Lies || minsung ✔️

chapter twenty-four

August

The next day, Minho was a wreck at work. Even his boss, who was usually indifferent about all of her staff, shot a concerned look at Minho.

He felt like a wreck, too. He couldn't sleep because his thoughts kept plaguing him, and when he was finally able to slip into a fitful sleep, his nightmares shook him back awake. He had dark bags under his eyes and he was desperately in need of a cigarette. 

"Minho-ssi," his boss finally said, "why don't you take the rest of the day off?"

Minho shot her an appreciative look, then joked, "Do I really look that bad? Jeez, I didn't think it would be that noticable!" He had a small smile on his face when he looked back at her and said quietly, "But thank you."

With that, Minho was back at his apartment wearing sweats and rotting on the couch. He was sad and tired, which was the perfect recipe for doing nothing except for being absolutely pathetic. He stepped out onto the small balcony of his apartment and lit a cigarette. He watched the cars passing by lazily. His mind was elsewhere though, lingering through a haze of emotions.

Minho could see the very top of the playground of his and Jisung's shared childhood park, and he sighed, flicking away the ashes of his cigarette. Thinking about the honey haired boy just made him more sad. Before he knew it, the cigarette was a stub, which Minho used to light another.

At the worst possible moment, his phone rang. He lazily picked it up, holding his phone to his ear.

"LEE MINHO," a voice yelled. Minho flinched. It took him a second to recognize Chan's voice.

"Hey, Channie hyung," Minho tried to say casually, but his voice betrayed his facade, as it ended sounding a bit sad.

"Don't 'hey Channie' me," Chan snapped. "Get off your pathetic ass. I better not see you chain smoking ever again." Minho's eyebrows shot up, and he squinted over the edge of the balcony to see Chan staring back up at him with his free hand crossed across his chest. He tapped his toes impatiently.

"Get dressed and head downstairs, I'll be waiting in the car," Chan said and promptly hung up. Minho was able to stick his tongue at Chan before he turned away and strode towards his car.

That evening, Minho pulled his black mask over his mouth and quickly left his home. He climbed into the awaiting van, and the gang pulled out.

This one was easy. A simple drunk. Minho would use the foolproof tactic: a dangerously spiked drink. It worked without fail.

However, when Minho was sneaking up to the dining table, his hands were trembling. The poison was rocking dangerously close to the edge of the glass, threatening to spill over. 

"Mate, are you okay?" Chan muttered lowly through his earpiece. "You've got to stop shaking." 

Minho nodded, but he wasn't able to stop the little bit that spilt over the edge. He hurriedly placed the glass on the table and cursed, slipping off his glove to wipe up the remaining liquid he had spilt previously.

"Get out of there, and don't touch anything," Chan commanded. Minho hurried out of the house, his breath catching when he felt an uneasy sensation of deja vu. 

He was finally able to breathe when he collapsed into the van.

"Minho, are you alright?" Woojin asked, concerned. Minho was pale, with sweat dotting his forehead. He took of his hat to wipe his brow. 

"I'm fine," he panted out. For some reason, Minho couldn't watch the victim take his final sip. It elicited a sour feeling in his stomach. This was all too similar to his first ever murder. Would the child of the man he killed today regret it later, just like Jisung does?

He shook his head to clear the thoughts from his mind. Now was not a good time to be thinking about this.

Chan clapped Minho on the back. "You get some rest tonight, mate. We'll meet up tomorrow at 11 at the diner." Minho looked up to see that they were back at his home. He made a beeline towards his bed as soon as he stepped in, stopping only to kick off his shoes and take off his accessories. Considering what was haunting him all throughout the day, it wasn't surprising that he barely got a wink of sleep.

---

At eleven, the gang was huddled around a computer in the back of the old diner. 

"Changbin, you're actually here on time? This calls for a celebration. We should reward ourselves with a cup of the diner's infamous instant coffee instead of our usual low-grade tap water," Minho teased when he arrived. 

Changbin glared up at him. Minho held up hands up as if to say I'm just joking, when Chan said, "Minho, there's nothing to be celebrating for. In fact, we're in some trouble. Sit down."

Minho's heart was racing. He was worried. What happened?

"They found part of a fingerprint on the doorknob," Chan explained. He looked to Woojin, who was rapidly typing away at his laptop. "Woojin's managing the media. It wasn't enough to identify you, but this was a little too close for comfort. Officials are investigating it now, and they seem persistent."

"Minho, I know something has been on your mind, but this is bad news for all of us. If you need to talk about it, I'm here for you. We're all here for you," Chan said, empathy filling his eyes. 

Minho nodded, gauging the situation by looking at everyone's face. He looked across the booth to see Woojin, whose face was set into a firm frown, and Chan who scanned the information on Woojin's laptop stoically. Then, Minho looked to Changbin, who was seated next to him. He was glaring at this phone, his lips pursed.

"What's got your panties in a knot today?" Minho asked, nudging Changbin.

Changbin's head whipped up, a nasty expression on his face. "Felix is being a dumbass." Minho tried to supress his laugh, turning to his own phone.

He had a message from Jisung.

[my jisungie~ <3]

< you'll never guess what happened at work today!!

Minho grimaced and tucked his phone in his back pocket without responding. "Oh, I think I have an idea," he mumbled under his breath.

---

hey y'all

i'm back! hahaha sorry i'm not super good at updating :(

can someone please explain why i can watch an action movie where they shoot someone but i have to turn away when they throw up after?? something's not lining up :/

anyways!!! you guys are so nice! y'all are treating me well and i pay you back by not updating lol

i hope you enjoyed this chapter :') 

now playing: lies - ch. 24

- my k-pop playlist

oH ALSO MINHO IN THE ON TRACK CONCEPT PHOTOS HE LOOKED LIKE SUCH BOYFRIEND MATERIAL I'M SO SAD

and he's with a girl???? who is this??

anyways, thank you so, so much for reading and i hope to see you in the next chapter! please stay safe y'all :)