Pandemonium | Hyunjin

Little freak

It all came to life at once. The rushing roar of fire caused sweat to prickle along the side of Carmen's forehead. The heat was overpowering, a burst of orange, the scent of something unknown, and then it was gone as quickly as it came. 

The orange snuffed out and if looks could kill, the man standing a few feet away would be dead. A scowl was stamped on Hyunjin's face. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" 

"Look what the cat dragged in." 

The stranger tipped his head to the side. Black flowing hair cascaded to one side. His eyes raked over Carmen and before he uttered anything, she could feel the instant displeasure. Judgment was thrown her way before she spoke. 

Hyunjin's spine straightened and he grew a few inches taller. "Minho, this is Carmen. Carmen's younger sister is the missing-" 

"The missing little brat," Minho finished for him. "That must be awful to deal with. I hope you find her soon. In the meantime, go ahead and enjoy the circus. If you'll excuse me, I have to go get ready." 

The man sauntered past the pair, but not before his shoulder bumped into Carmen's. She stumbled back and she swore she heard a growl bubble in the back of Hyunjin's throat. When her eyes found his, a sour expression puckered, but he didn't utter another word. 

She shook herself, trying to shake off the uncanny aura from the man. A hand found her shoulder and Hyunjin gave her a gentle squeeze. "Try not to worry about him. He can be a total jerk at times. Despite his cold words, he's rather playful and rambunctious." 

"I didn't mean to offend him," she mumbled with a frown. Her eyes found the ground and she tugged at the bottom of her shirt. 

"You didn't. He's just..." His lips pushed out air. "Us circus performers, we're a bit unsocialized. People come and go and besides our crew, we're not the kind of people who enjoy making friends. It's hard to form bonds and create relationships in this kind of industry. The hours are long and while the pay is somewhat decent, well..." He shrugged, "we give up everything for this life." 

"Don't you get lonely?" 

"Always." 

The sincerity was unexpected. She glanced up to meet his gaze. Unspoken words floated between them until it was cut off by fingers curling around Hyunjin's right shoulder. Carmen jumped at the sound of his high-pitched shriek. 

He spun around and swung, but the visitor was faster. He ducked and Hyunjin's fist brushed against tendrils of blue hair. "What the hell are you doing?" Hyunjin snapped angrily. "How many times do I have to tell you to stop sneaking around?" 

"It's not my fault I'm quiet!" 

"Put on some goddamn bells or something! God, you're supposed to be a clown for fucks sake! Clowns are supposed to be loud and joyful for kids. Put those rubber balloons to work and crinkle them or something. Don't use your stupid skills to scare the shit out of unsuspecting people!" 

Carmen's eyes went back and forth between the pair. Hyunjin continued to angrily ramble until the man's attention was drawn to her. The moment their eyes met, his face softened. "Carmen, right?" 

She nodded and his frown drooped more. "I'm really sorry about your sister. I hope that we can bring her back to you while we're here. The circus is supposed to bring people together." 

"She doesn't need your sympathy." 

"I appreciate it," she interrupted. "Truly, it means a lot to me. Sometimes it feels like nobody cares, so I'm glad you do. Maybe you don't and you're just pretending. I don't know. Whatever it is, I'm grateful for it." 

"The two of you look awfully alike. It's such a shame tha-" 

"Alright, enough. Don't you have horses to hold? Beasts to tame or something? You know how Snowball gets when you forget to give her evening treats. If you forget, I bet she'll kick you in your act again." 

The guy groaned and his head fell back. "I know! I know! It was one time! Why won't anyone let me forget? It's not like I meant for the act to go wrong. It was a single hoof to the shin and it wasn't even that bad." 

Hyunjin's eyebrow raised. Even Carmen's head perked up at the sudden story. Han's arms went across his chest. "Well, it wasn't!" 

"You made a kid cry because you started bleeding out in the middle of the circus." 

"It was only a little blood!" 

Hyunjin's face scrunched up. "Mommy! Mommy!" A high pitched voice tumbled out. "The elephant man is going to die! Mommy, call the cops! Mommy!" 

"Are you done making a fool out of yourself in front of Carmen?" 

Hyunjin's eyes widened and he quickly readjusted himself. With all his bickering and complaints, he totally forgot that she was still there. "I'm not embarrassing myself," he mumbled. 

"Keep telling yourself that. Anyway, nice to meet you." Chipmunk cheeks poked out as the man smiled. "I'm Han and I hope you like the show. Maybe afterwards, you can come meet Snowball and you can feed her. I'm sure she'll like you." 

"Um." 

"Just get out," Hyunjin grumbled. He gestured back to the back of the tent. "Go feed Snowball before she pulverizes you during the show." 

"She wouldn't do that to me." 

"Keep telling yourself that." 

"To you, she totally would." 

"Get out!" 

The guy held up his hands, rolled his eyes, and headed towards the back of the tent. "Alright, alright, alright. Jeez. Try not to get your dick in a fucking twist." He grumbled beneath his breath and Carmen took her attention back to Hyunjin. 

"Who's Snowball?" 

"His horse. Han is in charge of most of the animal acts. There's another crew member in charge of a few that are a bit more risky. Snowball is one of our acts though. She can be pretty feisty when she wants to be, she's a white english thoroughbred." 

"You have animal acts?" 

"Please don't tell me you're one of those animal rights activists. I get it, I swear I do, but we actually take pride in our animal acts. Our animals spend months being trained and they actually seem to enjoy what they do. We're not beating them, I promise." 

"Really?" 

"If you wanna see how it works, I can take you behind the scenes after the show." 

Her body finally eased up and she relaxed. Instead of closing around herself, she let her arms fall at her sides. She sucked in a deep breath and released it. A swell of pride pulsed in Hyunjin's heart. He finally made someone comfortable enough that they didn't want to run. 

"If I find out you beat the circus animals, I'm going to beat you."