strings & bullets┃hajeongwoo (under revision)

〚 ch: seven 〛

tw // violence !!

his eyes rolled back in pain, and he curled up into a ball, holding his stomach. for minutes, one of the old man's men has been beating him up, he swore he's capable of beating the man, but junghwan and the boy were at the old man's mercy.

"what are you doing officer? fight back!" the old man burst out laughing

the man who was attacking him punched and kicked him in the stomach, then grabbed his hair and slashed his back with a knife, causing jeongwoo to shriek. as junghwan watched jeongwoo struggle, jeongwoo's loud cries echoed in the basement's dark corridor, and tears streamed down junghwan's face. he drew the boy closer to him and muttered prayers in the hopes that one of the officers would come in and rescue them.

jeongwoo took a deep breath, his eyes swollen like junghwan's and his body bruised. he broke a bone as a result of one of the men's relentless kicking, and his whole body is aching and numbing. he winced when his back came into contact with the cold cement, bleeding and throbbing with pain. he was powerless, and now he thinks he can't get up.

"i must've been mistaken in assuming you're a formidable opponent. i'm curious as to why the town thinks so highly of you." the guy then made a snide remark.

jeongwoo laughed quietly and smirked. if he's going to die down here, then so be it.

he coughed violently, blood drooling from his mouth, and then said, "n- no, you're just weak. if the two of us were fighting, you'd be dead by now. you fucktard, just be grateful you had my guy at your mercy." he had offended the old man with his words, and he could see the old man's face turn red with anger. he indirectly told him he's weak

"you sure are something else for a guy getting beaten," the man said as he kicked his face. two times, three times, four times, five times. he'd lost count by this point, his face burning with pain, blood pouring from his broken nose and a cut on his lips.

"who's weak now officer?" the man smirked

he didn't respond, instead chuckled as he raised his finger to the man's face.

"you, of course" he said, spitting the blood from his mouth and wiping the rest with his hand before placing his palm on the cold floor and supporting his weight. now sitting with his eyes closed, a smile formed on his lips while laughing.

"you're getting old, mister. why don't you go fuck off and have tea with your useless son?" as he opened his eyes, he said.

after calling his son useless, the man simply grinned at him and slowly walked in circles with his hands behind his back.

"he's not my son, but i admit he's useless. unlike his brother, he can't even pull a trigger." jeongwoo was filled with remorse at the moment. he now regrets labeling the guy as worthless and feels sorry for him. just because he can't pull the trigger, he's been labeled as useless? that's so fucked up.

"nevermind, he's not useless. i bet having someone like you as a family isn't fun, you're just an old piece of shit."

the man was not insulted but had an amused smile on his face

"he's your soulmate right?" the man asked

and jeongwoo was speechless, still reeling from the realization that he has a soulmate. they're soulmates, but he knows they can't be together, and he doesn't love the guy, despite what he was feeling earlier.

he then shifted his attention to junghwan, who was sitting with his eyes closed and breathing normally. he's still here alive, and he's still with him. even though he was bruised, junghwan was perfect, he smiled unconsciously as he looked at him.