Chapter Text
EUNCHUNG/ the last thing i expected when we turned the corner was youngmi and ryu, along with swan, unmasked, laughing and joking as if they were close friends. youngmi's hand was intertwined with ryu's.
what, killers can't have emotions, too?
they're murderers. they do nothing but lie.
youngmi's smile faded as his eyes settled upon me, kyungsook and sunghee a few paces behind.
silence filled the void between us; the void that had slowly appeared over time, causing us to drift further and further apart.
'eunchung,' youngmi said softly, black eyes unreadable.
swan was staring at kyungsook, an indescribable amount of hatred glinting in his gaze. his face was young, younger than both youngmi and ryu - and stunning. i hadn't imagined such a face to lie under that mask.
i tore my gaze away from him back to youngmi. 'eunchung,' he said again. i narrowed my eyes even though i felt my heart breaking to look at him anymore. 'eunchung,' youngmi whispered. 'i missed you.'
i let out a roar of grief and fury - and gunshots rang out from all around.
youngmi ducked, lunging for me in a swift motion, knocking the gun from my hands and pinning me to the ground.
a harsh growl tore from his throat and his teeth snapped like jaws for my neck. ice glinted in his black, starless eyes. if a person could seem like a beast, youngmi was the furthest thing you could get to human at this moment.
a spine-curdling grate of metal on stone sounded, and i jerked to one side just as the blade plunged down.
youngmi snarled and drove his fist into my forearm, and my fingers splayed across the ground. i writhed, bucking to one side, and youngmi leapt off me, grabbing the gun to point it at my face. 'stay. there,' he said, breathing ragged.
then he turned and raised the gun to point at sunghee. ryu was fighting with the older, exchanging brutal blows. eyes widening, i clambered to my feet and charged for youngmi, wrestling his hand down. but i didn't anticipate how fast he was.
there was the crack of a gunshot as he shifted, twisting out of my reach.
sunghee stumbled, and ryu didn't miss a heartbeat, ducking under that floundering arm and grabbing the elder's head.
youngmi jerked backwards, landing a fist to my jaw.
there was a muted snap and i heard kyungsook's broken scream.
where were the other patrols?
i raised a knee for youngmi's stomach, driving my knuckles into his chest.
he reeled back with a hoarse laugh. 'using your fists won't get you anywhere,' he sneered. he slashed downwards, and silver flashed in the corner of my vision. i leaned backwards, and something pierced my side over my ribs - a shallow cut, but i winced.
youngmi's eyes flashed suddenly and he spun away, racing for ryu. a cry tore out of his throat. kyungsook had broken away from swan and levelled a handgun at the back of ryu's exposed head.
youngmi didn't hesitate. he shot ryu in the calf and the latter crumpled, kyungsook's following shot streaking overhead. kyungsook repositioned his aim, barrel of the gun trained on youngmi's figure. sunghee's lifeless body lay between them, and kyungsook's face was twisted into one of terrible loathing.
swan pointed his gun at kyungsook. 'pull the trigger and i'll kill you.'
'i think,' kyungsook said slowly, 'you'll find that i don't really care whether i live or die.'
'but his life matters, doesn't it?' youngmi had a gun pointed at my head. from this distance, any of us could see he wouldn't miss.
it was so, so quiet.
ryu's quiet whisper of, 'youngmi,' drifted to where i stood.
the white-hair's eyes flicked to the other. a small smile tugged at his lips. 'no dramatics, ryu.'
three gunshots sounded.
when i opened my eyes, i saw kyungsook lying motionless, not breathing, across the clearing. floodlights and a distant siren reached my senses. youngmi was slumped on the ground, jet-black eyes dull and sightless as they gazed up at the night sky.
a faint pain pulsed in my thigh.
and i leaned back, sagging against the wall of the ambulance. my chest felt tight - tears threatened to spill. he'd let me live. youngmi had shot me - but diverted the killing blow to my leg.
kyungsook was dead, shot by swan.
and there was snarling and shouting from one of the cars further away where swan struggled against the cuffs. his hair was dishevelled, and his teeth were bared in anguish.
ryu walked without protest to one of the police cars, hands cuffed behind his back. he walked with his back straight despite the blood blooming from the bullet wound in his leg. his sorrowful gaze was fixed on the lifeless body of his love.
and despite myself, despite everything, pity wrenched at my heart.
a stronger wave of torment and loss washed over me, drowning out everything. voices sounded close to my ear, and my vision swam as if i were underwater. everything was muffled.
i closed my eyes and cried.
end.