CH 8: Afterschool Murder Plans

The school has finally ended and the students, clamor over him. Excited about the latest rumor. Not caring much about the commotions he started upon his arrival.

They just wanted to know if he was gay or not and use it for their agendas.

However, Jinwoo is already tired of it. Why did High school students have to be the new dogs that hound him every day?

He groans.

'Where is the 'Shadow Exchange' or the System when you need them?' he complains.

Question after question. Noise after noise. Fly after fly. When can he get a break? When will these kids shut up?

All he ever wanted was to pack in peace, go home and stare into space. Doing absolutely nothing for the rest of the day after he finishes his homework.

The point is, these kids just won't leave him be! Was intimidation not a thing, or were these kids just high on fitting in?

He rests his head on his hand while lightly grazing the table. He lazily covers his head with his free hand to shield himself from the noise that continues to strike his nerves.

He didn't mind children. He likes them. A lot. He even wanted to have one, but since men can't get pregnant, he resorted to adoption.

In which he and his Hyu-

He pauses for a bit. He couldn't breathe as mild flashbacks of the four of them together invites themselves in. He could hear their voices call out to him, nulling the earsplitting sounds produced by the students that remain ignorant of his sudden change as they continued chanting their questions like a séance.

"Jinwoo-Ah! Hahaha C'mon!" a faceless man with inky black hair yelled out with a big smile that could conquer any universe as he waved a pegging hand at him while the other was being dragged by a small child, no older than five, out to the open grass fields decorated with dead monsters and junk littering the meadow here and there.

A small, fluffy white creature flies out from behind him, startling Jinwoo a bit. He chuckles.

"Biyoo!" it called out with laughter in its voice.

The midnight zenith that had splattered glitter-like stars along with the glowing lines that come and goes embellishes the bland, black and blue sky.

Jinwoo stared blankly at the wall. Not moving, barely breathing, as his unoccupied hand crinkles into a fist that smashed the table out of desperation. Not sheer rage, but it was enough to make the class disperse and leave Jinwoo to dwell alone in suburban peace.

"Papa!" the little kid exclaimed in glee and excitement, as he was sprinkled with fireflies. The flickering candent of neon yellow and lime green mixed in with Nox's obscure elegance created the most magical fresco in the grandest of portraits and canvases.

A happy family.

His lips pressed till it bleed. The shuffling of bags, chairs, and tables echoed in therapeutic silence. Their very existence is what anchored his sanity and the only people who could truly understand him, without having to hide or keep secrets.

His everything but now, they're gone...for NOW. 'I'll return and so will they,' he reminds himself. 'I just need to be patient.'

Jinwoo lightly sniffles and curls his lips in an attempt to hide the blood before dragging his bag and then looking at the floor only to find that there were no conferences of feet marching around him.

The pack of wasps that surrounded him like the flies at home would to his half-eaten, salmon onigiri.

The corner of his mouth slightly lifts before falling flat again. He takes out his earbuds, puts them on, and listens to some JANNABI in full volume to entertain him on his walk to Starbucks which is a 10-minute drive away.

Once done, he slings his bag over his shoulder and walks.

When he gets to the stairs, he fast walks down only for the rushing tap of his feet to be echoed in flushed-out silence as the running and sprinting off the impatient high schoolers overpowered it.

The tittered, tattered bags zipping past him, in both harsh and soft thrusts, slowly lessens as his power molecules back to him in shards of glass.

Scattered.

Big and small.

Difficult to gather.

But it was there.

It is there.

'All is not lost,' he tells himself as the hurdling packs of bulls dash past him in careless resonance. 'Patience is of the essence.' he reminds himself.

Fortunately, Jinwoo can be patient and is patient, when he needs to be, such as now.

In these times, he must and has to have patient, because he has hope that Dokja will come down to earth like a fallen Angle and save him, but before he does anything drastic or amazing.

He needs to get at least five, extra large cups of coffee and that's exactly what he did when he arrived.

He sat down on an empty seat, took out his laptop, and glossed over handsome males on tweeter. Looking at those that might share a shred of resemblance but none could ever outshine the original. Kim Dokja will always be the best in his eyes.

Always and forever ❣️.

However, an important piece of information pops up in his notion.

Kim Dokja once told him that during his human years he once lived in the run-down housing complexes in back street Seoul but he couldn't remember the name of the block, much to his annoyance.

Clicking his tongue he decides to type in his name and hopefully, nothing comes out because he could already tell that only bad things would stem out of it.

Sadly, something did come out.

Many.

Kim Dokja was a controversy of his time for the wrong reasons.

Jinwoo remained silent.

He expected this much but he couldn't help but want to commit mass murder or strip them naked and personally hang them by their feet.

Killing intent seeped out of him, uncontrollably.

Those who sat near him or beside him flinched and moved spots or just left, bringing their coffees with them. [A/N: I'm a coffee addict and I say, "Priorities, am I right?"]

Dae-Hyun, who just walked in felt it as well. He looks over to his left and saw his Master exuding a black aura, dashed with killing intent dancing around him like a juggler on a tricycle.

He bought himself seven large cups of Americano and sat at an empty seat beside him.

Slightly lean back to see what made Jinwoo so angry and understood.

It was an article regarding the popular case of a murders son. Jinwoo's hair was on fire and his eyes turned red. 'The law is nothing in my eyes, when I have the power to destroy a star with the flick of a finger...I'll kill you. I swear on my mothe-' as he continued to scroll down, both of them paused.

A picture of Kim Dokja showed up and the subtext slabbed below it said 'She' meaning, Kim Dokja is no longer a male but a female now?

Huh?

What the fuck?

'So I can have kids now?' were the trailing thoughts of Jinwoo, before he looked to his side and saw Dae-Hyun's head peeking from the corner of his eye. He shifts his projection in his direction and asks him a very simple question; "Why are you here?"

He flinches and nervously looks at him with dilated pupils circling around the room. Avoiding eye contact but he eventually comes to terms and meets his eye.

They were full of suspicion and weariness.

Dae-Hyun saves himself in the nick of time as he clears his throat to explain himself. Cleanly and confidently.

"I wanted to get coffee here because of what's happening at J Won High..." he continues to stare at him and studies his posture. Looks confident but if anyone bothered to look closer they'd see past his tough-guy exterior.

'Seems he meant what he said, but that doesn't mean I trust him...I miss Beru. When are you arriving Beru?'

He asked himself rhetorically as his jaded orbs remained trained on the nervous Dae-Hyun. 'Hah...I need allies...I'll take what I can get.' he tells himself as he leans back and looks down. The eyes glance from object to object. 'Trust isn't an option.' he grabs his coffee cup and takes a sip. 'So, stop being so damn conceited and short-sighted. Connections are important. Socializing is important. Did you want to be an egg your whole life and continue meeting dead-ends?!' he scolds and asks himself.

'You want to see him again. I mean, she but- ARGH! STOP ACTING LIKE A TEEN! YOU'RE OVER A MILLION YEARS OLD! START ACTING LIKE ONE! Embarrassing...' he bites the tips of his lips and exhales. He rests his arm over the softback, kicks back his head like a drunkard, and slowly turns his head in his direction.

"Let's work together from now on." those few words brightened up his face. Although he looked indifferent or scarier his eyes seemed to have stars spinning and twirling around. Jinwoo looked away with a sweatdrop.

"Okay..." Dae-Hyun said trailing on. 'Although we agreed to be on good terms it didn't mean he would be willing to work together with me. (He still doesn't trust you)' a voice of his thoughts intrudes his mind. 'This should be enough. (He doesn't care if you live or die. He'd rather have you dead)' his attempts to ward it off had failed. His insecurities seemed to have conjured a mind of its own.

'Ignore it. Mas- Jinwoo doesn't need to care for me. This is enough. Trust is something that can be formed from hardships.' he says. 'The trust we had before, was based on a spell, this time it will be genuine. Not falsified. (It doe-) Fuck off.' he shuts it up with agitation but the newfound purpose has disclosed itself.

He looks away from Jinwoo and surfed the internet to find out more information regarding Kim Dokja. His Ma- Jinwoo's lover.

And so, the search– begins!