Two Sides [Minchan]

Chapter 36

Close call

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Holding his chest in fear and anticipation. That's what Chan is currently going through right now.

How can he even forget that his lover was going to go home so soon? How can he forget not to talk too casually about the topic inside Minho's home. In situations like this... a mistake like can bring him down to his death.

"Are you okay?" Minho asked, removing an earphone that was covered by his hair.

Huh?...

"I-I didn't know you'd come home so soon. Let me get you your towel." Chan nervously said, a sigh of relief escaping his lips when Minho was wearing earphones all this time after he entered.

Minho was confused because of how Chan reacted, though he shrugged it off since he knew he entered without knocking. Maybe Chan was just surprised and jumped.

Chan headed to Minho's room after he picked his phone up and ended the call. He can still feel his heartbeat like it was running for a race.

If Hyunjin knew about this, he would be concerned for Chan's life and his relationship with his cousin. If it weren't for Hyunjin and Jeongin, he wouldn't be alive by now.

Meanwhile, Minho's eyes slowly turned towards Chan's room door and tilted his head.

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"What?..." That was the first thing that Allen spoke after Chan told him about what happened yesterday.

Chan didn't say anything more and just looked on his cousin with a worried expression.

"I know what you're thinking, and yes, I may have been a little careless because I was talking to Changbin loudly on the phone while cleaning okay?" Chan sighed, just glad he got out of the situation due to Minho wearing earphones.

Allen sighed upon hearing it, not because he sees Chan as being careless, but rather concerned for his safety. They let Chan stay into his enemy's quarters without the other knowing who Chan really is. And if there's one thing Chan never wanted to do to someone, he loves is to keep a secret from them.

"You need to be more careful next time, okay? With the coronation being close, then things might start to surface, Chan. And your cover might be revealed. We need you to stay alert and strong while we finalize the place you'll be staying for a while." Allen warned him, Chan just nodding after what he said.

Allen looks at him first before he gently pats Chan's shoulder.

"Just hang in there for now. Everyone's priority is always you staying alive, so you also need to make sure you stay alive. Even if it causes for Minho to resent you." Allen reminded him the practicality of the situation.

He felt utterly helpless and ridiculous. He sounds like a hero in a novel where everything needs to be saved but the person he loves. Knowing that he sounded like sacrificing his feelings for Minho just to save the city.

All he could think about was his boyfriend whom for years had been suffering after the war. How Minho worked so hard to survive and avenge his family and to take back what was rightfully his'. The man he always admired and adored since then. There was no one who will ever come close to how special Minho is to him.

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The lovely afternoon of course filled the colors of the sky. Minho inhales the soft air of the surroundings as he walks his way to the school building. He knocked first in front of a familiar office and entered inside to greet his former school dean.

"Ah Minho, you're back. Please, have a seat. I was just arranging your papers and the recommendation letters I wanted you to have in case you want to apply to a graduate school or to any professional job you need." He told him, smiling as he faced his former student.

Minho smiled, bowing in gratitude and settling down next to him.

"Thank you, sir. I will make sure to make good use of it." Minho responded while sitting properly.

His dean smiled at how Minho responded to his help and kindness. He sees a brighter future ahead of the kid.

"Many jobs on The Haven are open for such a skilled graduate student like you. Do you want me to recommend you to some of my business partners? We can sort your papers for faster transfer of residency." His dean offered, making Minho look at him and pause for a little while.

"I appreciate your help, sir. But I have such no interest in ever serving the people that looks down on us as if we are rats in the society." Minho said firmly and respectfully.

His dean was stunned but he understood what Minho was trying to say. Afterall, Minho was probably one on the children back then who suffered badly because of the war that surfaced.

"I see... however, I hope you won't only limit your skills. Whether you have your future here or there, I will continue to support you as my student." He softly smiled which made Minho sigh in relief and bowed to his teacher in respect.

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Of course the conversation he had with his dean really did trouble his mind. He was walking in the busy streets of area of The Shallows marketplace, his mind lingering upon seeing the poor people make good use of what they have.

The fruits and vegetables were fresh, but they all had to be planted and grown naturally. Unlike the plants that benefited pesticides or insecticides that the purpose is to only served the elites. All of these, the corruption, the improper domination of the government, this is his purpose to stop.

He sighed as he looks ahead and suddenly spots a group of suspicious men in black and in suits. Minho stops walking as he sees these suspicious men grabbing passerby's and removing their hoodie covers and looking at their faces like looking for someone.

His instincts are telling him that these men might be sent out from the Haven. He turns to also see a struggling vendor from a vegetable stall angry about the suspicious men in suits. He approached the old man slowly, the other recognizing Minho and bowing to him as a greeting.

"Who are they looking for?" Minho asks him, gesturing his head to the suspicious men in black suits who looked like elite thugs.

The old man tensed up as he heard Minho's question, he looked around anxiously before he answered.

"I overheard the other day about their conversations about someone missing. I think that guy escaped here more than a month already and counting. Those guys have been harassing people since they arrived." The old man started.

"Who's missing?" Minho asked again, more intrigued since it was usually the Haven police handling the cases of Haven citizens hiding in The Shallows.

The old man looked around anxiously again before he turned to Minho.

"I am not entirely sure because I did not get a second confirmation. But I heard that the President of the Haven have been missing for quite a while now. Which the capitol is being under the care of the Vice President. My guess is, they're on the lookout to find the President here and bring him back." The old man answered again, chewing on a carrot.

As if a cold bucket of ice poured at Minho. The revelation he suspected before was true. He always sensed something was wrong in the capitol and why there were more soldiers or men entering the Shallows than the usual. Based on his observation in the Haven, even the government offices were debating or having conflicts.

"The President?" Minho asks in a whisper to the old man.

The old man nodded and handed Minho a paper that he stole from one of the men who were looking for the same face that the President Christopher Bang has. Minho takes it and inspects the photo. He pauses as he realized the man was very familiar.

From when he met Christopher Bang as a kid and now seeing a picture of an adult surely did has similarities. But there was a strange feeling in Minho that this Christopher Bang looks very familiar. The picture was not entirely clear because it was a shot of the paparazzi and an old photo that was held too much causing the fragments of the paper to slowly fade.

"You old man, why do you keep involving Minho in other's business huh?"

Minho looked up and saw an old woman as well, in Minho's guess is the wife of the man. The woman smiled at Minho politely and approached them.

"Please don't mind him, he is delusional at times. He forgets most of things and no one in the area really know what he is saying. Please don't mind him." The woman apologized and kindly held Minho's hand.

Minho only chuckled and smiled.

"It's okay, ma'am. I was just curious what were those men doing here." Minho answered.

"Well, they do look like they're looking for somebody. The thing is they are very aggressive so we rather not go their way. We don't want our stalls to cause more trouble. It's best if we ignore them. Missing people always go to The Shallows to hide, that has been happening for so long already." She answered and dismissed Minho's worries.

"I see..." Minho responded, though he felt uneasy but the woman was right.

"Ah, which reminds me. This handsome man Hyunjin is your cousin, right?" The woman asked.

Minho nodded and smiled.

"Yes ma'am. Why?" Minho asked her politely.

She went to her batches of fruits and vegetables.

"I never had the chance to greet him when he arrived. I heard he is already a scientist, and very handsome too. That kid always come here when he was still in school to buy my fruits. Would you mind giving these to him and tell that I, Mrs. Im, missed him and are very proud of him?" The old woman asked for the favor from Minho.

Minho was surprised but immediately nodded and took the bag of fresh fruits and vegetables.

"Yes ma'am. I will surely do that. I will also remind him to visit here often. It's finally nice to meet you in the flesh, I did hear before about him coming to Mrs.Im's stall after school. Thank you so much, auntie." Minho smiled and bowed.

"Such a polite boy, you two are just the same feather. The good looks are in the genes." She commented and laughed after, Minho was touched and chuckled at her compliments.

"Thank you, auntie. Thank you for the extra fruits as well. I will deliver these to Hyunjin as you asked." Minho bowed and smiled, thanking her again.

Minho waved goodbye to the couple as he headed to Hyunjin's place to deliver the fruits. The topic he had with the man temporarily forgotten. Upon reaching the neighborhood, Minho walked towards Hyunjin's house, greeting the people he passes by when they recognized Minho.

He spots the entrance of his cousin's house and walked to the porch. He pressed the doorbell first and waited for anyone to answer. A few seconds and nobody answered, so he pressed the button again, only to receive no answer.

He began to wonder if no one was inside so he decided to text Hyunjin that he was borrowing the spare key from under the flower pot to leave some fruits by his house's counter.

Upon taking the key, he blew off some dirt first and stood up again to unlock Hyunjin's house. He was successful so he opened the door first and entered inside with the groceries. He closed the door after waved at the camera who instantly recognized that it was Minho so the alarm didn't trigger.

He observed inside first and sees the cozy surrounding and the simplicity of it. He takes off his shoes and walked to the kitchen, placing the bag of fruits and vegetables on the counter. He smiled in success before he slowly retreated himself back to the door.

He suddenly dropped one of the folded socks and it rolled near a wall. So he went for it and picked it up to return it to the couch. A sudden chill was felt in his hand as he was touching the sock. Air conditioner?

Minho looked around and sees that there was no air conditioner around so where was he feeling the cold air? He observed the surrounding first and felt that something was off. He didn't notice the buzzing of his phone since he left it on the bag that he put down first to pick up the sock.

He gently placed his hand back to the position where the sock landed earlier and felt the cold air again. Weird.

Minho gently followed where the coldness came from and his hand slowly touched the wall. It was cold. The wall was cold. It felt like cold wood. He was starting to touch up because of the coldness. When he landed on a specific spot he was about to push something when he heard a voice.

"Hyung, what are you doing?" Hyunjin asked him, his voice was slightly trembling, as his cousin was about to find out something he never should.

Hyunjin had to hurry home because he knew he didn't secure the secret passage enough because he thought no one was coming. But if there was someone he never expected to come, was Minho himself. He had to hold his nervousness and the lump on his throat steady for Minho to stop touching the wall.

Jeongin followed and paused seeing what Minho was doing.

"Hyung!" Jeongin exclaimed in surprise, good thing Minho didn't find out anything about it yet.

"Hyung, what are you doing in there? Come, we brought food!" Jeongin immediately took him away from the wall and brought Minho to the kitchen.

Minho only blinked but he wasn't really thinking anything than how the wall was cold.

"Was there something wrong with your wall? It was cold." Minho asked them both.

Jeongin looks at Hyunjin, hoping the elder had an answer.

"Yes, it goes cold during rainy season, plus it was a wall on my room so my walls get cold a lot due to the air conditioner I have inside my room." Hyunjin answered, his hand going through his hair hoping Minho buys the answer.

"Oh, you guys have air conditioner already?" Minho asks again in curiosity.

Jeongin nodded and smiles.

"Yes, we had them attached recently since our equipment are being used a lot so we need it on a good temperature and not overheating." Jeongin explained, which was also true because equipment such as computers are often placed and used in airconditioned rooms.

Minho nodded and placed his hands on to his pockets.

"Ah well anyways I apologize for my actions and I definitely understand the airconditioned part. You two have stable jobs so it's just right for you two to have airconditioned rooms. What's the money for if not for yourself?" Minho joked as he laughs, Hyunjin and Jeongin just gave nervous laughter as well.

"All right, I'll head home now. For sure, Chan already made dinner for me. As much as I appreciate that you brought food, but I don't want a disappointed pouting boy waiting for me at home." Minho bid farewell and takes his bag from the couch before he waved goodbye.

Hyunjin and Jeongin also smiled and waved goodbye.

"Bye hyung, get home safely~" Hyunjin waved before he closes the door the moment Minho left the gates.

He turned to Jeongin while leaning on the door with a sigh of relief. Jeongin sighed in relief as well because their plans could've been spoiled if Minho found out everything about it.

Minho was walking back to his house to go home and have dinner as well. He tilted his neck again and his eyes slightly changed, seeing the figure of his boyfriend by the door waiting for him.

When Chan saw Minho, he instantly lit up and waved excitingly. Minho stood there for a while before he licked his lips, his face unreadable.

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