[Mini-series] Collide {1/2}
This is one of the nonsensical things I wrote that I actually liked. *runs away* But really, this is just a jumble of scenes straight out from my mind so it might be choppy and incoherent.
Haha. Okay I’m lame. Once again putting this in context, the procedures mentioned here are not in any way the international standard of practice. This is based on what I know and uhh… my wild imagination. Enjoy?
Collide
What a strange creature man is,
Who would cage himself so willingly.
-Appleseed 2004
It came as an unwanted surprise one scorching hot summer day in the middle of July.
That Wednesday morning began as something ordinary, with normal routines and normal activities that never really needed much thinking to be accomplished. Lee Sungmin walked in his tinted glass-covered small office just like the way he does everyday, sat down on his swiveling chair, picked up a red pen from among his stacks and twirled it around absentmindedly for a few minutes.
The soft knock on the door disturbed his early thoughts and Lee Eunhyuk’s head popped out sideways, his face drawn into a gummy, wide smile.
“Boss hyung,” Eunhyuk addressed Sungmin, making a little salute before entering. Sungmin merely gave him a roll of the eyes and dismissed Eunhyuk’s presence as an unwelcomed distraction.
“What do you want so early in the morning?” Sungmin asked, the way he did everyday, each time Eunhyuk gets bored and decides to disturb Sungmin’s peaceful reveries.
Eunhyuk grinned and haphazardly sat down on the chair in front of Sungmin, his brows moving up and down in excitement.
“You didn’t hear, did you?” He asked, fully knowing the answer to his question. “You’re the one involved and yet you didn’t know.”
Sungmin raised an eyebrow at him and cocked his head sideways.
“About what?”
“Your new partner,” Eunhyuk informed him, almost bouncing from his chair. “After a long time, you finally have a new partner,” he said, as if that was enough reason to celebrate. “Donghae said Leeteuk-hyung will introduce him later but you know how unreliable Donghae could be… so I gossiped with some of Leeteuk-hyung’s confidantes and….”
Eunhyuk’s words melted into nothingness, turning into an insignificant gust of wind in Sungmin’s ears as his mind drifted somewhere else. It hovered somewhere far away from his office, far away from his work as a member of the drug enforcement unit of the police force, far away from that scorching hot July morning and back… going back to that humid April evening.
Lee Sungmin was never a sentimental person, nor is he someone who remembers everything with clear detail. For him, his everyday activities are as mundane as it could get, passing before his eyes as smoothly as water would. Sungmin was also never the type to mix his personal life with his job, keeping them in clear compartments in his mind, drawing the line, drawing the limit as to how much they could be mixed.
But that April evening was the exception to every rule he has set in his life.
That April evening, as Kim Yesung heaved his last breaths in his arms, Sungmin’s world has never been the same again.
Kim Yesung was his senior by two years, his partner for three years and his lover for one year. He was the very first person to welcome a timid Sungmin into the team, drove away all his insecurities and frustrations and stood up for him when Sungmin committed the simplest of all mistakes. It was Yesung who molded him and taught him everything Sungmin needs to know to survive the job. It was Yesung who polished Sungmin’s skills in holding a gun, in defending himself, in fighting for his life and in upholding the rule of law. It was Yesung who owned the largest part of Sungmin’s heart and when he died more than a year ago in a buy-bust operation, Sungmin’s world crumbled to pieces and stripped of every color except for black.
Afterall, it was Sungmin who took Yesung’s life away.
“Hyung?” Eunhyuk’s voice broke through his reveries and Sungmin blinked once, focusing on the younger man waving a hand in front of his eyes. “You’ve been spacing out on everyone since… are you okay?”
Sungmin nodded and waved him off, standing up from his swiveling chair.
“Yeah. Just… job pressure, I guess,” he lied. Truth is, when Yesung died, a large part of Sungmin’s world died too and it has not been resuscitated at all.
“Are you sure?” Eunhyuk prodded, his eyes following the older man as he moves around the room, arranging files and looking for something that never really existed. “You never talked about it to anyone… but don’t you think it’s time that you do?” he asked and though the subject of their conversation was not really clear, Sungmin knew what they were talking about.
“I’m fine,” Sungmin said and looked up as Leeteuk entered the room with an unfamiliar, tall and lanky man trailing behind him.
-----------------------
Cho Kyuhyun allowed his eyes to travel around the room, taking in every decoration, every medal displayed, plaques of recognition and everything his eyes could land on. He wriggled his toes from under his shoes and resisted the urge to grin wide. Never in his life - nor in his career - did he imagine that he would be sitting in Park Leeteuk’s office, listening to the older man talking about Kyuhyun’s new position as a drug enforcement agent.
And it’s not just a simple position that one can readily attain after less than a year of training. It’s a coveted position of being partnered to one of the best agents in the department and the thought of it made Kyuhyun want to giggle like a girl and pat himself on the back.
“I am so freaking good,” he told himself silently as he fought hard to control his emotions. Leeteuk glanced at him briefly as he fixes his glasses and smirked.
“It’s not a coveted position,” Leeteuk informed Kyuhyun as if he could read right through the other’s mind. “We’re actually out of agents these days and no one wants to be partnered with Sungmin-sshi,” he said and whispered playfully, “coz he’s a bit of an unpredictable asshole.”
“Eh?”Kyuhyun’s face registered surprise. Surely, he must have heard all the wrong things in training camp. “But…”
Leeteuk’s hearty chuckle resounded in the room for a minute, cutting off Kyuhyun’s words.
“I was just kidding, kid,” he said and stood up, motioning for Kyuhyun to follow. “Let’s introduce you to each other, then.”
With a bit of a hesitant nod, Kyuhyun followed Leeteuk out of the room, his heart beating twice as fast. Straight out from training camp, Kyuhyun really did not know what to expect. Sure they were taught a lot of things in training and he was indeed one of the best but most of the time, training and real life do not go together.
Swallowing nervously, Kyuhyun fidgeted with the hem of his shirt as he follows Leeteuk, the other reminding him of what to do, follow his senior partner’s orders, do not be impulsive and most importantly… trust his partner even if he can’t trust anyone else.
“He’s a good one, I’m sure you’ll learn a lot from him,” Leeteuk said as he knocked somewhere and sauntered right in even without the occupant’s permission.
Kyuhyun was still busy straightening the wrinkles on his shirt when an exhausted, almost snappy voice burned the air around them.
“Hyung, I thought you know better than to enter without permission. I could be naked, you know.”
Kyuhyun looked up to see a dark-haired man sitting behind a desk full of messy papers, twirling a red pen in his hands innocently. His fringes covered his eyes, obstructing Kyuhyun’s view as to its color but the man’s lips was curved into an unappreciative smirk.
Without bothering to apologize, Leeteuk cleared his throat and pulled Kyuhyun, pushing him in front.
“This is Cho Kyuhyun,” he said in a chirpy voice as he pats Kyuhyun on the shoulder. “He’s your new partner, Sungmin,” he introduced and Kyuhyun swallowed hard, feeling his heartbeat double, beating twice as fast.
He offered an awkward smile. “H-hi…?” Kyuhyun ventured and mentally kicked himself. “You’re supposed to act cool and dignified!” his mind chided and Kyuhyun could feel sweat forming on his forehead. So this is the infamous Lee Sungmin.
“You’re smaller in person,” Kyuhyun commented without thinking, looking at Sungmin as the other stands. Mentally slapping himself, Kyuhyun grinned apologetically when Sungmin’s eyebrows furrowed, clearly sending a message of I hate you at first glance to him.
Leeteuk’s laughter cooled the air around them as he gives Kyuhyun hard pats on the back and Sungmin glared at their superior.
“What?” Leeteuk asked, faking innocence. “You are small, Sungmin,” he said and laughed harder, making Kyuhyun wish he was never born at all. “But anyway, Kyuhyun, this is Lee Sungmin, the one you’re dying to meet. He’s your senior partner. I’ll leave you to him,” he said and made a move to go out, but not before looking back and saying, “be nice, Sungmin.”
And then he was out.
The small office was suddenly filled with thick silence as Sungmin leaned on his table, keeping a wary eye on Kyuhyun. He tapped his foot impatiently, the pen still twirling in his hand. Kyuhyun almost whistled, shifting uncomfortably from where he stood. He was aware of Sungmin’s stare and it made him feel a bit on the edge.
“I don’t like my partners bullshitting me,” Sungmin said in an icy tone as he settled back behind his desk, his eyes still wary as he looks at Kyuhyun. “You’re new, aren’t you?”
Kyuhyun cleared his throat before speaking and then he nodded slightly. “Just out of training,” he admitted, making a move to sit on one of the two chairs in front of Sungmin’s desk.
“I don’t like new partners being all cocky and doing something I have not asked them to do,” Sungmin blurted out and Kyuhyun halted, halfway through sitting. “You do as I tell you and we’ll be on good terms. Don’t act impulsively, don’t do anything I haven’t told you to do and most importantly…,” Sungmin said, leaning forward so that his face was closer to Kyuhyun. “More importantly, keep your mouth shut,” he emphasized. “I don’t like noisy people.”
Kyuhyun forced a dry laugh and awkwardly raised his right hand, earning an annoyed stare from Sungmin.
“What?”
“Do you get to schedule my time to use the bathroom when we’re on an assignment or do I just simply go based on the call of nature?” Kyuhyun asked dumbly and Sungmin threw a small paperweight at him. “Woah!” Kyuhyun exclaimed, ducking away instinctively. “What the hell?! I could have died!” he complained.
Sungmin kept a blank expression, still twirling his goddamn red pen. “Get out of my office,” he said silently and turned around in his swiveling chair, his back facing Kyuhyun. “And fast,” he added.
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“I’m itchy!” Kyuhyun whispered harshly two weeks later as he, Sungmin, Eunhyuk and two others tried to stay hidden inside a small car, watching as Donghae pose as an illegal drug buyer. It was another buy-bust operation and through a game of rock-paper-scissors, Donghae was chosen as the poseur-buyer - something he’d been wishing since he was assigned with Eunhyuk.
“Keep your mouth shut and focus on the mission,” Sungmin said coldly, giving Kyuhyun a rough glare as the other try to reach the itchiness on his back.
It was Kyuhyun’s first mission since being partnered with Sungmin and though they’ve only been partners for two weeks, Sungmin had developed a huge hate for Kyuhyun and his clumsiness.
“What I really don’t get is why they’ve chosen you to be my partner in the first place!” Sungmin complained on the third day after Kyuhyun had been partnered with him. The younger man kept poking his head from Sungmin’s office door, asking if Sungmin wanted coffee or iced tea or anything at all and when Sungmin finally consented, Kyuhyun clumsily held a scalding hot mug of coffee and accidentally poured it on Sungmin’s sensitive you-know-what. There was an endless apology that came right after.
Kyuhyun was also a loud mouth idiot who sings whenever he’s bored doing nothing. From his office, Sungmin could hear the idiot singing his heart out to popular songs as if he was still a teenager. Kyuhyun likes to eat spicy food, orders spicy noodles for lunch, forgets to brush his teeth and breathes his spicy breath on Sungmin’s face. He likes to wear the same green jacket that smells like all kinds of cologne he uses and Sungmin could swear he smells four different scents whenever Kyuhyun passes by.
“Did you change your jacket today?” Sungmin snapped as Kyuhyun kept on scratching his back, reaching for the itchiness that refuses to go away. Sungmin groaned when he noticed that Kyuhyun is still wearing the same ‘smelly’ green jacket. “No wonder you itch,” he smirked and turned his attention back to Donghae who was about to finish the deal.
“Get ready when that guy receives the money,” Sungmin instructed, earning nods from the others. He swallowed hard, feeling the familiar anxiety whenever he’s on a buy-bust mission.
If Sungmin would describe himself in times like this, he would probably arrogantly say that he’s a fuckingly good veteran. He’s one of the best agents the department ever had. He knows what to do, when to do it, how to do it… he knows everything and anything that comes with the job but what he does not know and probably would never get to know… would be how to get over Yesung.
Yesung… was his life and it would forever haunt him that Yesung died… that Sungmin killed Yesung… on a mission like this.
“Kyuhyun,” Sungmin called the other’s attention.
“Yeah?”
“Let me remind you… do not shoot when I don’t tell you to shoot. Keep yourself hidden unless I tell you to come out and never… never ever… try to take on someone you know you can’t beat,” Sungmin reminded and turned to Eunhyuk and the others. “That goes the same for - “
His sentence was left unfinished as Sungmin jumped from his seat at the sound of a loud honking of a car. When he turned back, his eyes almost bulged from its sockets when he saw Kyuhyun’s elbow pressing on the car honk as his other hand reaches for the itch on his back.
“Shit,” Sungmin murmured, slapping Kyuhyun’s hand away then turned to look at the Donghae who was suddenly running for cover.
“You traitor!” Someone shouted and the next thing they knew, there were gunshots that rang in the stillness of the night.
“Freak freak freak!” Eunhyuk murmured under his breath and he and Sungmin sprang out from the car, guns held, stealthily running for the most convenient spot.
“Do not shoot!” Sungmin shouted, seeing Kyuhyun and two others emerge from the car. “Be alert and don’t dare try to apprehend someone on your own!”
Kyuhyun nodded, his lips pursed into a thin line as he looks around for cover, gun held out.
There were sounds of footsteps that echoed, stomping on the ground as the drug syndicate’s members all scramble out to escape from the scene. Sungmin’s heart was pounding, stuck in his throat as he tries to clear his mind, focusing on their mission. Eunhyuk breathed heavily behind him, scanning the area for any possible opportunity to apprehend any syndicate member. Donghae crouched a few feet away from them, his sweat dripping from his forehead, congratulating himself for inching away from the brink of a possible death.
“Boss hyung!” Eunhyuk hissed in Sungmin’s ears, exasperatedly pointing at Kyuhyun who was stealthily approaching a syndicate member whose back was turned to him.
“Damn it!” Sungmin exclaimed in exasperation, emerging from his hidden position. “Damn it, Kyuhyun!” he hissed loudly, exactly at the same time that the man turned around and saw Kyuhyun.
It happened in a blink of an eye. Kyuhyun jumped at the man, throwing punches and aimless kicks. Sungmin could hear Eunhyuk, Donghae and their team members cursing as several syndicate members turn back to assist their comrade, drawing guns in the process.
“What do we do, Sungmin-hyung?!” Donghae exclaimed.
“Shoot if you need to shoot!” Sungmin ordered, coming to Kyuhyun’s aid. “One of you call for backup!” he ordered, cursing and cursing, making a mental note to strangle Kyuhyun to death if they ever get out of that situation alive.
It was a chaotic scene with gunshots ringing in their ears. The smell of blood floated in the air and Kyuhyun could feel his whole body shaking as something sharp graze his arms. His hands were shaking and he screamed in frustration as his own gun fell. All he could do is throw kicks, punches, elbow someone and hope that he makes it out alive.
Kyuhyun was scared. So scared he felt like everything was a blur in front of his eyes. He lashed out at everyone who comes near him without distinction. When the sounds of siren and more footsteps reached his ears, it was only then that he stopped, slumping on the cold floor weakly.
Sungmin, on the other hand, was furious. The chaos ended with one of their men injured, Kyuhyun sporting a wound caused by a bullet grazing his arms and Eunhyuk and Donghae panting like there was no tomorrow. There was one casualty - a member of the drug syndicate and Sungmin turned his eyes away as they were hauling the body away. Glancing to his right, he saw Kyuhyun staring into nothing, slumped on the floor and apparently too overwhelmed at the sudden twist in everything.
With clenched fists and an overflowing rage, Sungmin took heavy steps towards Kyuhyun.
“You…,” Sungmin began, towering over Kyuhyun’s slumped form. “Do not… never ever… disobey my orders again!” he exclaimed, his right hand automatically going up and hitting the right side of Kyuhyun’s lips.
Kyuhyun looked up at him with fearful eyes, holding a hand to his bleeding lips.
“W-what…?” he uttered and Sungmin glared at him.
“Don’t what me, you bastard! You almost got everyone killed!” Sungmin spat. He witnessed it once, seen his partner dying in his arms and the pain of going through it scared him out of his wits. He promised himself that no one will die under his leadership ever again. No one deserves to undergo but he went through… losing not only a partner but also the only person he ever loved in his life.
“I-I’m…” Kyuhyun started but was cut off by Sungmin grabbing him by the collar and pulling him to his feet.
“Don’t say sorry because that word hurts my ears. When you’re on a mission like this, there’s no room for apologies. If you apologize, that means you screwed up and you’re standing over your comrade’s corpse. Do you understand me?” Sungmin snapped, harshly letting go of Kyuhyun. He heaved a deep breath and turned around, his back facing Kyuhyun. “Now go and get that arm stitched up or something. I don’t want you bleeding to death.”
It was only then that Kyuhyun realized he was wounded.
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Kyuhyun ducked his head in apology in front of Eunhyuk and Donghae a day later.
“I almost had you all killed because of my impulsiveness,” he said, bowing his head so low he thought it would hit the floor.
Eunhyuk snorted and sat on his table, crossing his arms on his chest.
“I bet Sungmin-hyung almost killed you, didn’t he?” he asked knowingly, chuckling at the image of Sungmin forming in his mind. “He gave you an earful, muttering something about how he doesn’t need apologies,” he continued, glancing at the closed door of Sungmin’s office.
Kyuhyun looked up and shrugged.
“He’s not talking to me,” he said and touched his bruised lips. “I bet I’m going to get kicked out of the department,” Kyuhyun stated with pessimism, slumping on a nearby chair.
Donghae walked up to him and prodded his forehead with a finger.
“Shit happens, kid. I did the exact same thing when I was new. It’s natural to try and prove yourself worthy for the position you’re given,” he said and grinned.
Kyuhyun sighed with slumped shoulders and stared at the floor.
“Why is he so uptight and cranky anyway?” he asked and slowly moved his head towards the direction of Sungmin’s office. “He’s like a bitch having this PMS thing or whatever,” he added and Eunhyuk and Donghae’s laughter boomed.
“Like a bitch having PMS? That’s something new!” Eunhyuk laughed, slapping his hands on his thighs for emphasis. “I suddenly had this weird image of Sungmin-hyung in whore clothes with a whip, biting a red rose…” he said and stopped when he saw Donghae swallowing.
“That might look hot, you know,” Donghae whispered and Eunhyuk kicked him slightly.
“You’re still having wet dreams about him?” Eunhyuk accused and Donghae glared at him.
“I never had wet dreams about Sungmin-hyung, idiot,” he defended. “The only time I’ll come close to having wet dreams about him would be the time I’ll pee in my pajamas out of fear. He’s one scary man,” Donghae stated as he and Eunhyuk laughed once again.
Kyuhyun watched them both, waiting for the answer to his questions. Well, he has to admit that Sungmin in whore clothes with a whip and a red rose just might look hot if he isn’t glaring at Kyuhyun.
“So…,” Kyuhyun started. “What’s up with him?” he asked. “Has he always been like that?”
Eunhyuk looked at Donghae before answering.
“It’s a bit tragic,” he started. “Sungmin-hyung was not really that stuffy before. Sure, he was a bit on the uptight side and all, but he was never that cranky or agitated. He was the calm one even on dangerous missions,” he explained, his eyes softening into something Kyuhyun associate with sympathy.
“Have you ever heard of a man named Kim Yesung when you were in training camp?” Donghae butted in.
Kyuhyun thought for a minute, rubbing his chin. “I might have but I really can’t remember - ah! He was the one who died on a buy-bust mission?” he asked, suddenly remembering. “That was a bit tragic.”
Donghae and Eunhyuk nodded.
“He was Sungmin-hyung’s partner,” Eunhyuk enlightened. “And though they never really admitted it, he and Sungmin-hyung had been so close, you know and we all had a silent agreement that they’re lovers. If you were here then, you’ll see how much Sungmin-hyung changes whenever Yesung-hyung’s here. He’s like… glowing and blooming or whatever.”
“But last year, Yesung-hyung died on a buy-bust operation, much like the one we had yesterday,” Eunhyuk continued and swallowed hard before speaking. “Sungmin-hyung shot him.”
There was an uncomfortable silence as Kyuhyun’s mind digests what he just heard.
“W-What?” he stammered. “Why?”
Donghae exhaled harshly, shaking his head.
“Sungmin-hyung did exactly what you did last night, taking on someone he was not sure he could beat. It was a big, controversial case - one that involves one of the largest syndicates in the country. They came to a one on one duel, you either kill or be killed. It was probably a bad stroke of fate or a nasty twist of circumstance but I don’t know… the stories vary and there were different versions but from what I saw… from what my mind still remembers…” Donghae narrated, swallowing, looking like he was about to cry. “The moment Sungmin-hyung pressed the trigger, Yesung-hyung was already in front of the other man. People say he was probably protecting Sungmin-hyung because if he came a second too late, Sungmin-hyung would have died. The man would have pressed the trigger faster than hyung did,” Donghae sighed and shook his head.
“Whatever it is, Yesung-hyung died. Two bullet wounds, one from his enemy one from his lover. It was a bit tragic and since then… Sungmin-hyung had been like that,” Eunhyuk continued.
Kyuhyun remained silent as he listens, his hand unconsciously running over his green jacket. Its material was already a bit worn out and the green color has slightly faded, much like the memories it holds. However, for some reason, the scents still linger and the sounds from his distant memories still sound as clear as ever. Maybe Sungmin experiences the same thing in a different way.
“Hey, Kyuhyun-ah,” Eunhyuk snapped his fingers in front of Kyuhyun, forcing him back to reality.
“Yes?”
“Stop spacing out on people! It’s rude, you know,” Eunhyuk complained, jumping off his table and stretching. “Let’s go get some coffee, Hae.”
Donghae groaned and stood up. “Only if you would pay for it, you damn cheapskate. If I’ll count the number of times I have to pay for your coffee, your debt might reach millions already!”
“Stop complaining! What kind of coffee would cost millions anyway?”
“Unpaid coffee!” Donghae snapped as Eunhyuk wrap his right arm around the other’s neck, half-dragging Donghae out the door.
Kyuhyun grinned as he listens to the two fighting over coffee and indebtedness, his right hand still caressing the jacket.
Green has always been Ryeowook’s favorite color.
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“Are you freaking kidding me?” Sungmin snapped the next morning as he and Kyuhyun sat in front of Leeteuk’s desk, listening to the latter’s decision of assigning them to some patrol duties and apprehension of small time drug pushers that litter the streets. Sungmin’s eyes widened in annoyance, treating the order as a demotion on his part.
“I am not freaking kidding you,” Leeteuk repeated Sungmin’s words with a sly grin.
“I am not going to be demoted to…,” Sungmin tried to reason with his arms flailing around. “…to apprehending small time criminals, hyung!” He exclaimed, shooting a hard look in Kyuhyun’s direction. The younger man simply swallowed, offering a weak smile to show his partner the guilt he was feeling.
Kyuhyun knew that Leeteuk’s decision stemmed from the buy-bust operation they’ve had and from his idiotic mistake. Kyuhyun also knew that Sungmin will probably strangle him to death later and he wouldn’t even have the courage to defend himself.
Leeteuk scratched his head. “I am not demoting you, Sungmin,” he explained. “I’m just… since Kyuhyun is your partner, he’s just out of training, he’s susceptible to making mistakes… he needs a bit of experience…”
“And you’re dragging me along with him,” Sungmin concluded. “What am I? Some kind of a training officer? You were the one who wanted him to be my partner in the first place!”
“My decision is final. I won’t be assigning you to anything big unless you make sure your partner is experienced enough to handle it,” Leeteuk said sternly. “Now start doing your new duty and let me finish my job.”
Sungmin was about to say something but thought better of it. He grimaced before shooting Kyuhyun dagger looks and then he was out, slamming the door as he went. Kyuhyun gave a little bow to Leeteuk before hurriedly going out, mentally preparing himself for his partner’s wrath. As he walks towards Sungmin’s office, he caught sight of Eunhyuk and Donghae making funny signs of slashing their throats while grinning and Kyuhyun flashed them an annoyed face.
Kyuhyun knocked once and poked his head inside, grinning stupidly at Sungmin.
“H-Hi?” he ventured, choking on nothing. “Can I come in?” he asked and paused, heaving a brave breath. “No, wait. I’m your partner so I can come in anytime!” he exclaimed and almost crawled out the door when Sungmin gave him a deathly stare.
“What do you want?” Sungmin asked coldly, his feet propped up on the table as he once again twirl the red pen in his hands.
“Well… I just want to apologize…”
“I thought I told you that apologies hurt my ears,” Sungmin intercepted, his deathly gaze never leaving Kyuhyun.
“Well yeah,” the younger man nodded. “But still…”
“Still… you realized that when you mess up, you drag people along with you. Still, you realized that when you do something as idiotic as acting on impulse on a dangerous mission, you do not only endanger yourself, you endanger your comrades as well. Still, you learned your lesson the hard way, didn’t you?” Sungmin said through gritted teeth, slamming the pen down on the table and walking towards Kyuhyun who closed his eyes, expecting to be a hit a second time.
“What are you closing your eyes for?” Sungmin demanded, his hand already grasping the doorknob.
Kyuhyun blinked. “Where are you going?”
“Doing my new duties. Thanks to you, we’re both demoted. Now get your act together and start working properly,” Sungmin answered, opening the door. “And for goodness’ sake, change your jacket! God knows how long you’ve been wearing that without washing it,” he complained and Kyuhyun grinned.
“Since it’s been given to me,” the younger man declared and Sungmin groaned, disgusted.
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Sungmin could not really remember the last time he went out on patrol duties in the city streets. Well, it’s not the literal patrol duties because they have the usual uniformed policemen for that. What he and Kyuhyun were doing is more like reconnaissance.
“Yes, more like reconnaissance,” Sungmin murmured to himself, trying to give justification to his sudden ‘demotion’. He looked at Kyuhyun towering beside him, innocently eating a grilled hotdog and Sungmin wished he could shove that stupid hotdog down Kyuhyun’s throat to choke him for his idiocy.
“I feel a sense of murderous aura coming from you,” Kyuhyun joked and grinned at Sungmin with a bit of hotdog sauce stuck on his chin.
“Shut up,” Sungmin snapped and fished out a small, crumpled roll of tissue paper from his pocket. “Wipe your chin, you kid. You have red sauce on it,” he commanded and rolled his eyes when Kyuhyun inspected his crumpled tissues. “What?”
The younger man cleared his throat and eyed the tissue warily. “Are you sure you haven’t used this before?” he asked and held the crumpled thing in front of his eyes.
“No, I haven’t!” Sungmin exclaimed and elbowed Kyuhyun at the sides, ignoring the other’s cry of pain. “You have the guts to be disgusted over used tissue paper when you don’t change or wash your jacket at all!”
“That will always be an exception. I am a clean man,” Kyuhyun defended, puffing out his chest for some weird emphasis.
“Whatever,” Sungmin shook his head and allowed his eyes to travel around the busy street. There were various people, seemingly innocent but Sungmin knew better. People are never as innocent as they claim to be because somewhere, somehow, we all get tainted with imperfections.
“Illegal drug transactions most of the time happen in alleys and secluded areas,” Sungmin started explaining. “It happens in a blink of an eye and if you’re not trained enough for it, you would never be able to apprehend anyone.”
Kyuhyun listened intently, nodding.
“Sometimes though, it can happen in the middle of a crowded street. You need to be on your toes.”
“You’re as good as they say, you know,” Kyuhyun remarked, pausing in his tracks to tie his shoes. “Most of the trainees in training camp idolize you. It’s like… you’re a police god or something.”
Sungmin smirked. “Do you idolize me, then?” He asked and Kyuhyun nodded vigorously.
“I do!” the younger man said, standing up. “That was why I was really excited when they told me I was going to be your new partner. I mean… how many new agents get to be partnered with one of the big names, right?”
“Idiot,” Sungmin murmured. “You idolize someone who killed his own partner,” he said, barely a whispered, keeping a watch on people passing them. “If you want to be a good agent, don’t rely on the fame of your partner. Work your way up, be diligent, be as good as you can be.”
Kyuhyun frowned a little. “I know about Kim Yesung,” he said. “And I know your story. I might not be the best person to tell you this but I guess it’s not your fault…”
With those words, Sungmin whipped around sharply, harshly dragging Kyuhyun in one corner and slammed him on the wall.
“I forgot to tell you one thing,” he murmured. “Never ever tell me that whatever happened was not my fault. You do not know anything about it, you weren’t there that night.”
“Still…,” Kyuhyun said, wriggling free from Sungmin’s grasp. “Whichever way you look at it, you didn’t want him to die, did you?”
“That doesn’t matter anymore!” Sungmin snapped. “Whether or not I want him to die, I pulled the trigger. I was the one who acted on impulse and if I hadn’t, he would still be alive until now. You think we can easily cut off the continuous sequence of things just because we don’t want someone to die? We can’t!” Sungmin continued and paused when he heard voices coming from the nearby alley.
“Shhh!” he motioned with his fingers towards Kyuhyun. “Now don’t act on impulse, don’t make a sound and don’t screw up,” he warned, tiptoeing towards the sounds.
There were four young men huddled in one corner, talking in hushed voices. Two were holding something wrapped in a brown paper bag while one was counting several paper bills. Signaling with his hands, Sungmin appeared from where they were hiding and calmly announced their presence. The four men jumped and took simultaneous steps backwards.
“Who the hell are you?” one of them demanded.
At the harsh question, Kyuhyun fished something out of his back pocket, brought out his wallet and flashed something in front of the young men. The four exchanged curious glances.
“Huh? So what?” one of them said. “We’re also voters, just like you.”
Kyuhyun blinked once and took a look at the thing he was flashing. “What?” he exclaimed and almost groaned when he saw that he was flashing his voter’s ID instead of his police badge. “Damn,” he murmured and Sungmin almost face-palmed with annoyance. He brought out his own badge and showed it to the four men.
“We’d like to inspect what you were trading,” Sungmin declared, eyeing the men suspiciously. “Now face the wall and raise your hands. Don’t even try anything funny,” he declared, grabbing the brown paper bag as the four nervously did as they were told, with Kyuhyun acting as a guard.
“Ha! You’re all busted,” Kyuhyun declared with glee, exhilarated by the fact that he caught his very first criminals.
Kyuhyun watched as Sungmin unwrap the package, keeping a cautious eye at the four. His eyes widened when Sungmin frowned and made a move to smack the four men.
“What is it, Sungmin?” Kyuhyun asked and received the smack instead. “What did I do?!” he demanded.
“You forgot to add the words ‘hyung’, idiot,” Sungmin said. “Let them go,” he announced.
“What? Why?” Kyuhyun asked, grabbing the package from Sungmin. He groaned when he saw pornographic magazines inside. “You horny idiots!” he accused and shoved the magazines towards one of the four men. “The next time you feel like being horny, just… just do it somewhere else!” he exclaimed as he watch the four scramble to get away.
For a minute, he and Sungmin stood quietly in that alley until Kyuhyun decided to break the silence.
“Well…” Kyuhyun began as he caught Sungmin’s glare and the two of them burst out laughing at their own failure. “We screwed up, didn’t we?” Kyuhyun asked and Sungmin nodded without reservations.
“We did.”
“You weren’t as good as I thought you were,” Kyuhyun teased, taking back the compliment he gave and Sungmin wrinkled his nose.
“And you’re the rudest newbie I have ever met,” Sungmin retorted back, walking briskly away, ignoring Kyuhyun’s protests. It might not be the most significant change in their relationship but in some way, it triggered a change.
------------------------------
PART 2
Haha. Okay I’m lame. Once again putting this in context, the procedures mentioned here are not in any way the international standard of practice. This is based on what I know and uhh… my wild imagination. Enjoy?
Collide
What a strange creature man is,
Who would cage himself so willingly.
-Appleseed 2004
It came as an unwanted surprise one scorching hot summer day in the middle of July.
That Wednesday morning began as something ordinary, with normal routines and normal activities that never really needed much thinking to be accomplished. Lee Sungmin walked in his tinted glass-covered small office just like the way he does everyday, sat down on his swiveling chair, picked up a red pen from among his stacks and twirled it around absentmindedly for a few minutes.
The soft knock on the door disturbed his early thoughts and Lee Eunhyuk’s head popped out sideways, his face drawn into a gummy, wide smile.
“Boss hyung,” Eunhyuk addressed Sungmin, making a little salute before entering. Sungmin merely gave him a roll of the eyes and dismissed Eunhyuk’s presence as an unwelcomed distraction.
“What do you want so early in the morning?” Sungmin asked, the way he did everyday, each time Eunhyuk gets bored and decides to disturb Sungmin’s peaceful reveries.
Eunhyuk grinned and haphazardly sat down on the chair in front of Sungmin, his brows moving up and down in excitement.
“You didn’t hear, did you?” He asked, fully knowing the answer to his question. “You’re the one involved and yet you didn’t know.”
Sungmin raised an eyebrow at him and cocked his head sideways.
“About what?”
“Your new partner,” Eunhyuk informed him, almost bouncing from his chair. “After a long time, you finally have a new partner,” he said, as if that was enough reason to celebrate. “Donghae said Leeteuk-hyung will introduce him later but you know how unreliable Donghae could be… so I gossiped with some of Leeteuk-hyung’s confidantes and….”
Eunhyuk’s words melted into nothingness, turning into an insignificant gust of wind in Sungmin’s ears as his mind drifted somewhere else. It hovered somewhere far away from his office, far away from his work as a member of the drug enforcement unit of the police force, far away from that scorching hot July morning and back… going back to that humid April evening.
Lee Sungmin was never a sentimental person, nor is he someone who remembers everything with clear detail. For him, his everyday activities are as mundane as it could get, passing before his eyes as smoothly as water would. Sungmin was also never the type to mix his personal life with his job, keeping them in clear compartments in his mind, drawing the line, drawing the limit as to how much they could be mixed.
But that April evening was the exception to every rule he has set in his life.
That April evening, as Kim Yesung heaved his last breaths in his arms, Sungmin’s world has never been the same again.
Kim Yesung was his senior by two years, his partner for three years and his lover for one year. He was the very first person to welcome a timid Sungmin into the team, drove away all his insecurities and frustrations and stood up for him when Sungmin committed the simplest of all mistakes. It was Yesung who molded him and taught him everything Sungmin needs to know to survive the job. It was Yesung who polished Sungmin’s skills in holding a gun, in defending himself, in fighting for his life and in upholding the rule of law. It was Yesung who owned the largest part of Sungmin’s heart and when he died more than a year ago in a buy-bust operation, Sungmin’s world crumbled to pieces and stripped of every color except for black.
Afterall, it was Sungmin who took Yesung’s life away.
“Hyung?” Eunhyuk’s voice broke through his reveries and Sungmin blinked once, focusing on the younger man waving a hand in front of his eyes. “You’ve been spacing out on everyone since… are you okay?”
Sungmin nodded and waved him off, standing up from his swiveling chair.
“Yeah. Just… job pressure, I guess,” he lied. Truth is, when Yesung died, a large part of Sungmin’s world died too and it has not been resuscitated at all.
“Are you sure?” Eunhyuk prodded, his eyes following the older man as he moves around the room, arranging files and looking for something that never really existed. “You never talked about it to anyone… but don’t you think it’s time that you do?” he asked and though the subject of their conversation was not really clear, Sungmin knew what they were talking about.
“I’m fine,” Sungmin said and looked up as Leeteuk entered the room with an unfamiliar, tall and lanky man trailing behind him.
-----------------------
Cho Kyuhyun allowed his eyes to travel around the room, taking in every decoration, every medal displayed, plaques of recognition and everything his eyes could land on. He wriggled his toes from under his shoes and resisted the urge to grin wide. Never in his life - nor in his career - did he imagine that he would be sitting in Park Leeteuk’s office, listening to the older man talking about Kyuhyun’s new position as a drug enforcement agent.
And it’s not just a simple position that one can readily attain after less than a year of training. It’s a coveted position of being partnered to one of the best agents in the department and the thought of it made Kyuhyun want to giggle like a girl and pat himself on the back.
“I am so freaking good,” he told himself silently as he fought hard to control his emotions. Leeteuk glanced at him briefly as he fixes his glasses and smirked.
“It’s not a coveted position,” Leeteuk informed Kyuhyun as if he could read right through the other’s mind. “We’re actually out of agents these days and no one wants to be partnered with Sungmin-sshi,” he said and whispered playfully, “coz he’s a bit of an unpredictable asshole.”
“Eh?”Kyuhyun’s face registered surprise. Surely, he must have heard all the wrong things in training camp. “But…”
Leeteuk’s hearty chuckle resounded in the room for a minute, cutting off Kyuhyun’s words.
“I was just kidding, kid,” he said and stood up, motioning for Kyuhyun to follow. “Let’s introduce you to each other, then.”
With a bit of a hesitant nod, Kyuhyun followed Leeteuk out of the room, his heart beating twice as fast. Straight out from training camp, Kyuhyun really did not know what to expect. Sure they were taught a lot of things in training and he was indeed one of the best but most of the time, training and real life do not go together.
Swallowing nervously, Kyuhyun fidgeted with the hem of his shirt as he follows Leeteuk, the other reminding him of what to do, follow his senior partner’s orders, do not be impulsive and most importantly… trust his partner even if he can’t trust anyone else.
“He’s a good one, I’m sure you’ll learn a lot from him,” Leeteuk said as he knocked somewhere and sauntered right in even without the occupant’s permission.
Kyuhyun was still busy straightening the wrinkles on his shirt when an exhausted, almost snappy voice burned the air around them.
“Hyung, I thought you know better than to enter without permission. I could be naked, you know.”
Kyuhyun looked up to see a dark-haired man sitting behind a desk full of messy papers, twirling a red pen in his hands innocently. His fringes covered his eyes, obstructing Kyuhyun’s view as to its color but the man’s lips was curved into an unappreciative smirk.
Without bothering to apologize, Leeteuk cleared his throat and pulled Kyuhyun, pushing him in front.
“This is Cho Kyuhyun,” he said in a chirpy voice as he pats Kyuhyun on the shoulder. “He’s your new partner, Sungmin,” he introduced and Kyuhyun swallowed hard, feeling his heartbeat double, beating twice as fast.
He offered an awkward smile. “H-hi…?” Kyuhyun ventured and mentally kicked himself. “You’re supposed to act cool and dignified!” his mind chided and Kyuhyun could feel sweat forming on his forehead. So this is the infamous Lee Sungmin.
“You’re smaller in person,” Kyuhyun commented without thinking, looking at Sungmin as the other stands. Mentally slapping himself, Kyuhyun grinned apologetically when Sungmin’s eyebrows furrowed, clearly sending a message of I hate you at first glance to him.
Leeteuk’s laughter cooled the air around them as he gives Kyuhyun hard pats on the back and Sungmin glared at their superior.
“What?” Leeteuk asked, faking innocence. “You are small, Sungmin,” he said and laughed harder, making Kyuhyun wish he was never born at all. “But anyway, Kyuhyun, this is Lee Sungmin, the one you’re dying to meet. He’s your senior partner. I’ll leave you to him,” he said and made a move to go out, but not before looking back and saying, “be nice, Sungmin.”
And then he was out.
The small office was suddenly filled with thick silence as Sungmin leaned on his table, keeping a wary eye on Kyuhyun. He tapped his foot impatiently, the pen still twirling in his hand. Kyuhyun almost whistled, shifting uncomfortably from where he stood. He was aware of Sungmin’s stare and it made him feel a bit on the edge.
“I don’t like my partners bullshitting me,” Sungmin said in an icy tone as he settled back behind his desk, his eyes still wary as he looks at Kyuhyun. “You’re new, aren’t you?”
Kyuhyun cleared his throat before speaking and then he nodded slightly. “Just out of training,” he admitted, making a move to sit on one of the two chairs in front of Sungmin’s desk.
“I don’t like new partners being all cocky and doing something I have not asked them to do,” Sungmin blurted out and Kyuhyun halted, halfway through sitting. “You do as I tell you and we’ll be on good terms. Don’t act impulsively, don’t do anything I haven’t told you to do and most importantly…,” Sungmin said, leaning forward so that his face was closer to Kyuhyun. “More importantly, keep your mouth shut,” he emphasized. “I don’t like noisy people.”
Kyuhyun forced a dry laugh and awkwardly raised his right hand, earning an annoyed stare from Sungmin.
“What?”
“Do you get to schedule my time to use the bathroom when we’re on an assignment or do I just simply go based on the call of nature?” Kyuhyun asked dumbly and Sungmin threw a small paperweight at him. “Woah!” Kyuhyun exclaimed, ducking away instinctively. “What the hell?! I could have died!” he complained.
Sungmin kept a blank expression, still twirling his goddamn red pen. “Get out of my office,” he said silently and turned around in his swiveling chair, his back facing Kyuhyun. “And fast,” he added.
-----------------------------
“I’m itchy!” Kyuhyun whispered harshly two weeks later as he, Sungmin, Eunhyuk and two others tried to stay hidden inside a small car, watching as Donghae pose as an illegal drug buyer. It was another buy-bust operation and through a game of rock-paper-scissors, Donghae was chosen as the poseur-buyer - something he’d been wishing since he was assigned with Eunhyuk.
“Keep your mouth shut and focus on the mission,” Sungmin said coldly, giving Kyuhyun a rough glare as the other try to reach the itchiness on his back.
It was Kyuhyun’s first mission since being partnered with Sungmin and though they’ve only been partners for two weeks, Sungmin had developed a huge hate for Kyuhyun and his clumsiness.
“What I really don’t get is why they’ve chosen you to be my partner in the first place!” Sungmin complained on the third day after Kyuhyun had been partnered with him. The younger man kept poking his head from Sungmin’s office door, asking if Sungmin wanted coffee or iced tea or anything at all and when Sungmin finally consented, Kyuhyun clumsily held a scalding hot mug of coffee and accidentally poured it on Sungmin’s sensitive you-know-what. There was an endless apology that came right after.
Kyuhyun was also a loud mouth idiot who sings whenever he’s bored doing nothing. From his office, Sungmin could hear the idiot singing his heart out to popular songs as if he was still a teenager. Kyuhyun likes to eat spicy food, orders spicy noodles for lunch, forgets to brush his teeth and breathes his spicy breath on Sungmin’s face. He likes to wear the same green jacket that smells like all kinds of cologne he uses and Sungmin could swear he smells four different scents whenever Kyuhyun passes by.
“Did you change your jacket today?” Sungmin snapped as Kyuhyun kept on scratching his back, reaching for the itchiness that refuses to go away. Sungmin groaned when he noticed that Kyuhyun is still wearing the same ‘smelly’ green jacket. “No wonder you itch,” he smirked and turned his attention back to Donghae who was about to finish the deal.
“Get ready when that guy receives the money,” Sungmin instructed, earning nods from the others. He swallowed hard, feeling the familiar anxiety whenever he’s on a buy-bust mission.
If Sungmin would describe himself in times like this, he would probably arrogantly say that he’s a fuckingly good veteran. He’s one of the best agents the department ever had. He knows what to do, when to do it, how to do it… he knows everything and anything that comes with the job but what he does not know and probably would never get to know… would be how to get over Yesung.
Yesung… was his life and it would forever haunt him that Yesung died… that Sungmin killed Yesung… on a mission like this.
“Kyuhyun,” Sungmin called the other’s attention.
“Yeah?”
“Let me remind you… do not shoot when I don’t tell you to shoot. Keep yourself hidden unless I tell you to come out and never… never ever… try to take on someone you know you can’t beat,” Sungmin reminded and turned to Eunhyuk and the others. “That goes the same for - “
His sentence was left unfinished as Sungmin jumped from his seat at the sound of a loud honking of a car. When he turned back, his eyes almost bulged from its sockets when he saw Kyuhyun’s elbow pressing on the car honk as his other hand reaches for the itch on his back.
“Shit,” Sungmin murmured, slapping Kyuhyun’s hand away then turned to look at the Donghae who was suddenly running for cover.
“You traitor!” Someone shouted and the next thing they knew, there were gunshots that rang in the stillness of the night.
“Freak freak freak!” Eunhyuk murmured under his breath and he and Sungmin sprang out from the car, guns held, stealthily running for the most convenient spot.
“Do not shoot!” Sungmin shouted, seeing Kyuhyun and two others emerge from the car. “Be alert and don’t dare try to apprehend someone on your own!”
Kyuhyun nodded, his lips pursed into a thin line as he looks around for cover, gun held out.
There were sounds of footsteps that echoed, stomping on the ground as the drug syndicate’s members all scramble out to escape from the scene. Sungmin’s heart was pounding, stuck in his throat as he tries to clear his mind, focusing on their mission. Eunhyuk breathed heavily behind him, scanning the area for any possible opportunity to apprehend any syndicate member. Donghae crouched a few feet away from them, his sweat dripping from his forehead, congratulating himself for inching away from the brink of a possible death.
“Boss hyung!” Eunhyuk hissed in Sungmin’s ears, exasperatedly pointing at Kyuhyun who was stealthily approaching a syndicate member whose back was turned to him.
“Damn it!” Sungmin exclaimed in exasperation, emerging from his hidden position. “Damn it, Kyuhyun!” he hissed loudly, exactly at the same time that the man turned around and saw Kyuhyun.
It happened in a blink of an eye. Kyuhyun jumped at the man, throwing punches and aimless kicks. Sungmin could hear Eunhyuk, Donghae and their team members cursing as several syndicate members turn back to assist their comrade, drawing guns in the process.
“What do we do, Sungmin-hyung?!” Donghae exclaimed.
“Shoot if you need to shoot!” Sungmin ordered, coming to Kyuhyun’s aid. “One of you call for backup!” he ordered, cursing and cursing, making a mental note to strangle Kyuhyun to death if they ever get out of that situation alive.
It was a chaotic scene with gunshots ringing in their ears. The smell of blood floated in the air and Kyuhyun could feel his whole body shaking as something sharp graze his arms. His hands were shaking and he screamed in frustration as his own gun fell. All he could do is throw kicks, punches, elbow someone and hope that he makes it out alive.
Kyuhyun was scared. So scared he felt like everything was a blur in front of his eyes. He lashed out at everyone who comes near him without distinction. When the sounds of siren and more footsteps reached his ears, it was only then that he stopped, slumping on the cold floor weakly.
Sungmin, on the other hand, was furious. The chaos ended with one of their men injured, Kyuhyun sporting a wound caused by a bullet grazing his arms and Eunhyuk and Donghae panting like there was no tomorrow. There was one casualty - a member of the drug syndicate and Sungmin turned his eyes away as they were hauling the body away. Glancing to his right, he saw Kyuhyun staring into nothing, slumped on the floor and apparently too overwhelmed at the sudden twist in everything.
With clenched fists and an overflowing rage, Sungmin took heavy steps towards Kyuhyun.
“You…,” Sungmin began, towering over Kyuhyun’s slumped form. “Do not… never ever… disobey my orders again!” he exclaimed, his right hand automatically going up and hitting the right side of Kyuhyun’s lips.
Kyuhyun looked up at him with fearful eyes, holding a hand to his bleeding lips.
“W-what…?” he uttered and Sungmin glared at him.
“Don’t what me, you bastard! You almost got everyone killed!” Sungmin spat. He witnessed it once, seen his partner dying in his arms and the pain of going through it scared him out of his wits. He promised himself that no one will die under his leadership ever again. No one deserves to undergo but he went through… losing not only a partner but also the only person he ever loved in his life.
“I-I’m…” Kyuhyun started but was cut off by Sungmin grabbing him by the collar and pulling him to his feet.
“Don’t say sorry because that word hurts my ears. When you’re on a mission like this, there’s no room for apologies. If you apologize, that means you screwed up and you’re standing over your comrade’s corpse. Do you understand me?” Sungmin snapped, harshly letting go of Kyuhyun. He heaved a deep breath and turned around, his back facing Kyuhyun. “Now go and get that arm stitched up or something. I don’t want you bleeding to death.”
It was only then that Kyuhyun realized he was wounded.
--------------------------
Kyuhyun ducked his head in apology in front of Eunhyuk and Donghae a day later.
“I almost had you all killed because of my impulsiveness,” he said, bowing his head so low he thought it would hit the floor.
Eunhyuk snorted and sat on his table, crossing his arms on his chest.
“I bet Sungmin-hyung almost killed you, didn’t he?” he asked knowingly, chuckling at the image of Sungmin forming in his mind. “He gave you an earful, muttering something about how he doesn’t need apologies,” he continued, glancing at the closed door of Sungmin’s office.
Kyuhyun looked up and shrugged.
“He’s not talking to me,” he said and touched his bruised lips. “I bet I’m going to get kicked out of the department,” Kyuhyun stated with pessimism, slumping on a nearby chair.
Donghae walked up to him and prodded his forehead with a finger.
“Shit happens, kid. I did the exact same thing when I was new. It’s natural to try and prove yourself worthy for the position you’re given,” he said and grinned.
Kyuhyun sighed with slumped shoulders and stared at the floor.
“Why is he so uptight and cranky anyway?” he asked and slowly moved his head towards the direction of Sungmin’s office. “He’s like a bitch having this PMS thing or whatever,” he added and Eunhyuk and Donghae’s laughter boomed.
“Like a bitch having PMS? That’s something new!” Eunhyuk laughed, slapping his hands on his thighs for emphasis. “I suddenly had this weird image of Sungmin-hyung in whore clothes with a whip, biting a red rose…” he said and stopped when he saw Donghae swallowing.
“That might look hot, you know,” Donghae whispered and Eunhyuk kicked him slightly.
“You’re still having wet dreams about him?” Eunhyuk accused and Donghae glared at him.
“I never had wet dreams about Sungmin-hyung, idiot,” he defended. “The only time I’ll come close to having wet dreams about him would be the time I’ll pee in my pajamas out of fear. He’s one scary man,” Donghae stated as he and Eunhyuk laughed once again.
Kyuhyun watched them both, waiting for the answer to his questions. Well, he has to admit that Sungmin in whore clothes with a whip and a red rose just might look hot if he isn’t glaring at Kyuhyun.
“So…,” Kyuhyun started. “What’s up with him?” he asked. “Has he always been like that?”
Eunhyuk looked at Donghae before answering.
“It’s a bit tragic,” he started. “Sungmin-hyung was not really that stuffy before. Sure, he was a bit on the uptight side and all, but he was never that cranky or agitated. He was the calm one even on dangerous missions,” he explained, his eyes softening into something Kyuhyun associate with sympathy.
“Have you ever heard of a man named Kim Yesung when you were in training camp?” Donghae butted in.
Kyuhyun thought for a minute, rubbing his chin. “I might have but I really can’t remember - ah! He was the one who died on a buy-bust mission?” he asked, suddenly remembering. “That was a bit tragic.”
Donghae and Eunhyuk nodded.
“He was Sungmin-hyung’s partner,” Eunhyuk enlightened. “And though they never really admitted it, he and Sungmin-hyung had been so close, you know and we all had a silent agreement that they’re lovers. If you were here then, you’ll see how much Sungmin-hyung changes whenever Yesung-hyung’s here. He’s like… glowing and blooming or whatever.”
“But last year, Yesung-hyung died on a buy-bust operation, much like the one we had yesterday,” Eunhyuk continued and swallowed hard before speaking. “Sungmin-hyung shot him.”
There was an uncomfortable silence as Kyuhyun’s mind digests what he just heard.
“W-What?” he stammered. “Why?”
Donghae exhaled harshly, shaking his head.
“Sungmin-hyung did exactly what you did last night, taking on someone he was not sure he could beat. It was a big, controversial case - one that involves one of the largest syndicates in the country. They came to a one on one duel, you either kill or be killed. It was probably a bad stroke of fate or a nasty twist of circumstance but I don’t know… the stories vary and there were different versions but from what I saw… from what my mind still remembers…” Donghae narrated, swallowing, looking like he was about to cry. “The moment Sungmin-hyung pressed the trigger, Yesung-hyung was already in front of the other man. People say he was probably protecting Sungmin-hyung because if he came a second too late, Sungmin-hyung would have died. The man would have pressed the trigger faster than hyung did,” Donghae sighed and shook his head.
“Whatever it is, Yesung-hyung died. Two bullet wounds, one from his enemy one from his lover. It was a bit tragic and since then… Sungmin-hyung had been like that,” Eunhyuk continued.
Kyuhyun remained silent as he listens, his hand unconsciously running over his green jacket. Its material was already a bit worn out and the green color has slightly faded, much like the memories it holds. However, for some reason, the scents still linger and the sounds from his distant memories still sound as clear as ever. Maybe Sungmin experiences the same thing in a different way.
“Hey, Kyuhyun-ah,” Eunhyuk snapped his fingers in front of Kyuhyun, forcing him back to reality.
“Yes?”
“Stop spacing out on people! It’s rude, you know,” Eunhyuk complained, jumping off his table and stretching. “Let’s go get some coffee, Hae.”
Donghae groaned and stood up. “Only if you would pay for it, you damn cheapskate. If I’ll count the number of times I have to pay for your coffee, your debt might reach millions already!”
“Stop complaining! What kind of coffee would cost millions anyway?”
“Unpaid coffee!” Donghae snapped as Eunhyuk wrap his right arm around the other’s neck, half-dragging Donghae out the door.
Kyuhyun grinned as he listens to the two fighting over coffee and indebtedness, his right hand still caressing the jacket.
Green has always been Ryeowook’s favorite color.
----------------------------
“Are you freaking kidding me?” Sungmin snapped the next morning as he and Kyuhyun sat in front of Leeteuk’s desk, listening to the latter’s decision of assigning them to some patrol duties and apprehension of small time drug pushers that litter the streets. Sungmin’s eyes widened in annoyance, treating the order as a demotion on his part.
“I am not freaking kidding you,” Leeteuk repeated Sungmin’s words with a sly grin.
“I am not going to be demoted to…,” Sungmin tried to reason with his arms flailing around. “…to apprehending small time criminals, hyung!” He exclaimed, shooting a hard look in Kyuhyun’s direction. The younger man simply swallowed, offering a weak smile to show his partner the guilt he was feeling.
Kyuhyun knew that Leeteuk’s decision stemmed from the buy-bust operation they’ve had and from his idiotic mistake. Kyuhyun also knew that Sungmin will probably strangle him to death later and he wouldn’t even have the courage to defend himself.
Leeteuk scratched his head. “I am not demoting you, Sungmin,” he explained. “I’m just… since Kyuhyun is your partner, he’s just out of training, he’s susceptible to making mistakes… he needs a bit of experience…”
“And you’re dragging me along with him,” Sungmin concluded. “What am I? Some kind of a training officer? You were the one who wanted him to be my partner in the first place!”
“My decision is final. I won’t be assigning you to anything big unless you make sure your partner is experienced enough to handle it,” Leeteuk said sternly. “Now start doing your new duty and let me finish my job.”
Sungmin was about to say something but thought better of it. He grimaced before shooting Kyuhyun dagger looks and then he was out, slamming the door as he went. Kyuhyun gave a little bow to Leeteuk before hurriedly going out, mentally preparing himself for his partner’s wrath. As he walks towards Sungmin’s office, he caught sight of Eunhyuk and Donghae making funny signs of slashing their throats while grinning and Kyuhyun flashed them an annoyed face.
Kyuhyun knocked once and poked his head inside, grinning stupidly at Sungmin.
“H-Hi?” he ventured, choking on nothing. “Can I come in?” he asked and paused, heaving a brave breath. “No, wait. I’m your partner so I can come in anytime!” he exclaimed and almost crawled out the door when Sungmin gave him a deathly stare.
“What do you want?” Sungmin asked coldly, his feet propped up on the table as he once again twirl the red pen in his hands.
“Well… I just want to apologize…”
“I thought I told you that apologies hurt my ears,” Sungmin intercepted, his deathly gaze never leaving Kyuhyun.
“Well yeah,” the younger man nodded. “But still…”
“Still… you realized that when you mess up, you drag people along with you. Still, you realized that when you do something as idiotic as acting on impulse on a dangerous mission, you do not only endanger yourself, you endanger your comrades as well. Still, you learned your lesson the hard way, didn’t you?” Sungmin said through gritted teeth, slamming the pen down on the table and walking towards Kyuhyun who closed his eyes, expecting to be a hit a second time.
“What are you closing your eyes for?” Sungmin demanded, his hand already grasping the doorknob.
Kyuhyun blinked. “Where are you going?”
“Doing my new duties. Thanks to you, we’re both demoted. Now get your act together and start working properly,” Sungmin answered, opening the door. “And for goodness’ sake, change your jacket! God knows how long you’ve been wearing that without washing it,” he complained and Kyuhyun grinned.
“Since it’s been given to me,” the younger man declared and Sungmin groaned, disgusted.
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Sungmin could not really remember the last time he went out on patrol duties in the city streets. Well, it’s not the literal patrol duties because they have the usual uniformed policemen for that. What he and Kyuhyun were doing is more like reconnaissance.
“Yes, more like reconnaissance,” Sungmin murmured to himself, trying to give justification to his sudden ‘demotion’. He looked at Kyuhyun towering beside him, innocently eating a grilled hotdog and Sungmin wished he could shove that stupid hotdog down Kyuhyun’s throat to choke him for his idiocy.
“I feel a sense of murderous aura coming from you,” Kyuhyun joked and grinned at Sungmin with a bit of hotdog sauce stuck on his chin.
“Shut up,” Sungmin snapped and fished out a small, crumpled roll of tissue paper from his pocket. “Wipe your chin, you kid. You have red sauce on it,” he commanded and rolled his eyes when Kyuhyun inspected his crumpled tissues. “What?”
The younger man cleared his throat and eyed the tissue warily. “Are you sure you haven’t used this before?” he asked and held the crumpled thing in front of his eyes.
“No, I haven’t!” Sungmin exclaimed and elbowed Kyuhyun at the sides, ignoring the other’s cry of pain. “You have the guts to be disgusted over used tissue paper when you don’t change or wash your jacket at all!”
“That will always be an exception. I am a clean man,” Kyuhyun defended, puffing out his chest for some weird emphasis.
“Whatever,” Sungmin shook his head and allowed his eyes to travel around the busy street. There were various people, seemingly innocent but Sungmin knew better. People are never as innocent as they claim to be because somewhere, somehow, we all get tainted with imperfections.
“Illegal drug transactions most of the time happen in alleys and secluded areas,” Sungmin started explaining. “It happens in a blink of an eye and if you’re not trained enough for it, you would never be able to apprehend anyone.”
Kyuhyun listened intently, nodding.
“Sometimes though, it can happen in the middle of a crowded street. You need to be on your toes.”
“You’re as good as they say, you know,” Kyuhyun remarked, pausing in his tracks to tie his shoes. “Most of the trainees in training camp idolize you. It’s like… you’re a police god or something.”
Sungmin smirked. “Do you idolize me, then?” He asked and Kyuhyun nodded vigorously.
“I do!” the younger man said, standing up. “That was why I was really excited when they told me I was going to be your new partner. I mean… how many new agents get to be partnered with one of the big names, right?”
“Idiot,” Sungmin murmured. “You idolize someone who killed his own partner,” he said, barely a whispered, keeping a watch on people passing them. “If you want to be a good agent, don’t rely on the fame of your partner. Work your way up, be diligent, be as good as you can be.”
Kyuhyun frowned a little. “I know about Kim Yesung,” he said. “And I know your story. I might not be the best person to tell you this but I guess it’s not your fault…”
With those words, Sungmin whipped around sharply, harshly dragging Kyuhyun in one corner and slammed him on the wall.
“I forgot to tell you one thing,” he murmured. “Never ever tell me that whatever happened was not my fault. You do not know anything about it, you weren’t there that night.”
“Still…,” Kyuhyun said, wriggling free from Sungmin’s grasp. “Whichever way you look at it, you didn’t want him to die, did you?”
“That doesn’t matter anymore!” Sungmin snapped. “Whether or not I want him to die, I pulled the trigger. I was the one who acted on impulse and if I hadn’t, he would still be alive until now. You think we can easily cut off the continuous sequence of things just because we don’t want someone to die? We can’t!” Sungmin continued and paused when he heard voices coming from the nearby alley.
“Shhh!” he motioned with his fingers towards Kyuhyun. “Now don’t act on impulse, don’t make a sound and don’t screw up,” he warned, tiptoeing towards the sounds.
There were four young men huddled in one corner, talking in hushed voices. Two were holding something wrapped in a brown paper bag while one was counting several paper bills. Signaling with his hands, Sungmin appeared from where they were hiding and calmly announced their presence. The four men jumped and took simultaneous steps backwards.
“Who the hell are you?” one of them demanded.
At the harsh question, Kyuhyun fished something out of his back pocket, brought out his wallet and flashed something in front of the young men. The four exchanged curious glances.
“Huh? So what?” one of them said. “We’re also voters, just like you.”
Kyuhyun blinked once and took a look at the thing he was flashing. “What?” he exclaimed and almost groaned when he saw that he was flashing his voter’s ID instead of his police badge. “Damn,” he murmured and Sungmin almost face-palmed with annoyance. He brought out his own badge and showed it to the four men.
“We’d like to inspect what you were trading,” Sungmin declared, eyeing the men suspiciously. “Now face the wall and raise your hands. Don’t even try anything funny,” he declared, grabbing the brown paper bag as the four nervously did as they were told, with Kyuhyun acting as a guard.
“Ha! You’re all busted,” Kyuhyun declared with glee, exhilarated by the fact that he caught his very first criminals.
Kyuhyun watched as Sungmin unwrap the package, keeping a cautious eye at the four. His eyes widened when Sungmin frowned and made a move to smack the four men.
“What is it, Sungmin?” Kyuhyun asked and received the smack instead. “What did I do?!” he demanded.
“You forgot to add the words ‘hyung’, idiot,” Sungmin said. “Let them go,” he announced.
“What? Why?” Kyuhyun asked, grabbing the package from Sungmin. He groaned when he saw pornographic magazines inside. “You horny idiots!” he accused and shoved the magazines towards one of the four men. “The next time you feel like being horny, just… just do it somewhere else!” he exclaimed as he watch the four scramble to get away.
For a minute, he and Sungmin stood quietly in that alley until Kyuhyun decided to break the silence.
“Well…” Kyuhyun began as he caught Sungmin’s glare and the two of them burst out laughing at their own failure. “We screwed up, didn’t we?” Kyuhyun asked and Sungmin nodded without reservations.
“We did.”
“You weren’t as good as I thought you were,” Kyuhyun teased, taking back the compliment he gave and Sungmin wrinkled his nose.
“And you’re the rudest newbie I have ever met,” Sungmin retorted back, walking briskly away, ignoring Kyuhyun’s protests. It might not be the most significant change in their relationship but in some way, it triggered a change.
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PART 2