↤P A R A D I G M↦

二

Fun fact both 两 and 二 are 2, but one's for counting, the other for more specific things that I'm too lazy to name.

"Do you really have to leave for that long?" 

A report from the southeast sector of the slums, or Joong's lil kingdom, as Jessica liked to call it, depicted another case of child abuse and this time it was more serious, as it involved both of the parents. "Yes, I'm sorry, I know I promised take you guys to the lake outside the walls, but someone needs help, and guess what, you'll be getting a new..." He quickly rummaged through the small coffee table set up outside so that Hongjoong could manage reports from the sectors, while also keeping an eye on the children.

"Where is this bi- Oh, you'll be getting a new brother!" he exclaimed and looked around at the kids, who's pouty faces quickly turned into ones of delight. "Really?!" Jiwoon was excited out of his mind, it was the first time he would be seeing an arrival, and to say he was excited was an understatement. "Yes, really," Hongjoong shoved all the papers to one side and got up to wave to Hyejoon, who's parents had just dropped her off. As well as a community home/restaurant for the poor/office/orphanage, it was also a day care. Hyejoon's parents would go off to work, they were one of the only people who had paying jobs, to bring in income to fund Hongjoong's operations. 

"I've gotta go, c'mon, go play and I'll be back in time for dinner, I pinkie promise," Hongjoong bent down and held out his little finger, and 20 or so other fingers latched on before he patted each one on the head and strolled out with his back pack. "He takes that bag everywhere with him huh," Hyejoon poked Stacy who nodded, "Yup."

┉┈◈♛◈┈┉

Hongjoong crept around the house he was supposed to break into, knife in hand, senses on guard. Shouts echoed around him from inside the building and he felt his blood boil as he closed in on the front door. Hongjoong couldn't bear hearing the sound sanymore so he bust down the door, fury imbedded into his very being. 

The sight he was met with was 2 teenage boys, one slightly younger than the other, shielding each other from a furious man and woman who turned white as soon as they saw Hongjoong. "Who the fuck are you?!" The man charged at Hongjoong, grasping at his collar but completely missing as Hongjoong spun, and with one fluid motion grabbed the woman. He was now facing the boys, and they were as white as the parents, along with several bruises and cuts on their faces, the younger one with a leather collar, the older with strangle bruises lining his neck. 

"Who told you that it was okay to create human beings, then drive them to the point of death?" Hongjoong asked coldly, knife drawing closer and closer to the woman's throat as he stared straight into the man's eyes. "U-Uh..." the man was speechless, and the longer the silence drew on, the closer Hongjoong got to slitting her throat. He cocked a brow. "Well?!" Hongjoong gripped the back of her neck and she gasped in pain. Hongjoong's eyes then flickered towards the 2 boys on the ground. He then cocked a brow at them, asking for permission to kill, the elder one grabbed the younger and held his head towards his chest as he shut his eyes tight.

Hongjoong took that as a yes, and decided to take this opportunity as the man was still in pure shock. Idiot.

He slit the woman's throat, and the last sound that left her mouth was a hacking gurgle, before Hongjoong let her body drop the floor, which cause the 2 boys to cling to each other tighter. Hongjoong then pounced at the man, who was staring at horror when he was also slain, a little more brutally, his body falling to the ground as well. Hongjoong tapped the boy who seemed older, who began opening his eyes, but he quickly put his own hand over the kids eyes. They didn't need to see this. "Stay here, I'll be right back," he whispered to them and dragged the bodies out the back, hopefully the clean up team would be here soon. 

He then quickly ran inside, hoping that they stayed, and thank god they did. "Hey, let's go, I have dinner waiting for you guys," Hongjoong shook them, and the elder let go of the younger, who continued to cling onto the elder as he bowed. "My name is San, my little brother's name is Mingi."

"C'mon, we have dinner to get to San and Mingi, I promised the other kids that I'd be back in time!" Hongjoong, held out his hands, gesturing to Mingi to hold onto it, and to his surprise, both San and Mingi gripped onto his hands, and they strolled off, back to base.

┉┈◈♛◈┈┉

It was getting dark when they arrived.

"We're back!" Hongjoong yelled and let go of San and Mingi to hug Jiwoon and the other kids, who in turn began to drag San and Mingi away, questioning them about their names and who they are, but Hongjoong wasn't done with them. "Don't drag them off just yet, I need to talk to them," he ruffled Jiwoon's hair, the kid in question jumping around excitedly, " we'll be down in a bit, c'mon San and Mingi," he brought them inside, passing the multiple people holding steaming dishes of leftovers walking out, occasionally smiling at the new people and Joong. 

"Ok," 

Hongjoong sat them down opposite him before spinning around in his own chair. Remember, no matter how responsible, and how leaderlike he is, he's still just 17. "Now down to business," he pulled out 2 fresh new files. "We weren't expecting two, so sorry if the kids seemed a little excited, tell me about yourselves." 

"I'm Choi San, me and my little brother Song Mingi were fostered by my parents for royal cash."

At this Hongjoong rolled his eyes, "People will do anything for Lans nowadays, continue on," he sighed and began noting down everything that San said, and Mingi sat there sniffling. He was surprised to find out that Mingi was 13, San 14. "They're only a few years younger than me," Hongjoong thought as shook his head and continued to listen. As soon as San finished, Hongjoong got up. "Okay, if you ever want to see your file, just ask, the other kids do sometimes, now let's go eat, it's not fresh, just left overs," he held open the door for them, and they began walking downstairs. 

Well, that's what Hongjoong thought. "Thank you, by the way," Mingi lingered at the door, fidgeting with the hem of his frayed shirt before sprinting after San. Hongjoong smiled before following them downstairs for another, very filling, dinner. 

[A/N: Lans are the centralized currency of Lanaria, put in to place by Seonghwa's great great great grandparents, due to the frequent internal wars over currency exchanges]