Beautiful Broken Things

Chapter Seven

"Jongin, calm down." Jongin didn't listen, preferring to pace back and forth while it looked like his eyes were about to bulge out of his sockets. Even from a meter away, I could tell he was mad. Fuming. It was scary, because I'd never seen anyone being this kind of mad. Jongin was a bomb that could explode at any second, and the worry as to when that time would be was worse than the actual explosion.

"Listen to me. It's fine, Kyungsoo won't be hurt!" He turned abruptly, glaring at me with eyes I was surprised hadn't turned red. "And how do you know that, Y/N?! You don't know him!" I knew already then that I'd unintentionally hit a nerve. "I-I mean...I don't, but..." That was probably the worst thing I could've said. Jongin full-on snarled, grabbed me by my throat and slammed me against the wall. It gave me a flashback to what our first meeting -that I could remember- had been like. The air was forced out of my lungs, but I was unable to get more back into them because of the force of his hand. "J-Jongin...." I coughed.

He didn't listen to me, just kept squeezing and squeezing. It was like the past twenty-four hours never happened, and all that matted was the pain he was feeling internally. I didn't have a boyfriend, but I wouldn't have reacted like this. What was wrong with him?! The previous feelings I had for him seemed to vanish as I gripped onto his hands, digging my nails into the point between his index finger and thumb. He groaned in pain, releasing his grip slightly before clamping them around my throat harder than ever. "W-why...ar- you...doing...." He was too strong, and judging by the look on his face, he knew. "Y/N..." Jongin cooed. "I'm sorry, but it's necessary."  As black dots started to dance before my eyes, he leaned in closer. "You're my ticket to getting Kyungsoo back." I clawed desperately on his hands again, desperate to breathe. Something was wrong with his head, something I hadn't seen before. I wanted to get away, to scream. How could Kyungsoo love him? The world was turning darker and darker as Jongin became all I could see, his breath ghosting over my face. "S-stop..." I stuttered.

"Jongin?! What the f*ck are you doing?!" A voice. One...I didn't recognize at first. Then I realized, at the same time a hand locked around Jongin's hand and roughly yanked him off me. The pain was immediate, and I winced and placed my hands gently on my suddenly cold and aching neck. And yet, I was relieved. Because standing over Jongin, more fuming than even him, was Minseok. Behind him, now headed towards me at full speed with eyes full of concern, was Jongdae. The last people I expected to be here, but I had almost never been as grateful.

While Minseok's furious scolding went like chanting in the background, Jongdae didn't ask any questions as he placed his hands over mine, lightly pressing them down. "Y/N, let me see." I tried to answer, but my voice came out like a high-pitched, yet low moan. I wanted to ask him why he was acting so calm, why this seemingly made sense to him, but Jongin smashing my vocal cords was hindering me. "It's...uh, not that bad?" Peering down at his fingers -and mine, for that sake- I felt my heart skip a beat when I saw the blood. Had Jongin really...

"Jong...how..." My eyes were locked on the red stains, before I forced myself to look into his eyes. "Minseok told me. I'm sorry, Y/N." He hugged me tightly, and without meaning it, gave me a full view of the two others in the alley. Jongin was sitting on the ground, rocking back and forth while crying. Minseok had gotten down on his knees, currently holding around him. The reality of the situation hit me like a wave, like I hadn't gotten the seriousness of what was going on until now. I placed my arms around Jongdae, quietly hiding my face in his shoulder. I didn't care if I got blood on anything, I could fix it later.

But what I wasn't sure if I could fix was my broken life.

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One hour later, we were all seated around a table at a shady diner. Jongin and I hadn't exchanged as much as a glance, probably more out of guilt than anything else. The situation was tense, Jongdae being the main factor. He was chewing at his nails, looking from Minseok, to me, to Jongin. Finally, clearly bothered by the silence, Minseok coughed. "Okay, we can't just keep sitting here." He looked to Jongin, who was staring at his hands. "Apologize to Y/N for trying to strangle her." I couldn't help it. I let out a snort of laughter, covering my mouth subtly with my hand. The three others looked at me, clearly confused. I knew it was strange, but the brutal honesty in the way he said it was somehow funny to me. 

"Sorry."

"Sorry."

We looked at one another, smiling a little. After all, Jongin had saved me countless times. His boyfriend was missing, and I guess I was part of the reason why. Holding this against him would be stupid, especially if I wanted my life back on track as soon as possible. Perhaps I forgave too easily, but something told me that Jongin wouldn't do it again. "Alright, so that's solved. Now, as I think you two have picked up on, Jongdae knows." He looked over at his boyfriend, placed a hand on his and squeezed it. "Secondly...we have a new problem." This time, both Jongdae and Minseok looked at Jongin and I. It became fairly obvious both of them knew about it. "What?"

Minseok inhaled deeply before looking Jongin dead in the eyes. "It wasn't who we thought it was. It was..." Like it was some secret language, Minseok tapped his wrist twice. A shiver went through Jongin's body, and his eyes widened. "What do you mean? How?"

I coughed. "Hello, not all of us get it. Can someone please fill me in?"

All three looked down at the same time, hesitant. I suddenly felt isolated, since they knew and I didn't. Even Jongdae, who'd started out as being just a tool and was know a player in this messed up game we were playing. "Y/N...God, how do I even begin?" Minseok rubbed his eyes with his palms, clearly distraught. "You're so deep in this already. Basically...the person we've been protecting you from all along...isn't the real threat."

I swallowed. What did that mean? Was the enemy not their boss after all, or was it just some other person on their side? Instant paranoia filled my head, and I looked around quickly. There was no one else in the diner, apart from a few workers behind the door to the kitchen. "Then...who is?" Jongin took the word, hesitant. I could tell that he was nervous as well, a complete change from what he'd been like before. To be honest, all of them looked anxious. They weren't like the three people I'd known before. Minseok and Jongin used to be cocky, Jongdae had been pretty confident, but like everything else in my life, they'd also changed.

"It...should we tell her?" Minseok nodded timidly.

"The real threat isn't our boss. It's his-"

An ear-piercing crash from the wall facing the street echoed through the dimly lit diner, making Jongdae and I jump in our seats. It was fairly obvious the glass had been shattered, presumably by some blunt object. Then the power went out, leaving us in the dark. Screams from the kitchen, followed by exactly three gunshots, told me that whoever in there was about as screwed as we were. "How the f*ck did they get in?!" Minseok hissed. It was the only thing we could utter, before two very familiar people grabbed Jongdae and Minseok, pulling them out of our booth. 

"Get the hell out here, Y/N. You too, Jongin." In total, it might've taken twenty seconds from the windows shattered for us to be hauled out and Sehun to come out of the kitchen with drops of blood staining his left cheek. It was a miracle my heart hadn't stopped yet, not to mention that I had yet to pass out. If I'd looked in a mirror at that moment, I would've looked like a ghost. "O-okay..." I got out in a flash, almost stumbling over the edge. Just like Minseok and Jongdae had the moment they got out, we were also cuffed by a triumphant Junmyeon. My brain was running on fumes, but still working too quickly. I could barely think, even when the cold metal accidentally cut into my wrist so blood started to drip onto the pale tiles.

Yixing nudged me forward, making me the first in the line to get out of the broken diner window. I was hesitant, but I didn't want to be shot either. Jongdae was right behind me, so close I could feel the warmth radiating off him. "F*ck you..." I whispered, my body's movements becoming more mechanical than they ever had before. "F*ck...you..." How had everything gotten so...was there even a word who could describe this? Probably not. I knew I was entering a state of shock.

As we stepped out on the curb in front of an open, black van, the world turned dark.

I passed out.

Hey! Finished writing this a little too late, I KNOW, I SHOULD SLEEP, but I was so set on finishing this in time for May sixth. Happy Baekhyun-day, everyone! Hope you're all having amazing days or nights, evenings or mornings, depending on where you are. Also, I hope I set a bit of a theme for the chapter. The song I listened to while writing was "Whatever It Takes" by Hollywood Undead, and I think it rubbed off on the story. More will come soon, promise!

-KPOP_Trash