DANTE

Second in Command | Hydrus | Owner of The Elysian Hotel & Luxe Nightclub ↭ DISEASE, INSANITY, AND DEATH were the angels that ATTENDED MY CRADLE, and since then have followed me THROUGHOUT MY LIFE.

[mijongsuk]

a gentleman’s debt

@mixhyunwoo

t’s dark when Jongsuk arrives at the doctor’s clinic. 

That in itself is unextraordinary. He’s never set foot within this clinic during daylight hours, as a matter of fact. Whether intentional or not, Jongsuk only ever finds himself slipping through the busted back window of the clinic under the safety of darkness. The first time, it was in order to shake a couple of Lynx lackies from his tail after a job went sideways and left him injured and separate from the rest of his squad. The second meeting was not unlike the first. 

This time, he seeks out the doctor in an attempt to even the scores between them. Lee Hyunwoo has saved Jongsuk’s skin too many times for him to ignore the weight of the debt any longer. The explosion at the gala was the final straw to tip the proverbial scales between them-- each other time the doctor intervened on Jongsuk’s behalf, it was under duress. The gala was different, though. There had been no weapon in Jongsuk’s grip at the gala, no threats on the tip of his tongue daring the doctor to walk away from him. In the midst of pure chaos, Hyunwoo somehow found his way to his side once more. 

And it was thanks to the doctor’s actions that one of Jongsuk’s own made it out of that gala alive. 

Unable to ignore the life debt any longer, Jongsuk finds himself standing in the narrow alley behind the clinic once more, casting a furtive glance around to ensure no eyes are on him before he steps onto an old crate and reaches for the window with the broken lock. 

He’s surprised to find the window already pushed wide open.

Jongsuk’s eyes narrow. 

The doctor is careless, but not so careless as to leave a ground level window open in a neighborhood like this one. Lynx thugs prowl the area like they own the place, and junkies and thieves alike wouldn’t pass up a chance to clean out medical supplies kept locked away in the clinic’s pantry. 

A rattle from inside catches Jongsuk’s attention. Without giving himself a chance to reconsider, he slinks through the open window and into the clinic without a sound.

[mixhyunwoo]

aftershocks

[mixhyunwoo]

mijongsuk·:

❊

Hyunwoo doesn’t know much about Romeo’s life - something which is, of course, entirely the mobster’s doing.  In fact, Hyunwoo could count the number of things he does know about the other man on one hand and that already small list didn’t even include Romeo’s real name.

And, for the most part, that was okay.  From what he did know, it was obvious that Hyunwoo shouldn’t involve himself with Romeo any more than he already had.  He’s dangerous - something he’d been aware of since night one when Hyunwoo walked into his own clinic, baseball bat in hand, and found himself staring down the barrel of the gangster’s gun.

And yet… there’s moments where Hyunwoo wants to throw caution to the wind and press closer - to see what it is that’s driving Romeo so exhaustingly forward.  Because, plainly speaking, Hyunwoo doesn’t understand the other man and that bothers him much more than it should.  Especially during those moments where he thinks he’s caught sight of something - something to explain what the mobster is really after despite all the pain and suffering it’s clearly causing him.

But it’s almost as if Romeo caught on to those same little moments that Hyunwoo was already overanalyzing and firmly slammed the door closed on them before Hyunwoo could muster up the courage to ask anything else.

‘Matters of my own that need attending to’ and if that wasn’t a more clear cut dismissal then he didn’t know what was.  But, as he’d learned these past few months, the easiest way to deal with Romeo’s dismissals was to just ignore them. 

And he had no shame in admitting that all of Romeo’s injuries gave him a bit of an unfair advantage.

“I think you can spare me a few more minutes,” he countered as he began to close the wound, pressing the edges of the torn skin together as he applied the first of the butterfly strips, “especially since I know that won’t take me up on my offer for a ride to Myeongcho Hospital.”

That knowledge prickled, knowing that he would allow Romeo to leave despite not providing him with the fullest of care and he couldn’t stop the small frown that graced his features.

“At least promise me that you’ll stop by the clinic today or I guess to-…,” and before he could even finish that sentence, Hyunwoo found himself flailing as he fell face first against Romeo’s chest, completely caught off guard by the man’s sudden action.

He didn’t even notice the sting of the gravel against his gloved hand as he looked up wildly to stare up at Romeo, a question on the tip of his tongue that was immediately answered as another paramedic blew past them, barely missing them where they lay.

“You know, it’s sorta unfair that you’re still somehow more coordinated than me even while sporting a head injury,” he finally managed, looking away from the paramedic as Romeo spoke.

And for a moment, he found himself unable to look away, caught between the desire to push back the hair from Romeo’s forehead or simply not move at all as he drank in his features - somehow the close proximity of that weary smile making his heart clench.

[mijongsuk]

"I'm afraid a baby giraffe has more coordination than you, doctor," Jongsuk retorts, something coloring his tone that could almost be mistaken for fondness if analyzed too closely. The bemused curl of his lips as he allows the other man to press clumsily against him does little to dispel the misconception. 

Once the passing paramedic has pushed his way through the crowd and past them, Jongsuk carefully levers himself to sit upright with a hand braced on the ground beside him. He ignores the sting of gravel as it slices into his already bloodied palm. Instead, he steadies the doctor with his other hand, tucking it beneath Hyunwoo's elbow. "Are you alright?" he asks, ignoring the irony of the question just as much as he ignores whatever it is that compels him to pose the question at all.

Rather than give the doctor a chance to properly respond, Jongsuk releases his grip on the other's arm and brushes his palms together, swiping away the bits of gravel still stuck in his skin as best he can. All he really gets for his efforts is more blood smeared across them, more grit pressed into open wounds. His face reveals none of his discomfort despite the sting. 

"My head is fine," he continues, ignoring the way his head throbs in disagreement with his declaration, "It's nothing that can't wait. Your skills are better served with the rest of the search team."

As if to prove the truth to his words, a loud cry sounds from one of the wounded on the other side of the tent. 

[mijongsuk]

💭family

tw ! child abuse, pedophilia 

Family is a tricky thing to Jongsuk. It’s the root of some of his most painful memories. His own family was a disaster, his mother a pedophile and an abuser who hid her crimes in a warm smile and softer touches. As a child, Jongsuk had easily fallen for her tricks, mistaking the special attention she paid him as love. 

The orphanage gave him another definition for family. Family were the people who would visit the orphanage and mill about, inspecting them as if they were on display in some shop window until they found the youngest of them, the least damaged. Family was biased, looking for a love that’s easily bought, easily nurtured into something that resembles the real thing. 

The foster home redefined family once again. They gave it a darker, more dangerous meaning than any of the others. Family was something to be coveted, only permitted to those who shared the same blood in their veins. Family was dangerous. It was greedy. 

Hydrus was a new kind of family. It was just as dangerous as the others, maybe even more so, but it was maybe the most judicial of them all. Your place in the family was earned through trust and sweat and blood– and Jongsuk did earn his place. Still, despite the place that he’s found with them, it’s hard for Jongsuk to place any real trust in the family that Hydrus offers. So long as he’s useful, so long as he’s the best, he can trick himself into believing that he’s found a place to finally belong.

[myeongchokrp]

This is a headcanon meme for everyone! You’ll be able to reblog this meme until April 4th starting today, but feel free to continue answering memes after that if need be. Go wild with them and have a good time! 

To participate, send a 💭 emoji + any word for a headcanon based on or inspired by that word. This could be anything from whether they wash their hair or their body first in the shower, to their thoughts about life on other planets — feel free to be as tame or as wild as you wish with the prompts you send out and your interpretations of the words you receive! If you’re unsure what words to send, feel free to use this random word generator for ideas! 

Remember to reblog this if you’re interested in receiving a meme, and to send some to everyone that reblogs it, too! You’re welcome to skip over this if you’d like to; it’s by no means mandatory to reblog and participate. Most importantly, though, have fun!!

[mixhyunwoo]

aftershocks

[mijongsuk]

⟲

Jongsuk lifts a hand to his temple, slowly pulling his fingers away to find them wet with blood. He blinks at the revelation, dazed. When had he started bleeding? Had he hit his head during the blast? Now that the adrenaline is beginning to wane, he notices that his ears feel as if they’re stuffed with cotton, and his vision begins to swim with every blink of his eyes. 

Perhaps Hyunwoo is right and his injuries are a little more extensive than he’s thought. 

Still, Jongsuk’s stubborn streak runs as deep as his bones, and so he tries to bat away the doctor’s touches even still. 

Not that he’s particularly successful. In all their encounters thus far, the one truth that Jongsuk is certain of is that Hyunwoo certainly has a mind of his own. Once the doctor sets his mind to something, it seems nigh impossible to change it, and if there’s one thing that Hyunwoo can never seem to turn a blind eye to, it’s someone in need of aid. 

Unfortunately, Jongsuk finds himself fitting that bill all too often in the doctor’s presence. 

He grimaces as Hyunwoo crowds closer to him with gauze and antiseptic in hand. He dutifully holds still as the under man begins to work, not allowing even a flinch at the sting of the antiseptic when Hyunwoo begins to dab so carefully at the cut at his temple. Instead Jongsuk stubbornly keeps his eyes on the doctor’s, scrutinizing the other man as he crowds so close. 

“I have matters of my own that need attending to,” he counters tonelessly, already knowing that the argument is a lost one when Hyunwoo simply reaches for a fresh square of gauze to dampen. Jongsuk’s eyes track the movement. “This little check-up can wait.” 

Despite his words, he makes no move to leave. 

From the corner of his eye, Jongsuk notices another paramedic rushing towards them with their arms loaded down with supplies. The tent is too crowded, too busy with the bustle of the first responders tending to the wounded, and without thinking Jongsuk curls a hand around Hyunwoo’s wrist to tug him out of the paramedic’s path. 

The doctor spills against his chest and nearly topples them both, but Jongsuk catches their weight with his other arm, narrowly managing to keep them both upright. The paramedic blows past them without noticing the near-miss, but Jongsuk doesn’t relinquish his hold on Hyunwoo’s wrist just yet. Instead, he peers down at the other man and flashes him a weary, lopsided smirk. 

“Careful there, doctor.”

[mixhyunwoo]

aftershocks

[mijongsuk]

⟲

Jongsuk’s eyes follow the teen as he’s carried out by the paramedics on the stretcher, tracking the boy until he finally disappears completely from his sight. Only then does he allow his head to hang once more, allow his eyes to close against the harsh glare of the lights from the impromptu triage tent. He lets the familiar sound of Hyunwoo’s voice wash over him as the doctor begins to fuss over him. 

He doesn’t bother resisting when he feels Hyunwoo’s hands coaxing him to lift his face. His face scrunches in annoyance to disguise his discomfort when the doctor shines a light into each of his eyes in turn, and the moment that he can, Jongsuk clenches them back shut to blink away the spots dancing in his vision. He’s been on this end of that flashlight enough times to know that he’s likely got a concussion from the blast-- at the very least. 

“I’m fine,” he still grumbles, belatedly batting Hyunwoo’s hands away from his face. 

He knows the motion won’t convince the doctor of shit, but he’s still got a certain image to uphold. 

“I’m sure there are people who actually need your help back there,” he points out, even though his lips quirk into the ghost of an amused smile when Hyunwoo bristles at a second medic that approaches them. The other medic is quick to beat a hasty retreat at Hyunwoo’s behest. Luckily, Hyunwoo is too busy glaring after the other medic to notice Jongsuk’s little smirk, and so by the time that the doctor turns back to him, Jongsuk’s expression is carefully blanked once more. 

“And I do not wobble,” he instead deadpans, giving Hyunwoo a haughty stare even as he allows the other man to resume his fussing. 

Around them, the triage tent is a study in organized chaos, a constant flow of rescue workers carrying in the injured while medical personnel rush out those in critical condition. Jongsuk feels misplaced, like he’s right in everyone’s way while there are others around him more deserving of the attention that Hyunwoo is insisting on paying him.

[mixhyunwoo]

aftershocks

[mijongsuk]

⟲

For a moment, Jongsuk is sure that he must be concussed, because there’s no way that the doctor could be here of all places. Then again, a quick glance at the chaos surrounding them proves otherwise-- there are medics both uniformed and plainclothed picking through the rubble in search of survivors of the blast. Perhaps it’s just another joke the universe has chosen to play on him tonight. 

This job has certainly turned into one, after all. 

Rather than reply to Hyunwoo’s dazed accusation, Jongsuk turns his attention to the Hydrus member gasping in pain between them. “Hey-- he’s a doctor, alright?” he explains to the boy, voice firm so that it snaps the younger member’s attention right back to him. Jongsuk holds his gaze as he reassures him, quieter now, “We’ve got you.” 

As Hyunwoo snaps back into medic mode, Jongsuk follows his directions without question. He might not know much else about the man, but he does know that Hyunwoo is a more than capable doctor. After all, he’s saved Jongsuk’s own skin many a time. 

Still, even Jongsuk can see that the kid’s in critical condition, and so he’s quick to scoop him into his arms and rise to his feet at Hyunwoo’s behest. “I’ve got him,” he declares, ignoring the way that his head swims for just a moment when he stands. His grip on the boy tightens reflexively. “Lead the way.”

Keeping his balance with his arms full of the young Hydrus member proves to be more of a challenge than expected. Each step is a gamble when the ground beneath his feet is so littered with rubble, but Jongsuk takes his time picking his way through, following the doctor’s directions without question when Hyunwoo turns to guide him and his charge over a particularly precarious area. 

When they reach the exit-- a hole blown through the wall, really -- the light from the impromptu trauma bay threatens to blind him. Jongsuk pauses, clenching his eyes shut as he wills the spots to leave his vision, before shaking his head to dispel them. He recovers before Hyunwoo notices and trails after the doctor to carefully lay his charge on one of the awaiting blankets. 

The moment that the boy’s body is safely on the ground, Jongsuk lets his own body collapse back so that he sinks into a sitting position beside him. “Help him,” he demands breathlessly, letting his head hang as he catches his breath. He pays no attention to the other medics that have begun to swarm them, instead fixing Hyunwoo with a piercing stare as he watches him through his sweaty bangs. Then, quieter he adds, “He’s just a kid.”

[mixhyunwoo]

aftershocks

[mijongsuk]

⟲ Jongsuk isn’t sure where everything began to go wrong. 

The air is thick with ash and dust. Each breath that he takes feels labored, forced, as if he’ll choke on the very air that he breathes as awareness slowly returns to him. As he blearily blinks awake, realization slowly sets in. 

He finds himself sprawled across a pile of rubble, leg pinned beneath the remnants of a fallen beam. His head is pounding as he blinks dust from his eyes. Carefully, Jongsuk levels himself to sit upright. For a moment, the world around him spins, tilts on its axis alarmingly, but the spell is quick to pass. 

Around him, the wails of the injured have begun to rise and fill the shattered ballroom. 

Jongsuk raises a hand to adjust his earpiece he wears. “What the fuck just happened?” he demands lowly, eyes narrowing as he tries to scan the chaos surrounding him for other members of Hydrus. His only answer is static-- the com system must have busted during the explosion. 

Cursing, he yanks the bud from his ear and tosses it aside, letting it join the rubble that surrounds him. 

By some stroke of luck, that rubble is also supporting the pillar that has his leg pinned. He frees his leg with a simple tug before rising shakily to his feet. 

“--Boss?”

Jongsuk stills at the familiar voice. It’s thin, so faraway sounding that for a moment he thinks he’s imagined it completely, but he doesn’t hesitate to follow the sound when he hears it a second time. His steps are unsteady and the rubble scattered across the floor makes it difficult to find a proper footing, but Jongsuk continues his search. 

Mere feet away from where he found himself pinned, he recognizes one of the new Hydrus recruits peering at him from beneath a pile of debris. The kid can’t be more than eighteen, and a quick glance reveals that he’s buried from the waist down beneath a crumbled slab of concrete. 

Jongsuk doesn’t waste any time dropping to his knees beside the boy. He begins to push the rubble aside with his bare hands, ignoring the way the jagged concrete slices into his palms or the rebar cuts his skin. “Hold on, kid,” he commands, voice coming out steadier than expected given the way adrenaline quickens his pulse, “I’ve got you.” 

It feels like an eternity passes before Jongsuk clears enough rubble to pull the boy free from its hold. When he does, he feels his stomach drop at the sight of his mangled legs. Rebar juts clear through the kid’s calf-- but the only way to move him is to pull the boy’s leg free. And the moment that Jongsuk does that, he risks the kid bleeding out. 

But unless they’re going to wait around for help to find them, Jongsuk has no other choice. 

He uses his suit jacket as a tourniquet once he’s pulled the boy free from the rebar, doing his best to stop the bleeding long enough that he can get the young Hydrus member to safety. “Put your arm around my neck,” he instructs the boy, even as he ducks beneath his arm and takes a firm hold of the kid’s waist. 

Jongsuk ignores the other’s sharp cry of pain as they rise to their feet and begin to make their way towards what remains of the entrance. 

They don’t make it very far before the kid loses his footing on a mound of rubble and sinks right to the floor. 

Before Jongsuk can lift the boy into his arms and try to carry him the rest of the way, one of the medics finally spots them and hurries over to assist. 

Jongsuk squints against the bright headlamp shown right in his face. He lifts a hand to shield his eyes, grimacing in discomfort as they struggle to adjust, but he comes up short at the all too familiar nickname. 

He lowers his hand and squints harder in disbelief. “Hyunwoo?”

[mijongsuk]

⟲

Jongsuk can’t control his face when the words “gangsterly ability” leave the doctor’s lips. 

One could argue that part of Hyunwoo’s charm was his irreverence. No matter the situation he seems to find himself presented with, the doctor simply rolls with it, cracking one ill timed joke after the next in a weak attempt to disguise his unease. Against all odds, it hasn’t gotten the man shot yet-- though the thought may have crossed Jongsuk’s mind a time or twelve over the course of their encounters. 

As accustomed as he may be becoming to this particular quirk, there are still times where Hyunwoo’s mouth gets the best of them both, and Jongsuk can’t keep his eye from twitching even if he wanted to. Especially in his rather compromised state. 

He watches with narrowed eyes as the doctor retrieves the jar of salve from the table and twists it open. Jongsuk doesn’t resist when Hyunwoo crowds into his space once again so that he can get a better look at the brand, reluctantly even allowing the doctor to tilt his head to bare his neck. The dull ache of his skin flares at the first tentative dab of salve, becoming searing and sharp. 

Jongsuk doesn’t try to disguise the hiss of discomfort that escapes through his teeth. His jaw tightens, but he dutifully holds still as Hyunwoo works. 

After a moment, he answers stiffly, “It’s worth it... It has to be.” 

[mijongsuk]

⟲

The observation about the state of the wound on his neck hardly comes as a surprise to Jongsuk. He’s felt the collar of his coat rubbing against the raw skin most of the night, and as much as he’s tried to ignore the discomfort, he had little doubt that the material had further irritated the sensitive skin of the brand. 

His eyes follow the fresh dressings that Hyunwoo lays out on the table before them. 

Though the doctor’s words would suggest otherwise, Jongsuk has yet to refuse treatment for an injury from the man. Sure, he might not be the most model patient, and sure he’s directed a gun Hyunwoo’s way a time or six, but Jongsuk is well aware that the man’s intentions have seemed innocuous enough so far. It doesn’t take a genius to parse that the doctor takes his oath to do no harm to heart-- a fact which has led Jongsuk to seek his aid out should he find himself in a tight spot.

It’s why Jongsuk doesn’t so much as protest when Hyunwoo fills a syringe and injects it directly into his IV line. If the other man had wanted him dead or intended to turn him over to Lynx, then Hyunwoo has had plenty of other opportunities to do so. At this point, the doctor poisoning him seems a rather small risk. 

Of course, Jongsuk startles them both with the sudden bark of laughter that escapes him at the other man’s words. 

The irony is that Hyunwoo isn’t exactly wrong with his interpretation of the situation. Hydrus certainly is torturing him with the still too-frequent challenges to his promotion to power, just not in the way that the clueless doctor apparently suspects. “Oh, it’s punishment alright,” he agrees wryly, though the dark humor in his tone does nothing to help clarify his meaning, “But it’s nothing I can’t handle.” 

Before the other man can open his mouth to retort, Jongsuk fixes him with a knowing look, eyes narrowing. “Despite what current circumstances may suggest.”

[mijongsuk]

⟲

Jongsuk does nothing to mask his sigh as the doctor begins to ramble at him in outrage. 

It’s not that the burn hasn’t been well-tended to. Min fusses over him daily, checking its rate of healing, demanding Jongsuk at least apply a salve to it at night before he turns in for bed. A proper medic drops in to have a look at it every couple of days as well on orders of King himself-- apparently he intended to make sure that he hasn’t damaged his new goods too irrevocably. 

However, none of that is something that Jongsuk feels inclined to explain. He seeks out Hyunwoo’s aid because he’s seeking neutrality-- the doctor is usually smart enough not to ask too many questions, smart enough not to pry. Given the upset within Hydrus, that neutrality is something that Jongsuk had chosen to rely on tonight. He can’t risk letting word of the new second in command being injured spread through the ranks of Hydrus. His position is already precarious at best, and as the knife wound in his side can attest, there are still plenty who oppose Dante’s recent rise to power. 

“I said leave it,” Jongsuk snaps again, finally lifting his head from the couch to fix the doctor with a stern stare. “If you’re half the doctor you think you are, then you can see that it is neither fresh nor festering.” 

He doesn’t resist Hyunwoo prepping his arm for an IV. Jongsuk knows well enough that he’s lost too much blood to walk out the door right now, and he knows the doctor well enough to know that getting him hooked up to fluids will appease the other man. 

Slowly, Jongsuk lets his head drop against the back of the couch once more. 

“My medic looked at it this morning,” he offers, quieter now, almost a concession for his sharp words moments before. “It looks worse than it is.” 

[dramaism]

[mijongsuk]

⟲

The assurance that the Lynx escort wouldn’t be returning for another few hours is a welcome relief. Though the kid could be dealt with easily enough should he make an untimely return, Jongsuk isn’t thrilled with the prospect of damage control in his current condition. Especially since he has a rather strong suspicion that any harm that might befall the kid would end whatever shaky truce he has with the doctor. 

The snip of a pair of scissors signals the end of the doctor’s work. 

Jongsuk steels himself for what comes next. Now’s the part where Hyunwoo prattles on about proper wound care procedures and antibiotics, which means it’s his cue to haul himself to his feet and make his exit. Unfortunately, he’s still not too sure his legs will hold him if he tries. 

He places his hands on the couch beside him and prepares to give it a go all the same, but before he has the chance the doctor begins tugging at his coat, trying to coax Jongsuk out of it. Jongsuk stills in surprise for a moment, perplexed by the unexpected turn of events. 

Before he can wave off Hyunwoo’s attempts to strip him of his coat, the doctor’s sharp exclamation signals the reveal of the raw brand coiling up the side of his neck. 

It isn’t that Jongsuk has made any sort of attempt to hide the thing, especially tonight while out handling Hydrus business. However, he has no way of knowing just how much Hyunwoo knows about the rumors of King’s new right hand, has no way of knowing how the doctor will react when he finally figures out just who it is that he’s been treating. 

Jongsuk’s gaze slides towards his gun still resting abandoned on the kitchen counter. 

“It’s nothing,” he replies slowly, grabbing the doctor’s wrist to still his fussing before his gaze returns to the other man’s. There’s something a little harder in Jongsuk’s tone. A warning, maybe. “Just leave it.”

[mijongsuk]

⟲

There was no missing the fondness coloring Hyunwoo’s tone as he spoke of the Lynx escort. 

Jongsuk listened to the other speak with his eyes closed, letting the doctor’s voice wash over him, to anchor him to the moment when Jongsuk’s weary mind so desperately wanted to drift. Even with the sharp sting of the needle threading through his skin one time after the next, Jongsuk was finding it harder and harder to resist the pull of sleep as his body begged for a bit of the rest he’s so long denied it in recent weeks. 

A lull in the doctor’s prattling drew Jongsuk’s attention. Reluctantly, he forced his eyes open once more, unsurprised to find the doctor watching him even if the man’s strained smile seems oddly out of place. 

“Sounds like quite the handful,” he finally replied, noncommittal. 

His gaze dropped to the wound in his side, eyeing the doctor’s work. The sight of the black thread pulling his torn skin together didn’t faze him, but he was relieved to see that the other man’s work was almost finished. The sooner that Hyunwoo was done with him, the sooner that Jongsuk could leave this hole in the wall clinic. It was never a good idea to linger in Lynx territory for long. 

He dropped his head against the back of the couch once more, but the motion pulls against the still-tender flesh of his neck. 

Jongsuk managed to suppress a grimace, but only just. The brand was proving to be quite the bitch to heal-- what with a medic having to scrape the brand raw every few days in hopes that it would better heal. The coat that he wore tonight had been rubbing at the wound uncomfortably, so he won’t be surprised if the skin on his neck is raw once more.

“Are you expecting your stray back tonight, then?” he asked, eyes still closed.

[captainjoongki]

Lee Jong Suk as Prosecutor Jung Jae Chan  While You Were Sleeping 

[mijongsuk]

⟲

“I do not make ‘grand’ entrances,” Jongsuk scoffs without a bit of real heat, too weary to muster the proper level of affront to the accusation. He’s used to the doctor’s brand of humor by now though, so he knows better than to take any of the ribbing to heart. 

Living where he does, Hyunwoo should really be more accustomed to having a gun pointed in his face anyways. 

“You simply lack any semblance of self-preservation,” he adds, cutting the doctor a pointed glance that speaks volumes in itself. It’s an old bit of banter, one that Hyunwoo knows well enough now to know includes the doctor’s habit of running his mouth to mobsters. Of course, the fact that Jongsuk never actually takes offense or rise to Hyunwoo’s rambling does little to discourage that particular habit. 

Jongsuk lets his eyes slip shut again as the doctor resumes his work on his side. Rather than try to ignore the uncomfortable pull of thread against skin, he prefers to focus on it, use the discomfort to anchor himself to the present instead of allowing his weary mind to drift. No matter how much this doctor has proven his discretion in the past, Jongsuk still can’t risk letting his guard down too much around the near-stranger. Especially not now that so much is at stake. 

News of the doctor’s new roommate has Jongsuk’s eyes slitting right back open though, wariness evident in his gaze. 

It’s not exactly the breaking news to him that the doctor must imagine it is, but Jonsuk is still unsettled by the reminder that they could be unexpectedly joined by the new stray that Hyunwoo has taken beneath his wing. After his initial encounter with the doctor, Jongsuk had asked Potter to look into the clinic, to keep an eye on it should the doctor decide to run his mouth about their encounter to anyone. 

Not long ago, Potter came to him with information about the stray that had begun appearing at the clinic-- a high-end Lynx escort that happened to live across the street from the doctor. While the kid would prove no real threat even should he happen upon them, Jongsuk still preferred to avoid any run-ins if he can help it. 

The less people know that he was ever here, the better. 

“Your roommate sounds like a stray cat,” he points out, tone level and impossible to read.

[mijongsuk]

❝ this is extreme, even for you. ❞

↪ Sentence Starter Meme | Closed

tw: blood, death, mild gore

Jongsuk sits in a wingback chair in the congressman’s study, one knee crossing the other in a sort of casual grace as his eyes lift to meet the newcomers. He doesn’t tense at the unexpected arrival, doesn’t give so much as a hint that he hadn’t somehow known the other man would be popping in unannounced and discovering his little… mess. 

Instead, his lips curl into a lazy smile before his eyes sweep their surroundings, taking in the state of the study around him. 

Blood has pooled beneath the congressman’s body where it lays on the rug before the fireplace, soaking into the expensive fabric and likely already staining the wooden floors beneath. Two other bodies litter the room in pieces– they’re all that remain of the congressman’s security detail after Jongsuk’s men got their hands on them. Piccolo had been in a bit of a mood tonight, but Jongsuk can’t fault him for it. The mercenary does some of his best work when he’s in a snit. 

Jongsuk tilts his head as he considers the boy before him. 

“And I believe these coincidences of ours are becoming a bit extreme,” he counters evenly, smile pleasant even though his eyes have turned calculating, “Even for you.” 

Before the hacker can stammer out an explanation that Jongsuk has no interest in hearing, he flicks a finger towards the congressman’s laptop where it sits innocuous on the polished oak desk. 

“No matter. Since you’ve found your way here, make yourself of use.” 

He gives the subtlest of nods to Snoopy to release his hold on the boy’s arm. 

“Get to work.”