Lies || minsung ✔️

chapter twenty-three

August

Minho felt like his heart stopped. He was holding his breath, his eyes wide as he made the connection as well.

He swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded slowly. 

"You stopped showing up after a while. What happened?" Jisung asked quietly. He was staring into Minho's eyes with an intensity that made Minho squirm. "I was felt so lonely when you stopped coming."

"I moved a lot as a kid for my dad's work," Minho said slowly, his mind working. He was slowly trying to fit together the pieces of a puzzle. Something seemed like it was missing.

Minho eventually dismissed the strange feeling he had, deciding that he could try to figure out what was bothering him later. 

Minho and Jisung talked a little bit longer about other things. It was mostly Jisung talking and Minho gazing at him while he animatedly explained how Seungmin had managed to get into the bathroom even after Hyunjin had locked the door and put a chair under the doorknob.

"It was so funny! You should've heard Hyunjin's scream when Seungmin scared him in the shower," Jisung was wiping a tear after laughing so hard.

Minho walked Jisung back to his apartment. As they were walking up to Jisung's door, the missing piece suddenly slipped into place. Minho gasped. All of the air seemed to have left his lungs. He doubled over, his eyes watering. 

"Minho? Are you okay?" Jisung asked, panicking.

"I'm...fine," Minho choked out, trying to catch his breath. He wheezed, finally getting some air into his body. When he was able to stand up straight, he was met with Jisung's terrified face.

"Oh, you look so pale, hyung." Jisung said worriedly. "You should stay over. I don't think you should walk back in the state you're in."

Minho hurriedly shook his head no. "I'm fine," he panted, wiping sweat from his brow. "I'll be fine on my own, Jisung. I can handle myself."

Jisung didn't want to let Minho go, but he could tell that Minho wouldn't take no for an answer. He sighed. "Fine, just make sure to text me when you get home."

Minho nodded, then slowly walked down the street, Jisung watching until Minho rounded the corner, out of sight. 

When Minho arrived home, he closed the door behind him and sat down, his back against the door because he was too exhausted to move. Tears pricked at the corner of his eyes. Frustrated, Minho ran his hands through his hair, letting the tears roll down his cheeks.

"God, out of all the people, why the fuck did it have to be him?"  Minho hid his face in his hands, shaking as he sobbed. 

Minho cursed. He cursed his parents, the gods, himself. He blamed himself for everything. If only...

If only he hadn't been there then. If only his dad never found a new client in the area. If only Minho hadn't met Jisung then. If only Jisung didn't order an assassin to kill his dad so many years ago.

---

"Come on, kiddo." Minho looked at his father nervously, slipping a black face mask on, worry coloring his eyes.

His dad clapped him on the back, sending him stumbling forward a bit. "I'm so proud that my son is carrying on the business. Are you ready?"

Minho nodded, only because he knew he couldn't say no. "It'll be okay, son. This one's an easy one. He's an alcoholic. He won't even know what's happening until it's too late. Hell, he probably won't even be sober when he finish him off."

Minho fiddled with the gloves on his hand, nervously pulling at one of the fingers on the way to an unfamiliar house. Before him and his dad climbed out of the car, his dad grasped his shoulders.

"Son, look me in the eye. You'll never understand how proud I am of you. I promise that these will get better, you just have to take the first step. I'm very happy that you have the courage to come with me today, for your first time," he winked at Minho. "After, we'll go get ice cream at the old-fashioned ice cream parlor where they make the ice cream in front of you, okay?"

Minho would've rolled his eyes, telling his father that he wasn't a kid anymore, and that he didn't really care for the ice cream. He would've, but in that moment, he was so scared that he could hardly nod, sweat running down his temples.

"You can do the honors," Minho's father said, looking at him with smiling eyes. Minho's eyes watered, and he bit down on his lip until he could taste blood in order to stop the whimpering that threatened to escape from his throat. He dropped a tablet into a glass of water waiting on the table in the kitchen. 

"Perfect," his father had said, grasping Minho's wrist and slowly guiding him out the front door. When he climbed back in the van, he was met with a young Bang Chan, slowly typing away at a computer. Minho's dad slid next to Chan, peering over his shoulder and watching as a figure swayed into the sight of the camera they had planted before they left the house. 

The man, who was obviously very drunk, slumped into a chair at the table. He noticed the glass waiting for him on the counter and drank it without thought. Minho couldn't watch after that. He didn't want to see the body stop moving, to see the figure's hand fall limply to his side, to see the grim look on his father's face when the deed was done.

His father was solemn as he patted Minho on the back. "I know that was tough, Minho, but like I said before, I'm really proud of you, especially for this being your first time."

They never got ice cream after. Once they were done, Minho spent the night at Chan's house. He was still shaking.

"He's dead, Channie. I can't believe I did that to him. I don't care if some kid wanted his dad to die. I didn't want to be the one to actually do it," Minho whispered, quiet tears slipping out. Minho was laying on the floor in a makeshift bed while Chan was laying in his own bed, the lights off.

"I know it's tough, Minho. I'm sorry that we're stuck doing this. I'll try to make it better, but in the meantime, you just have to fight through it. Hopefully, it'll get better and you'll start to get used to it," Chan said reassuringly. 

Minho fell asleep with Chan's words lingering in the back of his mind.

Now that Minho thinks back on it, he doesn't think that it ever got better after that, despite what Chan had promised.

---

hey y'all!

sorry i didn't update last week, i got sick :(

please stay healthy, guys. wash your hands lots and be careful!!

now playing: lies - ch. 23 (i got too lazy to put it in the fancy font generator)

- my playlist titled "k-pop" with sparkles in front and at the end of the word

also, i changed my username! i think cinnaminho is really cute :')

anyways, i'll see you guys in the next update! bye!