of the room, and puts all the utensils away. He then heads over to his dorm, in which he looks up four names: Lee Changri, Kim Seunghyuk, Park Woohyun, and Choi Jaemin.
Nearly three hours later, he’s plugged into the program that his target is chosen, and in about two minutes he gets a text message from Jinki about Changri’s schedule, all the way up until April the seventh.
“Wow, you’re kind of loaded,” Kibum says lamely when he walks into Minho’s dorm room with Jonghyun.
“I know right?” Jonghyun grins. “His father is head of the technology management department or something in Samsung, right Minho?”
Minho just nods.
“Oh,” Kibum mutters lamely. “Samsung.”
“Oh, right. There’s a company party, and my father is making me go. He said I could bring one or two friends. You guys want to come? It’s on March twenty third.”
“I’ll have to think about it. I’ll get back to you on that,” Kibum replies instantly.
Jonghyun nods in agreement. “I’m probably free though,” he laughs. Then get’s distracted. “ Oh, is that an Xbox 360? I never knew you had that Minho - what games do you have?”
Minho and Jonghyun spend half an hour playing video games while Kibum sits on Minho’s bed behind them, punching letters in his black phone.
“Well isn’t this place grand,” Kibum sneers, eyeing the chandelier above them. “What do you think Jinki hyung?”
“Oh, um. H-hey, you can’t use my real name. If there are bugs here, we’re screwed.”
“Sorry Onew. How’d you come up with that name anyways?”
Jinki rolls his eyes. “Okay Key, off task. Can’t you kneel down? What if someone sees your face? You’re going to get us killed Key.”
“My dearest apologies, but I don’t care. Besides, we’re on the upper floor, no one will see us.”
“More like random upper hallway that surrounds the perimeter of the ballroom. What if Minho or Jonghyun sees you?”
Kibum kneels down.
“That’s what I thought. Why are you so carele-oh, there he is!” Jinki points to the crowd below them, and Kibum spots him easily. He shakes hand with someone else, and laughs as the person next to him says something.
“He seems kind of popular. I might feel bad for doing this now,” Kibum chuckles. He turns to Jinki. “On your word, captain.”
“At the thirty, aim right for his temple.”
Kibum winces. “That’s kind of harsh?”
Jinki laughs. “We’re giving him benefit of the doubt; he’ll get killed instantly. Any other place and it would take a while for him to lose consciousness.”
He shrugs. “Your word.”
When the clock finally lands on eight thirty, Jinki signals Kibum and gets up to secure and exit.
“Exit fifty one, okay? The red door in the back. It only leads to one place, and I’ll be there. Got it?”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t screw this up, Kibum.”
“I won’t.”
A moment after Jinki leaves, he stands up, scanning the crowd one more time before pushing back the cuff of his outfit and taking out a gun. He steps back a little, and focuses. Kibum’s always been the best at aiming, and is wonderfully gifted at handling guns.
So he presses the trigger. It hits bull’s eye.
There’s a sudden wave of panic from below, women start to scream, and people are baffled.
Now all Kibum has to do is run to the red door at the end of the hallway. But no, he has to see Jonghyun and Minho. Did they see? What were their reactions?
So he takes a gamble and looks over the railing from above. His eyes almost instantly lock with Minho’s, and he freezes.
Until someone screams bloody murder and points up at him.
Kibum panics, and looks around to see someone already running towards to one end of the staircase. The side the red door is on.
Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. He takes off, running down the hallways getting out his communicator and screaming, “Onew! Onew! Get the fuck out of here, now.”
“Key? What happened? Key, Key, listen to me. You are to get out of there as fast as you can and as soon as you’re out, press your communicator. You got it?”
When Onew get’s nothing in return but the sound of Key’s harsh breathing, he turns the device off and leaves the building’s perimeter.
Kibum opens the door nearest to him, and goes through a maze of doors, entering the employees only rooms and going through lobbies and bars and he’s pretty sure there are now security guards after him, and the police was going to be here anytime soon.
Kibum takes a sharp right, and shoots one of the windows, covering his head from the flying glass pieces. He takes a second to see if there’s anyone behind him, and jumps out, scarring his arms and legs.
Kibum takes a moment to gain his senses again, but when he gets back up on his knees someone aims a flashlight at him, and he instantly shields his face from the blinding light, stumbling forward as he does so.
Kibum grits his teeth, spitting out blood.
“Hey, that looks like…”
He instantly looks up at the voice, recognizing the owner.
Shit. Jonghyun.
“Minho!”
Kibum starts to run frantically, not caring where he goes but he can tell Minho is running behind him and damn that kid is fast. Almost in hysterics, he takes out his gun again and shoots blindly behind him. When Kibum hears someone scream in terror, the running behind him stops, and he makes it out safely. He presses the button on his communicator and Jinki picks him up in a new record of five minutes.
“God damnit Jinki, I could’ve recognized that scream from anywhere. It was - ow fuck, that hurts!”
Jinki rolls his eyes, and pulls out another piece of glass from his skin. Kibum flinches, but lets him throw the broken piece into the little container.
“You’re an assassin.”
“Yeah, but-”
Jinki sighs. “You’re an assassin.”
“I shot Jonghyun!”
Jinki pus the tweezer down, and stares Kibum in the eyes. “Kibum, you’re an assassin. You murder people. If Jonghyun ever gets in the way, then so be it. Good bye Jonghyun.”
Kibum sighs, looking at the floor.
Jinki smiles at him. “It’ll be okay, don’t worry Kibum. Now move your arm a bit that way so I can stitch it up.”
Kibum does so, and watches Jinki’s every moment closely.
“I think he saw me.”
Jinki chuckles. “If he didn’t see you with that flashlight, there must be something wrong with his eyesight.”
“Hyung.”
Jinki is silent for a while, pushing the needle through his skin. “Well,” he starts, “as long as they don’t figure it out, it should be okay.”
“If they do? What if like, they don’t tell people about me?”
“Then just don’t let Taemin find out.”
“Oh my God, Minho let me just lie down here for a while, okay?”
Minho and Key exchange glances, laughing.
“Way to suck, Jonghyun.”
“Way to blow, Kibum.”
Kibum sits next to Jonghyun. “Who’s the one that’s supposed to be talented with their mouth?”
Jonghyun punches Kibum on the arm, doubling over in laughter. Kibum grins to Minho, and motions to sit down on the grass with them. He does so, and Kibum punches him on the arm.
“Oh, Kibum, what was that for?”
“Being too good at soccer. C’mon, give poor Joongie a break.”
Jonghyun look at him skeptically. “Joongie? What the shit?”
“You know how much he sucks at sports.”
Minho laughs. “True enough.”
Jonghyun casually puts his arm around Kibum’s shoulder. “So like, can we do something that’s more my style?”
Kibum laughs at him. “You’re style? We’re not locking ourselves in the music room again. We already learned Minho can’t sing.”
Jonghyun makes a face at him. “Fine. We won’t lock ourselves in music rooms. Oh hey, why don’t we go visit Tiffany, Yuri, and Sooyoung at the café?”
Kibum whines. “Why? They’re not that hot Jjong. And Sooyoung still hates me for calling her a boy.”
“That was your fault. She has short hair, and she’s flat, but she’s still a pretty obvious girl. Right Minho?”
There’s a slight pause, and Kibum looks towards the taller boy. “Minho?” Jonghyun waves a hand in front of his face, and he snaps back to reality.
“What? Oh, um. Sorry guys. I was thinking.”
“About Sooyoung?”
Kibum hits Jonghyun behind the head. “You wish, don’t you?”
Minho laughs. “Nah, it was just. Y’know, the party Jonghyun and I were at.”
“Oh.” Jonghyun’s mood visibly deflates.
“Sorry for bringing it up,” Minho smiles awkwardly, “it’s just a bit nerve wracking.”
“Oh.” Kibum’s mood deflates even more.
“Let’s just forget I said that,” Minho smiles awkwardly.
“No, it’s cool. What about it were you thinking about?”
Minho shrugged. “I’m not even too sure myself. I don’t think it’d bug me that much if I hadn’t seen him.”
“What did he look like?” Kibum stares at him, clenching his hand.
Minho and Jonghyun exchange glances.
Jonghyun shrugs. “Don’t know too well, he covered his face as soon as we aimed the flashlight at him. He was taller than me though.”
Minho stares at him. “Okay, Jonghyun. Everyone is taller than you.”
He sighs in dismay.
“He didn’t look like anything special, you know? Since we didn’t see his face.” Kibum just nods aimlessly. “Well,” Minho says, “let’s go inside.”
Jonghyun instantly gets up. “I’m starving!”
“He just wants to get away from the soccer field.” Kibum grins, and Minho laughs.
“Oh my gosh, no. No, no, no!” Kibum shrieks. “Damn you all!”
Jonghyun and Minho laugh evilly, violently pressing buttons on their controllers.
Kibum sniffs. “Who the hell likes Call of Duty anyways?”
“Don’t be mad ‘cause you lost,” Minho taunts.
“I could totally beat your ass in real life.”
“Bring it,” Minho smirks, and Jonghyun screams.
“Goddammit! Screw you Minho! Wait, I’m not dead yet! Oh snap!”
Kibum rolls his eyes at them, and flops down on Minho’s bed.
Key walks into headquarters the next day, heading into the basement. He finds Jinki under a car, mechanics sprawled around him.
“Hey Onew.”
“Hi Key.” Onew greets him lazily, sliding out from under the car. Wiping grease off his forehead, he smiles. “Reason for your coming?”
“I wanted to see my baby,” Kibum pats the hood of the car. “And I wanted to know when and why we’re using her for our next mission. And since we’re on the mission topic, what is the mission? Thanks for agreeing to it without my consent again, Onew.”
“You’re welcome,” he laughs, “I figured you’d like it anyways. Ever been in a drag race before?”
“No. Is this relevant?”
“Apparently. Our next target is Park Jungshin. He’ll be in the drag race. We’re supposed to enter the race and kill him.”
Kibum watches Jinki pick up a wrench and slide back underneath the vehicle. “Can’t we just kill him outside the race?”
“The race is tomorrow. Besides, apparently the guy who hired us wanted to send some other guy a warning of some sort.”
“Oh.” Kibum frowns. “So. What kind of drag race is this, illegal street car racing?”
He hears Jinki laugh. “Well, it says we have to assassinate him in a legit race, but hey. We could totally hit up the streets tonight and earn some extra cash on gamblers.”
Kibum laughs, and then silently watches as he works.
“You know,” Jinki says after a while, “Taemin’s going to college.”
“Okay.”
“He’s going to your college.”
“Oka- wait, what? Why?”
Jinki frowns. “I’m not too sure, but for whatever reason it is, I’m not too sure if I like it.”
Kibum looks at the clock. “The only two people he could possibly be looking after in that college is me and that other kid in the lower division. I don’t even know his name. Do you think he’s assassinating someone?”
“He would just tell you do it, wouldn’t he?” Jinki sticks his hand out from under the car. “Wanna hand me a screwdriver?”
Kibum kicks it towards him and Jinki nearly misses it, jabbing his hand into the small end.
“Ow! I said hand it, not kick it.”
Kibum snorts and looks back up at the clock. “Whatever, I’m going back to college. I have class in two hours. Hit me up when it’s time to go, okay?”
“No problem.”
“Hey Kibum, guess what’s going on tomorrow!” Minho jabs him in the side and Kibum messes up a stroke, stepping on his foot.
“The due date for my art project? Yeah, thanks for noticing.” Kibum smiles sarcastically and continues to paint.
“It’s the national car races! C’mon, don’t tell me you don’t watch car racing.”
Kibum gives him an incredulous look. “I told you already - I don’t watch sports. Besides, does car racing count as a sport? You don’t use your body. You’re in a car.”
“You don’t need to use your body,” Minho frowns. “Jonghyun and I are watching it tomorrow in my room, wanna come?”
“Sure, maybe after I like, you know, get an A on this project?”
“Does that mean no?”
“No. I mean, yes.” Kibum shakes his head. “I mean, get out so I can concentrate! And no, I’m not going.”
Minho gets up. “Okay, I’m leaving.”
“Don’t come back until I say you can!”
“Hi guys,” Jonghyun opens the door, walking into Kibum’s room.
Kibum’s jaw drops and glares at Minho. “Did you forget to lock the door? I might just have to kill you now.”
Minho shrugs. “It’s only Jonghyun.”
Jonghyun pouts. “What’s wrong with me being here? Minho’s here.”
The end of Kibum’s mouth twitches. “Yes, well. He was just on his way out.”
Jonghyun seats himself down on his couch, and Kibum just sighs. “Okay Jonghyun, what do you want?”
He smiles in triumph. “Well, I heard rumors of car races going on around here. Did you guys hear about that?”
Kibum inwardly groans. Why was his life screwed over like this, again?
“Just about the whole college knows, Jonghyun. Some girl invited me to go with her to see one.” Minho plopped down next to Jonghyun. “I said yes, just ‘cause I wanted to see a race.”
“And for the hot chicks,” Jonghyun adds. “You know, the ones that wear like, a bikini top and shorts. They’re the ones with the flags!”
Kibum snorts. “I’m pretty sure that’s only in video games and movies.”
Jonghyun ignores him. “I’m going to go watch too. Jessica’s coming with me. Oh, Kibum, you’re going right? Right?”
Kibum feels like he’s walking on thin ice now. “I will tell you the same I told Minho right before you came in. I will not leave this room for anything other than like, food and survival needs until I finish this project. Now, I would truly appreciate it if you guys left.”
He grabs Jonghyun’s hand and tugs him to his feet. Kibum points to the door, scowling. “Out.”
“What about Minho?”
He turns to said person, and glares at him. Minho grins back at him, making no attempt to get up.
“I’ll kick you,” Kibum threatens, and Minho snorts.
“I’m scared.”
And so Kibum does, and Minho curses loudly, grabbing his leg. “Holy shit, aren’t you supposed to be like, not jacked or something? Goddamn Kibum.”
Jonghyun snorts. “I think it’s already bruising.”
Kibum smiles. “You’ll get a matching mark if you don’t leave.”
Grudgingly, Minho gets up and walks out with Jonghyun. After they leave, Kibum falls back on his bed, stuffing the pillow into his face. “Why must they go everywhere I have work,” he drones, and then throws the pillow at the wall. He fumbles around for his black phone and texts Jinki. ‘jjong and minho are gonna be there. Let’s keep us top secret, k?’
Nearly two seconds later, he gets a text back, and signs at the message. ‘k’.
After staring at the clock for a couple minutes, he goes back to his art project, resentfully hating the world through his watercolors.
“I think I might hate you,” Kibum tells Jinki. “Just so you know.”
Jinki beams at him, putting his sunglasses on. “I suggest you choose quickly between the helmet and sunglasses, the ref is coming.”
Kibum grabs the helmet, sliding it onto his head as soon as the referee comes.
Jinki talks to him as Kibum stares outside, looking for Jonghyun and Minho. Why did they have to come? Didn’t they know they could get arrested? Kibum rolled his eyes. They probably didn’t, which was pretty stupid. Not like he expected them to be smart or anything.
“Key,” Jinki says. “We’re going to start.”
Kibum nods. “What am I supposed to do? Two people can’t drive a car, and you’re driving.”
Jinki shrugs. “Tell me when a car is coming too close, when I should speed up, stuff like that. Sit back and look cool, look for your bffs. Distract yourself.”
So Kibum does, relaxing in his seat and stares out the window. He watches the girl (in a bikini top and shorts - Jonghyun was right) hold the flag up, and every car revves their engine. The smell of gasoline reaches his nose, and Kibum feels like he’s gonna puke.
“Oh my god, Onew. I think I might throw up.”
Jinki laughs. “Please open the window if you’re really going to.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he watches the girl wave the flag down, and Jinki presses on the gas pedal.
Kibum’s stomach does flips, and he grabs onto the handles of the car above the window. He turns to look at Jinki, who’s looking out onto the road. He gazes down at the speedometer, watching as the needle moves right.
“Concentrate,” Jinki states. “C’mon Key. You have to aim. Practice. I’m going to go even faster tomorrow.”
Kibum makes a strangled noise, looking out the window.
“Red car,” Jinki says, “aim for the red car.” Kibum nods and takes out a lazer light. It’s a toy, but it’ll do for now. He clicks it on, and it turns out to be harder than expected. The lights passing by him are horribly distracting, and his head spins. It’s terribly nauseating. The light moves in and out of the target, but Kibum finally gets a lock on. He keeps his hand steady, presses his finger down, and bam.
If he had a gun right now, that car wouldn’t have a driver anymore.
Instead the light turns off, and Jinki sighs as Kibum slouches in his seat.
“That was faster than I predicted,” he smiles. “Good job.”
“I hate cars,” Kibum mutters.
They end up finishing in first place; Jinki wins about three hundred thousand won.
Kibum never sees Minho or Jonghyun there. That should be making him relieved, but he can’t help but be a little disappointed.
Minho shrugs. “We didn’t go.”
“Why? You seemed pretty excited about it.”
“Yeah, well. My girl just didn’t feel like going,” Minho states.
Kibum stares at his ice cream. “What about Jonghyun?”
Minho laughs. “He got unlucky. Food poisoning.”
Kibum snorts, breaking into laughter. “Wow. That is so not cool.” He pauses for a moment. “Should we visit him now?”
There’s a silent moment where they stop walking, look at each other, and grin in unison. “Naah,” they laugh. Minho walks forward a bit, kicking a rock.
“So, are you watching the race today?” Kibum asks.
“On TV? Yeah. Why? Are you?”
Kibum shakes his head. “I’m heading out into the city today.”
“By yourself?”
Kibum gives him a look. “Did you think I would go by myself?”
“Well. It’s you. Can you blame me?”
Kibum laughs. “I’m offended. No, I’m going with a high school friend. We’ll be out most of the day.”
Minho snorts. “Yeah ‘cause most of the day doesn’t apply to right now.”
“It’s a Saturday, Minho. You’re the only one who would go for a ten o’clock walk.”
“It was supposed to be a jog until you came.”
Kibum grins. “I’m glad I put you to your senses.”
“Hardly.”
Kibum ignores him. “Let’s sit over there,” he points to one of the benches and starts to walk, Minho following closely behind.
He sits down on the bench and faces Minho. “So, who are you going to cheer for in the race?”
“Park Jungshin.”
“Oh,” Kibum nods. Well that sucks for him.
“Do you have anyone in mind?” Minho asks.
Kibum gave him an incredulous look. “Does it look like I would have anyone in mind? C’mon Minho, I’m choosing shopping over car races.”
Minho grins. “Oh right. I forgot you’re a transvestite in training.”
Kibum punches him in the stomach, and Minho doubles over, wheezing. “Motherfuc-”
Kibum shrugs. “I told you not to mess with me.”
“No you didn’t,” Minho nearly cries. “Goddamn, I don’t get how you’re so strong. When you kicked me at your room, that was pretty damn hard too.”
Kibum laughs. “I work out in my room?”
“Ouch,” Minho says one last time before sitting properly on the bench again.
Kibum chuckles again before holding his ice cream out in front of him. “Ice cream to make you feel better?”
Minho scrunches his nose. “Um. No thanks.”
“Why? Ice cream is the best thing ever!”
Minho pushes his hand away. “That’s nice to know. Not interested.”
“Not interested?” Kibum mock gasps. “Oh lord, oh pray! How dare someone be not interested in the wonder that is ice cream!”
“Oh dear,” Minho plays along, “’tis a pity, one obviously cannot live without ice cream for too long.”
“Of course, son. It takes away the happiness of the soul if one were to be without ice cream for so long.”
Minho nods. “But alas! One could escape this fate by being lactose intolerant.”
Kibum pauses. “Are you? Wait, no you’re not. You’re always drinking milk.”
“I’m not in an ice cream mood?” Minho tries.
“Bitch, you can’t not be in an ice cream mood. It’s freaking eighty something degrees outside, and you’re not in an ice cream mood? I will stuff this into your face if I have to.”
Minho grins. “Go for it.”
So Kibum thrusts the ice cream into his face, but Minho leans back, nearly missing it. Kibum pushes down on Minho’s chest, making Minho land flat on his back, and puts the cone next to his mouth.
“It’s a wonder how it’s not melting yet.”
“If it starts to drip, you can guarantee I will get it on your face somehow, so you might as well take it.”
Minho grunts, taking the cone from Kibum. Kibum pushes the cone into his face anyways; wet ice cream lands on Minho’s cheek.
Kibum laughs manically to himself as Minho wipes it off with his hand. “Okay, that was not cool.”
“Heeeh,” Kibum sticks his tongue out, giggling like a school girl.
Minho opens his mouth to say something, but the church bells go off nearby, and Kibum squawks. “Oh my god, is it already twelve? No way, no way, no way! Shit, I gotta go. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay Minho? Bye!”
“Bye,” Minho calls out faintly, but Kibum’s too far to hear it already.
“I’m sorry for being late,” Kibum bows deeply, and Jinki just stares at him.
“Doesn’t matter, you haven’t the faintest idea about technology anyways. But do look like you’re doing something, Taemin is coming to check up on us any time now.” Jinki hands him a clipboard, and motions to a pink packet on the table. “Write down all the levels of the items listed. Oh, and want a piece of pocky?”
Kibum chuckles, and grabs a piece off the table and starts eat it as he scans through the list and starts to check on the car.
“I think we need more cleaning fluids,” Kibum comments.
“Oh? How lucky, I just happened to bring some with me.”
Both Jinki and Kibum turn to look at the newcomer, even though they both already know who it is.
“Wassup Taemin,” Jinki grins from the below the car.
“You have a grease stain on your cheek, riiiight there,” Taemin laughs, pointing to the edge of his cheekbone.
“Oh, thanks.” Jinki mutters, about to wipe it.
“Please don’t wipe it with your even more greasy gloves. Lemme get paper towels,” Kibum frowns, running to the back of the room.
He watches Taemin out of the corner of his eye as he comes back, handing Jinki a paper towel.
“Hope this all goes well,” Taemin grins. “This is your first nationally live assassination, right? I can’t wait. You do remember the plan, right?”
Jinki gives him thumbs up. “After murder head to back of car, car will crash, we’ll escape through end opening and you’ll blow a hole in the wall. We’ll escape, and all is well.”
Taemin nods. “Yup, that seems to be it. Onew hyung is prepared!”
Kibum shrugs. “My aim is one of the best.”
Taemin smiles sweetly. “I’m sure it is. Oh, after we succeed, considering we do, wanna go out for food?”
“Food?” Onew looks up. “I’m so game. Chicken?”
“Chicken? Eh. Oh. Let’s go for ice cream! What do you think, Key?”
Kibum stares at him. “T-that’d be cool.”
“Good? Alright. I’ll be waiting in the audience then. Good luck! Remember, his car number is forty three.” He flashes Kibum one more sugarcoated smile before exiting the garage.
Kibum nearly drops to his knees. Ice cream. Mother fucker, he knew it. Of all times to get evaluated, it was that one. Taemin is one son of a bitch.
“Please don’t think out loud,” Jinki calls out. “You curse a lot when you think, I don’t like it.”
“Sorry,” Kibum frowns.
“What’s up with ice cream anyways?” Jinki asks.
“Um,” Kibum frowns. “I was hanging out with Minho, stuffed ice cream in his face, and I guess Taemin was there and saw it.”
“Oh?” Jinki smiles. “That’s nothing to get mad over. It was probably just an evaluation.”
A light turns on above their heads, Jinki and Kibum look up.
“Time to head out,” Kibum says, and Jinki gets to his feet. “Here,” Kibum tosses a helmet over, and puts his own on his head.
He gets in the passenger seat, checking all the compartments. “We’re missing a gun.”
Jinki shuts the door, rolling his eyes. “You left it at headquarters.”
“I want my gun,” Kibum presses.
Jinki stares at him. “That’s just too bad then. You don’t need fifteen guns to kill one man Key. Your aim is one of the best, as you said yourself.”
Kibum sighs. “Alright, whatever, let’s go.”
They head to their station, and Jinki informs Kibum, “Okay, so they’re going to introduce the cars one by one, and we’ll make a warm up lap and then stop at the start line. Then the race will start and we’ll do our business.”
Kibum nods, going through the guns in his head, wondering which one he should use.
The announcer calls out some name Kibum’s never heard of before, but apparently that’s their aliases, so Jinki pulls out of the garage, driving carefully around the arena.
“Which gun should I use?”
Jinki bites his lip, thinking. “The really small one. Not the revolver, though.”
Kibum shifts through the compartments, taking out an automatic pistol. “This one?”
“Yeah, that one.”
“But I like the big one better.”
Jinki raises an eyebrow. “Do you have a gun fetish? No, seriously.” The car starts to reach the start line, so Jinki presses the brake pedal and they slow to a stop.
“When should I shoot? As in, what lap?”
“Start aiming around the end of round one, then shoot on lap two.”
The referee stands in the tower with the flag raised in the air in one hand. In the other, he counts down with his finger. Three, two, one.
He waves the flag down - Jinki steps on the gas pedal. The car races forward, ahead of all the other cars already.
“Onew, it’s hard to aim when we’re in front of the person we need to kill.”
“Sorry,” Jinki smiles, lightly pressing on the brake.
“Get on the other side of car,” Kibum orders, cocking the gun.
Jinki does so, and towards the end of the first lap, Kibum holds the gun up trying to get a lock on. As soon as he aims, the car veers right, and Kibum falls back.
“Onew! What the fuck are doing?”
“Sorry, sharp turn.”
Kibum grabs the gun, looking out the window. “I’m going to throw up,” he comments.
It takes a little longer, but right before the third lap starts, the window goes down. Jinki counts for him. “Three, two, one.”
The shot goes right into the window, breaking it the second it hits. Kibum fires two more bullets, breaking the windshield.
By now the people in the stands are panicking.
“Look where you’re shooting, Key.”
“Sorry,” Kibum mumbles. “This one should do it.” Kibum shoots a fourth time and Jungshin slumps over the steering wheel. The car crashes into the wall and catches on fire.
“Okay, get up Key. Move to the back.”
Kibum unbuckles his seatbelt and climbs to the back seat, shooting the window open. “Come on Onew,” he warns.
Jinki gets up and jumps back, and the car collides into the wall a mere moment later. Before it hits, they jump out, running for the wall.
Jinki grins. “Perfect.”
“I’m gonna puke.”
It’s the garage where they started from, and as expected, Taemin opens the garage.
“Security?”
“Taken care of,” Taemin laughs bubbily. “That took four laps, not three. What took so long?”
“Sorry,” Kibum muttered. “My fault. I missed the second and third shot.”
“Maybe you need to work on aiming?”
Jinki steps over a dead officer. “He’s carsick.”
It’s miserable, really. They leave the perimeter undisturbed and get into the van.
“No more car missions?” Taemin frowns. “But they’re so exciting.”
“I’m going to throw up,” Kibum gasps. “Hand me a paper bag.”
Part I || Part II