Kyungjoon
I only intended to stay in Prague for a few days, but it turned into two months, and I was still sharing an apartment with the three crazy boys from Croatia.
We became friends and I paid the rent for my place on the sofa.
I found a job as a waiter in a cafe that mainly served tourists and my Czech had improved a lot. It's also a daily reminder that my new life was built on lies after lies, sometimes I nearly forgot that I wasn't who I said I was.
'Now that I'd finally found a place where I wanted to stay, I'd decided to give dating a real shot.'
When my housemates introduced me to Jackson, an Amsterdam musician with long dreadlocks. I knew it was somebody I could get used to, maybe even make me forget that stupid kiss I shared with Wolfgang.
Jackson had nothing in common with Wolfgang. He was a peaceful vegan and idealist and he never shied away from convincing others of his ideals. He could spend hours talking about the horrors of dairy farms and the dangers of firearm ownership, sometimes I wondered what he would say if he knew who I was.
This idealistic world-improver was his mask, I'd realized.
It had been a novelty that I found endearing at the beginning, but it has started to annoy me.
Maybe everyone wore some kind of persona, but still, I couldn't break it off with Jackson because it would seem like the ultimate failure.
'If even someone like Jackson could not prevent me from thinking of Wolfgang, who else could? '
~~~ #CHAOS🔥 #KyungjoonXWolfgang🐰🐺 ~~~
Jackson's hand slid under my shirt, and undocked my pants, I protested. His fingers were rough from playing the guitar, he pushed me down until I lay flat on my back and he was half on top of me. His tongue took up too much of my mouth and it tasted like smoke.
'What made me think a smoker was hot? Yes, in theory, but I didn't get too excited about the taste and smell.'
He started taking off my pants and rubbing his bump against my thigh like a dog in heat. We're on the couch in the living room of my shared apartment, if one of my flatmates came back, they'd have a show.
"I want you, Eric," Jackson moaned, already trying to shove my pants down my legs.
'Eric… For the first time, the name didn't make me pause. Two months of using the same name seemed like the magical barrier to getting used to a new identity. Too bad, I felt like I wasn't going to use it anymore."
Prague was getting too comfortable and Jackson was simply getting too much.
'It wasn't his fault that I wasn't into these long make-out sessions. He was being too pushy.'
"Not yet," I said, trying to hide my boredom and annoyance.
My boyfriend, Jackson, wasn't a bad guy. He's funny after a couple of beers or after a few drags of marijuana cigars. His skills with the guitar and singing weren't bad.
We've been going out for almost four weeks, it wasn't all that surprising that he wanted to sleep with me.
'Yet I didn't want to commit to this relationship fully, didn't want to go another step.'
Before running off from home, I thought I'd jump into bed with every guy I met once I was free of my bodyguards, to spite Wolfgang and my father.
'So... what was stopping me?'
"Come on, Eric. I'll make it good for you," he said as he tried to shove his hand into my boxers.
I pushed his hand away.
I didn't want him to touch me there.
For some reason, the idea that he'd be the first to do that made me sick.
"I'm not in the mood," I said to stop him from bitching around anymore.
It was a fucking lie.
But he didn't know that, I just wanted these make-out sessions to be over so that I could grab my laptop and figure out where to run off to next.
Jackson would find a new boy quickly with his cute accent, laid-back nature and dreadlocks were a huge hit among boys here.
"You're never in the mood, jerk me off at least," Jackson grumbled.
He didn't even bother hiding his annoyance, he grabbed my hand and pressed it against the bulge in his pants.
'Where was the peace-loving idealist now?'
Anger shot through me at his demand, I pushed him off and shouted,
"Fuck you. We're over."
Before either Jackson or I could move, with a bang, the door flew open and three men stalked in.
Wolfgang was one of them.
'Oh fuck.'
Wolfgang made up the front, dark hair messy and wet from the rainstorm raging outside, his white shirt plastered to his upper body.
My first thought when I saw him was - I almost felt silly for thinking I could ever forget him.
'The alpha was more of a man than all the guys I'd met combined.'
His dark, deadly eyes settled on me then on my hand, which was still pressed against Jackson's crotch. There was no question what he'd walked in on and his face twisted with fury.
"What the fuck?" Jackson shouted in surprise.
'Shit! I'm fucked!'
I wanted to scream, but I didn't get the chance. Wolfgang crossed the room in a few steps, grabbed Jackson by the arm and hauled him off me. Jackson landed on the floor hard with a loud thud, face twisting with pain and anger. Wolfgang towered over me, nostrils flaring, eyes almost black, a look in them that made me want to hide.
I met his gaze straight on, he wanted to scare me.
'My fear was something I'd never give him.'
Jackson stumbled onto his feet, almost losing his fucking pants. He must have unzipped them at some point to make it 'easier' for me. He headed for Wolfgang. I jumped to my feet, knowing I had to intervene before things got even worse.
"Get out of this apartment or I'll call the fucking cops," I screamed at my now ex-boyfriend.
Wolfgang sent me a look that made me realize just how dangerous this situation was. Not for me, but for someone who should have never gotten dragged into the fucking Hwang Geum Byul.
"You don't mean that, Eric," he blurted softly as he looked towards me.
I glared, "The fuck? I do."
I wanted to convince myself that it was a good sign, but a glimpse at the two men with him made my heart drop into my shoes. They were both my father's men and they had already closed the door and were standing beside it with expressionless faces.
'Wolfgang hadn't pulled his weapons yet.'
A closed door was never a good thing.
Nothing I could say would change their minds because they were acting on my father's orders. They would do what he'd told them.
There was only one person who could help me now.
For the moment, Jackson seemed to have forgotten his peace-loving ideals. He got angry and rather than confront our situation he projected it to the intruders.
He got right into Wolfgang's face as if he wanted to punch him. He didn't even move as he stared him down with the deadly look I'd ever seen in anyone's eyes.
Even without knowing who this intruder was, Jackson must've sensed just how dangerous the man in front of him was. Jackson took a step back, eyes darting between. I jerked into motion and stepped between them.
"Jackson doesn't know anything. Please, just let him leave."
My father's men laughed and one of them murmured something that sounded like 'slut'. his expression darkened even further, they were watching him expectantly.
I've insulted Wolfgang by running away and worse by being with another man. In our world, there was only one thing a man in his position could do to protect his honour. I'd only ever seen him with some form of an arrogant smile on his face, but there was no trace of amusement now.
"I should probably go," Jackson said suddenly, deflating, backing away.
"This got nothing to do with me."
'Coward.'
The moment the thought crossed my mind, I felt disappointed.
Running was the only sensible thing for him to do. He couldn't protect me from Wolfgang or my father's men, but that he wasn't even going to try was something I could and would never understand.
One of my father's men grabbed Jackson by the arms, then he started struggling like a madman.
The other man laughed, pulling Jackson's arms back sharply and ramming his knees into his back. With a cry, Jackson fell to his knees, only held upright by man's grip, it was obvious he never fought for his life.
"Hey! Stop it," I shouted, wanting to rush toward them.
Wolfgang snatched my arm, I whirled towards him, on the verge of snarling into his face but stopped myself. He was Jackson's only chance, regardless of how ridiculous that sounded.
"Please, don't kill him. Just let him go. He's not a danger."
The alpha's dark eyes didn't even flicker as he peered down at me.
Expecting him to help me after what I'd done was preposterous.
"You want me to spare the fucker who had his fucking hands all over you? You let that bozo have what's mine. Now you want me to let him walk away?" He asked in a dangerous, quiet voice.
Nothing I had done with Jackson was his business, even if I had fucked Jackson, that still wouldn't have been his fucking business. Even if I'd fucked every single guy I'd met that still wouldn't have been his business but maybe it would placate him if I told him that I hadn't slept with him. His bruised ego would love that there was still something he could take from me.
I swallowed down that nasty thought and pride kept my lips sealed.
'I wasn't his, would never be.'
"We should head out, someone might've heard us when we kicked the door. Let's get rid of this kid and move," the man restraining my ex said.
Jackson's eyes were huge when he heard that, his eyes flickered back and forth between us.
"Silence," Wolfgang said sharply and the man snapped his mouth shut.
I reached for his arm, my fingers digging into the damp material of his dress shirt, feeling the hard muscles beneath. I had to swallow my fucking pride if I wanted to save Jackson's life.
"Wolfgang, it's not..."
My words were cut short by the crack of a suppressed gunshot.
I froze, eyes flying to the source of the noise, the other man was pointing a Glock with a silencer at the spot where Jackson's head had been moments before. His head slumped forward, head hanging limply and blood dripping to the ground.
The shooter let go of Jackson's arms, and his body toppled over and landed on the floor.
I stared and slowly my hand slid down Wolfgang's arm.
"Did I give you the fucking order to kill him?" He snarled.
"This is Hwang Geum Byul's business. As long as he isn't married to you, he falls under our jurisdiction and so did this asshole," he said as he kicked Jackson's lifeless form.
I flinched.
Inside, a beast was raging, wanting to claw his fucking eyes out, wanting to kill them all, but I was paralyzed. Blood spread out around Jackson's head, soaking his dreadlocks.
My stomach constricted.
I'd seen that much blood only three times, the first time when Yunho cut off someone's finger, the second time was on Yunho's shirt after he'd dealt with the guy who'd drugged Soohyuk, and the third time when the Yakuza had attacked us.
It didn't get easier as some people said, I had a feeling it never would.
The shooter nodded toward me, "What about the other witnesses? You don't live here alone."
I blinked, terror gripping me, I could barely breathe. I couldn't let them kill my flatmates as well. The boys had been nothing but kind to me, they didn't deserve that.
My eyes found Wolfgang, his gaze searched my face, then turned to my father's men.
"We're done here."
The man looked like he wanted to protest, but the other one nudged his shoulder. With a glare at me, he opened the door and checked the corridor, "Let's go."
He wrapped an arm around my waist, I didn't look his way. I faced Jackson's body again, I couldn't avert my eyes, as if my attention was the only thing that anchored him to life. He was long gone as pieces of his brain dotted the red sea on the ground.
He steered me toward the door, then down the corridor. The shooter was in front of us, while the other man was guarding our rear.
'Surrounded. I was surrounded. I should have tried to run away when I had the chance. The odds had always been against me, but they had never stopped me before. Maybe this was my last chance to escape. Once back in South Korea, I'd be trapped.'
Giving up wasn't in my nature and I'd always fought my own battles, so far only I had to pay the price for my courage. Tonight, an innocent, someone who'd never been sullied by the darkness of my world had paid with his life for my dreams, for my wish for freedom, for my selfishness.
I'd thought I could evade fate, could outrun a world of blood, but I inadvertently dragged an innocent into that world.
'How do I live with that?'
I wasn't sure, maybe it was in our nature to bring misery and death to everyone around us. Maybe that was why it was best to stay among ourselves.
'Hadn't Soohyuk said something along those lines a long time ago?'
Soohyuk.
I'd finally see him again.
That was the good news I was clinging to right now.
He'd get me through this.
Soohyuk always did.
Wolfgang's grip on my wrist was painful, his eyes held a clear message, now that he'd caught me, he would never let me get away again.
~~~ #CHAOS🔥 #KyungjoonXWolfgang🐰🐺 ~~~
I hardly dared to blink.
Every time I closed my eyes, crimson flashed behind my eyelids.
'Jackson was dead because of me.'
Everything seemed to happen behind a fog, I was pushed into the back of a car and Wolfgang slipped into the backseat beside me, then drove off with squealing tires. I pressed my forehead against the cold window, I watched the place I'd called home for the last two months disappear.
I could hear him talking to someone on the phone in the background but I couldn't focus.
Everything was over.
He'd take me back to my father, I did not doubt that I couldn't expect any kind of mercy. I had betrayed not only the Hwang Geum Byul but also Baek-ho, which had made my father and him lose face. I would be punished, I glanced at him who was glaring at the back of the front seat.
I quickly zipped my pants back in place and he noticed. I could tell he was furious, I wondered what kind of punishment he had in mind for me. I'd been on the run for six months. He couldn't possibly want me for any other reason than revenge.
I knew the rules.
I wasn't worthy of marriage anymore.
Wolfgang probably already had a new fiance and once he'd dealt with me, he'd move on with his life. If he'd wanted to kill me, he would have done so already. That didn't mean that my old man wouldn't do it the moment I set foot on Hwang Geum Byul territory.
We pulled up in front of an airport hotel, Wolfgang turned to me, eyes holding a clear warning, "We'll spend the next few hours until our flight's here. If you try to ask anyone for help, this will end in a bloodbath, understood?"
I nodded, and he pulled me out of the car with him and led me inside. Nobody paid us any attention as we headed toward the elevators and rode up to the fourth floor, which led me through the long hallway until we arrived in front of a simple white door.
Both Hwang Geum Byul men stopped, "He should come into our room, he's still part of the Hwang Geum Byul," The shooter said, his eyes sliding over my body.
I knew what they would do to me if I came into a room with them.
"He's mine. I won't let him out of my eyes again. Now fuck off. We have matters to discuss," Wolfgang growled, completely dismissing him.
Wolfgang slid the keycard into the slot and opened the door. The men exchanged a look but didn't protest, and then the shooter sent me a cruel smile, "Teach him some manners."
Wolfgang dragged me into the room, kicked the door shut and fixed me with a terrifying expression.
"Oh, I will."
As soon as the door was closed, Wolfgang flung me onto the bed and immediately he was on top of me. He pressed my arms above my head, into the mattress, his knees beside my thighs. His eyes were almost black with fury.
'Did he want me to beg for mercy? Ask him for forgiveness? Never.'
Wolfgang leaned down as if he was going to kiss me, our noses almost brushed, but he only scowled.
"You let someone have what's mine," he growled, eyes scorching my body with his possessiveness, "Your father gave me his permission to do with you as I please. I think he'd even approve of me punishing you harshly, uncaring if you live or die."
I wasn't surprised as Baekje Ha-kyun had barely tolerated me before I'd brought shame to our family by running away.
'Now he probably hated me like the devil.'
I almost wanted Wolfgang to hurt me, I deserved it for getting Jackson killed. I knew Wolfgang would have no trouble hurting me, I'd seen what he was capable of.
'Maybe physical pain would finally drown out the anguish I felt deep inside.'
~~~ #CHAOS🔥 #KyungjoonXWolfgang🐰🐺 ~~~
Wolfgang
Kyungjoon didn't say a fucking word, as if he couldn't care less what I did to him.
I tightened my hold on his wrists to see if he would finally show some of that fire I was used to seeing from him but despite a small wince, he didn't react.
I hated what he'd done to his hair. It was light brown, no longer the fiery red I loved.
My eyes were drawn to the sliver of naked stomach that peeked out where his shirt had ridden up. The thought that someone else had touched him there, had touched him everywhere made me want to tear everything down.
'He was supposed to be mine. Mine alone. Mine.'
For a moment, the fury was so blinding I wanted to hurt him, wanted to show him that he belonged to me, wanted to fuck him so hard that he forgot everything else. I gripped his waist, my fingers brushing over his soft skin.
'Mine. Only mine.'
His father had told me I could use him as I saw fit before I took him back. Nobody would blink an eye if I took from him what had been mine in the first place. He tensed under my touch but still didn't say anything.
Kyungjoon's eyes were resigned.
No hint of his usual fiery temper.
He didn't fight me, didn't do anything, he reminded me of a ragdoll.
Kyungjoon probably waited for me to do what everyone expected me to do, to fuck him even if he was unwilling, to hurt him until he begged me for forgiveness. I could have done it but I didn't want to. Despite what he'd done and how bad he'd made me look, I still wanted him, not just his body.
"Being submissive isn't like you," I said quietly.
His pulse sped under my fingertips.
It was the only sign that he wasn't as indifferent as his expression made me want to believe.
'Maybe he didn't care what happened to him because he was heartbroken over the bastard I'd found him with.'
The idea sent anger through me and I quickly released Kyungjoon before I lost control. I slid off him and sat on the edge of the mattress, trying to ignore the look of surprise and shock crossing his face.
I glared at the floor, clenching and unclenching my hands.
If they hadn't killed the fucker, I would probably have done it. I still wanted to do it, I wanted to slice the part of his brain that harboured the memory of Kyungjoon's body under him.
Kyungjoon sat up slowly, carefully as if he thought I might attack if he moved too fast. "Aren't you going to rape and torture me?"
I almost laughed.
That's what everyone expected.
I turned to him, my gaze tracing his beautiful face. Even more beautiful than my memory had made me believe, even now when he was pale and his eyes were puffy from tears.
"Did you think I would?" I asked in a surprisingly calm voice.
Some of my anger was suddenly gone when he was watching me with those wide doe eyes.
"Yes. My father's men thought you would. They probably hope that you'll let them have a go at me once you're done."
'Of course, they told me numerous times while we were on the hunt. I knew what they thought was happening right now. Fuck, part of me wished they were right. I wasn't a good guy.'
"I don't give a fuck about your father's men. I don't give a fuck about your father. And if they lay a single finger on you, I'm going to kill them. They won't hurt you, nobody will."
Kyungjoon's brows crinkled, "Once I'm back in Busan, my old man will punish me."
'Did he think I'd hand him over to his asshole father? I hadn't hunted him for six months only to give him up.'
I smirked, "You aren't going back to Busan, Kyungjoon. You are coming to Seoul with me."
Hope and relief crossed his face, "To Soohyuk? Is he alright? Did he get in trouble because he helped me?"
Somehow his response annoyed me.
"Soohyuk is fine," I said before I stood and walked toward the window. I kept my back to him when I asked, "That bozo, did you love him?"
I wasn't sure what I'd do if he said 'yes'.
I couldn't hurt that fucker anymore.
'I didn't want to hurt Kyungjoon, so what could I do? Kill someone else, preferably the two assholes from the Hwang Geum Byul who'd been grating on my nerves for too long, maybe while I was at it, I'd kill his fucking father the next time I saw him.'
"Jackson?"
Kyungjoon asked in a shaky voice and I almost lost it right then. I scowled at him over my shoulder, his eyes were moist with fucking tears.
"I don't care what his name was," I growled.
Fuck, I wanted to kill that guy so badly, I'd have paid a billion dollars if there were a way to resurrect the asshole, only so I could kill him again.
Slowly, painfully.
"His name was Jackson," he said stubbornly, a familiar glint returning to his eyes.
Kyungjoon still hadn't answered my question, "Did you love him?"
"No," he said without hesitation. "I barely knew him." I would have rejoiced if he hadn't started biting his lower lip like he was fighting tears. He looked fucking sad and then a tear slid out of his left eye.
He blinked a few times.
"If you didn't love him, then why are you crying?"
He glared.
Glared, as if he was the one with reason to be angry.
"You don't know?"
"I'm an enforcer, Kyungjoon. I've seen many people die, killed them myself."
'And right now, I wanted to kill again more than anything else in the world.'
"Jackson didn't deserve to die. He died because of me. He never did anything wrong."
What the fuck?
Really?
"He touched the wrong boy. He died for touching what wasn't his to touch."
Kyungjoon shook his head, "You wanted to kill him yourself, didn't you? That's why you stopped my father's men? Not because you wanted to spare Jackson's life."
'Did that come as a surprise to him? Someone who was convinced I and every other member of the Hwang Geum Byul were monsters, he seemed oddly surprised by my desire to kill the asshole who'd pawed at my fiance.'
Before I could reply, my phone rang, and Yunho's name flashed on my screen. I had only sent him a short text while I was in the car. He'd tried calling me but except for a quick talk to the pilot of our jet.
I hadn't been in the mood to speak to anyone but knowing Yunho he wouldn't give up. Stifling a groan I picked up, turning away from Kyungjoon again.
"A text with 'I got him', that's all I get from you?" he said angrily.
"I was busy."
I could hear Soohyuk's high voice in the background but thankfully Yunho didn't put him on. I wasn't in the mood to talk to a hysterical man, least of all the person who'd helped my fiance escape in the first place.
'It was early morning in Seoul, couldn't Yunho have let his husband sleep in for once?'
"With what?" Yunho paused, "No, don't tell me. I don't want to fucking know."
"Did he hurt him?" Soohyuk asked loudly enough for me to hear.
I didn't say anything.
Yunho lowered his voice, "Is he alive?"
"Fuck you."
"I take that as a yes."
Soohyuk was still speaking in the background.
"Tell your husband that his brother is fine."
"Kyungjoon is fine," Yunho said in a muffled voice, then to me. "When will you be back?"
"The flight leaves in less than a few hours."
"You're flying directly to Busan to meet Baekje?"
"He already called you, didn't he?" I said.
The two other guys had sent their boss a message after we'd caught Kyungjoon. That meant, of course, that he knew about the bozo (a.k.a. Jackson) too.
"His son was on the run for months. It's big news."
"Don't tell me he's happy to have him back."
"No, at least not for the same reason Soohyuk is. He made both of you lose face, from what I heard you caught him with another guy. You realize the news will spread like wildfire and Baekje is eager to make a public show out of punishing Kyungjoon. He wants to see him punished and he expects you to help him with it."
I gritted my teeth, "I don't give a fuck. I'm not taking him to Busan. If he wants to talk to him, he can come to Seoul."
"You want to protect him after what he did?"
I didn't give Yunho an answer.
"Wolfgang, this is Hwang Geum Byul's business. He isn't your husband, nobody expects you to marry him after he went around fucking with half of Europe."
"Careful," I hissed.
"Damn it. Can't you just get over him? Fuck, it's not like it matters anymore, hand him back to his bastard of a father."
"Is Soohyuk still around to hear you talk about his brother like that?"
"No. I need to think about the clan, Kyungjoon brought this upon himself. You have to take him to Busan, Wolfgang. I won't risk war over him."
"Fuck you, Yunho. You are my fucking brother. Shouldn't you be on my fucking side?"
"Not when you've lost your fucking mind."
"Fuck you."
Yunho sighed on the other end, "Listen, I'm not saying that you should abandon him. Take him to Busan and pretend you're delivering him. Then make a deal with Baekje, Kyungjoon still has a promise to you, he won't refuse you. He'll probably be glad to have him off his hands. Soohyuk and I will be flying over there. I'm emailing our pilot right this moment, you won't have to deal with this alone."
"Okay, I'm taking him to Busan but I'm not leaving without him, no matter what Baekje says. Kyungjoon's mine."
"Alright, I doubt there will be any problems. And believe me, I have no interest in letting Kyungjoon get hurt by his father. Soohyuk loves his brother. I want my husband to be happy, so I won't let Baekje kill or hurt Kyungjoon. We will bring him back to Seoul with us, even as your husband if that's really what you want."
"You'll go against Baekje if he disagrees for some reason."
"I will. For you and Soohyuk."
"Swear it."
Yunho sighed again, "I swear it. You and Soohyuk are going to be the death of me."
I almost smiled when I hung up.
When I turned back around to Kyungjoon, he was watching me with an anxious expression, which he tried to mask the moment I looked at him but he didn't quite manage. Sometime in the last few months, I'd been sure I wouldn't find him, that he was too clever.
'I was glad that I'd been wrong.'
"Tradition dictates that I hand you over to Hwang Geum Byul and your father."
Fear flashed across his face, Kyungjoon wasn't stupid. He knew what might happen to him. I wasn't sure if others would intervene and I don't give a fuck.
Protectiveness washed over me, they had no right to decide about his fate. This was my chance to show him that he'd been wrong to run away, that I was the right guy for him. For a long time, he stared at me, his face unguarded and vulnerable.
This was a side of him I'd only seen twice when Soohyuk had been drugged and when he had been in the hands of the Yakuza. I was still angry at him, still fucking furious, especially because I knew he'd run away again if I gave him the chance, but part of me was simply glad to have him back.
"I will take you to Busan. I won't leave your side, Kyungjoon. I won't give you the chance to run from me again."