Work Text:
I surrender myself, sir.
Ah, ah... name?
I am Kim Hongjoong, the leader of the missing Korean group ATEEZ.
Have you started recording yet? Okay.
I killed my teammates, seven of them, without missing a single one. After all, any kid would be lonely if left alone, and I couldn't bear to let them experience such a terrible feeling. I took their breath away and, just a few weeks ago, hid their bodies in the cellar of my home in Anyang.
My parents? No, they didn't take part in the crime, and they didn't even know I was hiding in the cellar. It was all the result of my own selfishness, sir.
The motive was simple, sir, because I love them.
...
...
...Ah, do you want to hear the details? Well, allow me to introduce my kids first.
Park Seonghwa, Jeong Yunho, Kang Yeosang, Choi San, Song Mingi, Jung Wooyoung, Choi Jongho.
Does the names match with your record?
To you, these may be some normal names of seven boys, but to me, they are my whole world, sir.
The eight of us have been together for almost eight years to debut as a group, what a pretty number, isn’t it? They've been laughing and playing around me all these years, they are like infinite burning life, flickering to light up the dark night sky. I like them so much, believe me sir, if you just look at them like that , you can no longer look away, there is a living example in front of you.
Don't talk nonsense...?
Don't worry, sir, I'm not stalling for time, and I don't have any bad intentions. Didn't I have been searched before I came in? It's just that I can't help talking too much when talking about the kids.
You can send the police car. The kids are in the cellar I told you just now. You can see them when you walk into the garage and open the floor door. The combination of the lock is 1024, our debut date.
Then I will continue. Seeing that you are getting irritable, I will just talk about what happened that day.
My first target was Song Mingi, the precious rapper in our team.
That day was an ordinary day, sir, the members who were on schedule went for their work, and those who were busy with their own affairs also not in the dorm, everyone lived their own busy lives, only this poor kid was still lying on the bed struggling because of that damn back injury, he was unable to move, wrapped in his sheet and crying in his bed, apologizing for not being able to help the team.
I am very distressed, you can't understand, this kid was unable to join us in activities because of the recurrence of his back injury several times before, the pressure and public opinion were superimposed on him day after day, he has always been sensitive, and he will not be able to bear it one day.
So I asked him while massaging his waist, do you want to be relieved?
The only way to free him from the nightmare-like waist injury and the guilt that haunted him day and night like an abyss was to kill him. Am I ridiculous...? I don't think so, because when I stabbed the blade into Mingi's chest, he smiled at me, it was the smile I haven't seen in a long time, the smile that appeared a lot early in our debut time.
So I stabbed again, and stabbed again.
The kid seemed to be crying with joy. I heard his wailing, but it only lasted for a while. After a few seconds, there was no sound. His warm blood was still in my hand, and the wet and sticky touch told me that he was gone. Completely freed from the sea of suffering, sir, he will no longer feel pain, I am happy for him, so I took the back of his hand and kissed it as a small celebration, I stroked his hair, and even sang a lullaby softly to make him feel at ease fall asleep.
Before this, I said that Mingi can handle any style very well, and he really has great potential, the blood blooming on him like an Equinox Flower is only breathtakingly beautiful, but it’s a pity that I don’t have a camera that time, otherwise I’ll just take a good shot and keep it, maybe you will be lucky enough to witness it today, sir.
I know that Jongho will definitely rush in, Jongho, he is a careful boy, he is the youngest member of our team, Mingi is his favorite hyung, after all, they have lived together for a long time. Jongho can understand anything Mingi wants to express through only one gesture or one look from Mingi, not to mention while his hyung was crying with such full emotion.
As expected, Jongho opened the door a few seconds later and walked in. He was so worried when he saw the blood all over the ground and he was startled, his eyes widened. I didn't tell you before, sir, I think Jongho's eyes are the prettiest among the eight of us, his round, watery eyes are most beautiful when they are filled with tears. The shining starlight that was full of it dimmed after turning to me who was still humming to help Mingi sleep.
He immediately turned around and wanted to go out to call the police. What a cute idea, isn't it? Our maknae, showing his defenseless backs to me, maybe it's because this is a habit we have cultivated over the years. We always back to back without any reservation. Fully entrusting each other is the only way to survive in this cruel entertainment world, so I didn't hesitate to live up to his trust and swung the blade at him.
He's very strong, he can knock all seven of us down with one fist, and he doesn't cry a lot, he's not a crybaby.
But he was crying, my knife was still stuck in his back, he was held down by me, crying and asking me why I did this.
Hmm...that was one of the few moments when I was shaken, sir, our maknae, he didn't even resist, he just looked at me with his red eyes and kept asking me why I did this, put an end to them life, took away their breath.
He cries beautifully, but I don't like seeing kids cry, it hurts me.
So I cut his throat that had been kissed by angels, and stopped his continuous teardrops. He stayed at that moment forever, his eyes filled with tears and the corners of his eyes flushed.
Do you need a break, sir? I see that your face has become very pale, and I am a little worried for you.
No problem, I'll wait for you here.
I'm not going anywhere, I swear.
You are back, sir, are you resting well? I also drank some water, and there are still a few kids' stories to tell.
Bringing one more person in... Are you afraid of what I will do?
Haha, it's nothing sir, it's just a joke.
Then I will continue.
I took Jongho and Mingi back to the cellar of my hometown overnight, because the next day was a holiday, our manager hyung didn't pay much attention to our whereabouts. Yes, although our company is an entertainment company, the staff are very kind to us, and the CEO doesn’t limit our meal expenses, which causes the children to gain a lot of weight during the blank period, and only spontaneously lose weight when we are doing a comeback, they suffered a lot from me because of this incident.
Well, like you said, let's get back to business.
I cleaned up the house, and when I went out with Jongho and Mingi, the kids who were out on their schedule hadn’t come back yet, so I sent a message in the group chat of the team said that we were going out to have fun, and we rushed back all the way to my hometown.
On the way, the bodies of the two kids gradually became cold, and the blood that was flowing like a spring stopped flowing out. They were really frozen, and their youth remained forever. I touched their faces and felt their body temperature. Only then did I finally have a sense of reality. How good it would be to never have their flowery age fade away, and never have to face pain again... how good it would be.
I'm happy for them, I'm really happy for them.
This is what I was born to do for these kids, sir.
I opened the cellar in the middle of the night to settle Jongho and Mingi, and carefully wrapped up their wounds with the bandages I bought along the way. The others kids in the groupchat trust me very much. As the leader of the team, I ran to have fun without warning in advance, and they didn't intend to blame me. They even wished us a good time. If you were me, you would definitely be reluctant to let them suffer any harm.
We stayed in the cellar with Jongho Mingi for one night, it was very cold, but holding them, it doesn't matter how cold it is, after all, at this moment, I am the happiest person in the world, and the people I love are sleeping peacefully and sweetly in my arms, I'm afraid I can wake up laughing if I'm dreaming.
In the early morning of the next day, we left before the sun came up and rushed back to the dorm to see Sannie who had a fever. Wooyoung said that it was rare for Sannie to be so unconscious in the fever, and he was bedridden and moaned non-stop. These children were all so worrying. When we arrived at the dorm, Yeosang who was taking care of Sannie told us that Wooyoungie had gone out to buy medicine. Sigh, if he told me earlier, then Wooyoungie doesn't have to go to pharmacy again, I could have buy the pills while we are on our way back to dorm.
Hyung. I heard Sannie calling softly on the bed with the doll in his arms, his voice was so hoarse as if it wasn't his. He pulled the corner of my clothes and I sat down on the side of the bed, holding his cold hand and rubbing gently.
Yeosang went to the kitchen to pour water, Sannie then asked me dryly, hyung, don't you think there is a weird smell in the dorm?
Cute, the kids are really cute. When they encountering something they don’t understand, the first thing to do is not to find out the facts, but to ask me for help, hoping to get an answer that is within the scope of his understanding from his trusted hyung.
So I told him simply and clearly that it was the smell of Mingi and Jongho's blood. Maybe it was because we left too hastily yesterday and didn't clean it up, which caused the smell to slowly mutate over time, and so did you being fever for this reason.
San was stunned. Eyes clouded by illness looking at me puzzled, my hands clasped his neck with a little force, and he suddenly realized what I said, struggling to escape from my grasp.
The kids always say that my hands are small, but my small hands can save them from suffering.
I grabbed his neck tightly and exerted my strength. How can a sick kid have the strength to resist an adult who puts all his strength? Sannie's hand hangs feebly on my wrist, the water vapor swirling in the eye sockets finally turned into teardrops and slipped down, and he opened his mouth and babbled indistinctly. After a few seconds, he gradually loses strength, only looking at me, his beautiful eyes are already dull. Seeing this, I opened my lips and gently hummed the lullaby I sang to Mingi, let go of the child's red-stained neck and smoothed his hair, and closed his eyes with my hand.
Not being able to see his dimpled face again before he fell asleep is my biggest regret, sir.
Yeosang broke the cup, and the sound of the porcelain falling on the ground was extremely harsh. I turned around and saw him standing at the door with a face full of panic, holding his mobile phone and trying to make a call, while calling Seonghwa's name behind his back.
Silly boy.
I watched as Seonghwa slapped Yeosang's cell phone away, and stabbed the kid's abdomen with a knife.
...Yes, sir, you heard that right.
Seonghwa came in as early as I put Jongho to sleep, and then accompanied me to commit crimes all the way. You know that I can't clean up the blood-stained dorm in one afternoon and leave with the bodies of two adults by myself. I know you wanted to ask from the beginning.
Never thought it was Seonghwa? Thought it was someone from outside the group?
Not surprisingly, sir, when Seonghwa told me that he would not expose me, I had the same reaction as you.
His expression was so calm that I didn't even think he looked like him when he stabbed the knife into Yeosang's abdomen.
But when Yeosang fell down, his expression of crying bitterly while holding the kid was so real.
Tell me, sir, why did he do this?
Why do we do this?
Um.
At this time, Wooyoung came back. He was carrying a pack of medicine bought from the pharmacy we often went to, and he had to digest the fact that his soulmate and best friend had passed away one after another before he could take off his mask. Wooyoung was caught off guard then was pushed to the ground by Seunghwa and I who were in the raid. The kid's eyes were red with anxiety, and he began to curse illogically, saying I hate you repeatedly to us, thinking that his words could hurt me.
How could it possibly hurt me? I told him that it was enough that I loved him anyway.
He was speechless by what I said, his always fluent mouth could only whimper sadly at this moment, Seonghwa and I brought him to his two favorite friends. After we each placed a last kiss on his forehead, Seonghwa conveniently landed on Wooyoungie's neck with the knife that still had Yeosang's blood on it.
Wooyoung fell between Yeosang and Sannie, his blood mixed with Yeosang's blood, I think, this time they should be brothers in the next life.
Afterlife, speaking of afterlife, sir, do you think I can meet them in my afterlife?
Ha, they don't want to see me?
Then I will go find them, and I will lead Seonghwa together.
Be with the kids forever and ever.
Seonghwa and I cleaned up the dorm. This time we took care of it very carefully. We didn’t let it go until almost dusk, because we knew we would never come back. Before we went out, we took a look back at this room full of memories with our kids.
We put Sannie Yeosang and Wooyoung in the trunk, they are very thin, except Yeosangie has a little more muscle, it is more than enough for three adults to squeeze into a small space... Sigh, shouldn't I stop them from binge eating? It’s only now that I come to reflect, but it’s too late, imagine the kids’ chubby appearance, sigh, I have another regret. In short, we then set off to the company to pick up Yunho who had practiced dancing with his dance teacher all day.
Before that, the manager hyung was going to fetch Yunho, but I told hyung that I would take Yunho directly to go on vacation, and manager hyung did not has doubt on me, he just patted me on the shoulder and let us have a good rest before watching me and me Seonghwa left.
Yunho, the kid who has been with me for the longest time, obviously it has been so long, and his novelty towards us should have passed with the passage of time, but when he saw us appearing at the company gate, his love for us in his eyes became even brighter. He jumped up and down and waved happily to us. His energy seemed to never be consumed in his lifetime, and the corners of his mouth seemed to never fall. I love being around this kid, colored by this kid's vibe,
Puppy have a very sensitive sense of smell. As soon as Yunho got in the car, he sniffed and asked us if there was any peculiar smell. I smiled and looked at Seonghwa in the driver's seat in front, patted the head of the puppy next to me, and told him that we are going to Anyang to play
The answer didn't match with the question, but our lovely Yunho just nodded and readily accepted our arrangement.
He just fell asleep leaning on the car seat, defenseless, without the slightest suspicion. I couldn't help laughing at the pup being so cute, I then leaned on Yunho's shoulder and closed my eyes after giving Seonghwa who was concentrating on driving a kiss.
It was already night when I woke up. The street lights passed by quickly on both sides of the road. I felt the gentle movement of Yunho's big hand brushing my hair. I asked him why he didn't check his phone? Only then did he realize that his mobile phone had been turned off due to lack of battery while practicing in the company.
Seonghwa parked the car not far from my home, and the three of us walked to my garage, feeling the cold wind at night and enjoying the rare tranquility.
The kid is really easy to deceive. He foolishly believes that he will come to my house to rest for a night before going to play when I say so; he also foolishly believes that my parents have prepared food for us in the cellar when I say so. So sometimes when I occasionally see Atiny asking on the Internet: Can I use fried chicken to scam the kids? I wanted to nod my head to say, Tiny, it is 100% feasible.
Though I'd lock the kids up before they get scammed.
Our puppy was like this, wagging his tail and walking in the front, and only realized something was wrong after entering the cellar, but it was too late.
Yunho, he is tall, but surprisingly weak, so I easily pushed him against the wall, covered his lips to prevent his scream from waking up the people on the ground, Seonghwa did not hesitate, tacitly and quickly pierced Yunho's heart.
Life is fragile, even a kid with a strong heart is vulnerable to betrayal by someone he trusts.
Within a few seconds, Yunho stopped struggling, as if he gave up completely, Yunho looked at me silently with red eyes. I can almost see the puppy ears drooping, and even his tail, completely stopped wagging.
Seonghwa drew out the knife, and I also let go to support Yunho's body, whispering in Yunho's ear, go to sleep.
Go to sleep, sleep will not hurt.
Our lovely puppy obeyed the owner's wishes in the end and fell into a deep sleep quietly.
In the dead of night, Seonghwa and I carried the three kids left in the car into the cellar. Seonghwa's painful expression was particularly obvious under the full moon. I couldn't help but ask him, why do you still follow me to do these things even though it is painful?
He said he loves me.
Sir, he said he loved me.
And I love him too. I love all of our kids, including Seonghwa, equally.
So when we settled everything, I asked him, do you want to be free? Just like I asked Mingi that day, I don't want to see them live in this hellish world anymore.
He thought for a while, and he answered me, he wants.
I killed him, but he was still smiling until the end, just like Mingi, Seonghwa fell asleep peacefully.
Sir, the story is over. I stayed in the cellar with the kids for a week. The manager hyung couldn't find us so he called the police. After thinking for a long time, I came out of the cellar and surrendered to you.
They have become one of the most dazzling planets in my universe, and I spend the rest of my life in prison, occasionally looking up at the eternal stars in the sky, which is enough.
Do I feel pity? No, sir, I let the kids get the relief they deserve. They have stepped into a beautiful utopia, and I am happy for them.
Why am I crying?
Why am I crying...?
...
...
...Ah, nothing, sir.
I just remembered that when I stuck the knife into Mingi's chest, he didn't smile at me, that's all.