⎔⎔⎔
"You said it was the top floor? Are you sure of this?" He spoke into the phone as he parked the car in a mostly full parking lot. He glanced out through the dimmed window, eyebrows furrowing a little. If the younger wasn't completely confident in this, there was no way in hell he'd step foot into that apartment. "Yeah. It's the last place I can think of, honestly." Jooheon replied to him calmly, chair creaking coming through the line as the man changed his position.
"And what if this yields nothing?" Wonho then asked, clicking open his seatbelt before getting out of the vehicle. A sigh echoed in the phone. "Then I'll assume Son's taken him captive or killed him, which means a nationwide manhunt in this case." the man replied making Wonho close his eyes for a few seconds. The thought frustrated him.
He locked the car doors, before walking to the door of the apartment building. He dug out a set of keys Jooheon had given him from his pocket, pressing a black piece of plastic against the reader on the door. It clicked and Wonho pulled the door open, entering the large, empty lobby. "I'll head up. Text me the code to the door." He heard a small hum before ending the call and putting his phone away.
"God damn you, Chae," he muttered, footsteps echoing in the large space as he walked through. The lobby looked just as fancy as Wonho would've expected from the younger man. He didn't have time to admire the intricate design on the beige floor tiles, though, he just needed to get to the top floor.
Hyungwon, to no one's surprise, had been off the radar since running off. His ripped-up suit jacket at the bloodied scene was the last sign of life he'd left behind. Nothing after that. No phone call, no message, nothing. And it honestly made Wonho angry. Hours of radio silence. The younger should've been smarter than that and left at least a message if nothing was wrong instead of causing needless worry.
But apparently disappearing into thin air was just more Chae's style.
It was slightly more concerning considering what the backyard of that house had looked like. It was like a battlefield. Maybe, if there had been a tad less blood there, it wouldn't have been that bothersome but it looked insane.
His cheek was still slightly stinging from the blow the other had given him, hard enough to at first leave a clear red outline of a palm being followed by slight swelling and bruising. He had no intention of scolding the man on it, but that didn't mean he wasn't pissed about it even if he hadn't voiced it to anyone. It wasn't that important and Hyungwon would probably apologize if he felt like it.
Wonho hoped he would find the other leader, but also I.M, at the apartment, mostly for Jooheon's sake. The poor guy hadn't moved an inch from Hyungwon's desk, constantly clicking away at the computer, trying to find any trace of the pair. He probably didn't even blink. But also because he also didn't want to find them beaten up in some shit hole or worse, dead. Christ. If anyone should kill that fuck it should be him.
You never change, do you?
Son would've already been bragging about killing the Chae Hyungwon had he done so, though, so he doubted the leader was dead. Of course, the thought of that being the reality never left the back of his mind.
Entering the elevator, Wonho had to scan the electric key again before he was allowed to choose a floor. Maybe he should've considered this for his own space before the break-in that started all of this. Though, considering that even Hyungwon's high-security cell got broken into, it probably wouldn't have even helped.
Wonho leaned on the metal wall, listening to the hum of the elevator as it started going up. He was tired but he couldn't rest yet, even though the stable sound was very much urging him to just close his eyes for a few seconds. For now, he should be able to stay in the lead until he managed to drag Chae out of whatever hole he might have hidden in or been dragged into. He closed his eyes, head slumping against the cold surface but flashing open quickly when the metal box came to a stop with a high-pitched ding.
Stepping out, Wonho took out his phone to see the message that Jooheon should have sent by now. And there it was. He walked across the hallway to the correct door. He waited a moment, trying to hear any sounds through the door but there was nothing.
Now in hindsight, it shouldn't have been him that came to the apartment, all things considered. He was always the last person Chae wanted to see, not to mention the risk of getting sniped down outside the HQ at any second. But Jooheon needed to keep things aligned back there and sending Minhyuk or Kihyun out on this mission would probably be even worse.
And Wonho was the one most likely to drag Chae's ass back to the headquarters if he was at the apartment. It wasn't safe to stay at the apartment. Not that anywhere was completely safe.
Letting out a low sigh, he pushed in the door code, low beeping echoing in the quiet hallway as he did. The number combination rang no bell in Wonho's mind. It could have been an important date for Chae or complete nonsense. He figured it was the latter one as the younger wasn't the type to keep dates of events in mind. But then again, what did he know?
Once the door unlocked, Wonho pulled the door open slowly before walking in. All of the lights were off and it was completely silent. So silent it felt like the sounds of his breathing were bouncing off of the walls. It was a tad eery, but Wonho took off his shoes before turning on the lights in the entrance hallway to see at least a little better.
His hopes of finding the other leader started running out but he decided to venture further into the darkened apartment nonetheless. It could give him clues as to where he could eventually find Hyungwon. As he walked through the house everything he could see seemed to be untouched and nothing at first stood out to him until he spotted a dim light coming from under a door.
He slowly pulled open the door, revealing the bathroom. he had to squint his eyes due to the sudden brightness but it didn't take too long to get used to it. Nothing seemed to be amiss, other than the lights that had been turned on. Unless there was an intruder, someone other than him, it made no sense for them to be on, wasting electricity. "I will give that idiot a good shake when I see him," Wonho muttered to himself. It was only reasonable considering the younger had dipped out in the middle of everything
Letting out a small sigh, Wonho walked across the dark grey tiled floor toward another door, only stopping when he noticed an empty bottle of pills on the floor, the pills scattered across the floor. His eyebrows furrowed as worry flared up in his stomach uncomfortably.
Wonho crouched down picked up the medication bottle and read the label. It was nothing more than anxiety medication but even so, it was concerning that it was on the floor, open. Cursing under his breath, the leader placed it back down before standing up straight. This probably should have been the second he called Jooheon about the situation but he wanted to give this a chance still.
Shaking his head a little, he continued on his way, pushing his way through the door he'd planned to previously. Immediately, he was slapped in the face with the stench of alcohol permeating the room but before he had even a chance to look for a light switch, he was suddenly pushed against the wall as a flash of light from the bathroom reflected on a metal surface causing a flash of cold shivers to run through every inch of his muscles.
A million thoughts, his whole life, ran through his mind, rendering him unable to move. He could at first only tightly grip his attacker's shoulder in an attempt to shove them back. He could hear his heartbeat inside his ears, calming down when he realized multiple seconds had passed without any further action from the other person.
No attempt to slice his throat open, no incoming punch or kick. Only deep, shaky breaths from the pair only one was more frantic and it wasn't him.
As they stood there, it became clear that there was no intention of doing anything. There was a tremble in the hold that kept him against the wall, and Wonho knew he could easily change the positions if he wanted to. But as his gaze focused on the man before him, he knew there was no need. "Hyungwon," Wonho called out as he focused on the other man, slowly moving his hand up to move the hand holding the blade away from his throat. He could feel the sharp edge trembling against his skin in the other's hold. Even if it wouldn't completely be intended, one wrong move and Chae would get a faceful of blood from his arteries.
There was something animalistic in the other's expression, scared and hasty. The attack on him wasn't planned out and was clearly just a means of some defense, no matter how bad. And it was so unlike Hyungwon.
The cold-toned light from the bathroom now shone upon the younger's features, casting deep shadows on his face and their surroundings. The panicked, bloodshot eyes relaxed a little, stance easing up as the younger recognized him but there was a wariness still present as he stared back at him. Wonho simply took the knife from the boney fingers, tossing it aside keeping eye contact the whole time.
"H.." before Wonho could even start with any snappy one-liners, the other leader leaned into him carefully. The action drove Wonho into silence and before he could regain his thoughts, Hyungwon's head slumped onto his shoulder. The older's hands hovered awkwardly near the taller's back not quite sure what to do.
"Hyungwon?" He softly repeated the younger's name, feeling that if he spoke any louder it would break whatever this moment was. Even so, he received no response at first but then he felt another tremble running through the other man before a small whimper sounded near his ear followed by a small sniffle and then a choked exhale.
Is...
Is he crying?
The older wasn't quite sure what he should do. He'd only comforted the other once and that was years ago at this point. That had been the only time Hyungwon had expressed any sort of emotion other than anger right in front of him. To be fair had this been Minhyuk or Kihyun, he still wouldn't have known what to do. They weren't very affectionate, at least physically.
In a blink of an eye, Hyungwon suddenly pulled away from him, immediately turning around with a mumble that seemed to resemble an apology mixed with a choked cry and a pathetic laugh. Interesting combination. It felt very bizarre to watch the other wipe his face from tears, to say the least.
Wonho's first thought had been that Hyungwon had been drinking but when they had been face to face catching their breaths, the younger didn't smell like alcohol, still just the room. And the smell remained.
Despite how bizarre, he felt the need to do something. Anything. He couldn't just let the other stay alone now that he'd witnessed this. Even if that was something Hyungwon might want. He wasn't a completely heartless prick; Hyungwon had a knife and a cabinet full of medication that was probably lethal when taken in large amounts and seeing how distressed he was, he wouldn't be risking anything.
Without thinking about it much more Wonho reached for the other's upper arm, calmly turning him back around and pulling him back close, now wrapping his arms around the thinner frame firmly. It was a little awkward, he wasn't going to deny that, but he ignored the feeling, placing his chin on the other's shoulder, running his hand along the clothed back. "It's okay. Just let it out." He whispered, this clearly being enough for Hyungwon to be sent over the edge.
With no hesitation, the younger then leaned further into his hold, hiding his face on Wonho's shoulder before letting out a sob that was muffled by the fabric of his suit jacket. He felt the other's arms curl around him tightly, hands desperately trying to grab onto something. Next, Wonho just eased them both down onto the floor, knowing it would likely have been a matter of seconds before they'd crash anyway considering how the other was shaking like a leaf.
Hyungwon leaned down a little, head slumping against the older's chest. He could feel nails pressing against his back through the few layers of clothes and could just hope the younger wasn't going to rip them. Though would he really care at this point?
Wonho felt like he should've asked what happened or what was wrong but he couldn't say anything eluding to previous events. This really wasn't the moment and whatever it was, Hyungwon probably couldn't even say it straight. So he just pulled the wailing man closer, bringing one hand to pet his hair carefully. He could feel his phone vibrating in the pocket of his pants but he would just have to ignore it for now; Jooheon would understand.
"It's okay..." he then just repeated again, feeling the younger shake his head violently, choking on an unclear set of words as he sobbed, tugging on the older's shirt gently yet somehow frustrated. The older just embraced the man tighter, eyebrows twitching as he blinked away the tears that tried forming in his eyes.
Hyungwon momentarily pulled away from him, glancing up at his face with a desperate, broken look in his eyes that made Wonho's heart sink to his stomach. The younger tried to wipe his face, inhaling sharply as he opened his mouth to talk only to have another heart-wrenching cry break out from his chewed-up lips.
"They... Changkyun..." he spluttered trying to form a coherent statement before just giving up, his voice raw from all the crying. How long had he been here all alone? Wonho couldn't even imagine sitting in the dark apartment in that state. "I couldn't..." Wonho quietly shushed the other man shaking his head and pulling him back against him. "You don't have to tell me," he replied running his fingers through the younger's hair, smoothing it down a little bit.
This was about I.M, or now as he knew Changkyun. He wasn't certain about that but it only made sense. There was no other possible thing in the world that could elicit this reaction from Chae right now. Wonho was no idiot, he could figure it out even without the other saying shit. And all he could do right now was just be there even if it would be nowhere enough.
He didn't like Hyungwon like this. It didn't feel right, knowing what he did. But that didn't mean this was wrong. Hyungwon had every right to grieve and it would be a dick move to not allow him that. Even so, he preferred the snarky attitude and it felt slightly, scratch that very awful to hope to see that now.
Minutes rolled by in a flash, in fact, it could've been an hour or more and Wonho wouldn't have really even noticed. Hyungwon had calmed down a moment ago, at least had stopped crying a river, but nothing had been said yet. Even a whisper would seem like a full-blown scream right now.
Wonho swallowed softly, running his hand down Hyungwon's back, trying to soothe the man. He hadn't really noticed it before now but the other was practically in his lap, not that it mattered that much. It almost seemed like the other had fallen asleep had it not been for the countless sniffles from him. "Do you feel any better?" He caved and finally broke the heavy silence looming in the room. He still kept his voice soft and honestly, didn't even care if he got a response or not.
"No," Hyungwon quietly replied after a minute or so, fingers slowly trailing along the older's clothed back. Wonho nodded a little letting out a soft hum. "Would you like anything? Water, tissues? To be alone?" He then continued feeling the other shake his head before wrapping his hands around Wonho tightly again, refusing him any chance of getting up.
Hyungwon drew in a deep, still shaky inhale. "I feel like I'm a nightmare I can't wake up from." He whispered. "I'm so angry but I can't do anything about it. Everything just hurts." Wonho didn't know what to say, so he said nothing allowing the other leader the space to vent everything out.
"I wanted to be alone. Why did you come?" Hyungwon suddenly asked, face still mostly buried in the older's shoulder. Wonho let out a small hum. "If anyone, it should've been Jooheon who's here. But I'm not exactly the one to take any sort of control of your group, not on my own," he replied, immediately regretting putting it so straight. Maybe he should have sugarcoated it this time.
Hyungwon only nodded his head in response before finally raising his head. He pulled one hand from around the older to wipe his face while avoiding eye contact. He then cleared his throat finally managing to spare Wonho a glance before his eyes trailed down to his neck and body in general. "I... I didn't hurt you, right? With the knife?"
The light from the bathroom revealed a slightly concerned, but honest, expression on the man's face. Wonho just looked up at the younger blinking a few times before shaking his head. "You didn't, don't worry," he replied, hesitating momentarily before bringing one of his hands up to push a few strands of hair off of the younger's face. He didn't know where the boundaries lay now that Hyungwon had, at least mostly, gathered himself.
"Okay... Good. I'm still sorry. For that and for earlier... I acted without thinking." Hyungwon mumbled, eyebrows furrowing a little bit. Then, he slid off of Wonho's lap, settling on the hard floor shoulder still touching the older's. "And thank you," he added giving him a slanted, somewhat forced smile.
"It's okay. The slap only stung for a while." Wonho hummed a little, returning the smile as best as he could. It wasn't completely true, but his cheek no longer hurt so no damage was done there. "I'm happy if it helped at least a little." He patted the younger on the thigh carefully before closing his eyes for a few seconds.
"So.. I.M is..." Wonho started carefully, observing the other's reaction to his words. He honestly didn't even want to finish the sentence. Hyungwon blankly stared forward for a few seconds before his lips twitched. "Yeah." He just replied, pulling his knees up to his chest, arms wrapping around them. Wonho carefully moved his arm around the other's shoulders.
"I'm so sorry," he said quietly making the younger turn to look at him. "What for? It's not your fault." Hyungwon replied, shaking his head a little bit. Wonho chuckled softly before shrugging his shoulders slightly.
Wasn't it? At least in some way. He held Hyungwon back stripping him of precious seconds that could have been used on trying to save I.M. The thought felt heavy. "I know that look." Hyungwon suddenly said before sighing. The older glanced at him shortly, pulling his lips into a tight line. An audible swallow sounded in the room before Hyungwon spoke again, sounding defeated. "I couldn't save him, and arriving a few seconds earlier would not have helped. I know you guys came after me and you must have seen the scene. They made sure he wouldn't live."
Hyungwon's voice sounded empty as he spoke but almost as if he'd come to terms with the truth. "You sound so certain. Why?" Wonho asked next, licking his lips a little bit. The younger didn't respond, instead shuffled around a little bit pulling out his phone and powering it up. The other leader just waited for whatever he was going to be shown.
Eventually, Hyungwon handed the device to him with a message open on the screen. Wonho frowned immediately as he read the short message, clearly meant as a taunt. Words couldn't really even describe how fucked it was. "He did this because we took Shownu for those few moments. It's a sign that he will pay back tenfold..." The younger whispered, taking the phone back and turning the display off immediately.
"Did you get hurt? Or had they left before you got there?" Wonho asked, lowering his hands onto his own lap. He didn't want to come on too strong as the other was still very much vulnerable. "No. They just left him to bleed out... I can't even.." Hyungwon choked on his words, voice cracking slightly. Wonho just pulled the other's head onto his shoulder, nodding his head and saying he didn't have to continue. He really dreaded knowing what had actually happened.
"Could you go get me water? There should be a few bottles in the fridge..." Hyungwon requested after another moment of silence. Wonho immediately hummed an affirmative, slowly standing up. "I'll be right back." He replied, walking out of the room the way he'd come in. Before exiting, he did glance over his shoulder shortly at the younger, frowning a little.
Hyungwon looked small sitting there in the darkness. Every little bit of confidence had been drained from the tall man and he looked completely deflated. Wonho was no professional psychologist so he could only imagine the thoughts running through the younger's head at the moment.
He walked calmly through the dark apartment, easily finding his way into the kitchen. It was very open and large as to be expected. Wonho just walked to the fridge, raising his eyebrows at the sight. It was filled with bottles of water and soju. Well, Hyungwon hadn't seemed to visit a lot since the attack so there was no reason to store food.
As he stood in front of the fridge, he sighed, digging out his phone finally and calling Jooheon. It only took a few stray seconds for the other man to pick up and the leader didn't even get to inhale before being bombarded with questions
"Did you find him? If so, is he okay? Is I.M there?" Wonho sucked in his lips, tilting his head a little bit. "Calm down, please. He's here and in one piece. As for the last one I haven't gotten around to asking yet." It felt awful to lie right now, but Jooheon shouldn't find out over the phone. Even if delaying the news would only make the blow worse. "Just know that Hyungwon's okay for now," he added lowering his gaze to the floor.
"When will you be back?" The leader hummed quietly, honestly saying that he wasn't sure. It was all dependent on Hyungwon right now and when he was ready to go. "We might be a while. I'll text you when we leave." A sigh came through the phone followed by a small thud that was probably the younger man hitting Hyungwon's desk. "Okay. Thank you, Wonho."
"No problem." And with that the call ended, leaving him in silence again. The leader grabbed two bottles of water with a deep sigh, glancing at the bottles of alcohol before shaking his head a little bit and grabbing one. Just in case. He then made his way back to, what he now assumed was Hyungwon's bedroom.
When he arrived, his gaze landed on the other leader, still sitting on the floor in the same position. Without saying anything, Wonho walked over and settled down on the floor exactly where he'd been previously. He then, again, saying nothing, handed Hyungwon one of the bottles in his hands.
There was a low chuckle next to him. "I asked for water, Shin," Hyungwon spoke, his voice worn out, and the older glanced his way, eyes widening a bit before grabbing back the green glass bottle. "Right, my bad," he muttered, now handing over the right bottle with a small shake of his head.
He set down the glass bottle rubbing his hands together a little bit, sensing an odd moist feeling. Wonho furrowed his eyebrows a little bit, tilting his palms toward the cold light coming from the bathroom. A small gasp left his mouth when he realized there was blood on his hands. That generally wasn't a bad nor a surprising situation but he for sure wasn't bleeding mere minutes ago.
"You're bleeding." Wonho then stated, pushing himself up from the floor again. "What?" Hyungwon replied, glancing up at him, clearly a little confused. The other leader just huffed, walking to the bathroom to find some medical supplies. Hyungwon was sure to have those in his own home, considering his habit to play doctor.
He found a small medkit, deciding that would do for now. He turned on his heels, returning to the bedroom and finally reaching for a light switch and turning on the lights. He was met with a wreck, that was the way he could describe the room they were in.
Furniture that it was possible for was turned around. A whole desk was flipped, all its contents scattered across the floorboards mixed with glass shards from a mirror and what looked to be the remnants of a whiskey bottle. That explained the stench of alcohol he'd already gotten used to.
And in the middle of all of it, the culprit. Hyungwon. Who in his rage had turned his room upside down and shattered what he could. The funniest thing Wonho noted, the younger man, under the light of his room, looked like he couldn't have caused this. So frail and looking so lost staring back at him. The only thing giving him away was the blood on his hands and clothes even his face from constantly wiping away the rivers of tears.
Wonho would have assumed this was blood from trying to stop his right-hand man from bleeding had it not been obvious freshness of it all. It was fresh, color a deep red.
Hyungwon lowered his gaze to his hands, almost looking surprised at the sight. "I didn't even..." he stated making the older laugh gently before covering his mouth. This wasn't funny. Wonho gave a short glance at his surroundings before returning to the other's side. "Why would you notice a few shards of glass in your palms? There are worst things going on." Wonho stated, opening the medical kit and taking out what he needed
Hyungwon stayed quiet as Wonho grabbed his left hand, beginning to take out what bits of glass had sunken into the flesh. "Can I trust you to not cause infections?" The younger finally spoke up, making the other look up from the wounded palm. "Hey. I stopped you from bleeding out once, I can pick out a few measly glass shards." he squinted his eyes a little bit.
Hyungwon had turned surprisingly talkative, considering everything. Maybe it was a way to bury every other feeling. Wonho would definitely have to keep an eye on the unstable man for the next while.
In a way, the moment was nostalgic. This was a moment of peace between the two of them. No genuine fighting or death threats, only small bickering as if they were back in that room hiding from a bloodbath. And Wonho would like to hold on to this. He didn't appreciate calm times like these when he was younger. He was only looking for a good fight.
Wonho quickly finished patching up the younger's hands, giving him a small pat on the shoulder afterward. "How are you feeling now?" He then asked, pushing the medical supplies aside. The younger's mouth stitched before he shrugged. "A little better." He then replied making the older nod his head.
"Maybe a little embarrassed," Hyungwon added after a small break, giving him a short glance. "But since you haven't used that first time against me, I guess this is fine." Wonho couldn't help but grin. It was stupid to feel somewhat proud of the way Hyungwon had thought of him. He'd played the part of a dickhead perfectly in the public eye. "It's just human nature, Chae. I won't tell anyone. This is just between us." Wonho replied giving the man a comforting smile. Hyungwon just crossed his arms and nodded a little bit.
"If you don't mind, I think we should head back now. There is an alliance almost in shambles and both leaders fucked off," Wonho clapped his hands together gently. Hyungwon gave him an odd look before just nodding. Did he not like the wording? Or the jokey tone? "I guess. As much as I want to, I can't rot in here." the younger spoke, scratching his head before standing up.
Wonho followed the action, grabbing onto the taller's upper arm when he looked like he was about to fall over. Hyungwon pushed his hand off with a clearing of his throat. "I think I've had enough of... This for today." He muttered, waving his hands between them shortly, meaning the physicality of the whole thing. So no more hugs or touching. Wonho could accept that.
"Okay. Let's go."
"So... I was wondering..." Hyungwon started after a while of driving in silence. Wonho just let out a small hum, showing that he was listening while keeping his eyes on the road. "I mean It might be a reach, but since we are here I might as well just ask."
Wonho held the urge to roll his eyes back, slumping against the backrest a little bit. "Go on. Spit it out." He muttered, scratching his cheek gently. What was the big deal? So big that the other couldn't say it without lagging behind or hesitating.
"Do you know who's Hoseok?"
The man holding the wheel slammed his foot down on the brakes faster than he had ever before, head snapping toward the man sitting by his side. Hyungwon looked understandably shocked by the sudden stop, holding his bandaged hand to his chest. "What the fuck?!" The man spat at him, heaving out a loud breath before visibly relaxing.
The older glanced behind them, the road thankfully empty. But even so, a car accident was the last thing he was worried about. "Where'd you see that?" He then asked, tongue poking into his cheek. Where the fuck would Hyungwon have seen his birth name in order to say it out of nowhere? Especially when it shouldn't have been anywhere else but the files Hyunwoo had left them.
"Did you go through the files? Seriously? After we agreed?" He then narrowed his eyes at the other who vigorously shook his head at him. "Calm your tits, Shin. An agreement is an agreement." The other huffed, crossing his arms in a defensive manner Hyungwon turned his head, looking out of the window now. "So you do know him?" Hyungwon then inquired and the dark-haired man could just let out a low hum again, grimly staring out onto the road.
"I was reading through my father's journal the other day just to see if there was more inside knowledge in there and there was a letter from your father stapled to one of the pages. It said something about Hoseok being injured and that my father should keep an eye out for me." Hyungwon muttered, voice clear as day inside the small vehicle.
Wonho let out a sigh, hitting the steering wheel gently with his palm. "I see." he let out, licking his lips a little bit. "So. Who is he?" Hyungwon then asked making the older let out a gruff sound as he finally started driving again, the car engine letting out a loud roar.
"It's me." He replied honestly. If he was to lie, he would just be digging a deeper rabbit hole of lies and deception. But now the truth left some more questions in the air. Hyungwon had fallen silent and the older glanced at him quickly before returning his gaze to the empty roads.
"But then... Why would your..?" The younger trailed off, sounding just as confused as he had looked. "I don't think our father's relationship was as big of a shipwreck as it was made to look like," Wonho stated, scratching his scalp.
He was less concerned about the tie between their fathers than the fact that his own had referred to him by his name to whom he had considered their biggest obstacle when it came to success. His father never did that and anyone and even the people close to him were lucky if they survived after hearing it even by accident. It couldn't have been a one-off letter in that case.
"Can I see it? The letter?" He then asked, still slightly grim over this information. He didn't know how to take it. "Oh, of course. I was going to show it anyway since it sounded important but it just popped into my mind.." Hyungwon spoke calmly, eyebrows slightly furrowed.
Silence remained in the car for a few minutes afterward before Wonho just heaved out a deep breath. "Please, refrain from calling me Hoseok in front of anyone but the six of us. Hyunwoo knows and I wouldn't be surprised if Minhyuk's already slipped it in front of Jooheon." He requested, sparing the other man a short look, long enough to see him nodding his head.
"This is why you didn't want me to look at your files?" Hyungwon asked and he just hummed a positive answer. "I use it for protection from you and everyone. If you'd known my real name before today, you would've sicced your hundreds of cops after me already." He explained, shaking his head.
He never had the intention of telling Hyungwon himself in the case where this peace thing doesn't work out between them at all. Next thing he knew he'd find himself locked up with Hyungwon coming to visit him once a month to taunt him. Yeah, no thank you.
"So why Wonho? I assume Shin isn't your last name either." Hyungwon asked next and the other leader rolled his eyes. This sudden curiosity definitely wouldn't be good for his future. "It's something my mom came up with, apparently. Shin is also her maiden name. I was going to stick with Lee from the beginning but when she passed away I decided to honor it." He explains, rolling his shoulders a little as he felt tense.
"So Lee Hoseok? It's nice." Hyungwon mumbled under his breath but due to the close proximity, the older could hear him very well. "My turn. Why did you never take up a fake name?" He decided to ask since they were on the topic.
"Never felt the need. Father tried to coax me into making up one but I never bothered." The younger paused, leaning his head on the headrest before grinning. "Besides, I had no fun nicknames my mother called me by. Ha... the only words for me in her vocabulary were 'bother' and 'waste of space' with a dash of I wish I never had you." Hyungwon almost sounded like he was joking and Wohno almost laughed but a short look at the younger told him he was being genuine.
"That's... Wow." Wonho struggled, finally entering the parking hall of the Black Crown's headquarters. "Too dark? Sorry, I think I'm sleep deprived enough to overshare." Hyungwon sighed, shaking his head a little bit.
Wonho took off his seat belt, tilting his head a little bit. "It's fine, that just came out of nowhere but I can't say I'm not glad to see you more relaxed, I guess." He said, patting the other on his thigh carefully before remembering they'd agreed to no more physical contact tonight. He then got out of the car, muttering a few curses to himself.
The pair soon entered the elevator, pressing two different floors. "I guess you're leaving me to deal with this on my own," Hyungwon spoke, leaning his back against the back wall of the elevator. "It's not my place to intrude anymore; Jooheon will appreciate it if it's just you. And I have to check on my two own hooligans." Wonho stated, crossing his arms as the elevator started moving up.
Eventually, the elevator came to a stop, metal doors sliding open on Wonho's floor. He slowly walked out turning around to face the younger. "You'll do fine. You told me and nothing can be harder than that, Chae." The younger nostrils flared a bit before he nodded, probably resisting the words 'you're right'. "Thanks. I'll message you when you can come up." Wonho gave the man a thumbs-up as the doors closed up in front of him.
Finally, he felt like he could fully relax. Hyungwon was, at least physically, fine and there was no need to chop off anyone's head quite yet so everything seemed to be in exceptional order.
The leader turned on his heels, ready to head to where Minhyuk and Kihyun were staying, only to come to a stop after turning a corner. Kihyun was out in the hallway, back facing him, very loudly conversing with someone.
"Kihyun, listen."
"No. You listen. You decided to abandon me, not taking into consideration how I felt during that time. This wasn't the right choice!" His man yelled, voice echoing in the mostly empty hallway like thunder. It made the leader a little surprised as the other man never spoke to anyone, except maybe Che, in that manner.
"Just fuck off before I actually blow your head off. Don't pretend as if you care now." The younger seethed hand ready at his hip. That was seemingly enough to make the other person give up on the attempted conversation as an eery silence lingered in the hallway. "Let's talk when you've calmed down." The person tried to pat Kihyun on the shoulder only to have the man recoil from the touch, anger obvious in his body language.
A sigh rang in the open space as the stranger walked past Yoo and toward wonho. The leader followed with his gaze as the clearly older man walked past him only greeting him with a small nod that he of course returned.
"So I figure you found Chae?" Kihyun's voice reached his ears. The leader cleared his throat nodding his head next. "Was that..?" He trailed off, keeping his voice quiet as the man was probably around the corner at the elevator. It wasn't the smoothest change of topic but it would work.
"My father? Yes. Surprisingly he's still alive after over a decade of no contact..." Kihyun scoffed crossing his arms. Wonho chewed on his bottom lip nodding his head. This could be dealt with later. He then just sighed, placing a hand on the other's shoulder. He shouldn't delay what he had to say. "Let's go in. I have news."
The two men entered the room a few doors down the hallway, Minhyuk springing up from his seat the second the door closed. "You're back!" he grinned, walking over and engulfing him in a hug. And Wonho couldn't do much but sink into the hold with a tired yet relieved sigh.
"What's wrong?" The younger's voice eventually reached his ears, making him hum lowly and pull away from the hug. He wasn't surprised that Minhyuk was able to tell something was wrong. It came with years of friendship. "Unfortunately, Hyungwon wasn't able to recover I.M. I won't go into details but it is being investigated." He let out straight, seeing no use in beating around the bush.
As soon as the words left his mouth, Minhyuk's cheerful expression fell, the corners of his mouth trembling. "Oh..." he let out breathily before letting out a small, weak chuckle. The leader scratched the back of his neck. "It's not your fault, Hyuk," he stated but the other just shook his head in response.
"Isn't it, though? I let him walk off and didn't notice that he was gone. I was supposed to... Fucking hell." he hissed, rubbing both hands over his face harshly. "It was an unfortunate chain of events, Minhyuk." he tried earning a grim look from the said man. There was no use in saying anything "I wish that made me feel better," he replied visibly swallowing and breaking eye contact. "Sorry. I think I need a breather."
Before Wonho could try to stop the younger, he pushed past him and rushed out of the room. He yelled after the man, almost walking after him but was stopped by Kihyun grabbing him by the shoulder. "Let him go. He'll be fine." the man reassured him and the leader could just give a defeated huff in response.
"I hope so.." he mumbled, turning to the younger. Kihyun let out a small chuckle, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "I said he was annoying as shit but I didn't want him to die. This is so fucked up." he scratched his head a little bit, sighing a little. "How's Chae?"
Wonho raised his eyebrows a little bit at the voiced question before an amused grin rose to his features. "You? Worried about Hyungwon?" he asked, crossing his arms. Kihyun snarled at him before looking away. "Just concerned for how things are going to be around here now," he replied, clearing his throat.
"Uh-huh. Weren't you friends as kids?" he asked making the other turn and glare at him. Kihyun pointed a finger at him, jaw tensed up. He clearly didn't enjoy that jab. "Shut the fuck up, Lee. Don't even mention that, dickhead. I will tie your balls in a knot."
Kihyun licked his lips and cleared his throat once again, composing himself. "So.. How will we go on from here?" he then asked, returning to the previous topic. Wonho thought about it for a few seconds before shrugging his shoulders. He wasn't sure what to say, surprisingly. Hyungwon likely wouldn't be open to taking more than a day off even while being in the state that he was in.
Likely, everything would move on as it had previously.
⎔⎔⎔
lovely, isn't it?
i hope you enjoyed the chapter! kudos and comments are always appreciated.
remember to follow me on twitter at chaoskkyun for your almost daily nonsensical stuff
thank you and 'til next time :)