Minho was awake by the time Jae Hyun came up to his room. He was lying on his side, curled up and facing the wall with his one arm folded beneath his head.
Jae Hyun couldn't help but notice how tense Minho got with each step he took towards him. He should have handled him better, but he wasn't going to, not even now. He wasn't going to give Minho any idea that he was going soft.
"Help yourself." Jae Hyun said, holding out the brown bag with takeout at him. "I'm not starving you."
Minho didn't look at the bag or Jae Hyun. He simply unfolded his arms and lunged further from him.
"Ah, silent treatment. How adorable, pretty boy." Jae Hyun taunted Minho, attempting to get him to talk.
It was so unlike Minho. It would have made sense if they were in an alternate universe, one in which Minho could be silent for once and not try to challenge everything Jae Hyun said. Minho was always talking and the fact that he was now silent disturbed Jae Hyun.
After a few suspended minutes of Jae Hyun staring at Minho, he realized he was not going to get a response and finally dropped the bag at the table and then left.
It was more of the same the next day. Minho was sitting up this time, scuffling through the pages of a book, but as soon as he realized it was Jae Hyun coming again, he slumped, closing his book and turning away. It gave Jae Hyun the idea that if Minho was always turning his back on him, then maybe he was expecting someone else.
How was he excited when it was someone else sent inside and disappointed when it was Jae Hyun himself?
"Eat up." Jae Hyun growled, handing a plate of sausages and eggs for him. It didn't escape Jae Hyun's notice that even the bag of takeout he had brought the previous day was exactly where he had left it. Untouched.
Yet again, Minho refused to even look up at Jae Hyun, let alone take the plate. It didn't matter how much Jae Hyun glared at him or willed him to look his way.
On realizing that he wasn't going to get a response the second time, Jae Hyun swapped the brown bag for the plate and took his leave, striding angrily towards Chan.
"What happened back there?" Jae bellowed at Chan. "I gave you specific instructions to not let anyone in or out of that room."
"No one got in, Sir. I stood watch here the entire time." Chan replied shakily.
"Then what happened? Why isn't he eating?" Jae Hyun asked frustratedly as Chan shot him a bewildered stare. Even Chan was shocked at how Jae Hyun was getting worked up over Minho refusing to eat. It was so unlike him, and the fact that Minho was just another one of Jae Hyun's captives didn't make it any easier to understand.
"I don't know, sir. But I can assure you nobody entered that room. He was fine the last time I checked." Chan said, trying to not look curious.
"What do you mean fine?"
"He was talking. Laughing even."
"Laughing?" Jae Hyun clenched his fists, almost throwing a punch at the wall. "What the hell was he laughing about?"
"I…I don't know, sir. I only did what you asked. I brought him food and that was it." Chan replied, not wanting to look at Jae Hyun directly.
"Go get some food from the kitchen and bring it to him." Jae Hyun said, sighing defeatedly.
"But sir?"
Whatever Chan wanted to say was cut short by the hateful stare Jae Hyun shot him, Chan scurried away, not daring to ask any more questions.
Turning on his heel, Jae Hyun yanked a vase from one of the hallway shelves threw the whole thing on the floor, and stormed into his study, banging the door behind him.
A few minutes later, Chan came from through the hallway holding a tray of food and Jae Hyun trailed after him. however, he didn't follow Chan all the way into the room, instead, he stopped just by the door to eavesdrop. One way or the other, he had to know why Minho was refusing to eat.
"You have to eat something." Chan began in a low, convincing tone, holding out the tray to Minho. "I know you don't like it here and there isn't much you can do to help that. I can't have you wasting away in here."
"And what do you care?" Minho spat. "You know, I just think it's funny how―"
"Minho, please." Chan sighed. "I don't want you dropping dead on my watch. Plus, Jae Hyun will skin me alive. I know you hate me but can you please not have me killed this time?"
Minho looked at Chan warily then sat up. He had already left Chan once to die alone in the middle of a shootout, it was only fair for him not to put him in the way of danger this time. Given the way Jae Hyun sometimes went nuts, whatever Chan claimed about being skinned made sense.
"I know what it's like to be cooped up." Chan continued, setting the tray on the bedside table. "We have to follow the rules, doesn't mean we can't be civil about it." He said softly, pushing the tray towards Minho.
"You're too decent for this Chan," Minho said, breaking his gaze after a few seconds, looking concerned. He hadn't had a chance to talk to Chan. Not that Jae Hyun would have allowed it if he knew the truth about what was going on between the two. "How'd you end up here? What happened to you?"
Chan chuckled wryly. "Don't give me too much credit. I know you don't mean it anyway." The smile on Chan's face faded. "And, you don't wanna know the latter."
"Come on, give it to me. At least you owe me that." Minho pleaded. They could keep playing cat and mouse, or Chan could just come clean and tell Minho how he ended up with a gang, which wasn't likely. But Minho had to try. "You brought enough to feed an army, wanna share?"
Anger twisted through Jae Hyun at Minho's words. He couldn't understand why Minho was acting too friendly when it was Chan and didn't even look when it was him. The last thing Jae Hyun expected was Minho wanting to have a goddamn picnic with one of his guards.
"I'm not even supposed to be talking to you." Chan retorted, backing away from Minho.
"Just what is going on in here?" Jae Hyun barged into the room, startling Chan who immediately stood up, nearly dropping at his sudden arrival. He was fuming, something that only made Minho chuckle.
"N–nothing sir," Chan stammered, fondling his hands. "I just brought him food like you asked."
"Is that so?" Jae Hyun asked narrowing his eyes intently at Chan. "That looked mighty friendly for a simple food drop."
"I'm s–sorry s–sir, I…I was just―"
"Get out, now!" Jae Hyun bellowed and Chan scrambled out, making sure to stare him down until he was completely gone, out of sight. As soon as Chan was gone, Jae Hyun turned to Minho, who retreated to his plate, stabbing the eggs with a fork.
So, he eats what Chan gives him but not me
He was talking to Chan!
Jae Hyun thought, stifling it down enough to make sure Minho didn't notice he was offended by the mere act. Minho however hadn't lifted his head since Chan left. He kept his gaze down, shuffling his food.
"Look at me." Jae Hyun commanded, but Minho didn't so much as flinch, something that made Jae Hyun's stomach burn. He closed the distance between them in a few strides, and yanked up Minho's jaw, forcing his face up until he was left with no choice but to look at him.
"So, what was that little bonding session about? Getting chummy with Chan huh?" Jae Hyun asked. However, Minho only sneered, not saying a word.
"Answer me, damn it!" Jae Hyun knocked the plate off his hand, sending its contents splattering all over.
"What do you care if we were?" Minho spat back with a glare. "Oh please, you can't be having problems with me making friends too."
"Were you and Chan getting… friendly, Minho? A little too friendly?" Jae Hyun snarled through gritted teeth.
"What, do you really think I'd mess up with your goons? I already told you I'm not twisted like you think I am. Believe it or not, people have conversations, you would understand that if you were human enough." Minho retorted, yanking his face away from Jae Hyun's hands.
"Don't play dumb with me." Jae Hyun grabbed Minho's shirt heaving. "I saw you."
Minho pursed, what drove Jae Hyun nuts even worse. It was Minho, a stubborn, raging pain in the neck. He should have been smiling, or at least smirking, or just doing whatever he always did to prove stubborn, anything except looking at Jae Hyun like he was a disease.
"I don't swing like that. Even if I was, I would have better choices." Minho finally replied.
"I'm watching you―"
"Of course you are." Minho taunted. "What wouldn't you give for power trip? Acting all jealous―"
Jae Hyun grabbed a fistful of his shirt, yanking him up against the wall, ending up with most of his torso against Minho's. "What did you say to me?"
"This sad little act of you trying to mask your jealousy with that tough guy act, it's transparent as hell." Minho spat. He had not even thought carefully when he spat out, and it was only then that he realized that he'd gone far. Too far for Jae Hyun's liking.
Jae Hyun shoved Minho harder onto the wall, the rise and fall of their chests now mirroring one another. "What did I say about that smart mouth?"