20th September
2005
"H-Hoseok! It's not what it looks like!" Seonghwa blurts out while desperately pulling at Hongjoong's sleeve.
The buff man in front of them looks taken aback. Hongjoong stays standing right in front of the man. Seonghwa feels his heart twisting when he sees it. Why does it look like Hongjoong's eyes are sparkling with wonder?
"You heard everything?" Hoseok asks. Seonghwa frantically shakes his head but a smile grows on Hongjoong's lips. "Yes!"
A sigh escapes Hoseok and he looks around nervously, trying to think of what to do. "Let's go back home," he declares.
The three of them quickly reach the large yellow house and Hoseok instantly leads them into the kitchen where Hyungwon sits on his own. Hyungwon lifts his head and raises an eyebrow when he sees Hoseok leading the two young boys.
"They heard me shooting the...other guy," Hoseok explains to Hyungwon, avoiding eye contact. The leader looks up at the boys, stifling a giggle at the shaking Seonghwa.
"Well, I guess I'll tell you a few more things about us now. You-"
"Teach us how to use a gun too!" Hongjoong exclaims with a bright, toothy grin. Hyungwon stands up in his place and crosses his arms. He examines the boys and Seonghwa feels like he could lose consciousness at any second, unable to breathe properly any longer.
Hoseok shares a glance with Hyungwon, who simply smiles. "Sure! Both of you guys, leave the grown ups to talk for a bit," he instructs the younger boys. Hongjoong clenches his fist at this but smiles tightly. "We'll be in our room."
Seonghwa happily rushes up the stairs to their room with shaky legs and Hongjoong trails not too far behind. He slows down before placing a hand on Seonghwa's shoulder. The other boy jumps under his grasp, showing that he's on edge.
"You go on without me, I'll be there in a second. Okay, friend?"
Seonghwa nods, turning around right after and sprinting up the stairs. Hongjoong turns back to the kitchen door and lingers at it, smiling to himself when he can hear everything inside clearly.
"How can we teach children how to use a gun? They'll just piss their pants when they actually see that much blood for the first time," Hoseok complains to Hyungwon in a hushed tone. "Their age is actually perfect. They're young and impressionable so it'll be a piece of cake to make them listen to us. Plus, they don't have parents and were wandering around all alone so they have nowhere to get back to. You need to train them carefully," Hyungwon explains.
Hongjoong clenches his jaw as he hears Hyungwon speak and when Hoseok hums in acknowledgement afterwards.
These men are looking down on him.
He hurriedly scurries up the stairs when he hears footsteps in the kitchen again. As soon as he's back in their bedroom, he can sigh out of relief.
Should he tell the other boy about what he heard downstairs? He catches sight of Seonghwa staring down at his hands while shaking and decides against it. His friend is too innocent right now, he can't be trusted with this information.
Hongjoong smirks when the thought occurs to him. He may as well take advantage of this gang and what they teach him, the same way they plan to use him just because he's young. His teeth grind at the thought of all these adults looking down on him, deeming him as incapable. He'll show them all one day.
He'll get to learn new things and the gang will live in their happy little illusion for the next few weeks, it's a win-win situation.
Meanwhile, Seonghwa's mind won't stop racing. He picks at his fingernails anxiously. He's been helping out a gang for nearly a week now. Not only that, but they killed a man and Seonghwa heard it all. The sound of the gunshot spins around his thoughts and he can't calm his speeding heart.
Will he ever get to see his aunt and uncle again? He had so many things he had left to do at home, will he ever get the chance again?
What about the milk? He wonders if his aunt and uncle got their own milk after he didn't return that night. They probably didn't expect to never see their nephew again. They were probably waiting patiently for him. First his uncle lost his brother and sister-in-law in a car crash, and now his only nephew. Tears sting Seonghwa's eyes at the thought.
He jumps in his place when a pair of hands hold Seonghwa's. His trembling eyes move up slowly and he somehow sighs out of relief at the sight of Hongjoong's large, curious eyes.
"You're such a baby, stop crying and shaking," he scolds playfully. Seonghwa sniffles and takes his hands out of Hongjoong's grasp to wipe his tears. He still slightly shakes.
"I'm bored, you need to stop shaking so we can play hide and seek!"
Seonghwa's tears stop flowing. "Isn't that the game you loved playing with your sister?" he asks in a small voice. The smile on Hongjoong's face grows. "That's right! I miss playing it with Jangmi too much right now so we should play it together before I cry like you," he giggles.
Seonghwa turns red. "What's wrong with me crying?" he shyly pouts. Hongjoong straightens up and his smile falls slightly at the memories from when he was with his parents, or when he was at the psychiatric hospital.
"Crying makes others think you're weak," he states in a cold voice. "You're my friend now so I can't let you look weak."
Seonghwa sighs and stands up. "I'll stop crying then. Who's 'it'?"
They both decide for Seonghwa to hide. As soon as Hongjoong starts counting down, Seonghwa runs out of the room and sneaks down the stairs. His mind has left the dark thoughts behind and now he can only think of one thing.
Where should I hide?
He glances down one hallway and shivers at the thought of getting caught being somewhere where he shouldn't be.
He creeps to the kitchen door and creaks it open, heart stopping when he sees Hyungwon and Hoseok sitting together at the dining table. He gets ready to run back out again but Hoseok smiles while standing up and catches the door quickly.
"Wait! Where's your friend? I need the both of you right now."
The hairs on the back of Seonghwa's neck rise and his heart thumps again. He hesitates, no longer trusting these adults one bit. Hoseok awaits Seonghwa's response patiently with his arms crossed, but Seonghwa stays frozen with clenched fists.
Moments later, Hongjoong's voice shouts out from behind Seonghwa. "Found you! Were you even trying?" he laughs, calmly entering the kitchen too. Hoseok's face relaxes and Hyungwon starts smiling from behind as well.
"You wanted to learn how to use a gun, right? Why don't we start now?" Hoseok announces. While Seonghwa's heart plummets, Hongjoong's hops up. "Yes!" he eagerly agrees. At last, Seonghwa speaks up.
"I don't want to use a gun. I don't like violence," he sheepishly mumbles, having a feeling that it's futile to disagree anyway. "Don't worry, it's just for self defence! If someone tries to hurt you then it'll be good to defend yourselves with a gun. This is the only reason Hyungwon and I decided to teach you," he explains softly.
Hongjoong's knowing eyes turn dark at the blatant lie. His hatred for these men keeps getting worse by the second, and now his hands even itch to give them what they deserve.
But it's not time yet. He should move carefully around a real gang. But at the same time, these men have horribly low expectations of him. He can't wait to catch them off guard and see the shock on their faces.
Hongjoong snaps out of his trance when he notices Hoseok walking out of the room, Seonghwa trailing behind with uncertainty.
Seonghwa's uneven breaths come out weakly while he overthinks. He nearly jumps out of his skin when Hongjoong's arm slumps around his shoulder. "Calm down friend, I won't let anyone hurt you!" he chirps. Seonghwa's eyebrows furrow. "Why do you keep calling me 'friend'? Just call me Seonghwa," he grumbles.
"It feels good to have a friend for once, I like calling you something other than your real name," he answers honestly, a refreshing feeling spreading through his chest. "Normally people use nicknames in that situation."
Hongjoong's eyes brighten. "You're giving me permission to call you a nickname? Okay, thanks Hwa!" he giggles, clearly delighted by the new name.
Seonghwa's eyes widen. "Don't call me that, it's embarrassing!" he hisses while eyeing his surroundings. He sighs out of relief when he sees that no one else heard. "How is it embarrassing? You can call me 'Joong' in return, then. I've always wanted to be called a nickname," Hongjoong offers with glowing eyes.
"No! I don't want to call you a nickname, we're not even close!" Hongjoong's grin falls as the words leave Seonghwa's mouth. Seonghwa warily glances at Hongjoong and his breath gets caught in his throat when he sees that the bright smile that was once on his face is now a deep frown as his eyes glare holes into him.
The older boy sighs inwardly when Hoseok interrupts, saving him from the angry Hongjoong.
"We're here!"