District 9

Chapter 4

I must have fallen asleep at some point in the night, still draped over the beanbag where I had earlier gone to. 

We had all been watching a movie on the small TV Felix had managed to scavenge from a dump and Han had been able to make work again, something about wizards and guns and dogs; unsurprisingly Han and Seungmin's favorite mix. 

Jeongin had moved halfway through to sit on the floor next to Hyunjin, the two boys curled around each other protectively, their eyes now closed. I held back a smile as I saw evidence of drool on Hyunjin's grey tank top. It was hard to imagine him as some ruthless spy when he looked like that. 

Felix and Changbin had vacated the sofa and had probably retired to bed, most likely Changbin dragging Felix along before they both fell asleep. Seungmin and Han were also still here, Seungmin muttering in his sleep as he rolled over, pulling most of the blanket with him. Chan and Minho were nowhere to be seen and I hoped they were both sleeping too, they definitely needed it. Han regularly compared Chan to a panda these days and Minho didn't look much better.

I was just about pull myself up and stagger to my own bedroom when the door to the kitchen opened slightly, a stream of light creeping into the dark space, reaching us in the living room. My body was turned away so I couldn't see their faces but I knew it was Chan and Minho straight away; only they had the sense to talk in whispers when the rest of the house was asleep. 

"When do you think they'll act?" That was Chan, his voice low and worried. The obvious alarm made me stay still, my breathing quiet as I listened in.

"If they follow their usual pattern, it will be soon." Minho replied, his voice heavy.

"You think other gangs will stop them?" It sounded like a half-hearted question, like Chan already knew the answer but needed confirmation.

"Not a chance." Minho answered. "They're too strong. No one will dare go up against them; it would be like signing a death warrant." Chan sighed and I could almost imagine him running a hand through his hair. I almost sat up then. I wanted to know who they were talking about, what they were so scared about. 

"Do we tell the others?" I froze. It had never been a question before about whether or not they told us. We were a family, we trusted each other with everything. We shared everything, we never held back. Why would this suddenly be any different?

"Not yet." Was Minho's glancing reply. I heard their footsteps draw nearer and I squeezed my eyes shut. There was no way I was going to incriminate myself now.  The footsteps paused a few steps away from my head. "What about Astraea, though? Are we telling her?" I was so tense, my teeth hurt from clenching my mouth, but I tried to portray the perfect picture of someone who was deeply asleep. 

"No." There was no hesitation on Chan's part. "I know she's with us but if she hears about X resurfacing to their full power and their plans for the rest of the gangs here... It's too risky. I don't know what she might be persuaded to do." I could have sworn they had paused to stare at me. I don't think I even breathed. "For now, let's just continue being on the lookout. Get this arms deal out of the way and then decide what we're going to do." 

I didn't hear Minho's reply because they had continued walking and had now reached the door leading out onto the staircase, letting it fall softly shut behind them. Only then did I let myself open my eyes, still reeling from what I had heard. 

As I turned over, I caught sight of Han, pale faced, eyes wide open and staring straight at me. I grimaced. There was no way he had missed all of that. 

I loved Han with all my heart. Firstly, he was the best person to turn to for any tech problems, he made a wicked omelet and was also one of the few people who could make Hyunjin giggle like a two-year-old. 

But Han with a secret?

That was like me with a microwave, or Seungmin with Betsy: a deadly mix.