Despicable! • JUNHAO

PART TWENTY SIX.

「ｊｕｎ」
THE NIGHT BEFORE

Minghao and I had talked quietly the past half hour, the adrenaline of our sexual encounter not yet allowing me to sleep.

"I feel like there was so much more I wanted to tell you, yet I can't remember.." I sigh.

"All in time— but I agree. It's almost painful trying to recall all the time that's past without you."

I agree. "Yeah, nearly painful."

Pain.

I trip over my breath as I remember.

"Say, Hao, this isn't quite my favorite topic, but I have to know.. why would you hurt Mingyu? I understand the emotion behind it, but you understand that it doesn't sit well with me— he's my friend and I require genuine remorse to pick up where we left." I nod to myself, agreeing.

".. pardon, I hadn't laid a hand on your companion."

I blink a few times, but turn my head down to look into the eyes of my lover.

"On your word, you didn't touch him?"

He nods frantically, a small frown tugging the corners of his mouth.

"What happened to him?"

I try to gather my thoughts, the core of my stomach growing cold.

"Mingyu was attacked— jumped. He said by the work of foreigners. I considered since you knew of our closeness, you had acted upon it.."

It's silent for a moment as I allow him to process more- but he looks up with an unreadable expression.

"There's only one explainable reality of this. The foreigners who attacked him weren't Chinese— he speaks of English foreigners."

My expression turns to stone.

"He tried to hurt my lad, my lover.. and sooner or later this must end."

I send Minghao to sleep after this, but I think both of us spent an unadmittable amount of time gazing at the ceiling.

「ｓｅｕｎｇｃｈｅｏｌ」

"So josh hurt Mingyu?" Jihoon asks with widened eyes.

"Yes! And if we don't go to his home now, he's gonna be in way more trouble than he is at school!" I jump.

"I can answer myself! But anyways, I didn't know they were gonna fight like this!" Mingyu groans. "I should've seen it coming. It took this for me to see the connection" he sighs.

"He's the only one who the police will listen to, as a Christian! If he gets a record, they're never gonna find Jeonghan!" I cry.

Though I should be worried about my acquaintance, there's nothing that takes my mind away from my boy.

"Ssh!" Jihoon holds his finger up as I finish yelling.

"Don't tell me to calm down! We have to go—!"

"—Listen!" He rolls his head.

We go silent— until we hear it.

"There's a knock on the door."

Mingyu whispers this, right before the door is barged open, two police officers stomping into the room and stopping in front of me, both looking me in the eye.

"Choi Seungcheol?" One asks.

"Y-yes, thats me. Are you here to—"

I'm grabbed by the shoulders and turned around, the two other boys jumping away.

"Choi Seungcheol, you're being taken into custody under suspicion of foul play in terms of the disappearance of Yoon Jeonghan."

—

I'm not surprised when the door slams open.

He stops at the edge of the hall, breathing intensely and looking down at my deed in horror.

"What did I tell you?" I ask breathfully with a wide smirk.

He grabs his hair.

"God, God you went blind!"

I wipe the blood off the side of my face, instead consequently smearing it.

"Learned from the best" I joke inappropriately.

Beside my feet, lay the unrecognizable corpse of Joshua Hong.

And for the first time, Minghao is watching from the other side of the body.

END CHAPTER TWO.