Cellmates

"Thank you for saving me"

Heechul was annoyed. His friends hadn’t done anything wrong but his love life was none of their business. Even talking about love makes him feel anger and sadness. The library was already empty. Yunho had managed to get up and leave. Entering the library Heechul found a safe place behind the last two bookshelves. He sat down and pulled his knees against this chest. The dark hared male tried to hold back his tears as he lowered his head on his knees.

“Hannie I miss you,” he sobbed quietly. He could almost hear a man’s voice telling him to calm down and not to worry. He knew it was all just an illusion but just to make sure he looked up. He was alone. The great Kim Heechul was alone. It was a fact that he couldn’t deny. It was something he had been trying to cover up during his time in prison. He tried to keep his sobs quiet. No one was allowed to see him cry. Not even Donghae.

“Please forgive me,” he whispered and ran his fingers through his bangs. His hands were shaking and his heart was bounding. How can a human being cause him so much pain? Heechul managed to move his hand into his pocket. He pulled out his pack of cigarettes. Smoking would ease the pain. He lit the cigarette and let the smoke filter out through his nose. Tears kept falling as he smoked the cigarette. It wasn’t helping this time. Nicotine wasn’t helping.

His sobs began to turn into a desperate crying.

“I—I,” he stuttered between sobs. He breathing was unsteady and his eyes began to sting because of his salty tears.

“I still love you Hannie,” he cried and wiped his eyes. He stared at the cigarette between his fingers. Without thinking he pressed the burning end against the skin on his wrist. A cry of pain escaped from his lips. He quickly threw the cigarette butt away and looked at the burned area on his wrist. There were light scars around it. Unlike Kyuhyun, Heechul had never tried to kill himself in prison. The scars reminded him of his miserable past. Even though he was still badly depressed he never let it show.

He hated the prison. He hated everyone in the place, which god had seemed to have abandoned. He wasn’t a bad person even though he seemed like it. Words like “bitch” and “slut” hurt him. The one word that hurt the most was the one which made Heechul think about the reason why he was suffering.

“Whore.”

It hurt because it was the only word which told the truth about Kim Heechul. The reason why his heart was broken and the reason why he was suffering in prison was because he was once called Kim “Heenim”, the best whore money could buy.

Usually he saw his customers only once. He was a quick escape from the world. After the deed the men paid and returned to their families. Heechul was always left alone. Naked, sweaty and used. Not all of his customers were successful businessmen. There were also normal working men who wanted to have some fun with no strings attached. That was what everyone loved about Heechul. No matter how many time they visited him, he never showed any emotion or affection towards them. He was just a body which was theirs to be used.

“You are just a sly little whore aren’t you?”

The exact words Choi Siwon had used just before he had closed the door of Heechul’s apartment. The guard didn’t remember it anymore but Heechul never forgot. The reason he was treated differently was because Siwon knew him. He knew the reason why he was there. It was never a part of Heechul’s plans to end up in prison. Just like getting paid for sex was never something he wanted. It had cost him his freedom, the love of his life and almost his life.

Heechul was still crying. It was a miracle that no one had found him yet. He started to scratch the skin around the burn mark on his wrist. His nails where sharp enough to draw blood. Even the pain couldn’t take his mind off of the man he loved. The man who saved him.

It was a rainy day. Heechul couldn’t open his eyes. They were probably swollen shut. He felt the blood dripping down his cheeks and arms. He finally felt like he was going to die. His short life was going to end just as miserably as it had started. He was only eighteen but life hadn’t treated him well. He had been selling his body since he was only fourteen.

That day his customer hadn’t had the money to pay and so he had been beaten up till he could no longer feel his limbs. Just when he was about to pass out again he heard a voice.

“Oh my god are you okay?!” He wasn’t able to answer the person. His mind went blank.

Days went by and Heechul still hadn’t woken up. It was not until a week after when he first heard someone talking. It was the same voice which he had heard before passing out. Slowly Heechul opened his eyes. He found himself in a large comfy room. It was not a hospital that he was sure of.

He heard someone approach him. It was a man. He was a very handsome man who gave Heechul a gentle smile. He sat in the bed next to Heechul who tried to speak. He only managed to open his mouth. No words were coming out.

“You don’t have to speak right now. Just rest okay?” the man said. His voice was soft and pleasant. Heechul could hear that this man wasn’t Korean. He had an accent which sounded Chinese.

For the next two days Heechul didn’t say a word. He just laid in bed and let the Chinese man take care of him. It was not until the third day Heechul sat up and flinched in pain. The man who had taken care of him entered the room with a tray. When he saw Heechul he immediately dropped the tray and rushed over to him.

“Are you okay?” he asked and helped Heechul to sit up more comfortably.

“Yes I’m fine,” Heechul said. His voice was not strong and it really sounded like he hadn’t talked in days.

“I’m sorry I don’t know who you are,” he continued and rubbed his eyes. The man smiled and stood up.

“I’m Hangeng,” he introduced himself.

“I found you on the streets basically bleeding to death and I just needed to help you.”

Heechul stared at the man who had saved him. He owed his life to this man.

“Thank you for saving me,” Heechul mumbled. He was awkward in this kinds of situations. Not many people were nice to him and this one actually took him to his home to take care of him.

“I can’t leave a beautiful young man dying on the street,” Hangeng said at sat on the bed again.

“Are you willing to tell me your name?” he asked and grabbed Heechul’s arm who almost yanked it away from him. He quickly noticed that Hangeng only wanted to check his injuries. He wasn’t a bad guy.

"My name is Heechul"