Above and Below // SeongJoong

18. Meeting at the Threshold (1)

DISCLAIMER: I have limited knowledge of the law, so please excuse any mistakes or inaccurate representations of reality. This is fiction, and everything that happens does not reflect any real events.

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Hongjoong's legs were moving so fast under him, he did not think he'd ever gone this fast in his life, but still, it could not compare to the speed at which his mind was spinning.

He knew very well that there was no chance he could outrun the gangsters that were on his tail right now, so his only choice was to outsmart them. Already he was thinking of ways to get himself off the hook, to placate his pursuers, to bribe them if need be, as he sprinted down Pets Park's street and rounded a corner in the quiet neighborhood, hoping it was the quickest route to the city where he could get help. All the while, of course, he also had to deal with other, rather less entertaining thoughts that were haunting him.

I'm going to get caught. Then they're going to kill me. I'm going to die. What have I done? Is Seonghwa okay? I should've called the police. I should've listened to Jongho. Someone, anyone, I'm here! I'm going to get caught. They're going to kill me...

His silent pleas soon began to die out, just as his breath was running out. But it turned out it did not matter anyway, because he must have imagined the area differently, or got turned around in the darkness and his growing fear, and now found himself in a dead-end on a small road. There were fences ahead and to his left, and to his right was the brick wall of an unidentified building.

He was trapped, and the last of his hope and courage fled from him when he felt a hand on his shoulder. An involuntary yelp escaped his lips as he was flung to the side, the fence rattling behind him when he was forced to slam against it.

Almost instinctively, he raised his two hands in the air and widened his eyes at his persecutors. In his peripheral vision, he could vaguely make out the figure of Wooyoung, still panting from the chase inside the surgical gown, mask, and hairnet that he had no time to take off before leaving the basement. Hongjoong would have felt sorry for the nurse if it were not for the other one – the pink-haired one called San – that was currently pinning him down with a death glare, mere inches away from his face. "Don't hurt me," he blurted. "Please. H-hear me out. Don't hurt me..."

The waver in his voice was definitely not a part of his plan. Neither was the way his throat went dry as a desert. He did not understand. It was not his first time dealing with thugs, and he'd definitely been under more stressful conditions than this as a lawyer; words were supposed to be his power, yet he was afraid to use them.

But then again, how many people in the world can stay calm in a situation like this? In a situation where, very possibly, the stakes are literally... life and death. Not only his life and death, no, but also of the person he loved most.

The man who appeared to be the leader had sent underlings to go after him, leaving Seonghwa alone in the basement with him. Who knew what he was going to him, the very man who endangered the secrets of the Salgeum gang by bridging a connection with an outsider? Hongjoong was terrified to find out. He did not want to – he could not – find out. And the only way to ensure that was to get back to his boyfriend before it was too late.

But San was already one step ahead and had clearly seen it coming that his captive would want to leave. "Don't bother, you'll just make it worse for yourself." He'd held a forearm across the partner attorney's collarbone, and now he gave another hard shove up against his neck, forcing him further back into the fence. "Do you know what you've done, walking in on us like that?"

Hongjoong swallowed and brought his hands up to the gangster's arm, making a futile attempt at placating the tense muscles that held him down. "Let me explain," he tried, "I was just––"