ENG - Fractured Fates ʰʸᵘⁿˡᶦˣ

24

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Chan POV

In the middle of a dead warehouse, surrounded by shadows and the smell of piss and rotting garbage, I sat comfortably on a worn chair. Before me knelt a miserable, useless piece of filth, trembling with fear and despair, begging for its miserable life. I had just finished the phone call with my darling that had sent me into a rage, and the pitiful cries of the man in front of me only exacerbated my rising anger.
„Seungmin," I growled angrily and the shy little boy next to me flinched in fright. His big, frightened eyes looked at me like a beaten animal. It was lucky for him that he was so cute, otherwise he would have died long ago. Unfortunately, you don't often find such a loyal toy, so I would have to put up with him at my side for a while longer.

I pointed my finger at the whimpering man in front of me and my sweet, brown-haired friend immediately knew what to do. He grabbed one of the cans of gasoline we had brought earlier and began dousing the man in front of me. The man screamed louder in fear and terror, begging me to spare him, but I was deaf to his pleas.
I leaned back in my chair and took a pleasurable drag on my fag as I looked at him, like an artist admiring his masterpiece. The taste of tobacco mingled with the smell of gasoline and anxiety sweat in the air. I let the smoke slowly escape from my mouth and enjoyed the spectacle in front of me.
„You disgust me with your howling," I said coldly as I sucked the noxious poison into my lungs a few more times with relish. Then I flicked my cigarette butt at the man soaked in gasoline, who immediately caught fire.

I stayed in my chair and watched the fire, which began to illuminate the room with an unholy light not two meters in front of me. The scum began to scream and tried desperately to free themselves from their restraints, but to no avail. The flames danced before my eyes as I was lost in my rage. I stood up and stepped closer to the blazing fire. The heat of the flames on my skin was intoxicating and I felt my heartbeat quicken. I watched as the flames engulfed the man's body as if there was no more beautiful sight.
„Boss, why did you do that? We didn't even have all the information yet," one of my three companions chattered at me from the side. Without even glancing at the guy next to me, I pulled my gun out of my pocket and shot him with the entire magazine of the pistol. Some bullet will have killed him, while my eyes remained fixed on the fire in front of me. The flames blazed higher and higher, as if they embodied my rage and anger. I savored the sight as if taking a human life was the most normal thing in the world.

I turned to Seungmin, who was still standing next to the gas can, looking at me with wide, fearful eyes. „Well done, sweetie," I said, stroking his hair. He was trembling slightly, but I knew he was loyal to me. He was my toy, my property, and I would keep him as long as he was useful to me.
After I could no longer hear the miserable cries of the burnt man, I got bored. „Changbin, take care of the garbage," I coolly ordered my third companion and left the hall with my brown-haired beau in tow. It was probably time to go and see my darling.

The massive metal doors of the warehouse slammed shut behind me with a deafening sound and I stepped out into the icy night air. The moon hung high in the sky like a silver skull. Its cold light illuminated the deserted streets and crumbling buildings. I pulled my black leather jacket tighter around me and refilled the magazine of my gun, enjoying the feel of the cold metal in my hand.
Next to me stood my brown-haired cutie, not daring to lift his eyes. He was so young, so innocent and pure, and yet it was his misfortune that I had found him, and now he was faithfully following me like a lamb to the slaughter. „Where are we going now, boss?" he asked me quietly, his voice trembling slightly with fear. I looked at him for a moment, then let my gaze wander over the dark alleyways. In the distance, I could hear the howling of strays and the scratching of rats. „We're going to my darling now," I finally said, my voice cold and calculating.

We walked through the dark streets of the abandoned industrial district and our footsteps echoed loudly on the wet asphalt. There was garbage and debris everywhere, and you could smell the stench of decay in the air, which perfectly matched the pigs that were living on the streets, trying to escape starvation. They looked like the living dead, their faces were sunken and their eyes were empty.
Pathetic.
As I turned the corner, one of these disgusting creatures grabbed my leg and begged for money in a hoarse voice. A feeling of disgust spread through me as I turned my gaze to the wretched figures kneeling on the cold, wet pavement in front of me. A broken man who had lost the last of his dignity in the filthy alleys of this city.

His smell of sweat, piss and fermented alcohol rose to my nose like the stench of an animal trapped in its own cage, slowly vegetating. His clothes were nothing more than a torn, shredded piece of cloth that might once have been a pair of trousers and a shirt. His hair hung tangled and dirty in his face, making him look like a yeti stranded in civilization.
„Don't touch me, you trash," I hissed with a mixture of contempt and anger in my voice. I pulled my gun out of my pocket and held it to his forehead with an emotionless look. He looked at me with wide, pleading eyes, but I had no sympathy for him. He was nothing but a nuisance, a parasite poisoning this city. I was doing this city a favor by ridding it of such trash.

I pulled the trigger and the blood that left his skull splattered around, painting a gruesome picture on the already filthy walls. The bum's body slumped down and lay motionless. A soft gasp escaped my lips, but the expected kick failed to materialize. The silencer had muffled the shot and I was denied the echo of the shot through the dark alleyways.
How boring.
I stepped on the lifeless body of the homeless man blocking my path and walked on without another thought for this trash.

Finally arriving, I entered the building, followed by my brown-haired toy. The acrid smell of disinfectant and the cloying stench of disease and suffering filled the air as we walked down the dark, cold corridor. Thanks to Minho, I knew exactly where to go.
I even found the massive, obese pig sitting on a much too small chair that Minho had told me about. His body swayed with every heavy breath and he snored loudly and irregularly. I shook my head in disgust and wondered how anyone could neglect themselves so much that they became such a disgusting, nauseating monster.
With a mixture of disgust and anger, I climbed the stairs that would lead me to my destination. I hated hospitals, they were like my own death sentence. As I climbed the stairs, I heard the soft moans and cries of the patients coming from their rooms, like a mournful choir. I couldn't help but smile sadistically, because it was like music to my ears.

Finally, I reached the station where I would find my darling. The corridor was lit with a dim, flickering light that made shadows dance on the walls. I looked around and noticed a counter where a blond beauty was sitting. His face was engulfed in darkness until he slowly turned to face me, the dim light revealing his flawless features and dark eyes.
I approached him, my footsteps echoing on the cold, hard floor, leaving behind an ominous echo. I leaned casually against the reception counter, propped myself up with both arms and scrutinized him from top to bottom. „Good evening," I began, my voice as cold as the night air wafting through the corridor.
He really did look stunning, maybe I should swap Seungmin for him and get a new toy. „I'm looking for someone," I added, not taking my eyes off him.

The blond lifted his gaze and looked straight at me. A sweet smile flitted across his lips, showing his perfect white teeth. „Please come back tomorrow, we don't receive visitors at night," he explained to me, but I completely ignored his words and continued, „Male. Red, long hair and about this tall," I described him, holding my hand up to illustrate his height. „Loose mouth that makes your blood run cold and a facial expression that always looks bored and murderous at the same time," I finished my description while my voice sounded harsh and demanding.
The boy in front of me looked at me skeptically and examined me closely. „You're talking about Hyunjin?" he asked me, and a mischievous grin spread across my face as I heard the dulcet tones of his name and nodded. „Right, I want to see him. Take me there," I ordered calmly and in a voice that brooked no argument.
Unfortunately, the pretty boy in front of me was unable to continue as a shrill voice got in the way. „You can't be here," a female voice screeched in my ear, reminding me of the crunching of glass.

As I slowly turned my head, I looked into the face of a little girl staring at me sternly. I rolled my eyes and growled, „Shut the fuck up and get the fuck out of here, bitch," as I turned back to the young man in front of me. „So, where can I find him?" I asked again impatiently, with a sharp tone in my voice that reflected this impatience. „I'll call security," the little bitch next to me shouted again.
I took a deep breath and pushed myself off the counter with an angry jerk. With a quick jerk, I snatched her cheap, scratched phone out of the little bitch's hand and clutched her fragile, thin neck with my other hand. „I told you to fuck off," I whispered menacingly calmly as I tightened my grip around her neck, slowly but surely cutting off her air to breathe.
She wriggled and desperately tried to remove my arm from her neck, thrashing wildly and uncontrollably as her eyes seemed to almost pop out of their sockets in fear.

The cute blonde I had been talking to immediately jumped up and grabbed my arm as well. He looked at me pleadingly, his lips trembling and his eyes widened in fear. „I'll take you to him, please don't hurt her," he said, swallowing hard.
With an angry snort, I pushed the withered whore to the ground with such force that she hit the cold, concrete floor hard. A guttural cough escaped her throat as she convulsively held her reddened, swollen neck, which bore marks from my grip. Her tears were streaming, making her even more pathetic and annoying.
„You should keep quiet, little whore, if you don't want me to turn this place into a bloodbath," I growled in a voice that shook with anger and contempt. My gaze slid to the blonde beauty kneeling next to her. In one swift movement, I grabbed the back of his neck and squeezed hard to show him how serious I was. His face contorted in pain as my fingers dug into his flesh. „It would be a real shame if that pretty face died, wouldn't it, bitch?" I said with a sadistic smile that revealed my dark intentions.
He hissed in pain as I tightened my grip even more and his eyes pleaded with me, but he pressed his lips together and said with a pained, twisted smile, „It's okay, Kazuha. Just don't do anything, you don't have to call security."

Satisfied, I smiled and pushed the young man in front of me, who tried to stand upright with trembling legs and almost stumbled. He seemed brave, perhaps so brave that I might actually consider changing my toy and making him my new project.
His blond hair framing his face and his eyes aroused a dark desire in me. I could break him and mold him into my own image and he would love it.
The boy took me to the right room and stood in front of it. „He's in here," he said, rubbing the back of his neck, which I was only now letting go of. But I didn't think about letting him go, so I opened the door and pushed him in. I followed him in and slammed the door behind us with a sadistic grin on my face.
I switched on the light and pushed the blond further into the room. He staggered and barely managed to save himself from falling. „He's not leaving the room," I ordered Seungmin, who immediately pounced on the stranger like a vulture and held him by the arm with an iron grip.
And then I saw him: my darling.

I approached him with a smug grin. His dark eyes glittered with contempt as always. But he wasn't alone. Minho was there too, which only made my grin widen. I sat down on the bed with him, the mattress groaning under my weight, and placed my hand gently on his cheek. „I've missed you so much, Hyunjin," I said softly, almost tenderly, and suddenly my anger was gone. „So much."
Hyunjin's gaze remained icy and contemptuous, the way I loved it, as he scrutinized me, but he didn't flinch, because he wasn't afraid of me. His dark eyes glittered with anger and hatred as he looked at me, and his full lips curled into a mocking snort. „Well, well, the boss himself shows up to see me. What have I done to deserve this?" he said with biting sarcasm, rolling his beautiful dark eyes.

He slapped my hand away from him, the only pain I willingly endured to touch him. My poor heart, consumed by obsession for Hyunjin, skipped a beat as I gazed at this perfect being before me. His fiery red hair that fell wildly and untamed into his face, his full, blood-red lips and his pale, flawless skin.
„I can't stand it when you're angry with me, I had to see you," I answered him. My voice was rough and full of longing for him. A snorting laugh escaped his throat, making my obsessed heart beat faster. „Then give me Minho's other half of the orders to pay off the debt," he said in a firm, determined voice, looking at me challengingly.
My hands tensed up and my neck suddenly tensed, causing me to crack it to relieve the pain. „Not that again Hyunjin. I already said no," I repeated, continuing our phone call from a few hours ago. „Then I'll stay mad at you," he said with a coldness in his voice that made me freeze.

With a quick jerk, I jumped off the rumpled bed. In a blind rage, I grabbed the old wooden chair standing in the corner and hurled it against the wall with all my might. The impact caused the walls to shake and the chair to shatter in a hail of splinters and debris.
Gasping, I ran my trembling hands through my tousled hair and scowled at my darling, who was still looking at me with a look of contempt and disgust. „You can't be angry with me, Hyunjin," I said with trembling anger in my voice. I stepped towards him and grabbed his face with both hands, my fingertips digging into his skin. „You're mine."
Hyunjin slapped my hands away from his face again, his eyes glittering with rage and hatred. „I don't belong to anyone, Chan," he said in a firm, contemptuous voice. „You know what I want from you. So give it to me." His voice was cold, and I knew he meant it.
I felt my anger growing stronger like a volcano about to erupt. I couldn't bear that he was resisting me, that he didn't love me with the same passion that consumed me. I wanted to break him, grind him down until he wanted nothing more than to be mine.

With a sudden, violent movement, I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him up to me. My eyes bored into his like glowing coals. „You will obey me, Hyunjin," I hissed, my voice cold. „I won't let you die, I can't stand it."
But I knew that wouldn't work. Hyunjin wasn't like the other stupid henchmen who trembled in fear and threw themselves into the dust in front of me. He was strong, independent and stubborn. He would never submit like that. After all, he wasn't my favorite of them all for nothing.
I let go of him and took hold of his face again, my thumbs gently stroking his cheekbones. As he didn't even flinch under the force, my heart let out another cry of raging fury. Before he even got to reply, I continued speaking, my voice now calm and dangerously controlled again. „I can't lose you."

Again, he slapped my hands away and stood up from the bed to face me directly. „Give me the work," he repeated like a broken record, emitting the same annoying sound over and over again. Furious that he wasn't relenting, that he wasn't submitting, everything inside me clenched and my eye began to twitch, a sign that my control was beginning to crumble.
Frustrated that I couldn't refuse this man if he persisted, I ruffled my hair as if I wanted to tear it out.

With a violent impulse, I pulled out my gun and fired a shot, hitting one of the men in the room and dropping him to the floor: a lifeless body that was nothing more than a piece of meat. It also went unheard because of that damn silencer.
So fucking boring.
My impulse to kill someone when I was angry won out once again. And that wasn't the last time.

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