You Call Me Monster

Sehun glanced up at the clock, watching the second hand tick. Any minute now, he thought. He could hear a faint murmuring coming from the door, reminding him of the task before him.

He looked back down at the floor, staring at the shoes of the officer blocking the door. He privately thought that five policemen was excessive for one handcuffed man, but apparently his reputation preceded him.

The officer's walkie talkie chirped and he listened for a moment, then nodded at the others. He opened the door and Sehun squinted as sunlight came pouring into the dim room.

They hustled him out, holding onto him as they guided him over to his seat. Sehun's eyes focused just in time to greet his lawyer. Soonjin? he thought incredulously. He sat down and the officers took a few steps back, keeping their hands on their nightsticks.

What do they think, I'm going to vault over them and fly away? Sehun thought irritably. “What are you doing here?” he murmured. “What happened to my lawyer?”

“I replaced him,” Soonjin replied, opening his briefcase on the table. “I do actually have a law degree. It's all part of the plan.”

Sehun kept his face straight, but inside his mind was spinning. Did something change? he wondered, resisting the urge to turn around and examine the room. He remembered that his friends were there, ready to spring into action, and he felt a small sense of comfort.

“All rise,” the bailiff called, and everyone stood as the judge entered the room. Sehun took a deep breath as the judge took his seat. Everyone sat down, whispering quietly. The judge opened a file and read it silently.

“Oh Sehun, you stand charged of illegal gang activity, inciting others to rioting, illegal ownership and use of firearms, assault, battery, and attempted murder.”

Is that all? Sehun thought sarcastically. The judge looked at him over his glasses. “How do you plead?”

Soonjin stood up. “Not guilty, sir,” he said in a clear voice. The room gasped and the judge banged his gavel. “I see. Do you have an opening statement?”

“Pansa-nim, the defense moves to proceed directly to witness testimony.”

The judge raised an eyebrow. “Does the prosecution agree?” he asked, looking over to the other side. After a whispered conference one of the lawyers stood. “The prosecution only wishes to state that the evidence against Mr. Oh is quite overwhelming. In the interest of saving the time and resources of this court, we would like to give the defense one last chance to alter their plea.”

“Well?” the judge asked, turning back to Soonjin.

“The defense is grateful, but we stand by our plea,” Soonjin replied smoothly.

Just get on with it! Sehun wanted to scream, the formality grating on his raw nerves.

The judge nodded. “Prosecutor, you may call your first witness,” he said, leaning back in his chair.

First up was a woman that Sehun recognized as his old landlady. She painted the picture of a young, troubled man who quickly spiraled into a life of crime. Sehun didn't know whether to feel offended or depressed by her story. Next were a couple of shop owners whose businesses had been trashed the night of the jailbreak. They called Sehun a terrorist and a public menace, giving him evil looks from the witness stand. Sehun felt a rush of anger, grinding his teeth silently as they ranted. Soonjin declined to question the witnesses himself, surprising both the judge and the jury with his apparent indifference.

“Mr. Kim Chul,” the prosecutor called, and the hair on Sehun's arms stood on end. He watched Chul climb the steps to the stand and his anger burned hotter.

“Mr. Kim, can you please describe your relationship with the accused?” the prosecutor asked.

Chul smoothed back his hair. “I don’t have a personal relationship with him,” he said. “I know him only by reputation.”

“Then what sort of connection do you have with this case?”

“I’ve been actively collaborating with the police to eliminate crime in Busan,” Chul replied. “Naturally gang leaders are one of our highest priorities. When we apprehended some of his men a few nights ago, I knew we were close to our prize.”

Sehun clenched his fists under the table, his nails digging sharply into his palms. He wanted to shout denials, expose Chul for everyone to see, but he managed to keep silent.

“And what is your opinion concerning the accused?”

Chul shrugged. “He’s a criminal, and criminals should be punished.”

The prosecutor turned to Soonjin. “Your witness,” he said, sitting down. Soonjin stood and everyone perked up. “Mr. Kim,” he began, buttoning his jacket, “what exactly do you do for a living?”

Chul shifted slightly in his seat. “I’m a simple businessman. I own various properties in and around Busan,” he replied.

“And how did this translate into working with the police?”

Chul raised an eyebrow. “I’m merely a concerned citizen who desires to make Busan a safer place.”

Soonjin nodded, pacing in front of the witness stand casually. “You seem terribly well connected for a ‘simple businessman’,” he said. “How did you come to be so trusted by the police? Did you do them some sort of favor?”

Chul’s smile faded. “I fail to see how this-”

“You see, Mr. Kim, I’ve done my research on you,” Soonjin interrupted. “You’re not just in real estate, you also have interests in stocks, import and export, steel factories, even politics.”

Chul’s eyebrow twitched slightly at the last one, so subtly that if Sehun hadn’t been staring at him he would’ve missed it.

“My interests are-”

“Of value to this court, I assure you,” Soonjin said, looking over at the judge. The judge seemed unconvinced, but waved for Soonjin to continue.

“Over the last several years,” Soonjin said loudly, addressing the entire room now, “gang activity has reached an all-time high. Many of us in this room,” he said, gesturing at the crowd, “have been personally affected by it. Riots, thefts, gunfights, even murders have become part of our daily life.”

“Get to the point, Mr. Jou,” the judge said pointedly.

“This escalation,” Soonjin continued, “began long before my client. In fact, it began only four months after your arrival in Busan, Mr. Kim.”

Chul sat up straight. “I don’t know what you’re insinuating-”

“I think you do,” Soonjin said quietly. “You instigated the rise of crime in Busan. You have bribed, threatened, tortured and murdered your way to power. The only thing my client is guilty of is trying to stop you.”

“These are lies,” Chul hissed. “I will not sit here and be dragged through the mud by a smug little boy.”

“Mr. Kim is not the one on trial, Mr. Jou,” the judge said.

“No,” Soonjin replied, “but we didn’t come for a trial.”


******


That’s the signal! Nari thought. In one smooth motion she pulled her gun out and fired, the bullet whizzing by Chul’s head into the wood paneling behind him.

The room erupted, people screaming and trying to take cover. Nari ran forward, trying to avoid the panicking crowd. She saw D.O out of the corner of her eye, gun out and matching her pace. The other officers drew their weapons, but the roiling crowd prevented them from getting a clear shot. Chul sprang up and leapt over the witness stand. He’s getting away! Nari thought desperately.


******


D.O saw Chul vault over the witness stand and he put on a burst of speed. He tried to shoot him, but Chul dodged the bullets easily. Some of the officers realized what was happening and fired at D.O, massing around Chul.

“I need backup!” D.O barked into his earpiece, diving behind a bench.


******


Chen pulled out his gun. “Get the mayor to safety,” he ordered, tossing his sunglasses aside.

“What about you?” Suho demanded.

“I have to help D.O,” Chen replied, and he took off down the center aisle.

“Let’s go, sir!” Suho said, pulling out his own gun and shepherding the mayor out into the open. He felt a fiery pain streak across his back and he stumbled, catching himself on a chair.

“Are you alright?” the mayor asked, scooping his gun from the floor. He glanced at Suho’s back. “Looks like a bullet grazed you, but not too deep,” he said. “Can you walk?”

“I’m fine,” Suho growled, lurching to his feet.


******


Baekhyun whipped his glasses off and followed D.O to the front of the room, dodging fleeing spectators. He ducked behind a bench and a spray of bullets flew over his head. He crawled to the center aisle and peeked out carefully. He saw D.O and Chen behind an overturned table, firing at the officers surrounding Chul. He caught sight of Sehun and Soonjin behind the other table and ran for it, trying to stay low. He slid across the floor and collided with Sehun.

“About time,” Sehun gasped, rubbing his head.

“Nice to see you too,” Baekhyun mumbled, propping himself up on his hands.

Sehun held out his wrists. “Get me out of these,” he said, keeping one eye on the fight. Baekhyun pulled a lockpick out of his jacket and inserted it into the handcuffs, wiggling it carefully. He felt the lock catch and with a flick of his wrist the cuffs fell off. “Thanks,” Sehun said, massaging his wrists. “Do you have a gun?”

Baekhyun pulled his gun out of his waistband and gave it to him. He looked over the edge of the table. “Where’s Chul?” he asked. Sehun shot up and looked around rapidly. “He’s gone,” he hissed.


******


Chanyeol watched Chul sneak out of the cluster of officers and make his way around the edges of the room, grabbing a stray gun off of the floor. “Chul’s on the move,” he said, pointing at him.

“Where’s he going?” Kai asked.

“Wait, where’s the mayor?” Lay wondered, scanning the room quickly. Chanyeol spotted him near the door, bending over Suho. “There,” he pointed, “in the corner. I think Suho’s hurt.”

Chul had seen them too and he was quickly moving in. I can’t let him get close enough to shoot, Chanyeol thought. He thought about the stairs, but by the time he made it down the mayor would likely be dead. He looked up at the nearby Korean flag hanging from the ceiling. It was a long shot, but it would be faster than the stairs. Before the others could stop him he took a running start and vaulted over the bannister. He grabbed at the flag and caught the corner, abruptly halting his fall. His momentum carried him over the benches before the flag ripped and he plummeted the last ten feet, rolling to a stop in the aisle.
The room swayed a little, but he picked himself up and charged at Chul, knocking the gun out of his hand. Chul punched him in the jaw and Chanyeol’s mouth filled with blood. He spat in Chul’s face, the blood splattering all over his skin. Chul recoiled and Chanyeol kicked him in the chest, knocking him down. Chul got up, pulling a wicked-looking knife out of his jacket. He lunged at Chanyeol, grazing his arm. Chanyeol hissed in pain and drew back, blood dripping down his arm onto the floor. He swung at Chul and missed, stumbling slightly. Chul brought his knife around and drove it into Chanyeol’s shoulder. Chanyeol screamed and tried to wrench away, but Chul had him tightly. The pain was blinding, the knife grating on the bone excruciatingly. Chul ripped the knife out and Chanyeol screamed again. His vision blurred and he collapsed to his knees, blood seeping down his chest as he tried not to lose consciousness. He could see Chul’s triumphant smile as he prepared to kill him, the sunlight flashing on the bloodied blade.

Suddenly Chul fell backwards, his knife skittering away. Chanyeol felt a pair of hands grab him and pull him behind one of the benches.

“Chanyeol? Can you hear me?” a garbled voice asked, and he could see someone bending over him, the light shining on his blonde hair. “Hey Xiumin,” he mumbled, grinning at him. “Thanks for saving my life.”

“You aren’t saved yet,” Xiumin said, his voice like a distant whisper. He pressed on Chanyeol’s wound and Chanyeol yelped loudly. “Hold still, I have to contain the bleeding,” Xiumin said, putting a hand on Chanyeol’s chest.

“I’m going to die,” Chanyeol whispered, staring up at the ceiling.

“No one is dying,” Xiumin retorted. “Not today.”


******


Sehun caught sight of Chul staggering to his feet and he got up, still crouching behind the table. “Give me some cover,” he told Baekhyun, “and get Soonjin out of here.”

“Go!” Baekhyun shouted, firing at the officers rapidly. Sehun sprang up and ran down the aisle, staying as low as he could. Chul saw him coming and dived behind a bench, avoiding Sehun’s bullet. “Not much of a shot, are you?” he called out. Sehun fired again, the bullet lodging in the wooden bench. A bullet flew past his ear and he jumped, giving Chul the opening he needed. Chul lunged at Sehun, knocking him to the floor. Sehun tried to bring the gun up, but Chul grabbed his wrist, trying to twist the gun out of his grip. With a yell Sehun broke free and struck Chul with the gun. Chul let go and Sehun pushed away from him, quickly getting to his feet. Blood trickled down from Chul’s temple, but he got up anyway and swung his leg at Sehun, knocking the gun away. “You’ll have to do better than that,” he rasped, pulling his knife out.


******


Lay burst out of the stairwell just as Suho was pushing the mayor off of him. “I’m fine,” he said, getting to his feet. Lay grabbed his arm and he shook him off. “Where’s…” he saw Chul, waving his knife at an unarmed Sehun. “Lay, come on!” he said, running toward them. Some officers charged at them and Suho ducked, ramming one in the stomach. The officer grabbed onto him and they both fell, rolling across the floor. Suho shoved him away and got up, only to be struck by another officer. Somewhere on his right Lay fell, knocked down by a nightstick. Suho tried to get to him, but there were too many officers between them. He made a break for Sehun, but they tackled him to the ground, pinioning him. “No!” he yelled desperately.


******


Nari looked over the bench to see Chul closing in on Sehun. She leapt up and zigzagged across the room, trying to get a clear shot at Chul. I've got to get closer, she realized. Her hat kept falling into her eyes and she yanked it off, her hair tumbling down her shoulders as she ran. I’m coming, I’m coming.

Suddenly she couldn’t see them anymore. She skidded to a stop, looking around frantically. Where did they go? she wondered, running her free hand through her hair.


******


Baekhyun picked up the nightstick and struck the officer on the head. The officer crumpled to the ground, unconscious. Baekhyun looked around for his next opponent, but all of the officers were either down or gone. He could see Chen and Kai across the room, battling a group of officers with their bare hands. Baekhyun went to join him when a flash of brown hair caught his eye. He stopped and watched Nari run to the center aisle, then pause and look around wildly. Where’s Sehun? Baekhyun wondered.

Notes