| District 9 | STRAY KIDS SHIPS

No One Suspects The Butcher// Hyunho

No One Suspects The Butcher

Hyunho (Minho x Hyunjin)

Genre: Angst, thriller, sad, gore.

status: strangers

Words: 25,291 

***please, please, please be careful when reading this. This is one of the more fucked up things I've written and it gets gory as well. If this doesn't sound like it'll be fun for you to read, please don't <33 ***

No one ever suspects the butcher...

In a relatively large city like Pohang, there's bound to be a bit of criminal activity, even murder despite what others might say. But nothing like this, nothing this gruesome and public.

The thing about murder is that most murderers attempt to cover up their tracks and hide the bodies. They don't want to get caught and most of the time, they're amateurs. But this...

This was a lot different.

It started with a boy, no older than the age of 18, and practically dripped with innocence. The boy had a knack for all things bright and happy, as he strongly believed in the idea that the world was already far too negative and dark for him to contribute to that. He was nice, he was kind, he was polite, and he helped people to the best of his ability. The saint walked around the city with his head held high and a smile on his lips. The boy was named Yang Jeongin and his fate was far more gruesome than he deserved.

He had gone missing in the middle of the day after he told his mother he was going out with a few friends. Except, he never showed up to that meeting either. In fact, he didn't show up anywhere at all until two weeks later and he was far from alive and intact.

The local police investigated it to the best of their ability, but when two more bodies dropped, both having gone missing in the middle of the day and then appearing up dead two weeks later, the government official detective became involved. The names of the victims were Park Minhyuk, a teacher at a dance school by the coast, and Lee Felix, a boy with a bright smile visiting from Australia and could barely speak Korean, and it rocked Pohang to its very core.

The thing about the person behind these murders is that it's more public. All of the bodies showed up, cut into pieces, and displayed in multiple places across town. No fingerprints, no murder weapon, and no direct link to a suspect. It was almost as if the murderer was mocking them, taunting them even. 'Come and find me' every single limb uttered silently to them all, and it was beginning to make all of them frustrated beyond belief.

The sight when they found the bodies were sickening. The limbs were cut precisely, seemingly professional. Detectives gathered that maybe they were frozen in ice before displayed throughout the town for the citizens to find and remember the sight of for the rest of their days as well. But what they found odd, was that every time they find a head on a spike, their teeth were gone, and their eyes were burned, hanging loosely by a red thread. They were treated like animals killed for food, and yet no one looked to the person that did that for a profession.

To the detectives, it seemed too obvious. Who would suspect a butcher? Wouldn't that be dangerous? Maybe a bit stupid on the butcher's part? It just didn't seem plausible to them. So they looked somewhere else.

But yet there was someone smarter, someone, seemingly harmless and oblivious to all the details of the investigation as he was merely in forensics. But Hwang Hyunjin was far smarter than he portrayed himself and that's how he found himself in Ulleungdo, a butcher shop combined with a restaurant in the market, and dragging his detective friend working the case as well, Han Jisung, along. "Hyunjin, this feels unnecessary."

"Shut up, Jisung. This is becoming out of hand and we need to keep all our options open. So, we're questioning everybody," Hyunjin raised his eyebrows in a challenging manner before tugging Jisung through the door. Jisung groaned lowly, pulling Hyunjin in close by his bicep so they could speak with one another quietly.

"Okay, first of all, you're not even a detective. You're a forensic scientist. And second of all, the butcher is too obvious! Since when was the butcher ever the murderer?" Jisung whispered harshly, but all Hyunjin could do was glare. "We're wasting time being here!"

"Listen, the limbs were cut with precision and took only one swing, we know this, and who else is able to-" Hyunjin started, but cut himself off with a yelp when someone came out from the back of the shop through the door and stood behind the counter. It was a man, maybe a little older than the both of them wearing a blue and white vertical striped apron over a white shirt, thick brown pants, and black boots Hyunjin saw when the man walked by the opening that leads to the counter. He was attractive with parted brown hair, sharp eyes, and muscles bulging from his shirt. Hyunjin gulped a bit.

"What can I get for you, detectives?" God, even his voice was attractive. the way his lips moved was breathtaking, and his Adam's apple bobbed a bit...

A quick elbow to Hyunjin's side snapped him out of it and Hyunjin coughed, rubbing at the back of his neck shyly. "Erm... can we speak to the owner of this establishment?" Hyunjin stammered out, ignoring Jisung mumbling under his breath for Hyunjin to not drool so much. The worker cocked his head to the side, and a small smile spread over his lips and Hyunjin felt like the air had been knocked out his lungs.

"You're speaking with him now," The owner teased, and Jisung gaped a bit.

"You own this place? But you look so young..." Jisung murmured, and the owner, Minho his name tag read, laughed through his nose.

"It was my aunt's a few years ago, but she passed and she gave the shop to me in her will. I've been working here since I was 15," Minho explained, tone light but oddly secretive all the same. Hyunjin frowned and bowed a bit, apologizing for Minho's loss. "It's alright. It was a few years ago and I think this town has lost more in a few months than I have my whole life," Minho murmured the last part solemnly, and if Hyunjin hadn't been so stricken by the man... perhaps he would have noticed the emptiness to Minho's eyes.

"And how old are you now?" Jisung questioned, crossing his arms over his chest in his standard detective pose and Hyunjin snickered a bit at it. "Shut up, Hyunjin," Jisung growled toward the elder, but it only made him snicker a bit louder and clapped his hands once quietly. Minho simply watched them with a studious gaze, trying to figure out their dynamic, but he put on an amused facade so they didn't grow suspicious of him.

"You just don't look cool, Ji."

"I'm 28. I inherited the business a little after I got out of college so maybe 24? 25?" Minho shrugged. He knew exactly when he got the business. It was December 29, 2025, 2 weeks after his aunt died, and he was turning 25 in a few weeks. "Now... do you want to get into the questions?" The two looked at each other. "This about the recent murders right? The serial killer?" Minho questioned, coming out from behind the counter, and Hyunjin nearly dropped to the floor when Minho's full-body became exposed. The man was shorter than Hyunjin, but Jesus was he built.

"Right... How'd you know it's a serial killer? That information hasn't been confirmed yet," Jisung furrowed his eyebrows, and Minho scratched at his forehead.

"Well... there's a pattern there. Unless it's just a coincidence," Minho muttered, eerily calm when they were talking about dead bodies. Hyunjin believed it was just a front though.

"Right..." Jisung trailed off, lips pouted in thought and eyes narrowed. Jisung was suspicious of Minho, not liking the general aura he gave off and his effect on the lovesick puppy practically soaking his shirt with his own drool beside him.

"Why don't we sit down," Minho nodded his head toward one of the tables and Hyunjin practically sprinted over, sitting next to Jisung and nibbling on his lower lip as Minho slowly sat down in the chair directly across from him. Hyunjin felt Minho's boot slip between Hyunjin's own, the sides of their toes touching and when they locked eyes, Hyunjin felt his whole mind go foggy.

Minho knew it too.

Minho knew exactly what he was doing.

"So, can we get your name for your statement?"

"Lee Minho." If Hyunjin turned away to mouth the name, that was his own business.

"...has there been anyone you know acting weird? Perhaps sometime before Yang Jeongin went missing or after?" Jisung questioned, pulling out a notepad and a pen. Minho thought for a moment.

"Weird in what way?" Minho attempted to clarify. Jisung threw his head back and forth, racking his brain for an example.

"Such as like... Someone leaving for a select amount of time they might not normally. Someone acting paranoid and uneasy when around a lot of crowds. Dodges the subjects of the murders, and so on," Jisung rolled the pen in the air for emphasis and Minho sighed, leaning forward to rest his hands on the table, glaring holes into Jisung. His jawline.

"Let me tell you something, detective..." Minho murmured, cocking his head off to his left and raising his eyebrows in a challenging manner. "I'm no expert, especially on your level, but the person behind this isn't going to act weird. Their public about their victims. That's someone who's good around people and can handle themselves in crowds after committing something like this. People like that... well, they like to hide in plain sight," Minho shrugged, leaning back in his chair and letting his hands rest flat on the table. Hyunjin nearly whimpered when he saw his hands too.

This man was fucking perfect.

Jisung and Hyunjin shared a look, Jisung clicking his tongue and ready to be incredibly passive-aggressive with the man, but Hyunjin stepped in before Jisung could. "You've been a butcher for a long time right?" Hyunjin questioned, leaning back in the chair and draping his arm across the back of Jisung's chair, heart eyes gone, and detective cap on. No more fucking around. If they couldn't prove Minho had something to do with it, then they could at least find out if he was innocent or not.

"12 years, detective," Minho nodded.

"So, you know quite a bit about it, right? How to make a knife so sharp it can cut through bone in one chop? How to stop the bleeding and what to do with the meat once it's ready to freeze?" Hyunjin piled on the questions, cocking his head to the side with the same challenging manner Minho had done before to Jisung. Minho breathed out through his nose in amusement, lips quirking up.

"Are you accusing me of something, detective?"

"Just weighing all of our options, Mr. Kim," Hyunjin flexed his fingers a bit from where they dropped off Jisung's chair, and Jisung flickering his eyes between the two, rolling them afterward once he saw the obvious tension between the two.

"What kind of foreplay..." Jisung muttered under his breath.

"I didn't kill those boys. What happened to them was tragic and I hate that the guy who did it is still out there and probably walking the streets." Minho hushed, leaning across the table to poke his finger against the table. "I'm willing to help you to the best of my ability. If you have questions about the way they're cut, I could help. But you don't have to take it," Minho offered and Jisung sighed.

"We'll come and see you if it calls for it. I'll have to run it over with our Sergeant beforehand though. We thank you for your help and for taking your time. Thank you for your statement," Jisung quickly muttered, stuffing his notepad and pen into his pocket, and standing up abruptly. Hyunjin winced a little bit at the screech of the wood against the tile floor and flickered his gaze over to Minho. When he realized Minho was already looking at him.

"I wish you luck, detectives-"

"Hyunjin isn't a detective!" Jisung called out, walking out the front door and Hyunjin groaned, throwing up a middle finger toward Jisung's retreating figure. When he turned back to Minho to stand up, he stopped, because now Minho eyed him with a curiosity that made Hyunjin's do a backflip and his cheeks heat up.

"Not a detective, huh?"

"Um, n-no, not exactly. I'm kind of like a detective, but I'm not labeled as a detective-" Hyunjin rambled, stopping and gulping when Minho lifted an eyebrow up. "I'm in forensics. I study the details and DNA of everything for clues and leads," Hyunjin murmured. Minho laughed softly.

"I know what forensics is, Hyunjin," Minho commented, sounding more amused than anything but it made the younger deflate.

"Sorry."

"Don't apologize... You're cute," Minho licked his lips and Hyunjin gulped, flushing instantly and sitting on his hands to keep himself from doing anything stupid.

"Before I go... Could I get your number?" Hyunjin's eyes widened when he realized how that sounded, "I find that once I get in the lab, I tend to not come back out for a few days and it just helps me to have your number so I can call you instead of coming all the way out here." Hyunjin's heart stumbled when Minho smirked at Hyunjin's quick excuse.

"I don't think I should feed into your hermit-like ways. If you need me, then you can come and see me," Minho murmured. "I think I would much rather see you anyway." It came out as a purr, and it sent a shiver down Hyunjin's spine and goosebumps all over his arms and thighs. Hyunjin began to imagine things he shouldn't about a man he just met, but he couldn't help himself. He really needed to get out of there before his body began to tell what he was thinking.

"Well, thank you, Mr. Lee."

"Now, I have work to do and you have murders to investigate," Minho grunted with a smile, standing up from the table and walking behind the counter. "Have a good day, Hyunjin."

Hyunjin debated calling out to him too, but refrained, he instead left the shop in a scurry and reeling back a bit when he saw Jisung standing in the middle of the street, arms crossed and hip jutted out. When Hyunjin finally joined his side, Jisung began to speak aggressively. "I want him on the suspect list."

"Jisung-"

"Suspect list, Hyunjin!" Jisung called out, walking away and his finger pointed in the air. Hyunjin groaned, reluctantly adding Lee Minho's name to the suspect list on his phone.

"Jesus, didn't I tell you to add a few essential oils to this place? It smells awful," A familiar voice called out from the middle of the shop, and Minho huffed, aggressively cutting the arm of a pig he was cutting up and then slamming his knife on the metal table. Minho began to approach the door, opening it with his hip while peeling off his gloves and throwing them on the trash on his way out into the front room.

"And didn't I tell you to stop coming into my shop, Chan? It raises suspicion," Minho huffed, leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Oh please, I'm an investor. Everyone knows that." Chan waved him off.

"Three times a week?" Minho hissed, narrowing his eyes into a glare but Chan remained unbothered. Minho began to wonder if Chan was a bit more insane than Minho was.

"In that case, then they probably just think we're dating... which in the long run, I wouldn't mind. You're a very handsome man, Minho, and look at those arms," Chan purred. Minho's eyes nearly rolled into the back of his head.

"Hard pass, boss," Minho muttered.

"A man can dream," Chan shrugged. Minho winced internally at the comment but motioned for Chan to tell him what he wanted. "You got my money?" Chan inquired, scratching at his nose. Minho walked past him suddenly, looking out for a moment for anyone that might be coming in, and when it was clear, Minho shut the front door and locked it.

"My office," Minho guided Chan over, a large hand on the small of his back and shoving him into the small room in the corner that was far too stuffy for either one of their likings. Minho shut the door behind him, "I had a guy try and cut me short this week but I threatened him and he gave me the money, I'd check for the legitimacy of it before cashing it in though," Minho sighed, grabbing a large yellow envelope filled to the brim in cash for the drugs Minho sold in the last two weeks.

"That's fine. Thank you for taking care of it," Chan breathed out, tapping his fingers on the edges of the envelope Minho handed to him while digging around in his fancy suit pockets. "I heard the detectives showed up in your shop the other day. They suspicious?" Chan questioned, his voice suddenly dangerous and Minho knew that despite the fact that they were close to a certain degree, Chan would still throw Minho away once he became a liability because the man was nothing but a pawn to Chan.

"Don't know. I think the forensic scientist has a little thing for me though... I'm gonna work that for a little bit," Minho smirked, and Chan's eyes lit up.

"Learning the ways, are we? I'm proud of you, Lee," Chan grinned.

"I've been doing this for 12 years, Chan."

"And your aunt did it for longer. Time doesn't come into account when you become a liability. You should know that better than anybody." Minho's jaw clenched at the memory. Chan had his aunt killed because she was beginning to fly off her rocker. Minho was the one who had to do it too.

Minho couldn't bring himself to display the body. He couldn't do that to her.

"If everything goes south... take care of it," Chan murmured, sliding a picture across Minho's desk for the elder to take. Minho grabbed for it, bringing it up into the light. Seo Changbin... aka the most publicly questionable man who didn't have a bad bone in his body. "I'll be seeing you, Mr. Lee," Chan winked, saluting the man and then leaving the office. Minho followed him out, propping the door back open, looking out into the street. When he saw a young boy, around the same age as what his first and last victim would be now, he slowed a bit.

Kim Seungmin.

A law student who was always a bit too curious for his own good. "Afternoon, Mr. Kim," Minho called out with a grin, waving at him a bit. Minho knew the kid a little more personally as he always came in with his mother growing up. But after Minho's aunt died... Seungmin stopped coming.

Seungmin flinched a bit, not expecting Minho to call out to him, but waved back nonetheless. He even stepped a bit closer, clutching his bag tightly. "Hello, Hyung," Seungmin hushed, bowing at a 45-degree angle and Minho laughed lightly.

"It's been a while. When are you going to stop by again, hm?" Minho questioned, crossing his arms over his chest and shooting the younger a smile. Seungmin turned his gaze away, a flush on his cheeks. Seungmin got a bit shy once he turned 14, but Minho remembers the time before that when Seungmin was a little firebrand of a kid.

"I'm sorry, hyung, it's just been a bit hectic lately..." Seungmin whispered, and of Minho didn't have such good hearing, he probably wouldn't have even heard it.

"Speak up, Seungmin. How are you supposed to get the attention of the jury in a courtroom if you can't even speak to an old friend," Minho scolded, and Seungmin coughed, cheeks flamed.

"Sorry, hyung," Seungmin apologized with a louder tone, but he still wouldn't look Minho in the eye. Seungmin seemed like a shy teenager with a crush, but he was 23 years old and Minho could work him far too easily.

"You busy? Let's go out for a drink."

"You said you had more evidence?" Jisung sighed, entering the lab with a bang of the door and Hyunjin nearly jumped out of his shoes. However, the man whirled around nonetheless in his small little swivel chair and rolling over to the middle table.

"I do," Hyunjin smiled, and with careful and gloved hands, pulling out the contents of one of the hands of Park Minhyuk, small, rotten, and practically falling apart at the seams. "Look at this."

Jisung padded over, hovering over Hyunjin's shoulder to look at the hand and the X-rays beside it. "What am I looking at?"

Hyunjin huffed, pulling the X-rays up, "I decided to X-ray the hands in case there was something wrong with the bones and I noticed this." Hyunjin's fingers ran over the markings in the bones, "It's the ancient Akkadian language. It's the oldest Semitic language from what's been recorded and rooted from Northern Africa around 2000 BC."

"Why would someone carve an ancient language into the bones? How did they manage to remove them, carve them, and then put it back?" Jisung wrinkled his nose up in disdain, gagging a bit when Hyunjin pulled out a box from underneath the table, the smell reeking from inside the box.

"That's what I was thinking so I studied the hands a bit more. There are seems inside the joints. Probably where the bones were removed from the skin. This was done with skill and precision. This took time and patience."

"This is making me sick to my stomach," Jisung grumbled, burying his eyes into the back of Hyunjin's head to give himself a break.

"And then, I did a little more digging," Hyunjin continued, taking the lid from the box and reaching inside. Jisung peeked inside the box, gagging a little more harshly and whirling around to walk away. "I decided to remove the bone from the skin after getting permission from the head detective to get a better look at the carvings-"

"No, no, no, I'm gonna hurl," Jisung cut him off, leaning against the cabinet behind them with his arm on the wood and his head on his arm.

"Jisung! Stop being dramatic! We have to solve this case. We don't have time for your gag reflex," Hyunjin snapped, and Jisung coughed, letting out a groan and another gag before turning around to face the table with glassy eyes and slobbery lips. "We need to find someone who can translate this, but I doubt it's going to be anyone who can speak Korean. Care to take care of that for me, Mr. English?" Hyunjin handed him all the X-rays of multiple limbs and Jisung sighed.

"Sure, whatever. You owe me for this nightmare of a sight you've shown me," Jisung gagged at the rotting flesh in the box, backing away from the table.

"I'll take you out for cheesecake when all this is over," Hyunjin promised as Jisung began to walk out, but the man stopped when he heard that.

"You better take me on a goddamn cheesecake tour, bastard," Jisung threatened, and Hyunjin simply waved him off. Jisung left seconds later, and Hyunjin was left staring at Minhyuk's right cut-off hand and trying his best to figure out who could possibly be skilled enough to pull something like this. And then he thought of Minho and Hyunjin's stomach rolled.

There's no way a butcher could be this precise...

Could they?

Hyunjin shook the thought away. He wanted to follow through with the Akkadian lead and see what it gives them. This situation was too sensitive to start making accusations like that. Instead, Hyunjin decided to head back to the hotel he and Jisung stayed at and hoping for the best that he'll finally get some sleep tonight.

Except on his way back to the hotel, he saw Minho, walking alone and listening to music, and Hyunjin had to resist jogging up to him and bothering the elder. Hyunjin knew he was on the job, and he knew Minho was on the suspect list, but that didn't mean Hyunjin didn't have a heart, didn't have needs.

So Hyunjin walked faster, turned and weaved until he was walking in front of Minho and giving the elder an option to talk to him. Hyunjin felt his heart flutter when a smaller, callused, and warm hand grabbed onto his wrist gently and tugged him back. "Detective," Minho greeted with a soft tone when Hyunjin turned to face him. "It's a bit late, isn't it? Are you just coming back from the lab?" Minho hummed.

"Y-Yes. It's been a long day, so I'm heading back to the hotel," Hyunjin stuttered, "Not sure how much good that will do... It's not as if I sleep anyway," Hyunjin muttered under his breath, not thinking Minho heard but the man did, and Hyunjin hated the way his heart reacted when Minho's fingertips gently traced over Hyunjin's wrist veins and slid between the younger's fingers to lock their fingers.

"I think I know the perfect remedy," Minho grinned and leading Hyunjin down the road toward a tea shop. "My aunt used to take me here when I couldn't sleep as a kid. You ask for a sleep tea and they'll give you a tea you take home and drink, and you'll be out like a light within the hour," Minho explained, pushing Hyunjin inside the bright, small shop that smelled of lavender and lemon. "Hello, Ms. Choi," Minho greeted the woman behind the counter, wrinkled and hunched over, but her expression was as bright as the sun when she laid her eyes on them.

"My boy!" She screeched, rounding the corner, waddling the slightest bit as she approached the two, and twined her arms around Minho's middle to rest her head in his chest. "My sweet, sweet boy," She smiled and Minho patted her head lightly. "What can I get you two?"

"Two specials, please, and to go," Minho murmured to her and she nodded, going back around the counter to make their tea. Minho and Hyunjin sat at the counter, Hyunjin focused on how she made the tea and the focused gleam in her eyes. This woman, despite her obvious old age, had an innocence and youth oozing off of her and it made Hyunjin sad to an extent. This woman might not even have another two years before her body gives out.

And then Hyunjin thought about the victims, and how they lost their lives when they were so young... "What's on your mind?"

Hyunjin jumped at the whisper in his ear, goosebumps running all down his body when he felt Minho's lips graze the shell of his ear. "Don't worry about it. I'm just thinking," Hyunjin retorted, pivoting his head to look at Minho and the man, in all his fucking masculine glory that made Hyunjin weak at the knees, pouted. "oh my god, please don't do that."

"What?" The pout worsened.

"Stop doing-" Hyunjin flailed his arms around, pointing toward Minho's pouty lips that Hyunjin wanted to kiss oh so badly. "That!" Hyunjin finished with a whine, tensing up when Minho leaned forward, hand slipping onto Hyunjin's thigh, and nose so close to touching the right side of Hyunjin's jaw. "M-Minho-"

"Here's your tea! Have a good night," Mrs. Choi interrupted them, and Minho swiftly pulled away to grab them. Hyunjin was in too thick of a daze to register the plastic bag of pills passed to the woman when they exchanged money, too dazed to realize Minho meant more when he uttered to her,

"Pleasure doing business with you, Mrs. Choi." Hyunjin wished he had seen the signs before it was too late for him. He wished he hadn't been so blind. "Ready to go?" Minho inquired and Hyunjin gulped and nodded. Minho leads Hyunjin back out, asking where Hyunjin was staying and once he figured it out, walked him to the hotel and even inside.

"Would... Would you mind walking me up?" Hyunjin questioned shyly and Minho laughed through his nose, expression softening and nodding his head. "Great, thanks," Hyunjin brightened and they walked toward the elevator. On their way up, it's as if Hyunjin's wildest dreams came true because suddenly a large crowd of laughing adults came into the elevator and Hyunjin was backed into the corner, Minho behind him. "Sorry..." Hyunjin whispered.

He let out a small gasp when Minho began to nose at his shoulder and the nape of his neck. "No, no... this is just fine," Minho purred, and Hyunjin felt his whole body submit to the man behind him, especially when one of Minho's hands landed on his hips and tugged him back further into Minho's body. "I'm sure you wanted this anyway... You're not exactly secretive, doll," Minho whispered in Hyunjin's ear, the other hand coming up to cup over Hyunjin's bum. They could both hear Hyunjin gulp, and Hyunjin hoped to god that no one in the loud elevator could hear what Minho was saying.

It wasn't really any surprise when they reached Hyunjin's hotel room door and he was shoved up against it from the other side by the elder and they began something that Hyunjin couldn't ever come back from. It was over for him the moment Minho's lips were on his and Hyunjin's legs twined around Minho's waist. It was over for him the moment his skin burned when Minho touched him. It was over for him the moment Minho moaned his name in Hyunjin's ear.

It was over for him the moment he laid his eyes on Lee Minho, and a part of him wished he didn't have to see. He'd rather be blind than dead.

"Any lamb today, Mr. Lee? Preferably 2 pounds?" An older man questioned as he walked in, and Minho flickered his eyes up to meet the polite expression of the same elder man. Minho hummed in thought, trying to think of his stock.

"I have some ready to be prepared but it hasn't been cut yet," Minho explained timidly and the man huffed. "I could cut it now and get it back to you if you can wait for a few minutes..." Minho offered, not wanting to lose a potential customer. He still got quite a bit of customers day to day, but Pohang was a seaport, so that means people primarily came here for fish. Minho needed to sell his other meat products as well, so he'd do just about anything to sell them.

"If you wouldn't mind, Mr. Lee," The elder muttered, linking his hands behind his back and standing up straight. Minho simply nodded, smiled, and bowed toward the man before escaping into the backroom to pull aside some of the lamb torso he cut up yesterday. He set it on the table, grabbing for his cleaver and with stroke strokes, began to cut the lamb up into a large 2-pound slab for the man waiting for him outside.

Watching the sharpened blade glide into the meat so effortlessly was always a bit of a fascination for Minho growing up. His aunt, definitely with some reluctance, would let Minho watch her cut up the meat when he was younger, and even started letting him participate a little bit when he was old enough to hold the cleaver and swing it without any trouble.

But Minho was always a little odd. He was violent as a kid, always having thoughts and dreams of killing people who were mean to him, killing people who did bad things, killing people who deserved it... Everything was blood and gore for him growing up, but he never really acted on it. The butcher shop was his escape.

But when Minho did nothing but study the way a blade slices into animal meat, he couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to slice into human meat, and Minho gave in to that urge, that burning in his fingertips, that itch in his heart. He gave in when he turned 15 and killed a little girl who mocked him and practically ate him alive during school. He invited her over by the coast after school to study for class and give her the homework 'he owed her.

Minho took her life without question not long after they reached the river, stabbing her through the throat with a knife he stole from his aunt. It was bloody, messy, unprofessional, and because of that, Minho's aunt caught him. She freaked out at first, panicking about what to do with the body, but it was as if a switch flipped in her head and suddenly she was sneaking her cold, dead body back to the butcher shop and put her in the basement where Minho could finally satisfy his urges.

That day, Minho finally learned what it was like to cut through a human bone, what it was like to remove limbs from a rotting body, and how to preserve for it longer than necessary.

And Minho became addicted.

"Mr. Lee?" The elderly man from the front called out, and Minho realized he wasn't doing anything at all except for being too stuck in his own head as the excess blood from inside the lamb meat began to seep out onto the metal table. Minho quickly grabbed the two-pound lamb steak, washed it off, padded it down with some preservatives, and then wrapped it up in paper wrap for the man.

"Sorry for the Wait," Minho apologized, taking the money from the elder man's hand as he passed over the meat, just now noticing the familiar boy hovering in the corner, bag strung over his shoulder and head down as always. The elderly man and Minho bowed to one another and the elderly man left, leaving the shop practically empty aside from Minho and "Seungmin! Wasn't expecting you to show up today," Minho grinned, peeling off his rubber gloves and throwing them in the trash.

"I... I just wanted to stop by and say hello. Maybe we can go out for lunch... I don't know," Seungmin muttered, rubbing his neck shyly and never looking Minho in the eye. "It's Okay If you can't," Seungmin quickly interjected when there was a blink of silence between them, eyes finally locking with Minho's own, wide and innocent. Perfect for a taking.

Minho hated innocence. He believed it wasn't real. Innocence was life's greatest illusion in his eyes.

So... Minho needed to get as close as possible. "Well... I can't exactly leave yet, but I can give you some money and you can go get us some sandwiches from the sub shop and bring it back here. We can sit down and chat." Minho compromised, grabbing for his wallet but Seungmin waved him off.

"It's fine, Hyung, I'll pay. I'm already taking up your time," Seungmin whispered, and Minho feigned a pout.

"you're not taking up my time. I missed talking to you," Minho appeased him. The art of manipulation relies on what people want from another. Some people want love, some people want loyalty, and some people just don't want to feel so alone. Seungmin's eyes lit up at that, taking Minho's money and getting his sandwich order before rushing off.

This was all almost going too well.

Minho had a pretty detective wrapped around his finger that did more than just prove to be useful in the future involving the murders, and a future victim that had a soft spot for the murderer. Minho wondered when all of this would end up going wrong.

He tried not to think about it too much. Minho's pretty sure that paranoia is what scheduled the hit on his aunt in the first place. Minho couldn't afford to be paranoid.

"Okay, I contacted a few people about the Akkadian markings and they said they'd get back to me soon with translations." Hyunjin nearly jumped out of his skin where he stood on the pier. Hyunjin scowled at his friend, not sure why Jisung had to drag him all the way out here to tell him that.

"You couldn't just call to tell me that?" Hyunjin hissed, crossing his arms over his chest and staring the younger detective down in hopes of getting him to submit but Jisung remained unbothered, as he always did.

"I could have, but you've been in the lab for two days and I wanted to follow through with something... use a resource we have at our disposal. You can thank me later." Jisung clapped Hyunjin on the shoulder before grabbing it and guiding the taller man into the market and... shit, the butcher's shop.

Minho.

The images from the other night began to flood Hyunjin's head, and the blood rushed to his face at the memory. "What are we doing here?" Hyunjin stuttered, hands stuffed into his pockets, and trying to mask his trembles. Jisung smirked toward the elder with glimmering knowing eyes.

"I want to ask about the bone thing. I want to see if he knows exactly what he's talking about. Not only am I getting information about how it was done but evidence on him if he is the murderer." Hyunjin felt his blood run cold at the idea of Minho being a murderer, felt his blood run cold because if Minho really was the murderer... Then that means he's slept with a murderer and his heart skipped a beat for a fucking killer. "Hyunjin? Are you okay? You went a little pale there," Jisung frowned, snapping Hyunjin out of it and the elder quickly nodded his head.

"Yeah... yeah sorry. I just had an overwhelming urge to throw up. I think it's all the fish..." Hyunjin lied before shoving past Jisung to enter the butcher shop, keeping his head down once he saw that Minho stood behind the counter serving a customer. When the woman and her daughter walked away, Hyunjin greeted him. "Mr. Lee," Hyunjin bowed his head politely as if they had never met one another and Minho cocked his head to the side in curiosity.

"Afternoon, detectives. What brings you here?" Minho greeted the two when Jisung came in behind Hyunjin, the raven-haired forensic scientist feeling his friend's judgemental stare in the back of his head. Hyunjin just ignored it.

"We've run across something in our investigation that you might be able to help us with. Can you spare a few minutes?" Jisung questioned, crossing his arms over his chest and shooting Minho a look. Something unrecognizable flashed in Minho's eyes before a smile slowly spread across his lips and nodded his head. "Great! You mind?" Jisung gestured toward the back room where Minho worked on cutting up the meat. But Minho nodded his head with a sigh.

"I just got done packaging some beef so it's pretty messy in there. How about we speak in my office?" Minho guided them over to the other door in the corner of the restaurant and Hyunjin visibly recoiled at how tiny he was. Hyunjin was incredibly claustrophobic, so this was a nightmare for him. "Are you not going to sit down, Hyunjin?" Minho questioned after he noticed Hyunjin hovering by the door and Hyunjin gulped, not wanting to be directly talked to by this man when Hyunjin was practically hyperventilating.

"No thanks... I'll just hang out here, by the door, where there's clear air, and more space," Hyunjin replied, taking awkward pauses between each additional reason and Minho just stared at him with an amused smirk.

"Hyunjin is a bit claustrophobic. We can work this together alone if this becomes an issue," Jisung sighed before pulling out a bag of evidence from inside his jacket, "now, let's get on with business," Jisung huffed. Minho perked up in interest when the detective pulled out the pictures. "Hyunjin was inspecting the body parts for clues the other night and noticed tiny seams along the sides of one of the victim's hands and fingers. After some further digging, we found out that the killer quite literally removed the bones and put them back in after carving into them," Jisung explained as he placed each picture out on the desk for Minho to look at, the man studying them with furrowed eyebrows and an uneasy gleam in his eyes.

"We were hoping you might know something about the kind of skill that takes and if that's something you're trained to do as a butcher," Hyunjin spoke up from the door, leaning against the arch with his arms crossed over his chest. The forensic scientist shivered when the elder locked his eyes with his own, more images from that night flashing in his head again.

That man's stamina was insane.

"Yes... this looks incredibly professional. I take pride in my work but I don't think this is anything I could ever do," Minho explained calmly, studying the pictures. "This took extreme patience and precision. Whoever did this could possibly have a history in surgery considering how delicate they were while doing all of this," Minho offered the two an explanation and Jisung turned back to Hyunjin, the two having a silent conversation. Minho hummed in thought again. "Yes... I stand correct. None of our regular butcher tools are this precise. Look at these cuts. They're perfectly straight. Steady hands are a must here," Minho ran his fingers over where the cut was down Minhyuk's ring finger.

"Any ideas as to how they achieved this and managed to keep the body intact?" Jisung pushed but Minho simply shook his head with an apologetic expression.

"Apologies, detectives, but I wouldn't have any idea. I'm sorry for not being much use," Minho bowed his head respectively and Hyunjin was quick to speak up, of course without thinking too much about it.

"You were a lot of help, Mr. Lee, you might have just given us a new lead," Hyunjin smiled softly, offering the elder a wink before flickering his eyes over to Jisung. "We should get going. I have some things to do at the lab," Hyunjin sighed, and Jisung rushed to gather all the pictures and gently place them back into the envelope. "Thank you for your help, Mr. Lee," Hyunjin uttered one last time, Jisung walking past him and out into the shop. Hyunjin hovered for a moment, wanting to say something but not sure what that was.

"No problem, detective," Minho breathed with a smirk, and Hyunjin scurried off, heart beating wildly in his chest.

Glasses clinked all around Minho, metal against porcelain bowls, and the small chatter of people sitting at the tables around him. Minho tried his best to escape into his own head while tapping against the table to pass time but it seemed not even that worked, and 5 minutes felt like 20 when Minho began to observe everyone around him.

He sat in a nice restaurant waiting for Chan as the elder wanted to meet up and chat, for whatever reason Minho didn't try and pry out of him over the phone, and the people around him were boring on almost every level. In the far corner sat a couple, most likely touching each other under the table if their expressions and body language said anything at all, there was a family in the booth right behind him with a little kid who kept trying to climb over the back of their connecting seats before his mother angrily pulled him back down and told him off.

Minho hoped that Chan wasn't here to discuss hard business because this woman behind him sure was nosy if her conversation with her friend said anything at all. They were going to have to move tables when Chan finally got here.

Off towards his left sat another couple, but they looked to be in a heated argument, something about cheating Minho was sure, but he tuned them out a while ago as most of what they said wasn't exactly the most interesting thing in the world. What did catch Minho's attention, however, was a pretty little raven-haired man Minho had been stringing along for a few days now sat across from his partner. Hyunjin was oblivious to Minho's whereabouts though, so that was probably for the best.

"Ah, Minho," Chan hummed happily, being quiet as he slipped into the booth across from Minho and tugging out the drink menu from behind the candle. "Have you ordered yet, handsome?" Chan questioned, eyes searching the menu in his hands as he spoke.

"I was waiting for you," Minho muttered, leaning back in his booth and crossing his arms over his chest as he waited for Chan to decide on what he wanted. "Why are you late anyway? I have things to do, Chan."

Chan flickered his eyes up, eyeing the younger man in front of him dangerously with a snarl on his face. Chan never liked being questioned, but as high up as Chan was in their internal affairs, Minho still scared the elder to a certain degree. Chan may have been cold-hearted and didn't mind pulling the trigger, but Minho didn't even have a heart. The man took pleasure in torturing and taking lives. He knew at least 15 different ways to take a life and Minho had gone through with every single one of them.

That was just something Chan knew not to go up against. "Well?"

Chan took in a deep breath and let it back out, "I have to go back to Busan for a few weeks. Jimin is becoming antsy about me not being there and with a fashion show coming up, we both know how he gets when I'm not there to support him," Chan chuckled a bit, sipping on his glass of water. "That man is gonna be the death of me."

"You're the one that fell," Minho wrapped his lips around the straw in the water glass next to the glass of wine waiting for Minho, starring Chan down with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. The blond huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I couldn't have fallen for a more bearable person, could I? Chan cocked his head to the side in wonder and Minho just shrugged.

"You're the one with feelings, Mr. Bang," Minho hummed, taking a sip from the glass of white wine someone brought him before Chan got there. "Was there something else?"

Chan waited a moment, studying Minho a moment before taking a sip from his own glass. "I trust you can keep yourself under wraps while I'm gone?" Chan hummed softly and Minho cocked his head to the side, irritation obvious in his expression.

"I handled myself just fine before you came along. You suddenly leaving for a couple of weeks doesn't change anything at all," Minho snapped and Chan huffed.

"So ungrateful..." Chan tutted and if Minho didn't already have a current victim, he was pretty damn close to making Chan his next one. "Get that look out of your eyes. If you lay a finger on me you won't be able to make it out of this restaurant," Chan threatened, fingers tight around his glass of wine. Minho got up from the booth with a clang of dishes that echoed throughout the room.

"Have fun in Busan, Mr. Bang," Minho muttered before downing the rest of his wine in one go and slamming it back down on the table. Chan just watched Minho storm off, craning his neck back when he felt eyes boring into his body. Chan felt a little uneasy when the familiar two detectives studied the situation in curiosity, the pretty raven-haired one Minho had wrapped around his finger looking ready to rip Chan's head off.

Chan was rather unsurprised when the raven-haired detective got up from his booth to follow Minho out.

"Minho! Minho, wait a minute!" Hyunjin exclaimed after the butcher and Minho only grew more irritated. This was the last thing he needed at the moment. Nonetheless, he whirled around to face Hyunjin anyway, panting a bit and fists clenched at his sides. Hyunjin froze at the sight of the very irritated man. The thing about Minho was that he didn't get angry often, so when he did get angry... it would end up being fatal. "Minho..." Hyunjin trailed off carefully, and Minho huffed.

Maybe he could swing this in a way he needs to. So, Minho took in a deep breath, unclenched his fists, and took careful strides toward the younger. "What do you need, detective?" Minho breathed out, rolling his head back and stuffing his hands into his pocket. Hyunjin scowled down at him, reaching up to fiddle with one of the buttons on Minho's shirt dangerously close to Minho's chest.

"First of all..." Hyunjin trailed off with a huff, "I'm not a detective, and secondly, you don't have to be so formal with me now..." Hyunjin cut himself off with a gulp, not looking Minho in the eyes out of embarrassment. "Second of all... I wanted to make sure you were okay." Minho laughed lowly, snaking a hand around Hyunjin's hip until the small palm laid flat against Hyunjin's dipped lower back.

"No need to be so shy, doll," Minho purred, leaning his head in so his lips were right by Hyunjin's ear. "And I'm just fine. A little irritated is all." A shiver ran down the base of Hyunjin's spine and the scientist's fingers came up to curl into Minho's biceps. The elder pulled him closer at that, lips attaching to Hyunjin's neck. "What are you doing tomorrow night?" Minho whispered, lips moving against Hyunjin's ear.

"I-I don't kn-know," Hyunjin stuttered, hands coming up to the hair on the back of Minho's neck when the elder began to suckle lightly underneath Hyunjin's ear.

"Be in your room at eleven tomorrow night and leave your door unlocked," Minho ordered with a low tone, the same one he used the first night they were together and Hyunjin bristled at it. Something about this one seemed a little more empty but Hyunjin tried not to think about it too much. Minho was angry before and Hyunjin couldn't expect him to be completely over it.

"O-Okay," Hyunjin's voice cracked and Minho hummed in appreciation, pulling away from Hyunjin with slightly puffy lips. Hyunjin curled a hand around the back of Minho's neck and pulled him in for a quick peck, grinning like a mad man when they locked eyes afterward. "Have a good night, Minho," Hyunjin croaked, turning away with a flush on his cheeks to run back inside before the elder could even respond.

A part of Minho wished he wasn't the way he was, because maybe if his heart beat with everyone else's, he could have fallen for the raven-haired man with a large heart and a mind Minho could barely comprehend.

Maybe if Minho was normal, he'd think about how warm Hyunjin's lips were against his, but instead, Minho thought about how cold Seungmin's would be once Minho began to drain the life from him piece by piece. Maybe if Minho was normal, he'd think about Hyunjin's smile and laugh when he's amused by practically everything, but instead, Minho thought about Seungmin's horrified expression and blood-curdling screams when Minho finally began to cut into him. If Minho was normal, he'd think about taking Hyunjin's heart instead of Seungmin's life on his way back home, but Minho wasn't normal, and nothing could change that.

As soon as Minho was through the door of his butcher shop, he shut the doors, locked them, pulled the blinds to all the windows, and then turned off the lights except his office. What no one except Minho and Minho's aunt knew was that in the back of the small closet in the corner of the office was a staircase that leads down into the very room that every single one of the victims has seen and lost their lives in.

Minho's steps echoed every time the bottom of his feet met a metal step, and Minho grinned when he heard a whimper ring out every time he took a step. "Seungminnie... there's no reason to be afraid," Minho cooed, his grin widening when he heard sobbing. When Minho reached the final step and stepped down to the ground, he reached for the light switch and turned it on. The lights flicked on with a loud bang, revealing the boy strapped to a table to the middle of the room. "I wasn't ever exactly planning on making you my next victim you know?" Minho whispered, running his fingers through Seungmin's sweaty and bloody hair, not even snarling his nose up at the disgusting feeling. "You just sort of fell into my lap, little one."

Seungmin began to sob harshly, eyes squeezing shut as he choked around the gag in his mouth. Minho shushed him, stroking his hair back to reveal the large gash in Seungmin's forehead from where Minho hit him with the brunt of his cleaver earlier that day. What Minho found odd about Seungmin was that he didn't fight back. He didn't scream and he didn't fight it when Minho touched him. He submitted instantly, a broken gleam in his eyes.

"Ah... You're a lot more broken than I originally thought," Minho hummed, mentally shrugging. Less work for him to do. Seungmin nodded slowly and Minho studied him for a moment. "Is there something you'd like to say?" Minho knew he wouldn't scream. Seungmin wasn't that idiotic because Seungmin knew no one would hear him.

When Seungmin nodded his head hesitantly, Minho carefully took the fabric gag from Seungmin's mouth, the boy sputtering a bit and choking on his own spit. Minho waited patiently for Seungmin's coughing fit to end, watching the boy let out one final cough before gulping and letting his head fall back onto the table. Minho resisted the urge to wipe the slightly tinted pink drop of sweat the traveled down Seungmin's temple. "Is this what you did to Jeongin too? Am I going the same way he did?" Ah yes. They were close if Minho recalled correctly.

Minho laughed lowly. "Yes, I will put you through the same process I put your little friend through," Minho didn't fail to notice the way Seungmin flinched at the use of 'friend' "You two were quite close weren't you? Best friends I take it?" Seungmin didn't answer, keeping his eyes trained up to the ceiling but Minho could read this kid like a book. "Ah... you were more than friends." Guilt flashed in Seungmin's eyes. Bingo. "Unrequited love, Seungmin? I thought I taught you better than that," Minho tutted, grabbing for a knife and hovering it just over Seungmin's throat.

Seungmin didn't react, just stared blankly up at the ceiling.

"Would you have taken his place if you could, Seungmin? Would you have replaced his head on a spike with your own if it meant he could live? Would you have let me take your heart from your chest if it meant Jeongin's could still beat?" Seungmin didn't answer any of the questions, but Minho knew him well enough to know that Seungmin said yes to every single one of them in his own little way. "Your loyalty is admirable, Seungmin, but your flaw by default. Too bad you're naive and fell in love with someone who would never love you back. Maybe we could have had further use for you," Minho hummed, taking the cloth from around Seungmin's neck and placing it back in the younger's mouth.

Seungmin still refused to react because he had nothing to live for. Seungmin had relied so heavily on Jeongin growing up that Seungmin physically shut down after Jeongin's death. His mother tried her best to help Seungmin recover and leave the house, but the younger was too broken at the time. Perhaps the worst part of it all was that Seungmin had lost many friends after Jeongin's death due to his reaction, and the one-time Seungmin finally left the house to make some friends... it would end up being his undoing.

Seungmin was simply trying to recover and make his life better, but it put him on his death bed in the end.

Maybe if Minho had a heart, he'd feel bad for the younger and give him a second chance to run with him and the rest of them, but Minho didn't, and he was bloodthirsty.

The first reaction Minho got from Seungmin after that was five seconds later when Minho grabbed for his cleaver and Seungmin's hand, cutting into his wrist as Seungmin let out a loud cry, fat hot tears gushing down his cheeks as blood spewed out from his arm and onto the table, head rolling back and eyes dropping shut.

Minho merely watched with fascination and satisfaction seeping into his veins.

"Guess who finally got emails back from translators~!" Jisung singsonged the moment he slammed his way into the lab, Hyunjin huffing when he flinched so badly he fucked up one of the fingerprint samples.

"Jisung! You're a fucking idiot you know that?" Hyunjin hissed, leaning back in his chair with such ferocity that the chair screeched and nearly sent Hyunjin stumbling back to the floor. Jisung laughed loudly, covering his mouth to hide his teeth. Hyunjin couldn't help but notice how giddy Jisung looked and eyed him suspiciously. "What's got you so happy, huh?" Hyunjin threatened, jutting his head out but only ended up cowering back when Jisung threw himself in Hyunjin's direction. The elder squeaked when Jisung climbed into his lap and smiled so widely, it looked like it hurt.

"Notice anything different?" Jisung questioned, giddiness radiating off of him in thick waves and Hyunjin acted as if he were oblivious to Jisung's now straightened teeth. Hyunjin mockingly studied his face.

"New haircut?"

"Nope!" Jisung popped the 'p', smiling a bit more aggressively than before.

"Makeup?" Hyunjin snickered a bit when Jisung huffed out an irritated,

"No, Jinnie."

"I have no idea what's changed, Sungie," Hyunjin grinned mischievously and Jisung punched him in the chest before shaking the elder's shoulders erratically.

"It's my teeth! I straightened my teeth, you fool!" Jisung shrieked, stopping when Hyunjin burst out into melodic laughter, joining him. They ended with Jisung's head in Hyunjin's chest and the elder rubbing small circles into his mid-spine.

"How'd your date go last night?" Hyunjin questioned, his heart stammering when Jisung's shoulders slumped and he fell deeper into Hyunjin's body. "Not good it looks like..."

"She stood me up. Canceled an hour after I left saying she couldn't come. No reason, no anything. Just that she couldn't come," Jisung murmured. "Not that she owes me a reason, but it's just kind of disheartening because the last two guys I set dates up with bailed on me too." Hyunjin hated seeing Jisung like this. Jisung was such a kind person and deserved all the love in the world because he would give the world all that love back. Hyunjin would never understand why Jisung was still single, but he just hoped there was someone out there waiting for him.

"I'm sorry, Ji... If I could change it, I would," Hyunjin sighed, running his fingers through Jisung's hair to soothe him.

"I know you would," Jisung muttered, sitting up and dropping himself down onto the set next to Hyunjin before pulling out some papers for him. "Here are the translations." Hyunjin took them from Jisung's hands carefully as the younger rubbed at his eyes and looked over them.

"Why is it just bloodthirsty over and over again? And what's this symbol?" Hyunjin crinkled his eyebrows in confusion, but he ended up going through more of them and realized that the words changed on each body. On Jeongin's, they were bloodthirsty, on Minhyuk's body, they were couldn't resist the temptations of hell, and on Felix's body, they were time's up. Each one had something to do with each body found and the process behind each police investigation during the two weeks the boys were missing.

Jeongin regularly donated his blood to the hospital according to his mother, Minhyuk worked at the church, but there had been... rumors that he was seeing a man while he attempted to become a priest, and Felix... the police had caught on at that point and tried desperately to find the foreigner, and they almost found him too. But then he showed up dead and that rocked the town to the very core because it finally began to set in what they were dealing with.

And that's when they called Jisung's boss and a few of them were sent out to the town to investigate the situation.

"I'm not sure. I tried to research it but absolutely nothing comes up about it. It must be a personal one, maybe a cult thing?" Jisung theorized and Hyunjin thought it over.

"Could be a possibility. Might be a human sacrifice type situation but that means there must be more than one murderer. Small towns like this are weird like that," Hyunjin weighed the options and the two let silence drape over them.

"I'll look into it. You should go back to the hotel soon, okay? It's already 11 at night," Jisung recommended and Hyunjin gasped in shock, cursing. "What? Got a hot date or something?" Jisung laughed, watching the elder pack up his things, but his laughing halted when Hyunjin froze. "Hyunjin, you bastard! Who is it?"

"It doesn't matter," Hyunjin squeaked, throwing his bag over his shoulder and going to leave but Jisung still continued talking to him.

"Are you seeing that butcher? Hyunjin, that's weird!" Jisung called out to him, "He kills animals all day!" All Jisung got in response was the slamming of the lab door and Hyunjin tried not to think about how Jisung was staring at the closed door too much. Hyunjin had been distant a little recently, he knew that, but Hyunjin felt like he was being pulled in so many directions and-

"Minho!" Hyunjin yelled out when he saw Minho walking away from the hotel entrance. The man whirled around, earrings shining in the moonlight but Hyunjin was bent over, panting heavily as his lungs felt like they were burning from the inside out and Hyunjin just barely registered Minho now standing in front of him. "I'm so sorry, I got caught up with work and-" Hyunjin cut himself off with a small gasp when Minho's large hand slipped up onto Hyunjin's cheek and stroked his thumb along Hyunjin's lips gently to shut him up. Hyunjin's heart started beating so fast at that moment.

"Okay, first of all, you need to breathe," Minho hummed in a teasing tone, resting his other hand on Hyunjin's chest right above his heart. "You're going to have a heart attack if you don't start breathing correctly. There's no need to be nervous," Minho soothed Hyunjin to the best of his ability.

But Hyunjin was a smitten little fucker. "It's hard not to be nervous around you," Hyunjin admitted shyly, and Minho laughed lowly in his throat as he leaned in to place a kiss on Hyunjin's forehead. Despite everything, Hyunjin relaxed into Minho's chest, and his heart slowly began to stop racing so quickly. "I didn't fuck it up did I? You'll still come inside?" Hyunjin whispered nervously.

He expected an answer, not what he received, but he wasn't complaining. Minho leaned his head around so his lips were right by Hyunjin's ear and Hyunjin's knees nearly gave out when the elder began to graze his teeth up and down the patch of skin directly underneath Hyunjin's ear. "I don't know... I told you to be in your room by 11 and you were half an hour late..." Minho purred.

"I'm sorry..."

Minho mockingly thought about it for a moment, weighing his options before he took Hyunjin's hands into his own and lead him into the hotel. "You can make it up to me, doll, and then I'll take care of you," Minho offered and Hyunjin lit up like a goddamn Christmas tree, taking the lead now and practically running to the elevator with Minho's hand wrapped in his own.

Minho simply allowed the scientist to pull him along, not resisting when Hyunjin turned to him the moment they unlocked his hotel room and jumped on Minho with his legs wrapped around his waist. Minho's thick arms slipped underneath Hyunjin's ass and connected their lips when the door slammed shut behind them. Hyunjin let out a giggle and shriek when Minho practically threw them both on the bed. They kissed feverishly, Hyunjin kicking off his shoes behind Minho's back and the elder's fingers gripping Hyunjin's collar as if he wished to rip it. "Rip my shirt, and I'll kill you."

Minho grunted in irritation, pulling away to look down at Hyunjin. Minho's hands worked quickly to remove Hyunjin's shirt but stopped when he saw a look in Hyunjin's eyes. A tired one, a vulnerable one. What changed? "Hey, what's wrong?" Minho inquired softly.

"Sorry... I just... "I'll kill you" the wrong choice of words," Hyunjin breathed out with shaky eyes, moving his hands up to his eyes to rub the sleep away with the heels of his palms. Minho sat down on the bed beside Hyunjin's thighs when the younger's legs dropped back down onto the bed. "This investigation is going to be the end of my career," Hyunjin grumbled, keeping his hands over his eyes.

Minho sighed, reaching over to peel Hyunjin's hands away from his eyes. "Breathe, doll. It'll be okay," Minho falsely reassured, pressing kisses to Hyunjin's knuckles to soothe him. "Don't think about work right now, alright? Just lay back and let me take care of you," Minho purred, slipping off of the bed and resting between Hyunjin's legs.

All Hyunjin could see was stars that night before his body finally gave out.

Hyunjin always expected to wake up alone, and the first time he didn't he wasn't quite sure how to feel. When Hyunjin rolled over to face the other side of the bed, eyes closed and hair a mess, he didn't expect to hear a soft snore beside him. He would have assumed it was Jisung if anyone, but Jisung didn't snore, and Hyunjin's eyes snapped open in fear. His heart thumped erratically in his chest, but he relaxed when he saw the familiar shirtless figure of Minho laying on his stomach and head buried into the pillow he cradled with his arms. Hyunjin smirked to himself when he could see scratches forming down Minho's exposed back, and couldn't resist climbing on top of him.

Minho grunted a bit at the sudden pressure but melted back into the mattress after a few moments. Since Hyunjin sat on Minho's butt, he pretty much had full access to Minho's back and Hyunjin didn't take it for granted either. He let his hands smooth over the full span of Minho's back, rubbing his muscles and tracing the scratches Hyunjin inflicted a few hours before. "I was hoping you'd be too sore to bother me this morning, but it looks like I didn't do my job correctly," Minho muttered suddenly, but Hyunjin just giggled and leaned down to feather kisses to Minho's shoulder blades.

"Don't mistake, everything hurts. I just couldn't resist," Hyunjin hummed, smiling into Minho's skin when the elder relaxed into the mattress completely. "You can go back to sleep. I'm going to go shower," Hyunjin breathed, climbing off of Minho and swinging his shaky legs around to the edge. However, he didn't get very far before Minho flipped over and grabbed Hyunjin's hips to drag him back. Hyunjin went back to straddling Minho's hips, hands now running up and down Minho's chest and stomach. "What part of I'm taking a shower did you not understand?"

"All of it," Minho muttered, tugging Hyunjin down by the necklace dangling above his heart, and Hyunjin purred the whole way. Hyunjin settled his head into Minho's chest, feet dangling off the bed as Minho's pressed against Hyunjin's calves, but Hyunjin didn't mind. Not when Minho held him so tightly and securely. Hyunjin had never felt so safe before in someone else's hands, and he didn't even know the man personally.

"I really need to take a shower. I feel disgusting," Minho lifted his head at that, a pout on his lips, and Hyunjin smacked him in the stomach, earning a grunt. "Not because of you! Calm down," Hyunjin grumbled, and Minho laughed, letting his head fall back onto the pillow. "Don't you have work?" Hyunjin lifted his head up, chin resting between Minho's pecs, and the elder groaned dramatically.

"The more you try to get rid of me, the longer I'm staying," Minho threatened, reaching a hand up to wave a finger in Hyunjin's face. The younger attempted to bite it playfully.

At that, Hyunjin moved himself up so his face hovered above Minho's, kissing him softly. "Then stay as long as you like, kitten," Hyunjin trailed off with a mischievous grin and Minho scoffed loudly.

"Smartass." Hyunjin let out a loud yelp when Minho suddenly sat up, hooked his arms underneath Hyunjin's butt, and carried them both into the bathroom, the sheets falling from their bodies gently and in a way that made Hyunjin shiver. "We're going to take a shower together then."

"If we're going to... I'd much rather take a bath," Hyunjin's head tilted toward the tub in the corner that looked big enough to fit the both of them with a bit of a squeeze, and Minho's eyebrows raised.

"I thought you wanted me to go to work? Wouldn't a bath be longer?" Minho attempted to outsmart the younger but Hyunjin just shot him the heavenly, wide smile that made his eyes lift up into crescents and Minho sighed. "Bath it is then..."

Minho heard no movement as he traveled down the metal stairs leading into the basement, not surprised in the slightest as Seungmin had been out since the night before when Minho began to cut into his knees to separate his legs from his thighs. Seungmin was still out, and Minho decided to check for a pulse to make sure he was still alive. He was, just barely there though. The boy had lost a lot of blood over the last few days and Minho didn't exactly give him any to make up for that.

Though, Minho was a bit surprised by Seungmin still being alive. The other three were dead before Minho even reached their legs. But yet, here was Seungmin, still hanging on by a simple, red thread. "Seungminnie... Seungminnie, wake up," Minho attempted to coax, leaning down so their faces hovered above one another and smoothing back Seungmin's bangs to reveal his bruised forehead, the cut healing poorly. Seungmin didn't respond. Not even his eyes flickered. Minho spoke to him a bit more, even tried slapping him, but Seungmin didn't respond to any of it.

It took a bucket of ice and water for Seungmin to snap his eyes open and bend at the waist, struggling against his restraints. Minho didn't say anything, watching the boy suffer as he tried to figure out where he was, but then Seungmin froze, eyes locked on his legs, or well, the lack thereof. His lower limbs stopped at the knee, the stubby ends wrapped up with bloody gauze, and Seungmin began to sob hysterically. Minho placed a hand on Seungmin's chest and slammed him back down on the table. "M-Minho-" Seungmin began to stammer out but Minho shushed him by placing a device against his lips that vaguely reminded Seungmin of a mixture between tongs and spoons, except they both had needles coming out of the middles.

"Be quiet, Seungminnie. You've been good so far, let's not start acting up so suddenly, yeah?" Minho hummed grinning evilly as he clamped his mouth over Seungmin's mouth. The last three always fought when Minho did this. They would bite and lick and do anything to get Minho's hand from his mouth but Seungmin didn't. Seungmin just laid there, eyes squeezed shut and milking salty tears that ended up falling on the edges of Minho's hands. "I should have taken your eyes before I took your legs... You've been good to me so I should have at least spared you from having to see everything," Minho hummed in thought, tapping the device against Seungmin's lips some more. "Would you have rather me done that?"

Seungmin's bottom lip wobbled as Minho carefully removed his hand from Seungmin's mouth. "Yes..." Seungmin whimpered, staring up at Minho fright and the elder smirked, laughing a bit through his nose. Seungmin tried to remind himself that the man stroking his hair would also end up being his killer, but in a time like this... when Seungmin was so broken and vulnerable... he could barely comprehend anything at all. His brain didn't tick how it normally should. "P-Please. Just kill me, Minho. Why are you dragging this out-" Minho placed his hand back over Seungmin's mouth when the younger began to grow distressed, smiling with an empty gleam in his eyes when Seungmin whimpered.

"Settle down now... I strongly believe in the fact that you should go on your own time," Minho scolded, "Well... aside from a little nudge. Your body will give out with time," Minho predicted and all Seungmin could do was stare up at Minho in fright. "Now. Be quiet. This will hurt a whole lot."

Minho took the device he held and neared it toward Seungmin's left eye after he stuffed the rag back into Seungmin's mouth. However, when Minho neared the tool toward Seungmin's eye, the boy snapped them shut with a distressed expression. Minho huffed in irritation, trying again when Seungmin opened his eyes again but it only ended the same way. "Seungmin, If you don't keep your eyes open, I'll tear your eyelids out with them," Minho growled, satisfied when Seungmin gulped And kept his eyes open.

Seungmin let out a loud scream when the needles pierced both sides of his eyes, pleading for Minho to stop before the elder tugged. It took more than a tug though, and Seungmin's left eye lifted from his socket with a crack and a wet crunch. The only way the eye was still attached to Seungmin was through the optic nerve Minho would soon replace with a red thread. Minho carefully grabbed for the pair of metal scissors and cut the nerve, fully releasing the eye from Seungmin's skull. "One down. One more to go," Minho hummed dropping the eye into a metal pan next to Seungmin's heaving chest.

Seungmin dry heaved into the cloth in his mouth, choking on his spit and vomit and his other eye squeezed shut. Every time Minho told him to open up, Seungmin squeezed them tighter and furiously shook his head. Minho sighed, smoothing back Seungmin's hair again.

"Why are you fighting this, Minnie? You know you won't survive through the week... why are you dragging this out? Making it harder than it needs to be?" The more Minho spoke, the more he manipulated, Seungmin's eye began to slowly peel open and Minho grinned. "Good boy," Minho praised, And with a quick movement, he jabbed the device toward Seungmin's face and pierced the other eye without hesitation. Seungmin let out another blood-curdling scream, his stomach dropping when Minho snipped the nerve hanging on.

Minho was rather unsurprised when Seungmin finally passed out, and he wasn't against it. It was less work for him. Less squirming, and quieter.

Minho worked diligently, taking out a blow torch and scorching the internal of Seungmin's eye sockets to halt the bleeding, and then doing the same for the eyes. Soon, the needle and thread came out and Minho attached the burnt eyes back to Seungmin's head and let them drop along his cheekbones. "Beautiful..." Minho admired. "Not much longer, doll, not much longer at all."

"Afternoon, Chief," Hyunjin greeted when he entered the detectives' room, Jisung and a few others hovered around a board as the chief sat back and watched them talk it out. "Anything On Kim?" A few days ago, Kim Seungmin disappeared in the middle of the day, and his mother didn't report it until yesterday, and they were all freaking out in hopes of finding him.

"Nothing. We've tried to check the tapes but he doesn't show up on any of them. There are time skips so it's definitely someone who has easy access to the police tapes," one of the detectives, Eric, Hyunjin thinks, informs them and Hyunjin nodded slowly. "We're going to partner up today and follow through with some leads."

"You And Han are together. I want you to start with the mother and find out where he went. Eric and Rose are going to follow up on the ancient language lead," their captain quickly interjected and Hyunjin nodded in understanding. The rest of the detectives all got up at once, Hyunjin and Jisung meeting in the middle of the room awkwardly. A weird air lingered around them ever since Hyunjin left the lab in a hurry that one night and Hyunjin couldn't figure out why Jisung couldn't look him in the eye anymore.

"Let's get going. We can't waste any more time than we already have," Jisung muttered, pushing past Hyunjin to approach the front entrance and Hyunjin watched him leave for a few seconds before he rushed after him. "She lives not too far from here luckily, but something tells me this will only end up as a wild goose chase," Jisung informed, flipping through the file in his hand, tensing up when Hyunjin's chin hooked over his shoulder to look at the file himself.

"Will she even be home right now? Do we need to check where she works?" Hyunjin questioned out of concern and Jisung simply shook his head.

"She took the next week off out of devastation. If she's out of the house, she's either at the bar drinking her sorrows away or at the market getting food, but I highly doubt either of those scenarios," Jisung corrected him and Hyunjin slowly nodded.

"Let's get going then," Hyunjin sighed, and the two made their way toward the apartment buildings where Seungmin and his mother have lived for the last few years. It took them a bit to actually find the apartments as the system was rather confusing, but finally, they knocked on a door, and a woman with tissues in her hands, messy hair, and red swollen eyes answered the door, only opening it just a crack to reveal half of her face. "Mrs. Kim?" Hyunjin questioned carefully and the woman slowly nodded. Jisung and Hyunjin held up both of their badges, "We're with the police and carrying out the investigation concerning your son's disappearance. You mind if we come in and ask a few questions?"

The woman sniffled once, and then nodded her head slowly, eyes focused on the ground as she opened the door. The first thing the two smelled was cigarette smoke, and it hit them like a fucking train. "I apologize for the smell. When I'm stressed, I smoke," The woman croaked, sitting down on her couch and motioning for them to sit down in the chairs. "What do you need to know? I want to help in every way I can."

"We appreciate that Ma'am," Jisung nodded his head politely. "Can you tell us about what you knew about your son the day he left? Did he say where he was going or anyone he was meeting up with?" Jisung opened up his notepad and took out a pen to write down anything necessary.

"He...He..." the woman started, her eyes squeezing shut.

"Take your time ma'am," Hyunjin uttered softly, taking her hand into his own to provide some comfort. She squeezed his fingers so tightly he began to lose feeling in his nerves.

"One of the previous boys... Jeongin was his name... the two were best friends. But before Jeongin disappeared, they used to hang out every Sunday, and that's the only time Seungmin would ever leave the house after Jeongin died. He disappeared on a Sunday..." The woman sniffled and Hyunjin and Jisung shared a look.

"What would they do on Sundays, Mrs. Kim?" Jisung carefully questioned, not wanting to upset her but praying to God that she knew what they did on Sundays.

"They normally went out for breakfast at the Hwanyeo Sashimi restaurant down the road, they'd go see a movie, and then walk around the docs before heading to the park to play baseball... Minnie loved baseball..." The woman whimpered lowly and the two detectives stared at her sadly.

"Which cinema would they go to?"

"The Lotte Cinema I believe. That's where everyone goes," Mrs. Kim sniffled.

"And the park?"

"They actually went to a beach. Chilpo beach. Seungmin always came home with sand in his hair and gushing about how good the waves were that afternoon," The woman explained, looking more and more distraught as she spoke. "Please bring my boy home..." She whimpered.

"We'll try our best, Mrs. Kim. Thank you for answering our questions," Hyunjin hushed, bringing her into a comforting hug as Jisung finished writing everything down. The two left after that, solemn but hopeful that they might be able to find the boy before it was too late.

If only Hyunjin knew.

They tried every single one of those places, asked the people working there if they saw him (they did) asked if anything seemed abnormal and they simply shook their heads and shooed the detectives off to the next destination. They really only gained some friction when they reached the beach and asked one of the lifeguards if they saw him. "Oh! Seungmin! Yeah, he was here that day. He was holding flowers and staring out at the ocean like he's always done since his friend passed. I'm not sure where he goes though, because Seungmin just kind of disappears when I look away and turn back toward him," The lifeguard informed, worry evident on her face. "I knew him growing up, and he was insanely quiet and a lot of kids picked on him because of it but he was really nice and friendly to everyone when he could. He's a good guy, he doesn't deserve this..."

"We're trying our best to bring him back, miss. Thank you for answering our questions," Jisung bowed his head respectively as Hyunjin began to think.

"Do you know what cemetery Yang Jeongin was buried in?" Hyunjin inquired suddenly, causing both the lifeguard and detective to freeze at the intensity of his tone. Jisung just stared at him with a scowl, "Jisung, it makes sense. Why else would he get flowers on the day he and his best friend hang out all the time?" Hyunjin hissed and Jisugn sighed, rubbing at his eyes.

"I don't mind pointing you in the general direction. I don't remember what the cemetery is called though," The lifeguard offered with a frown and the two detectives nodded. As soon as they knew where they were going, they headed off, and it didn't take long for them to find the graves of two of the boys (Felix's remains were sent back to Australia after the lab team investigated them) because of the excessive amounts of pictures, flowers, and candles surrounding them. Hyunjin felt his blood run cold when he saw blood on the head of Jeongin's tombstone.

"Jisung..." Hyunjin whispered, pointing frantically in the direction of the blood and Jisung froze. The two began to get out their DNA kits, sampling the blood despite it being dry, and much to their delights, they found hair that didn't seem to belong to the victim and Hyunjin nearly cried out in relief. "Get these back to the lab immediately okay? I need to go do something," Hyunjin shooed Jisung off, not liking the weird look Jisung gave him before running off.

Hyunjin knew it was odd for him to send Jisung back to Hyunjin's lab, but Hyunjin felt like his head was spinning and he needed to see someone who could calm him down. "Minho?" Hyunjin called out gently as soon as he entered the butcher shop, rocking on the balls of his feet anxiously when he didn't see Minho behind the counter. However, it didn't take long for Minho to come out from the back, gloves on his hands covered in blood, a knife in hand, and sweaty by all means. The sight made Hyunjin gulp just a bit because Jesus that truly wasn't a pretty thing to look at.

"Oh, hey doll, what's up?" Minho questioned, holding the door open with his elbow and panting a bit. Hyunjin shied away a bit and rubbed at the back of his head.

"Just didn't know if you were free or not to just chat... But I can see your busy and I'll just go-" Hyunjin started, but Minho quickly cut him off with a bright, beaming smile.

"Why don't you go hang out in my office while I clean up? I'll be there in a minute and then we can talk," Minho offered and Hyunjin gulped and nodded, thanking Minho quietly before scurrying off. Minho knew Hyunjin hated small spaces and yet...

"Jesus..." Hyunjin muttered under his breath when he saw that Minho had pulled all the blinds closed, making the dark room seem somehow even darker and Hyunjin felt like he was being suffocated.

Now... Hyunjin was observant in his own right, so no one can really blame him for noticing things no one else would, but he saw it as a curse really, but more for a personal reason than anything. Why? Because on the shelf in the back of the room sat a book, but it wasn't just any book.

It was an Akkadian translation book, thick and worn, and Hyunjin's heart dropped to his stomach. There's no way. There's no way Minho is the killer. It's just some crazy coincidence, right? It has to be a coincidence.

But it wasn't. Hyunjin knew that the moment he decided to take a peep and carefully grab the book to study it because in the middle were four taken pictures, one for each victim including Seungmin and Hyunjin's heart felt like it was going to shatter. No, no, no. Hyunjin inspected the book, even more, feeling like he was going to burst into tears of both despair and anger when he saw highlighted words and phrases that matched the ones on the bones. Hyunjin carefully looked around, the book still in his hands and when his gaze latched onto the closet in the corner with an array of boxes pulled out, Hyunjin put the book back.

When Hyunjin approached the closet, he originally bent down to nose through the boxes as quietly as possible, but his eyes fell onto a crack in the wall, perfectly straight, and he let his fingers run across the crack until he reached a number panel, and that's...

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

Is that where he's keeping them?

Hyunjin pulled out his phone, not calling Jisung, but instead texting him to not arouse suspicion.

Jinnie: I need a search warrant for Lee Minho's Butcher shop.

Jinnie: Now.

Sungie: What?

Sungie: Where is this coming from?

Sungie: I'll need evidence before I can ask...

Jinnie: Get me my fucking search warrant, Jisung. I found some incriminating shit.

Jinnie: No time for questions. Just please do this for me before it's too late.

Hyunjin hurriedly shoved his phone back into his pocket, steadied his breathing, and acted as if he were pushing the boxes back into the closet when he heard footsteps approach the office. "Doll? Why are you on the floor?" Minho hummed in amusement when he entered and his eyes landed on Hyunjin kneeled on the ground.

"Your office is a mess. How can you just leave boxes out and about? You might trip and get hurt," Hyunjin scoffed, playing it cool to the best of his ability despite how fast his heart was beating at the time and how much he was practically begging to throw up. Minho laughed a bit, lending out a large hand for Hyunjin and the detective took it with hesitance. He couldn't act weird around him right now. Not before he could find Seungmin.

"Well... thank you for cleaning up, doll. Even if it was a bit unnecessary," Minho hummed, letting his hand slip out of Hyunjin's to approach the small mini-fridge in the back. "You want some Soju?" Minho offered, offering him a clear bottle of alcohol in hopes of him taking it and Hyunjin decided to take it. He needed it. Minho watched with false concern when Hyunjin downed a third of it in one go and the man looked like he was on the verge of tears. "What's wrong, doll?" Minho inquired quietly, motioning for the younger to come closer.

Hyunjin knew that if he remained distant right now, Minho would grow suspicious because Hyunjin was always clingy. Hyunjin knew Minho knew that too. So, he approached the elder and slipped into his arms, resting his head on Minho's chest and feeling entirely hollow. All Hyunjin could think about was the fact that the hands running up and down his back were the hands that belonged to a potential murderer, and he hated it. Hyunjin took in a shaky breath. "We're just... not finding anything right now. We have no idea what's happened to Seungmin and I'm starting to grow scared we won't find him in time," Hyunjin whimpered, nails digging painfully into Minho's lower back and Minho hummed in understanding.

"You'll find him, doll... and if he does end up dying, at least that's more evidence that could lead you toward the murderer right?" Minho hushed, pulling back to run his fingers through Hyunjin's hair as he looked at him and Hyunjin prayed to the gods above that Minho couldn't see the disgust on his face. Who says that?

A murderer, Hyunjin. Someone who kills and is hoping that he can go through with the murder before they even find the boy.

Hyunjin allowed Minho to lift him up and set him on the somewhat empty desk, crushing some papers unfortunately along the way, and press kisses into Hyunjin's neck. "I know you're worried, but you need to relax..." Minho mouthed against Hyunjin's ear, his palms running up and down the span of Hyunjin's thighs and Hyunjin hated it.

But he had to act normal. So, Hyunjin gave in.

"Yeah..."

"Evening, Seungminnie..." Minho called out as he entered the basement, going for the corner instead of straight to Seungmin who he strapped to a metal chair earlier that morning before he opened up the shop. Minho hummed happily as he placed a record on the record player in the corner of the room, classical music coming out in soothing waves but Minho swore it just made Seungmin more anxious. The boy began to squirm, moaning and groaning and trying his best to move his stubs for legs and arms, all cut off at the joint.

How was he not dead yet?

Minho wondered if Seungmin's willingness to die was what kept him alive. As if it were some cruel trick fate played on him that took over the much bigger picture.

"How are we doing today, doll? Any closer to the end?" Minho singsonged, placing his bag on the table by the wall and walking over to Seungmin to grab his face and tilt it back and forth. Puss and wet blood were beginning to ooze out through the pours in Seungmin's burnt eyes from infection. It made Minho grin widely.

Seungmin just groaned, not truly able to speak due to the fact that he was so out of it at the time.

"Ah well, I'm sure you won't be around much longer. Let's get on with this shall we?" Minho grinned evilly, taking the arms of the chair Seungmin was strapped to and pulling him into the direct circle of light in the middle of the room. Seungmin whimpered, practically melting into Minho's hand when the elder cupped his cheek. Seungmin needed warmth. He needed comfort, he needed warmth, and he'd take it from his torturer himself if Seungmin had to. "Oh, doll... Just give in already," Minho whispered, running his thumb over Seungmin's bottom lip as it began to tremble.

Seungmin simply whimpered.

"Oh well... have it your way then," Minho tutted, "Now, open wide. It's time for the last step before I take your life." Seungmin's mouth was forced open by metal clamps that covered his cheeks and dug into his gums painfully. Seungmin whimpered, and if he could cry, he probably wouldn't have stopped ever since he lost his legs, but now that his eyes were gone... all he got was puss and blood instead.

The worst part of it all was that all Seungmin could see was the decapitated head of his best friend. No teeth, eyes hanging by a thin red thread, and tongue hanging out past his tortured gums. That's all Seungmin could see in his mind every time Minho pulled a tooth and it clinked against a metal tray as Minho hummed along to the music, sometimes dancing slowly as well.

Minho liked collecting the teeth. In fact, he kept them in their own little clear boxes, labeled with every single known fact about the victim, and placed them in his little trophy case he kept in the corner of the room. This was always Minho's favorite part. "You still with me, Seungminnie? These teeth are popping right out," Minho patted Seungmin's cheek to get his attention after he finished the bottom row and Seungmin just slowly moved his jaw up and down, opening and closing his eyes.

Minho didn't like that he couldn't get proper reactions out of Seungmin anymore. He was so out of it from the shock and pain coursing through his body, and almost all forms of communication being cut off... literally, that he couldn't even express himself properly anymore. Minho didn't see the point in keeping him alive anymore if Seungmin was no fun to play with at this point.

"You're no fun anymore..." Minho pouted and continued to rip out the remaining teeth, leaving the boy there once he managed to get them all into the tray and could properly wash them off.

Everything happened so quickly that evening. One minute Minho was hovering over the sink, washing the teeth so they were free of blood, and then the next minute he was backed into that sink, the teeth scattered about as the water ran heavily from the faucet, and the barrel of the gun pressed into his face. "Police! Freeze!"

Hyunjin could barely wrap his head around the sight. The basement looked like it was straight out of a horror movie and he felt like crying when he saw Seungmin whining and squirming in the corner, somehow still alive despite losing almost everything to this monster in front of Hyunjin. Minho took that moment that Hyunjin was distracted to charge after him but Hyunjin was quick and slammed the pistol into Minho's temple to knock him to the ground.

"Don't move!" Hyunjin yelled, looking rather delirious if Minho were honest and he could use that to his advantage. "Seungmin! Can you understand me?" Seungmin shallowly nodded his head and Hyunjin truly felt like crying at the sight of him. This boy just lost everything about his life and... "You're a fucking monster..." Hyunjin whispered to the man on the ground in front of him and Minho stared up at him blankly, a single hand up in the air as if he were surrendering.

"Now, now, let's not go waving that gun around," Minho laughed, not even nervous by this situation. Hyunjin didn't like that, and he especially didn't like it when Minho slowly lifted himself up to stand. Yet, Hyunjin did nothing about it. He just stood there and pointed the gun straight at Minho with a tremble in his lips. There was a monster in front of him and Hyunjin couldn't fucking shoot him? What was wrong with him?

Minho took careful steps toward Hyunjin, and Hyunjin knew he should have shot the elder. Should have shot him and took Seungmin up the stairs while he called for backup, but Hyunjin let Minho take the barrel of the gun and slowly remove it from Hyunjin's hands. "M-Minho..." Hyunjin stuttered but Minho just placed his hand on Hyunjin's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

Minho had always been good at manipulation, and Hyunjin had always been easy to manipulate. Minho had Hyunjin right where he wanted him.

Blind and unsure.

It took a second of blindness for Minho to place Hyunjin in a chokehold with the gun pressed into the younger's temple, finger on the trigger, and lips right by Hyunjin's ear. "Now here's how this is going to go," Minho's tone became so cold it sent a chill down Hyunjin's spine, and Jesus, he really was going to cry now. "You're going to take this gun, and shoot Seungmin in the head." What? "Look at him, Hyunjin, he's miserable." Minho was right. Seungmin would never be able to live his life normally if he didn't die. He had no sight, he couldn't even close his mouth as his tongue snaked in and out to run over his gums. It was haunting. Seungmin wasn't even recognizable anymore.

"What did you do..." Hyunjin whimpered.

"The same thing I'll do to you if you don't comply, doll," Minho hissed into Hyunjin's ear, the detective flinching when the gun pressed a little more harshly into his temple and Minho's hand curled around his throat. "He was so willing to die that fate noticed and decided to play a cruel, cruel joke on him and made his life last the longest. The last three died before I could even get to their eyes, and yet here he is..." Minho whispered, and Hyunjin whimpered again. No, no, no. "Put him out of his misery, doll."

It was as if a spell took over Hyunjin when Minho slowly lowered the gun down for Hyunjin to take. The younger weighed it in his hands for a moment before shakily raising it up so the barrel faced Seungmin's squirming form on the other side of the room, groaning and what Hyunjin could only assume, begging, and Hyunjin felt the tears track down his cheeks as he readied his aim.

The gunshot was deafening as it followed with a bang of metal against concrete, Seungmin being knocked back onto the ground due to the power of the bullet and the instability of the chair, and Hyunjin couldn't stop trembling like a damn leaf. What had he done? Minho slowly lowered them both to the ground, keeping his arms around the detective tightly to keep him both secure and in control. Minho didn't stop there though, digging around in Hyunjin's pockets until he found his phone and digging it out to place in Hyunjin's lap.

"Now... tell him that it was a false alarm, to call back any backup, and to not wait up. Tell him I'm angry and don't plan on letting you go for the rest of the night," Minho ordered, and Hyunjin knew he was being sexual at the end, but it made him cry a little harder at the implications that Minho might hurt him. It seemed Minho realized that too. "Do everything I say, and nothing will happen to you. You and your friend will be safe. I swear that." And Minho didn't swear lightly. Hyunjin nodded, swallowing roughly and shakily typing out the message in front of Minho so he didn't think Hyunjin was being suspicious. Hyunjin even turned his phone off when Jisung tried to call him afterward.

Hyunjin fell limp like a puppet when Minho got up off of the ground to pick Hyunjin up bridal style and carry him up the stairs to the main shop and then up another set of stairs to the apartment Minho lived in above the shop. Hyunjin didn't look around as Minho carried him around, too invested in his own head and what was going on to really study the environment around him. The next thing Hyunjin knew, he was being lowered down into a soft bed, his shoes taken off and his pants slowly shimmed down his legs. When Minho leaned down to kiss him, Hyunjin turned his head away with a whine. "Please don't."

Minho just stared at him from above, sighing a bit before he gripped Hyunjin with such ferocity that Hyunjin let out a yelp. "Do you remember what I said?" Minho tutted and Hyunjin stared up at him with wide eyes and trembling lips. "What did I say, doll?" Hyunjin used to like that pet name, but now that's exactly what he was.

A doll. "To do what you said and I won't get hurt..." Hyunjin whispered against Minho's lips and the elder hummed in confirmation. With reluctance, Hyunjin allowed Minho to dip down and lock their lips together, moving slowly as an uncomfortable amount of breath filled in the gaps. "Kitten..." Hyunjin croaked, suddenly vulnerable and scared of what was to come. Minho was his source of comfort before, and Hyunjin had a bad habit of going back to what made him comfortable in a time of distress, even if it would end up hurting him in the end.

"Shush now, doll. I've got to go clean up our mess. I'll be back," Minho shushed, lifting himself up and off of Hyunjin to leave the room. The detective curled back in on himself, hugging his knees to his chest and sobbing hysterically because all he could think about was what he did and how it was now their mess. Not just Minho's anymore. Hyunjin was apart of this now. He killed an innocent boy not even half an hour ago.

Fuck, what has Hyunjin done?

Imagine waking up in the morning and the first thing you can think about is the memory of you killing someone the night before. Imagine waking up in the morning and the first thing you hear is the gunshot inside your head before you hear the silence of the apartment around you. Imagine waking up in the morning and you're in the bed and clothes of a murderer you helped just the night before.

Imagine waking up in the morning with such a heavyweight on your shoulders that you can't even bring yourself to move. Hyunjin felt chained to bed that morning, staring out the window with an empty gaze, and didn't even flinch when the door creaked open revealing Minho in a butcher's apron and a plate of food in hand. "Morning, doll," Minho chimed as if nothing had happened the night before. Hyunjin winced internally when he heard the porcelain clang against the nightstand and only curled in further on himself. "You wanna sit up for me?"

Hyunjin almost said no, but before he could get the word out he remembered what Minho uttered the night before and slowly uncurled himself to sit up. Minho reached behind him to grab for the spare pillows and position them where Hyunjin only had to lean back a bit before he was met with a cushioned surface. Hyunjin couldn't help but wonder how he had gotten himself into this mess.

They hadn't even known each other for that long. They went on two dates and they were more of a casual hookup relationship if Hyunjin were to truly look at it, but yet here he was... In the bed of a murderer that made Hyunjin into a murderer because Hyunjin's dumb heart kept him from just arresting Minho and saving Seungmin. Hyunjin wondered if Minho wanted him to find all of this. He wondered if Minho had planned this from the very beginning. Hyunjin slowly began to realize that maybe last night wasn't the trap he fell into, but the first time they hooked up was the trap.

It was too late for Hyunjin. He needed to accept that. "Alright, come on, doll, bring your head back down from the clouds," Minho coaxed with a soft tone and a laugh, Hyunjin's lips wobbling a bit at that. Now was not the time to cry, Hyunjin. He probably wasn't even truly making fun of you. "You think too much. Eat your food. You need energy," Minho hummed, placing the plate of food in Hyunjin's lap. Hyunjin wondered if it was poison.

"It's not poison is it?" It just kind of slipped out of his mouth before Hyunjin could really think about it, but once he realized, his eyes opened wide and he began to ramble out of complete and utter fear. "I'm so sorry- I didn't mean to imply that- I didn't want to make you angry- please don't hurt me!" Hyunjin gasped, on the verge of tears and Minho just stared in shock, not expecting the man to act like this.

Minho slowly grabbed for the chopsticks on the plate and took some of the eggs and ramen into his mouth, chewing in front of him and not daring to look away from Hyunjin. The younger whimpered when Minho placed the chopsticks down and reached up with one hand to stroke Hyunjin's jaw as he stood up from where he was squatted down. "Eat your food. I slaved over it," Minho huffed and left the room. All Hyunjin could do was stare after him.

Hyunjin sat there for a while, pushing the food around before he finally took some into his mouth, stomach grumbling at the much-needed substance, but Hyunjin felt like he was going to be sick. However, he finished the whole plate in fear of pissing off the elder, no matter how much his stomach churned. Afterward, Hyunjin sunk down into the bed, laying in a rather weird and uncomfortable position, but it was the only one that didn't make him feel like he was going to hurl.

It wasn't long after that Minho came waltzing back in with a large cantine of water but stopped when he saw Hyunjin's legs up against the wall where his head should be, and his knees bent so far up they dug into his chest. Hyunjin didn't even look at the elder, arm thrown over his eyes to block out the sun. "Can I ask why you're sitting like that?" Minho mused and a cold chill ran up and down Hyunjin's spine at it. How could he act so casual?

"Don't feel good," Hyunjin mumbled out shortly, lips barely even moving and he half expected Minho to be agitated but the elder frowned at him.

"Was it the food?"

"I just can't stomach anything right now," Hyunjin shyly admitted, his other hand coming down to softly rub against his stomach for emphasis. Minho cocked his head to the side and then toward the empty plate of food on the nightstand. Hyunjin tensed Up So harshly when Minho approached him that he was scared his body might cramp up.

"You didn't have to eat all of it," Minho tutted as he sat down on the edge of the bed, reaching a hand out to rest on Hyunjin's stomach and Hyunjin began to breathe heavily at the idea that Minho could just... make Hyunjin hurt by just this position alone. Minho could easily slam his hand into Hyunjin's stomach and make the man throw up, and that was a terrifying thought to him. Especially when Minho began to knead Hyunjin's stomach.

"Didn't want to make you angry," Hyunjin breathed, gulping and hovering one of his hands over Minho's and staring at them in fear. Minho acted as if he didn't notice and just kept kneading the organ. Hyunjin couldn't deny it made him feel better.

"I'm going to be angrier if you throw up," Minho huffed And Hyunjin's stomach began to swirl with a heavy feeling that Hyunjin couldn't quite describe. Guilt? Anxiety? Fear? Probably all of them combined, and Hyunjin felt like he was on the verge of tears again. "Hey now, don't cry, doll," Minho broke through Hyunjin's thoughts to reach a hand up and wipe away a stray tear streaking down Hyunjin's cheek. Hyunjin began to tremble lightly, it only got worse when Minho laid down next to him and cuddled Hyunjin close to his chest. "Stop worrying so much. Everything is going to be okay," Minho whispered in Hyunjin's ear, caging the younger in so he couldn't move. "As long as you don't blab. We'll both be okay."

Hyunjin was quiet for a moment, but then he remembered the evidence they found yesterday and snapped up, escaping Minho's grasp. "I need to go to work," Hyunjin gasped, swinging his legs around much to his stomach's disapproval.

"Doll..." Minho trailed off with a warning but Hyunjin turned back to him with wide, panicked eyes.

"They found evidence at the grave yesterday. I need to make sure the record knows that isn't your hair," Hyunjin panicked, but not for the reason you might think. Hyunjin was selfish, and he tried to combat that with his job, but now all he could think about was not saving Minho's ass, but his own. Sure, Minho could get arrested, but he could also spill Hyunjin's involvement.

There was a way lawyers could swing it in a way that Minho was to blame for Hyunjin's involvement and the man was simply manipulated, but that was rare and Hyunjin couldn't take that chance. "Alright... Just remember doll. I'll know sooner than anyone if you open that pretty mouth of yours," Minho tapped his finger against Hyunjin's plush lips with a small, evil smile. Hyunjin wondered if there was a mole in the police station, but then he realized that it didn't matter anymore. Hyunjin was the mole now. "I'll let you borrow some clothes. I think I should have some things that fit..."

Hyunjin felt icky the whole way he walked to the police station. He didn't want to wear Minho's clothes, and he especially didn't want to feel like everyone was staring at him knowingly, as if they knew exactly what he did last night. Hyunjin hated that feeling, and it only got worse the moment he entered the station. It felt like he was being suffocated by the guilt in his heart.

Hyunjin tried his best to dodge anyone and everyone that morning, and luckily, fate was on his side and Hyunjin managed to make it to the lab before anyone else got there and could see the finished results. Hyunjin felt his blood run cold when Minho's name popped up.

Almost as if on cue, knocks came at the door and Hyunjin quickly got rid of the evidence, heart pumping wildly in his chest as Jisung peeped his head in. "Morning, Jinnie..." Jisung trailed off carefully as if he were ready to ask Hyunjin so many questions and it made the elder queezy. "You want to tell me about last night?" Jisung questioned as soon as he lowered himself down in the chair beside Hyunjin.

"It's exactly what I said it was. False alarm. I'm willing to take the penalty for it," Hyunjin muttered, writing down information from earlier leads. Jisung stared at him, seeing if he was ready to crack and say what was really wrong but Hyunjin kept quiet.

"You said he was angry..."

"Yeah... I mean you can't blame him. I asked for a warrant in his shop. But... it ended quite well." As if. "He kind of makes me feel like a caged animal under his control when he's in a mood like that," Hyunjin giggled, hoping, no, praying that Jisung would see his nervousness, take his statement out of context and overthink it, but no. Jisung just snarled his nose up in disgust.

"I do not want to know what kind of kinks you have," Jisung waved him off, gagging a bit. "Did you get the results back from the DNA test?"

Hyunjin gulped. "No... I don't know what's going on with the machine today but it's taking longer than usual." Jisung groaned.

"We don't have time for a machine malfunction. I'm gonna send this down to the police station in the city over-"

"Wait!" Hyunjin yelped, laughing nervously when Jisung turned back to him in confusion. "It's not going to take much longer. It'll take two days for you to get it there, they test it, and then bring it back. We can't afford that kind of time. Just be patient," Hyunjin tutted, and Jisung slumped. "Do we have any other leads?"

"The Akkadian language lead was a no go. No one knows anybody who would know that language and we can't just start scavenging people's homes," Jisung sighed, running a hand through his hair. I'm so sorry, Jisung. "I should go. You have a lot to do and I need to go stare at files until I can find a connection," Jisung lifted himself up from the chair and left, and Hyunjin was left sitting in the chair, ready to cry his eyes out and praying that the next few hours would go smoothly.

Hyunjin rushed toward the butcher shop as quickly as he could, stripping himself of his work jacket and badge before stepping foot inside only to see the whole place full of customers and Minho looking rather stressed. "Hyunjin! Mind helping me out?" Minho called out with a tone his captain often used with him when Hyunjin didn't have a choice in the matter. Hyunjin quickly rounded the counter, dropping his stuff on the table behind them and stepping up to help the next customer. Hyunjin was never good at retail, but he could see Minho appreciated the help.

Soon, the place calmed down considerably, enough for Minho and Hyunjin to escape into Minho's office. Oddly enough, the elder didn't even get to open his mouth before Hyunjin started speaking. "We need a plan," Hyunjin quipped and Minho's eyebrows raised.

"A plan?" Minho questioned and Hyunjin huffed.

"The hair they found at the grave was yours. I can't keep pushing off the results either. So we need a plan," Hyunjin crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm not protecting you, I'm protecting me in case that wasn't clear," Hyunjin suddenly remarked but gasped when a hand clasped around his throat and Minho shoved his face into the side of Hyunjin's head.

"I think you've forgotten who you're talking to here, doll. I could kill you right here, right now," Minho snarled but froze when he felt something cold against his stomach and the grinding of metal against metal.

"And I think you forget I can too," Hyunjin smiled a sickeningly sweet smile, Minho slowly backing away with his hands in the air. "Hell, why shouldn't I shoot you right now?" Hyunjin scoffed.

"Because there are 30 people in this building alone. You'll be incarcerated before you can even blink if you pull that trigger. You'll be the bad guy, not me." it wasn't true, but Hyunjin wasn't always the smartest one out there when it involved common sense and someone he fell for within a blink of an eye. Minho laughed softly, turning around to grab something from his desk and the Akkadian language book Hyunjin had found the day before. He slowly handed the two things to Hyunjin, the picture one of a man with raven hair, a scar down his cheek start from the bottom of his eye, and an empty gleam in his eyes. He looked young. "Seo Changbin. Place this in his home and grab a hair from his brush. Replace the hairs and that should be the last of the evidence needed against him."

"The last?" Hyunjin quirked an eyebrow up.

"I've been doing this a long time, doll. I know how this works. Now go," Minho ordered, and Hyunjin gulped, nodding his head and leaving the room. However, before he left, he popped his head back in to look at Minho.

"Get rid of the stuff downstairs. This could go wrong, very very quickly," Hyunjin warned and Minho nodded and sighed.

"I'll take care of it tonight. Now go," Minho shooed him away and Hyunjin stuffed the book into the internal pocket in his jacket once he put it back on and left the shop.

Seo Changbin lived in a small shack by the beach. He worked at the port every day from 6 am to 6 pm, and then came home and didn't leave until it was time for work the next day. Hyunjin tried his best to read up on him as best he could as he headed over to his house, but he didn't get to the incriminating stuff before he reached Changbin's door. It didn't matter anymore though, because Hyunjin knocked without thinking and a short buff man entered the door with a confused gaze. "Afternoon, Mr. Seo," Hyunjin bowed his head respectively.

"Evening, detective..." Changbin trailed off carefully, opening the door a bit wider to reveal his full body. "What can I help you with?" He sounded exhausted as if he were expecting the detectives to show up because everyone else has. Hyunjin felt bad, but he needed to do this.

He had to do this. "I was hoping I could come inside and ask a few questions about the current murder investigation," Hyunjin grinned softly, but Changbin just sighed and rubbed at his nose.

"Come on in," Changbin croaked, opening the door wide enough to let Hyunjin through and the detective stepped inside. "Wait here. I need to grab my dinner and then we can talk," Changbin motioned to where there were two chairs, a TV, and a futon in the corner. He didn't have much due to space, but Changbin seemed hygienic enough. The man seemed like he had his shit together. Hyunjin slowly lowered himself down into one of the chairs and waited patiently for Changbin to come back. It didn't take long, and Hyunjin felt even worse when Changbin curled up in the other chair and Hyunjin noticed the picture of a little girl on the table next to him. "Let's get this over with."

"Can I get your full name and age for the record?" Hyunjin questioned, pulling out a recorder and placing it on the table. Changbin took in a deep sigh.

"Seo Changbin, 25," Changbin stated loud and clear and Hyunjin gulped before taking in a shaky breath. He hated this. He hated everything about this.

"Did you know any of the victims?" Hyunjin started with, looking at Changbin expectantly.

"No. I remember seeing Jeongin on the ports walking with one of his friends on Sundays but that's the only time I ever saw one of them," Changbin explained quietly, and Hyunjin dug around in his pocket before pulling out the picture of Seungmin he kept. "Yeah, that was him. He's gone missing right? I vaguely remember hearing that at the docks the other day..." Changbin murmured, lips pouted and eyebrows furrowed in confusion when Hyunjin showed him the picture.

"Yes. He went missing a few days ago," Hyunjin explained and Changbin frowned, slumping in his chair. "Have you not been keeping up with the investigation?" Hyunjin cocked his head to the side in curiosity, and Changbin rubbed at the bridge of his nose again.

"Not really. I work so much that I normally just come home, eat, and sleep. Also... it's kind of making me paranoid. I've got a little girl in the system and knowing that she could..." Changbin trailed off, stopping and shaking his head. "Next question?"

"Is that her?" Hyunjin pointed toward the picture of the little girl on the table and Changbin turned to look at it with a fond, but small smile.

"Her name is Heeji. She's five now." Changbin held the picture frame in his hands, and Hyunjin felt his heart drop when he looked to be on the verge of tears.

"Sorry... Just curious. That won't go on the record." None of this is going on the record. Changbin took in a shaky breath and nodded, crossing his arms over his chest after casting aside his bowl of food. "Do you know anybody who might be behind it? Is there anybody who's been acting weird since the murders started?"

"I"m going to be honest, detective, I don't really have friends here. My reputation here isn't the best so a lot of people have a problem with me. I wouldn't know even if I paid attention," Changbin sighed, leaning back in his chair and looking bored out of his mind. Hyunjin sighed.

"You were in medical school correct?" Hyunjin questioned.

"Dropped out my second year. Couldn't afford it."

"So you learned how to do some surgeon type things?" Hyunjin dug a little deeper but Changbin just frowned.

"Most of us weren't even allowed to touch the equipment, much less actually use them. Besides, I was as high as a kite during those times so I wasn't exactly paying attention either," Changbin laughed a bit, running a nervous hand through his hair. "I don't know what you're accusing me of, but I promise you that I wouldn't kill those boys. I'm just trying to get my little girl back. I don't have time for that, even if I was some sick fuck that wanted to kill innocent boys." Hyunjin felt sick to his stomach.

Hyunjin leaned over to stop the recording, sighing a bit. "Apologies. We were testing all of our options. We're struggling with leads right now," Hyunjin admitted shyly but Changbin just waved him off.

"This isn't the first time someone's come knocking on my door accusing me of the murders. I'm just happy you were a civil detective this time." If only you knew.

"I'm sorry if I took up your time... You mind if I use your bathroom before I leave though?" Hyunjin shyly shuffled his feet back and forth. He hated the way Changbin looked at him, as if Hyunjin were something worth being nice to. Changbin showed him the way toward the small bathroom in the corner and Hyunjin nearly cried out in relief when he realized that Changbin had one of those little magazine holders that he could slip the book inside and cover up with the other magazines in the little tray, and a brush on the sink countertop.

Hyunjin did his business, flushing and turning the faucet on to have more time, and managed to slip some of the black hair from the brush into a small little plastic bag. Hyunjin quickly washed his hands afterward, drying them and leaving with his heart nearly beating out of his chest. "Have a good night, detective," Changbin waved as Hyunjin left.

"You too, Mr. Seo." '

Now he just had to get Changbin's hair to the station and into the machine so he could warp the record and erase any sort of suspicion against Minho and ultimately, Hyunjin.

Hyunjin isn't sure how long he was there, but it must have been long enough that Minho came looking for him. "Why are you still here, doll?" Minho spoke up so suddenly that Hyunjin nearly fell out of his chair. Leaning back, holding his chest, and panting heavily, Hyunjin glared at the man stood in the doorway intimidatingly.

"Making sure nothing else is linked to you," Hyunjin hissed so quietly Minho barely heard him. But when he did, he approached Hyunjin and stopped when one hand was rested on the table and the other on the back of Hyunjin's chair, their faces close together.

"Good boy," Minho hummed, grazing his lips along Hyunjin's jaw. "How did it go with Mr. Seo?"

"I got what we needed," Hyunjin responded shortly, eyes empty as he stared past Minho's shoulder even when the elder began to suck lightly as his neck. "I did this for me. Not you. Just remember that," Hyunjin hissed lowly, and Minho chuckled coldly, the hand that originally rested on the table now hooked around Hyunjin's throat.

"And you remember that you're my little doll. I control you. So even when you say you're not doing this for me..." Minho trailed off, lifting his head to hover his lips over Hyunjin's. "You are. You're doing this all for me because you're my pretty doll... isn't that right?" Hyunjin gasped quietly in fear when Minho's nail ran down the span of the middle of Hyunjin's throat, a shiver running down his spine.

Hyunjin's mind screamed 'no' but yet... "Yes," Hyunjin breathed against Minho's lips and the elder grinned in satisfaction, pressing their lips together softly and Hyunjin felt like crying when his heart stuttered. Why did his body keep reacting this way? Why couldn't Hyunjin just turn him in? Minho was a murderer for christ's sake. Their kiss developed into something more breathy and needy but still controlled. Minho kept Hyunjin in check, nipping his bottom lip when Hyunjin went too quickly and didn't hesitate to grip him tightly when Hyunjin resisted him at certain moments.

It was only a matter of time before Jisung walked in on Hyunjin sitting on the evidence table, arms wrapped around Minho's neck as the elder stood in between his thighs and kissing Hyunjin as if his life depended on it. "Oh my god! Why are you two doing this on the evidence table! Minho, you shouldn't even be in here!" Jisung screeched suddenly, Minho pulling away to laugh quietly in Hyunjin's neck. The raven-haired scientist just stared at Jisung with wide eyes and skin as pale as snow. It was as if Hyunjin had seen a ghost.

"Leave! Have sex at the hotel! Or Minho's place! I don't care! Just not on the evidence table!" Jisung huffed directly in Hyunjin's direction and didn't leave until they parted, Hyunjin jumped off the table, and they left the lab with Jisung trailing behind him. Hyunjin could practically feel his heart beating out of his chest at the idea that they might have been overheard by the younger and he just hadn't said anything. "Have a good night, you weirdos."

"Goodnight, detective," Minho waved to him before taking Hyunjin's hand in his own and dragging the scientist out of the police station and toward the butcher shop. "God he's annoying," Minho grumbled, and Hyunjin felt himself tense up. "Oh relax. I'm not going to hurt him unless he starts getting nosy and gets in the way," Minho snarled. Hyunjin stopped in the middle of the street, dragging Minho back to look at him with an evil look, grabbing him by the jaw.

"There is absolutely no reason to get so hateful. You don't have to 'keep me in check.' If you did, I wouldn't have done all of this already. You've already trapped me, Minho. You don't have to make it anymore hellish than it already is," Hyunjin whispered solemnly, pushing Minho's face away as he let go and continued walking. Minho watched him for a moment, speechless to say the least, but curious more than anything. Minho was slowly realizing that keeping themselves level with one another was the only way they were going to make it through this.

Minho would just have to tough it out until he could get rid of Hyunjin.

Or Hyunjin got rid of himself.

Minho caught up with Hyunjin rather quickly, slipping his hand into Hyunjin's and pulling him into his side. Hyunjin didn't fight it. "This will all be over soon. Let's just hope everything will add up." Hyunjin wasn't sure if he was telling Minho that or if he was telling himself that. Minho hummed, pressing a kiss to Hyunjin's temple as they walked.

"It will. There's no way they won't be able to incriminate him," Minho promised.

It made Hyunjin sicker to his stomach than he had been before if that was even possible.

Two days passed. Two days of solid quiet and it put Hyunjin on edge. So on edge that the morning of the third day, Hyunjin woke up to an empty bed and Minho nowhere to be found, and Hyunjin flipped out. He snapped up, climbing out of bed in a hurry and slipping on one of Minho's black sweaters before racing out of the room, panting. Fuck, fuck, fuck. "Minho?" Hyunjin called out in fear when he didn't see him anywhere in the living space or kitchen. Did he leave? Is he grabbing another victim? Is he-

Suddenly, a door opened to his right, revealing Minho stood in the bathroom with nothing but a toothbrush in his mouth, messy hair, and gray joggers. Hyunjin let out a sigh of relief, squatting down and burying his head into his hands. "Hyunjin?" Minho questioned carefully, not liking how distressed the younger looked.

"I thought you did something stupid. I thought you were going to do something that would fuck everything up and-" Hyunjin cut himself off, stopping so abruptly that even Minho flinched a little bit. Hyunjin sighed deeply, standing up and walking into Minho's open arms to rest his face in Minho's shoulder. "Fuck you," Hyunjin grumbled against his skin and Minho let out a low laugh. He separated from Hyunjin just enough to bend down and spit out his toothpaste and clean out the rest of his mouth, wiping at his lips as he stared the younger down.

"What a nice form of good morning, doll," Minho teased, and Hyunjin huffed, not caring about anything other than just keeping Minho there with him where nothing could possibly go wrong. Minho wrapped his arms carefully around Hyunjin's middle, rubbing soft circles much like he did when Hyunjin would come down from a high, and Hyunjin appreciated it. "You need to go to work, doll," Minho hushed, riding up the bottom of the sweater to run his fingers along Hyunjin's bare skin, Hyunjin groaning.

"I don't want to."

Minho suddenly grabbed at the back of Hyunjin's hair, tugging his head back so Minho could latch his lips onto Hyunjin's neck and suck harshly. "You have to. We don't want to create suspicion do we?" Minho muttered into Hyunjin's skin, earning a tiny gasp.

"I think I can afford to be a little late." Hyunjin pushed, curling his fingers so his nails dug into Minho's back. Minho huffed, giving in and pulling Hyunjin up by the thighs to trail them both into the bedroom, still kissing feverishly and looking to forget all their troubles.

Hyunjin seemed to be doing that a lot these days.

"Look who finally decided to show up! And with a limp no less. Looks like everyone got lucky this morning," Rose snickered the moment Hyunjin stepped into the station, and he couldn't help but flush and stare at all of the snickering and smiling cops in confusion.

"What did I miss?" Hyunjin questioned nervously, flickering his eyes between all of them in fear. Did they figure it out?

"A whole lot," Jisung suddenly spoke up from behind him, Hyunjin whirling around to see the man stood there with a coffee cup in hand. "Come on, I'll fill you in," Jisung coaxed, but Eric was quick to interject.

"Not too much, Jisung! He's already been filled in enough this morning!" Rose and Eric high fived after that one, and all Hyunjin could do was flash them a middle finger on his way out. They never meant it in a rude way, Hyunjin knew that, but if the situation wasn't already so fucked in the first place Hyunjin would have laughed with them.

Jisung leads Hyunjin into the small room where they could look through the one-sided glass and into the interrogation room. Hyunjin gulped when he saw Changbin sitting there looking like he had spent the last hour crying. Hyunjin had never felt so guilty in his life. "We checked the DNA sample when we got here early this morning. It was Seo Changbin's. So, I got a search warrant from the captain, and when we got there, we found an Akkadian language book with all four victims' pictures inside."

"And what of Kim Seungmin? Has he shown up yet?" Hyunjin inquired carefully.

"We found his cut-up body in the cooler. They're unfreezing in the lab right now," Jisung uttered quietly and Hyunjin buried his face in his hands, cursing quietly but distress clear in his tone. Jisung took him into his arms, holding Hyunjin quietly as he trembled. "It's okay, Jinnie-"

"No! No, it's not okay!" Hyunjin practically blew up, pulling away from Jisung so roughly that the younger flinched and stared at Hyunjin with wide eyes. "It's not okay, Jisung," Hyunjin's voice cracked, eyes glazed over as he looked at Changbin through the glass. The man had his face buried in his handcuffed hands, and Hyunjin couldn't control his tears. "It's not fucking okay."

Hyunjin stormed out of the room and into the lab, slamming the door behind him and sliding against it with his hand cupped over his mouth when his eyes laid on the body parts strewn out on the table to make out Kim Seungmin's body. Hyunjin ended up sobbing uncontrollably, and somehow, Minho must have known because he popped in around lunch, sneaking up on Hyunjin as the scientist was in the corner, pushing around a bunch of dead skin cells in a metal tray with his chin resting in his palm. "I think this might be some of my best work..." Minho trailed off, Hyunjin gasping in shock but never turning around. He didn't want to see Minho hovering over Seungmin's body with pride in his eyes. To be honest, he didn't want to look at Seungmin's body at all. "Doll?"

"Please don't," Hyunjin's voice cracked, slowly setting down a tool on the metal tray and sniffling. Hyunjin froze up and leaned away when Minho came up behind him, circling his arms around Hyunjin's neck and burying his nose into Hyunjin's hair. "Please, Kitten..." Hyunjin croaked again, hoping the nickname might get Minho to realize he's being serious but it only made Minho pull Hyunjin closer. Hyunjin gave in, curling his hands around Minho's forearms and letting his body curl up so his knees were pressed into his chest.

"You have to face your problems, doll. You have to face the consequences of your actions. Look at what you did, Hyunjin," Minho hissed into Hyunjin's hair, whirling them and the chair around so Hyunjin was forced to look at Seungmin dismembered body. Hyunjin started sobbing hysterically once more when Minho forced Hyunjin onto his feet and waddled them over so Hyunjin could do nothing but stare at Seungmin's cut off head, eyes dangling out onto his cheeks and toothless mouth open agape. "Look at what you caused."

"I didn't do this," Hyunjin whimpered.

"Oh but you did," Minho hummed. "That bullet hole is your doing. His death is your fault, and you want to know why?" Hyunjin let out a high pitched whine, cupping his mouth so no one heard him. "Because you were weak."

It's hard to explain what happened to Hyunjin at that moment, but Minho would describe it as soul-shattering. Hyunjin's mind broke that day, and Minho knew that the moment Hyunjin whirled around to bury his face into Minho's neck, whimpering to him, "I don't want to be weak. Make me not weak, Kitten. Please. Please, please, please-"

"Shush now, doll. Kitten will make everything okay again," Minho whispered, smirking down at the body on the table. He had Hyunjin right where he wanted them. "Kitten is going to make you feel so much better."

"Good morning, Kitten." After that, Hyunjin became more clingy, more giggly, and more hysterical. He spent almost every waking moment with Minho, treating him as if he were something worth worshipping and Minho found it... addictive. Minho had wooed people into their deaths before, that's what he did with Felix after all, but never had he allowed it to get this far. He felt like he was finally being appreciated for who he was when Hyunjin slipped behind him and snaked his heads up Minho's toned stomach and his chest.

"Morning, doll. You ready to sit down and watch the trial?" Minho hummed, turning back to place a kiss to Hyunjin's pouting lips and Hyunjin didn't respond, just making a small noise of displeasure when he buried his head into Minho's shoulder. "Use your words, doll," Minho scolded and Hyunjin whimpered like a kicked puppy.

"I'm sorry. Please don't be mad at me," Hyunjin pouted, and Minho laughed lowly, a malicious ring to it that made Hyunjin fidget in anxiety.

"I promise I won't get mad as long as you use your words," Minho bargained, and Hyunjin sighed, pulling away and crossing his arms over his chest shyly. "Come on, doll," Minho coaxed, placing a palm on Hyunjin's cheek and stroking his cheekbone.

"I don't want to watch the trial..." Hyunjin trailed off carefully.

"And why is that?" Minho cocked his head to the side, his hand dropping from Hyunjin's cheek, but the younger was quick to grab it and place it back on his cheek.

"It's boring. I've never liked trials and we all know the end result anyway," Hyunjin pouted cutely, but Minho scowled, ripping his hand from Hyunjin's cheek. He didn't soften up one bit when Hyunjin whimpered and pouted down at him with the eyes that worked on everyone else. "You can't make me watch it!" Hyunjin suddenly screeched, gasping out in horror when Minho slapped him so harshly Hyunjin stumbled back. Why was he so angry?

"Don't forget, Hyunjin," Minho spat, grabbing Hyunjin's jaw so the younger was forced to look at him with tear stricken cheeks and glossy eyes. Hyunjin truly was broken after that day in the lab, and Minho loved it. "Now go sit down," Minho practically threw him onto the couch, pretending to storm away into the bedroom, even slamming the door behind him for added effect.

Minho wasn't angry, not at all. He just had to put Hyunjin in his place. He waited ten minutes before he came back out, even took a shower, and Hyunjin was still sat there on the couch, head hung low, hands in his lap, and legs crossed underneath him. He looked like a small child, and since that day in the lab, that's pretty much how he acted. Maybe Minho fucked Hyunjin up more than he realized.

Hyunjin stayed quiet, but Minho saw his ears perk up and his thumbs start twiddling when Minho approached the couch. Though, he deflated when Minho sat on the other side of the couch, a cushion away and not paying Hyunjin any attention. Hyunjin curled his knees into his chest, resting his chin in the crevice of the bony limbs and pouting when Minho turned on the TV and changed the channel to the news where they were playing the live footage of the trial.

Hyunjin had been in a haze for two weeks now, a haze that vaguely resembled a spell Minho cast over him, but seeing Changbin in an orange jumpsuit, handcuffed and beaten to a pulp, the haze began to clear.

The trial lasted for hours, Hyunjin watching with such interest that he didn't notice the way Minho kept staring at him, studying him with a knowing glint. Hyunjin was slowly coming back to realization, fixing himself so he could look at the world with a realistic eye. Minho had to be careful here.

Hyunjin isn't sure if it was the crying that did it for him when Changbin burst into tears when his little girl was brought up, or that he sobbed out "Not guilty, your honor," when the judge asked how he pleaded. This man was innocent, Hyunjin was guilty. Hyunjin was in a relationship with a murderer. Hyunjin was a murderer. The realization of it felt like a window shattering in front of him.

Hyunjin needed to fix it.

But Hyunjin couldn't even stand up before something hard and blunt hit the back of his head and he went falling to the floor. "It's about time, doll. I was wondering when you'd come back down from the clouds. Too bad it was a bad fall, hm?" Was the last thing Hyunjin heard before everything went black.

The thing about Han Jisung is that despite the fact that Hyunjin was always the smarter of the two, that didn't mean he was inherently dumb. Jisung was a genius in his own right, and he knew Minho was the murderer the moment he laid his eyes on him.

What Hyunjin didn't know was that Jisung had been building a case against Minho since the very beginning. Jisung knew exactly what he was doing when he went to Minho all those times for help. He knew exactly what he was doing when he invited Minho over after they took Changbin into custody. Jisung knew what he was doing, and he made sure no one else knew what he was doing.

Perhaps Jisung wasn't much better than Minho in the long run, but Hyunjin was never supposed to fall. Minho was never supposed to curl Hyunjin around his finger and get the scientist involved, but when it happened, Jisung couldn't risk pulling Hyunjin out. It would draw suspicion toward his case and if he were honest... it was far more effective when Hyunjin became involved with Minho. Jisung had more wiggle room that way.

The thing was that Jisung found the book before Hyunjin did. That day they were in the murderer's office, Jisung saw the book. He saw the book and snuck in later to see the pictures of the boys. He even took pictures and videos of the evidence to build his case. He watched Minho, he watched the way he reacted when he thought no one was looking, he watched him cut up his animals with ease. Jisung stalked Minho in every way possible, taking pictures of him all bloody when he came out of his office, taking pictures of the door in the closet. Everything.

Jisung even bugged the lab and Hyunjin's phone, having recordings of verbal conversations of Minho saying that he was the murderer.

Jisung knew he shouldn't have sat on the case as long as he had, and he regrets it immensely, but he needed time. He couldn't just bring that case to light during the Seo Changbin trial, but when Hyunjin went missing... Jisung knew he couldn't sit on this case anymore.

But by the time they got there, it was too late. Hyunjin had been tortured to the point where he couldn't come back from. "Police! Get on the fucking ground!" Jisung screamed the minute he and a few more policemen stormed down the stairs into the basement, Minho holding his bloody hands up and dropping the scissors on the ground as he slowly lowered himself down. Three different policemen pinned him to the ground, knees to his back.

"Lee Minho you are under arrest for the murder of Yang Jeongin, Park Minhyuk, Lee Felix, and Kim Seungmin, along with the kidnapping and assault of Hwang Hyunjin. You have the right to remain silent but everything you say can and will be used against you..."

Jisung slowly approached Hyunjin on the table, the eyeless and legless man staring up at the ceiling with a slightly agape mouth. "J-Jisung?" Hyunjin whimpered out, reaching up blindly amongst the chaos and Jisung took his hand into his two.

"I've got you, Jinnie. You're safe. You're okay," Jisung promised, kissing his sweaty blood forehead before turning to face the men, "We need a medic! Right fucking now!" Jisung screamed and he saw two policemen rush up the stairs before he turned back to Hyunjin, soothingly running his fingers through his hair.

"Jisung..." Hyunjin trailed off, looking like the epitome of fear at that moment.

"What, Jinnie?" Jisung questioned softly, and Hyunjin whined lowly.

"Please kill me," Hyunjin whispered and Jisung gaped down at him.

"You're losing a lot of blood, Hyunjin, you don't know what you're talking about-"

"KILL ME!"

A lot of people say that they can't remember much about their kidnappings. Their brains block it out in every way possible so they didn't suffer any more than they had to, but Hyunjin couldn't. He tried and tried and tried to get rid of the memories but he found that he couldn't. Not when he sat in a care home in the corner in a wheelchair with a bandage wrapped around his eyes to shield the sight from the nurses and no legs.

Hyunjin lost his job, the love in his heart, the feelings in his chest, his best friend. But what he didn't lose? The part in his brain that Minho fucked up from the very beginning. Hyunjin didn't lose the feeling of guilt for putting Seo Changbin through non-stop torture for three weeks. He didn't lose the feeling of killing Seungmin. He didn't lose the feeling of having his eyes plucked from his head and the way the blood oozed from his body when Minho severed his legs.

The only thing Hyunjin had were the memories of Minho and what that monster did to him, and Hyunjin wished Jisung had found him dead instead of half alive. At least that way they would have ended as best friends instead of Jisung placing him in this home three years ago and never coming back to visit.

Hyunjin hated Busan, he hated this home, he hated the nurses, and he hated this fucking room that he couldn't even see.

"I'm not hungry," Hyunjin muttered the moment he heard the door click open and quiet footsteps inside. Hyunjin froze when the person spoke up.

"Hwang Hyunjin?" Seo Changbin spoke timidly, and Hyunjin felt like crying for the first time in three years.

Fuck.

"I was... I was hoping I could speak with you?" Changbin questioned shyly as if he were expecting to be rejected in the most aggressive way possible.

"Why are you so timid? I was the one who ruined your reputation even further," Hyunjin muttered bitterly, hearing the man gulp and the squeak of a cushion as he lowered himself down into the chair beside Hyunjin. Hyunjin remained still, hands folded in his lap, and face tilted toward the window with a dull expression.

"You... I think you might have saved it actually." Hyunjin cocked his head to the side curiously, turning his head in an attempt to look at Changbin but he knew deep down he wasn't actually and really appreciated it when Changbin gently guided him by his chin so Hyunjin looked at him. "Sorry... It felt awkward that you weren't facing me," Changbin chose his words carefully, and Hyunjin tried his best to spare him a small quirk of his lips he hoped resembled a smile.

"No no, I appreciate it. I'm still trying to perfect my hearing at the moment. So thank you for the help." A silence fell over them after that, and it didn't feel awkward to Hyunjin, but he wouldn't be surprised if it was awkward for Changbin.

"You know..." Changbin started, watching Hyunjin perk up, "I was angry at you for a long, long time, but around last year I kind of opened my eyes to the fact that despite how dubious it is... you were a victim too. That man was manipulative in a way I can never fathom, and I know that because he managed to be charismatic during his trial-" Hyunjin didn't listen to the trial. He didn't want to hear his voice. Didn't even want to hear his name. "You may have warped the evidence, and put that bullet in Seungmin's head, but he didn't throw you in. When they asked him if you were directly involved, he admitted he broke you to the point where you didn't have a choice."

Hyunjin's bottom lip was latched between his teeth. "I should have had enough control. I had chance after chance to turn him in, but I didn't. Maybe this..." Hyunjin motioned to his eyes and legs, "Is my punishment for allowing all of this to happen."

"I know what it's like for something to have control over you. You can't help it, no matter how much you think you had control," Changbin uttered quietly and Hyunjin tilted his head down and away, not wanting the man to see his lips trembling. "I forgive you, but I will never forget what you did either. But maybe we're not so different after all."

Hyunjin jumped when he felt a hand slip into his own in his lap. No one touched him anymore, the nurses tried their best to not touch him to the best of their ability when moving him from the wheelchair to the bed, and Hyunjin hadn't had visitors since his mother about two years ago, so feeling someone's warm, secure touch was addictive, to say the least. Hyunjin wouldn't let Changbin let go either, only squeezing his hand when Changbin thought he was making Hyunjin uncomfortable. "Can... Can I just..." Hyunjin slowly reached his other hand up toward Changbin's face, letting the elder push his face into Hyunjin's hand for confirmation.

Hyunjin felt like crying when he realized that someone, and perhaps the most unexpected someone, might be willing to keep him company during his darkest times. "You're not alone."

It was quiet after that, for a few minutes as Hyunjin traced Changbin's features and attempted to fill up his mind with these memories so he could mask the ones still haunting him. "Did you ever get your little girl back?" Hyunjin questioned quietly, breaking that silence.

"Uh... Y-yeah. She's in the lobby," Changbin stammered out and Hyunjin grinned softly.

"Would you mind if I met her?"

"I'll go get her."

Hyunjin still wanted to die, he wanted to be put out of his misery, but until that happens, at least he had something to make him forget the fact that no one ever suspects the butcher, and it ended up being four and a half boys' undoing.