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It is darkness that greeted him when he awoke, heightening the fear that’s slowly creeping into his veins. The floor beneath his barely clothed body is cold, hard, and dank. The place reeked of smoke and alcohol. He would have retched if it wasn’t for the cloth currently stuffed in his mouth and if it wasn’t for his restricted lying position on the damp floor.
With his hands behind his back, his mouth and eyes barred by flimsy fabrics, it is rather impossible for him to figure out where he is or what’s currently happening. Waiting is the only possible thing that he could do.
He searched his brain for memories that would answer the question of why he is in his current situation. Unfortunately, he found nothing so he did the only thing that he could ever do at the moment, to wait and to listen.
As of the moment, the only thing that he can hear is the eerie sound of song being played on repeat. The song is in Mandarin, a language he had yet to study, which leads to the fact that the song is beyond his comprehension and understanding.
His whole body is aching, his flanks feel tender and bruised, and pain shoots up in his whole being when he tries to move even for a little bit. The chances of him fighting his way out of this situation is close to none.
He dimly becomes aware of the sound of footsteps moving towards him so he forced himself to still. To make his capturer think he’s unconscious. A pitiable move, one that he never thought he’d one day do.
“There’s no need to act as if you aren’t awake yet.” a deep and chilling voice stated, humour evident in every syllable that rolls off his tongue. Kyungsoo could almost taste the venom in those words with the way they were spat out despite the underlying amusement in it. “Everything about you right now screams consciousness. Your muscles are tense, obviously awaiting some kind of assault. Your chest movement is too rapid for an unconscious man. Your pulse is quick in your neck and your veins are bulging.”
Despite the words being thrown at him, Kyungsoo forces himself to relax and maintain his still form.
The man’s footsteps stops right in front of Kyungsoo, chuckling ever so slightly.
“Quite stubborn for a Royal Watchdog, aren’t you?” before his brain could register the man’s words, Kyungsoo feels a hand tugging on his hair before his blindfold is yanked off of him. “You’re eyes are now free, my dear.”
Kyungsoo blinks as his eyes fights off the harsh glint of the light in the room, his mind going fuzzy with dizziness. After a minute of blinking, his gaze finally focuses on an imposing form in front of him.
Bronze skin which glows gold under the yellow lights, a strong set of features unhindered by anything to hide his identity, a broad body which stretches out his shirt, a mop of jet black hair. And a shit eating grin to complete off the devilishly good looks. Sadly, Kyungsoo’s not entranced.
“See something you like?” the man’s grin grows even wider, the corner of his eyes forming lines. Kyungsoo could only glare hostilely in response, unable to say anything with his mouth still covered in fabric. “Now, that’s not how you say thank you with your eyes.”
Without any warning, the fabric is ripped off from his mouth, hitting his bruised cheeks in the process. He hissed as he closed his eyes, unused to feeling every part of his body stinging.
“Fuck you.” Kyungsoo spat out, voice cracking at every word, having been unused for days.
“It’s true then. The rumour that you have a filthy mouth. Quite uncharacteristic for a Royal Watchdog, eh?”
“Fuck off, you son of a bitch.” a quick chuckle was the only warning he got before a hand tugged on his hair once again, straining his already aching neck.
“You’re not really in the place to be cursing me now, are you? Why don’t we try acting civil and talk like normal people.” the man bit out before gripping Kyungsoo’s hair tightly for emphasis.
“You can’t possibly expect me to act civil and talk like a normal person when I’m all tied up now, can you?” Kyungsoo mocked before he was dropped back down on the hard floor like a scalding cauldron. His arms protested at the strain of being tied against his back, his whole body aching even more as it landed on the ground with a loud smack.
“Don’t get so smart.” his assailant countered as he landed a painful blow on Kyungsoo’s already bruised jaw. He could only grunt and groan under the pain he is being put under, the fact frustrated him more than anything. The knowledge that he had no way of fighting back even through his usual scathing remarks because he’d probably get hit for speaking out of line. “You do realize that you’re doing England no good, right? You’re harming your country. You’re ruining the lives of your own people by protecting the people that you are trying so hardly to protect.”
“I’m protecting my country from you cowards who steal money and kill people for a living. You stop important documents from being handed out to the Queenand try to hide in the shadows of dark alleyways, and you have the guts to tell me I’m doing England no good? Fucking bullshit.” as soon as the last two words left his mouth, another strike landed on his other jaw, forcing him to curl into a heap of ball from his already fetal position.
The man crouched down in front of him and clicked his tongue whilst staring at Kyungsoo with a hard glint on his eyes. Kyungsoo stared back defiantly, it was one of the things that he was infamous for, having a smart mouth was the other.
“I don’t know if you’re stupid, blind, plain oblivious and naive, or just being manipulated. But obviously it has to be one of those because how could you not see the bigger picture here?” he sighed, stood up, and stared hard at Kyungsoo.
“I don’t know what you think you’ll gain by doing this but contrary to your opinion, I’m actually not stupid enough to believe your blatant lies and bullshits.” Kyungsoo croaked out as he glared with all his might, willing his eyes to burn the man in front of him alive.
The man opened his mouth as if to retort but Kyungsoo is unable to hear it as the sound of knocking echoed loudly in the four corners of the dingy room. “Kai, Lay’s calling for you.” a voice follows the knock almost immediately.
His assailant, having turned his head at the sound of knocking, turned back to him, a small smirk tugging at his lips. “Well, it has been pleasant meeting you Kyungsoo. My name’s Kai, don’t forget.” he winked off before heading towards the door, seemingly unconcerned of what Kyungsoo could do to his back. There’s not much he can do anyway.
“Kai.” he tested out slowly and found that he hated it. He hated the fact that the name rolled off his tongue almost seamlessly, one push away from being sexual as if the name is owned by someone God-like.
That was the last thing he remembered before the door was flung open by the wide and imposing form of his butler, and the darkness that had been slowly creeping into his sight had enveloped him.
ooOoo
Healing him had been quick enough.
Everything would be quick enough if you had the money to pay for it and Kyungsoo had never been loose on that area. Money had always been there with him, just within his reach, waiting for him to dispose of it whenever and wherever.
Money ruled the world. It makes the world go round. A piece of paper, a bar of gold, or a chunk of silver and bronze could take people around the bend. It could cause them to crush their own morals and step on their own pride, even go as far as to kill a man just for a thing that the society hails as precious.
Therefore, in now way was he surprised when he found out that people would dare rebel against the Queen and try to steal money from the people of the country.
Tonight, a ship would dock and heaps of money would be transported from Edinburgh to London, where the Palace stands proud. His father had stated the Queen’s concerns to him, mainly focusing on the fact that some rebels could come in to the scene and kill of the people assigned to transport the money.
It would have been perfectly reasonable of assigning the palace guards for such a task but then his father had told him that these transactions were often private and is usually known by little to no one. Honoured to be assigned in protecting such huge amount of money for the country, he accepted the mission. Whatever makes the Queen, the wife of his father, happy, he would willingly do.
That is how he had come to this situation at hand.
In the darkness he stands with his butler, Chanyeol, both of them watching out for any signs of something, anything in the dark streets. The transferring would happen in the middle of the night where a car filled with boxes of money would be transported.
Kyungsoo found it odd for the Queen to transport something so privately and in the middle of the night, he told his butler so but Chanyeol had only raised an amused brow. “Are you doubting the Queen?”
Kyungsoo had spluttered, affronted with being accused of such. “Of course not!” he gritted out before huffing and turning his back unto his chuckling butler. Of all the things to say, questioning his loyalty to the Queen was the most offensive he’s heard.
“Okay, I get it, you’re the most loyal to the Queen and the Queen is equally fond of you and acknowledges your undying faithfulness. I was merely trying to lighten up the mood.” Chanyeol said, chuckling even louder as Kyungsoo still refused to look at him.
“I do not see which part of the statement is supposed to amuse me.”
“The part where I say you are doubting the Queen when we both know you’d be the last person in the entire world to doubt Her?”
Kyungsoo sneaked an annoyed glance towards his butler who smirked at seeing him look. “Are you trying to make up to the fact that you just insulted me by complimenting me on my loyalty?”
“Is it working?” Chanyeol laughed out loud when Kyungsoo only rolled his eyes to answer the question, a small smile tugging at his lips.
Smiling doesn’t hurt as much any more and his body has been thankfully healed without any scars to show off. The only thing left of the incident last week had been the way the name Kai had popped up into his mind for more times than he’d like and the way the smirk is seared into the back of his eyelids.
There is still no lead of who Kai and his people are or who Lay is. Chanyeol had found Kyungsoo on an abandoned building because of a note he had seen on Kyungsoo’s bedside table. There is no explanation of how they had managed to breach the walls of the Do Manor but they had done it so elaborately that no one had even noticed Kyungsoo was missing until Chanyeol found the letter.
He hadn’t even noticed that he was kidnapped. All he remembered was falling asleep on his bed and then waking up to a situation he had no clue of how it came to be. His butler had said that when he arrived the building, there had been no one in there except Kyungsoo. It’s as if his assailants had timed and scheduled the whole ordeal up.
Before he could drift his mind off on the happenings last week, Chanyeol had suddenly placed an arm in front of him to stop him from wandering off, his indez finger pressed tight against his lips, silencing Kyungsoo up.
Whipping his head around, he caught sight of something familiar and then faster than humanly possible, a dagger went off from the shadows on the side where he had seen something and had almost hit him in the stomach is he hadn’t dodged it in time. Three more daggers came from Chanyeol’s directions, all of which he had successfully dodged without breaking a sweat. Cursing, he ducked out of Chanyeol’s hold and plunged in into where the dagger had bee, making use of Chanyeol’s distracted state.
“Fuck, Kyungsoo, get back here!” Chanyeol spat out from behind him as two hooded figure went out from the shadows and attacked him all at once, oddly ignoring Kyungsoo but the raven haired chose to tune him out, running off instead into the darkness of an alley.
He stopped when the hooded figure that he had followed off ceased his running and turned towards him.
“What gave me away?” the familiar deep voice questioned, taking one step closer as Kyungso grabbed his gun from his holster and aiming it at the man.
“It was your necklace, Kai.” he spat out but unconsciously took a step back when Kai walked one step closer. “It’s silver and glinted off into the darkness. A rose pendant. You were wearing that when you kidnapped me.”
“Kind of observant, aren’t you?”
“Not stupid or oblivious or naive or manipulated.”
Kai grinned and tossed back his hood, staring hard at Kyungsoo, eyes full of contained amusement. “Still blind, I see.”
“Nor blind.” Kyungsoo grunted out as a sense of annoyance flooded him.
“You’re not really in the place to state that.” Jongin’s grin turned into a devious smirk as he advanced on Kyungsoo. Before he could react or fire a shot, the gun was tossed to the asphalt as Kai kicked it with his boots. Caught off guard, Kyungsoo stumbled back but was saved from falling by Kai’s grip on his waist which brings them to their current position. With Kyungsoo’s back on Kai’s muscled chest and the taller’s arms wrapped around his neck, not tight enough to choke but tight enough to be considered as a threat.
“Let go of me!” Kyungsoo choked out as he struggled, arms gasping for Kai but unable to reach him properly enough to cause some harm.
Kai chuckled once before tightening his hold on Kyungsoo. “I’d rather not. I like seeing that pretty face damage-free.”
“You fucking faggot!”
“You wound me with your words.” Kai mocked as freed Kyungsoo’s neck for a second only to bring it back again with a knife in tow. Kyungsoo ceased struggling all at once. “There, that’s an obedient boy.” he pressed the tip of the knife into Kyungsoo’s neck, enough to break a small fraction of skin and draw a tiny prickle of blood. The shorter man cried out a yelp as he pressed himself even further on Jongin’s front, creating as much distance from the knife as possible.
“Now, I have something to say to you so listen very carefully.” Kai drawled out before tightening his arms on Kyungsoo’s waist, slowly raising the hem of Kyungsoo’s tunic before slowly caressing his thumb on the exposed skin. “Aren’t you curious of what’s in the box? Have you ever actually seen what’s inside of it?”
Kyungsoo, with his mind clouded and his abdomen suddenly burning with desire, was unable to comprehend anything happening before Kai lets go of him and swiftly dissapears into the darkness, his black robe billowing behind him.
Trying to catch his breath, Kyungsoo’s hands come up to his neck and to his stomach.
Chanyeol later finds him and reprimands him of running off like that, stating that the hooded figures had suddenly left and that the transportation is currently on going.
“Are you okay? Did something happen to you? Did someone say anything to you?” Chanyeol asked as he proceeded to skim his eyes over Kyungsoo, eyes locking into the pinprick on his neck.
Kyungsoo silently noted the interest in Chanyeol’s voice when asking if someone said anything to him but then cleared up his mind and shook the thought off.
“Nothing, I’m fine.”
He denies it vehemently but Kyungsoo cannot oppose to the fact that a seed of doubt has been planted into his mind.
ooOoo
When a seed is planted, it would only grow, grow, grow and grow. There would be no stopping it unless it is removed by something strong enough to get rid of it.
For days, Chanyeol does not comment on Kyungsoo’s silence which suited the raven haired just fine. Kyungsoo grew more and more tensed with each passing day, trying to weight down which words held more truth in it.
“What is inside those box?” the question is at the tip of his tongue, pleading to be released and rolled off and out of his mouth but it never comes. He never finds the courage to say it.
Until he blurts it out in front of his father.
His father, the husband of the Queen, a tall man who held himself in an imposing form, rarely laughed out loud, preferring to intimidate everyone around him. So when he did laugh at Kyungsoo’s question, his son could only stare dumbstruck as his butler laughs along with his father.
“My, you do take after your mother, always so curious. I would’ve preferred it if you took after the Queen, compliant and obedient, but that’s not possible, is it?” his father, Kris, stated as he looked Kyungsoo in the eyes, his own glinting off in amusement. “On the day after today a new box loaded with important documents will be set out as per Her Majesty’s decision. Chanyeol, kindly show our dear Kyungsoo ‘What’s inside the box.’” Kris finger quoted as he laughed loudly once again and dismissed him.
“Why are you suddenly doubting the Queen?” Chanyeol had asked him as soon as both had stepped outside the four walls of his father’s study.
“I am not doubtful of Her Majesty, I am merely curious on what those boxes contain.”
“But we’ve told you already, it’s a box full on legal and important documents of the country’s people.”
“I want to see for myself.” Kyungsoo said adamantly, carefully not looking at Chanyeol’s eyes.
The taller had always been good at reading him with only his eyes.
“As you wish, Young Master.” Chanyeol said softly, eyes glinting off as a smirk tugged on the corner of his mouth.
It’s time to remove the seed and plant in another one.
As the day after tomorrow had arrived, Kyungsoo and Chanyeol made their way over to Edinburgh once again and met up with the people assigned of the transportation of legal documents.
Kyungsoo’s whole body thrummed with adrenaline, his blood pumping faster than normal as he tried to focus on his breathing. The moment of truth has arrived.
He would find out whether Kai was stating the truth or lying through his teeth.
“There you go, suit yourself in skimming through those, Young Master.” Chanyeol blurted out as he opened a box. Kyungsoo’s eyes skimmed over the papers, all of legal documents. He grabbed one and read through it. A document stating the country’s debt to the United States of America.
An ugly feeling churned on his stomach as he read through the document. Everything inside the box are official documents of the county. Red flashed through his eyes as he remembered the way Kai had planted in the doubt into his mind.
Slowly and tentatively, a hand reached up and took the paper from his hands, placing it gently back on the box.
“Kyungsoo.” a large hand cupped his cheek as he tried to count to three, evening out his breath. “Do you believe us now?”
Kyungsoo could only nod once, his whole body quivering, unable to believe the fact that he had been lied to and he blindly believed it.
“Kyungsoo, listen to me.” Chanyeol’s soothing voice made him look up and stare at the warm brown eyes of his butler. “You’re the only one the Queen trusts. The Queen has ordered your father to do these, that’s why we are doing it. Your loyalty must remain to Her and Her Majesty only. You’re word is the only one she believes in, not mine or your father’s, yours. Give back unyielding faithfulness to Her.”
Kyungsoo forced his head to nod, too numb to say anything else.
ooOoo
Brimming with anger, Kyungsoo closed his eyes and waited for something, anything, a sign of somebody attempting to hinder the transportation.
As soon as he opened his eyes, four hooded figures emerged from the shadows, their hoods lowered to cover their faces.
Kyungsoo pulled out his gun, aimed but missed, eyes too busy flicking from one figure to another, trying to identify Kai. In his ears, he is dimly aware of the shots that are being fired as metals screamed, one bullet being shot after another. The only sound he could focus of is his own heartbeat and the ringing of something on his ears, the urge to shot Kai a hundred times so heavy on his shoulders, waiting to be acted upon.
However, time seemed to stand still as one particular bullet from Chayeol shot one hooded figure. A piercing scream cried out as the hooded figure went down, another hooded man, the one who screamed, ran towards him.
Kyungsoo hears the name “Sehun” being screamed before a hand covers his mouth, a blow landed on his nape and everything went black.
ooOoo
This time, when he wakes up, it is in a bed with satin sheets.
Confused and rather groggy, he slowly sat up, hazy eyes taking in everything in the room including the three men watching him silently.
“Where the fuck am I?!”
“Told you he has a mouth in him.” Kai’s voice rang into the room as the remaining two men stared hard at Kyungsoo. Kai was the only one smiling out of the four of them.
“Should we stuff his mouth up?” a man with blond hair and the prettiest face that Kyungsoo has ever seen spoke up, voice filled with venom and underlying anger.
“No, as much as possible, we will let him feel comfortable.” the last man, the one with hazy looking eyes and sharp features said, voice warm despite it’s sharpness.
“No one is comfortable whilst kidnapped.” Kyungsoo bit out as his eyes searched possible exits. Unfortunately for him, the only possible one is blocked by one man by the name of Kai.
“Your mouth really doesn’t have a filter.” Kai stated, amused.
“Stop it, Kai. It’s time we tell him the truth and teasing him isn’t going to help the job easier for us.” the man with a sharp features said, and then added, “I’m Lay. The other one’s Luhan.”
“I don’t understand why we have to exchange names with him. The only thing on the forefront of my mind right now is slitting the throat of that butler’s of his.” Luhan blurted out, fist clenching at his side. Kyungsoo growled instinctively.
“We will get to that later. First off, Kyungsoo needs to understand the truth.”
“I’ve heard enough of your lies, you think I’d believe another one?” Kyungsoo replied, voice wavering as anger overtook him.
“And you believed that box is the real one? How stupid are you?” Kai said and chuckled as Kyungsoo snarled his way.
“Inside the boxes are illegal and smuggled firearms.” Luhan stated out, jaw clenching.
Kyungsoo could only scoff. “And you expect me to believe you when I’ve seen the inside of the box myself?”
“Oh for fuck’s sake. I would’ve really liked the thought of you being less stupid. When you asked to see the inside of the box, which is a stupid move by the way, your father had somehow found away to alert his men and set up a fake box full of documents.” Kai drawled out in a bored voice, looking straight at Kyungsoo, his rose necklace clutched on his playful digits.
“But Chanyeol--”
“Is one of your father’s man, obviously. They need you because you’re word is the only one who the Queen listens to. Her Majesty trusts you so much that she trusts you more than she trusts her own husband even when you’re not her own biological son. Chanyeol has been manipulating you all along, trying to make you see how much your father is ‘loyal’ to the Queen therefore prompting you to act as he says.”
Kyungsoo stared at him, the two other men forgotten as he stared at the dark eyes of Kai. A man he barely knows. A man who consecutively throws him off guard. A man who makes hiis pulse quicken. Should Kyungsoo trust him?
Stubborn as he is, Kyungsoo says: “No, you’re lying.”
A grin formed on Kai’s full lips. “Watch.”
ooOoo
The night is dark and the air cold as Kyungsoo walks through the shadows, a knife pressed on his back as Kai’s hand holds a steady grip on his arms.
“Watch.” Kai whispers into Kyungsoo’s ear as he removed the knife and pressed Kyungsoo’s back on his front instead, his arm with the knife pressed on Kyungsoo’s neck, just like the position that they were in night’s before.
Kyungsoo obeyed and watched as Chanyeol gets out of the car they usually use. His head whipped left and right, checking for any signs of anyone.
Slowly, Lay approaches him, emerging from the shadows in a hooded robe.
“Your little puppy is dead.” Lay announced in a cold tone, his hand gripping a gun on his side.
“How unfortunate. I do hope you hid his body somewhere visible so that we would have a better alibi to the Queen of why her Royal Watchdog is dead.” Kyungsoo closed his eyes and Chanyeol’s cutting remarks echoes through the silence of the night. The only thing keeping him from falling apart are Kai’s arms holding him up.
“You’re not even concerned about your Master’s death?” Lay asked, as he slightly tipped his head back. Almost immediately, Luhan moves in the shadows, situating himself behind Chanyeol, undetected.
“Master? My master was his father. But of course I’m concerned, it will probably be a while before Her Majesty trusts a word we say without that little nuisance but I’m sure she’ll come around.”
Kyungsoo fights off the urge to scream, shaking beyond control as he tried to swallow up the lump on his throat. He had never expected to be met with such betrayal before, never had he thought that Chanyeol, his big giant, would even think about him as a tool for his disposal.
“What are inside the boxes this time?”
“Bombs.” Chanyeol answered, his face split by a maniacal grin. “Want me to use one on you for demonstration?”
“Not really, no.” Lay replied. Before Kyungsoo could look away, Luhan moved out of the shadow and shot Chanyeol straight on the back of his head as Lay did the same thing to him on the forehead.
“Fucker.” Kai breathed as he dropped the knife on Kyungsoo’s neck and slipped his arms around his waist instead, pulling him flush against his front. “You okay?”
“Never better.” Kyungsoo grunted out as he held on to Kai’s arms for dear life.
Everything was too much for him to handle, everything doesn’t make sense but at the same time makes so much sense that he could feel a heavy weight on his chest being lifted off.
“Well, there’s plenty of time to report your father’s acts to the Queen, we can always do it some other time.” Kai whispered in Kyungsoo’s ears, arms firm around his waist as he waited out for Kyungsoo to calm down.
“No, today would be great. The sooner, the better.” Kyungsoo replied as he slowly turned around and rested his forehead on Kai’s chest.
“You’re really something.” Kai’s chuckle caused his chest to rumble and for some odd reason, despite everything that ever happened that night, Kyungsoo couldn’t help himself from smiling.
“Something?” Kyungsoo asked incredulously, still not raising his head and silently smiling down Kai’s chest, “I’m fucking awesome.”
“And I’m Kim Jongin.” came Kai’s sudden answer.
Surprised, Kyungsoo looks up and finds Kai--no-- Kim Jongin staring down at him, his usual smirk replaced by a small and shy smile.
“I’m Do Kyungsoo.” he croaks out, voice suddenly scratchy.
“I know who Do Kyungsoo is. He’s the Queen’s Royal Watchdog. Heard from somewhere that he’s got a filthy mouth.”
Kyungsoo grinned. “Filthy indeed.”
Jongin smirked. “Really filthy.”
“Hey, you two sappy idiots, we’re going to the Palace now.”