Reasons to Stay // Hyunin

~31~

"You move a finger, I kill."

Restlessness had changed inside the little Ramen shop as victims and perpetrators all saw the young blonde had pulled out a hidden revolver of his own. Now he stood pointing it at Ah-Lim, who had kept his muzzle close to Jeongin's head. The older man snickered. "One shot and he's dead. What can you do about it?"

"I can do anything about it," Hyunjin growled. "Ah-Lim, I know you. I know how much you value yourself, your life, your money. You kill him, then I kill you right away. And you're too coward to do that."

A wave of uneasiness crossed the man's face and he glared at Hyunjin without a word. Hyunjin glared back and hissed, "You let him go."

"Never!"

"Then you let go of your LIFE."

Surprisingly, the man was actually scared by the youth's threats and suddenly tried to loosen up, sighing. "Hyunjin-ah, come on. I was like your older brother! Don't be too harsh on me. Come on, what's up with you? There's no need for you to become so angry and try to claim my life like that!"

"Then you let him go, and none of your men hold him down." Hyunjin answered, unquavering.

Ah-Lim was silent, thinking for a little while but then he looked back up at Hyunjin, trying to compromise. "I let him go, you be cooperative with me and we take you back. And you do what I tell you to do."

"Fine." Hyunjin's stone cold stare didn't disappear.

"Hyung!" Jeongin gasped. Hyunjin ignored him and answered Ah-Lim, "Fine. is that enough?"

"I need money too," the man grinned evilly as he put more pressure on the muzzle.

"Okay, if that's what you need. You can have all the money I've ever gotten from missions and Boss, as long as you send a message to your men right now and tell them that they cannot harm Jeongin, then release him before I count to 50."

"Jinnie-hyung...what about y-you?" Jeongin asked weakly.

"Doesn't matter. He lets you go, and you run away to somewhere safe."

"But hyung," the tears that Innie had hold in his eyes started to spill over.

"I said, it doesn't matter." Hyunjin repeated dully.

"Sent," Ah-Lim said as he showed Hyunjin his cellphone messages, then put it away. "Now please lower your gun."

"That wasn't part of our agreement," Hyunjin reminded him and started counting, "1, 2, 3, 4..."

Ah-Lim quickly dropped his gun to the floor and let go of Jeongin, who hesitantly moved back a couple of steps but froze as he saw his Jinnie still standing.

"I said, RUN!" Hyunjin yelled harshly at the black-haired boy, who unfroze in fright and scrambled out of the shop without looking back. He ran down the streets, into the dark. Where was somewhere safe? Maybe back at the hotel? He wanted to be with his Lee Know hyung and ran in the direction. But running out of breath on the way there, he had to stop. Glancing around, he only saw a potential safe place, a family barber business. Because he saw the gentle-looking woman inside through the windows and was pretty sure she'd let him hide in their backroom for a while.

And she did let him, seeing the poor rain-drenched child who couldn't even speak right because he was so scared. Jeongin stayed hiding in the backroom, sitting on the bed when he got a long text from an unknown number.

If you don't know me, I'm the boss. I've been after you and your brother ever since I lit your orphanage on fire. Guess my men aren't loyal enough to do their jobs, seeing they've let you escape too. Well that doesn't matter because at least I've got Lee Know. And we're on the roof of your escape-hotel right now. I'm tired of chasing you two all over the place and now I'm going to finish up you victims myself. Ten minutes, there's just ten minutes and I'll let him see if he can fly. Text "bye-bye" to your Lee Know-hyung!

Jeongin reread the message another time. What? Had everyone realised where the 4 boys had gone? Where was Han? Was Han part of the gang? Jeongin's mind was spinning but he felt like he had to do something. He came out of the room and thanked the lady hastily, then ran off to the hotel as fast as he could. By the time he spotted the hotel building at the end of the road, he felt that his lungs would burst. He looked up but the roof of the building was obscure in the dark rain.

His phone started to buzz and he took a quick peek to see the messages.

5

4

3

He couldn't make it. And Jeongin's tired legs gave way, he collapsed and leaned against a light pole. He stared exhausted and hopeless at the building and the sky around it. Were those shouts he heard coming from up there? or just his imagination.

Suddenly Jeongin squinted his eyes at the sky as he noticed-

No...

He thought he saw a figure falling in the dark sky, and the sudden flash of lightning confirmed his thoughts.

NO!

The screams strained at his ears, sounds that would give him nightmares. Jeongin tried to stand to his feet but in an instant had collapsed again. He sweared at his inability to get up as he couldn't feel his legs at all. He finally gave up, relaxed his body and closed his eyes, feeling the rain hitting his face, feeling strangely calm...

CRACK!

Jeongin's eyes popped open, wide...

...It's his hyung's bones.

The wretched sound echoed through his head. He couldn't unhear it. Repeated over and over like demons possessing his brain, spirits floating around him. Jeongin hugged himself tightly, feeling so hollow that he couldn't even cry.

With the little strength he had left, Jeongin fumbled into his pocket for his loyal knife. His fingers shook as he slid the pocketknife blade open. Then slowly rolled up his arm sleeves.

He stared at the neat cuts he had made, row after row, then took the knife in his other hand and made an unstable cut through the rows. There. He had ruined it and he couldn't undo it. He slashed another one, then another one, guilty joy in messing up his neatness.

The satisfaction of cutting didn't last long and Jeongin mechanically laid his weapon on the ground beside him. Some figures had walked past him now and then, ignoring the boy in thought that he was just another problematic homeless man.

After a few minutes of resting, Jeongin unzipped the little bag he had brought on him. He fished around tiredly, and pulled out something a classmate had given to him a few days ago.

A bottle of pills. When they had been given to him, he had stuffed them in his bag, not thinking too much, only taking it because his high classmate had been crazy insistent and annoying. But apparently he had never taken them out.

Jeongin didn't have much strength and thus found it rather hard to press down on the bottle cap and turn at the same time, but he eventually made it.

He leaned his head back and poured them into his mouth, not stopping to drink something with it or take it one by one. He choked, desperate to see his Seungmin-hyung, his Lee Know-hyung, his mom and dad again.

He lay down on the cold ground on his side, starting to eat each pill slower and slower after the initial rush. Lights flashed before him and alarms rang incessantly in his ears.

Don't worry eomma...our family will be back together in a minute...