Letters from the Void // ASTRO ✔

Chapter 40

He heard the low hum of a jet's engine and he didn't need to open his eyes to know where he was. Even the leather seat was familiar to him, but he needed to know who did this to him so he slowly opened his eyes. His guess was correct when he saw his own brother reading the news on his screen, leaning against the seat across his. His eyes flickered to the right and he saw the Korean whom he met at the café, walking towards them from the other compartment. As he sighed, both of the men's eyes directed towards him.

"Ah, you're awake?" Jungwoo's corner of his mouth lifted as he put away the screen. He leaned forward, studying his younger brother's face. "You're not hurt anywhere, are you?"

"Did you really have to do this?" Eunwoo sat up straight, but the small motion made his head throb harder. "I can still feel the damn pain in my head. Your game is not funny, you know hyung?"

"My apologies," the Korean man who made him faint said as he took the vacant seat beside his brother. "I told your brother that there has to be some other way, but he told me that you can be really stubborn. I'm Ji Donghyun by the way, since I didn't get to properly introduce myself," he extended a hand, to which Eunwoo did not take. Donghyun cleared his throat and lowered his hand. "Right, you must be mad."

"Mad? I'm pissed. You don't just go around and drug someone's drink!"

He put up both of his hands. "It was your brother's plan. I'm just his pawn."

Jungwoo slapped the back of Donghyun's head. "Yah, punk. You made it sound like I paid you to do this. You agreed because you happen to be there and you wanted to help out a friend. I didn't force you to do it."

Donghyun rolled his eyes and relented. "Fine, I did. But it is still unethical. It was just by pure luck that he fainted in the bathroom where no one else was around. What if he fainted in the middle of a crowd? It would be harder to explain. Damn, I shouldn't have agreed to it in the first place."

"Oi, are you guys having fun conversing? Did you forget that I'm here, wide awake?" Eunwoo tapped his seat handle with his knuckle. "Why did you do it?"

"Mom wanted you to come back."

"By drugging me and kidnapping me?"

"She didn't exactly tell how it's supposed be done, but you know well enough that you won't even listen to us if we ask you to come back nicely. You'd just have fun in Malaysia and forget about your problems in Korea. Really? Do you think that's how it works?"

"So it's perfectly fine to ask your friend here-" he glanced at Donghyun, "-to follow me around as soon as I landed and then drug my drink. I fainted, then you kidnapped me to bring me back to Korea using your private jet."

"Well, basically yes. You would be stubborn and remain there if I ever ask you to come back nicely. So this had to be done."

"Wah, your thinking must be really messed up. I didn't even get the chance to step out of the airport to feel Malaysia's weather and you're already shipping me off to Korea. You really have a peculiar way of dealing with things, since that's what happened with MJ's brother."

Donghyun looked over at Jungwoo, who seemed like he wanted to lash out, but kept his cool. He fixed his collar and said, "It was my mistake. I was immature back then and I thought that following the leader was the right thing to do. I just wanted to be accepted in the group and so I did it. I didn't know why MJ only targeted me alone."

"Because you and mom and dad paid him to keep his mouth shut! Someone was dead because of you. No, now two people are dead. Rocky died because of your mistake years ago." The atmosphere suddenly turned tense, and Donghyun quietly slipped away when he noticed that his presence was unwanted.