[EN] LIFELINE (Jilix)

II.

Minho was leaving the office when he heard the front door slam. He didn't think much of it, maybe someone had a package sent to work. He squared his shoulders and walked down a few steps to check on the goings on in the department. Several employees nodded to him in greeting. Everything looked perfectly fine at first glance, but on closer inspection he realized that something was wrong after all.

On Felix's desk the situation was akin to an explosion, the drawer not being closed and the chair pushed back further than usual for the boy. And Felix was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Felix?" the sang asked the ward. The murmur died down, but no one answered him.

He took a deep breath and asked again. "I said, where is Felix Lee?"

"He went to rescue his roommate," Jeongin finally spoke up, unable to bear the silence any longer. Seungmin acknowledged his statement with a nod and then lowered his gaze to the ground.

"And alone?" the manager questioned, horrified. "Jeongin, be a dear and get Chris from the Special Unit to come to my office."

"Yes, sir," nodded the youngest obediently and disappeared behind the door.

Minho, meanwhile, turned to Seungmin. "I assume he set off based on that phone call?"

Seungmin confirmed his words with another nod and the supervisor sighed.

"We have to help him. You better be on the line and let me know right away if anything happens."

"I will," he nodded.

The sang nodded and walked back to his office, where Christopher was waiting for him. He invited him in and sat down in his chair. "I need you to find Felix and help him with whatever happened to his roommate, Jisung Han."

The sanguine nodded. "I suppose I should start at his place?"

"Exactly."

EARLIER THAT DAY

Jisung was still smiling like an idiot long after Felix left for work. He never would have guessed that what happened last New Year's Eve was anything more than a fling, but still it happened, even though they never talked about it. Right now he felt as if he was the luckiest person in the entire galaxy. He couldn't wait for the evening to see him again.

After he got washed and dressed he applied a little make-up under his eyes to cover the thin dark red veins that were visible under the delicate skin. He checked his pockets for everything he needed to survive the next few hours and headed for the bus. He still had plenty of time before his shift started, but he'd rather be everywhere sooner than later.

His job at the music store went by quickly. He allowed himself to think that he was doing very well for his first day and hoped they would keep him there. After he counted the money and dusted off the store he headed home. He looked at his watch. He still had a good two hours before Felix returned home, so he might as well walk. On the way, he stopped at a florist's shop, where he got Felix a bouquet.

"Is that for your girlfriend?" asked the shop assistant with a nice smile.

Jisung tried not to laugh and nodded. "Exactly."

As soon as he got home, he put the flowers in a vase and opened the window to change the air after a full day.

No sooner had he washed the dishes than there was a knock at the door. Maybe the neighbour needs flour again... He wiped his hands into a towel and went to answer the door. He didn't even bother to look through the peephole.

And he immediately regretted it.

Before he could close the door again, a man at least a head taller than him pushed him back into the flat. The lower half of his face was hidden behind a scarf. He noticed that his shorter sidekick, also with his face covered, was following him.

He avoided the hand reaching for him by a hundredth of a millimetre and started to back up to the kitchen. He hoped he'd find something there to defend himself against the two. No matter what, he mustn't let them corner him and let them out of his sight.

He took a deep breath to calm himself down. As if he heard his boyfriend. Breathe, everything will be alright, just breathe.

The first thing he saw was an empty glass bottle. No sooner had he turned than his armed hand flew without thinking towards the head of the smaller assailant who was rushing towards him. He hit him in the side of the head. The bottle shattered and the fellow fell to his knees. He'll leave him alone for a while.

Before he could regain his bearings, the giant punched him in the face. The man fisted a broken bottle before taking a second blow. The attacker hissed and grabbed at his cut hand. He took advantage of the situation and squeezed his way back from the kitchen counter into the open area.

He tried to get out of the apartment, but the smaller man grabbed his ankle. He kicked him in the arm with his free foot. Although he broke free from the grip, the next moment the taller man grabbed him by the hair and threw him towards the wall. He bumped his back against it and, hearing the shattering of glass, was hit in the stomach by a knee.

Despite all the pain, he tried to stand as straight as he could, and his grip on the neck of the broken bottle intensified while he protected his stomach with his free hand. This time he swung the makeshift weapon at his attacker's face, but he managed to cover himself with his arm. At least he gained time to move to the centre of the room again.

The smaller attacker was already on his feet. He grabbed his armed arm and neck and threw him against the wall again. This time Jisung hit not only his back, but his head as well. The next second, the smaller man had him flipped onto the coffee table, knocking over perhaps everything on it. He tried to sit up, but his attacker was faster. He grabbed him by the hair and slammed the back of his head against the edge of the table, and then again, and then his head hit the carpet. He was breathing heavily and stars were dancing before his eyes, but he refused to give up. He must not give up.

In an unguarded moment, the tall assailant stomped with all his strength on the wrist of his hand, which still held the neck of the bottle firmly. Then he stomped again, harder. He felt something snap and he finally let go of the bottle. The grip on his throat intensified.

He gathered the remains of his strength and with a learned movement got out from under the attacker. He was about to extend his fist, but was stopped by an unexpected stab in the neck. His vision blurred, his hand dropped, and the next second everything turned black.