Suju Fanfic : A Thousand Beautiful Things (8/22)
Title: A Thousand Beautiful Things
Main Pairing: Kangin x Leeteuk
Side Pairing: Siwon x Kyuhyun; Yesung x Ryeowook; Yunho x Jaejoong; Hangeng x Heechul
Rating: PG 13 for now, NC-17 in later chapters
Warnings: male x male relationship, slightly violent language
Disclaimer: I do not own either Super Junior/DBSK/JYJ
Summary: Mafia AU. Kangin didn't expect to find a child when he led his Family in an assault towards a rival family. He also didn't expect the child to be someone he treasured most of all.
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Never give anything more than what you have received. It was one of the first things his father had indoctrinated him into believing since he was a child. But right now Yesung couldn’t care less. This man had tried to kill Heechul and Hangeng, or at least he was one of those that had made the attempt. Although technically because the killing was unsuccessful, they should just wound the man in return, and not set up a full-scale ambush, even go as far as undercover members posed as regular civilians nearby, including him, as he was now wearing the uniform of a mail-man.
Changmin had set up a small ‘mail bag’ for him. Inside were various high-tech devices that Yesung wouldn’t even dream of ever understanding, let alone building them. Fortunately the young genius had explained the basic idea of how it would all work. One of them was a long thin lead designed to slip under door cracks, complete with micro-video-camera attached. The camera would then transfer images to Changmin’s laptop. Yunho had mentioned earlier that first they needed to be sure that Ji Seung was inside before barging into the apartment, otherwise he would’ve sensed they were onto him and fled.
Kangin had agreed on the whole scenario and it was the reason why Yesung was dressed as a mailman, a bag filled to the brim with high-tech devices in one hand and a box full of mail on the other. His gun was conveniently hidden under stacks of envelopes inside the box, ready to be taken out whenever he needed it. He also had his wireless earpiece safely hidden from view and from the transmitter he could hear whatever Kangin would order him to do.
He was standing just outside of Ji Seung’s apartment building. The man lived in a pretty dingy apartment, but it was full of tenants nonetheless. Kyuhyun had found out earlier that Ji Seung still had his daily newspapers and mail delivered to his apartment everyday and hence the disguise. Some people chose to have their mail delivered to the door so a mail-man in the apartment building wouldn’t raise any suspicion. With any luck, they would have Ji Seung captured in no time.
Yesung opened the front door, nodding to a few tenants that smiled at him. One of the older ladies even asked him where their usual mail-man was, and Yesung replied that he was only there to do some special courier-express assignments and that the usual mail-man would arrive later.
The building was as dingy on the inside as it was on the outside. Cracks were all over the wall, some even big enough to make it seem like the building had experienced an earthquake and somehow survived. The hallway was dark and the lamps on the ceiling clearly needed to be changed in order to function again. A perfect hide out for one person, Yesung thought.
It didn’t take him long to find Ji Seung’s room number. He now stood in front of an old rickety door; a number 217 was painted on it in blue paint.
“Mail service,” Yesung knocked. Nobody answered the door.
“Mr. Jung?” he tried again, “I have an express package delivery for you. The sender marked it as important so I assume you want it.” Still, no one came out or even answered his call.
“Use the camera.” The device in his ear transmitted Changmin’s voice clearly. Obeying the young genius’ order, Yesung pulled out the long, thin lead. He crouched down to find any cracks underneath, although judging from the door’s condition, there must be many. Sure enough, he found one just underneath the door. He plugged in one of the thin device’s ends to a small rectangle object and flipped the box open. A small screen popped up and he quickly slipped the thin device’s other end inside the crack. Yesung pressed down a button to activate the camera and immediately images appeared on the small screen.
The same images should also appear on Changmin’s laptop, but to confirm, he whispered into his earpiece, “Are you getting the signal?”
“Copy,” Changmin answered.
Yesung moved the thin lead around, trying to get a clear view of the room. “Looks like kitchen table, chair,” he observed the small screen.
“Is that a laptop on the table?” Kyuhyun asked; he was currently seeing the same images from Changmin’s laptop. He and Changmin were sitting in front of the computer while Kangin and Yunho stood behind them. Any lesser leader would have complained if they became the person who was standing while his subordinates were conveniently seated, but Kangin was not one of them; he didn’t care about small things like that.
“It could be useful,” Yunho said. “Can you get a closer look on it, Yesung?”
Almost immediately the image was zoomed in towards the table. “Some food containers, they still look pretty fresh to me,” Changmin commented.
“Wait; go back for a second, what’s that on the floor?” Kangin interrupted. “Are those clothes?”
“Yeah, looks like a pair of pajamas and some underwear,” Kyuhyun answered. “Maybe he was taking a bath or something?”
Yesung was thinking along the same lines, but he couldn’t hear any sound of water running. With an apartment as old as this, there would definitely be some noises if there was anybody taking a bath, at least some pipe water running or something.
All of a sudden a gun clicked behind him and a voice that sounded too close for comfort whispered in his ear, “Peeking into someone’s room is a bad habit, kiddo.”
Yesung froze. He hadn't heard the man approaching. The wobbly wooden floor should have made some noise if someone walked on it, yet this man hadn't made any sound at all. Yesung dropped the lead and the small screen he was holding. Raising his hands in surrender, he slowly stood up. He contemplated taking his gun, but any suspicious move he made would result in the man firing his gun, spreading Yesung’s brain all over the floor. Realizing he had no choice, Yesung turned around to face his attacker.
“Are you Jung Ji Seung?” he asked.
The man sneered, “So what if I am, and don’t think I don’t know you, Kim Jongwoon from the Kim Family, or more familiarly known as Yesung.”
Suddenly, the door of the apartment directly across Ji seung’s room opened and out walked Siwon with Jaejoong. Both the Consigliere and the author had a gun pointed at the Jung Family member. Ji Seung was obviously stunned to see them, as the apartment across his room was supposed to be inhabited by a harmless old lady, and not two members of Kim Family.
Siwon was the first to speak, “You are outgunned and outnumbered, old man; we have surrounded the whole building so you can kiss your plan to escape goodbye. Now, you’d better play nice and come with us obediently or we will shoot you with a sedative.”
*************************
When they arrived back at the mansion, they at once brought Ji Seung to their least favorite room: the torture chamber. Only Kangin, Jaejoong, Siwon and Yesung went there. Yunho, Kyuhyun and Changmin were given other assignments, to ransack Ji Seung’s apartment and look for any clues that might tell them where the Jung Family hideout was. Unfortunately two hours had passed and the surgeon still hadn’t called them, and Kangin gave his command: make him speak.
They stripped the man bare from his waist up. Ji Seung was still unconscious at the moment and his arms were chained up to the ceiling while his lower body was sitting down on the cold, hard floor. Siwon walked in, carrying a bucket full of ice water. He unceremoniously dumped it on Ji Seung and the man quickly woke up, spluttering from the water and gasping for breath.
The first thing Ji Seung saw was the Don Kim’s emotionless face. Then he took in his surroundings. It was a chamber of some kind, with only a couple of small windows at one corner. The light that streamed through them wasn’t enough to illuminate the room, but a few burning candles scattered on the floor helped him to see. He could see the fake mail-man from earlier and two others; one of them was Jaejoong (he recognized him) and the other was Siwon, the Family’s Consigliere. A bench, small table and a cupboard were the only other furniture in the dark room.
The water droplets trailed down his chest and Ji Seung looked down to see that he was half-naked. It didn’t take him long to realize why they brought him there. They would torture him to get him to spill out where the Jung Family hideout was. Now, Ji Seung was an experienced hit man and he had lived in their world long enough to know that as long he didn't speak, they wouldn’t know anything. And if these…youngsters thought they could get him to speak, well, they needed to kill him first. He wouldn’t betray his Family, no matter what.
Kangin knew what went through Ji Seung’s head as he watched how the man’s eyes hardened. Making him talk wouldn’t be an easy job, but thankfully his father had taught him well. He had learner how to torture someone right after he fired his first gun, and it was saying something as he learned how to hold a gun at a very young age. He also knew that his father, the previous Don, along with Kyuhyun’s father, the previous Consigliere had filled the mansion with every torture device ever built in the world. Some of the bigger ones were kept in the storage yard outside, but the ones that were in the torture chamber were those that would inflict most pain. By the time he finished, Ji Seung would wish he was never born, no matter how tough the man was.
The Don nodded at Siwon before standing up and the Consigliere moved. He crouched in front of Ji Seung and said, “Do you think you’re so tough, big man? Huh?”
Ji Seung didn’t say anything, but his eyes were filled with loathing and disgust. Siwon then asked again, “Where is the Jung Family hideout?”
This time the Jung member scoffed. “Do you really think I would tell you where my Family is?”
Siwon raised an eyebrow, “If you’re smart, then you will.”
Ji Seung looked at the Consigliere, “In your dreams, boy.”
Siwon faked a sigh. “Your choice, old man.” He then proceeded to take off Ji Seung’s shoes and socks, leaving the feet bare. He then looked at Jaejoong and the author gave him a small baseball bat that was covered in spikes. The only surface that was flat was the handle and Siwon curled his fingers around the tool. He raised the bat, positioning it so that it would directly hit Ji Seung’s bare foot if brought down, and looked at Ji Seung again. “Last chance.”
“Do your worst.”
The Consigliere then brought the bat down.
Ji Seung let out an anguished groan. The spikes were digging into his feet and when Siwon pulled the bat away, he could feel some of his flesh go along with it. Blood was pouring out from the small holes the spikes had made and he gasped in pain. Then the pain came again and again as Siwon hit his feet repeatedly. Tears started to pool in his eyes but Ji Seung willed them not to fall. He wouldn’t break with only this much pain. He didn’t need to open his eyes to see their smug expressions and so he kept them closed.
“Where is it?” he heard Siwon ask.
He opened his eyes and sneered, “Is that the best you can do?”
“Oh, don’t worry, we’ve only just begun,” Kangin was the one who answered him. His face was still an emotionless mask and Ji Seung wondered what other tricks the Don had up his sleeve. He had to admit, this Family knew what they were doing. The next thing he knew, that fake mail-man was in the Consigliere’s place. Siwon himself had retreated to Kangin’s side; the bat lay forgotten on the floor.
Yesung waited until he had Ji Seung’s full attention and gave the man a grim smile. “There is a method from ancient China called Ling Chi. Literally it means death by thousand cuts. Well, I think the name pretty much describes the method, hasn’t it?” Yesung slowly trailed down the man’s bare chest with his knife. The sharp point left a cut along its path, but it was not deep enough for blood to pour out.
He then gripped the man’s shoulder, selecting the softest spot and pinching the skin within his fingers. Then he put the knife across the skin, Ji Seung’s breath quickened as he realized what would happen, and slowly Yesung cut the meaty flesh. He did it as slow as he could; wanting to inflict pain as long as possible. He listened as Ji Seung cried out, his voice getting louder and louder. By the time Yesung finished, one of the Jung member’s shoulders was smaller than the other one, blood gushing from the wound. Yesung looked at Kangin and the Don nodded. Permission from his boss given, Yesung did the same to the other shoulder, this time he took a bigger chunk of flesh than before.
There were tears trailing down from Ji Seung’s eyes now, but still after such treatment he didn’t say anything. Or maybe the pain was too much for him. Kangin crouched down and roughly grabbed at Ji Seung’s face, forcing the man to look him in the eye. “Where is it?” he growled.
Ji Seung’s breathing was harsh now, he obviously trying to overcome the pain. His hands tightened into fists and he clenched his teeth. Slowly he looked at Kangin’s face and said, “I would never tell you.”
Kangin let out a mocking sigh. “I actually intended not to do this, but you leave me with no choice, Ji Seung.” He looked at Jaejoong and nodded, “bring them here.”
Ji Seung wondered what would happen next. Who would Jaejoong bring inside? It wouldn’t matter; he still wouldn't talk, because seriously, what other tricks could they have? He doubted whoever came into the room would be able to inflict a pain worse than what that fake mail-man had done.
He was mistaken, however, as he saw Jaejoong come in with three Doberman dogs, all of them on a leash. They started snarling and growling as they smelled the blood -his blood- a scent that permeated the room. The dogs tried to break their leashes, but apparently Jaejoong had a tight grip on them.
The Don then walked towards the dogs; they immediately quieted down and began to wag their tails, obviously pleased to see their master. Kangin crouched down to pet their heads, the three Dobermans now whimpering with delight. “Ji Seung, I want you to meet my precious pets. I’ve had them since they were just puppies, and they are very smart, it was really easy to train them. You might be able to guess what they are specially trained at, seeing how they went a bit wild after smelling your blood. Yes, that’s right, they are now masters at one thing: tearing human flesh with these sharp teeth.”
Kangin stood up, “Now, you can choose whether to experience that first hand, or you can just tell me where the hideout is and save yourself the pain.”
Ji Seung didn’t say anything. Instead he looked at the Don daringly, as if challenging the man to release the dogs.
And so Jaejoong let go of the leash. As soon as they felt the leash loosen, the three dogs immediately charged forwards, guided by the smell of blood to determine which the enemy was. Their sharp teeth dug into Ji Seung’s flesh and tore at it.
Ji Seung screamed again. The pain grew tenfold now as those teeth tore at his flesh over and over again. Kangin didn’t lie when he said he had these dogs specially trained. They knew exactly which part to bite and which to avoid as they didn’t go anywhere near his neck, as it might tear the veins there and kill him instantly. Instead they went to his cut-up shoulders; one dog bit at his stomach and broke the skin there. Then he felt a pain at his feet and he realized that one of the dogs had smelled blood from the holes Siwon made earlier and attacked his feet. Few bites later it had successfully torn off his toes.
Kangin whistled and the dogs stopped immediately. Although still growling at Ji Seung, they didn’t attack him anymore. Ji Seung wanted to curl up and die, but his arms were still chained so he couldn’t. He didn’t dare open his eyes, too horrified to look at his own disfigured body.
The Don didn’t say anything, realizing that if Ji Seung wanted to speak, he would say so.
Ji seung shook his head at the silent question, indicating that he still wouldn’t talk. At the back of his brain that was still functioning despite the immense pain, he wondered how he was still alive after obviously loosing so much blood. He could only pray that his blood flowed so much faster that he would die soon.
Kangin rolled his eyes. He had to resort to the next level of torture now, and although he despised Ji Seung, he had to admit that the man was one stubborn bastard. They had started at the lowest level of torture with the spiked bat, and they slowly built their way up to his dogs. Even after such treatment, the man still refused to speak and that was saying something. His loyalty to his Family had to be admired. The Don then whistled and the three dogs came to him at once. After securing their leashes, he handed them to Siwon who quickly walked them out, understanding that what Kangin would do next was potentially more gruesome and it wouldn’t be wise to keep the dogs there.
Kangin then moved towards the cupboard, opening the door with a skeleton key that hung nearby. He always detested opening this piece of furniture, as it was filled with torture devices and he hated to use them. But then again, he would do anything to keep his Family safe and if using these tools would get Ji Seung to speak; then use them he would. He took out the tool he was most familiar with and walked towards Ji Seung. The man winced visibly hearing the Don’s footsteps grow nearer, but Kangin paid him no mind.
“Do you know what this is?” Kangin asked as he crouched down. “This is a pear of anguish, also known as the choke pear. Usually used as a gag to prevent people from speaking, but it can also be used as a torture instrument. You see this screw here? If I turn it, all the sharp points here will bloom like a flower. Do you want to see?” he turned the screw and the metal body of the small tool that was divided into spoon-like segments began to spread apart, forming a full metal flower.
“Pretty isn’t it?” the Don said again, “that’s why I like to call this ‘the last bloom.’ A much prettier name than a choke pear, don’t you think? Now,” Kangin’s eyes glinted dangerously and Ji Seung had to suppress a shiver as he saw the blood lust in them, “what do you think will happen if I put this into your mouth, and I slowly turn the screw?”
Ji Seung’s eyes widened in fear. He had watched how the tool’s sharp point bloomed earlier and if the Don really put it in his mouth, it would tear his lips from the inside, forcing his mouth open to resemble the full bloom flower.
“Open him up,” Kangin ordered, and a hand was suddenly on his jaw, forcing his mouth open. Ji Seung struggled to get free, but the Don’s grip was too tight. Then another set of hands grabbed at him as well, he looked to the side and saw that Jaejoong was the one who had forcibly opened his mouth.
The Don placed the tool on Ji Seung’s mouth and inserted it. The tool was not so big when in this form but it was long enough to make him gag. A pure fear now overtook Ji Seung’s eyes but still Kangin didn’t stop there. “Now feel it closely, Ji Seung, as it blooms in your mouth,” he whispered. Then he turned the screw just a tiny bit, but it was enough to make Ji Seung muffled scream of pain echo across the room.
The sight and the sound were so heart-wrenching that even Yesung had to close his eyes and look away. He didn’t know how Kangin and Jaejoong were able to stand it, being so close to the screaming man after all, but he guessed those two were made from sterner stuff. Not him though, after they finished the whole torture with Ji Seung here, the first thing he would do would be to find Ryeowook and just stay in those arms for a couple of minutes.
The screaming then stopped, and Yesung assumed it was because Kangin had stopped turning the screw. The Don said in mock pity, “It’s only a quarter-bloom now, but you already scream your heart out over there. Don’t you want to know how it feels when it reaches half-bloom?”
Ji Seung’s loyalty broke down this time. He didn’t dare to shake his head, or even move it just a tiny bit, as he knew that whatever movement his head made, the choke pear’s sharp points would further tear his mouth. And so he could only whimper to answer Kangin’s question and pray that the Don would somehow understand him. Whatever deity reined above obviously heard his prayer as he felt the Don turn the screw the other way and pull the tool out; its tips were covered in blood.
“Are you ready to talk?”
The Jung member nodded furiously. But his mouth was so painful now he wouldn’t be able to speak. He groaned in pain, trying to convey his message. Jaejoong seemed to understand his intention as the author then asked, “Would it be easier for you if we brought a map and you can pinpoint the location instead of speaking?”
Ji Seung nodded again. A few agonizing moments later, a map was sprawled on the floor in front of him. He raised a shaking hand and pointed towards the woods just outside northern Seoul. Kangin frowned. “The woods? Is it even possible to hide there without the rangers there noticing?” he asked Jaejoong.
The author nodded, “There’s this warehouse in there. Initially it was used as a storage area when they cut down the trees to make into logs, but then the government declared the woods as a part of a national park and thus any logging in the area is considered an illegal action. So the logging company who built the warehouse abandoned it.”
The Don thought about it for a moment and said, “Prepare for the assault.” He looked at Ji Seung’s quivering form, “Don’t kill him just yet, in case he's lying and we need to torture him again.”
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The whole Kim Family mansion was in an uproar. As soon as they'd got the location from Ji Seung, Kyuhyun had hacked into the National Defense satellite to get a clearer air-view of the woods. True enough, the abandoned warehouse was located in the middle of nowhere, but there were signs that the warehouse was inhabited. After that came the frantic preparation for the assault. Members talked to the forest’s rangers to get a better understanding of the landscape, some of them went to the ammunition warehouse to get the necessary equipments. After it was all done, they only needed to wait until nighttime; it would be easier for them to move at night rather than in a broad daylight.
The main members agreed that Kangin would lead the attack, the Don wouldn’t hear of anything else anyway; Siwon, Yesung, Yunho and Jaejoong would also come. Changmin and Kyuhyun would also participate, they were two main members short, after all, with Hangeng and Heechul still hospitalized.
Yunho was checking his guns, carefully putting bullets in them. He had just finished giving instructions to a personally selected team of members who participated in the assault, on where to hide and where to put the snipers. Hangeng had trained them well, with just one time instruction review; they were all good to go.
“Yunho,” Jaejoong suddenly called, “Are you okay?”
The surgeon stopped his movement and shook his head. Jaejoong was the only one he would show his weakness to and he was not afraid to ask for his lover’s support when he needed it the most. And this was one of those times. Yunho then replied, “This whole thing is like a nightmare. I know Ji Seung personally, Jae. He’s a good man; he always put our Family first over anything else. I realize that torturing him was the only way for him to spill out the hideout and I’m thankful Kangin forbade me to see the torture, for I know our boss can be very cold-blooded when he needs to. But it’s not what I’m frustrated about.”
“What is?”
“It’s the fact that my Family is actually still alive somewhere out there, under the cruel oppressing hands of the Choi. Who knows how they have been treated all this time, and now they all have to be eliminated. And we are the ones who have to kill them. I have to kill my own Family. In fact, I’ve just developed over ten different scenarios with the team on what we do once we get there! Who will have to break the door, doing soft entry in case it’s booby-trapped and all other sort of thing. And now I have to kill my own brothers. ”
Jaejoong was silent for a moment. He knew that Kangin had offered to free Yunho from participating in the the assault, and the fact that Yunho was packing his guns showed that he hadn't taken the offer. Sometimes Jaejoong wished he didn't have to play the devil’s advocate, but he knew better than anyone that the surgeon didn't need pity or empathy. “They sealed their fate the moment they pulled that trigger on Hangeng and Heechul.”
Yunho nodded, “I know that. And I fully realize that I’m a member of the Kim Family now.” He cocked his gun, having finished loading it with bullets, “But it doesn’t make things easier.”
The author sighed. There was absolutely nothing he could do to make Yunho feel better. And so he squeezed his lover’s shoulder, showing him that he had his support. Yunho’s hands came up and his fingers curled around Jaejoong’s.
They stayed like that until Siwon came running into the room and nodded at them, indicating that they had finished all the preparations and Kangin felt that the time was right. The pair shared one last look before heading out to follow the Consigliere.
The drive to the woods was silent. Fifteen cars all rushing together throughout Seoul at once would definitely attract too much attention and thus Yesung had suggested that they split into seven different groups, with three cars together in the last group. This was not in line with what Kangin had said earlier about each traveling main member being accompanied by at least four other cars, but the Don understood that they needed to be below the radar for now, at least until they gathered as one big group. Thankfully Kyuhyun was able to get a perfect satellite view on the woods and had discovered a clearing not far from the abandoned warehouse; it would be a perfect place for them to regroup.
Few hours later, when the moon was already high in the night sky, it was finally time to attack. Fortunately the night was really dark, it was a crescent moon night and lots of rainclouds had hindered any possible starlight, so it was a perfect chance to move silently and unseen.
Thunder rumbled above them and a lightning crackled, dividing the nightline, and Kangin realized they would have to move now as it would start to rain soon. Although the raindrops might help obscure the Jung Family’s view from inside the warehouse, it would still be very troublesome; it would be faster and better to move through dry ground, after all. With a nod to Yunho, he gave a green light for them to start the assault.
The surgeon led the men, rushing through the woods as quiet as possible. In a matter of minutes, they had surrounded their target.
However, the warehouse was too silent and Jaejoong couldn’t help but having a foreboding feeling: something was definitely not right. There was no light, no sound, not a single thing from the warehouse that might gave a sign that a whole bunch of mafia actually resided there. But then again, these men were supposed to be dead, so they must have perfected their ability to hide. They might have heard the approaching Kim Family and decided to hide, or maybe -Jaejoong hoped he was wrong- escape the area.
Kangin obviously shared the same thought, as he immediately gave a quick sign to Yesung to start breaking in. Yesung charged with a few members, one of them bringing a big steel tool to break the door with a single crash. As soon as the door was broken and the first few men had entered, Yesung quickly followed them, and he was definitely surprised at what he saw.
Like any other warehouse, there was only a single, large open room inside. The Jung Family members were there no doubt, but their bodies all lay leaning against the walls or across the floor all over the room, all dead. Nearly every one of them held a gun and their fingers curled around the trigger.
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The next day, Siwon and Kyuhyun paid a visit to Hangeng and Heechul; they needed to update them both regarding the previous nights' assault. Hangeng and Heechul were doing much better already, but Yunho was still a bit wary of their conditions, and so he hadn’t given the pair permission to go back home. Hangeng was reading a book while Heechul was flipping through TV channels disinterestedly. The beautiful man brightened up visibly when he saw Siwon and Kyuhyun enter his room.
“Finally! I’m getting bored already and I want to go home, but Yunho’s being a worrying, snotty mother hen as usual,” Heechul said with a scowl.
“Hey, that man saved my life, so speak of him with the respect he so rightfully deserves. Besides he’s the doctor here, so I’ll trust his judgment rather than yours,” Hangeng retorted. Heechul pouted but he didn’t argue with his lover, knowing that the man was right.
Siwon updated them about Changmin’s involvement, the rat-shot bullets, Ji Seung’s capture and the assault last night. He purposely left out the part where they had tortured the man, but both Hangeng and Heechul knew without asking what Kangin had done, and they were grateful that Siwon didn’t go into detail describing it.
“So you’re saying that when you got there, none of the Jung Family members were alive?” Hangeng confirmed.
The Consigliere nodded, “They were all dead. At first it looked like suicides, each of the members was found holding a gun. But when we examined the bodies we found no gunpowder residue on their skin.”
Heechul shared a quick look with Hangeng. The situation was worse than they had thought. If the bodies didn’t have any gunpowder residue on them; it meant that they had been shot from a distance, thus it couldn’t have been suicide. The Jung Family must have been killed by someone else.
“Any escape tunnels or secret trap doors?” Heechul asked.
Kyuhyun was the one who answered this time, “No. Whoever killed those guys obviously knew what they were doing, the blood on the bodies was still warm, they couldn’t have been dead for more than an hour when we arrived there. But we didn’t pass any vehicles on our way into that secluded area, so somehow the murderers had disappeared. We haven’t found any footsteps leading away from the area either, it’s like they just vanished into thin air or something.”
No one spoke for a moment; two brains were busy processing this new information while the other two tried to remember if there was anything out of ordinary about the assault the previous night. They might miss something, but a team from the Kim Family was still in the area, making sure they combed every nook and crevice.
Finally Hangeng broke the silence, “Has our boss said anything?”
Siwon sighed deeply, “Kangin thought they were all killed by the Choi. Somehow the Choi must have known that we got the trail on the Jung Family, most likely they kept Ji Seung’s apartment under surveillance so they knew we took him that day. Then before any of the remaining Jung Family could spill the dirt and make any remote connection to the Choi, they killed them.”
“Aren’t they afraid that Ji Seung might become a witness?”
Kyuhyun shook his head, “I don’t think so. If dozens of Jung members would stand together as witness it might be dangerous for them; but one person won’t make a strong enough case. They can always negate the accusation and say that Ji Seung had run away when the Choi attacked them and somehow survived, but that he's gone delusional in all these years because he can’t take the stress.“
“Son of a bitch,” Heechul cursed.
Siwon snorted, “Tell me about it.”
“Smart sons of bitches, though,” Kyuhyun added. “TOP is definitely one sneaky bastard.”
“So we’re back to nowhere with the Choi?” asked Heechul with exasperation.
“Yep,” the Consigliere nodded, “back to square one. But I don’t think they'll make any dirty moves anytime soon though, they have to known that we'll increase securities and will be twice as alert after all these incidents. They would be very stupid to attack us at this point of time.”
“Hold on,” Hangeng suddenly said, “if the Choi can hide the fact that the Jung Family actually still exists after all these years, then…”
“Yes,” Kyuhyun interrupted, “they could be hiding all the Families they've claimed to have wiped out. God knows how many there are.”
-End of Chapter Eight-
8.5 (Not So Planned) The Birds and The Bees
7. Part Seven
6. Part Six
5.5 Stick and Stones
5. Part Five
4. Part Four
3.5 A Little Bit of Hope
3. Part Three
2. Part Two
1. Part One
0. Foreword
Main Pairing: Kangin x Leeteuk
Side Pairing: Siwon x Kyuhyun; Yesung x Ryeowook; Yunho x Jaejoong; Hangeng x Heechul
Rating: PG 13 for now, NC-17 in later chapters
Warnings: male x male relationship, slightly violent language
Disclaimer: I do not own either Super Junior/DBSK/JYJ
Summary: Mafia AU. Kangin didn't expect to find a child when he led his Family in an assault towards a rival family. He also didn't expect the child to be someone he treasured most of all.
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Never give anything more than what you have received. It was one of the first things his father had indoctrinated him into believing since he was a child. But right now Yesung couldn’t care less. This man had tried to kill Heechul and Hangeng, or at least he was one of those that had made the attempt. Although technically because the killing was unsuccessful, they should just wound the man in return, and not set up a full-scale ambush, even go as far as undercover members posed as regular civilians nearby, including him, as he was now wearing the uniform of a mail-man.
Changmin had set up a small ‘mail bag’ for him. Inside were various high-tech devices that Yesung wouldn’t even dream of ever understanding, let alone building them. Fortunately the young genius had explained the basic idea of how it would all work. One of them was a long thin lead designed to slip under door cracks, complete with micro-video-camera attached. The camera would then transfer images to Changmin’s laptop. Yunho had mentioned earlier that first they needed to be sure that Ji Seung was inside before barging into the apartment, otherwise he would’ve sensed they were onto him and fled.
Kangin had agreed on the whole scenario and it was the reason why Yesung was dressed as a mailman, a bag filled to the brim with high-tech devices in one hand and a box full of mail on the other. His gun was conveniently hidden under stacks of envelopes inside the box, ready to be taken out whenever he needed it. He also had his wireless earpiece safely hidden from view and from the transmitter he could hear whatever Kangin would order him to do.
He was standing just outside of Ji Seung’s apartment building. The man lived in a pretty dingy apartment, but it was full of tenants nonetheless. Kyuhyun had found out earlier that Ji Seung still had his daily newspapers and mail delivered to his apartment everyday and hence the disguise. Some people chose to have their mail delivered to the door so a mail-man in the apartment building wouldn’t raise any suspicion. With any luck, they would have Ji Seung captured in no time.
Yesung opened the front door, nodding to a few tenants that smiled at him. One of the older ladies even asked him where their usual mail-man was, and Yesung replied that he was only there to do some special courier-express assignments and that the usual mail-man would arrive later.
The building was as dingy on the inside as it was on the outside. Cracks were all over the wall, some even big enough to make it seem like the building had experienced an earthquake and somehow survived. The hallway was dark and the lamps on the ceiling clearly needed to be changed in order to function again. A perfect hide out for one person, Yesung thought.
It didn’t take him long to find Ji Seung’s room number. He now stood in front of an old rickety door; a number 217 was painted on it in blue paint.
“Mail service,” Yesung knocked. Nobody answered the door.
“Mr. Jung?” he tried again, “I have an express package delivery for you. The sender marked it as important so I assume you want it.” Still, no one came out or even answered his call.
“Use the camera.” The device in his ear transmitted Changmin’s voice clearly. Obeying the young genius’ order, Yesung pulled out the long, thin lead. He crouched down to find any cracks underneath, although judging from the door’s condition, there must be many. Sure enough, he found one just underneath the door. He plugged in one of the thin device’s ends to a small rectangle object and flipped the box open. A small screen popped up and he quickly slipped the thin device’s other end inside the crack. Yesung pressed down a button to activate the camera and immediately images appeared on the small screen.
The same images should also appear on Changmin’s laptop, but to confirm, he whispered into his earpiece, “Are you getting the signal?”
“Copy,” Changmin answered.
Yesung moved the thin lead around, trying to get a clear view of the room. “Looks like kitchen table, chair,” he observed the small screen.
“Is that a laptop on the table?” Kyuhyun asked; he was currently seeing the same images from Changmin’s laptop. He and Changmin were sitting in front of the computer while Kangin and Yunho stood behind them. Any lesser leader would have complained if they became the person who was standing while his subordinates were conveniently seated, but Kangin was not one of them; he didn’t care about small things like that.
“It could be useful,” Yunho said. “Can you get a closer look on it, Yesung?”
Almost immediately the image was zoomed in towards the table. “Some food containers, they still look pretty fresh to me,” Changmin commented.
“Wait; go back for a second, what’s that on the floor?” Kangin interrupted. “Are those clothes?”
“Yeah, looks like a pair of pajamas and some underwear,” Kyuhyun answered. “Maybe he was taking a bath or something?”
Yesung was thinking along the same lines, but he couldn’t hear any sound of water running. With an apartment as old as this, there would definitely be some noises if there was anybody taking a bath, at least some pipe water running or something.
All of a sudden a gun clicked behind him and a voice that sounded too close for comfort whispered in his ear, “Peeking into someone’s room is a bad habit, kiddo.”
Yesung froze. He hadn't heard the man approaching. The wobbly wooden floor should have made some noise if someone walked on it, yet this man hadn't made any sound at all. Yesung dropped the lead and the small screen he was holding. Raising his hands in surrender, he slowly stood up. He contemplated taking his gun, but any suspicious move he made would result in the man firing his gun, spreading Yesung’s brain all over the floor. Realizing he had no choice, Yesung turned around to face his attacker.
“Are you Jung Ji Seung?” he asked.
The man sneered, “So what if I am, and don’t think I don’t know you, Kim Jongwoon from the Kim Family, or more familiarly known as Yesung.”
Suddenly, the door of the apartment directly across Ji seung’s room opened and out walked Siwon with Jaejoong. Both the Consigliere and the author had a gun pointed at the Jung Family member. Ji Seung was obviously stunned to see them, as the apartment across his room was supposed to be inhabited by a harmless old lady, and not two members of Kim Family.
Siwon was the first to speak, “You are outgunned and outnumbered, old man; we have surrounded the whole building so you can kiss your plan to escape goodbye. Now, you’d better play nice and come with us obediently or we will shoot you with a sedative.”
*************************
When they arrived back at the mansion, they at once brought Ji Seung to their least favorite room: the torture chamber. Only Kangin, Jaejoong, Siwon and Yesung went there. Yunho, Kyuhyun and Changmin were given other assignments, to ransack Ji Seung’s apartment and look for any clues that might tell them where the Jung Family hideout was. Unfortunately two hours had passed and the surgeon still hadn’t called them, and Kangin gave his command: make him speak.
They stripped the man bare from his waist up. Ji Seung was still unconscious at the moment and his arms were chained up to the ceiling while his lower body was sitting down on the cold, hard floor. Siwon walked in, carrying a bucket full of ice water. He unceremoniously dumped it on Ji Seung and the man quickly woke up, spluttering from the water and gasping for breath.
The first thing Ji Seung saw was the Don Kim’s emotionless face. Then he took in his surroundings. It was a chamber of some kind, with only a couple of small windows at one corner. The light that streamed through them wasn’t enough to illuminate the room, but a few burning candles scattered on the floor helped him to see. He could see the fake mail-man from earlier and two others; one of them was Jaejoong (he recognized him) and the other was Siwon, the Family’s Consigliere. A bench, small table and a cupboard were the only other furniture in the dark room.
The water droplets trailed down his chest and Ji Seung looked down to see that he was half-naked. It didn’t take him long to realize why they brought him there. They would torture him to get him to spill out where the Jung Family hideout was. Now, Ji Seung was an experienced hit man and he had lived in their world long enough to know that as long he didn't speak, they wouldn’t know anything. And if these…youngsters thought they could get him to speak, well, they needed to kill him first. He wouldn’t betray his Family, no matter what.
Kangin knew what went through Ji Seung’s head as he watched how the man’s eyes hardened. Making him talk wouldn’t be an easy job, but thankfully his father had taught him well. He had learner how to torture someone right after he fired his first gun, and it was saying something as he learned how to hold a gun at a very young age. He also knew that his father, the previous Don, along with Kyuhyun’s father, the previous Consigliere had filled the mansion with every torture device ever built in the world. Some of the bigger ones were kept in the storage yard outside, but the ones that were in the torture chamber were those that would inflict most pain. By the time he finished, Ji Seung would wish he was never born, no matter how tough the man was.
The Don nodded at Siwon before standing up and the Consigliere moved. He crouched in front of Ji Seung and said, “Do you think you’re so tough, big man? Huh?”
Ji Seung didn’t say anything, but his eyes were filled with loathing and disgust. Siwon then asked again, “Where is the Jung Family hideout?”
This time the Jung member scoffed. “Do you really think I would tell you where my Family is?”
Siwon raised an eyebrow, “If you’re smart, then you will.”
Ji Seung looked at the Consigliere, “In your dreams, boy.”
Siwon faked a sigh. “Your choice, old man.” He then proceeded to take off Ji Seung’s shoes and socks, leaving the feet bare. He then looked at Jaejoong and the author gave him a small baseball bat that was covered in spikes. The only surface that was flat was the handle and Siwon curled his fingers around the tool. He raised the bat, positioning it so that it would directly hit Ji Seung’s bare foot if brought down, and looked at Ji Seung again. “Last chance.”
“Do your worst.”
The Consigliere then brought the bat down.
Ji Seung let out an anguished groan. The spikes were digging into his feet and when Siwon pulled the bat away, he could feel some of his flesh go along with it. Blood was pouring out from the small holes the spikes had made and he gasped in pain. Then the pain came again and again as Siwon hit his feet repeatedly. Tears started to pool in his eyes but Ji Seung willed them not to fall. He wouldn’t break with only this much pain. He didn’t need to open his eyes to see their smug expressions and so he kept them closed.
“Where is it?” he heard Siwon ask.
He opened his eyes and sneered, “Is that the best you can do?”
“Oh, don’t worry, we’ve only just begun,” Kangin was the one who answered him. His face was still an emotionless mask and Ji Seung wondered what other tricks the Don had up his sleeve. He had to admit, this Family knew what they were doing. The next thing he knew, that fake mail-man was in the Consigliere’s place. Siwon himself had retreated to Kangin’s side; the bat lay forgotten on the floor.
Yesung waited until he had Ji Seung’s full attention and gave the man a grim smile. “There is a method from ancient China called Ling Chi. Literally it means death by thousand cuts. Well, I think the name pretty much describes the method, hasn’t it?” Yesung slowly trailed down the man’s bare chest with his knife. The sharp point left a cut along its path, but it was not deep enough for blood to pour out.
He then gripped the man’s shoulder, selecting the softest spot and pinching the skin within his fingers. Then he put the knife across the skin, Ji Seung’s breath quickened as he realized what would happen, and slowly Yesung cut the meaty flesh. He did it as slow as he could; wanting to inflict pain as long as possible. He listened as Ji Seung cried out, his voice getting louder and louder. By the time Yesung finished, one of the Jung member’s shoulders was smaller than the other one, blood gushing from the wound. Yesung looked at Kangin and the Don nodded. Permission from his boss given, Yesung did the same to the other shoulder, this time he took a bigger chunk of flesh than before.
There were tears trailing down from Ji Seung’s eyes now, but still after such treatment he didn’t say anything. Or maybe the pain was too much for him. Kangin crouched down and roughly grabbed at Ji Seung’s face, forcing the man to look him in the eye. “Where is it?” he growled.
Ji Seung’s breathing was harsh now, he obviously trying to overcome the pain. His hands tightened into fists and he clenched his teeth. Slowly he looked at Kangin’s face and said, “I would never tell you.”
Kangin let out a mocking sigh. “I actually intended not to do this, but you leave me with no choice, Ji Seung.” He looked at Jaejoong and nodded, “bring them here.”
Ji Seung wondered what would happen next. Who would Jaejoong bring inside? It wouldn’t matter; he still wouldn't talk, because seriously, what other tricks could they have? He doubted whoever came into the room would be able to inflict a pain worse than what that fake mail-man had done.
He was mistaken, however, as he saw Jaejoong come in with three Doberman dogs, all of them on a leash. They started snarling and growling as they smelled the blood -his blood- a scent that permeated the room. The dogs tried to break their leashes, but apparently Jaejoong had a tight grip on them.
The Don then walked towards the dogs; they immediately quieted down and began to wag their tails, obviously pleased to see their master. Kangin crouched down to pet their heads, the three Dobermans now whimpering with delight. “Ji Seung, I want you to meet my precious pets. I’ve had them since they were just puppies, and they are very smart, it was really easy to train them. You might be able to guess what they are specially trained at, seeing how they went a bit wild after smelling your blood. Yes, that’s right, they are now masters at one thing: tearing human flesh with these sharp teeth.”
Kangin stood up, “Now, you can choose whether to experience that first hand, or you can just tell me where the hideout is and save yourself the pain.”
Ji Seung didn’t say anything. Instead he looked at the Don daringly, as if challenging the man to release the dogs.
And so Jaejoong let go of the leash. As soon as they felt the leash loosen, the three dogs immediately charged forwards, guided by the smell of blood to determine which the enemy was. Their sharp teeth dug into Ji Seung’s flesh and tore at it.
Ji Seung screamed again. The pain grew tenfold now as those teeth tore at his flesh over and over again. Kangin didn’t lie when he said he had these dogs specially trained. They knew exactly which part to bite and which to avoid as they didn’t go anywhere near his neck, as it might tear the veins there and kill him instantly. Instead they went to his cut-up shoulders; one dog bit at his stomach and broke the skin there. Then he felt a pain at his feet and he realized that one of the dogs had smelled blood from the holes Siwon made earlier and attacked his feet. Few bites later it had successfully torn off his toes.
Kangin whistled and the dogs stopped immediately. Although still growling at Ji Seung, they didn’t attack him anymore. Ji Seung wanted to curl up and die, but his arms were still chained so he couldn’t. He didn’t dare open his eyes, too horrified to look at his own disfigured body.
The Don didn’t say anything, realizing that if Ji Seung wanted to speak, he would say so.
Ji seung shook his head at the silent question, indicating that he still wouldn’t talk. At the back of his brain that was still functioning despite the immense pain, he wondered how he was still alive after obviously loosing so much blood. He could only pray that his blood flowed so much faster that he would die soon.
Kangin rolled his eyes. He had to resort to the next level of torture now, and although he despised Ji Seung, he had to admit that the man was one stubborn bastard. They had started at the lowest level of torture with the spiked bat, and they slowly built their way up to his dogs. Even after such treatment, the man still refused to speak and that was saying something. His loyalty to his Family had to be admired. The Don then whistled and the three dogs came to him at once. After securing their leashes, he handed them to Siwon who quickly walked them out, understanding that what Kangin would do next was potentially more gruesome and it wouldn’t be wise to keep the dogs there.
Kangin then moved towards the cupboard, opening the door with a skeleton key that hung nearby. He always detested opening this piece of furniture, as it was filled with torture devices and he hated to use them. But then again, he would do anything to keep his Family safe and if using these tools would get Ji Seung to speak; then use them he would. He took out the tool he was most familiar with and walked towards Ji Seung. The man winced visibly hearing the Don’s footsteps grow nearer, but Kangin paid him no mind.
“Do you know what this is?” Kangin asked as he crouched down. “This is a pear of anguish, also known as the choke pear. Usually used as a gag to prevent people from speaking, but it can also be used as a torture instrument. You see this screw here? If I turn it, all the sharp points here will bloom like a flower. Do you want to see?” he turned the screw and the metal body of the small tool that was divided into spoon-like segments began to spread apart, forming a full metal flower.
“Pretty isn’t it?” the Don said again, “that’s why I like to call this ‘the last bloom.’ A much prettier name than a choke pear, don’t you think? Now,” Kangin’s eyes glinted dangerously and Ji Seung had to suppress a shiver as he saw the blood lust in them, “what do you think will happen if I put this into your mouth, and I slowly turn the screw?”
Ji Seung’s eyes widened in fear. He had watched how the tool’s sharp point bloomed earlier and if the Don really put it in his mouth, it would tear his lips from the inside, forcing his mouth open to resemble the full bloom flower.
“Open him up,” Kangin ordered, and a hand was suddenly on his jaw, forcing his mouth open. Ji Seung struggled to get free, but the Don’s grip was too tight. Then another set of hands grabbed at him as well, he looked to the side and saw that Jaejoong was the one who had forcibly opened his mouth.
The Don placed the tool on Ji Seung’s mouth and inserted it. The tool was not so big when in this form but it was long enough to make him gag. A pure fear now overtook Ji Seung’s eyes but still Kangin didn’t stop there. “Now feel it closely, Ji Seung, as it blooms in your mouth,” he whispered. Then he turned the screw just a tiny bit, but it was enough to make Ji Seung muffled scream of pain echo across the room.
The sight and the sound were so heart-wrenching that even Yesung had to close his eyes and look away. He didn’t know how Kangin and Jaejoong were able to stand it, being so close to the screaming man after all, but he guessed those two were made from sterner stuff. Not him though, after they finished the whole torture with Ji Seung here, the first thing he would do would be to find Ryeowook and just stay in those arms for a couple of minutes.
The screaming then stopped, and Yesung assumed it was because Kangin had stopped turning the screw. The Don said in mock pity, “It’s only a quarter-bloom now, but you already scream your heart out over there. Don’t you want to know how it feels when it reaches half-bloom?”
Ji Seung’s loyalty broke down this time. He didn’t dare to shake his head, or even move it just a tiny bit, as he knew that whatever movement his head made, the choke pear’s sharp points would further tear his mouth. And so he could only whimper to answer Kangin’s question and pray that the Don would somehow understand him. Whatever deity reined above obviously heard his prayer as he felt the Don turn the screw the other way and pull the tool out; its tips were covered in blood.
“Are you ready to talk?”
The Jung member nodded furiously. But his mouth was so painful now he wouldn’t be able to speak. He groaned in pain, trying to convey his message. Jaejoong seemed to understand his intention as the author then asked, “Would it be easier for you if we brought a map and you can pinpoint the location instead of speaking?”
Ji Seung nodded again. A few agonizing moments later, a map was sprawled on the floor in front of him. He raised a shaking hand and pointed towards the woods just outside northern Seoul. Kangin frowned. “The woods? Is it even possible to hide there without the rangers there noticing?” he asked Jaejoong.
The author nodded, “There’s this warehouse in there. Initially it was used as a storage area when they cut down the trees to make into logs, but then the government declared the woods as a part of a national park and thus any logging in the area is considered an illegal action. So the logging company who built the warehouse abandoned it.”
The Don thought about it for a moment and said, “Prepare for the assault.” He looked at Ji Seung’s quivering form, “Don’t kill him just yet, in case he's lying and we need to torture him again.”
***********************************
The whole Kim Family mansion was in an uproar. As soon as they'd got the location from Ji Seung, Kyuhyun had hacked into the National Defense satellite to get a clearer air-view of the woods. True enough, the abandoned warehouse was located in the middle of nowhere, but there were signs that the warehouse was inhabited. After that came the frantic preparation for the assault. Members talked to the forest’s rangers to get a better understanding of the landscape, some of them went to the ammunition warehouse to get the necessary equipments. After it was all done, they only needed to wait until nighttime; it would be easier for them to move at night rather than in a broad daylight.
The main members agreed that Kangin would lead the attack, the Don wouldn’t hear of anything else anyway; Siwon, Yesung, Yunho and Jaejoong would also come. Changmin and Kyuhyun would also participate, they were two main members short, after all, with Hangeng and Heechul still hospitalized.
Yunho was checking his guns, carefully putting bullets in them. He had just finished giving instructions to a personally selected team of members who participated in the assault, on where to hide and where to put the snipers. Hangeng had trained them well, with just one time instruction review; they were all good to go.
“Yunho,” Jaejoong suddenly called, “Are you okay?”
The surgeon stopped his movement and shook his head. Jaejoong was the only one he would show his weakness to and he was not afraid to ask for his lover’s support when he needed it the most. And this was one of those times. Yunho then replied, “This whole thing is like a nightmare. I know Ji Seung personally, Jae. He’s a good man; he always put our Family first over anything else. I realize that torturing him was the only way for him to spill out the hideout and I’m thankful Kangin forbade me to see the torture, for I know our boss can be very cold-blooded when he needs to. But it’s not what I’m frustrated about.”
“What is?”
“It’s the fact that my Family is actually still alive somewhere out there, under the cruel oppressing hands of the Choi. Who knows how they have been treated all this time, and now they all have to be eliminated. And we are the ones who have to kill them. I have to kill my own Family. In fact, I’ve just developed over ten different scenarios with the team on what we do once we get there! Who will have to break the door, doing soft entry in case it’s booby-trapped and all other sort of thing. And now I have to kill my own brothers. ”
Jaejoong was silent for a moment. He knew that Kangin had offered to free Yunho from participating in the the assault, and the fact that Yunho was packing his guns showed that he hadn't taken the offer. Sometimes Jaejoong wished he didn't have to play the devil’s advocate, but he knew better than anyone that the surgeon didn't need pity or empathy. “They sealed their fate the moment they pulled that trigger on Hangeng and Heechul.”
Yunho nodded, “I know that. And I fully realize that I’m a member of the Kim Family now.” He cocked his gun, having finished loading it with bullets, “But it doesn’t make things easier.”
The author sighed. There was absolutely nothing he could do to make Yunho feel better. And so he squeezed his lover’s shoulder, showing him that he had his support. Yunho’s hands came up and his fingers curled around Jaejoong’s.
They stayed like that until Siwon came running into the room and nodded at them, indicating that they had finished all the preparations and Kangin felt that the time was right. The pair shared one last look before heading out to follow the Consigliere.
The drive to the woods was silent. Fifteen cars all rushing together throughout Seoul at once would definitely attract too much attention and thus Yesung had suggested that they split into seven different groups, with three cars together in the last group. This was not in line with what Kangin had said earlier about each traveling main member being accompanied by at least four other cars, but the Don understood that they needed to be below the radar for now, at least until they gathered as one big group. Thankfully Kyuhyun was able to get a perfect satellite view on the woods and had discovered a clearing not far from the abandoned warehouse; it would be a perfect place for them to regroup.
Few hours later, when the moon was already high in the night sky, it was finally time to attack. Fortunately the night was really dark, it was a crescent moon night and lots of rainclouds had hindered any possible starlight, so it was a perfect chance to move silently and unseen.
Thunder rumbled above them and a lightning crackled, dividing the nightline, and Kangin realized they would have to move now as it would start to rain soon. Although the raindrops might help obscure the Jung Family’s view from inside the warehouse, it would still be very troublesome; it would be faster and better to move through dry ground, after all. With a nod to Yunho, he gave a green light for them to start the assault.
The surgeon led the men, rushing through the woods as quiet as possible. In a matter of minutes, they had surrounded their target.
However, the warehouse was too silent and Jaejoong couldn’t help but having a foreboding feeling: something was definitely not right. There was no light, no sound, not a single thing from the warehouse that might gave a sign that a whole bunch of mafia actually resided there. But then again, these men were supposed to be dead, so they must have perfected their ability to hide. They might have heard the approaching Kim Family and decided to hide, or maybe -Jaejoong hoped he was wrong- escape the area.
Kangin obviously shared the same thought, as he immediately gave a quick sign to Yesung to start breaking in. Yesung charged with a few members, one of them bringing a big steel tool to break the door with a single crash. As soon as the door was broken and the first few men had entered, Yesung quickly followed them, and he was definitely surprised at what he saw.
Like any other warehouse, there was only a single, large open room inside. The Jung Family members were there no doubt, but their bodies all lay leaning against the walls or across the floor all over the room, all dead. Nearly every one of them held a gun and their fingers curled around the trigger.
************************************
The next day, Siwon and Kyuhyun paid a visit to Hangeng and Heechul; they needed to update them both regarding the previous nights' assault. Hangeng and Heechul were doing much better already, but Yunho was still a bit wary of their conditions, and so he hadn’t given the pair permission to go back home. Hangeng was reading a book while Heechul was flipping through TV channels disinterestedly. The beautiful man brightened up visibly when he saw Siwon and Kyuhyun enter his room.
“Finally! I’m getting bored already and I want to go home, but Yunho’s being a worrying, snotty mother hen as usual,” Heechul said with a scowl.
“Hey, that man saved my life, so speak of him with the respect he so rightfully deserves. Besides he’s the doctor here, so I’ll trust his judgment rather than yours,” Hangeng retorted. Heechul pouted but he didn’t argue with his lover, knowing that the man was right.
Siwon updated them about Changmin’s involvement, the rat-shot bullets, Ji Seung’s capture and the assault last night. He purposely left out the part where they had tortured the man, but both Hangeng and Heechul knew without asking what Kangin had done, and they were grateful that Siwon didn’t go into detail describing it.
“So you’re saying that when you got there, none of the Jung Family members were alive?” Hangeng confirmed.
The Consigliere nodded, “They were all dead. At first it looked like suicides, each of the members was found holding a gun. But when we examined the bodies we found no gunpowder residue on their skin.”
Heechul shared a quick look with Hangeng. The situation was worse than they had thought. If the bodies didn’t have any gunpowder residue on them; it meant that they had been shot from a distance, thus it couldn’t have been suicide. The Jung Family must have been killed by someone else.
“Any escape tunnels or secret trap doors?” Heechul asked.
Kyuhyun was the one who answered this time, “No. Whoever killed those guys obviously knew what they were doing, the blood on the bodies was still warm, they couldn’t have been dead for more than an hour when we arrived there. But we didn’t pass any vehicles on our way into that secluded area, so somehow the murderers had disappeared. We haven’t found any footsteps leading away from the area either, it’s like they just vanished into thin air or something.”
No one spoke for a moment; two brains were busy processing this new information while the other two tried to remember if there was anything out of ordinary about the assault the previous night. They might miss something, but a team from the Kim Family was still in the area, making sure they combed every nook and crevice.
Finally Hangeng broke the silence, “Has our boss said anything?”
Siwon sighed deeply, “Kangin thought they were all killed by the Choi. Somehow the Choi must have known that we got the trail on the Jung Family, most likely they kept Ji Seung’s apartment under surveillance so they knew we took him that day. Then before any of the remaining Jung Family could spill the dirt and make any remote connection to the Choi, they killed them.”
“Aren’t they afraid that Ji Seung might become a witness?”
Kyuhyun shook his head, “I don’t think so. If dozens of Jung members would stand together as witness it might be dangerous for them; but one person won’t make a strong enough case. They can always negate the accusation and say that Ji Seung had run away when the Choi attacked them and somehow survived, but that he's gone delusional in all these years because he can’t take the stress.“
“Son of a bitch,” Heechul cursed.
Siwon snorted, “Tell me about it.”
“Smart sons of bitches, though,” Kyuhyun added. “TOP is definitely one sneaky bastard.”
“So we’re back to nowhere with the Choi?” asked Heechul with exasperation.
“Yep,” the Consigliere nodded, “back to square one. But I don’t think they'll make any dirty moves anytime soon though, they have to known that we'll increase securities and will be twice as alert after all these incidents. They would be very stupid to attack us at this point of time.”
“Hold on,” Hangeng suddenly said, “if the Choi can hide the fact that the Jung Family actually still exists after all these years, then…”
“Yes,” Kyuhyun interrupted, “they could be hiding all the Families they've claimed to have wiped out. God knows how many there are.”
-End of Chapter Eight-
8.5 (Not So Planned) The Birds and The Bees
7. Part Seven
6. Part Six
5.5 Stick and Stones
5. Part Five
4. Part Four
3.5 A Little Bit of Hope
3. Part Three
2. Part Two
1. Part One
0. Foreword