N0 B0DY, N0 CRIM3 | Bang Chan

Palimpsest

An intertwined mixture of anxiety and excitement filled Kiera the next day. Felix and I.N left in the early morning to purchase things for Kiera's makeover. Chan gave them a thick wad of cash and told them not to spend all of it. Knowing Felix and I.N, they'd spend most of it and leave five dollars behind. 

Back in the house, Hyunjin picked at his nails. His cell phone was pressed against the side of his cheek. He rolled his eyes, his tone was coated in annoyance. For the past twenty-five minutes, he had been speaking to an insurance representative at his insurance company. 

The Bella-Nova Art Gallery was turned into a pile of rubble. The small bombs I.N created packed a powerful punch. Pop Blasters were what he called them, apparently. He removed the detailing from old pop cans, wired them with gun powder, and a few other explosives. Hyunjin stopped listening when I.N informed the group of his latest invention. 

It wasn't I.N's fault, but Hyunjin was bitter. Sure, his artwork was insured and he could repaint and rebuild, but his parents bought him that gallery. The marbled flooring and high pillars. The books he spent years collecting in his office were destroyed. The back half of the building blew up because Marvin laced the back with bombs too. 

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, hundreds of hours of hand-crafted paintings were destroyed in seconds. Cemented bricks crumbled. Like the twin towers, the pillars fell beneath the weight of the building. Unable to support the thousands of pounds of bricks, whatever didn't ignite and turn to ashes, it was crushed and smashed beneath the rubble. 

Police officers and firefighters arrived at the scene of the rubble. After Lee Know drove everyone home from the Bella-Nova, Hyunjin took an Uber to the scene of the crime. When he showed up, he spoke to the cops and showed them the video of a masked suspect lining the place with bombs. 

Since he knew Marvin Wilson was the one to set the bombs, there was nothing he could do. Chan killed Marvin and there wasn't a reason to bring his involvement to the cops. Hyunjin deleted Marvin's number from his phone like he never existed. 

After being placed on hold for the fourth time, Hyunjin hung up his phone. He flung it onto the bed where it proceeded to bounce off the silk sheet and hit the ground. A loud groan fell from his lips as he forced himself to lean over and pick it up. Beneath his breath, he grumbled his annoyances. 

He was losing business deals. Not only that, so much money went into the Bella-Nova to be laundered. He couldn't launder as much money as he used to without it. The more time the Bella-Nova was out of commission, the more money he lost. He had more money than he knew what to do with, but money didn't matter. 

It wasn't just about the money he received, it was also about the connections he made. It was a messy never-ending cycle. He might have been able to stop Marvin if he let his security company call the police when they first spotted Marvin, but it was a risky move he didn't want to take. 

"Are you pouting in here?" Han's voice floated from the open door. 

Hyunjin glanced up to find Han with his arms crossed. He was tilted to the side with his head against the door frame. "Why does it matter?" 

"Let me try and cheer you up." Han walked further into the room and plopped down on the end of Hyunjin's queen-sized bed. 

"While I'm thinking about it, do you still feel like you're being followed?" 

Han shook his head, "I haven't felt it since the day Chan said he killed Marvin. I assume it was him trying to figure everything out. It doesn't matter now since he's dead." 

Hyunjin nodded. The pair sat in silence until Han spoke up again. "What are you going to do about your art gallery?" 

"I'm going to rebuild it. It'll take a lot of time and a lot of painting, but I can rebuild it. I suppose I'll make it bigger and better this time. Perhaps I'll make the walls fire resistant and bomb-proof." 

Han let out a chuckle, "how do you plan on doing that?" 

"I haven't figured it out yet," Hyunjin shrugged. 

The pair sat in silence. Han flopped himself back on Hyunjin's bed. Heavy limbs hit his bed with a thud. Hyunjin's room was a modern day oasis. The deep blue ceiling sat speckled with hand-crafted stars and constellations. Hyunjin spent hours on a ladder with his neck contorted. He gritted his teeth, suffered through cramp after cramp, and continued to paint. It took two weeks for him to finish painting the ceiling. 

Han's eyes scanned across the ceiling. He knew nothing about the constellations or the stories behind them. Hyunjin let out a sigh and let his body fall beside Han. "This whole thing is starting to give me a headache." 

"Are you going to rebuild it in the same spot?" 

"I think so. I can't imagine building it anywhere else. That art gallery was my pride and joy. My art studio was in the back of it." He frowned at the realization. "All my paints and canvases, the horse-hair brushes, the art supplies you guys gifted me for my birthday and Christmas, they're all gone. I know I can replace them, but it really sucks." 

Han shoved himself up off the bed. "Well, what are we waiting for then?" He slid off the silk sheet easily and stood up. The scent of french vanilla crept up his nostrils. With a head turn, he spotted the disposable coffee cup on Hyunjin's desk. "Let's go make a temporary studio in the warehouse." 

"But I-" 

"Come on!" He slipped his hands around Hyunjin's wrists and jerked. "It'll be a lot of fun!" Hyunjin groaned and let his body lay limp. Han pulled back and jerked him up into a sitting position. 

With another hard tug, he brought Hyunjin to his feet and dragged him out of the room.