Mister Murderers

Sangwoo helped Bum into the car before settling himself into the driver's seat. Bum was anxious. The car was new and unfamiliar. It carried a rich smell that made him shrink in on himself. He didn’t want to touch anything for fear of soiling it. Which would only bring on Sangwoo’s wrath. 

"Isn't she beautiful!" Sangwoo said running his hands along the steering wheel. Bum gave the best smile he could muster before nodding. "I wish I could get something like this, maybe in a year or two," Sangwoo added, talking more to himself.

So the car wasn't Sangwoo's. Did that mean he stole it? No, Sangwoo wouldn't steal a car and then go driving...would he? Bum didn't know what to think. He was in a constant state of confusion. He buckled himself in and asked no questions. It was better to be confused than to be certain. Sangwoo did only one thing with utter certainty, and that was kill. 

As they made their way out of town Bum fantasized about vehicles smashing into them. In his mind he saw their car rolling several times. Sangwoo being impaled with metal and himself with a broken neck. Both of them dead in the street. 

"You like this car too, don't you," Sangwoo said, jarring him from his fantasy. Bum looked at him questioningly. "I can see you smiling over there," Sangwoo clarified. Bum thought about the car twisted with their mangled bodies inside.

"Yes, it's a nice car," he answered. 

They exited the city and made their way to a dirt road towards the woods. It was dark but Bum could make out a fire in the distance. Bum's fantasies screeched to a halt as his mind started to play nightmares. Would he be burned to death tonight? 

"You're gonna love this!" Sangwoo said stopping the car in the middle of a field. Bum knew he wouldn't love it. The question was how much would he hate it. 

Sangwoo grabbed a bag from the back seat before getting out to help Bum. His legs were completely healed, but they didn’t heal right as they ached when he walked. 

As they approached the fire Bum could see a large balloon looming over them. There was a man in a wicker basket pulling on a cord, making the fire roar.

"Mr. Ban, we're here!" Sangwoo announced. 

The man looked startled, as if they had snuck up on him, but realization spread across his face as he exited the basket. 

"Mr. Oh, lovely to see you again," the man said eyeing Bum. "And is this the little lady?" 

Bum wrapped his arms around himself feeling vulnerable. What had Sangwoo told this man?

"Wait," Mr. Ban said crouching to get a better look at Bum who turned his face away. "This is a man!"

"And?" Sangwoo asked stepping into the basket, "I told you I would pay you if you let me take my date on a ride. I never said my date was a woman," he said reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling out a wad of cash. 

The man scoffed but approached Sangwoo and greedily took the money. "A homo's dollar spends as good as the rest," he said before pointing south. "Down there is the landing field. The wind is favorable tonight, you shouldn't have any problems as long as you do what I taught you," he then paused before pinning Sangwoo with narrow gaze. "Night flying is not something balloonist would generally let you do, but," the man took a whiff of the money, "you're good on your word.” He turned and walked towards a vehicle on the other side of the field.

"You'll get the rest when we land," Sangwoo yelled at Mr. Ban's back. 

Sangwoo held his hand out gesturing for Bum to join him. Bum felt trepidatious but shakily took the offer. Sangwoo jerked Bum inside, slamming him into his chest. 

"Whoa, there, Bum! Don't be so eager!" Sangwoo smiled shutting the basket door. 

Bum didn't want to die but he knew his death could come at anytime. Because of this he had become desensitized to fear. He knew he was afraid but the feeling couldn't fully manifest. His body shook but his mind felt at ease. If he died tonight it wouldn't be a surprise. 

Sangwoo pulled some blankets out of the sack he brought and lined the bottom of the basket. Bum took a seat in a corner as Sangwoo pulled up the rope that tethered them to the ground. They lifted off. Sangwoo pulled the cord that made the fire roar and their accession faster. 

"Bum, come here," Sangwoo ordered. To other's it might've sounded like a gentle request, but Bum knew better. He stood and joined Sangwoo at the edge of the basket. "Look out there, everything is so small," Sangwoo said pointing to the moonlit trees.

Bum took a glance at them but was more interested in Sangwoo's face. The man had a look of child-like wonderment. For once it didn't seem malice or creepy. Sangwoo was actually enjoying the view as any other person would. Bum couldn't stop his hand from reaching up to gently touch that face. As his hand rested on Sangwoo’s cheek the other man’s eyes cut towards him.

"Always the pervert, you can't stop looking at me," he said reaching up to cover Bum's hand. "Am I more beautiful than the world?" He asked inching close to Bum's face. When Sangwoo said things like that Bum's best bet was to continue stroking his ego. 

"Of course," he answered. 

Sangwoo closed his eyes and pressed Bum's hand harder to his cheek. Bum was roughly spun around to stare out at the nightscape below. Sangwoo stood behind him and caged him in by placing his hands on either side of Bum’s hips. 

"You should enjoy the scene, though, you can look at me anytime," Sangwoo whispered, his breath warming Bum's cold ear. They stayed like that for a while, climbing higher and higher. 

Bum felt Sangwoo's warmth leave his back, but a hand was placed in the middle of his spine, indicating that he shouldn't move, so he didn't. The warmth was reintroduced, but it was different this time. He couldn't feel Sangwoo's breath. Bum wanted to turn but kept his gaze to the earth, which was drawing further away.

Bum started to feel lightheaded as he watched a wisp of cloud pass by them. How high were they? Bum had to turn, he had to ask Sangwoo if this was safe. The arms around him allowed the movement and Bum came face to face with a mask. 

In surprise Bum pushed himself hard against the edge of the basket. He gasped for air, but as his lungs filled they felt empty, so he gasped again. 

The image before him began to morph. The tubes that ran from the mask down to a tank at the ground began to slither. They shook and convulsed as if they were headless snakes. Even though the image was frightening, Bum felt no fear. He actually reached out to touch one of the tubes, but his hand was seized as he was forcibly turned. 

"Do you feel it yet? The hypoxia?" Sangwoo hissed through the mask. Bum didn't know what hypoxia was and wasn't sure if he could answer if he did. He threw his head back to rest on Sangwoo's shoulder and let out a laugh. 

"I'm high!" Bum elated stretching his arms as high as they could go. He vaguely felt hands under his arm pits lift him. His feet dangled and his wrist dully ached. When he managed to focus his eyes all his could see was wicker, he titled up his head to see a monster. 

The monster was holding him by the wrist, it's big eyes locked on him with a wide gaze. Tubes danced all around him. 

Bum laughed before looking down. His laughter became more erratic as he saw the earth. They were far away from it and that just seemed silly. Here he was, being held outside the basket by a monster. 

"How does it feel?" the monster growled. 

Bum shrugged his free arm, "It's cold," he answered. 

"Do you think I'll drop you?"

"It doesn't matter."

"...It matters to me," the monster hissed tightening his grip. 

Bum looked down at the dark colors that swirled below. Then back up at the monster and smiled. 

"Either join me or I can join you," Bum said. 

The monster's head tilted rather cutely as he seemed to examine the reply. A wave of wicker passed through Bum's vision as he was reeled back into the basket. He felt pressure on his face and when he took a deep breath his vision whirled. 

He saw Sangwoo for a moment before the mask covered it again. Bum looked around trying to remember his surroundings. The mask was then brought to Bum's face again. 

“We’re sharing oxygen. Romantic, right?” Sangwoo said allowing Bum a few breaths before putting the mask back on his own face. 

Bum struggled to breath again as the tubes sprang back to life and his will to care drained. 

“Romantic,” Bum said. He didn’t know if it was an answer or just a word he felt like saying, but it seemed right. 

“Yes,” the monster said as his tubes multiplied and slithered beneath Bum’s clothes. 

Bum remembered a time he would’ve been scared, but it seemed like a distant memory. He wanted it. He wasn’t sure what ‘it’ was, but if the monster wanted it Bum wanted to provide. 

The monster had Bum’s clothes off in seconds and with a satisfied growl he asked, “Do you want to join the mile high club?”

Bum laughed in response The mask was quickly placed over his face before being taken away just as fast. It gave him enough oxygen to say, “Please.” 

The tubes were warm and wrapped him up tightly. They guided him to a jutting erection. It seemed familiar so he took a lick, it tasted familiar. 

“Let’s see if you are any better at this now,” the monster said shoving his cock in Bum’s mouth. He swallowed and sucked as drool trekked down his chin. He thought he might choke, but the scratch in his throat didn’t bother him that much. He kept his head bobbing as the tubes slowly flicked at his entrance. 

“See, you can be good at this,” the monster gasped, his dick throbbing in Bum’s mouth. Bum loved it, it was like being rewarded every time that cock pulsed.

The tubes entered his ass. It shocked him enough to bite down but he quickly wrapped his lips over his teeth. 

“It’s okay to bite the shaft but not the head,” the monster groaned. As more precum leaked onto Bum’s tongue he bit down again, raking his teeth along the shaft. The monster’s groans grew. 

After a few moments of chewing on the shaft Bum’s ass and mouth suddenly became vacant. It was disappointing and he made a sound to indicate his displeasure. 

“You’ll like this better,” the monster said twisting his tubes to place Bum’s ass over his lap. 

Bum was slammed into the side of the basket as his ass was filled. It should’ve hurt but there was no pain. He had this monster’s dick inside him. He had the tubes wrapped around his body. He had the taste of precum potent on his tongue. He meant something in this moment. 

He looked back and was surprised to see the monster had been replaced with Sangwoo. He saw the one he loved most heaving against him. Sangwoo was seeking pleasure from him. He was the one providing Sangwoo with pleasure!

“Sangwoo,” Bum whispered. 

It didn’t last long, Sangwoo drew Bum’s body in tight with a growl. The cock that had previously been throbbing in his mouth now emptied into his ass, warming his chilled body. Bum was happy. 

___________

Sangwoo couldn’t believe it. He had been fucking for all of 5 seconds when he came. He usually wouldn’t care if he dealt an underwhelming performance, but this was a special occasion. And how was he supposed to know Bum would turn into a blow job king just because he was dying of hypoxia? How was he supposed to know one whispered name would be enough to send him over the edge?

Sangwoo grabbed Bum’s dick, and though it was wet, it hadn’t blown a load. Sangwoo took off his mask and allowed Bum to breath a few breaths before putting it back on. He didn’t want Bum to turn into a corpse. He then remembered how Bum reacted to being held over the edge. 

Without warning Sangwoo picked up Bum’s lithe body and dumped him over the edge, hanging on to his thighs to keep him from falling. Bum’s laugh was chaotic and Sangwoo imaged that if he let go Bum would laugh all the way down, but he wasn’t going to let go. He had other plans. 

In this position Sangwoo had a clear view of the mess he’d made of Bum’s asshole. Bum’s legs swayed loosely next to his head. Sangwoo took a deep breath before using Bum’s knee as leverage to knock the mask off. It fell out of the basket but the tank and hose kept it from falling to the earth and instead dangled next to Bum’s face. 

Sangwoo had to make quick work if he didn’t want to kill them both. He dove his head down and began eating his cum out of Bum’s full ass. The cum bubbled up leaking out over Bum’s small ball sack. Sangwoo’s tongue was met with no resistance as it entered. The hole grabbing him, inviting him in. 

Bum moaned as his hips attempted to thrust. Sangwoo pressed those hips to his chest, trapping Bum’s dick against his clothed pecs. As Sangwoo ate Bum out he began bouncing him. The small dick rubbed against the shirt fabric, seeping precum into it’s threads.

Sangwoo’s cum seeped out of his own mouth and ran down Bum’s cock. He shoved his face into Bum’s ass hard one last time as he lifted Bum up high and slammed him down hard against his chest. Bum’s cock managed to slip past Sangwoo’s collar, emptying his load directly onto his chest. 

Feeling faint Sangwoo toppled backwards, bringing Bum with him. He propped himself against the edge of the basket, trying to catch his breath, but unable. 

He felt a weight move off of him. He tried to focus his eyes in the moonlight. In front of him appeared a dark angel. He wore a mask and had wings of black tubes. 

“Angel,” Sangwoo gasped, his lungs filling with air, but still empty. The angel kneeled next to him and took off his mask, pressing it to his face. After a few moments Sangwoo regained himself. 

__________

“What the hell were you thinking?!” Mr. Ban screeched running up to them. “You can’t go that high!” 

Sangwoo sighed throwing the duffle bag over the edge. “Wasn’t that fun, Bum? How do you think we should end our evening?” He asked. Bum didn’t answer as he was still coming down from hypoxia. 

“I should charge you extra for that!” Mr. Ban continued.

As they exited the basket Sangwoo smiled, “Oh, I know how we can end the perfect date!” he exclaimed. 

He picked up the tether rope and looped it around the trigger that ignited the flames. Mr. Ban yelled and lurched forward to stop Sangwoo, who looped the end of the rope around the man’s neck and quickly tied it. 

Bum watched helplessly as Sangwoo pulled the man out of the basket, causing his weight to pull on the trigger, sending him strangling into the air. As the hypoxia effects wore off Bum felt fear sneaking it’s way back into him as he watched the man kick and squirm. 

Before he got too high Sangwoo reached up and took his money back from Mr. Ban’s pants pockets. “A dead man’s money spends as good as the rest,” he said.

They watched as the ascending body stopped moving. 

“Romantic, right?” Sangwoo asked putting an arm around Bum. 

This wasn’t a place Seungbae would normally find himself. It put him out of his comfort zone, but his job wasn’t designed to be something he could always feel comfortable with.

People of all different shapes and sizes filled the underground building up, most of them wearing lacey and revealing clothing and make up done to accentuate their cuter features. Bass-heavy music thumped through out the place, neon lights flashing in sync to the sounds vibrating throughout.

It was very much out of Seungbae’s comfort zone but he was here in hopes of catching a suspect so that’s what he was going to do. Worming his way through the crowd, he moved to find a seat that had a good layout of the place. This brought him to a table that faced the left side of the stage, giving him a wide lens view of the building. If the man he was looking for were here, he should be able to catch him from this perspective with no problems.

He scanned the area, dark eyes struggling to catch the facial features of everyone that was in this club due to the dark lighting. Seungbae searched each face he could get a good look at, gaze moving towards the further end of the club before they locked with another pair. He immediately darted them away, realizing that one of the bouncers had their eyes on him. He must not have been putting on a good enough front, so the man decided on making himself look more interested in the stage than the people here.

Seungbae knew the kind of club he was in, and with him sitting just far enough away from the stage he hoped to be able to get away without really participating with the performers. The lights flashed across the stage, highlighting the dancers as they twirled and twisted their bodies in both impressive and arousing manners. There was a mixture of men and women up there, the men all having a similar, petite look to them Seungbae noticed.

He glanced over the woman on center stage, eyes landing on a man directly across from where he sat. Something about the way the light hit his skin kept Seungbae from looking away. The dancer had soft and pale looking skin that glowed even in the dark lighting. His light brown hair was fluffed and parted to show most of his face, his entire aura radiating with a kind of cunning confidence. Despite how dark the club itself was, the lights from the stage brought out just enough to highlight the lacey outfit the dancer wore. It was black and noticeably thin, a lacey garter belt highlighted the man’s feminine waist, covering the black panties barely. Two hooks from the belt attached to leggings the same color as his panties with black low heels to match. His whole outfit was demanding attention, Seungbae scanning up the bare chest and seeing a nice leather choker around the dancer’s neck with a large silver ring at the center of it. He looked up further and his stomach dropped when he met with dark mischievous eyes staring back at him. The dancer definitely had his gaze locked onto Seungbae and that was not at all what he had wanted to happen. Was he actually staring at him long enough to be noticed like that?

Seungbae tried to regain his composure, taking a sip from the drink he had and casting his eyes else where. He did his best to look as uninterested as possible, but his earlier slip up must have exuded too much desire. He tried to ignore the way the man sauntered up to him, devilish grin on his face as his heels clanked against the stage floor.

Seungbae took a chance to glance, the boy with the choker stopping just shy of the edge of the stage to drop low to the floor in sync with the beat that started up. The officer chewed his lips, clearly getting increasingly uncomfortable with the dancers attention. He knew that turning away from him was only going to lead to him being suspicious so after a bit of internal debate, he decided he might as well enjoy what was in front of him. At the very least, it'd keep him off the bouncer's radar.

The dancer smirked at Seungbae, seeing that he’d successfully grabbed his attention and made a show of himself as he spread his legs apart, showing off the inner area of his thighs. Of course Seungbae’s eyes went right towards the bit of skin exposed to him, his breath hitching at the display. The dancer pulled himself upright in a lewd way, gaze never leaving the officer as he strutted towards the pole near him.

The beats of the music seemed to control the dancers movements, twirling around the pole and throwing his head back like it physically pleased him. The lights bounced off his pale skin, hips rolling to the beat and thigh flexing as it wrapped around the metal pole and helped control his twirl.

He spun to a stop, pulling himself upright and then pressing his hips flush against the metal, dipping backwards as he did so. The way he moved was so cocky and confident, Seungbae was convinced that this man had to know exactly what he was doing to him.

Seungbae rubbed at his forehead, suddenly feeling much warmer than he did when he first arrived. He took a glance around the club once again, still no sign of the person he was here for. His eyes went straight back to the dancer in front of him, watching as he removed himself from the pole and dropped to his knees on the floor. Seungbae sucked in a deep breath, locking eyes with the dancer as he arched his back, ass on full display. The dancer ducked his head close to the stage floor, letting his hands stretch out in front of him and rolling his hips to the music. His eyes never left Seungbae, effectively making the officer feel like prey under such a feline stare.

He rolled onto his back, arms trailing down his neck and over his bare chest as he threw his hips upward, knees spread apart for show. Seungbae gulped, finding an arousal spur within him at the way this man looked so turned on by the music. Maybe it wasn’t the music itself but they way he was put on the stage that seemed to bring the dancer into such a state. Whatever it was, the officer was completely enraptured with it, almost forgetting why he was there.

The dancer continued to trail his hands down his stomach, biting his lip in a seductive way as he trailed his fingers over the lining of his panties. He threw his hips upwards a second time, using his hands to push him upwards and with his back to Seungbae he made a show to bring the man's attention directly to his ass. While balancing on his heels and his legs spread wide, the dancer started to bounce his ass with the beat, throwing a look over his shoulder that demanded the officers attention.

Seungbae gave it to him. He could barely pull himself away from staring at the way the lace stretched over his pale skin. He didn't even register the way he licked his lips at the dancer, but he caught the growing smirk on his face immediately after. He continued to watch him, and while he still was a bit embarrassed by the attention, he couldn't help but feel a bit cocky at the fact that this man was directing his dances at him.

The song ended without the officer even registering it, the dancer winking at him as the lights dimmed. Seungbae pulled himself from the trance, looking around at the club while the lights were low. It was the perfect time for his suspect to slip out if they were planning to so he immediately pushed the thoughts of that dancer into the back of his mind, eyes scanning the place as best he could for the man he originally came here for.

"You seemed to really like me up there, huh?" Seungbae turned his head back towards the stage, finding the dancer he'd been watching making his way towards him. His voice was fitting for the outfit he wore, the angelic sound traced with a level of cockiness that made him sound dangerously confident in himself. "Maybe I could interest you in something a little more personal?" He breathed, cocking an eyebrow at the officer as he took a seat beside him.

"Not interested." Seungbae choked out, turning his attention straight away from the man. He knew he shouldn't have paid any mind to the dancers.

The man beside him chuckled, fingers coming to gently hold Seungbae's chin and direct his attention back at him. "I can definitely tell you don't mean that." He cooed.

Seungbae stared over the features of the man beside him, his breath hiking at how soft this man's skin was. There was glitter twinkling off his cheekbones, but it didn't appear gaudy at all. It seemed to highlight his features and draw him in. The man held his stare, leaning in just a bit in a teasing manner as his fingers brushed over Seungbae's lips. The officer sucked in a breath and brought himself to his senses, swiping the dancer's hand away from his face. "You're not getting my money." He figured that if he cut straight to the source of this, he'd get the man to leave him alone.

The dancer chuckled, a smirk resting on his features. He hummed as he looked over the man beside him and then immediately swung himself onto his lap. Seungbae's shocked reaction must've said enough, the dancer's smirk only growing as he nestled his thighs on either side of Seungbae's. He didn't drop himself completely into the other man's lap, leaving enough distance to roll his hips in a very teasing manner. "I've always liked challenges." He smirked, throwing his arms over Seungbae's shoulders. "It's not very often I get an attractive man's attention you know."

Seungbae wasn't sure how to react, but he found his hands going towards the dancer's waist, completely transfixed by the body above him. Seeing it all up close and in his face like this--it made him completely forget about why he was there. The dancer spread his thighs apart, dropping himself just above Seungbae's lap and rolling his hips into him.

Seungbae found himself looking down, watching the way the dancer's hips moved and biting his lip at the sight. He knew the guy only cared about money but Seungbae could easily see how people fell in love with dancers like this. For a moment he didn't say anything, letting the dancer provide him with a kind of lazy lap dance and enjoying every minute of it. He didn't really have the money to let the guy do something like this, as he didn't plan to ever be this close to one of the dancers but he didn't say this.

The dancer in his lap brought his lips to Seungbae's ear, huffing against it. "Let me take you to a private room."

A wave of heat rushed Seungbae's body at the words that tickled his ear. He sucked in a breath, wanting so badly to cave into that desire. Seungbae looked over the dancer in his lap, thinking of the things he would have loved to do to the man but immediately pulled himself from those thoughts. He was here looking for someone, not to be a pervert like the rest of the men here.

Seungbae's eyes pulled away from the dancer when a spot of color grabbed his attention. His heart jumped in his chest, recognizing it as the color of the shirt of the man he was looking for. All thoughts and arousal the dancer had caused him abruptly left him, Seungbae shoving the dancer off his lap as he watched the man across the club skirt through the crowd and head towards the back door.

Seungbae stood up in a rush, eyes not leaving the man across the club. "Hey-!" The dancer whined, grabbing Seungbae's attention.

To @ohthehorror32 and @boysnbooty : I have your submissions and i am waiting on your partner!

To the following participants you ARE LATE! 

your final deadline is April 1st, 

@borieal  @mercyvsmayhem  @asnugglesheep  @yoooonbum  @velvetbum

@photographicboy  @astrollamatorescue  @galienyancats  @jayclarkia633

@giulioswife  @glitchygrin  @noodlesforlyfe @slicethroughwoo 

 @stalkingsangwoo  @icatscookie @jungkookiimonster @momomomomortyboi

@ghostb0y  @how-to-be-gay-with-andrew-gray

Please contact me if you wish to pull out of the big bang or if you already have and i didn’t realise. If you are wanting to continue, submit your part to: 

[email protected]

1...2...3...

Flash!

In a blink of an eye, just like that, my entire world changed.

To many people, getting married would be a joyus occasion, filled with happiness and the start of a new beginning; a new life with the one you love.

I never pictured myself getting married. In order to get married, you have to first fall in love and be in a relationship. I never had a girlfriend let alone had the courage to talk with someone I liked. My methods getting close with someone was...less then what people would call "normal."

Marriage seemed like a fantasy then a reality for me. That is until I met Sangwoo.

When Sangwoo proposed to me, I felt like the happiest man on Earth. By most standards, it wasn't the most romantic proposal you usually see on TV. Sangwoo brought the question out of the blue while I was making dinner. He asked me, as if it was just another unimportant question. I stood there, fazed by his lackluster proposal.

It felt like a dream come true and it gave me great pleasure to finally tie the knot with Sangwoo. It didn't even bother me that his proposal was uninspired and dull, I was finally going to stay with Sangwoo forever and ever. Like I always dreamed of happening. I knew I was going to be more happier with Sangwoo, more then when I lived with my uncle. That's what I told myself. I always believed in the thought of happily living with Sangwoo until the end.

The more I convinced myself, the more I believed in that dream.

Maybe I was desperate, I thought to myself one day. The thought of being alone always terrified me. There have been several times where Sangwoo threatened to leave me and I always begged him to stay. I couldn't live another day without him by my side.

But, I told myself the reason I agreed to his proposal was because I love him. That's enough of a reason to accept his proposal right?

Our wedding was not extravagant as most weddings. We barely had a ceremony and we didn't wear nice suits. Sangwoo simply slide the ring around my finger and with a cheeky grin, proclaimed me his "wife". I was ecstatic, I was overwhelmed with happiness. Finally, I thought to myself happily. Sangwoo is finally mine. We can be together forever now. Nothing can separate us.

"We should take a picture." Sangwoo spoke out of the blue on the night of our "wedding day".

I look at Sangwoo in confusion. Why would we need a picture? I wondered.

Seeing the look of confusion on my face, Sangwoo rolls his eyes with exasperation. "So we can treasure this moment, duh." He tells me in a obvious tone. "That's what married couples do right? Take pictures and all that crap?"

I shrugged. I never saw my parents wedding pictures - most likely uncle threw them away after they died - and there were no pictures of my grandparents wedding when I was growing up. And it's not like Sangwoo had any pictures of his parents laying around the house.

"Do you want to take a picture or not." Sangwoo asks me in a impatient tone.

I gulped and rapidly nod. The last thing I need was to make him angry. Sangwoo sighs and walks across the room to grab his phone that was charging by the wall.

"You don't have to act scared around me anymore." He told me. Sangwoo unplugs his phone and walks towards me. He sits beside him and smiles. "We're married now. It's about time we act like one don't you think? I wouldn't want my own wife to be scared of me, right?"

I nod, however, I couldn't find myself to respond back.

'He's right.' I thought to myself. 'I can't be afraid of him anymore. We're married and he's my husband. I have to be happy for his sake.' I repeated to myself like a mantra, to remind myself that this is my life now. This will be my life for now on and I have to get used to it.

Like I have many times before.

I flinched once Sangwoo placed his strong arms behind my neck. I glanced at Sangwoo and instantly my face flushed seeing the look on Sangwoo's face.

It was the smile I fell in love with the first time I saw him. The smile I imprinted in my thoughts whenever I was down. The smile he only showed when he was around his friends. Now that smile is showcased on me, on our marriage and just seeing him smile like that eased my worries.

I eased into his grasp and let my head rest comfortably on his broad chest. Sangwoo held the picture high above for the camera to capture us both and Sangwoo then says, "Say cheese!"

That night, as Sangwoo laid rested beside me, I stared into the dark abyss, lost in my thoughts.

I tried to go to sleep but I found myself unable too. 'Why', I wondered to myself. 'Why can't I go to sleep?'

I closed my eyes for the tenth time and tried to force myself to fall asleep. After a few minutes and with no process,I opened my eyes and sighed in frustration. I turned to face the wall, trying to push away any lingering thoughts that occupied my head.

The thoughts that I've been trying to avoid kept finding their way into my head and no matter how much I tried to deny it, they still found their way to sneak in and torture me.\

I turn my head slightly to Sangwoo. He was still sleeping. I turned my body towards him and gently caressed his cheek.

TOGETHER The loud beep of the morning alarm woke Bum in the late morning. He sighed, rolling over and reaching out, his hand searching for the alarm clock. His fingers snagged on the smooth surface and he pressed the off button with a groan.  Bum pushed the sheets down off his head and glanced over at the now silent alarm clock. The red numbers stared back at him and he sighed at the time before pushing himself up into a sitting position. He rubbed his hand across his eyes and heard a soft male groan from across the room.

Bum looked up and gazed at his sleeping roommate and friend, SangWoo. Bum stood and padded over to the sleeping blonde and couldn’t help the smile that rose on his face, as he looked down at the sleeping man, whose feet were all tangled in the sheets, his shirt was hiked up on his chest, displaying SangWoo’s abs. Bum shook his head and turned away, walking to the bedroom door and slipping silently out.

The house was silent as Bum slipped silently down the stairs and into the kitchen, walking to the fridge and pulling out eggs, bacon, and sausage for breakfast. He flipped on the stove and got to work making breakfast. As he worked he flipped the radio dial on and started to listen to the morning talk show that always played while he cooked breakfast. He reached into the fridge, pouring two glasses of orange juice for them.

Bum set the glasses on the kitchen table and turned back to the stove, dishing out the eggs on the plate as a familiar song slipped into a break sequence on the radio. Strumming my pain with his fingers~ Singing my life with his words~ Killing me softly with his song~ Bum’s voice joined with his friend’s favorite song, “Killing me softly with his song” Bum sang softly, flipping the bacon and humming along to the music.

Suddenly strong arms wrapped around Bum’s waist and a warm chest pressed against his back. A warm voice spoke gently into his ear, “good morning Bum” SangWoo breathed, a smile in his tone as he held onto Bum tightly. Bum blushed faintly and smiled, “good morning SangWoo, did you sleep well?” He asked as he felt SangWoo run the edge of his nose along his neck, making his heart skip a beat. “I slept fine” SangWoo said, pulling away from Bum and leaning back against the counter. Bum gazed up at the taller man and smiled faintly at him. SangWoo gave him his signature smirk and pushed off the counter, walking over to the kitchen table and taking a seat.

Bum finished the bacon and set it on their plates before turning and setting the plates on the table beside the glasses and silverware. He slipped into his chair and gazed across the table to where SangWoo sat watching Bum. Bum smiled, and they dug into breakfast. After they finished breakfast, Bum washed their dishes and went to work, unloading the dishwasher. SangWoo sat at the table, listening to the radio and sipping on his orange juice.

Once Bum was finished, he turned to SangWoo and smiled, “So I was thinking since you don’t work today, and I have today off, I thought today would be a great movie day” SangWoo said with a smile. Bum nodded a smile growing on his face, “that sounds like a lot of fun.” Going upstairs, Bum kneeled before the shelf of movies and looked through them, rattling off a few titles to SangWoo who pulled their futons together and draped pillows and blankets across them. Finally deciding on a few movies Bum slid the movie into the DVD player and padded over to where SangWoo sat, he opened the blankets and Bum slipped in beside him, SangWoo’s body heat warming the soft place. Bum curled his legs to his chest and as the movie started SangWoo wrapped his arm around Bum’s shoulders and squeezed his arm, making a smile rise to Bum’s face. The movie played on and Bum watched it silently, enjoying the movie and SangWoo’s company.  

Between movies Bum slipped downstairs and made the two of them popcorn, returning Bum curled up beside SangWoo handing him the bowl. As they continued to watch the movie, Bum felt his eyes droop as he grew tired. With the soft lull of the movie and the warmth of SangWoo beside him Bum grew more and more tired. “Bum, sleep if your tired” SangWoo murmured into Bum’s ear and Bum inched closer to him, laying his head on the back of the futon, as his eyes drooped close and let himself sleep.

SangWoo watched the credits roll across the screen and let out a soft sigh, turning his head, he glanced down at dark headed boy sleeping soundly beside him. SangWoo listened to Bum’s soft breathing and a smile rose to his face. He reached out and ran his hand along Bum’s cheek, rubbing his thumb along the dark-haired boy’s jaw. He turned slightly and let Bum lay his head on his chest, wrapping his arms around the small boy, who curled his fingers on SangWoo’s chest. SangWoo pressed a kiss to Bum’s head and smiled, his head falling back against the mountain of pillows behind him, as his eyelashes fell shut.

SangWoo’s eyes lifted from the map set out on the table as the door to the dark room swung open, “what?” He growled, stepping back and running a hand through his hair. “Sir, I’m sorry or disturbing you” said the young man standing before him, shifting fearfully from foot to foot. SangWoo was the leader of the most notorious gang in the whole of Korea, The Bloody Agma. “U-uh well in area eight it looks like some men from The Black Viceroys” SangWoo narrowed his eyes at the mention of the rival gang. SangWoo crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow as the man before him rubbed his hands together.

“Well? Spit it out already!” SangWoo snapped, clenching his jaw and glaring at the man. The man flinched and in a rush of words said, “it seems like there was a fight and the gang members killed a kid, some scrawny black-haired kid.” SangWoo blinked as he heart shuttered in his ribcage, “where?” He heard himself say, “in the eighth district” the man said and SangWoo’s hands curled into fists as the conversation with Bum from earlier entered back into his mind, “Wow some gang members have been really tearing up the eighth district” Bum glanced at him and nodded, “yeah hopefully they wont have shut down the food market down there I have some things to pick up” Bum said with a cute frown. “Be careful” SangWoo said patting his head and smiling down at the boy.  

“Sir? Is everything alright?” The man before him asked, stepping closer and frowning in concern. “I’m done for the day” SangWoo abruptly said, grabbing his leather jacket and striding for the door. “Sir?! What’s wrong?” But SangWoo ignored him, passing through the halls and out into the dark alleyway, he quickly made his way to his motorcycle and climbed onto it, riding hard for home.   Bum climbed onto the subway car and sighed, he couldn’t believe the police had shut down the main rail line and now he was forced to take the long way around. He sat down and held his bags close to him as he glanced around the car. He was lucky SangWoo was working late so he wouldn’t know about his late arrival home. SangWoo was always touchy about Bum’s safety and it sometimes drove him a little crazy. The train pulled into the station and Bum climbed off, walking down the stairs to the street and turning towards the direction of the apartment.  

Bum turned down the final street and slipped past the gate to the apartment, his eyes catching on SangWoo’s bike parked beside the walk. “He must have gotten home soon than he planned” Bum went to the door and slid his key into the lock, pushing the door open and shuffling into the room. “Geez that door is so heavy we really need-. “ Suddenly a body slammed into his and he yelped, dropping the grocery bags as he was pulled tightly against a harden chest. “Bum” SangWoo’s deep voice breathed into his ear, making him shiver, “S-SangWoo” He stuttered, “what’s…?” SangWoo pulled away a bit and gazed down at him his gaze full of unsaid words and feelings. “Bum, someone was killed in the eighth district.” SangWoo’s words sent a chill down his spine.  

“Yeah, I heard, the police closed the main railway, I had to take the long way back” Bum murmured, as SangWoo looked him over. “But I’m okay, tired but okay, why are you home so...” Warm lips pressed into his as he was pushed back against the door, large hands came up and caressed his cheek and neck as warmth flooded him. Bum blushed as SangWoo continue to kiss him, running his hand up through his hair.  

SangWoo pulled back after a few moments, gazing down at Bum, his eyes soft. “Bum, I thought it was you” SangWoo murmured, stroking Bum’s cheek as the dark-haired boy blushed and watched the man holding him. “And when I got home, and you weren’t here I was so scared I….” SangWoo trailed off when Bum lifted his hand and brushed the pad of his finger along SangWoo’s lower lip. “Y-you kissed me” Bum mumbled his lashes fluttering.  

SangWoo blinked then chuckled softly, “yeah I guess I did” he said with a smirk. Bum flushed deeper and dropped his eyes, “but why?” He said in a strange voice. SangWoo was taken back at his words, confused and uncertain, “Bum, I kissed you because I was so relieved you were alright and not hurt, the thought of you getting hurt or being in danger, and…because I care about you….a lot” He said slipping his hand under Bum’s jaw and titling his face up so he would meet his gaze.  

Bum’s blinked, his brain failing to process what his ears were hearing, “o-oh” Bum stuttered, swallowing and reverting his gaze. “U-uh cool” He muttered, what am I saying?! Bum’s mind screamed at him. SangWoo dropped his hand and stepped back, “uh yeah” suddenly SangWoo felt stupid and awkward, he dropped his hands from Bum and rubbed the back of his neck.

A ring filled the space and SangWoo picked up his phone answering, “yeah?” “Uh is this someone who knows YoonBum?” The strange female voice said through the phone making SangWoo frown, “this is his best friend” SangWoo said, his eyes landing on the boy in front of him. “Um I found his phone in the train station, I was wondering if you could let him know so he could come and pick it up, I’m in the little coffee shop” SangWoo sighed and agreed, hanging up he said to Bum.

“You left your phone, a girl is holding it for you in the coffee shop” Bum nodded, “ill go” he mumbled, turning and opening the door silently, SangWoo frowned, wanting to call him back but he could tell SangWoo’s declaration had startled him, so he let him go.

Bum walked in half a daze as he made his way back to the station, his lips were tingling, and his ears were buzzing from SangWoo’s words. Walking into the station he glanced around and walked into the coffee shop, walking to the cashier desk where the woman had said she would leave her phone with. “Hey, I’m here to get my phone that I left” He said to the cashier who smiled and nodded, “come with me, the manager put it in the back” said the cashier with a smile, as he turned to the back door. Bum nodded and followed, passing through the double swinging doors Bum glanced around, becoming confused as the cashier continued deeper into the back.

Bum took a few steps deeper into the back before something in his gut told him that something wasn’t right. He froze and called out, “Um…I think I’ll just wait up front” he turned to walk back when he was grabbed from behind and a cloth was thrown over his face. He shrieked and kicked, trying to break free or make noise, but the one holding him was to strong and he soon was unconscious.

SangWoo sat in the kitchen, his head on the table as water dripped from his hair from his shower. He had gone for a run and then taken a shower, send a quick message to Bum about dinner but had gotten no response and now his mind raced as he thought about what he had said to Bum. He lifted his head and sighed, glancing around the kitchen when the tv screen changed across the room and what was displayed caught his attention.

“This message is for the leader of The Bloody Agmas” The man speaking was dressed in dark clothes; a mask covered his face as he grinned at the camera. Behind him muffled voices echoed and the sound of someone getting beaten reverberated into the camera mic. SangWoo stared at the tv screen intently, “We want you to give up and give in, we know who you are and what is precious to you, and we know how to beat you now. So, give in and we will be merciful, I am the leader of the Black Viceroys and if you do not publicly renounce your leadership as the Bloody Agma King we will kill him.”

The camera panned over and SangWoo’s entire body froze as the man grabbed hold of Bum by his hair and yanked him level with the camera. Bum’s face was covered in bruises and blood ran down his temple and along his lip, one of his eyes were swollen shut and tear stains ran along his cheeks. “That’s right cry for your bloody master” tears ran down Bum’s cheek as he tried to fight against the man’s hold on his hair. “You have one hour until he dies” The man sneered, and the broadcast ended.

Bum was frightened, he didn’t know where he was, and his entire body ached, he heard male voices around him in the dark, but he couldn’t see them, one eye was swollen shut and his head pounded along to the throb in his body, they had beaten him, hard and ruthlessly. He sat silently in the darkness, wondering if SangWoo was worried about him or if he was out looking for him, he felt bad for not saying anything to him about his feelings, he wondered if he ever was going to see the blonde man again. Fresh tears collected in his eyes and he began to cry, tears running down his cheeks and splashing onto his chest. Time passed and soon he heard a man say, “Its been an hour, kill him” fear spiked through Bum and he began to tremble as footsteps neared him and a face appeared in the low light around him. “Sounds like your buddy didn’t really care about you” the man said, with a bitter smile, raising his arm brandishing a pistol.  

Bum looked up at the man who aimed the gun at his head. SangWoo I’m Sorry Bum’s thoughts echoed as he stared down the barrel of the gun. He was going to die, but he would face it head on. The man pulled the trigger and loud boom echoed through the cramp space. Seconds passed, and Bum peeled opened his eyes, he took a shaky breath and was surprised to find no bullet holes in him. He blinked up at the man frozen before him, as a small line of red ran down his chin his eyes turned glassy and he crumbled to the ground choking. Bum gasped but his shock was quickly doubled as more shots rang out, making him flinch.  

“It’s the Bloody Agmas!” Someone shouted, and Bum gasped at the words. Someone grabbed Bum and yanked him into the shadows, pressing what felt like a barrel of a gun to his temple. “Put your guns down or I shoot the boy!” A voice called over Bum’s head, the gunshots abruptly ended, and tension thick silence filled the room. “Good now-“ The man holding him flinched and a gurgling sound came from him, “i-impossible!” The man stammered as light filled the room, blinding Bum. The gun dropped from his temple and he stumbled forward as the man dropped to the ground holding his gut where the edge of a blade poked out.  

“Don’t touch him, ever again” A deep voice growled, and Bum squinted his eyes to see SangWoo step into the light, his hand on the blade that was yanked out of the man. Bum stared at him in shock as he head spun in circles, he felt himself stumbled forwards as SangWoo’s hard eyes landed on him and he stepped forward to meet Bum. And suddenly Bum fell into SangWoo’s arms his knees breaking under him and exhaustion filling up every inch of him. “Bum” SangWoo breathed like a prayer, his arms wrapped tightly around the smaller boy and he held him close.

Bum looked up at him and tried for a smile that was more of a grimace, “you came for me” he murmured. “Of course, Bum you know how I feel, you’re my best friend I would do-“ Bum pushed himself up enough and pressed his cracked lips against SangWoo’s soft ones. SangWoo froze for a moment but quickly recovered, his arms tightening and his body curling around Bum’s. “I love you too SangWoo” Bum murmured when he pulled away, his eyes shinning with unshed tears. “I’m sorry I didn’t say it then but I’m saying it now” SangWoo stared down at Bum in wonder and awe before a stunning smile broke out across his face. “I love you, Bum” he breathed before pressed a kiss to his temple.

“Sir everyone has been neutralize and the grounds cleared.” Bum turned his head in confusion to see a man a few inches taller than him standing at attention before them. SangWoo turned his head and nodded at the man and said in gruff voice, “move out the bulk of the bodies, I want to know who was involved. And I’ll be taking him back to my home for medical assistance” the man nodded and turned away.

Bum frowned and stared at SangWoo as he murmured, “sir? Who is he” SangWoo sighed and took a breath as he said, “you know who the Bloody Agmas are right Bum?” Bum nodded, of course he had heard of the powerful gang that resided in the heart of Korea. “Well, I’m their leader” SangWoo said, watching Bum’s face to see his reaction. Bum blinked in surprise as his mind raced, “I know I should of told you, since you were at risk and all but I didn’t want you to see me differently, I’m still me the same guy you met in school and the same guy that is your friend” Bum smiled at SangWoo as he stumbled over his words and tried to collect himself.  

SangWoo is the leader of the Bloody Agmas. Hmm, it seems impossible by looking at him now, but I can see him being a leader, a protector. And he thought I would fear him because of it? I would hate him for not telling me? Well I am kinda upset that he never told me and kept it all a secret, but I understand why he did. He was just trying to do what he does best, protect.

“SangWoo” Bum said as SangWoo continued to rattle on, SangWoo blinked and gazed down at Bum who wore a satisfied smirk. “I’m not mad, I understand why you did what you did” he murmured, reaching out and running his hand along SangWoo’s cheek. SangWoo blinked a few times before smiling back and nuzzling his cheek into Bum’s hand. “Why did they take me?” Bum asked as SangWoo carried

him out of the room to the front of the building. “They’re trying to start a turf war and I’m afraid they are succeeding.” SangWoo growled in discontent.  

Unlikely Encounter

               Yoon Bum, dressed in a tidy black and white uniform, stood at the door of what was about to be his new job. After his uncle threatened to kill him if he didn’t get a job, Bum, who had no experience working, looked around desperately until he landed a job at a local bar. It was a pretty ordinary bar, other than the fact that it was a gay bar. Bum decided not to tell that part to his uncle. He figured he probably wouldn’t like that.

               Bum walked in and was greeted by a man who was going to be his new boss. Well, technically the first thing he was greeted by was deafening music and flashing lights. But once his eyes adjusted to what was, despite the flashing lights, a dim atmosphere, he found his way behind the counter. It wasn’t a difficult job to do, and Yoon Bum quickly got the hang of it. Take orders, fill up drinks, fill up more drinks, and tell one particularly angry drunk guy that no, he wasn’t allowed to have another beer.

               This went on for about an hour when his new boss pulled him aside. “Are you single?” he asked

               “Uhm…” Bum hesitated. That was such a weird question. “Yeah?”

               “Good.” his boss nodded. “See that guy over there?”

Bum nodded as he pointed in the direction of a man with short black hair and glasses. He was wearing some kind of uniform, and Bum thought he saw something shiny glinting on the front of his jacket. He would have assumed the man was a cop, but it was really difficult to tell in the dark.

“He looks kind of down. We don’t like it when people are sad in our bar. Why don’t you go over to him and try to cheer him up?”

Bum opened his mouth to protest before realizing that this was more of an order than a request. Not wanting to start any trouble because getting fired on his first day on the job would not be good at all, Bum nodded again and walked over to the man.

“Uh, hello, s-sir.” Bum nervously approached the man. He didn’t look at Bum. Bum looked back at his boss to see him mouthing one word: flirt.

Flirt. Flirt? Bum didn’t know how to flirt. “What’s your name?” he nervously asked. He considered adding “cutie” to the end of that question but decided against it.

“My name is Seungbae.” Seungbae answered. He tried to answer in a cold tone of voice, but he kind of failed. He did manage to not look at Bum, however.

Bum was discouraged but kept trying anyways. A part of him wanted the cop to look at him and talk to him. As much as he didn’t admit it to himself, he did think he was cute. And he was obviously more willing to talk than he was pretending to be.

Bum tried again. “Do you… come here often?”

“No.” Seungbae replied, finally looking up at Bum. “I’m here for work.” His stiff posture relaxed when he say Bum’s appearance. He thought it was… well, it wasn’t intimidating in the slightest..

“Oh.” Bum muttered. He had run out of things to say.

“What about you?” Seungbae asked before pausing. “Wait, I guess you work here.”

“Actually, this is my first day working.” Bum replied. This was good. There was actually a conversation happening.

“Really? I’ve never been here before either.”

Another awkward silence ensued.

“So, uh…” Seungbae started. Bum looked at him again. Damn, that was a sharp jawline.

“Since you, uh, work here, are y-y-you, uh, y’know, into, like, guys or something?” Seungbae stuttered out, his face turning red with each word. Bum could tell he was blushing even in the dark.

“Uh, no. Yes. I mean, I’ve never dated a guy before… Well actually, I’ve never dated a girl before either.” Bum actually wasn’t sure himself.

“Oh. So…” Seungbae stood up. “Would you be ok if I did… this?”

Without warning, Seungbae gave Bum a kiss. Startled, Bum shoved him away and stumbled backwards.

“Oh my god.” Seungbae’s eyes grew huge and his face turned the darkest crimson Bum had ever seen on a person. “Shit. I’m so sorry! I don’t know what came over me!” Panicked, Seungbae stood up to leave.

“I-it’s ok.” Bum muttered, embarrassed. He could relate to the poor cop. He certainly has done things like that before.

“No! Shit! God, I can’t believe I did that!”

“It’s ok! Really!” Bum said, in an attempt to calm him down. Besides: the kiss wasn’t bad. Not at all, actually.

“…Really?” asked Seungbae.

“Y-yeah.”

“I’m sorry.” Seungbae muttered. “I just thought, well, I’m in a bar, maybe I should get to know some guys, but of course I know that’s not how you get to know people, I don’t even know if I’m gay, I don’t think I am-”

Seungbae realized he was rambling and stopped suddenly.

“I-I’ts ok!” Bum said. “Let’s just pretend that we- uh, that that didn’t happen.”

“Ok…”

Another awkward silence occurred. Bum wondered how many awkward silences had occurred between the two of them.

“S-so…” Bum started again. “What’s your number?”

“Number?” Seungbae asked. “Like, my police rank, or-”

“No, your phone number.” Bum found it kind of funny that Seungbae didn’t know what he meant.”

“Oh! That. Uh, let me check…” Seungbae pulled out his phone, and Bum pulled out his. They exchanged numbers.

“So, uh, see you around, maybe?” Seungbae asked.

“Sure. Wait, aren’t you supposed to be working?”

“Aren’t you?”

At that, as if on cue, Bum’s boss started yelling.

“Hey kid! I told you to cheer the man up, not ask his damn life story!!”

“Oh. Bye.” Bum muttered awkwardly and ran off.

Yoon Bum sat quietly. He had his gaze down on his food, which remained untouched. His boyfriend, Oh Sangwoo, had already started on his second tray.   Bum’s eyes began to wander and they always seemed to land on the other couples that sat all around the school cafeteria. Couples he knew were already having sex. Sangwoo looked down at Bum, a worried look on his face. “Hey, you feeling okay?” he asked, his large hand resting on Bum's forehead. Bum blushed heavily and looked up.

“Y-yes…” he answered quietly. “I was just thinking.” Sangwoo removed his hand and grabbed his water bottle. “About what?” He twisted the bottle’s lid and took a swig. With absolute seriousness, Bum turned to Sangwoo. “When are we going to have sex.” Water shot out of Sangwoos mouth and nose, causing the entire cafeteria to turn to him. “Wh-what?!”

Sangwoo and Bum were walking from the bus stop.  Sangwoo had been totally blindsided by Bum's outburst. He didn't think Bum thought about that. He never made any inclination that he was thinking about sex. “Sangwoo…” The taller boy turned and looked at the shorter boy. “I know what you're going to say and you don't have to apologize, Bum. I want you to know that, you could've come and talked to me.” He reached down and gripped Bum’s hand. “I want our first time to be perfect. Absolutely perfect.” He stopped in front of Bum's house and leaned down to gently kiss him. Bum blushed heavily, kissing Sangwoo back. He gripped the taller boys shirt in his fists. Sangwoo let out a sigh as he wrapped his arms around Bum, lifting him off the ground. The two boys stayed on the sidewalk, gripping each other tightly, moans softly escaping their lips.

“S-Sangwoo…” Bum moaned, feeling a tightness in his pants. Sangwoo rested his forehead against Bum's chest before putting him down.

“Bum, you know I love you. We've known each other all our lives.” Sangwoo smiled. “If you're ready for us to do this, then so am I.” Bum smiled happily before reaching up and planting a chaste kiss on his lips. “I'm ready.” he blushed. “But I would love to help make it perfect as well.” Sangwoo grinned. “You get home safe, okay?” Sangwoo waved as Bum walked to his house. “You too!” Bum waved back and as soon as his front door shut, Sangwoo walked to his across the street.   He had to make this perfect. His Bum deserved it. 

Sangwoo couldn't sit still. Tonight was the night he and Bum would finally be having sex. It had been a couple weeks since they last brought up the sex talk but yesterday morning on the walk to school, he told Bum that tonight his parents were leaving for the weekend. Bum’s face had lit up with excitement at the news. Sangwoo thought it was the cutest thing ever. However, with it being the last class of the day, Sangwoo found himself jittery and nervous about what was to come. He had picked up condoms and lubricant but was that all he needed?   Had he gotten the right things? Was he ready for tonight? Sangwoo felt a tightening in his stomach as the nerves threatened to overcome him. ‘No, I can't freak out.’ he thought to himself as he calmed his breathing. ‘Bum needs me. I need to be strong.’ When the last bell went off, Sangwoo stood and sighed, heading out to meet Bum. 

Sangwoo and Bum had just finished watching a movie. That was the third one. Both of them were too nervous to instigate this. They both wanted it, they could almost feel the sexual tension between them, their bodies practically vibrating from anticipation. 

Sangwoo sighed and started to stand up to turn the movie off. Bum gripped his hand tightly and pulled him back down.   “Bum, what are you-” his eyes widened as he felt Bum's lips on his. Sangwoo closed his eyes and kissed back, his hands trailing along the bottom of his shirt. Bum sighed softly, reaching up to run his fingers through Sangwoo’s hair.

“N-not here…” Sangwoo sighed. “My room…”

Bum blushed heavily and nodded as he backed away. Sangwoo stood up and scooped Bum up into his arms, giving him a nervous smile. “It's going to be okay, Bum.” He whispered as he walked into his room. “S-Sangwoo, I want to show you something.” Bum said after being placed on the bed. “Sure, babe. What is it?” Bum slowly stood and with his back to Sangwoo, he began to slowly remove his pants.  

He stopped though, he was so nervous. What if Sangwoo didn't like it? Bum took a deep breath to calm down and he continued on. He could feel the fabric of the black lace panties he was wearing.   With a deep breath, he lowered the pants. He got back on the bed, legs spread slightly and he lifted his shirt, giving Sangwoo the perfect view.

“Oh my God…” Sangwoo sighed, his cock now pitching a sizable tent in his pants. “Bum, are those women's underwear?” Bum huffed at Sangwoo, an angry little blush rising in his cheeks. “No! They make them for men, too!” Bum started to lower his shirt, but Bum was stopped by Sangwoo’s soft but firm grip. “Hey,” He whispered, taking a seat next to Bum on the bed. “You know I love you, right? I always have and I always will.” He kissed Bum softly, his hands going to rest on the lace of the black garment.   “I know.” Bum replied softly when he pulled away from the kiss. “And I love you too.” Sangwoo gave Bum a huge smile and he felt like this moment couldn’t be anymore perfect.   He and Bum had been together their entire high school career. With them both heading off to college in the fall, Sangwoo wanted to waste no more time in showing Bum how much he meant to him. Sangwoo bit his lip and he pulled Bum onto his lap. It was time. “Bum,” He asked with a shaky voice. “Are you ready?” Bum reached down and quickly began to slowly undo the buttons of Sangwoo’s uniform.   “Yes.” He said, his voice calm and steady.   Sangwoo nodded, as he buried his face in Bum’s shoulder, leaving small kisses from his collar bone under his ear. One hand gripped one of Bum’s thighs as the other  

reached into his drawer for the lube and a condom. He felt Bum’s grip on his wrist and he pulled away from Bum, a dark spot forming on his boyfriend’s pale neck. With a shy expression, Bum slowly slid Sangwoo’s pointer and middle fingers into his mouth. “Sangwoo…” Bum sighed. “I want you...to open me up.” Bum began to guide Sangwoo's hand to his lace panties as he leaned down to kiss him. Sangwoo moaned slightly, both of his hands gripping Bum tightly. “Okay, Bum.” he answered as he pulled the lace garment aside and slid one of his fingers in. “Ah!” Bum cried out, his back arching. “That...that feels...good. Don't stop.” Sangwoo bit his lip, not moving.   “Bum, does...it hurt?” Bum shook slightly.

“A little but…Sangwoo, your finger feel so good...” He lowered himself down on Sangwoo's finger. He released a moan and Sangwoo took that as an incentive to continue. He let his finger open up his boyfriends tight ass, slowly adding a second one. “Ah, Sangwoo!” Bum cried out, his face red. His entire body was shaking and tears were forming in his eyes. Bum could feel Sangwoo's large cock against his and he reached for the button of his pants. He remembered back to when they had first started dating when they were heading into their freshman year. Bum had caught sight of Sangwoo in nothing but a pair of boxers and he had kept the image of his sizable bulge in his mind for years. It was an amazing feeling to be able to actually see it. “Can I…touch it?” Sangwoo could only nod. Bum pulled out Sangwoo's cock and began to touch it gently. “Ah, fuck.” he swore, his head leaning back, his fingers sliding deeper into Bum. “That's...that's so good.”   Bum moaned again and he reached for the condom. “I...I'm ready...I want this so bad...please.” Bum cried out, opening the package and easing it into Sangwoo. Sangwoo nodded and looked deep into Bum’s eyes. He used his free hand to wipe a tear that had managed to fall. “I love you.” he sighed softly. “I love you too.” Bum replied, his eyes, full of need. “Sangwoo...please...make love to me…”   Sangwoo slowly removed his fingers to drop a large glob of lube onto his cock. Bum made sure it was nice and slick before dropping himself down onto Sangwoo. “Ah! Sangwoo!” Bum cried out, gripping Sangwoo tightly in his arms. Sangwoo’s eyes widened in amazement as he felt his boyfriend wrapped tightly around him. “Bum...you feel...so warm…” He moaned as his gripped his thighs tightly, pulling him down even more.

Bum felt more tears in his eyes as he cried out again. “Sangwoo...please...touch me…” Bum moaned as he tangled his fingers in Sangwoo’s hair. Sangwoo released one of Bum’s thighs to let his hand wrap around his boyfriends dripping cock. “Ah! Yes, like that!” Bum cried out. “That's good, that's so good, Sangwoo.” Sangwoo looked up at his boyfriend, his beautiful and smart boyfriend. He wrapped his arms tightly around Bum’s small figure, helping him move even faster. “Oh, fuck...Bum.” Sangwoo suddenly changed their positions, laying Bum down on his back. Bum cried out in surprise and then in pure pleasure as Sangwoo thrusted into him. “Y-yes...Sangwoo, that's it…” Bum reached up and pulled Sangwoo close. “Don't stop...ah! Please!” Sangwoo bit his lip roughly as he sped up.

“Bum, that's...oh that's so good.” Sangwoo gripped Bum’s thighs again and raised his legs up, straightening up as he continued to pound into Bum. “Does...that feel good, Bum?” Sangwoo asked, his breathing heavy. “Ah! Ah...Sangwoo!” Bum cried out even louder, gripping Sangwoo's large wrists in his hands. “That...that feels so good!” He looked down at his twitching cock, then back up at his towering boyfriend. “Sangwoo…” Bum whined softly. “I need you to touch me...ah!” He cried out as Sangwoo found Bum’s prostate and he nodded his head vigorously. “That's it! Right there Sangwoo! Please! Touch me! I need to feel you all over me!” Sangwoo released one of Bum’s thighs and took Bum’s cock. He stroked him hard, pulling long and loud cries from his boyfriend.

He leaned close to him and his hips slapped against Bum, driving his cock right into Bum’s ass. “Bum! I...Oh fuck...I'm close…” “Me...me too!” Bum pulled Sangwoo closer. “I...I want to come...with you…” Sangwoo kissed Bum softly, not stopping his motions. “Let's come together, then.” He said with a smile. He went faster and harder, turning the young man underneath him into a moaning and sweating mess. “Sangwoo! It's..It's gonna…” Bum felt his entire body clench up as he came hard, coating his and Sangwoo’s chest and stomach.   Feeling Bum tighten around him, pulled Sangwoo's orgasm and he cried out, burying his face in Bum’s shoulder. For a long time, neither one of them moved. They laid in each other arms, taking their time to catch their breath. “Yoon Bum, that was the greatest thing I have ever experienced in my entire life.” He propped himself up on his arms to look down at Bum, who had an arm draped over his face, his body shaking with tears. “Bum...are you okay? I...I wasn't too rough was I?” Sangwoo felt sadness in his heart as he looked at his boyfriend. “Sangwoo…” Bum moved his arm away, his face wet with sweat and tears. “I...I'm just so happy that I was able...to be your first, and you were mine.” 

He smiled softly. “You were my first everything. My first friend, my first love, my first kiss…” Bum blushed. “I...I want to be the last, too. I want to be your everything, Sangwoo…”

It was all too easy for Yoon Bum to find where Oh Sangwoo lived. He hadn’t been able to take his eyes off of him since the first time they met, and since then his desire to be closer and closer to Sangwoo had only grown. He knew this was wrong – Watching for him everywhere he went, waiting in places where he had seen him before – this isn’t how people are supposed to act. Bum knew that. But every time he thought of Sangwoo, every glimpse of him he got, his heart would start to race, his hands would shake, and his tail, oh so carefully tucked into his pants, would start to wag without his permission. It was hard enough to be a werewolf without having the compulsion to stalk someone as well, it seemed Yoon Bum couldn’t get a break. Between his awful home life and thought patterns he couldn’t escape, following through with these compulsions seemed to be Bum’s only form of stress relief. The worst was when he got too close. Standing on the subway, waiting for the stop Sangwoo always gets on at, gripping the handrail – how was Bum supposed to know Sangwoo would get on and decide to take the seat right in front of him? It was almost unbearable. He wanted to just -reach out and touch him, feel his hair between his fingers – anything. . . His scent was driving Bum mad. His sense of smell had obviously always been better than a humans, but he could usually control himself, filter out the scents he wanted to avoid. Sangwoo was like an aphrodisiac, and his scent was unavoidable. . .and addicting.

Then he looked up. Sangwoo’s eyes met Bum’s, and Bum felt his heart leap into his throat. He turned away, hoping he hadn’t noticed him staring – or worse, recognized him. Luckily, Sangwoo got off at the next stop – wait. This wasn’t Sangwoo’s stop – why was he getting off here? Bum knew it was too risky to follow him now, but he couldn’t help it. . .his feet started to move without him. He found himself walking behind the brunet against his will, nearly shaking in his own shoes as he followed about ten feet behind Sangwoo, down the train station stairs, and into Hwaseo-Dong. This was really odd for Sangwoo – the city was pretty far from his neighborhood. Was he just here to go shopping, maybe? But Bum didn’t think Sangwoo was the shopping spree type. . . Lost in his thoughts, Bum almost lost track of Sangwoo. When he rounded the corner, Bum sped up to not loose sight of him, and that’s when he saw her. She had her hand on Sangwoo- His Sangwoo. Her hand went to her lips, giggling daintily at something Sangwoo had said, and Sangwoo- Sangwoo was smiling at her. Who was she? What gave her the right to laugh at Sangwoo’s jokes like that?! Bum felt his fists clenching, his hackles raising. It was everything he could do not to start growling at her. But he restrained himself and backed up a few steps, watching them from around the corner. He felt like his heart was breaking- what was she to Sangwoo? A lover? A girlfriend? No no no – the thought made Bums stomach clench. Sangwoo was his, no body could love him like Bum could – nobody knew him like Bum did! But – Bum realized, he didn’t know that much about him. In fact, it was likely Sangwoo didn’t even remember him . . . but he remembered Sangwoo. He knew just following him wasn’t enough anymore – he needed to know more about him. This was how Yoon Bum found himself outside of Sangwoo’s house, a crumpled piece of paper in his sweaty hand, all of the possible combinations to the lock of his house written down and scribbled out- all of them but one. Bum struggled to keep his tail under wraps as it tried to wag in excitement about the idea that they were mere moments from entering where Sangwoo lived. But just as he was about to put the final combination in, his ears perked under his hat and he whipped around. A car had pulled up to the house – a police car it looked like. Oh shit, had he tripped some kind of security system? But no, the man who was driving didn’t look hostile, or smell dangerous really…

“Excuse me! We’ve been patrolling the area because there have been an increase in illegal trespassers so please be careful!” The elder police man called out to Bum. Hah, isn’t that ironic? But Bum didn’t have time to marvel over the hilarity of the situation, before the other man in the car suddenly got out. The one was younger, but he was . . .frightening. His eyes were cold, he looked like he meant business. Bum startled and took a step back towards the door, his tail trying to hide between his legs. “Excuse me.” The younger cop, hand resting on the patrol car’s roof, called out to Bum. “Is that your house?”

Bum felt himself start shaking. The piece of paper in his hand quivered with his tremors. “Ah- uh. . I. . “ He stammered. He knew not giving a straight answer would just make them more suspicious, but what could he say. That Sangwoo had moved? That he was Sangwoo’s friend? “I-I’m a relative. I have something to pick up from Sangwoo. . .” He found his mouth moving without his permission, but what was said was said. The young cop with his intense eyes studied Bum a moment further, before turning back to the car. “Have a nice day then.” He said curtly, and Bum let out the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.  Bum felt his tail and ears relax under his clothes as he turned back to the Keypad on Sangwoo’s door.

There was only one combination left – this one had to be the right one, right? He just had to put this in and the door would open. . .But- wait. His ear twitched – the cop hadn’t gotten back in the car. Was he just standing behind him? Bum sniffed the air, and the smell of a strong aftershave hit him. He didn’t have to turn around to know that the younger cop’s eyes were boring into him. Bum’s hand shook as he input the last possible combinati-

 “Ding dong. You’ve pressed the combination 5 times.”

 Bum’s stomach hit the floor. It was wrong?! No no it couldn’t be wrong there’s no way it – Bum heard the gate behind him open, and the man’s footsteps coming up to him – maybe he put it in wrong?! One more time-! The door dinged three times, and the sound of the lock disengaging. Bum was panting softly, but he turned the cop and smiled. “Well, bye then.” He slipped inside, letting his back hit the door. Too close- way too close. The combination was 54288. . .He just got lucky.

His heart was still hammering as he looked up and around the entryway. His head was swirling a bit, and he stumbled a few steps forward – So this was Sangwoo’s house. . it was big. He glanced up the stairs, ears listening intently for any sounds of movement – Incase he was wrong, and Sangwoo really was home. But Bum didn’t hear anything besides the faint hum of electrical appliances in the house. A smile spread over his face – Sangwoo was here just a few hours ago. The though made butterflies fill his stomach.

Bum traced his fingers along the wall, walking down the hallway. He couldn’t believe how happy he was to be here- to get the opportunity to learn more about Sangwoo – after all, what could be more personal to someone than their home? What could hold more of their essence? Bum paused as he reached the first room, looking in and seeing a heated futon, still on the ground, unmade. “Hah. . “ He said under his breath as he entered the room, “Sangwoo, I never took you for the messy type. . .” Bum fell to his knees on the futon, pressing his face into it and inhaling deeply. Sangwoo’s scent filled his nose and his head spun. He felt like he was hugging Sangwoo. . .His tail wriggled free of it’s entrapment in his pants as it wagged ferociously. Yoon Bum felt like he was going to cry, he had never felt so at home – Ah. . . He realized his body was more than happy.

He couldn’t deny himself, couldn’t stop himself from thinking about Sangwoo in this bed – In this bed with him. He couldn’t stop himself from thinking of Sangwoo holding him and kissing him and – Ah, he couldn’t stop his hand from slipping into his pants and finding his cock, rubbing it and calling out Sangwoo’s name to the empty house. He only half bothered to muffle himself with the pillow as he came, tail arching straight up, body begging for more – more that it couldn’t wouldn’t have. The mess he had made would have to do for now. Panting and blushing, Bum rolled over on the futon, inhaling again to worship the scent of the person he loved most – But intermingled with it now was a new scent. Sharp and metallic and horrible – The scent of blood.

Bum sat up and looked at his hands, wondering if he had scratched himself with his sharp nails – but there was nothing there. No – he sniffed the air again, following the scent trail to the small closet in Sangwoo’s bedroom – the smell was overpowering in here, but Bum couldn’t see any blood in here at all. It was just a normal closet. He crouched down, and the smell got stronger somehow. Where was it- Ah? Bums fingers traced over the padlock to a door on the floor, noticing the key was still in it. Did this go to the basement? Why did it smell like blood?

Bum’s hands acted without him, unlocking the lock and opening the trap door, looking down into the darkness of the room below him. The metal stench hit his nose even stronger now, and his tail tucked between his legs as he tried not to retch. What was down here that it smelled like this!? Bum slowly descended the stairs, looking around as he went – but it was so dark it was hard to see anything. His foot bumped into something, and he looked down – an open tool box? He turned his gaze up from the box, and suddenly there was a noise – someone grunting. Bum whipped around, and his gaze connected with a woman.

She was naked, on the floor, and tied up and blindfolded. She was so pale she looked almost blue, but she was alive and wriggling as best as she could in the bindings. Bum noticed that the reason she was grunting was because of a gag in her mouth- and then he realized where the smell of blood was coming from. She had wounds all over her body – but most of them were bruises, like here legs, which looked broken. On and around her neck, however, were dozens of puncture marks, some of which were still leaking into a puddle around her head, staining her hair with the crimson of her own blood.

Yoon Bum cried out and fell backwards, the shock of the sight sending his head reeling. Why was this woman in Sangwoo’s basement!? And tied up, too. . . Bum swallowed hard the acrid taste in his mouth and reached out for her, trying to get a response. “Hey. . .are – are you okay?” He asked timidly, not understanding what was going on here. It felt like his reality was coming crashing down around him – was Sangwoo not the person he thought he was? The man he had so idolized? What the hell was happening here?! Bum slipped the blindfold from the woman’s eyes, and the gag from her mouth, and regretted it immediately.

“SAVE ME! SAVE ME PLEASE SAVE ME!” She howled at him, tears streaming down her pale face. She must have lost an incredible amount of blood, and yet somehow she still had the energy in her to scream. Yoon Bum tried to calm her down as best qas he could, but she was inconsolable.

“H-hey-! Calm down- I’m not going to hurt you!” He insisted, pulling both of his hands away from her in an attempted sign of peace. She seemed even more frantic now though, and Bum’s ears pressed flat to his head in an attempt to shut out her screams.

“Why are you doing this to me?! Please…!” She cried, sobs wracking her chest. Bum didn’t understand – he wasn’t doing anything to her. . .

“H-here.” Bum tried, reaching back out to her. “Let me untie you first. . .” But she flinched and shrieked louder than before.

“KYAH! STAY AWAY! Stay the fuck AWAY I SAID!!” Bum startled and was about to try to explain that he was only trying to untie her, only trying to help her out of this mess, when he realized that her eyes weren’t looking at him. They were looking behind him.  

The woman’s scream was the last thing Bum heard before the bat connected with his shoulder. The pain flared through Bum’s body, and he hit the ground with a thump. He cried out, clutching the shoulder that felt like it had been broken.

“I don’t know who you are, but I haven’t seen my relatives in ten years.” A familiar, but cold voice said above him as he writhed in pain.  “You might as well have said you were my brother.” Bum looked up, shaking, to meet the eyes of the person who had struck him. This. . . this wasn’t the Sangwoo he knew—this wasn’t the person he loved- But it was Sangwoo’s mouth that was moving, it was Sangwoo’s hand holding the bat.

Bum knew he had to escape. He tried his best to crawl away from his assailant, but there was no way he was going to get away. In some part of hiss mind, he knew that. Sangwoo reached down and grabbed the back of Bum’s jacket, dragging him by the hood across the cold basement floor. Bum panicked – he didn’t want to end up like the woman on the floor – he didn’t want to die-!

Bum’s arm jerked back with all his force, and his elbow connected with Sangwoo’s thigh. Bum used the momentary pause in Sangwoo’s movements to make a break for it, pushing himself to his feet and making a mad dash up the basement stairs. He didn’t see Sangwoo’s excited smile behind him, nor did he see him raise the bat again. He only felt the connection of the hard wood with the back of his right knee, and saw the exit of the basement, his path to freedom, fall away from him as he tumbled down the stairs. His head connected with the concrete with a sickening crack.

“I’m going to die. . . “ Bum thought. “I’m going to die-!” He pressed himself into the corner between the stairs and the wall, panting as he watched Sangwoo approach him with sadistic slowness. And still Bum could only think, through his panic – “I don’t want to die-!!”

 “I FELL IN LOVE!” Bum heard his words ring out through the basement. There was a momentary pause, Sangwoo with his bat raise above his head, Yoon Bum with his eyes closed tightly against the coming attack that didn’t come. “Sungsoo University class of 2011!! I was in the same class as you! I also saw you in the army!” Bum’s words came out quick and desperate, tears gathering in his eyes as he looked up at the man above him. “You saved me from my superiors! And from then on, I. . !”

 Sangwoo’s expression had turned from childish glee to confusion. The tears rolled down Bum’s face as he gulped and tried to speak through his tremors. “I. . .I never intended to annoy you like this! But I liked you too much!”

Sangwoo Lowered the bat and crouched down infront of Bum. “Hey. Spit it out, you and you mumbling. . .” Bum froze in confusion, and Sangwoo extended his hand. Bum flinched and closed his eyes, expecting to be struck again, but Sangwoo merely ran his hand through Bum’s hair. As he did so, Bum felt his fingers trace over the small black wolf-like ears, hiding flat in his hair. Bum noticed wih muted horror that during his fall down the stairs, his hat, the only thing hiding the obtrusions, had been knocked off. Sangwoo paused as his fingers felt the strange ears on the top of Bum’s head, and the confusion crossed his face for only a moment, before he smiled again, the glint of childish glee coming back into his eyes.

Sangwoo stood suddenly, lifting the bat onto his shoulder again, and placing his other hand into his pocket. “The basement is too small for the both of you. . . “ Sangwoo began, a softness in his voice that hadn’t been there before. “How about we go up?”

Bum’s eyes lit up with a hope he hadn’t felt in years. Was Sangwoo – was he offering to let him stay? Was it possible he loved him back? He had been so quiet Bum was worried he would hate him, but, it he was letting him stay- ! Sangwoo began walking up the stairs, and Bum, still smiling brightly, followed Sangwoo like the excited puppy he was. “Are you. . .really forgiving me?” Bum asked, hopefully, tail wagging.

“Yes. But. . . “ Before Bum could react, Sangwoo’s hands shot out and shoved Bums shoulders, sending him backwards down the stairs. “Not with your legs the way they are.”

Bum didn’t even remember hitting the ground.

  When Bum woke up, his head was pounding. The only thing he could hear was his ears ringing, and the only thing he could see was the blurred . . .basement. He was still here. His eyes opened slowly, and he rolled himself onto his back, and as he did he heard a chain clinking. He realized, foggily, that the chain was leading to a tight iron circlet around his neck that seemed to be locked somehow, and the other end was chained to—His thoughts were interrupted as he made eye contact with the woman from before. He screamed in surprise, having forgotten that she was even there, and with horror he realized that she was dead. Cold and lifeless, her unfocused eyes still open. As he yanked back, the chain reached the end of its short leash and he gagged as it dug into his neck, causing him to cough. He realized that the chain was tied to the support beam for the basement, and no matter how hard he pulled, he wasn’t going to be able to break it. As he struggled though to get away from the now corpse of the woman, he realized his right leg was in tremendous amounts of pain, and he cried out desperately.

“Now that’s not nice. . you shouldn’t scream when you see a lady’s face.” Sangwoo laughed as he descended the stairs, the rustling of a grocery bag in his hand. “How do you feel, spending the night with the daughter of the CEO of a pharmaceutical company?” Sangwoo asked, stopping above Bum, plastic grocery bag still in his hand. “Do you have any idea how much she screamed at you for help while you were out cold. . .as if you would have heard it. Stupid bitch.”

Yoon Bum could only watch in horror as Sangwoo went over to the body of the dead woman, who’s name he would never know, and grabbed her tit, as if examining the corpse. Yoon Bum felt his tail curl – it already smelled like death in here. Bum stiffened – he realized, for the first time, that besides being chained up, he was clad only in his underwear. His tail, his ears – those fluffy things that looked like they belonged on a dog, not a man – were out where Sangwoo could see them all.  

As if having read his mind, Sangwoo looked back over to Bum, the corner of his mouth tilting up in a smirk. “You’re middle aged and unemployed. Judging by your shabby clothes, you were probably the class looser, not to mention you’re a dude lover. And-“ Sangwoo moved with what seemed like lightning speed to Bum, whose heart was pounding in his chest. Sangwoo grabbed Bum’s tail at the base, causing Bum to whimper like a mutt. “-You’re some kind of wolf-freak. Normally I would have killed you and let the girl live a little longer, but I haven’t killed a man since my dad’s death, you see.” Sangwoo, inches from Bums face, cast a backwards glance to the pale and lifeless body of the girl, still laying in a pool of her own drying blood. “Plus, she was almost empty.”

Sangwoo let go of Bum’s tail and went back over to the grocery bag’s he had dropped. Though Sangwoo’s back was to Bum, so he couldn’t see anything, Yoon Bum distinctly heard the sound of an aluminum can being opened. A strong stench hit his nose instantly and he almost gagged.  “You must be hungry. . . “ Sangwoo stepped over to bum again, startling his frail body, open can in hand. “Open your mouth.” He demanded, and Bum realized with horror that he was holding a dog food can. “I felt like it’d be appropriate.” Sangwoo explained, looking at the can himself. “Since you’re just a dog.”

Bum flinched at the words, his ears lowering to his head. He tried to turn away from Sangwoo, but the man grabbed his chin and forced his mouth open, tilting it up to receive the gift that Bum didn’t want. The wet dog-food slid from the can in chunks, and a few of them landed in Bum’s mouth before he managed to wrench his head away. “What the hell?! You don’t want it?!” Sangwoo yelled, his demeanor changing like a light switch. Bum startled, looking back up at him. It looked like Sangwoo was seething. “This is the expensive kind, you mutt! 6000 Won per can! And you spill it!?” Yoon Bum was terrified. He wanted to run away, forget about all of this – but the heavy chain collar around his neck reminded him that there was no way that was happening. Sangwoo took a chunk of the foot out with his fingers, and shoved it into Bum’s mouth, holding his chin with an iron-like grip. “You should be grateful. The only reason you can eat anything is because I let you live. . . You think a dead person would be able to eat it?”

 Yoon Bum shuddered at the thought. It was true, he could have died at any moment, but he was still here . . .still with Sangwoo. “How do you feel?” Sangwoo asked, pulling his fingers from Bums mouth, and standing up. “You beat the girl.” Sangwoo turned the can upside down, pouting the rest of the wet dog food onto Bum’s face. “I. . . I feel. . .good. . . “ Bum replied, looking up at Sangwoo through teary eyes and a pained smile. His tail was wagging ferociously, despite his situation.

“Why the fuck would you like that, you fucking retard?” Sangwoo asked, tossing the empty can aside. He grabbed Bum’s face again, but softer this time and before Bum could realize what he was doing, Sangwoo pressed his lips to Bum’s. ”A. . . a kiss?” Bum’s blurry thoughts felt like they were working at the speed of molasses. “Isn’t that what people who are dating do? And Sangwoo is doing that with me? My mouth is full of dog food, and he’s still. . . “ Sangwoo pulled his mouth away, kissing Bum’s cheek, then his Jaw. “I’m so disgusting. . . and still, he. . .” Bum’s thoughts were cut off abruptly as a sharp pain spiked through his body. His hands, trembling, reached up to Sangwoo. Why did his neck hurt? Sangwoo was just kissing him, and now- now he was biting him? But this felt different than a normal bite- this isn’t what dog bites felt like, and he wasn’t letting go.

The room swirled in Bum’s vision as he felt himself go weak suddenly. Sangwoo let go after a few moments, letting Bum fall back to the floor. He stood back up over him, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, leaving a smear of the boy’s blood on his cheek. It was bitter and ow quality, just like he had expected, but it was still blood. “S-sang. . .woo… ” Bum whimpered from his haze on the basement floor, the stupid gleeful smile returning to his lips. “Sangwoo, I. . .” Yoon Bum shifted one of his legs to adjust his position, and Sangwoo raised an eyebrow.

“What? Your left leg is still fine?” Sangwoo asked, looking at his uninjured leg. Sangwoo turned away from Yoon Bum to search for something. “If you’re still fine, you have to tell me, or I won’t know. Dating is like that too.” Bum, in his cloudy haze, tried to sit up. “S-sangwoo ssi. . .?” He questioned, watching the strong figure of his captor reach for a sledgehammer. “If you don’t tell anyone, you’ll be the only one who ends up hurt, you know?” Sangwoo continued, but Bum could hardly hear him over the pounding of his heart in his ears. Sangwoo stepped down on Bum’s left ankle, his heavy weight holding him to the ground no matter how Bum tried to struggle. “Wait-!” Bum cried, begged. “Sangwoo, don’t-!”

When Yang Seungbae finally infiltrates the Oh headquarters, he will expect to catch the mastermind that very night, and promises to finally get a good rest afterwards. He'd been chasing this madman for most of his career now, and no matter how many leads, or how much promising evidence, the leader of the mafia somehow always managed to slip just out of his reach.

How could someone so prominent in such a large mafia remain out of the public's eye for so long? He must be wealthy, that's a given, and yet so intimidating that dozens of young people decided to follow him, but... why weren't any of his followers brave enough to expose their leader, even if silence meant death?

What kind of cult leader was this?

Sighing softly, Seungbae glanced down at his full dinner plate. There was no point in trying to eat; he had just lost a lead he'd been working on for months and felt awful about it.  

Where could this mafia leader be hiding? Why did he always seem so close, and yet so far away, as if he lived on a different realm?

"Excuse me, sir," A tall, deep voiced man tapped Seungbae's shoulder from the booth behind him. "Would you mind letting us borrow a few napkins? We're out." The man had broad shoulders, light hair and a kind smile, but there was definitely something sinister behind it that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"Oh. Yeah." Seungbae shrugged, barely noticing the thin, second man who reached over the booth with shaky fingers to retrieve the napkins. "Thank you." His voice was barely above a whisper, and Seungbae was too depressed to find it suspicious.

The people behind him stayed almost as long as he did, but shortly before they left, the first man excused himself to go pay. It was then that Seungbae felt something light tap his foot. When he looked down, he could see that the smaller man, who was still at the table, had slid something under the back of the booth and tapped the police officer's foot with his own to gain his attention. Knowing better than to look too obvious, Seungbae waited until the two men left the restaurant to take a look at what the man had wanted to tell him.

He bent over and retrieved one of his own napkins, where in frantic, scribbled writing, it read:  

"HELP---!"

Underneath the note was an address that Seungbae was unfamiliar with, but knew he would soon get to know. What was this man a victim of; kidnapping, some sort of trafficking? And yet a hopeful, inner voice prayed that the universe had heard his frustrations and was leading him to the lair of Oh.  

That had to be him.  

A sudden realization hits him like a bus, and his hands shake as he dials his partner's number. "Lee? Open my case back up for that mafia boss."

"Why?"

"I'm quite certain I was just given the tip of a lifetime. I think I know his face now, he was sitting behind me in a restaurant. I'm going to take him down once and for all."  

Looking around quickly, Seungbae stuffed the napkin into his pocket, paid, and exited the restaurant into the night air.

He thought of the man with the mafia boss. He wondered if he was alright, and what the hell he had to have done to get caught up with such a madman. *** Two impatient weeks passed by seemingly overnight for Seungbae. He was feverish- so ready to put that criminal behind bars, that he did little more than eat and sleep.  

If he could have his own way, he would have charged right in and arrested the man on the spot, but his logical side reminded him that in order to catch a man with so many bodyguards, so many people willing to lay down their lives for him, he’d have to find a connection on the inside.  

*** The night before Seungbae’s heist at the tipped off address, he was interrupted of his usual late night TV session by a quiet knock on his apartment door. He didn’t ever receive visitors. It was a quiet apartment complex; in fact, most of the tenants were senior citizens who might complain if there was so much as a tap on his wall.  

Pausing the TV, Seungbae then grabbed his tee shirt from the coffee table and slipped it on. He considered leaving the uninvited visitor at the door,  but they only knocked again, a little louder this time. “Alright, I’m coming,” He muttered, unlocking the door.

To his awe, the small man who’d tipped him off in the restaurant two weeks previously stood there. Tears streamed down his pale face, and he wore nothing more than a thin, black robe. Bruises littered his arms, dark bags rested under his eyes, and various scars covered most of his body. “Let me in, please…” He begged, voice cracking.  

Seungbae glanced around the seemingly empty hallway, then pulled the man inside. “Alright, what are you doing here?”

“I-I’ve come to warn you, Officer Bae.” The man wiped his cheeks. “You can’t come tomorrow. He knows that there is a heist planned, and… he’s going to kill you.”

“Who sent you here?” Seungbae arched an eyebrow. “What’s your name?”

“Oh, my name doesn’t matter anymore. Once you’re part of Sangwoo’s group, your old self doesn’t matter anymore.”

Seungbae moved to quickly grab a pen and scrap piece of paper. “You’re part of his group? How long have you-”

“I wasn’t planning on joining.” The man smiled sadly. “I was on my way home from work one night when some of his men ambushed me. You see, I… I’d been kind of obsessing over Sangwoo, but I had no idea he was in the mafia. I had a boyfriend at the time, and even he said that Sangwoo seemed off. But I paid no mind to him.”  

“Then what?”

“So, Sangwoo… we had first run into each other at that store. Apparently its owner has to pay Sangwoo’s men to protect it from other gangs, but again, I was just a civilian. They gagged me and took me to Sangwoo’s home. He questioned me, he tortured ​ me, demanding to know which gang I was from. Once he realized I was just a bystander, he told everyone he killed me. But he didn’t. He took me to a townhouse outside the city and that’s where I’m forced to live. I couldn’t ever leave, except with him. B-But… tonight I… I ran away, and he’ll find me soon.” The man clamps at his throat.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah, it’s just that… this is the most talking I’ve done in years. Sorry.”

“So you’re telling me you’ve been technically missing for years and not one person has filed a report about you?” Seungbae opened the hall closet and tossed the man a throw blanket. “You can stay here.”

“But he’ll find me!” He protested.

“There’s no other option. Was he home at the time you escaped?”

“N-No… but I was careful. I left through the back, I even stayed in the shadows the whole time. I don’t think anyone saw me, but… with the mafia, you never know.”

“This building’s security cameras went out of order yesterday, so I don’t think he could track you here specifically. But still, you took a great risk, coming here. What made you do it?”

The man gulped. “He… kidnapped an officer. He’s still in my house.”

“An officer?”

“He’ll kill him tonight, I’m sure. After questioning him. He went out to get some supplies. Told me if I left the bedroom, I’d be dead too.”

“Please tell me your name. We’re going to have to keep this on record.”

The man wraps the blanket around his shoulders. “My name is Yoon Bum. But I’d rather you not include that on your report. If there’s anything about me out there, Sangwoo will find it.”

Seungbae nodded. “Let me call my partner, Lee. We’ll get this taken care of in no time.”

“Officer Yang, don’t.” Bum pleaded. “That’ll just make everything worse!”

“This criminal needs to be behind bars. It’s my job to make sure that happens, okay?”  

“But Officer, you don’t understand. Even if you… theoretically… could manage to arrest Sangwoo, and that’s a big ​if ​ , don’t you suppose there’d be retaliation from the rest of the gang? They’ve devoted their ​lives ​ to him. You’d be dead in minutes.”

“How are you so sure?”

“Picture it, Officer Yang. All your friends and loved ones, dead around you. He won’t kill you until he knows you’ve been defeated.” “And you know what, Bum? That isn’t going to happen. Because tomorrow morning, Sangwoo and his whole hellish empire is going to fall.”

***

“Damn it,” Seungbae swore under his breath the following morning in his patrol car. He’d called his partner at least a dozen times since last night, and he never answered. This wasn’t like Lee.

Or maybe he’s just finally realized how annoying you are. ​ Seungbae thought to himself, ​Or got tired of how many times you rejected him.

“Is there a problem, Officer Yang?” Bum asked, peeking up from the backseat. He’d been terribly quiet all morning, but the officer was beginning to suspect that his lack of small talk was probably due to him having not spoken often in years.

“None at all. I’m going to take you to the station. We’ve got an underground parking garage, and I don’t think anyone from Sangwoo’s gang would find you there!”

Bum worried at his bottom lip, then leaned back in his seat. “Officer, I’m sorry for ruining your plans today. I know you wanted to catch him, but…”

“Who says I still won’t? I’m just dropping you off so you don’t have to get caught in the middle of all this.”

*** “Alright, Bumi, I’m not telling you to quit your job or anything,” His boyfriend snaked his arms around Bum’s tiny waist, “but you’re there even when you’re not working.” Before Bum can so much as open his mouth to protest, he continued, “Now I know why. And it’s okay. You’ve gotten better over the past few months, but even I know that there’s bound to be setbacks.”

“Setbacks?” Bum echoed.

“Your obsessive tendencies. There’s someone who frequents that store that’s caught your attention.”  

Bum ducked his head, face flushing in shame.  

“But maybe you should quit your job. We can move someplace less busy; you always do better when there’s less people around.”

“You just want me all to yourself.” Bum nudged his boyfriend off of him and walked over to the coatrack by their kitchen door to find his jacket.

“Okay. Maybe I do. Is it wrong of me to not really like the idea of you seeing someone else while we’re together? And besides, it has been getting more dangerous around here recently. I don’t know. I just think it’d be for the best.”

“We can’t both quit our jobs.” Bum said pointedly, zipping his jacket. It still smelled of the bonfire they’d attended the weekend before; for some boring event his boyfriend’s company had thrown. “I’ll be back later. We… could go get dinner when I…”

“Sure thing, Bum.” Bum could try and pretend he didn’t notice the difference in his boyfriend’s attitude. He was too distracted. “Be safe out there.”

He nodded.

“I love you.”

The kitchen door clicked shut behind him without so much as a reply.

.

Bum regained consciousness in a very dark and unfamiliar basement, but upon having a moment to think, he quickly remembered that he wasn’t alone. His arms and legs were restrained, and he couldn’t help but wish that all that's happened was just a dream.  

That he’d wake up at home, (not in bed with his boyfriend, of course, but the man he secretly obsessed with over) and discover that all of this had been nothing more than a nightmare.  

He’d soon realize, when his captor came out of another part of the pitch black room, that he was in one.

“Well, well, well… what do we have here?”

Bum squirmed upon a bright light being shined into his eyes. It was then that he first caught sight of the mafia leader. He didn’t want to believe what he was seeing. “S-Sangwoo…”

The boss cocked his head to the side, chuckling, “So you ​ do ​know something about me.” He brushed a finger against Bum’s cheek. “Maybe you’re part of another gang. A set of eyes, trying to ruin me, huh?”

“I would never!” Bum cried a bit louder than he intended. “I- I work at High Street Market, and I- I saw you there! That’s all!”

“Hm. That makes sense. Because good employees always follow their customers out to the parking lot. You should be fired.”

Bum looked away. “You’d be the only one.”

“And why’s that?”

“B-Because…”

“Yeah?”

Bum went on to quickly explain how he’d grown attached and obsessed with Sangwoo, ever since one of Sangwoo’s men bumped into Bum while he was stocking a shelf and ended up sending half an aisle of soup cans toppling to the floor, and Sangwoo had been quite generous in offering to help him pick them all back up. He was charming, and Bum felt incredibly allured. “And ever since that day, I looked for you to come back! I just thought you were someone from corporate or something! I wasn’t suspicious!”

“Bet you are now.” Sangwoo pet Bum’s head with another laugh, turning away from him. “What am I to do with you? I could kill you right now, but that’s no fun. Mm. Could always sell you, though I don’t think you’d be worth much. What do you think?”

Big tears began to roll down Bum’s face as he realized he now faced a life of misery or a deadly situation. His life was literally in the mafia leader’s hands, and it didn’t seem to be going in his favor.

“Hm…? I’m pretty sure I asked you a question.”  

“Save me.” Bum whispered.

“What was that?”

“Save me! Please don’t kill me. I don’t want to die in a cold, dark basement, over

something I didn’t do. You think I’ve done wrong, Sangwoo? Then punish me for it. But let me live long enough to understand what exactly I’ve done wrong!”

“What you’ve done wrong?” Bum could feel the rope around his waist tightening. “You’re still alive. That’s what’s wrong.”

*** “Bum, I’ve brought home dinner. It’s cold, but I figure you’ve got to be fed at some point.” Sangwoo chuckled the night Bum escaped, unlocking and letting himself into his townhome. Usually, he might’ve heard Bum startle upstairs when he would come home, but this time he was greeted with nothing more than a suspicious silence. “Bum.” He set the groceries down, arms folded. “Come on down here.”

He bolted up the stairs, two steps at a time, and kicked open Bum’s bedroom door. Shocked, he found it empty. ​I lock it when I leave and there’s no windows, how the fuck ​did he-

It’s then that Sangwoo remembered his victim in his basement that he still had to deal with, and for a moment he wondered if perhaps the two had escaped together.

But after checking on the officer, he found him still tied up, alone, in the exact same place he’d left him.

Sangwoo called some of his men, then checked the security cameras they had access to in the area. Not a trace of Bum. The house was thoroughly searched, just to be sure.

They did find a note the following morning in the mailbox, delivered with the rest of the usual bills and payments given under various different names.  

Sangwoo ripped the note out of one of his worker’s hands, skimmed it over, then tore it to shreds. “That ​sneaky bastard ​ is one dead son of a bitch!”

*** Sangwoo, I’m not coming back this time. But don’t worry about finding me, by the time you read this I’ll be dead. And soon, you will be too if you don’t run. -Bee *** This couldn’t be a forged note. Only Bum would know about the nickname Sangwoo occasionally called him when in a good mood, (which, actually, didn’t happen too often these days).  

“Bumblebee, you know you have to stay in your room when I’m not here. But I’ll bring you back something for dinner if you’re good.”

“Find him!” Sangwoo shouted. “Find him and kill him! Kill whoever he’s with, kill the goddamn cops if you’ve got to!” *** Bum sat uncomfortably in one of the stiff chairs of Officer Yang’s partner’s office. The detective in question was absent, but Seungbae assured him that he would be safe here.

Looking around, he couldn’t tell much about the life of this “Lee” guy, because there weren’t any pictures or knick-knacks that most people presumably kept in their offices. It was early and there wasn’t much traffic in the police station, but even the slightest noise caused him to jump in fear that Sangwoo had found him.

But really, he shouldn’t worry about Sangwoo coming to find him. He wouldn’t make a personal appearance in a police station; nobody except for Bum and a few higher-ups ever saw his face. Still…

Seungbae unlocked the computer behind the desk and was stunned to find the desktop background to be a kitten and small duck sitting in a small garden. That didn’t seem like Lee at all. Shaking his head, he began typing in information about Sangwoo that Bum had given him. Now that they had an age, hair and eye color, approximate height and frequent address, (that did not match the one Bum had given him two weeks ago), it might be easier to track him down.

“Bum, I’ve been meaning to ask.” Seungbae tipped his glasses up from where they had fallen. “Two things, actually. The address in the restaurant, first off. Where would that have taken me?”

Bum shifted his eyes to the side. “It’s uh…” Seungbae waited patiently for Bum to summon the courage to continue. “That’s where he can usually be found. It’s a private club. He’s there almost every day.”

“Thank you.” Seungbae rested his chin in his hands. “And secondly, how did you know where to find me?”

Bum’s cheeks flushed once more, but he didn’t look away. “Ah… once I went on a date with someone, years ago… before my boyfriend. And she lived right next-door to you. I wasn’t sure if you still lived there, but I had to try. You must know the name of the officer in my basement. I thought you’d want to help him.”

Seungbae’s eyes shot up. “His name? You know his-”

Gunshots rang into the air before either could speak another word. Petrified, Bum sunk behind his chair, covering his ears. “He’s here… he found me, he’s going to kill me, he’s…”

“Bum…” Seungbae whispered sharply, searching for a gun among Lee’s things. “What was his ​name ​ ?”

Bum simply shook his head, trembling in fear.

The gunshots only came closer. Seungbae knew both of them were screwed unless he could come up with something. He looked to the window. It wasn’t too far of a drop, but if Sangwoo had men outside…  

“You shouldn’t have come to me, but it’s okay. You were doing what you thought was right. I was going to find him today no matter what. Sangwoo will not get away with what he’s done!”

“Seungbae!” Bum wept when the door clicked open. *** Sangwoo did not look like a mafia boss.

His smile was so charismatic, his voice soft and his demeanor inviting. Perhaps this is why so many people followed him.

Seungbae and Bum find themselves in a cold basement that only one of them recognize, and they are kept company by a fresh corpse, face so terribly smashed in that it would be impossible to know who it was.  

Sangwoo was upstairs, discussing his next move with his men. They could hear his muffled voice through the floor.

“His name was Lee.” Bum finally spoke, rocking back and forth as he hugged his knees. “He was patrolling the area, and someone overheard him mention the plan to ambush you tomorrow. So they took him.”

Seungbae’s eyes went wide. “​Lee ​ ? He was my-”

“I know,” Bum cried, “But what does it matter now? We’re both going to die and it’s all ​my fault ​ , I should never have…”

“Hey, Bum… please don’t do this to yourself.” Seungbae’s voice was surprisingly calm after just discovering his best friend and partner had died at the hands of a man just several feet above him. “You’re going to get out of here.”

“How? What can you possibly do that I haven’t tried already?” Bum asked him with a humorless laugh that soon turned to a cry when footsteps came towards the basement door. “Seungbae, what are you going to do?”

“Just follow my lead, okay? You’re going to be just fine. I’m a police officer, remember?”

Bum thinks, honestly, at this point that doesn’t make much of a difference.

The basement door was then opened, and Bum scooted back against the wall, covering his face in terror. He’d tried to escape before, during the first few months of his imprisonment, and let’s just say he still had scars to remember it by.

“​Bumi ​ ,” Sangwoo called in a sing-song voice, carelessly walking down the steps as if he wasn’t about to kill them. “You know, I looked everywhere for you?​ You know how pissed that made me ​ ? Putting so much effort into a guy I’ve never given two shits about.”

Bum wouldn’t move.

“But I see you’ve made a friend. Hi, my name’s Oh Sangwoo,” He grinned at the officer. “Mind the mess, Bumi here usually does the cleaning for me, but as you can see he’s been slacking off recently.” Sangwoo paced between them for a few minutes, and Seungbae spent that time glancing around the basement, looking for a weapon, a way to escape, a diversion… “Now… I’ve already killed a cop today. Two in a day is a record. For cops I mean. Not ordinary people.” He winked at Bum. “But… you ​are ​ a threat to my wellbeing, so I’ve got to do something. And I can’t keep both of you. Hell, I’m not sure I want either of you after ​someone ​ decided to be a fucking ​snitch ​ .”

Seungbae eyed the gun in his captor’s pocket. He doubted he was strong enough to take him down, but to keep him busy long enough to toss ​Bum ​ the gun, perhaps…

The question was, could Bum possibly be strong enough after all those years of torture to kill his captor? It was a valid point, but Seungbae had to trust that Bum was ready to do this. It was the only way that they’d survive.

“You know, I’ve been running this little business for a short while, so nothing too exciting has happened,” Sangwoo continued speaking to them, “but when my father ran this? I got to see some real entertainment. Maybe today’s my lucky day, though. I think what I’ve got before me could shape up to be real entertaining. We’ve got Bum, the coward who’s gonna beg for his life in a minute, then there’s the knight in shining armor who’s gonna defend Bum, and then we’ve got Lee here on the floor who looks just fuckin’ zazzed right now to be here. Finally, there’s me, the lucky son of a bitch who gets to beat the shit out of you and watch you die! Bum’s betrayal made him deserve it, and you?” He leaned in close to the officer’s face. “You made a dumb ass mistake by letting him in. I might’ve let you live if you’d turned him in.”

Seungbae scowled at him.

“Were you two going to fuck after this? Damn, this would’ve made a good action film. But the bad guys always lose, don’t you find? And you, sir, are definitely the bad guy.” He kicked the officer in the shoulder. “You fucked up, Officer, and now I’m gonna make you pay for it.”

“You aren’t going to get away with this,” Seungbae managed to say through his pain.

Sangwoo laughed at him, tipping his head back. “Is-Isn’t that what literally ​every hero says to the person who ​gets away ​ with what they were doing? Because newsflash, Seungbae.” He pulls his gun from his pocket and presses it against the officer’s head. “I already have.”

Seungbae knew he only had one shot at surviving.

All at once, he spit in the mafia boss’s face and kicked his legs out from underneath him. Sangwoo fell back, but fired his gun in the process, shooting the officer in the shoulder.

“​No ​ !” Bum screamed, crying much harder than before. Seungbae was his only chance of escaping, and now…

But the officer didn’t give up just yet.

While Sangwoo busied himself licking the blood from his gun, marveling at the slow and painful death he’d give the cop, Seungbae leaned in and bit down on the boss’s neck, drawing a hefty amount of blood. He used all his weight to push himself on top of Sangwoo, who still gripped his gun but couldn’t reach the officer without potentially shooting himself. He still tried, of course, yet Seungbae’s grip on his arm

made that difficult. Sangwoo had never lost a fight and he wasn’t planning on that happening now.

Bum saw a chance, while those two men wrestled against the floor, blood pouring out from the officer’s arm.

I’ll be dead in a moment, so it doesn’t matter what happens to me. But he needs to get out of here.

Bum grabbed a spiked slab of wood that Sangwoo often used on his victims, and in the midst of the action, slammed the slab down into Sangwoo’s eye. ***

Some time later, the streets do seem a little bit safer. A gang has almost completely dismantled since the death of their leader.

Apparently, some victim shot him in the throat.

Officer Lee’s body was identified and mourned heavily throughout the city.

Seungbae has been in intensive care for awhile, but he’s doing better now.

Bum disappeared that day from the basement, never to be seen again. Some suspect that he was killed by some of Sangwoo’s most devoted followers who’d been seeking revenge.

It was in the locker room when Bum’s eyes met Sangwoo’s for the first time. The smaller one was currently being held down by two of his seniors while the third one was trying to get off his pants. Of course, Bum fought back with all the strength he had but he didn’t scream because attracting attention from other recruits would make the situation he was in worse. Be it instantly – who knows who would want to join in “the fun” – or afterwards as revenge when the higher-ups were done with the assaulters. Naturally, Bum was shocked and stopped moving for a second when he saw the young man standing there. His lack of action didn’t go unnoticed by his senior, who – as he turned to look behind him – was met with a fist.

“What the fuck are you scum doing here?!” Sangwoo yelled. The two recruits, who held Bum down, stood up, looked at each other and nodded in understanding before leaping after the guy who hurt their friend. Unfortunately for them, Sangwoo was not only taller but also stronger. He dodged the first guy and punched the second one into his solar plexus, making him fall onto his knees.

“You think, you’re some kind of hero, huh? Came to rescue the little fag princess?” The guy, who got a taste of Sangwoo’s fist, stood up and carefully touched his swelling cheek. Just as Sangwoo wanted to punch him again, he was being attacked from behind.

Bum was just sitting there, watching the scene with dread. What if that guy saw him being toyed with and now he wanted to do the same thing but even worse? His heart told him to get up and flee but his mind was just blank.

Sangwoo threw the attacker, who was still hanging onto him and trying to asphyxiate him with his arm around his neck, towards the cocky one. The latter being kind of kicked by his friend in the face in the process.

Quickly Sangwoo turned to Bum, took his hand and with a soft “Run!”, he dragged the still frozen man with him.

They only got to run to the cafeteria in the next building because Bum was not only in no shape to run and out of breath but his pants were still halfway put on.

“Gee, boy, you have no stamina.” Only now Sangwoo got to take a proper look at the shorter male, who was trying his best to catch his breath, hands on his knees. Sangwoo furrowed his eyebrows. The boy before him was really thin and in an unhealthy way pale. He flinched when he saw Bum, who could finally breathe normally again, pulling his pants up and zipping them. 

Even though he used a belt, the pants still looked like they were two sizes too big and Sangwoo knew that the boy had to have the smallest size available in the military.“Hey, so…uhm…” The taller male didn’t know how to start the conversation. He crossed his arms and frowned. Bum, looking up, interpreted the other’s look as a sign of dissatisfaction. He shivered, scared of what would follow. Noticing how the black-haired boy flinched, Sangwoo felt a pang of worry. He uncrossed his arms and put one hand on Bum’s shoulder in a calming manner but it had the opposite effect because Bum jerked away; big, shocked eyes staring at Sangwoo, who immediately raised his hands up, showing the other he meant no harm.“Sorry, I-I didn’t want to scare you. I just wanted to talk.” Bum’s expression didn’t change and it made Sangwoo think, what must have happened to make the other that distrusting.“So…”, Sangwoo looked at the boy’s name tag on his uniform. “ -Yoon Bum, right? You have to take care of yourself. I mean, just your appearance screams ‘bully victim’.

 You seriously should eat more. You’re way too thin and unhealthily pale.” Ashamed of his appearance being pointed out, Bum looked away. Sangwoo sighed. He felt awkward with that weird guy. Nervously scratching the back of his head he said, “Look, I don’t criticise you, it’s just… the way you are now, they are gonna keep doing shit like this. This is the military. It’s beating up or being beaten up. I bet you, those losers suck at their job and get yelled at by the superiors, so they compensate by bullying you.” Bum bit his lip. It’s not like he didn’t know this but what could he do? He suddenly felt a big warm hand ruffling his hair. He looked up and saw Sangwoo’s dejected face.“What do I do with you?” He sighed again.

“Well, for now… Let me buy us lunch. Just looking at you makes me hungry.” Sangwoo noticed the flinch but he didn’t show it. After the meal Bum bowed down, whispered a thank you and disappeared. Sangwoo just shook his head in disbelief. He had to keep an eye on that boy, no matter how weird he was. It happened that Sangwoo had to come another two times for Bum’s rescue: One time when the same three guys ganged up on him on the toilet and another time in the evening by the dorms. That time it was pure coincidence that Sangwoo was there. His room was at the opposite end of the building from where Bum’s was. It just happened that Sangwoo has had a bad day so he decided to let out his anger by going for a run before bed. It was long past curfew but he didn’t care. When he was on his way back, he saw two guys whispering and ganging up on another. Too tired to care, Sangwoo decided to just mind his own business until he heard one of the guys say Bum’s name. 

That was the last straw. Sangwoo has had enough. Enough of those fuckers bullying others. Enough of Bum being a victim. Enough of this whole military crap. Without thinking, he just walked past the guys and again dragged Bum by his wrist towards his room. They stood in front of the door, neither of them uttering a word. Sangwoo was angry. Very angry. But he had to calm down. For his sake and Bum’s. He didn’t want to hurt the other.“S-Sangwoo… you are… hurting me.” Hearing Bum’s fragile voice, he immediately let go of the wrist he forgot he was holding onto.“Sorry”, he whispered and turned towards Bum. The shorter male shook his hand while massaging his wrist. Distressed, Sangwoo ran his fingers through his hair. “Bum. This can’t go on. You’re gonna sleep in my bed tonight.” Shocked at the words Sangwoo said, Bum wanted to refuse but the taller male didn’t let him.“No ‘but’s. I am serious and-““But what about you?”, Bum interrupted him. Sangwoo was surprised for a second but continued.“I’m gonna keep watch here outside. The other guys are deep sleepers and they are okay, so you don’t have to worry about them.” “I-I don’t worry about…about them. It’s cold here and you can’t possibly stay outside. I am… not worth it.” There he was again. Sangwoo took a deep breath, closed his eyes and counted to ten. He wanted to punch Bum so badly for saying stuff like this. It was not the first time Bum degraded himself and somehow it hurt Sangwoo that the boy didn’t value himself. He approached Bum, put both hands on either shoulder of the shorter male, bent slightly down and looked him deep into his eyes.“You.Are.Going.To.Sleep.Here. Understand?” Bum’s eyes only turned sadder. Sangwoo groaned.“Do as you are told by your hyung.”

“But-“ 

“No!” Sangwoo opened the door to his room he shared with some other recruits and pushed Bum towards his bunk bed.

“Go and sleep.” He urged Bum to lay down, which the other did. Pulling the covers over the shorter male’s body, he kissed his forehead instinctively. When he realised what he had done, he just stared down at Bum and whispered a “Goodnight” before dashing out of the room.

The next morning, Sangwoo was woken up by a cold finger poking his cheek. Groggily he opened his eyes and looked in the direction from where the mysterious finger came. His eyes met Bum’s, which were as usual filled with worry.

“Sangwoo, please get into the bed.”

Still too tired to process anything being said to him, Sangwoo just hummed, closing his eyes again. Bum pouted. It was four a.m. and he wanted Sangwoo to get at least an hour of sleep before the day started but the other was being rather uncooperative. Softly he shook the taller male’s shoulder. It was freezing outside and Sangwoo was literally sitting here, hugging his knees in just a tank top and some sweatpants.

“Sangwoo, please, wake up!”

“Nnhhnnnggh…” Sangwoo just swatted away Bum’s hand. Sighing, Bum went back into the room, took the sheets and went back to cover up Sangwoo’s cold body before sitting down next to him. He thought about going back to his own room but he couldn’t just leave Sangwoo here all by himself.

5 a.m. sharp the daily ruckus started and it startled Sangwoo awake from his sleep. He was still groggy but warm and leaning onto his shoulder was a sleeping Bum. No matter what, Sangwoo had to protect the boy.

 It was the day of return. During their last two months at the military, Sangwoo and Bum got closer to each other. Strangely enough they somehow completed each other: Bum’s quiet behaviour calmed Sangwoo down when he lost his temper. Sangwoo on the other side made Bum come out of his shell little by little. The shorter male slowly started to voice his opinions and stand his ground – which still failed most of the time but it was something.

“Is no one going to get you?”, Sangwoo asked. They were standing at the bus station, waiting. Bum just shook his head.

“But… aren’t you living with your uncle? Is he away?” Again, Bum shook his head. He didn’t tell much about his life. Sangwoo only knew that he was living with his uncle, that they were poor and that Bum was obviously (unconsciously?) starving himself out of stress. He wouldn’t say that Bum had an eating disorder, it was more like he didn’t feel hunger due to the strain. When Sangwoo was forcing him to work out and eat, he would oblige. After some hard training with Sangwoo to become stronger and be able to protect himself, Bum would practically devour twice the portion he usually ate. So Sangwoo came to the conclusion that it had more to do with the environment than his mind.

“Well, your bag is pretty heavy. I know we’ve trained a few times but you are still underweight and…” Sangwoo didn’t want to say ‘weak’. “And tired from the journey here.”

“It’s… okay.”

“No, it’s not. Give me that bag. I’m gonna walk you home.” At that, Bum flinched.

“No, seriously. It’s okay. Really. I can…. manage.” Being sceptical, Sangwoo tried to get more out of Bum.

“Then…. Why do I have the feeling that there is something you’re hiding?”

Bum was a terrible liar and he knew it. And Sangwoo knew it too.

“I…” Bum’s head hung low. Sangwoo ran his fingers through Bum’s hair.

“I’m not gonna do anything you don’t like, you know that. I’m just gonna drop off that bag and go, okay?” Bum nodded and a faint smile appeared on Sangwoo’s lips.

 Bum’s key didn’t fit into the lock. With slight panic he looked at Sangwoo, who already suspected that Bum was playing all the worst-case scenarios in his head he could come up with. The taller male sighed.

“How about we ring the doorbell?”

For a second Bum realised that this was also an option but when he remembered why it was definitely not one after all it was already too late because Sangwoo rang the bell. The latter noticed Bum trying to tell him something but he couldn’t ask since the door opened and some creepy and grumpy middle-aged guy in what looked like unwashed sweatpants and undershirt stepped out.

“Who the hell is daring to disturb my peace?”

Oh. So this was why Bum didn’t want Sangwoo to come along.

“Good day, sir.” Sangwoo greeted politely. Always be polite. That’s the safest way.

“Hello, uncle.” Bum muttered under his breath, his eyes cast down.

“Huh? Bum? That you, you ungrateful kid?” The man looked suspiciously at Sangwoo and approached his nephew. Pulling Bum roughly by his hair, he yelled, “What did you do? Did they kick you out of the military? You sure are a good-for-nothing.” Sangwoo was feeling himself losing his cool but he had to stay calm.

“Mister, he wasn’t kicked out. Today is our dismissal.”

He glanced at Sangwoo. “Is that so?”

Bum’s uncle let go of his hair and walked back into the house, informing Bum,

“I didn’t hear anything about that. There is no food for you here. If you want some, go earn it and leave me alone. And I changed the lock because I lost the key, so if you want a key, pay the duplicate yourself.”

Bum let his head hang. It hurt Sangwoo seeing his friend like this. Being impulsive as ever, Sangwoo took Bum by his hand and pulled him back towards the street.

“S-Sangwoo! What are you doing?” The taller didn’t answer, he just pulled Bum along for a few metres and when Bum’s house was out of sight, Sangwoo turned to him.

“Bum, I can’t let you live with him there. You’re gonna be gloomy again. Every small step you took to better yourself is going to be in vain. Come live with me.” Shocked eyes looked into determined one.

“I-I can’t Sangwoo. I am just going to intru-“

“No! Don’t say a single word. Just come. You are already of age, right? I mean, you were enlisted. That means you are old enough to decide on your own. He is toxic and bad for you. I may not be able to be the perfect family for you but I am definitely better than him.” Bum felt like his heart stood still and so did Sangwoo. Family. That’s what the taller one has always dreamed about. Bum knows his story: His father was abusive, he only had his mother. Unfortunately, his parents died in a car accident so now he was living by himself. His mother was the only person he had loved so much. Till now. 

Bum was the only person who grew dear into his heart beside his mother. This was all new for Sangwoo and he felt really insecure. He knew he had anger management issues, so he wanted to make everything between him and Bum perfect. Sangwoo would never admit that he was afraid of scaring Bum away with his aggression though. The shorter male was sometimes weird – well no wonder, when he grew up with a jerk like that – but he was still precious to Sangwoo.“I- I am of age. But… Sangwoo, you are starting university, so you should live your life while you can and not spend your youth with me.” Sangwoo furrowed his eyebrows.“What are you talking about? You sound like an old geezer.”“Well-“. Sangwoo groaned.“Bum, please! Look at this as helping out a dongsaeng, okay? Is that alright for your masochistic conscience?” Bum looked confused.“Dongsaeng? Sangwoo… I am older than you.” Now it was Sangwoo’s turn to be surprised.“Wait, what? By how much?” Seeing that Sangwoo didn’t know his age, Bum suddenly felt ashamed for being older than his friend.“Four years.” It was a mere whisper.“Four years?! And why didn’t you care to tell me? How do you even know?” Sangwoo couldn’t believe this. Now he felt even more obliged to be at his hyung’s side.“You didn’t ask for my age and I knew because you told me about your 21st birthday.”Oh, well that made sense. Again Sangwoo sighed.“Look, Bum. I don’t care, okay? I’m still here for you and you are going to live with me. I hope you don’t have any valuables left with your uncle, and if, then we’re gonna buy you some new, alright?” Bum nodded and that was all that Sangwoo wanted.   Living together turned out well. Even though Sangwoo and Bum were in different classes and years, they somehow managed to be able to at least eat breakfast and dinner together. Sangwoo worked part-time and earned their money, while Bum made the chores at home. At first he wanted to go to work to but Sangwoo insisted that they wouldn’t have time for cleaning and cooking if they both worked. It was obviously a lie and they both knew it, still none of them said that out aloud. Also, Sangwoo loved Bum’s cooking. It was much better than his and it made his day when he came home after a tiring day of classes and work to eat Bum’s delicious meals.It was Friday evening and the two males were eating dinner in peace. Sangwoo had the next day off so they decided to spend the night relaxing.“Sangwoo, today a letter to you came.”“To me?” Sangwoo talked while chewing. Bum made a slightly annoyed face at his roommates behaviour. The latter made a face, muttered a “Yeah, yeah, no chewing while eating” and took the letter Bum handed him. Opening the letter, he saw the logo of his health insurance. The more he read the content, the angrier he got. Bum noticing the change of expression tilted his head and softly called Sangwoo’s name.“What is it?”The roommate sighed and scratched his temple, a habit that showed, when he was stressed.“It’s nothing.”“It doesn’t look like nothing. What is the matter, Sangwoo?”“It’s… it’s the insurance.” Bum sensed something bad, but he was also afraid of asking for details, so he just stared at the other, which in turn made Sangwoo uncomfortable.“We’re gonna make it.” Sangwoo tried to assure Bum, but failed.“What happened? Are you sick?” The shorter male started to worry. What would he do if Sangwoo was sick? He would have to look for a job so the other could stay at home and get some rest. After all, Sangwoo did everything for him.“No, it’s not… me. It’s just…” Sangwoo closed his eyes. He didn’t want to talk about this. He already knew how Bum would react and only thinking about it made him lose his temper.“Sangwoo?” “The insurance won’t pay your treatment. There, you have it!” Bum’s eyes widened in shock. After they moved in, Sangwoo took Bum to see a doctor. He had appointments with a dietician and a psychologist every few weeks to work on his unhealthy coping mechanism of not eating or eating too little. When Sangwoo talked with his insurance advisor about the costs, they assured him, they would cover the expenses but now h,  got a letter of regret.

 “It’s all my fault. I’m sorry.” Bum muttered and Sangwoo was just seconds away from punching his friend.“Bum. Another word and I swear by God, I’m not gonna hold back.” Sangwoo’s voice trembled from anger but the other didn’t let that stop him. His regret was too deep.“But it’s true! Everything is my fault. You have to work part-time to pay for the bills of two people even though you should just enjoy your university life, go out, drink, meet new people and get a girlfriend, but because of me you are stuck here and now you are even indebted. 

I knew this wouldn’t work ou-“ That was it. Sangwoo lost it. He slammed the letter on the table.“Shut the fuck up, Bum!” He stood up, pulled Bum up by his collar and continued his rant.“One more fucking time I hear you saying shit like this and you’re gonna regret you ever met me, are we clear?”Bum’s wide and wet eyes just stared at Sangwoo. And stared. And slowly Sangwoo regained his composure, realising what he did. At once he let go of Bum’s collar as if he burned himself. Bum looked away, his face red, lips trembling. Sangwoo’s eyes widened in shock. What had he done? He wanted everything to be perfect. He wanted to protect Bum. But here he was, yelling at him and not being better than the guys from the military or Bum’s uncle, who neglected him his whole life.His hand shook. Bum was still looking away ashamed. Slowly Sangwoo took Bum’s hands into his, drawing circles on the back of them with his thumbs.“Bum.” Sangwoo’s voice broke. He received no answer.“Bum?” Sangwoo whined but still, the other was too overwhelmed to know how to react. Interpreting the silence as rejection, Sangwoo let his guard finally down. He didn’t care if he looked pathetic in this moment. He didn’t care that he couldn’t hold his perfect façade – which was sometimes two-faced but only Bum knew that – any longer. Right now he only cared about Bum. He squeezed Bum’s hand, hoping the latter would react in some way but when there was still no sign of Bum moving, Sangwoo leaned down, his forehead touching the side of Bum’s forehead.

 He stared at the shorter male, hoping it would get his attention. When there was still no reaction, Sangwoo nuzzled his nose into Bum’s cheek, like a cat rubbing its head against its owner. He pushed and rubbed and tried to convey all his feelings through these gestures. His lips ghosted over Bum’s cheek, leaving a damp trace after whispering “Please, don’t leave me.” After that incident, they kind of returned to their normal day to day life. Sangwoo worked extra hours to pay the medical bills and insisted that Bum continued his therapy. Bum didn’t mention anything about him being unworthy or the likes, instead he did his best to show his gratitude by learning to cook new dishes, prepare the bath for Sangwoo after a long day and generally doing more chores.

 Also, their touches became more: Arms brushing when going past the other, knees touching when sitting closer to each other on the couch, and more half-hugs from Sangwoo.“Bum, I’m home!”“I’m in the living room”, came the muffled answer.Sangwoo took of his shoes and walked into the living room, where he saw Bum folding the ironed laundry while watching the news on TV. The scene before him made him smile genuinely. It was so domestic. Everything he ever wanted was just right before him. Bum noticed Sangwoo spacing out and called out to him.“Sangwoo? What do you have there?” The taller man snapped out of his train of thoughts. He looked behind himself and smirked before approaching Bum, kneeling down on the floor next to him. His smirk widened as he saw Bum impatiently trying to see what was behind his back.“Patience, Bum.” 

The black-haired man looked up with puppy eyes. Sangwoo snorted and pulled out an alpaca plushie from behind his back. Realising what Sangwoo held in his hands, Bum stared incredulously at the toy. He tilted his head in question and his roommate just chuckled, handing him the alpaca.“It’s for you. AND, before you say anything, it’s a present from me for all your efforts. You’ve started eating healthily again and even gained some weight! You also don’t look that pale anymore, even though you don’t go out much, you little vampire.” The blond male cupped Bum’s cheek with one hand while saying the last bit, chuckling. He smiled genuinely at Bum, who took the toy and petted it. 

“And thank you for your hard work in the house.”

Bum looked up with teary eyes and just hugged the plushie tighter.

“Thank you, Sangwoo, I-“

“Shh.” Sangwoo placed a finger on Bum’s lips to silence him.

“I told you. It’s a present for your effort. You’ve earned it.” Bum still wasn’t convinced but Sangwoo was glad that he started to learn to value himself more.

“And the expenses?” Sangwoo shook his head in disbelief.

“That’s not for you to worry about, okay?” Bum just nodded.

“Good, then you have fun. I’m gonna shower for a bit. Can you already prepare the DVD? Thanks.”

  Sangwoo was annoyed. He was more than annoyed, he could practically feel his blood boil. They were currently on the third movie of their movie-marathon-night and it was not how Sangwoo planned it. He worked extra hard to get off work in the afternoon to spend more time with Bum but the shorter man had other plans thanks to his new companion: Mr. Fuzzypants. At first, Sangwoo found it cute how attached Bum was to the plushie but to think that the stuff toy robbed him of his opportunity to be touchy-feely with his roommate while watching TV made him go mad. What should Sangwoo do in order to get rid of the alpaca that was sitting between him and Bum?

“Uh…. Bum, are you by any chance hungry?”

The shorter male looked at his friend.

“Are you? Do you want me to cook?”, Bum asked.

That was not, what he wanted.

“Uhm, how about the two of us cook? You do the chores all the time, so I can do it for a change.”

“I am not really that hungry.” What should he do? He wanted Bum’s attention.

“Yeah, well… Can’t you help me? You know I am useless in the kitchen.” The other just regarded his weird behaviour.

“Sangwoo, are you… Ashamed of not being able to cook?”

What?

“Uh…”

“You act kinda strange. It’s okay, you don’t have to feel ashamed. You are still a hero in my eyes.” That was not the case. Sangwoo wasn’t a gourmet chef but he could cook to keep himslef alive, but that didn’t matter. Seeing Bum’s glowing smiley face was a gift to him, so he didn’t care what the other thought about his cooking skills.

Pausing the movie, Bum stood up and held out his hand for Sangwoo to help him up. The taller man smirked.

“You know that I have more strength than you.”

Bum pouted and left for the kitchen.

“Hey!” Sangwoo stood up and followed his roommate, who was smiling to himself.

They decided to make lasagne. It was satiating and it took some time, so when it was done, they should already be hungry.

 “Now we leave it for 30 minutes”, Bum said as he closed the oven door.

They sat back down and continued watching the movie. Thankfully the alpaca wasn’t in the way anymore, but he was still in Bum’s lap. Sangwoo was slowly getting sleepy – he did work hard on his job today –, when he felt Bum fidgeting next to him. He didn’t pay any attention, thinking the other’s leg must feel numb from sitting in the same position for too long. What he didn’t notice, was that Bum was staring at him with unsure eyes. Moving a bit closer and fidgeting more, Bum gained Sangwoo’s attention, who just looked down at the shorter male, oblivious to what the other was trying to tell him. Bum continued staring, earning a questioning look from Sangwoo. Insecurity found its way into Bum’s eyes but still, Sangwoo didn’t know what his friend might possibly want from him. Sighing, Bum just thought

fuck it

and went for it. He leaned up and kissed Sangwoo. 

He overestimated the distance between them so he – unintentionally – forcefully slammed his lips into Sangwoo’s, unwillingly hurting the two of them in the process. It was just a peck and when Bum pulled back after getting no sign of rejection or acceptance, he anxiously watched Sangwoo’s stoic face. The latter needed a moment to process what had happened and then suddenly embraced the shorter male.

It was too much for the older. Tears started to form in his eyes but he didn’t want to show his emotions. He was overwhelmed with happiness and relief.

“I-I…hic…I like you, Sangwoo. I… like you a lot.” Sobs were leaving his slightly swollen lips as he hugged Sangwoo back, holding onto him as if his life depended on it.

“Shhh… Me too, Bum. Me too.” Just when Sangwoo pulled back to go in for a kiss, he jerked up.

“Fuck!” He suddenly stood up and ran into the kitchen. Needing a second, Bum realised that they forgot about the lasagne – which he could even smell in the living room – and also stormed to the kitchen. There Sangwoo stood with the burnt food, his hands trembling.

“Fuck!”, Sangwoo yelled and threw the dish into the sink, the sauce splattering across the counter.

“Sangwoo?” Bum asked worriedly. What angered his love?

“Shut it! It’s all my fault.” Exasperatedly he ran his fingers through his hair, while steadying himself with the other on the counter.

“Sangwoo, it’s just food. I can make something else quick.” The black-haired male approached the other, trying to calm him down but it was no use.

“No! This-this was meant to be perfect! And what am I doing? I’m doing everything wrong! First the plushie – I wanted you to swoon over me for getting you it, not that thing replacing me – and now I destroyed our moment and also burnt the food!” With each sentence his voice grew louder. Bum was taken aback. Sangwoo was jealous over a plushie? He knew Sangwoo did all he could to make Bum’s life easy and comfortable and he really appreciated, so why could he himself not see this?

“Sangwoo-“ Bum reached out for Sangwoo but his hand was slapped away. Before Bum could even react, Sangwoo took that hand into his and kissed it, whispering apologises against it.

“I’m so sorry, Bum! I didn’t want to hurt you. It’s- it’s all my fault. How-how can I even be your boyfriend, when I am not better than those assholes I’m trying to protect you from?”

Bum smiled sadly, pulled his hand away and embraced Sangwoo.

“You are a great boyfriend, Sangwoo. I’m happy to have you.”

“But… you know how my temper is.”

“I know”, Bum chuckled and rubbed Sangwoo’s back soothingly.

“I know and it’s okay, Sangwoo. You are okay. More than okay even.” Suddenly the shorter male had difficulties breathing because his now-boyfriend was hugging him too tight but he didn’t mind; he couldn’t be happier. And Sangwoo; he thought he couldn’t fall any harder for his beloved Bum than he already was.

  Sangwoo was currently sitting on the couch, reading a magazine. It was his day off and he was lazing around, waiting for Bum, who was being late from his classes. He heard the front door open and even though he felt like running up to his cute little boyfriend, he kept from doing so. He still had an image of the cool superhero-boyfriend to maintain. Both he and Bum knew it was just to push his ego. Bum even told him he found it cute. Well, that was enough motivation to keep this up from time to time.

“Sorry that I’m late, Woo.” Bum was out of breath, seemingly running home. Sangwoo tried his best to act indifferent, skimming through his magazine while chewing on a cabanossi. He sat up, when Bum was sitting down next to him, still in his jacket.

“What are you doing?”, Sangwoo asked, his head tilting to the side, a habit he picked up from Bum.

His lover didn’t answer and just rummaged through his bag until he found a blue, fancy paper bag and handed it to Sangwoo, who took it with surprise written on his face.

“It’s for you. A present.” Sangwoo looked up, seeing the probably most beautiful smile on Bum he has ever seen on him. His eyes widened and quickly he took out a little plastic box form the bag. Staring at it, Sangwoo was too afraid of opening it but he also wanted to know what it was that Bum gave him.

Carefully he opened the box and inside was a ring. It was plain, with no engravings, but it still looked fancy. Looking up, searching for an answer on his boyfriend’s face, Sangwoo let out a small whine, which Bum nearly missed. The other looked embarrassed to the side, scratching his cheek.

“It’s a thank-you gift.”

Sangwoo didn’t understand.

“And… it’s a promise. I want to thank you for everything you’ve done for me.” He took a deep breath.

“And I promise you to always stay by your side.” Crying. That was what Sangwoo felt like doing right now but instead he just threw his arms around Bum.

“Thank you, Bumi.”

Bum smiled into Sangwoo’s shoulder. They stayed this way for a bit, both feeling comfort in the embrace and the silence. When they pulled back, Bum shyly said: “I thought that you wouldn’t be able to wear a ring at work, so I also bought you a necklace for it.”

“Bum…” Sangwoo leaned in to kiss his precious boyfriend.

“I love it. Put it on me?” Bum smiled, took the ring, pulled the necklace through it and put it on Sangwoo. The blond male took the accessory hanging from his neck between his fingers and regarded it. He closed his eyes and kissed it. Bum’s cheek turned slightly red from seeing the scene. Now Sangwoo looked straight into his eyes, his own filled with determination.

Bum’s eyes fluttered open, awaking to the uncomfortable feeling of the hot sun beating down against his body. He could already feel the painful blisters forming on his skin from the scorching heat. As he sat up, he whimpered softly, his head spinning from the sudden movement. To his annoyance, his head ached, his throat was beyond dry and his lips were blistered.  

When he finally opened his eyes all he could see was white sand and furious waves crashing and rolling along the shore. 

 “Where am I?” He said with a cracking voice.

 “A-and where is Sangwoo.”He tried to recall what happened, but the memories only came back in pieces. He remembered being on a ship with Sangwoo and now he was here, alone on the beach with not a single soul in sight. He stood up as fast as his aching head and body would allow and then looked around trying to get a better understanding of where he was. He let out a soft gasp when he noticed foot prints in the sand. 

They couldn’t be his, they were much larger in comparison to his own. The prints looked as if they came from the ocean up to where he was and then went off into the distance. Had he been carried from the sea? He began to follow them, surely they would lead him to someone. Hopefully Sangwoo. A smile made its way to his lips at the thought of seeing Sangwoo. His handsome Oh Sangwoo. If there was anyone in the world he’d want to be on this island with, it definitely would be him. His pace quickened when he could finally see someone nearby.

“Sangwoo!!” He tried calling out to the figure but his voice was too dry to be audible.When he finally got close enough to the person, indeed it was Sangwoo. He looked as beautiful and statuesque as ever. He was dressed in only a pair of black shorts, exposing his perfect physique. 

His muscular form glistened and shined with sweat, making each muscle look that much more pronounced and appealing. Bum found himself burning up even more… But not from the heat.

“So you woke up.” Said the familiar voice.

“S-Sangwoo, where are we?” Bum croaked.

“God, you sound fucking awful.” He handed Bum a large brown bottle filled with fresh water.So kind~ Bum thought to himself fondly as he drank a generous amount of the fluid. The water felt so good down his throat, instantly curing the uncomfortable dryness. He kept drinking and drinking until he suddenly felt a sharp sting on his cheek. Sangwoo had slapped him so hard he was sent reeling to the ground.

“WHAT THE FUCK?!” Sangwoo shrieked.

 “What are you?! Some greedy pig?! That water has to last!!” He quickly snatched it away from Bum and held it protectively like it was his child. 

“No more fucking water for you.” He chided. 

“Greedy little bastard…”

“I-I’m sorry! I was thirsty.”

“You’ll be even more sorry when we die out here of thirst…”

“Sangwoo… How did we get here? I remember we were on a ship”With a snort and disbelieving smile Sangwoo said, 

“Look around you idiot.”Bum shifted his gaze to his surroundings. He was surprised to find that there was rubble and ship parts all along the sand. 

“Is that our–-”

“Yes.” Sangwoo replied simply. 

“I guess you must’ve hit your head really hard if you don’t remember the storm that landed us here. I tried to save what I could, but there’s not much left of our ship.” Sangwoo had managed to acquire some food and supplies from the wreckage and had already started a fire with whatever he could find around the island.

“Wha?” Bum said with dumb shock. He turned his head back to Sangwoo and let out a nervous laugh.

“Y-you’re j-joking right?” Then his eyes darted back to the shore and to the unmistakably real debris and ship parts. 

“That can’t be our ship."He laughed incredulously again."If that’s our ship then we’re–-”

“Fucked?” Sangwoo interrupted.

“Yes, we’re fucking fucked. We only have enough food to last us a week… If that…”

“Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God!” Bum chanted like a mantra. 

“We’re going to die!”

“Stop being so morbid.” Sangwoo chided.

“Like I said, we have a week to figure this out. If we’re lucky, we’re not the only ones on this island.”It was almost night now and the boys spent the entire day searching the island for any sign of life with no luck. All they had found was a huge mountainous jungle that was thick with a variety of plants, trees and exotic flowers.

“Sangwoo… I-I hate jungles!” Bum squeaked, cowering in fear at the ominous looking entrance to the jungle.  Sangwoo rolled his eyes, trying hard to fight the urge to slap Bum across the head. 

“We’re not going in there you moron. We’d definitely get lost. Let’s head back to our campsite. I’m starving.”When they returned to their camp Sangwoo started another fire. His time in the military was definitely paying off now.

“Bum I’m gonna go grab our food. Make sure the fire doesn’t go out.” Sangwoo walked over to where he’d placed their food and immediately noticed that something wasn’t right. Their food was gone!

“What the hell… What the hell?!” Sangwoo’s eyes darted around the area, making sure they weren’t deceiving him. 

“Shit!!” He ran back to Bum and searched all of their things. That’s when he noticed their water was gone too. With a loud thud, he collapsed on his knees and started pounding his fist into the sand.

“What’s wrong Sangwoo?” Bum asked, confused by the sudden outburst.

“ALL OF OUR SHIT IS GONE!!”Bum gasped. 

“Wh-what are we going to do?!”Sangwoo stopped his fist midair, staring blankly into the sand in thought. His eyes widened and a smile suddenly played on his lips. 

“We’re dead.” He finally said.

“We-we’re not! We can find the person and get our food back!”Sangwoo burst out laughing.

“You really think we’ll be able to find them now? Forget it. We’re screwed.” He got up and walked over to where Bum was seated, then with a dejected sigh he sat down and wrapped an arm around the smaller male’s shoulder.  

“Bum… Let’s go swim in the ocean.”A stupid sounding 

“Huuuuh?” was all Bum could utter at the sudden suggestion. 

 “If I’m gonna die out here, I want to have some fun before I go.”Before Bum could say another word, Sangwoo was already grabbing him roughly and peeling off his clothing.

“B-but S-Sangwoo! Bum whined as Sangwoo stripped him naked. 

"I hate the ocean!”

“Wow your dick is so small. Could you even fuck someone with this?”Bringing his hand down to cover up his nudity, Bum whined in protest.

“I-I Don’t know how to swim! What if a shark eats us!” Although from where he was sitting the ocean looked beautiful, he had absolutely zero desire to go in there. He complained like a toddler while Sangwoo leered at him in disgust.

“Fine, i’ll go in by myself.” Sangwoo announced. He stood up and brought his hands to the hem of his shorts slowly pulling them down and revealing his package. Bum Froze mid complaint, his eyes bulging out and his mouth gaping open at the sight of Sangwoo’s junior. 

“Look at you. Staring like a bitch in heat.” Sangwoo smirked and slowly walked backwards out towards the sea. Without another sound or complaint, Bum found himself following Sangwoo like a puppet on a string. Mesmerized by Sangwoo’s apparently magical cock.When Bum finally came to his senses he was standing at the edge of where sand met the sea, the waves gently creeping over his toes. He was surprised to find that the water wasn’t as bad as he was expecting. It was still warm and the wet sand kind of felt nice under his feet.

“What are you waiting for?” Sangwoo asked, beckoning Bum to come deeper into the water.

“Hurry up!”

“N-no! I’m too scared!”Sangwoo walked back up to where Bum was. With a sigh he extended a hand and asked, 

“Do you love me?”Bum didn’t even have to think.

“O-of course I-”

“You trust me then right?”Bum nodded

.“Take my hand.”With a bit of apprehension, Bum reached out and took Sangwoo’s hand. Then like a gentleman Sangwoo guided him into the water until it reached his chest.

“See? There’s nothing to be such a baby about.”The water looked so pretty under the illumination of the moonlight. It shimmered brightly as if there were shattered glass all along the surface.

“Kind of romantic isn’t it?” Sangwoo commented, quirking his brow and running a hand gently through Bum’s hair. 

“It’s like we’re a real couple or something.” With a quick jerk of his hand, Sangwoo pulled Bum into his chest.  

“Sangwoo, what are y–-”

“Stop talking.” Sangwoo’s eyes fell to Bum’s lips and without hesitating another second, their lips were pressed together. Bum inched closer to Sangwoo, wrapping his arms around the larger man’s shoulders the way he’d always daydreamed about.  Bum inhaled sharply when he felt a hand palming at his nipple, the feeling increasingly making him become more and more aroused. Sangwoo suddenly pulled back.

“You’re hard.” He commented with a grin that would make even Satan himself blush. Bum’s face burned with embarrassment.

“I’m s-sorry.” He uttered.

“Quit apologizing.” Sangwoo said with an amused smile. He dove into the water, pulling Bum down with him. Naturally Bum panicked, ungracefully flailing around like crazy. He resurfaced from the water coughing and wheezing for air like some sort of dying animal. Moments later Sangwoo came back up laughing at the sight of Bum’s pathetic coughing fit.

“Ack!!”

“You should see your face right now!” Sangwoo was hysterical, and although it was at the expense of Bum’s discomfort, Bum was happy to see him like that. Smiling, laughing and having a good time.

“Sangwoo… I love your smile.” Bum whispered bashfully, hiding his blush by covering his face with his hands. Warm hands pulled Bum’s away from his face and he looked up to meet Sangwoo’s gaze. They kissed again. This time the kiss was deep and messy. Full of lust just like how they both liked it. Sangwoo kept is eyes opened as they kissed. He loved seeing Bum like this, his soft features even more attractive with blush dusted over them. He loved the way Bum’s eyes fluttered shut and he adored the soft moans that escaped his lips. Of course he’d never admit it out loud though. He hauled Bum into his arms, Bum’s legs wrapping around his waist instinctively. With his strong arms Sangwoo carried his lover back onto the beach, his feet leaving wet footprints in the sand as he walked up to their campsite.After setting Bum down next to the campfire, Sangwoo brought his lips down the smaller male’s neck and collar bone, his tongue gently flicking against Bum’s wet skin. Then he kissed his way back up to his lips where he stayed for a while. Bum pulled away for a moment and the two men rested their foreheads together, their hot breath mixing together.

“Sang-Sangwoo.” Bum gasped.

“C-Can you touch me… Um, down there.”Sangwoo smiled in return.

“You know I don’t like people telling me what to do… But I’ll make an exception for you Bumi.” Bum’s hips arched upwards when Sangwoo reached in between his thighs and grasped his cock. He let out a blissed out groan as Sangwoo tenderly thumbed over his slit then slowly pumped his shaft.

“Sangwoo~” Bum breathed out. 

“I want… You in me…”

“You’re full of requests today aren’t you…” Sangwoo commented as he stroked Bum harder. Bum keened under Sangwoo’s skillful touch, his little pink cock so wet with precum leaking all over Sangwoo’s hand

.“Ahn! Sangwoo p-please.” He whined, rocking his hips against Sangwoo. Aching and begging for him to be inside.Sangwoo was ready to oblige. Bum’s wanton moans had him so dizzy with arousal all he could think about was fucking him until he really couldn’t walk anymore. He quickly slicked his dick up with spit and lined himself up with Bum’s pretty pink asshole. 

“You want this?” He asked in a sexy velvety tone that was nearly Bum’s undoing.

“Ye-yes Sangwoo!”Bum cried out when his lover finally thrust forward, pumping in and out ever so slowly at first just to savor the feeling of Bum around his cock. He picked up his pace and there was no longer anything slow or gentle about it. Sangwoo drove into Bum with the intensity of a wild animal and Bum loved every second of it. Groaning in pleasure every time Sangwoo hit his prostate viciously.Bum wrapped his legs around Sangwoo and rolled them over, groaning in ecstasy at the new position. 

“I wanna … Ride you.” He breathed out. Sangwoo smirked at Bum’s unexpected confidence, letting his head fall back and his eyes shut. Bum pressed his hands against Sangwoo’s chest, staring at his muscular body as he rode his perfectly thick cock.As he bounced his ass up and down he could feel his impending orgasm coming. 

“Ahh! Sangwoo.” He cried and his eyes fluttered shut as he rocked down against him faster.He came hard all over Sangwoo’s chest, sending Sangwoo over with him. Sangwoo grabbed Bum’s ass as he rode out his own orgasm, leaving red marks on Bum’s bare porcelain skin.

“So… Good~” Bum panted as he was winding down from the high.Sangwoo smirked and leaned forward to give Bum a kiss on the forhead. 

“Get some rest.” Sometime in the middle of the night the two were stirred awake by a strange sound around their camp.Sangwoo shot up first, immediately spotting someone rummaging through their things again.

“What the fuck!! He roared, launching forward and tackling the unknown man. "Where’s all of our shit you fucking thief!

”“P-please don’t hurt me!” The thief cried out.

“I’ll give you back all of your things!!” Bum and Sangwoo sized up the man. He wasn’t even a man, it was a teen. A teen who unlike Sangwoo and Bum was dressed stylishly in street clothing with a black choker that adorned his neck.

“Wait.” Bum started, scratching his head in confusion.

“Who are you and why are you on this deserted island.”“What do you mean deserted island?” The boy laughed and Sangwoo nearly lost it.

“You think this is funny you fucking punk. I’ll fucking castrate you, little bitch.”

“I’ll tell you a secret.” The handsome kid said with a smirk. 

“This is Hongdo Island you morons, it’s not some deserted island haha.”Bum and Sangwoo looked at each other incredulously. That would have meant they’d barely left Korea when they were out at sea.

“That can’t be right.” Bum said shaking his head in disbelief.

“Then why did you steal our food and water?”

“Well you see… My parents kicked me out when they found out I was sucking guys off for money and–-”

“Shut up.” Sangwoo interrupted pinching his nose.

“Bum let’s get the fuck out of here.”

“Wait!!” The boy called out. 

“Can I crash at your place tonight!?”