Tense (11) Suspense
- continues from Tense (10) Whiplash -
Hojun lunged for Heechul but the man wasn’t Jumon Syndicate’s clincher for nothing and he nimbly moved out of the way, leaving the other to slam against the wall.
“How dare you?!” He demanded. Confused and enraged, but mostly enraged.
“How dare you go behind Yunho’s back? If he knows..”
“He won’t know, Son Hojun. And it better stay that way, if you want Shim Changmin alive.”
“I don’t give a flying fuck about that person,” seethed Hojun.
“You’d better. You and I both know Yunho better than anyone else and right now, we either stick to my plan or lose Changmin and risk losing Yunho and everything that goes along with him.”
“No, I won’t let it happen.” Hojun snarled.
“Then listen to me.”
---
Siwon stepped into the bedroom, loosening his tie. Thanks to Changmin’s reckless act, there had been no time to scramble for Haeyun Consortium’s file. Well, at least he still had Shim, which technically meant he still had something that Jung Yunho wanted. He just had to play his cards right.
There was a knock on the door and one of his assistants entered.
“Sir, Kei-san’s on the line.”
Fuck.
He raised a finger and the man exited as quietly as he had entered. Keisuki Yamagata may be a client of Haeyun Consortium’s but he operated in ways that Haeyun could not. Messier ways. And that made Siwon uneasy.
Taking a deep breath, he hit the speaker button on the phone that lay on the table before him.
“Siwon-san. How are you?”
“Kei-san.”
“I shall cut to the chase. I heard you have found something of mine.”
“It seems I have.”
“I will have to ensure he is in perfect condition before I can express my gratitude.”
“Of course.”
“I am already in Seoul. Shall we arrange for the check to be done… say, tomorrow night?”
“How long will these.. checks take?”
“Oh, Siwon-san. As he is something that I cherish very much, I need to ensure the time apart has not damaged him in any way. You can have him back the next morning.”
“Have him back?”
Kei-san chuckles long and hard.
“Siwon-san, you are not a naïve person. I have other interests that take up my time. I merely wish to remind him of how worried I was when he decided to come to Korea without telling me. After that… do what you will with him.”
Siwon sits up in his chair, and picks up the receiver.
“You will leave him with me?”
Kei-san laughs again, the laughter is hollow.
“I expect he will meet your needs very well, once I am done with him. Consider it my thanks for finding him.”
---
Changmin had been searched before he was thrown into the bedroom under lock and key, with a guard occasionally coming in to give him his meals. There was an en-suite with basic toiletries but nothing sharp or potentially strong enough to break anything or attempt an escape with. He was basically being kept prisoner until the time came. And it was tomorrow night. The guard that had brought in his dinner had mocked him sneeringly about finally “being put in his place by Yamagata”.
Changmin had collapsed to his feet the moment the guard had left. If he knew anything about Kei-san, and he knew the guy intimately and out, he might not even survive.
Fuck. Heechul, this changes things.
The old cupboard in the room was old and its edges were flaking off slightly. Changmin knelt on the floor and picked at it, hoping to tear off a sliver. Minutes passed, his fingers throbbed with the splinter cuts he got, but he continued until he got a sliver long enough to satisfy him. Then he checked to make sure the door was still locked and started carving.
---
Yunho could not really move his right arm well due to the gunshot wound. His doctor-on-call had patched it up quite well despite his refusal to go to a hospital. But he could not. It would have been harder to escape from a hospital or try to sneak past Heechul and Hojun.
He got up and went to the study that adjoined his bedroom. Going to the bookshelf, he pulled out a thin red book and waited.
The bookshelf creaked and then it sunk into the wall and another panel appeared. A panel full of guns, ammunition and knives moved into its place. Yunho dragged his fingers across the guns, feeling each sheath and holster, each bullet and blade. Then he found what he was looking for and unhooked it from its clasp. He grabbed a few rounds and attached it to the holster that hung low on his waist. Then he lifted up the hem of his leg and sheathed a dagger there. He doubted he would be able to move fast enough to reach it if he needed to, but it was better to have it there.
“Going somewhere?”
Yunho spun around, a switchblade ready to fly.
“Hyung.” He growled.
Heechul smirked and dusted some imaginary lint off his arm.
“It’s not nice to leave me out, Yunho.”
“Some things I have to do alone, hyung.” Yunho turned back around and mentally ran through his checklist, making sure he did not leave anything essential out.
“You forgot this.” Heechul said, pushing something into Yunho’s hand.
It was a bulletproof vest.
“Hyung.”
“Just fucking wear it.”
“You have to help me then,” he grinned.
“Do I have to fucking help you wipe your ass too after you shit?” grumbled Heechul but he did it anyway, taking special care around Yunho’s injured arm.
A tense silence descended between the two old friends.
“Are you sure about this, Yunho?”
“You know the answer.”
“But I am still asking because I need to make sure your brain hasn’t been shot out of you as well.”
“Yes.”
“Well, then. “ Heechul patted the straps in place. “You’re an idiot.”
“I know.”
“Just. Fucking don’t die on me, Jung. I mean it. I’ll get really pissed off.”
“Got it, hyung. Take care of yourself. And Hojun too.”
“That fucker almost punched me. My face, Yunho. You owe me a raise.”
“I do.” Smiling, Yunho turns and pulls Heechul in for a side-hug.
“If you know. Do me a favour and go to Gwangju?”
“Fuck off. Grow some balls and face your dad yourself.”
“Thanks hyung.”
---
Tomorrow came too soon and Changmin found himself being ordered to shower and then he was given the same suit he had worn at the warehouse to wear. It had been freshly washed and pressed.
Kei-san won’t give a shit about what I wear, he thought bitterly.
Then he was led to a waiting Rolls-Royce. Red carpet treatment for a man that was going to hang. He shook his head at the irony. Except he would have wished for something else for a last wish. His hipbone bristled with a slight ache and he could feel a slight dampness.
Well, all he could do now was wait.
- continues to Tense (12) Stay With Me -
Hojun lunged for Heechul but the man wasn’t Jumon Syndicate’s clincher for nothing and he nimbly moved out of the way, leaving the other to slam against the wall.
“How dare you?!” He demanded. Confused and enraged, but mostly enraged.
“How dare you go behind Yunho’s back? If he knows..”
“He won’t know, Son Hojun. And it better stay that way, if you want Shim Changmin alive.”
“I don’t give a flying fuck about that person,” seethed Hojun.
“You’d better. You and I both know Yunho better than anyone else and right now, we either stick to my plan or lose Changmin and risk losing Yunho and everything that goes along with him.”
“No, I won’t let it happen.” Hojun snarled.
“Then listen to me.”
---
Siwon stepped into the bedroom, loosening his tie. Thanks to Changmin’s reckless act, there had been no time to scramble for Haeyun Consortium’s file. Well, at least he still had Shim, which technically meant he still had something that Jung Yunho wanted. He just had to play his cards right.
There was a knock on the door and one of his assistants entered.
“Sir, Kei-san’s on the line.”
Fuck.
He raised a finger and the man exited as quietly as he had entered. Keisuki Yamagata may be a client of Haeyun Consortium’s but he operated in ways that Haeyun could not. Messier ways. And that made Siwon uneasy.
Taking a deep breath, he hit the speaker button on the phone that lay on the table before him.
“Siwon-san. How are you?”
“Kei-san.”
“I shall cut to the chase. I heard you have found something of mine.”
“It seems I have.”
“I will have to ensure he is in perfect condition before I can express my gratitude.”
“Of course.”
“I am already in Seoul. Shall we arrange for the check to be done… say, tomorrow night?”
“How long will these.. checks take?”
“Oh, Siwon-san. As he is something that I cherish very much, I need to ensure the time apart has not damaged him in any way. You can have him back the next morning.”
“Have him back?”
Kei-san chuckles long and hard.
“Siwon-san, you are not a naïve person. I have other interests that take up my time. I merely wish to remind him of how worried I was when he decided to come to Korea without telling me. After that… do what you will with him.”
Siwon sits up in his chair, and picks up the receiver.
“You will leave him with me?”
Kei-san laughs again, the laughter is hollow.
“I expect he will meet your needs very well, once I am done with him. Consider it my thanks for finding him.”
---
Changmin had been searched before he was thrown into the bedroom under lock and key, with a guard occasionally coming in to give him his meals. There was an en-suite with basic toiletries but nothing sharp or potentially strong enough to break anything or attempt an escape with. He was basically being kept prisoner until the time came. And it was tomorrow night. The guard that had brought in his dinner had mocked him sneeringly about finally “being put in his place by Yamagata”.
Changmin had collapsed to his feet the moment the guard had left. If he knew anything about Kei-san, and he knew the guy intimately and out, he might not even survive.
Fuck. Heechul, this changes things.
The old cupboard in the room was old and its edges were flaking off slightly. Changmin knelt on the floor and picked at it, hoping to tear off a sliver. Minutes passed, his fingers throbbed with the splinter cuts he got, but he continued until he got a sliver long enough to satisfy him. Then he checked to make sure the door was still locked and started carving.
---
Yunho could not really move his right arm well due to the gunshot wound. His doctor-on-call had patched it up quite well despite his refusal to go to a hospital. But he could not. It would have been harder to escape from a hospital or try to sneak past Heechul and Hojun.
He got up and went to the study that adjoined his bedroom. Going to the bookshelf, he pulled out a thin red book and waited.
The bookshelf creaked and then it sunk into the wall and another panel appeared. A panel full of guns, ammunition and knives moved into its place. Yunho dragged his fingers across the guns, feeling each sheath and holster, each bullet and blade. Then he found what he was looking for and unhooked it from its clasp. He grabbed a few rounds and attached it to the holster that hung low on his waist. Then he lifted up the hem of his leg and sheathed a dagger there. He doubted he would be able to move fast enough to reach it if he needed to, but it was better to have it there.
“Going somewhere?”
Yunho spun around, a switchblade ready to fly.
“Hyung.” He growled.
Heechul smirked and dusted some imaginary lint off his arm.
“It’s not nice to leave me out, Yunho.”
“Some things I have to do alone, hyung.” Yunho turned back around and mentally ran through his checklist, making sure he did not leave anything essential out.
“You forgot this.” Heechul said, pushing something into Yunho’s hand.
It was a bulletproof vest.
“Hyung.”
“Just fucking wear it.”
“You have to help me then,” he grinned.
“Do I have to fucking help you wipe your ass too after you shit?” grumbled Heechul but he did it anyway, taking special care around Yunho’s injured arm.
A tense silence descended between the two old friends.
“Are you sure about this, Yunho?”
“You know the answer.”
“But I am still asking because I need to make sure your brain hasn’t been shot out of you as well.”
“Yes.”
“Well, then. “ Heechul patted the straps in place. “You’re an idiot.”
“I know.”
“Just. Fucking don’t die on me, Jung. I mean it. I’ll get really pissed off.”
“Got it, hyung. Take care of yourself. And Hojun too.”
“That fucker almost punched me. My face, Yunho. You owe me a raise.”
“I do.” Smiling, Yunho turns and pulls Heechul in for a side-hug.
“If you know. Do me a favour and go to Gwangju?”
“Fuck off. Grow some balls and face your dad yourself.”
“Thanks hyung.”
---
Tomorrow came too soon and Changmin found himself being ordered to shower and then he was given the same suit he had worn at the warehouse to wear. It had been freshly washed and pressed.
Kei-san won’t give a shit about what I wear, he thought bitterly.
Then he was led to a waiting Rolls-Royce. Red carpet treatment for a man that was going to hang. He shook his head at the irony. Except he would have wished for something else for a last wish. His hipbone bristled with a slight ache and he could feel a slight dampness.
Well, all he could do now was wait.
- continues to Tense (12) Stay With Me -