With shaky hands, he held the note and read it over for the 100^th time.

He knew better than to call the police in dealing with triads for his father had once been a chief of one.

The attackers had been meticulous in leaving no evidences behind; they must be really skilled in covering up for illicit acts. It’s not even a ransom note, dammit. There was no guarantee that Changmin would come back alive.

The last resort he had in mind just had to work.

~*~*~*~*~

“It looks like Zombie Town here,” Junsu commented, his left hand clasped in Yoochun’s right as they strolled towards the hostel gates. Heavy, ominous clouds loomed over the building, and the couple quickened their paces towards home when they felt minuscule droplets of water upon their cheeks.

Yoochun nodded. “It’s so hushed and motionlessly calm, like in a horror movie where everything’s all too ominously quiet…and suddenly… UWAAAA!”

Junsu smacked the taller boy’s arm playfully. “Stop trying to frighten me with your weird screams cus it doesn’t affect me.”

Eyes widened in shock, Yoochun pointed to the floor of the hostel lobby, and the younger man’s gaze followed the tip of his outstretched finger.

Blood stained the marbled floor, filling the nooks between granite tiles with dark red liquid. Most of it had dried, and seeped its way into the material permanently like a scar that would forever mar the beauty of a flawless surface.

“Chun…” Junsu took a few steps backward, lips trembling in shock.

He allowed the taller man to grab both his elbows and be led away by detouring around the stains.

Without a word, both hurried to their room, only to discover their room in a dreadful state. The guitar that was usually placed by Changmin’s bedside now laid in pieces by the door, in a pool of blood, like a used murder weapon.

Changmin’s sheets were splayed out on one side of the bed as if he’d been dragged out by force.

“Dammit, Changmin…” Junsu whipped out his phone, dialling for Jaejoong, but the tears that pooled from his eyes blurred his vision. “What the hell,” he muttered angrily as he lost grip of his cell phone which landed with a crash.

Yoochun gathered the younger boy in his arms, stroking his back reassuringly.

“Hush…” Assembling his thoughts, Yoochun choked back a sob and said, “Jae-hyung’s already been here. Look, he left his leather gloves on that table. Our Jae-hyung must be figuring a way around all this so don’t you worry…in fact we need to stay strong to be of help to hyung. Hush, Su-ah…”

The smaller boy snuggled his face deeper into the taller boy’s warm, broad chest, wrapping both arms possessively around his waist, as if afraid that Yoochun might be the next victim in this horrible twist of events.

Softly, Yoochun kissed the top of Junsu’s head, resting his chin upon his soft hair.

After what seems like a short eternity, they broke their embrace and got onto Yoochun’s BMW.

~*~*~*~*~*~

His bare feet dangled over the river bank. Like a child, he swung his legs back and forth, calmly taking in the familiar scenery around him and occasionally dipping his toes into the cold river water to feel the soft tingle up his spine.

He lets out a deep, long sigh, loving how it echoes all through the valley as if surrounded by a million sound particles carrying his burdened sentiments on airborne wings and soaring to a higher earth where his worries could be alleviated.  The silence was tenderly homely. Perhaps even a drop of a pin could be amplified and reverberated throughout village.

Seven years before, this was the retreat of two young boys; a paradise like no other. Now although the landscape has barely changed, the atmosphere was no longer the same. The air seemed colder and less welcoming. The forests were denser with overgrown willow trees, probably because there weren’t playful boys hastily climbing atop them like wild barbarians.

It just didn’t feel the same being here alone.

Out of habit, he’d patted the ground beside him and freed it of dust so that his nonexistent companion could be seated. Jaejoong had always sat on the left, Yunho on the right.

He would run his fingers through the dark mane of the younger boy who would look back at him with sparkling eyes. His fingers would then be trailing down the perfect jawline of his, slowly tracing to the pointed tip of his flawlessly chiselled chin, then back up to his ears and down to the nape of his neck, and still further down. By then, their breaths would become ragged and hasty. They had no idea why this was happening to their young developing bodies but touching each other was a form of excitement, leaving them gasping for breath.

Lost in those memories, he was oblivious to the trail of footsteps behind him.

“I thought you’d be here and you didn’t disappoint me.”

Yunho’s back straightened at the voice which had haunted him since his Cheju days, the one voice which blended into countless dreams with tender sweet nothings, and invaded many nightmares, screaming betrayal into his face.

The valley picture was now perfect.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Down it."

He could barely make out the faces of the men surrounding him who were conversing in low gruff voices. The room was dark and musty; clouds of cigarette smoke clogged the atmosphere.

Another splash of ice-cold water upon his body sent  him into fits of chills. Gasping for breath through bluish, parched lips, shrill sounds of mockery rang sharply in his ear. Help, Jaejoongie…he silently pleaded.

As much as he needed help, the last person he wanted to see was Jaejoong. No way was he going to place his hyung in any danger because of him.

 Torn and bruised from hours of kneeling, his knees probably ached yet he couldn’t feel a thing. Each time he keeled over, two firm grips – one on each wrist – hauled him back on his knees.

“Hey, cool it guys. I doubt he can take anymore of this.”

“After what this bastard made us go through, this is nothing in comparison!”

A heavy boot slammed violently into the left side of Changmin’s rib.

“Hey have you forgotten who this is? Remember, we’re mere pawns to Boss. This is his son for God’s sake…”

“Unfortunately he’s useless to Boss now. Daiisun has his complete profile anyway…”

Changmin tried to keep his gaze focused on the faces of the talking men who held his arms rigidly, but all he could make of them were their black suits and ties. Nothing they said made much sense to his foggy mind. None of these made sense.

A beam of luminosity opened into the dark, hollow room. Shadowy silhouettes made their way in as the door slammed close, shutting out all traces of the outside world once more. As Changmin gaped at the door, he did a double take at the sight of the one man he’d been avoiding.

“…father…” he choked out before he saw the unmistakable flash of steely silver in his hands.

A short-range pistol.

Crouching, he pushed Changmin’s chin up with the barrel of the revolver, till their faces were inches apart, and smirked.

“How have you been?” The smell of cigar in his breath was overwhelming. Changmin turned away from the father he both feared and loathed.

“You’ve been gone for such a long time, I started to miss you,” tauntingly, Chemun trailed the tip of the pistol against the side of Changmin’s cheek as he sneered.

 “Like mother, like son,” Chemun stood up in a huff. “I guess the only way to keep you by my side is for you to follow your mother’s footsteps…” Instantaneously, the firing tip of the pistol was centred at Changmin’s forehead.

He hadn’t wanted to be reminded of his mother’s death, but those memories came flooding back to him like unstoppable tides.

Changmin’s brief capture by the Daiisuns. His father’s rage upon Changmin’s failure. The gunshot. His mother’s body slumped right before his eyes, in a pool of blood.

He closed his eyes awaiting the fatal blow.

“…but no son of mine will die such a cowardly death.”

The pistol had lowered itself.

“You came just in time to be my next bait.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

End Chapter 12

A/N: Really Late update *hides* Hope this chappie was worth the wait!:DD
Comments are loved! *huggles you all.

MORE PIC SPAM:D





I couldn't resist these!:


Su always has the funniest/cutest/dorkiest faces! 
Oh su~~


OH JAE~