Chasm.| Seo Changbin

Eighteen.

"Let's start our business." Said the man with dark brown ruffled hair and rectangular glasses.

Changbin huffed and rolled his eyes. "Are you already drunk, Minho?"

"No, he drank only one beer." Said the other man as he ruffled his curly black fluffy hair. He sat down on a rock and grabbed a bottle of soda.

"One," The dark brown-haired man, Minho, talked and pushed his glasses up his nose bridge. "I'm not drunk." He then looked over at the other male. "Two, you'd better put on a fucking shirt before bugs, insects, and snakes crawl up your naked body and suck your toxic blood, Chan!" He yelled at him. "Save the wild creatures."

"Don't yell, you stupid ass!" Changbin scolded Minho and kicked his feet. "You are scaring birds away and inviting the very wild creatures you want to save!" He then looked at the black fluffy-haired man, Chan. "Stay as naked as you wish but don't dare to whine tomorrow morning about how bitten and inflammed your skin is."

Chan scoffed and looked at them with a teasing look, flexing his arm muscles. "Two losers who don't know how to appreciate a good body. Tsk!"

Changbin snapped. "Do you want me to get undressed and see who the loser is?" He stood up and looked down at Chan with a challenging look.

Chan's eyes flickered, accepting the challenge. He stood up and walked closer to his friend, stopping chest to chest. He looked down on him, thanks to the very small height difference between them. "Okay! Show me what you got." Chan scoffed. "I doubt you got any better since last time."

"SIT DOWN YOU TWO IDIOTS!" Minho yelled. "What the hell is wrong with your brains? I'm talking about business and here you are fighting about who's got bigger boobs! Sit the fuck down and let me talk!"

Chan and Changbin stepped away from each other and sat down silently. Minho's voice had always been loud but the quietness of the forest they were in made his voice even louder and scarier. The three friends were camping in a forest for a few days. It was their yearly vacation routine since they got to know each other in their training days.

The campfire was crackling in the middle as they surrounded it next to their tents. They had already had their dinner and were now chatting over some drinks before they wrapped up the night.

"Let's start our business for real." Minho talked seriously. "We've been working separately and individually since we left the academy. Why don't we team up and work together?" He looked at Chan. "You are the best in Strategic Security." He then looked at Changbin. "You are the best in Physical Security." Minho leaned back a little. "And I'm the best in Cyber Security. We can do this."

"I don't want to be the boomer," Changbin talked. "But I'm currently blacklisted. Remember?"

"You are not blacklisted." Chan talked. "You were, but you are currently requested again."

"Bin," Minho talked. "That was two months ago. That girl you worked with even posted on her personal account a correction of what happened between you two with a lovely photo of you with her. People who cursed you and assumed you used her and whatsoever, forgot about the whole deal while others who worked with you praised your work. Even the kids of the President did that for you. It's all in the past now." Minho patted his friend's leg. "You are not blacklisted anymore. You are running away."

Changbin pouted. "Why would I run away?" He mumbled.

"Cause you got attached," Chan said and Changbin glared at him. "What? It's obvious. You got attached to that girl. There was something forming between you two and you were scared of that 'cause it's opposite to your stupid rules and ethics." He shrugged.

"We can't get attached to clients, Chan. You know that since you too work closely with them like me." Changbin defended.

"Yes, and you never got attached to any of them before." Minho tried to reason. "That would've been valid if you were romantically involved with every single client you worked with. And you worked with many female clients before but that never happened. So, when it happens once, just once, it means it is something special and that you shouldn't guilt yourself into it. You did nothing wrong and you didn't hurt her in any possible way. If anything, you protected her and tried to warn her of the sketchy people around but she didn't listen."

"He was her manager since she debuted, Min. Of course, she would trust him!" Changbin reasoned.

"Did you contact her since then?" Chan asked. Changbin shook his head. "Not even once? A text? Anything?"

"No! She was a client and I ended my work with her. Why would I call her?"

"UGH!" Minho groaned. "Why is he so stupid?" He looked at Changbin. "The poor girl has been on hiatus for two months. She's in active war with her company and was fined loads of money for defending you. Her concerts were canceled. Her shows, dramas, and movies were all postponed! And you didn't even spare her a call or a text? Aren't you worried about her?"

"Last time I contacted Felix he told me she was still with him in LA. She didn't come back since that last concert. Or maybe she did. I don't know. I didn't talk to Felix for a month now." Changbin shrugged.

"Call her." Minho said.

"What? No!" Changbin snapped.

"Yes, call her." Chan cheered.

"Guys, no!" Changbin shook his head.

Minho smirked. "You do or I do." He lifted Changbin's phone up.

Changbin jolted and his hands flew to his pockets to find them empty. "What the fuck? When did you steal it?"

Minho sprang up and lifted the phone the higher he could when he saw Changbin getting to his feet. Chan was on the same page with Minho so, he ran after Changbin and held him from behind.

"Let the fuck go of me!" Changbin yelled at Chan. "I swear, Minho, if you call her, I'll make sure your fingers never tap on a fucking keyboard ever again!"

"Threaten me all you want." Minho snickered. "You'll thank me later when you two make up and-" Minho stopped talking once he felt the phone vibrating in his hand. "Oh! Someone is calling you." Minho checked the phone. "It's a number not saved in your contacts."

"Give me the freaking phone," Changbin yelled.

"No, but I'll be nice and let you have that call." Minho stepped closer to Changbin, who was still held tightly in Chan's grip. Minho answered the call and activated the loudspeaker.

"Ch-Changbin?" A low shaking voice echoed through the phone.

Chan surely felt how Changbin flinched and shuddered in his arms once he heard the shaking feminine voice. Was she crying?

"Stella?" Changbin questioned and immediately, Chan let him go as Minho stepped even closer and handed the phone over to Changbin.

"Oh, God!" The girl gasped and muffled her sob. "Ch-Changbin," She trembled. "Help me!"