A MURDER IN SEOUL

KIM HONGJOONG ²

KIM HONGJOONG

(Fate is a cruel mistress.
Do not forget this.)

01:41 AM
7 January 2017

Hongjoong first met Eden at a gas station on the outskirts of Seoul.

It was the middle of the night, pitch-black, and freezing. He let out small huffs of breath, creating little clouds that floated away on the wind.

Hongjoong had gone inside to get a coffee, only for his card to be declined, courtesy of his stingy father who couldn't deal with the fact that Hongjoong had deserted him.

His father acted like a child throwing a temper tantrum because he had lost his favorite toy. He'd shut Hongjoong out in hopes that he would come crawling back and ask his forgiveness.

It was the first night Hongjoong spent away from home, and he was sure he was going to freeze to death.

His mind told him to give up.

You've proved him right. You are pathetic and weak.

You can't take care of anyone, let alone yourself. You'll never be anything on your own.

Just give it up and go home.

But Hongjoong had too much pride to admit defeat.

Someone placed a hand on his shoulder then, amid his qualms. Warmth seeped into the cold muscle, and Hongjoong felt himself involuntarily lean into the pleasant touch before tensing up and jerking away.

Whipping his head around, Hongjoong looked up to see a man in a disheveled suit with warm eyes filled with concern, a tentative smile on his lips as he asked if Hongjoong was okay.

Hongjoong wore a lazy smirk when he replied, one Eden would later come to hate. But he didn't know that yet, and neither did Hongjoong.

Eden was caught in a spider's web that night, tangled in the strings of destiny, the fates weaving his future on a path that would lead to heartbreak. It seemed they decided to play a cruel trick on him.

But neither of them knew that yet either.

Looking back at it now, three years later, the two of them meeting feels inevitable.

Because it was.

13:41 PM
13 May 2020

"Can you take a look at Leonardo when you're free?" Eden asks, leaning against the doorframe into Hongjoongs bedroom.

He wears his usual wrinkled business suit, despite having a job that requires zero social interaction. He would've looked semi-professional if it wasn't for his studded black combat boots and the tattoo peeking up over his collar. 

"I can't believe you named your car after a movie star," Hongjoong says, riffling through his closet for a clean shirt.

"Ah, you see, that's where you're wrong, Hongjoong. I named my car after the greatest inventor of all time, Leonardo da Vinci," which Eden pronounces in a horrible fake Italian accent, "not some mediocre Hollywood star with sub-par acting skills."

"That is such bullshit, Ed."

Eden waves his hand dismissively, stepping into the room and settling at the foot of Hongjoong's bed. "But will you?"

Eden makes a point of not stating at Hongjoong's naked torso.

Hongjoong turns away and puts on a sweater. In fact, it's Eden's sweater too, a grey one with stripes. It droops low over his collarbones, exposing fresh bruises that kiss his skin like small pink and purple flower buds.

"Of course."

Hongjoong peers over his shoulder at Eden who nervously fiddles with a ring on his finger, still not looking at him.

He finds Eden's natural expression interesting, fascinating if you will. His mouth is perpetually set into a pout, giving him a placid, sometimes even tender look that doesn't quite suit his deep voice.

He looks kind, and Hongjoong finds he doesn't like that.

His eyes are always warm, yet incredibly icy, almost like he wears the kindness as a mask, hiding his true countenance.

But Hongjoong quickly learned not to be fooled by his gentle features; Eden can knock teeth out in one punch, snap bones like twigs and crush fingers under his boots like ants.

Because there is always a crack in the facade, no matter how much work you put in to keep it together. 

("I'll rip your face off, you fucking bastard!"

Eden's expression didn't change, it remained as it always was. Calm, collected, controlled.

He didn't flinch, didn't blink, didn't move a muscle.

It sent chills down Hongjoong's spine.

"That was unkind," Eden said flatly, still not moving an inch.

Hongjoong turned away, tearing his eyes away from him. He heard a crunch, followed by a loud howl of pain.

Eden could be really fucking scary if he wanted to.)

Despite his looks, Hongjoong views Eden to be as ruthless and cutthroat as himself, perhaps even more so. Hongjoong is, in that regard, to a certain extent.

Eden can be, but he's a sheep in wolf's clothing and Hongjoong refuses to see it, too obsessed with the version of Eden his mind has conjured.

He catches himself staring and turns his gaze towards the window, missing the way Eden's ears turn pink from the attention. Hongjoong tugs at the brown locks at the base of his neck, a habit he's picked up since growing it out.

"Are you racing this weekend?" Eden speaks up.

"Mhm."

"I can get off work early and come by to watch if you'd like?"

Hongjoong grins. "Great."

Eden shakes his head fondly, black locks falling into his face and obscuring his expression.

Hongjoong walks away, ignorant to the way Eden's smile turns sad, and that he almost reaches out to stop him from leaving.

He doesn't see the way Eden's eyes flicker to his lips when they talk or the way his hands sweat when Hongjoong smiles.

He doesn't feel the way Eden's gut clenches every time Hongjoong races, deathly afraid he won't come home the next day.

He doesn't see the way Eden looks at him when no one is watching, or the way his heart speeds up when Hongjoong laughs.

Maybe if he had, everything would've ended differently. Maybe everything would've been the same.

If there is one thing you should remember from this story, it's that the Fates are cruel. They do whatever the hell they want, and there is nothing we can do about it.