Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

🩸

 - Are you sure about this?

The world was spinning even before he tried to open his eyes. The air around him felt heavy and muggy, and the uncomfortable feeling in his lungs spread to the rest of his body. He couldn’t move.

 - You wanna debut or not?

He could hear the voices over the ringing in his ears, distant and unfamiliar, but he couldn’t see who they belonged to. His own body felt heavy, lying in a painful position. Something tapped his face multiple times.

 - Hey, you gotta be awake for this to work.

There were trees around him, spinning as he tried to look for whoever was talking. He felt like throwing up so he curled towards what he thought was the ground, but hands pulled him back into the previous position. His head felt like it was floating and about to explode like an overblown balloon.

 - Maybe we should’ve gotten a girl.

 - There are other things I’d rather do to virgin girls.

He tried again to look around and move. There were people hovering over him, one at each side, he thought, but it was too dark and fuzzy for him to recognize them. They slapped his face again, a little harder than the previous time.

 - Right, you sure he’s a virgin? Innocent and pure and all that?

He noticed some western-royalty-looking clothes and tried to remember where he’d seen them before. He got distracted by his own nausea, closing his eyes again and trying to turn around to vomit. It was then that he realized his arms were tied behind his back and his feet were tied together, making it nearly impossible for him to balance himself.

 - He’s the guy people beat up at school, not the one they kiss.

That last voice was different, familiar. Hands pulled him back to his half sitting position, pushing his back against something hard and rough, and he felt like crying.

 - It’s time. What’s his name again?

 - Kim Sunoo.

A cold liquid, which he assumed to be water, was thrown at his face, wetting it and dripping down to his clothes. Then a hand tapped it, held his cheeks and shook his head, as to wake him up or make him focus. The first sobs travelled up his throat but he didn’t let them out.

 - Hey, Kim Sunoo, bear with us for a bit.

When he opened his eyes again, he could almost see properly but, still, he didn’t recognize the person hovering over him. It was a boy with bleached blond hair, dark at the roots, dressed in a fancy white shirt and dark jacket with golden details around the shoulders and collar. He smiled when Sunoo’s eyes fixated on him.

 - We’re about to sacrifice you to Satan so it’d be cool if you were awake. – the boy said, apparently excited about it.

Sobs erupted through Sunoo, making him tremble as tears formed in his eyes. – Why – his voice was hoarse.

 - I heard BTS did something like this, y’know – the boy replied, eyebrows rising in eloquence. – We wanna make it as big as them. So, we gotta kill you. – and it was the seriousness in his eyes that made Sunoo start crying, shaking his head no.

 - I thought–  

 - We need him to be hopeless. – other voice interrupted the one Sunoo found familiar and made him look away from the blond boy.

A second boy was hovering close to him, dressed in the same kind of western royalty clothing. Though his pants were dark, the top pieces were all white, with gold details and some lace hanging from his collar. His hair was dark and his face was somehow familiar, but Sunoo couldn’t remember where from. His vision was turning blurry again, now from the tears pooling in his eyes and rolling down his cheeks, but he could still notice the shiny knife the boy was holding. Fear began to suffocate him.

 - Please – he tried, choking on his words. – Please don’t do this.

 - We’ll write a song about you later! – blond boy said like it was supposed to cheer Sunoo up, pulling out his phone. – Alright, here we go! – decided, totally ignoring Sunoo’s sobbed screams begging him to stop. – We come here tonight to sacrifice the body of Kim Sunoo. – he read, raising his free hand like a priest. Then his posture broke. – You should finish it. – said, turning his attention and his phone towards the other boy.

Sunoo’s body started shaking harder from fear and he cried out louder, watching the boy with the knife get closer to him. He barely glanced at Sunoo before focusing back on the phone in front of him, reading:

 - With the deepest malice, we deliver this virgin unto thee. – and he raised the knife over his head, pushing it down towards Sunoo’s stomach.

Sunoo screamed in horror but the knife didn’t actually reach him, changing course right at the last second. He was suffocating in his own fear, breathing fast and trembling as he stared at the knife so close to his body. He was so scared he couldn’t even speak anymore. Then, the boy in white moved the knife, letting the tip of it land in Sunoo’s stomach, over his clothes.

 - Should I stab here? – he asked, as if genuinely confused.

 - No no no please – Sunoo cried out, barely recognizing his own voice drowned in desperation.

 - Or here? – the boy moved the knife up to Sunoo’s chest, completely ignoring his pleas.

 - Please I’ll do anything–

 - This is better, right? – he glanced at the blond guy, who nodded.

 - It will make him suffer more. – the other casually replied, ignoring Sunoo’s cries for them to stop.

 - Perfect. – were his last words, before he pulled the knife back up.

It didn’t stop when he pushed it back down that time and Sunoo felt the excruciating pain of it burying deep into his belly, making him scream both in agony and horror as the boy stabbed him again and again. The pain was too much. He tried to escape from it, squirming and kicking around, but it was no use. It soon took over his entire body, and then there was nothing.

Nothing at all.

🩸

He woke up with a gasp.

It made him choke on something, so he rolled towards the ground to cough it out. Seeing a dark red viscous liquid spill in the ground right below his face, he realized it was his own blood that he was choking on. That was when he started to remember what had happened, which was apparently not a nightmare as he so much wished.

His hands and feet were still tied, making it hard for him to move, and his clothes were covered in dirt, sweat and blood. He felt sticky and disgusting all over but, as nonsense as it seemed, there was no pain. He could remember clearly the pain of having a knife stab all over his belly, which should’ve killed him, but all of it was gone. All he could feel was drowsiness and hunger.

He tried pulling his hands from behind his back, searching blindly for the rope tying his wrists and pulling it with his fingers until he was able to free himself. A heavy sigh escaped his lips when he made it and he groaned as he sat up, grabbing his wrists and massaging the discomfort away. He untied his feet then, allowing his legs to relax into a more comfortable position and sighing again.

The moon was his only light source but Sunoo could see surprising well with it, looking down his own body and evaluating just how ruined his clothes were. The pants seemed fine apart from being covered in blood and dirt but the shirt was mostly destroyed, ripped all over his front and red with blood instead of white. When he looked behind the pieces of ripped fabric, though, his skin was totally fine. Not even a scratch, just some dirt and blood stains.

Nothing made sense but he felt too tired to think much about it. Instead, he got up on his feet, stumbling a bit, and looked around to try and figure out where he was and how to get back home. It was a forest and the ground had some inclination to it, so he moved towards where it got lower. He had to walk for a bit before finding a pathway and following it, and them a bit more until he found some benches and figured out where he was. It helped him remember what had happened before too; he couldn’t recall walking to that park but he did remember going to a party nearby.

Park Sunghoon.

Park Sunghoon had invited him to the party, he started to recall. A Halloween party all the popular kids in school were going to, which obviously didn’t include Sunoo, but Sunghoon had told him to meet him there. So Sunoo did, of course; why would he ever say no to his crush and the prettiest boy in school? He improvised a vampire costume out of a fancy shirt, used some make-up to draw vampire teeth on his bottom lip and blood running down to his chin and went to the party. He could remember taking Jungwon with him but they had lost each other after Sunghoon came to greet them. Sunghoon, who was dressed as a western prince or something along those lines, with a fancy button-up shirt and a pretty dark blue jacket with gold embroidery on its collar and–

It was him.

Sunghoon had been the familiar voice with the boys who had attacked Sunoo and stabbed him.

As he realized it, Sunoo felt nauseous again, stumbling towards a streetlamp and holding on to it to be able to keep himself standing. He felt like throwing up and crying at the same time, unable to understand why would Sunghoon ever do such a thing.

Sure, Sunoo had publicly given him chocolates on White Day but he clearly wasn’t the only boy at their school with a crush on Sunghoon. Sunghoon was pretty and nice and an idol trainee, all of which made him super popular, so he always got a bunch of chocolates both on Valentine’s and White Day and everyone knew they were all from boys because there were no girls at their school to begin with. Sunoo had only been the first to do it publicly. It had caused a group of other boys to beat him up later that day but Sunghoon had reacted nicely to it, smiling at Sunoo and thanking him after the initial shock. Had he changed his mind in the meantime? Was he disgusted by Sunoo? Did he despise him that much that he now wanted him dead?

Sunoo stumbled away from the streetlamp, shaking his head. That couldn’t be it. Sunghoon was sweet and respectful and good, he would never hurt anyone. There had to be some kind of explanation as to why he was with those other boys or why he had let them hurt Sunoo.

He must have been moved by those thoughts because, just a few minutes later, Sunoo was stumbling in front of Sunghoon’s house. He had no idea what time it was or what he was really doing there but he walked closer, looking around at the house until he noticed some lights on and approached them from the outside.

 - I told you, it’s nothing – he heard Sunghoon’s sweet voice first and located him inside, walking towards a bed where another boy was sitting. He seemed to be right out of the shower, dressed in pyjamas and drying his hair with a towel.

 - You’re acting weird! – the other boy whisper-protested in broken korean, keeping his voice low. Sunoo didn’t know who he was but he was fairly good looking too, even in just pyjamas and damp tousled hair.

 - I’m just tired – Sunghoon argued back, voice low as well. – Let’s just sleep, alright? – asked, turning sweeter and smiling when the other boy stood up with a pout on his lips. – Don’t do that. – he grumbled but there was still a smile on him as the other boy stepped closer and held his hand.

The boy’s pout turned into a smile. – I didn’t do anything! – he chuckled. – If you’re not gonna tell me what’s going on, then at least let me help you forget about it. – he declared then, ending it with a peck on Sunghoon’s lips.

A boy had just kissed Sunghoon.

Not only that, but he kissed him like he had the right to do so, and Sunghoon didn’t even try to stop him in the slightest. Instead, he stared back at said boy, repressed a smile and licked his own lips.

 - No kissing. – he said, but it sounded fake even from outside the house. – I’m serious! – protested he, when the other boy tried to kiss him again, and moved away from him too, but there was still a smile on his lips. A smile that grew bigger as the other boy reached out and grabbed him by the waist, bringing their bodies together. – If my parents wake up, I’m not letting you sleep over ever again. – was his warning before getting kissed again. It wasn’t a simple peck then and it wasn’t stolen either, for Sunghoon kissed back right away.

Sunoo couldn’t bear to watch more of it.

He simply stepped away and tried to find his way back home. He found out at that moment that the boys who attacked him, whoever they were, had also taken his phone and wallet from him. So not only was he confused and covered in his own blood, he also had to walk home.

He thought back at what had happened as he stumbled through mostly empty streets.

The last thing he could remember about the party was talking to Sunghoon, who was with the other boys at the park, so he had clearly sold him off to them. Did he have Sunoo going to the party for that reason? It was all starting to make sense. Sunghoon had taken advantage of Sunoo’s love to hurt him and, even though he had watched Sunoo getting stabbed, he had done nothing besides moving on with his life. He cared so little about it that he was even in the mood to kiss that other boy.

Sunoo knew he should feel heartbroken about it. Disappointed, disgusted and hurt. Instead, he felt empty.

Hungry.

He felt so hungry. It was like he hadn’t eaten for several days; his stomach hurt and his mind couldn’t really focus. It was late, though, and even if he were to have any money on him, he didn’t know if Halloween was good enough as an excuse to walk into a convenience store covered in blood. Then again, maybe the people working at the store would take pity on him and offer him something to eat.

Hushed voices got his attention, making him look up and around to try and find them.

He couldn’t really make out the words, but someone seemed to be crying for help so Sunoo followed the sound, walking slowly into a rather dark alley. That was when he saw it: a man, maybe in his late thirties or early forties, trying to undress a girl while she begged him to stop. It was gross and it made Sunoo mad.

 - Let her go – he spoke up, stepping closer.

The man halted and looked back, still holding the girl against the wall. – Mind your business. – he shooed Sunoo away with his free hand, turning towards the girl again.

She restarted crying out for help, now looking at Sunoo with teary eyes. She looked around his age, maybe even younger.

Sunoo got momentarily distracted by a sweet, very attractive scent that made him remember how hungry he was, but he could never turn his back on a scene like that one. So he snapped out of it and stepped closer again, pushing the man and making him stumble away from the girl. It was enough to set her free from his grasp.

 - Go! – he said, gesturing for the girl to leave while standing between her and the man. As she ran off with a sobbed thank you, Sunoo realized the sweet scent was coming from her.

 - You little shit, do you wanna die?! – the man protested, getting his attention back as he pushed him against the wall. – Who do you think you are?! – he held Sunoo’s neck to keep him in place, so Sunoo kicked him away.

Both of them were surprised when the man nearly flew to the other side of the alley with Sunoo’s kick, falling back and hitting his head on the opposite wall. Sunoo wasn’t big nor looked physically strong because, as a matter of fact, he wasn’t. On the contrary, he was rather weak, always getting sick and being an easy target for school bullies. He would never be able to kick a fully grown man across a street.

The scent came back.

Sunoo looked around, confused as to why the girl would return, but he soon realized the smell was then coming from the man instead. He stepped closer and eyed him, intrigued. The man’s posture had completely changed and he was then staring at Sunoo with wide eyes, face pale as if he had seen a ghost. As Sunoo moved closer, the scent got stronger and his mouth started to water.

Before he could even begin to think about it, Sunoo was biting the man. Not like a defensive bite or even one to match his vampire costume; he was biting him like a wild animal, breaking skin and ripping chunks of meat off. The man was screaming in agony and his blood was spilling everywhere but Sunoo didn’t stop. He didn’t want to stop. He felt like he was starving and the man’s flesh was the best dish he had ever tasted.

He couldn’t tell how long he fed like that for but, by the time he slowed down, what was lying in front of him wasn’t even a man anymore. It was a pile of limbs and ripped meat, with guts dripping to the sides and blood pooling around it. It would’ve normally made Sunoo feel sick, yet he felt satiated. He felt better.

🩸

He was aware that he should feel bad.

He had eaten a man, for fuck’s sake. Or at least most of him, anyway. Even if it was a bad man, Sunoo’s doing was still a violent crime. The police were probably tracking him down at that very moment, and it wouldn’t be too hard to prove him guilty when the man’s blood was still all over the shirt he had taken off when he had finally gotten home. He should probably be scared by that thought alone.

He knew should feel sad too. He had been betrayed by his crush and probably drugged, since he couldn’t remember half of it. He had been stabbed and robbed as well. The previous night had only gone downhill after talking to Sunghoon, to the point that Sunoo had gotten home looking so wrecked in every way that he almost scared himself to death when he saw his own reflection. It made for a great Halloween look.

Waking up the following day, though, Sunoo felt great.

His mood was the absolute best, he felt healthy and strong and even his skin was glowing. It made for an astounding contrast with Jungwon’s condition when the younger showed up at his door.

 - Hyung – he sighed heavily, like someone had just taken a huge weight off his chest. – You’re okay.

 - Course I am! – Sunoo laughed, stepping away from the door to let his friend in.

 - You disappeared and didn’t answer my texts, I was worried sick! – Jungwon protested as he walked in, sighing in frustration then. 

 - Sorry, I lost my phone. – replied Sunoo, closing the door before focusing back on his friend.

Jungwon looked tired; pale and with dark circles under his eyes.

 - You look like shit. – he offered, laughing when he got glared at.

 - I couldn’t sleep because of you.

Sunoo chuckled, walking towards his living room. – Are you in love with me?

 - I’m really close to forgetting you’re the hyung in this equation. – Jungwon grumbled at him as he followed. He fell down on Sunoo’s couch as soon as he reached it. – What happened to you? I saw you leave with Sunghoon-hyung but you didn’t come back with him. – he hugged one of the small pillows, so tired he practically melted into the couch.

Sunoo sat down on the closest armchair, keeping an unbothered expression. So Sunghoon had even gone back to the party after leaving him to die?

He repressed a scoff.

 - I was too wrecked to go back. – he shrugged. He knew the idea it gave off was wrong, but he wasn’t really telling a lie.

Jungwon immediately perked up, head rising from the couch’s armrest. – No. – he breathed out, staring at Sunoo with a wary frown. – You had sex with Sunghoon? The Park Sunghoon? – asked him in disbelief.

Sunoo didn’t answer. Instead, he looked away as he pretended to fight back a smile, purposely giving Jungwon the wrong idea again. Sunghoon had fucked him over, but it hadn’t been in a sexual way and he couldn’t tell his friend that. Jungwon would freak out and Sunoo wouldn’t be able to explain how he had survived. It was for the best that Jungwon thought he was referring to sex rather than satanic sacrifices or whatever those boys did to him.

 - Shut the fuck up. – Jungwon threw the pillow at him, messing his hair and making Sunoo turn to him, eyes wide and mouth open in indignation. – There’s no way.

 - Believe whatever you want! – Sunoo threw the pillow back. – Last night was... enlightening. – he added, thinking back at it again. He remembered something. – I saw these other boys dressed up as princes or something. Do you know who they were?

 - The ones with the really fancy costumes matching Sunghoon-hyung? – he lied down against the armrest again. – I think they’re his friends from the company.

 - Idol trainees? – Sunoo considered. It made sense, he did remember something about making a debut.

 - Yeah – Jungwon tried to fight back a smile and Sunoo squinted at him. – Kinda met one of them. Liki or something. He’s not good at korean but he’s good at kissing. – he rolled his eyes, trying to play nonchalant, but a giddy smile peeked through. He looked as if it had been his very first time kissing a boy, it was adorable.

Sunoo scoffed at it. – You’re ridiculous. – added, fondly.

 - I’m glad you had fun too. – Jungwon gave him an annoyed pout, snuggling up as if getting ready to take a nap on Sunoo’s couch. He probably would and Sunoo would certainly let him.

🩸

He hadn’t had sex with Sunghoon but he kind of felt as if he had. His confidence was through the roof and he felt powerful, in a similar way as he remembered feeling after kissing a boy or having sex for the first time. That feeling one gets when they actually do something everyone only talks about. It was exhilarating.

Wanting to clearly express all of that pushed him into a visual makeover. It was something he had been wanting to do for a long time and never really had the courage to, afraid of all the possible negative attention, but he wanted all kinds of attention now. He bought himself new clothes worthy of a stage, perfected his makeup skills and had his hairdresser bleach his hair ash blond.

As he walked into his school, all attention was on him and his confidence thrived in it.

 - Damn. – Jimin was the first one reacting, eyeing him from head to toe. Next to him, Jungwon and Doyum were practically gaping while Sangwoo silently observed it all with a smile.

 - What? – Sunoo stopped near their group with a bright smile, faking innocence.

 - I suddenly regret having a boyfriend. – Jimin sighed. It was obviously a joke, but it still made Sunoo laugh.

 - I’m gonna tell on you. – Doyum offered immediately and got lightly punched in his ribs just as fast.

 - Please don’t, his boyfriend might beat me up. – Sunoo teased back as they all started walking to their classroom.

 - Stop, he’s not like that! – Jimin argued right away, laughing too as he was familiar with the teasing. He was the only boy at their school publicly dating other student but his boyfriend was Lim Jimin, the captain of the basketball team everyone feared too much to mess with, so they always teased him about having a scary boyfriend.

 - Maybe he’ll date you instead. – Doyum gave Sunoo a suggestive glance, making his best friend turn indignant by his side.

Sunoo laughed at them and looked away, shaking his head at their antics. He didn’t really plan to answer; he knew that was just Jimin and Doyum’s usual banter and they didn’t even mean anything they said. But as he looked away, something caught his attention and made him speak up again.

 - I have my eye on someone else. – he said before walking away from his friend group.

Across the hallway, Sunghoon was staring at him in shock. Completely still next to his own friends, he seemed unable to look away and, to top it all off, Sunoo could swear he saw him pale by the second. So he looked into Sunghoon’s pretty eyes and walked towards him, halting a single step away and smiling. When Sunghoon didn’t react at all, Sunoo bent closer to him like one would do towards a child.

 - You look like you’ve seen a ghost. – he commented, batting his eyelashes in fake innocence.

 - You – Sunghoon whispered, clearly at a loss for words. He smelled so, so sweet.

 - I’d like to have a word with you after class. – Sunoo informed nicely, straightening up. – Can you wait for me then? – he asked but got no reply other than Sunghoon swallowing down. Still, he smiled happily. – Good! I’ll see you later.

Sunghoon parted his lips, like he wanted to say something back, but only his heavy breathing came out. Sunoo chuckled, stepping closer and slowly kissing him on the lips. Sunghoon tasted sweet, as much as he smelled, but nothing was more satisfying to Sunoo than the way he felt him flinch at the contact. Sunoo realized then what that sweet smell meant, for it was the same he had felt after the party a few nights back.

Sunghoon was afraid.

It made Sunoo’s mouth water.

🩸

Everyone was talking about them by the time the first classes ended. It wasn’t surprising at all, really. They had all talked about Sunoo when he first made his crush on Sunghoon public, it made sense they would do the same after Sunoo kissed the school’s sweetheart in front of everyone. But it hadn’t bothered Sunoo before and he wasn’t planning on letting it start anytime soon.

As the bell rang for lunch time, he got out of his classroom and walked directly to Sunghoon’s. He found him easily, ignored how nervous the older boy looked and grabbed one of his hands to drag him out of the room. It got the attention of pretty much every other student they crossed paths with and it was actually interesting how Sunoo could practically smell their feelings about it – surprise, excitement, jealousy. And yet, none of those was nearly as sweet as Sunghoon’s fear.

Sunghoon allowed Sunoo to drag him all the way up to the school’s roof, though he probably didn’t really have many other options. But when they got there and Sunoo let go of his hand, Sunghoon stepped away and eyed him carefully.

 - I’m sorry. – he breathed out, sounding completely out of breath even though they hadn’t walked that fast. He flinched when Sunoo so much as looked back at him.

 - That I’m alive or that your friends tried to kill me? – he asked, casual tone tinted with sarcasm.

Sunghoon tried swallowing down his own nervousness. – I didn’t know they were gonna do that... to that extent.

 - And that’s your excuse? – Sunoo raised one eyebrow at him. – Why me? – he stepped closer, thriving in the way it made Sunghoon’s breathing hitch. – Cause I like you? So I was an easy target?

 - They wanted a virgin. – his voice trembled as much as his breathing when he replied and he looked away.

Sunoo had to laugh, looking away for a moment too. – I guess that’s why it didn’t work. – he put on a nonchalant expression. – Not that I’m an expert on virgin sacrifices or whatever – he pretended to think about it. – But I guess Satan wanted an actual virgin, so I got returned. – his tone gradually turned sarcastic. – I’m very sorry for any inconvenience it might have caused you and your friends.

Sunghoon closed his eyes and bit his own lip, keeping his face turned away from Sunoo. He seemed to regret it, for all that was worth. Sadly, it wasn’t worth much. He had already hurt Sunoo and it had already changed him irreversibly.

 - Do you wanna know what hurt me the most? – he let his voice become softer, like a lament, stepping closer to Sunghoon again. – At first, I thought you did it out of homophobia. But then I went to your house and you were there, kissing a boy. – slowly revealed, feeling very entertained by the way Sunghoon immediately panicked, looking back at him with wide eyes and heavy breathing. – So, it’s not that you don’t like boys... You just don’t like me. Even though I’m way cuter than that boy you were kissing. – Sunoo approached him further; bodies almost touching. He could hear Sunghoon’s heart beating. – And still, I like you. It’s kinda sad, isn’t it? – he sighed, watching Sunghoon’s jaw tremble as he tried to say anything back.

 - I’m really sorry – he finally whispered.

 - Are you? – Sunoo pretended to wonder. – Make up for it then. – he demanded, voice firm as he moved even closer.

They were far enough that he could still stare at Sunghoon straight in the eyes but close enough to feel his breathing on his face, heavy and scared. Sunoo didn’t feel hungry, like he had felt the other night, but Sunghoon smelled so delicious that he could eat him whole anyway. Sunghoon would deserve it too, for what he had done.

Sunoo did nothing. Instead, he waited for Sunghoon’s reaction, watching his initial confusion until he glanced down at his mouth.

It was a test of sorts and Sunghoon seemed to get the idea; if he really was sorry, if he cared for Sunoo at all, he would make it up for him. Sunoo was offering him a way to, he just had to take it. Of course, it wasn’t that linear or simple but Sunoo wasn’t intending to be fair anyway.

When Sunghoon moved closer to kiss his lips, Sunoo could feel how much he didn’t want to. The trembling against his mouth, the way he closed his eyes tightly and the lack of gestures from Sunghoon’s part all made it very obvious that he was forcing himself to kiss Sunoo. And against all odds, Sunoo loved it. He tasted the fear on Sunghoon’s lips and kissed back hard, hungry, grabbing Sunghoon’s waist to keep him close and feeling him tremble under his palms. He licked into his mouth and Sunghoon let him, too scared to even move. It made Sunoo chuckle.

 - You’re pathetic. – he declared into Sunghoon’s mouth before moving away. – And really lucky I like you. – added, observing Sunghoon’s nervousness for a long moment. – Who were they?

It took him another moment to react. – Who? – he whispered, obviously aware of exactly who.

 - You know who. – Sunoo stared fixedly at him. – I wanna know their names.

It was obvious he didn’t want to tell him. Sunghoon looked away and swallowed down; heart beating faster every second. So Sunoo gave him a little push, turning completely serious and holding his waist closer as his hands dig into Sunghoon’s flesh. It made Sunghoon flinch and his breathing hitch, getting heavier again, but he spoke then.

 - Jay. Heeseung. – he mumbled, closing his eyes and continuing when Sunoo didn’t back off. – We’re trainees together.

 - Good. – Sunoo let go of him, taking a step back. – I hope all three of you get what you so desperately want. – he stated, raising one eyebrow in suggestion, turning away from Sunghoon and walking away calmly.

 - What are you gonna do? – he heard, in Sunghoon’s trembling voice. It made him halt his steps for a moment but he didn’t turn back to him. – Let me talk to them. We’ll make it up to you. – Sunghoon continued, sounding terrified and breathless. – Please. – he begged.

 - You have until tomorrow. – Sunoo replied, keeping his position. – And get my wallet back, it’s a pain to remake all the documents. – he added, leaving then.

Again, a part of him knew it would make sense for him to feel bad, used. But again, Sunoo felt good. The power he had over Sunghoon, the way he was able to leave Sunghoon trembling in fear, it made him feel good. It made him feel like he was on top of the world and nothing could bring him down.

 - Hey, Kim Sunoo. – not even the familiar voice of Sunghoon’s own protection squad leader. Hearing it then put a grin on Sunoo’s face even as his body was dragged into a corner by a hand grabbing at the collar of his shirt. – Didn’t I fucking tell you to stay away from Sunghoon? Who do you think you are? – Byeonghee practically growled at him, pushing Sunoo against the wall. Right behind him, his two companions stood tall. 

 - You should really get out of that closet. – Sunoo replied with a chuckle, only to be immediately met by a punch.

The fist hit his face right over his jaw and his head turned to the side thanks to the movement but, surprisingly, it didn’t hurt. Sunoo felt blood in his mouth but no pain, which made him chuckle again as he swallowed down. His reaction clearly pissed off his attacker because he pushed Sunoo against the wall again and hit him with a knee in the abdomen.

 - You’re laughing?! – he protested, trying to pull Sunoo up by his hair and getting even more furious when Sunoo slapped his hand away. – This bitch got a death wish. – he scoffed. As he pushed his hand down again to hit Sunoo, Sunoo stopped it.

His much smaller hand wrapped around Byeonghee’s wrist and Sunoo was able to easily stop the hit, leaving Byeonghee and his back-up bullies surprised. Sunoo quit laughing then, looking up at them with a serious expression instead.

 - Don’t you dare hit me or anyone else ever again.

 - Shit, what’s wrong with his eyes? – one of the other two asked while Byeonghee pulled his hand away from Sunoo’s grasp, staring at him with eyes full of rage.

 - You can’t scare me with your act – he went on, grabbing Sunoo by the collar of his shirt again. – You’re still a disgusting, worthless fag. – added, getting ready to hit him again.

Sunoo didn’t allow it that time either. He stopped the hand coming towards his face and made it turn around and back, until he could hear both Byeonghee’s scream of pain and Byeonghee’s bones moving out of their places. As the guy stepped away and recoiled in pain, Sunoo followed to grab his other hand too, twisting it and dislocating it as well. He turned back to the other two, who were staring at the scene in complete shock.

 - Don’t make me do the same to you. – he warned. It was enough for them to help Byeonghee up and run away while dragging him. 

Sunoo looked down at his own hands and smiled, pleased.

Whatever that stupid ritual had done to him, he kind of liked it.

🩸

The rumour about Sunoo being the reason why Byeonghee had to wear casts on both hands didn’t live long, probably because those cowards were too embarrassed by it, but the one about Sunoo dating Sunghoon spread like wildfire. It raised Sunoo’s popularity to a ridiculous level and caused a bit of a commotion in his small friend group, making them pester Sunoo pretty much all the time for a confirmation he refused to give out.

 - You’re really not gonna tell us?! – Jimin whined indignantly, turning around from his seat as soon as their class ended. From the desk on his side, Doyum copied the action silently.

 - There’s nothing to tell. – Sunoo shrugged but kept a little grin on, playing innocent.

Jimin scoffed.

 - You’re full of shit. – Doyum was the one replying, chuckling at Sunoo’s attitude anyway.

 - You know it, don’t you? – Jimin turned to Jungwon then, accusing, but his only response was Jungwon pursing his lips and looking away with an overly lost expression. – Traitor.

 - Don’t be nosy, Chu Jimin. – Sunoo told him but kept his teasing grin.

 - I’m not! – the response was indignant. – I just wanna know if my friend is dating a future idol.

 - Maybe that’s why he can’t tell you. – Doyum argued, apparently changing sides and getting an indignant stare from Jimin thanks to that. – Think about it. His company is debuting a new group, so Sunghoon might be one of the members. He can’t have a dating scandal right away. – he reasoned even though that rarely worked on Jimin.

 - They’re debuting a new group? – Sunoo’s interest peaked at that idea and he eyed his friend for a response.

 - Yeah, everyone was talking about it before class. – Doyum replied easily, unbothered by Sunoo’s stare. – He’ll be the first idol from our school in a long time. – he added, even, being almost interrupted by Jimin hitting his arm repeatedly to get his attention. As they realized their friend was staring towards the door at the end of the classroom, they all turned towards it too.

Surrounded by a relatively large group of curious students, Sunghoon was walking into their classroom and towards them, looking slightly nervous as his eyes met Sunoo’s. He looked away for a moment to greet Sunoo’s friends with a nod but turned to Sunoo again right after that.

 - Can we talk now? – he asked quietly.

Sunoo drew a radiant smile, one of those that made his eyes almost disappear into half-moons, and threw Jimin a wink as he stood up from his chair. He didn’t wait for the shock and indignation to take over Jimin’s expression. Instead, he walked to Sunghoon and grabbed one of his hands, dragging him out of the room under everyone’s curious gazes.

He took Sunghoon to the school’s roof again, since it would be the safest place for them to talk without being overheard or spied on by other students. Sunghoon allowed it, actually following Sunoo up there without having to be dragged, but he freed his hand from Sunoo’s grasp as soon as they reached their destination. He didn’t look or smell scared then, keeping a serious expression, but he still took a step away from Sunoo as they faced each other.

 - How much do you want? – he went straight to the point and it immediately put a smile on Sunoo’s lips. – We’ll pay as much as you want to make it up to you. – added firmly.

Sunoo chuckled. – You took advantage of me – started, calmly stepping closer. – Drugged me, kidnapped me, stabbed me, stole my stuff and left me alone to die – he enumerated, staring up at Sunghoon who was then visibly nervous but didn’t back down. – And now you wanna make it up to me with money? – he raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

 - We’ll introduce you to any idol you like. – Sunghoon added to his offer but it only made Sunoo’s smile grow wider.

 - You don’t know whose son I am, do you? – he leaned his head to the right, faking innocence. – One of the major TV channels you dream about appearing on? My dad is a director there. So I don’t lack money and I could meet whatever celebrities I wanted to, if I ever cared about them. – he turned serious. – Your offer is useless to me.

 - What – Sunghoon hiccupped and stared at him for a long moment, out of words. – What would you want, then? – he asked after a bit, getting more nervous as time passed.

Revenge was the response at the tip of Sunoo’s tongue but he didn’t let it out. Instead, he glanced away in false thought and then stared back at Sunghoon, moving closer again and getting into his personal space. He could almost hear the gears on Sunghoon’s brain turning as he understood the reason behind Sunoo’s proximity and he saw him swallow down dryly.

After staring at him straight in the eyes for a moment, Sunoo replied.

 - You.

And Sunghoon breathed out slowly, shakily, giving him absolutely no response other than staring back almost blankly.

 - I want you. – Sunoo reiterated, voice calm and almost seductive. – Give yourself to me – his hand reached up, grabbing one of the flaps of Sunghoon’s coat and dragging his fingers down along it. – And I might forgive you. – he raised one eyebrow suggestively.

 - No. – Sunghoon stepped back, away from him, with his jaw clenching at the offer.

 - No? – Sunoo repeated, leaning his head to the side again.

 - I’m not a form of compensation. – Sunghoon argued and Sunoo could hear the hint of offense in his voice.

 - You’re only bait? – he almost scoffed. It made Sunghoon look away with something similar to regret glinting in his eyes. – These are your options, hyung. – he spoke and stepped closer again, expression turning fully serious as he stared up at Sunghoon. – You either give yourself to me and let me use you until I’m tired, or you can watch me take it all from you and your friends. – and even though his voice was somehow threatening, Sunoo smiled cutely at the end. – Think about it.

He moved fast towards Sunghoon, leaving a peck on his lips before Sunghoon could avoid it, and turned around to walk away. He would give Sunghoon a few hours to think about his decision.

 - No one will believe you. – Sunghoon decided to speak up instead, making Sunoo halt his steps before slowly turning to him again. His jaw was hard with tension and his eyes fixated on Sunoo’s, serious. – You can’t take anything away from us cause no one will believe you. – he added, voice nervous but trying its best to sound confident.

 - Are you challenging me? – Sunoo stepped towards him with an entertained grin playing in his features.

 - You have no proof. – Sunghoon argued, keeping his ground. – It’s your word against ours.

 - Have you not noticed how easy it is to ruin an idol’s career nowadays? – Sunoo almost laughed at him, at how innocent Sunghoon could be. That made Sunghoon look away and swallow down dryly.

Anyone who had any interest in idol singers could probably name at least one idol who had their career ruined by some type of accusation. Bullying, sexual assault, drug use or even something as small as dating. It didn’t need to make much sense and it didn’t need actual proof either; a couple of posts on the internet to create a bad rumour would do the trick. For idols who didn’t even have a career yet, it was even easier, since no company would risk itself for them.

 - Just accept the money and forget about this. – Sunghoon tried to recover his confident pose.

And Sunoo stared into his eyes for a moment, serious. – No. – he replied, savouring the word fully, and raised his chin proudly. – You hurt me cause you wanted to be famous, right? – he asked, being able to smell Sunghoon’s fear taking him over. – Well, I’ll make you really famous.