【Ａｓｐｈｙｘｉａ】 seongjoong

Awake

* Not beta read

"Jongho!" Yeosang called out as he heard the younger agent scream in alarm. Rushing to the kitchen as quickly as his injured ribs would let him, he turned the corner to see Jongho standing frozen with his hands over his mouth as he starred at something on the ground. "What's wrong?"

The younger didn't answer and just removed one of the hands covering his face and pointed. On the floor was a small box that was turned over on its side as if it had been suddenly dropped. Frowning, Yeosang took a step closer and grabbed the knife off the counter Jongho had used to open the package. Carefully, the agent leaned down close tot he box and used the knife to lift one of the tabs up to peer inside. 

It was a hand.

Squeezing shut his eyes, Yeosang turned his face away from the contents of the box for a moment to collect his bearings. After a second, he reached out and picked up the box to set it on the counter. Steeling himself, he moved the tissue away once more to get a better look.

The hand itself seemed to be cut from just above the wrist. There appeared to be no tearing so the cut was done with a sharp instrument and not torn off like what happens in car accidents or animal attacks. The hand also seemed to be slender, like a woman's, and curled around something with the thumb atrophied upwards. It was a familiar looking detonation button. The Ghoul from the auction. 

"It's her, isn't it?" Jongho asked from behind Yeosang. "Do you think she sent it?"

The sandy haired agent pursed his lips together in thought for a moment. Ghoul's did have the ability to regenerate parts of their body after a severe injury after some time. It could very well be a taunt sent by the very Ghoul Jongho defeated herself as some kind of sick joke but there wasn't a true way of telling. 

"I don't know," Yeosang admitted truthfully after a beat. 

Jongho pressed his lips into a thin line as a muscle twitched in his jaw. It was a clear taunt if it had been sent by herself. Somehow, the younger had become a point of fascination for this Ghoul and it had become a back and forth game. The thing is, though, this Ghoul picked a very unfortunate target.

XxX

Seonghwa stumbled backwards as his back collided with the couch, his hand up to grasp the wrist of the one choking him.

"Hong-Hongjoong?" He stammered as he felt his breath leave him.

The face of the boy in front of him was so familiar but the look in his eyes was so foreign. Gone was all sense of warmth and friendliness that Seonghwa was so familiar with. In its place was a cold, red stare full of mirth and underlying malice that glimmered in the dim lighting.

The Ghoul just tightened his hold on the agent's neck, blunt nails digging into the skin of Seonghwa's neck as Hongjoong tilted his head with a cruel smile.

"So, you're Seonghwa," The Ghoulish Hongjoong nearly purred. He leaned in right by Seonghwa's ear his lips just brushing the shell. "Pleasure to meet you."

Seonghwa repressed the shiver that wanted to take over at the cool puff of air as he tugged more at the hand holding him captive. "Hongjoong, what are you doing?"

"What am I doing?" The Ghoulish Hongjoong gasped in mock offense as he pulled back from the other's ear. "What are you doing Seonghwa? Harboring a fugitive? Tsk, tsk. Not very upstanding agent of you, is it?"

"Who are you?" The agent cut back- ignoring the glib from the other. There was no way the person in front of him now was the Hongjoong he knew. Something must have happened in that cell.