You Call Me Monster

Sehun patted his face dry and turned the faucet off, tossing the towel back onto the sink. He stared down at the draining water, lost in thought. Chul probably thinks I'm dead, he thought. At least something good came out of this.

He left the bathroom and walked down the hallway to Lay's room, his bare feet light on the cold floor. He opened the door softly and peeked in. Lay was asleep, his wounded leg propped up on a mountain of pillows. Nari dozed in a chair beside him, her hand entwined with his. Her shirt was spattered with blood from the surgery, the stains brown in the lamplight.

Sehun gently closed the door behind him and Nari woke with a start. “Sehun,” she croaked, sitting up a little.

“Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you,” Sehun said apologetically. He crept over to the bed and watched Lay's face. “How is he?”

“He'll live, but he'll need to stay in bed for at least a week,” she replied. “I can still hear his screams in my head.”

Sehun crouched down beside her. “Don't dwell on that,” he said comfortingly. “You saved his life and his leg. Let the rest fade away.”

Nari swept her hair out of her eyes. “What did we accomplish, Sehun?” she said bitterly. “All of this started because I got caught. I didn't even learn anything important.”

“That's not true,” Sehun said. “It would've taken me months to follow the trail back to Chul if we hadn't gone to the station tonight. He thinks I'm dead now, which will give us an enormous advantage moving forward, and I have you to thank for it.” He took her free hand and caressed it gently. “I'd be lost without you, Gummy Bear,” he said, smiling.

Nari smiled back at him. “No one's called me that in a long time,” she said softly. “Not since-”

“Mom,” Sehun finished. “I know. Maybe I'll bring it back. It could be your code name, like 007 is for James Bond.”

Nari pulled her hand away and smacked him playfully. “Don't you dare,” she said, pretending to be offended. Lay groaned in his sleep and they hushed, watching him closely. He didn't wake, though his leg twitched intermittently.

“I gave him some pain medicine,” Nari whispered, “but I don't know if it'll be enough once he wakes up.”

Sehun shook his head. “Sometimes I wonder why you'd drop out of medical school to live like this,” he said. “You could've been a successful doctor.”

Nari wiped Lay's forehead with a damp washcloth. “What's the point of being successful when the city's falling apart like this?” she replied. “This is where I can be the most useful.” She set the cloth down and looked at Sehun. “You're a good brother,” she said, planting a kiss on his forehead. “Go sleep. I'll watch over Lay.”

Sehun smiled and stood up, looking at his friend one last time before leaving the room.


******


The next morning was cold and grey, snow swirling in gusts outside. Despite the events of the last few days Sehun was the first one awake, sipping a coffee as he watched the falling snow. What is Chul's next move? he wondered. It was obvious that Chul's ultimate goal was control of the city, but Sehun couldn't predict what his next move would be.

“Morning,” D.O said, entering the kitchen. He pulled out a frying pan and set it on the stove. “Did you sleep?”

“A little,” Sehun mumbled, still staring out the window. He could hear D.O clattering behind him and soon the sound of eggs frying filled the kitchen.

“Ah, breakfast!” Chanyeol exclaimed, joining D.O by the stove.

“You mean my breakfast,” D.O replied.

“Come on, can't I have some? I've been in jail,” Chanyeol whined.

“Chen was in jail too and you don't hear him moaning,” D.O said, nodding at the lieutenant as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

“Actually, now that you mention it, some eggs and bacon sound pretty good,” Chen said, adding a healthy amount of sugar to his coffee. D.O sighed and retrieved another carton of eggs from the refrigerator.

“Morning!” Baekhyun chirped, practically skipping into the kitchen. He rumpled his damp hair as he perused the refrigerator. “I'll need to make a trip to the market soon,” he said, grabbing a banana from the drawer.

“I still don't understand why you keep the bananas in the refrigerator,” Suho said, sitting down at the table.

“Because it makes them taste better,” Baekhyun replied around a mouthful of banana.

“It makes them spoil faster,” Nari said, putting a kettle on the stove. “You could always freeze them.”

“No, because that-”

“Makes his teeth hurt,” the others finished, the familiar phrase almost second-nature to them. Everyone chuckled, Baekhyun nearly choking on his fruit. “It's true!” he said, coughing slightly.

“The bananas again?” Xiumin asked, stretching enormously as he entered the kitchen.

“Always the bananas,” D.O confirmed, laying bacon on the hot pan. The room was filled with a meaty, greasy aroma that made Sehun's stomach rumble. He turned away from the window, setting his empty cup on the table.

“You look preoccupied,” Suho commented. “Care to include us?”

Sehun sighed. “I've been trying to figure out what Chul's next move will be,” he said quietly. “But I have no idea what he wants or what his next target is.”

“Simple,” Baekhyun said, tossing his banana peel into the trash, “he wants to control the city.”

“So what's preventing him?” Xiumin wondered.

D.O set down a platter of bacon and eggs in the middle of the table. “In order to control the city, you have to control its leaders,” he said, scooping food onto his plate.

“He's already got the chief of police in his pocket,” Suho said, grabbing a piece of bacon.

Chanyeol nodded. “And he thinks Sehun's dead.”

“I'm not a city leader,” Sehun protested.

“No, but you're the biggest threat to Chul's power,” Nari countered, dropping a tea bag into her hot water. “With you out of the picture he draws that much closer to his goal.”

“And if he's bought the chief of police, it's safe to assume he's bought many other officials as well,” Chen mused, leaning against the counter. Baekhyun licked the bacon grease off of his fingers. “So who's left?” he wondered.

They ate in silence as they all pondered this, trying to discover the answer to Baekhyun's question.

With me dead, the police chief turned and the other officials with him, who stands in his way? Sehun wondered, the thought repeating over and over in his mind. Suddenly, like puzzle pieces fitting together, Sehun knew the answer. “The mayor,” he whispered.

“What?” Suho asked. Sehun ignored him, pacing the room rapidly as the picture began to take shape. “He's controlling the police and minor officials, and he's killed me, so his next target would have to be-”

“Mayor Park Dongsun,” Chanyeol said, arriving at the same conclusion. Sehun nodded. “Chul would have to become mayor in order to take over the city, but he has to do it in a way that the people won't suspect his motives.”

“He can't run for election for another three years,” Chen pointed out.

“Unless the mayor were to die,” D.O said, looking up at Sehun.

“If the mayor died there would be an immediate election-”

“Which Chul would undoubtedly win,” Xiumin finished. “Then he would control the entire city. Game over.”

“Our only hope is to get to the mayor before Chul does,” Sehun said. “Nari, I want you to tend to Lay and Kai. Everyone else get ready to leave. It's time to pay our friend Gyeong another visit.”


******


“Go away! You aren't welcome!”

Sehun banged on the door again. “Tell Byun Gyeong it's Sehun, and this time I brought more than one friend with me.”

There was a pause, then the door cracked open and the old man peered around it. “Byun Gyeong is unwell and not receiving visitors,” he sniffed.

“He'll receive me,” Sehun said, shoving past the old man. He strode down the tiny hallway and entered Gyeong's room.

“What is this?” Gyeong demanded, getting up stiffly. “What right do you have to burst into my home?”

“We have need of you, Gyeong,” Sehun replied, his men filing into the room behind him.

“I did what you asked of me! My debt is fulfilled and I owe you nothing,” Gyeong spat, “especially after the way you assaulted me last time.”

“I make no apologies,” Sehun said coolly. “I did what I had to in order to rescue my men. There was a time when you were of a similar mind.”

“Years ago, maybe. But I'm a different man now. Tell me why you're here or I'll have you thrown out into the street.”

“We've discovered that Chul is the one behind all of the turmoil in the city,” Sehun said, pacing the room. “He owns the police and we suspect the same of the other officials. Now that he thinks I'm dead, we believe his next target is Mayor Park Dongsun.”

Gyeong raised an eyebrow. “The mayor? Why?”

“Isn't it obvious?” Sehun replied. “The mayor is the only man standing between Chul and total control of the city. If Dongsun were to die…”

Gyeong's eyes widened. “Chul would win the emergency election,” he whispered.

“Which is why we must act quickly,” Sehun continued. “We need to know where the mayor is. His life may very well depend on it.”

Gyeong chewed his lip. “I don't know, Sehun. Even if I could find out, there's no guarantee you could save him. Why not leave the city? Since everyone thinks you're dead you could easily get away and start over.”

“Because some of us aren't cowards!” Chanyeol said angrily.

“Chanyeol!” Sehun reprimanded, waving him back. Chanyeol obeyed grudgingly, his chest heaving.

“I haven't walked unaided for three years thanks to that man,” Gyeong said, “so forgive me if my courage doesn't run as deep as yours.”

“We aren't leaving the city,” Sehun replied. “Will you help us or not?”

Gyeong sighed. “Jisan!” he called. The old man came running in and bowed deeply.

“Give these men directions to Ming’s shop. Don't forget the flower.” Jisan bowed and scurried away.

“Ming is one of my informants. She runs a dry cleaning shop that many high officials use, including the mayor. She'll be able to help you.”

Jisan returned with a piece of paper and a silk flower. He handed both to Sehun and bowed again.

“When you get to the shop, send in one man with the flower,” Gyeong instructed. “Say you have a personal message for Ming. When you see her, she will use a code phrase. Your man must reply with ‘it came from the river’. Then she'll know you're trustworthy.”

Sehun nodded. “ You should get out of the city, Gyeong,” he said, tucking the paper and the flower into his pocket. Gyeong shook his head. “And go where? There's no one to care for a useless cripple like me, except for Jisan, and he would never leave his home.” Gyeong sank back into his chair. “Go,” he said, waving them out. Sehun bowed and left, his men following him out.

“Do you think he was telling the truth?” Chen asked once they were out in the alley.

“Gyeong is too frightened to lie,” Sehun replied. “But I doubt he will help us again.” He pulled the flower out of his pocket and examined it. “This is our last chance,” he whispered.

Notes