You Call Me Monster

Sehun pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Okay, run through it again,” he said tiredly.

“Xiumin and I will slip in through the maintenance entrance here,” Suho said, pointing at the backside of the building on the whiteboard. “It has the straightest shot to the holding cells. We'll wait there until Gyeong’s men show up.”

“They'll start a riot in the street, ideally drawing out a lot of the officers,” Xiumin continued. “That's when Nari will get into position.”

Nari nodded. “I'll slip in and get into the security office. According to Suho, no one is in there during the night, so I should be able to hack into their system and shut it down.”

“Which is when Baekhyun and I will climb up to the roof and enter through the skylight,” D.O said, circling the skylight with a red marker. “We'll rendezvous with Nari in the security office where Baekhyun will set some nice distractions for our police friends.”

“Meanwhile Xiu and I will get to the holding cells and bust Chen and Chanyeol out,” Suho continued, tapping the marks representing their comrades.

“What if they've already been taken down to the lower levels?” Lay interjected, propping himself up on his elbows.

“Then it will take all of us to get them out,” D.O said solemnly.

“I'm going too,” Sehun announced.

“What?!” Nari said indignantly. “Respectfully, sir, you can't just-”

“I can do whatever I like, Nari,” Sehun interrupted. “I refuse to continue to sit here and do nothing while you're putting yourselves in danger.”

Nari sighed. “Yes sir.”

She's more distant than usual, Sehun thought, eyeing his sister. I should really…

“What about me?” Lay asked, sitting up. “I don't want to sit here either.”

“Your leg is still healing,” Xiumin said, shaking his head. “No offense, but you'd only be a liability.”

“My leg is getting better all the time,” Lay insisted. “At least let me drive the car or something.”

Everyone looked at Sehun for a verdict. He folded his arms and sighed. “Fine. But you have to stay in the car,” he said emphatically. Lay nodded. “Yes sir.”

Sehun dismissed everyone with a wave of his hand, lost in thought as the room emptied around him. “Nari,” he called suddenly.

Nari paused, holding a half-furled blueprint. “Sir?” she responded. Sehun stared at her hard, looking for...well, he didn't know what. “Nothing,” he said finally, waving her away with the rest. She left the room and Lay sighed. “Something's different,” he stated, echoing Sehun’s fears.

“Yeah,” Sehun agreed, “but I'm not sure what.”

“Did…” Lay hesitated, biting his lip. “Did she say anything about what happened while she was held by Chul?”

“Just a standard report. Why?”

“Did it occur to you that she was tortured and didn't tell you?”

The thought had occurred, but it was too awful to consider for long. “She seems alright,” Sehun said unconvincingly. “Besides, she wouldn't hide that from me.”

“I disagree,” Lay said. “She's barely eaten since she got back, and she winces when she moves. I think she's more hurt than she lets on.”

Sehun looked at the door Nari had just exited through. There's only one way to find out.


******


Nari slid her blueprints under her bed, wincing as she bent over. She heard footsteps behind her and she turned around. “Did you want to tell me something, Sehun?” she asked, getting up. Sehun worried his lip, obviously struggling to find the words. “Did...is everything okay?” he asked.

“Of course,” Nari said, sitting on her bed. “We’re going to get the others back, and then…”

“That’s not what I meant,” Sehun interrupted, holding up a hand. “We never really talked about your time as Chul’s prisoner.”

Nari shifted uncomfortably. “I gave you a full report.”

“No, I mean...we never really talked about it. I’m still your brother, you know,” he said, sitting next to her. He took her hand gently. “Did Chul hurt you?” he asked.

Nari’s breathing quickened. “No,” she said abruptly, pulling her hand away. She got up and Sehun grabbed her arm, inadvertently squeezing a half-healed burn. Nari yelped in spite of herself, yanking her arm back.

“What was that?” Sehun asked, standing up quickly. “He did hurt you, didn’t he?”

“No!” Nari insisted. “Your grip was just too tight.”

“Why are you lying to me?”

“I’m not-”

“Then show me,” he challenged. “Prove he didn’t hurt you.”

Nari’s heart dropped. “Please, Sehun,” she begged, shaking her head. “This isn’t something you want to see.”

Sehun dropped his head and swallowed hard. “Show me,” he commanded.

Nari reluctantly unzipped her jacket, pulling it off carefully. She shivered as the cool air hit her bare arms, goosebumps erupting on her skin. She tossed the jacket onto the floor and held her arms out from her sides. Sehun rapidly took in the yellowing bruises and puckered burns, his face hardening with each passing second. “This isn’t all, is it?” he asked quietly. Nari shook her head. “Chul was...very thorough,” she said, dropping her arms. She could see the heartbreak on Sehun’s face and she put her arms around him.

“I’m sorry, Nari,” he said thickly, pulling her close. “I’m sorry I let this happen to you.”

“Shh,” Nari whispered, rubbing Sehun’s back gently. “I’m the one that insisted on going. I knew the risks and accepted them, just like the others.”

“But you aren’t like the others!” Sehun said, pulling away to look at her. “You’re my sister, and I’m supposed to take care of you!”

“You do take care of me!” Nari said, cupping his face in her hands. “I might have died in there if you hadn’t come to rescue me. This is nothing!”

Sehun tore away and left the room, slamming the door behind him. Nari sat on the bed heavily, tears dripping down her face. “This is nothing,” she sobbed.


******


Sehun stalked right past a bewildered Lay and out the door, snatching his jacket off of a chair as he went. He headed for his motorcycle and got on, fumbling for his keys. He realized he was crying and swiped at his eyes roughly, the cold wind making them sting. He pulled his helmet on and gunned the engine, zooming out onto the street. He accelerated quickly, swerving around cars carelessly. His anger burned hotter as he sped down the highway, gripping his handlebars tightly. I’ll kill him.


******


Lay sat up, grimacing at the throbbing in his leg. What happened in there? he wondered, looking back at Nari’s room. I guess I was right about Nari, Lay thought grimly. He heard Sehun’s motorcycle rev and peel out of the lot, the sound quickly fading as he sped away. Lay heaved himself off of the couch and hobbled to Nari’s door, leaning heavily against the wall. “Nari?” he said, knocking softly. “It’s Lay. Can I…”

The door opened and a pale Nari came out. “You shouldn’t be up,” she said mechanically, her voice ragged.

“Did you and Sehun fight?”

Nari sighed. “He’s just angry, like I knew he would be,” she said tiredly. “But he would’ve found out eventually, I guess.” She took Lay’s hand and guided him back to his spot on the couch. “You know,” he said, allowing her to prop his leg up, “I’ve been in similar situations before. Sometimes it helps to talk about it with someone who isn’t quite so close to you.”

Nari smiled. “Do you feel distant from me, Lay?” she asked, carefully sliding another pillow under his leg.

“No, that’s not what...you know what I meant,” Lay said quickly, his ears burning. “Sehun’s your brother, and it’s hard for him to deal with this. I was just offering myself as an alternative.”

Nari finished her work and sat in the chair beside him. “What makes you think I want to talk about it?” she asked quietly.

“The fact that you haven’t slept since you came home,” Lay replied. “I’ve been sleeping right outside your door, and I can hear you pacing at all hours.”

“I’m just worried about the others,” Nari said defensively.

“Worry keeps you awake. Fear keeps you moving.” Lay folded his arms. “Look, I’m not trying to pressure you, but you need to process this somehow. Otherwise it will continue to bother you until you can’t close your eyes for fear of the memories. We all have our ways of dealing with it; you just have to find yours.” Lay closed his eyes, trying to get comfortable on the couch again. The room was completely silent, and Lay felt himself drifting off to sleep.

“They hung me by my wrists from a steel crossbeam,” Nari whispered. Lay didn’t open his eyes, just listened intently. “I would hang there, alone for hours in the dark, never knowing who was coming - or if they had just left me for dead.

“Chul wanted information, and he was willing to wait as long as he had to to get it. He tried bribing me, offering me a place in his ranks if I helped him. When that didn’t work, one of his men took a two by four and beat me with it each time I refused. When that also proved ineffective, Chul had a hot piece of metal brought down and would burn me himself. He said he liked burning because it would always remind me of my foolishness.”

Lay opened his eyes and looked at Nari. She spoke in a monotone, her face inscrutable. “Each time they finished they threw a bucket of cold water on me, leaving me to freeze until they came back. I thought I would die of hypothermia.” She looked down at her lap. “Is this what you wanted to hear?” she asked in a low voice.

Lay put his hand on hers and they sat in silence, Nari staring at the floor.

No, it’s not, Lay thought, unable to speak past the lump in his throat. But it’s what you needed to say.

Notes