Nightmare from the Underworld ➟ H.H.J.

five days

Setting: The Underworld
⇝ The Meeting Hall

Once again, the colleagues all gathered for Chan's hearing. Hyunjin was distant, distracted, apart from everyone else; he crouched in the corner.  Jaeyeon's reaction from yesterday still clear in his mind. It was safe to say he'd never forget that visual of the girl crying her life out to the point were she wasn't even able to speak.

He looked to the podium, but was unresponsive to his surroundings. In his eyes, even though the underworld was always dimly lit, the place looked darker, more desolate...it looked more lonely.

He saw the man walk in, the man he had always looked up to. He noticed beads of sweat gathered near his temples....he'd never seen that before. Maybe Chan was nervous. 

He watched intently as the older man fumbled with the papers he placed on the podium, his hand noticeably shivering. 

odd.....

He glanced in the corner to where Hyunjin was seated. Their eyes met for less than a millisecond but there was a feeling Hyunjin missed as they caught only a small glimpse. 

Hyunjin head dipped and he only listened to what Chan had to say. He couldn't bear to observe him any longer. 

"Well....we have a new recruit once again. Brought in by Hyunjin, our dependable and hard-working fellow." Chan's voice was softer than usual. It didn't have the same authority as it usually carried. Hyunjin noticed this. 

"Everyone a round of applause for Hyunjin and Seungmin. 

They clapped. Some in sincerity, some without. 

"Last thing" Chan tried to speak more confidently. "There has been a re-assigning of missions. Hyunjin's solo mission for Lee Jaeyeon has been assigned to two, Im Jaebum and Kim Kibum."

The men stood. 

Hyunjin's eyes peered up, but the rest of his body maintained its position. 

Slowly, the man stood. 

Immediately, he was surrounded by guards. 

Hyunjin's eyes remained fixed on the older man. The man who he always looked up to. The one who he started to look down to. 

"Why?" He asked, not shouting, yet full of anger. Not frantically, yet urgent. 

"Why?" He repeated louder when there was no response. 

Chan, avoiding his gaze, finally looked at the boy. "Why not?" He managed a smirk. Leaving the podium, he shook hands with Jaebum and Kibum as they smiled at the man.

"Why?" Now yelling, unable to stay calm. The guards now held him because of his restless movements towards the leader. "I've been nothing but loyal to you since the moment I got here but you can't even answer one fucking question?"

"Dismissed!"

⇹⇹⇹

⇝ Chan's Office

"I reserve all rights to do what I need to do for the underworld. I am the leader." Chan spoke, his throat dry. He swallowed slowly. His eyes itched, irises moving around irritatingly. 

"Laws say that 'mission leaders shouldn't change unless there is a breech of regulations or an emergency." Hyunjin replied, holding his composure  in contrast to before.  

"And who made these laws, Hyunjin?" Chan asked sarcastically, almost bored of continuously straitening the stacks of papers on his desk. A sign that he was nervous.