It's been a few days since he's been suspended from the university. And even more, since he's seen the last of Kang Kihyun. Injured and crying on his carpeted floor.
Now, Sehyuk sits on his couch, staring at the spot the older lad had been sitting on. He sighs, groaning, "Ugh! Where is he!" No phone calls and no messages informing him of Kihyun's whereabouts. "I should've controlled myself," he says, slouching into his seat. The thought of him being gone has been weighing on his conscience. But he hasn't heard any news about him passing away so it must mean he's out there somewhere.
The doorbell rings and Sehyuk sprints, "please, be him," he mumbles in prayer, throwing the door open.
"Oh..." He deflates at the sight of someone else for a moment but then his eyebrows crease and nose flares. "What are you doing here?"
"Sehyuk...I'm sorry, I—we should talk." The visitor pleads, moving closer to the boy.
"I have nothing to say, Jaemin. You played with my trust in you."
"I know! I'm sorry. But please hear me out. If not, then take these as an apology at least." The older boy extends his hand, a box of macaroons and scones held in a transparent packet and his other hand holds an envelope.
"I don't like those."
"Yeah, you love them," Jaemin chuckles, pushing the packet into Sehyuk's hand and earning an eye roll from him. "Also, I didn't come to meet you all these days because I had nothing to offer. But here is what I owe you." He gives him the envelope with cash inside.
Sehyuk sighs, ruffling his blond hair. "It's not about the money, Jaemin. I want to know why you did it. Have you been friends with me to mooch off my money?"
"Of course not!" Jaemin protests, shaking his head vigorously. "You protected me from being bullied and I enjoy your company a lot. It's just...I was in need of money."
"Does that make you eligible to steal?"
The shorter boy presses his lips together and ducks his head in shame. "No...sorry."
Sehyuk takes in a long exhale and gives a half-hearted shrug, making way for the other boy to enter inside. "You have an explanation overdue."
The two sit on the couch Sehyuk had been on previously, maintaining a handful distance between them. Jaemin is nervous, Sehyuk can tell by the way he's rubbing his hands together and licking his lips repeatedly. He waits for the boy to start, giving him time to collect his thoughts.
"I...it all started when I was just a child," Jaemin clears his throat, side-eyeing Sehyuk, who in return throws him a glare.
"Really, not the time for storytelling."
"It all started when I was just a child, a chubby and sad one." The older continues again, ignoring the other. "My parents used to sell fish and the smell clung to me like perfume everywhere I went. Only, it drove the other kids away from me. Whenever I was in the playground, I was isolated. Sometimes even bullied." A small curve of his lips catches Sehyuk's attention. "One time, the kids were kicking me in the park but then someone came to help me. Even beat up the kids for me."
Sehyuk snorts, remembering the first time he had seen Kihyun beat up the guy. "Of course, someone saved the day for you."
"What can I say, I have a face like that." Jaemin laughs, bringing his hands under his jaw and blinking rapidly.
"You are not the cute character you think you are."
"You— alright, we are deviating from the main topic." Jaemin fake coughs, his fist near his mouth. "As I was saying, the guy who saved me was none other than my cousin, Byun Suho. The interesting thing about him was that the whole neighborhood steered clear of him. He was one of the delinquents in the area, someone people would say was brought up on the streets."
"Why?"
"Suho hyung's parents were involved with some shady businesses, they were barely at home and he lived like an orphan. They were my dad's sister's family but no one called them over at gatherings or yearly events, even Suho hyung, who was just a child. My parents asked me to stay away from him."
Sehyuk takes in a breath, not understanding why Jaemin is talking about anything but the money.
"All in all, hyung helped me become a better version of myself, I owe him a lot. I started loving my body and gained confidence after he helped me work out and create a healthy lifestyle." Jaemin's precious smile turns into a frown and he clicks his tongue. "I hadn't known he was involved with a gang. I was waiting for my lessons from him and he turned up beaten. After hours of pestering, he told me he owed money to the gang and the interest piled up on a daily basis. They wouldn't let him go until he paid his debt. But I think that's just an excuse for them to extort money because hyung says his debt will only end when he dies."
"Oh." Sehyuk now knows how the story will proceed.
"I started working part-time jobs to help him and I pay them. On...on bad days, they ask for more and I can't refuse or else they'll kill him." Jaemin sighs, putting his face in his hands. "Hyung warns me to stay away but I can't. That's—that's why I stole your money that day. They sent a video of hyung, tied up to a chair."
Sehyuk lets the words sink in, trying to grasp if all of it is true. By the devastated face and teary eyes of Jaemin, he thinks all of it must be real.
"I'm sorry, Sehyuk. I was desperate but I know that wasn't a reason to steal from you."
"If you asked me, I would've given it to you."
"I know, I know. But...I was just too embarrassed and when I saw Kihyun at your apartment that day, I just couldn't." Jaemin cracks, rousing from his crouched position. "Can...can you give me one more chance? I really don't want our friendship to end here."
Kihyun thinks for a moment, not really sure what to answer to that. "That day, who was with you? Was that a gang—"
"No, no. That was my hyung. He wanted me to stop paying."
"Alright." Sehyuk gets up from the couch and paces around the room. "One chance is all you're getting. Another wrong move and it's over. And talk to Kihyun about this, he deserves that much at least."
"What do you mean?"
"It's not my place to say but ask him why he cut you off. I'm tired of the awful longing you both have for each other."
"Hey! I don't—" Jaemin shuts up at the challenging eyebrow Sehyuk raises. "Fine! But you're really giving me a chance?"
"Yes."
"Thank you!" Jaemin jumps from his place, barreling his body with Sehyuk's. "I'll not disappoint you!"
"Alright, alright. Now get lost, I have to go to the gym." The blond chuckles, pushing the other's face away from him. "Let's meet tomorrow."
"I'm going to hold you to that promise." Jaemin winks, running out of Sehyuk's apartment like an excited child, and shutting the door behind him.
Sehyuk cozies into the couch, feeling relieved at the thought of having Jaemin explain the whole scenario. The only thing left is Jaemin owning up to his mistakes with Kihyun. He's sure they'd be friends in no time. Or maybe not. But he's betting on the former.
His doorbell rings again and Sehyuk groans, knowing Jaemin has come back for a silly reason. He usually does that. He gets up and opens the door, only to pause at the figures in front of him. Two men. One of them is wearing a black suit while the other is donned in a long coat and cream shirt, paired with black slacks and a Rolex watch on his wrist.
"How may I help you, gentlemen?"
"You're the kid that has been housing my son." The man says in a deep baritone, a hint of sarcasm tailing with it.
"Oh." Then it clicks Sehyuk. He hadn't seen the man's face that day, too occupied with a bloody Kihyun in his hands. "If it isn't the bane of Kang Kihyun's existence, his very father."
"Have your parents not taught you manners when talking to adults?"
Sehyuk grins, folding his arms over his chest. He knows he's treading a dangerous boundary right now but the sight of a man who's been torturing his child to satiate his sick mind ignites a sense of hatred and resentment in him. "They have. But not for people who are rotten to the core."
"It seems like my lovely son filled you in with the details." Kang Wooshik adjusts his coat and stares at Sehyuk as if he's some kind of prey. "I was here to warn you but looks like I have to teach you a lesson instead.
"I'm not afraid of—" The boy's words are cut off as the man in a black suit pushes him inside and trespasses. He may have not been able to stop that but Sehyuk dodges the punch that comes his way, swaying to the side just in time. "Leave before I call security!" He yells but Wooshik laughs manically, whistling as his new bodyguard continues with his attacks.
The blond brings his arms in front of his face to defend it but the blow that comes is hard. He stumbles but doesn't lose his stance. Distributing his weight in his lower body, Sehyuk ducks, swiftly landing a punch to the man's jaw.
"That tickled." The burly man snorts, cracking his knuckles as he approaches Sehyuk.
He needs to escape somewhere, either his room or the main door because Sehyuk is no fool, he knows the man standing before him is a trained professional. But he still fights, he can't give up when he knows what Kihyun's father is capable of doing. He spins on his foot, gathering maximum strength to kick the man's side, giving him a second to run but the bodyguard is on his feet before he knows it.
Sehyuk may have spoken too soon about not being afraid because now he can feel his heart rate picking up speed. The man punches him in the gut and sends him flying, fortunately crashing into the couch. He hits him in the face twice before Sehyuk pushes the heavy man off of him by shooting yo both his legs into his stomach. He then sprints, jumping on the coffee table and picking up the mobile phone placed on it, and using the edge of the device to ram it on the man's head. The man falls to the ground but Sehyuk doesn't feel an ounce of regret. It's a fight to survive after all.
"You got some moves." Sehyuk hears Wooshik say from behind, followed by a clap.
"You don't deserve Kihyun!" The boy shouts, running to the man and pushing him. "How could a father ruin his child like that! He's not some kind of toy you play with!" He rages as his fist meets the man's cheek with a crack. Wooshik's glasses fall to the floor as he loses his footing.
He should stop now, and escape while he can. But Sehyuk's feet stay rooted. He doesn't know how Kihyun lived with the man his whole life. Just a few moments in and he is already wanting to destroy Kang Wooshik. "You should've died in the study that day."
"How dare you!" The man bellows and it makes Sehyuk happy but it doesn't last long. A white cloth slaps over his nose and mouth. One accidental sniff and Sehyuk loses consciousness.
When he comes to, the boy finds himself standing, supported by hands wrapped around his torso that keep him still. Sehyuk blinks, willing his drowsy state away. "W-what..." he then sees Kihyun's father sitting on the couch, a smirk pulled up his face, legs crisscrossed as he relaxes into the soft material.
"Welcome back." Wooshik smiles sinisterly and Sehyuk feels a void drop in his stomach. "Now I understand where a coward like Kihyun got the confidence to fight back from."
"The only coward here is you, not your son." The boy grits, grazing his teeth together. "A gutless man hitting kids." He spits.
"Don't talk big when you're on the verge of dying."
When Sehyuk lurches at the man, he's not only held back by the bodyguard but also chokes on the restraint around his neck. Fear settles in as the boy feels the rough grip of the rope on his skin. "Wh—what...do you th—think you're doing...?" The dread spreading through his body is all too real. His head reels back with all possibilities but only one conquers his thoughts. Kang Wooshik is not playing anymore.
The older man laughs, a smirk lacing his face. "That's the look I have been waiting for!" He claps once again as if he's achieved something of importance. "That fear is satisfying."
"L-let me go..." Sehyuk croaks, struggling to free his hands from the grip of the bodyguard.
"I'm only disciplining a rebellious kid. I heard you were suspended for beating up a professor. I'll admit, not many people your age have guts like that but you do."
Sehyuk blanches at the raw satisfaction on Wooshik's face. His heart goes out to Kihyun and his family for having this man as their blood. He curses at his past self for taking him on, someone Kihyun had warned him about time and again. If he had been in the current situation when he was in the U.S. after Matthew tried to kill himself, Sehyuk would've taken it as a sign of his redemption and given in. But now, it's a different story. He has learned to let go of his past mistakes and redeem himself in other ways.
"I'm sure, the incident of a college student killing himself after being expelled from university isn't hard to believe. I'll make sure the university board mourns your death in silence for a minute."
There isn't a man more vicious than Wooshik, Sehyuk can vouch for it. He feels the rush of emotions racking havoc inside of him, his vision blurring at the thought of his life ending. "D-do you think you'll not face c-consequences of your actions?" Sehyuk squeaks, knowing men like Wooshik had no morals but he believes karma will in some or the other way catch up to him.
"You're boring me now." Wooshik rolls his eyes, sitting up. "Where's all the bravado that you had just moments ago? You'll pay the price for touching me." He points at the spot on his cheek where Sehyuk had hit him. He flicks his finger and with a swift movement, the table under Sehyuk is pushed away and his hands released as he hangs from the chandelier.
Sehyuk coughs as the noose of the rope tightens around his neck but he fortunately manages to slip his fingers under the loop. He struggles, kicking his feet in the air, trying to force the chandelier to fall but it isn't easy when air is being knocked out of him and his legs feel like jelly. "Pl-please...sto—"
Wooshik cackles, buzzing with energy in his seat. He watches with a twisted grin as the boy pleads, the words knocking on deaf ears. "Alright, let's go." He waves at his bodyguard. "My son would be grievous to hear your news." With a last look, the man and his bodyguard leave Sehyuk's apartment.
Sehyuk stretches his leg as far as it can reach, flapping his foot to reach the table but in vain.
In movies, when someone kills themself by hanging, they die within seconds, a painless death. What the media failed to portray is how long those seconds feel combined with the excruciating pain that comes with it. Sehyuk's feet tingle and his face turns red due to the lack of oxygen, rendering the boy's fingers to loosen their grip on the rope. He's burning up, body screaming at him to fight back but his head is pounding uncontrollably. The rope digs into his throat like a predator, crushing its inside.
With the last ounce of his strength, Sehyuk raises his hands to hold the suspension of the rope and climb, pulling at it in desperation to fall but the moment he tries, black spots hinder his vision and Sehyuk knows this is the end for him. He's going to die alone and people would assume he killed himself. The flashing faces of his parents and friends in his mind do nothing but add to the pain he's suffering.
'Someone...anyone...please, save me.'
Sehyuk had no idea death could be this chilling.