abide

chapter 16

mashiho's backbones cluttered painfully against the counter in the kitchen. yet he didn't let out even a sound. his eyes were looking down, the boy felt ashamed. he didn't dare to hit back, didn't plan to counterattack.

"how did this happen?! how could you let it happen?!" jihoon lashed out, spitting a bit of venom with every uttered word.

his fist convulsing, already hanging in the air, ready to treat cerberus' innocent face with some bruises and crumbled bones. his motions were hindered by the voice in the back of his head. not his voice, but a very familiar one, the one he desired to hear now more than ever.

"do not punish mashiho."

jeongwoo's voice seemed so real, rang in his ears, echoed in his chest, knocking his heart down, making him weak in his knees. all of his limbs suddenly went numb, thought that this time there could have been someone else who induced his brother to get away from him, or maybe left a pitfall and the young boy, so unaware of what creatures could go out to the light in this area, fell into it.

"cerberus." although his mind bore the fact that it wasn't the bodyguard's fault, at least not entirely his, jihoon couldn't reach out more to him by calling the other's real name. "what happened, explain now or I will smash your face against the shelves."

the boy immediately understood that he was given one last chance. still gazing at the floor, kneeling in front of his employer like the less favorite toy asking for forgiveness and permission to be let into the dollhouse again, he started the account.

"I went to jeongwoo's room this morning to wake him up as I always do. this time however the bed was empty, sheets on the floor as if pushed away in a hurry, and the window was... the wind was whirling in the room through the opened window."

jihoon clenched his teeth, his brain already bracing to weave a plan on how to find and get back this ruthless child. yet, one thing slipped his mind, and mashiho, being the diligent worker, cared to bring it up.

"he couldn't be alone. I found this ring on the bed and I have never seen jeongwoo wearing it, I assume it might not belong to him."

fierce eyes of jihoon would be able to murder the jewelry held in ceberus' fingers. the older took it from the other harshly, while examining it thoroughly for several minutes the thing was endangered to be broken in a half or bent in an unnatural way far more than ten times.

and if jihoon's heart was knocked down before, now it got swallowed somewhere into nothingness, gone, lost. what once beat for his mother, then his brother, finally the lover held in his arms so lovingly merely yesterday, was not dead, and the one with bloody hands had the same color on his hair.

"you check the premises. ask neighbors if there are any, any clue notify me."

the order was dry, lacking in emotions. jihoon's voice was colorless, raucous, the boy feeling drained even if the worst was yet ahead.

mashiho taking in the words solemnly stood up and pounced towards the door. before disappearing behind them, he looked behind, concerned.

"what about you boss?"

"I will get what I want even if it cost my life."

a sudden gap in his chest was bound to be filled with something in no time. as he heard the hinge screaking almost inaudibly, he hid his face in his palms, sobbing out softly. what he was about to do scared him, the beast which has been devouring him for so many years was now the most terrifying power. the jihoon he liked, the one he had found upon finding yoshinori - the more humane jihoon - had to be silenced and extinguished with the brutality even the leader himself was appalled of.

"only you know... and that's your ring..."

the signifying sound of gold bouncing on the floor, rolling a few times to finally quiet down. jihoon ran past a few alleys, ashamed of his weakness, trying to stop praying.

"please don't be home, please be somewhere away, or please lie to me..."

whoever or whatever the god, goddess, deity, or unreachable authority he had been addressing, didn't hear his imploring.

yoshinori was there, at that moment about to get inside their base, all alone. yet upon spotting jihoon running closer, he changed the direction.

with opened arms, a sweet smile, and happy eyes, the boy managed to take a few steps closer. when the other instead of taking him into his hold, pushed him hard to the ground, panting like a vulture bracing to attack his prey, yoshinori felt so small and vulnerable.

he cherished jihoon so much that even if he could, he wouldn't cause him any harm. and so, he became an easy target to the man whose strong arms used to be his solace. now they were nothing but weapons, lifting him by the collar.

yoshinori was ready to fall under a more severe attack which was inevitable. the red-haired boy saw it in jihoon's eyes, although what he didn't know was that the other's cue to strike was the lack of the dreadful ring that jihoon could remember playing with just yesterday.

both of them felt lost, hurt, and betrayed in the unique, poisonous love they had for each other.

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