XII.
Strife
•
Jung Yunho
10 hours until dawn

Yunho couldn't get the image of San and Wooyoung out of his head. It was there every time he closed his eyes like the after image behind your lids when you accidentally look into the sun. He guessed the nature of their relationship after meeting the younger boy that afternoon but nothing could've prepared him for that...

The shock of what had transpired only served to convince him that he didn't belong at a party like this. His hand shook as he lifted a glass of vintage Pinot noir to his lips. He'd sought out some alcohol as quickly as he could in an attempt to settle his frayed nerves. He'd probably need a substantial amount to make it through whatever the night had in store for him.

He wandered from the main hall into other parts of the Garden in an attempt to find a place where he could be alone. All he wanted to do was sit and contemplate how he was going to make it until dawn. He was most assuredly booking the first flight off of the island as soon as the gates opened. Suddenly he missed his boring job, the small apartment he lived in and Rain's sweet soulful eyes.

Yunho walked down a hallway and through every open door there were strangers giving themselves over to their most base desires. He'd never seen more naked bodies fucking in his entire life. Yunho tried to stay calm as a crescendo of slapping skin and low moaning invaded his ears. The smell of sex filled the air of the mansion making it harder for him to draw in a breath. He desperately needed to find a way out into the gardens for some fresh air to clear his head.

"Yunho!" A familiar voice called out to him. He turned his head to see a very obviously inebriated Jongho stumble from an open doorway into the hall in front of him. He gave the older boy a smirk as he zipped up his pants making Yunho clench his jaw. The younger had promised to stay with him but had disappeared into the crowd not long after San's erotic introduction without a word. Feeling irritated he ignored the younger and continued quickly down the hallway.

He felt relief wash over him when he found some double doors that led to a veranda out back. Once he stepped outside he took a deep breath and walked over to lean against a marble pillar. The sun had barely slipped below the horizon casting the night in a blend of dark blues overhead. The stars in the sky shone brightly and a warm breeze tousled his cerulean colored hair. He was just starting to calm down when he heard a voice speak up behind him. A voice that he was afraid would continued to haunt his dreams.

"Yun?"

Yunho felt all the color drain from his face at the sound of his nickname. The deep voice that had spoken it sent shivers up his spine and he slowly turned to see a man in the golden mask of a lion standing in the open doorway. For a second he was completely shocked and unable to answer, his words dying immediately in his throat. How could he possibly be here? No, he couldn't have known where I was. It can't be...

"D-do I k-know you?" He stuttered taking a step back. The man in the mask took a few steps forward and pulled it away to reveal his face. Yunho's heart clenched in his chest when he recognized the face of the man who had broken his heart. He blinked and looked down at his feet unsure of what to say at their unexpected reunion.

"So it really is you..." Mingi began as he reached a hand out as if to make sure the blue haired boy was really real. Yunho abruptly came to his senses and shied away from him, giving the other boy a tearful glare. Mingi stopped instantly and let his hand fall trying not to let any hurt show on his face. "I thought I was going crazy when I followed you here from the airport—" He began before his eyes widened realizing his mistake.

"Followed me?" Yunho asked looking confused. There was another emotion creeping into his features as his eyes darted between Mingi's. It was as if he didn't recognize the boy standing in front of him that he'd been so madly in love with for years. He took another step back and shook his head as he tried to make sense of his presence here, worlds away from Korea. "Wait, so you're telling me that you followed me all the way here?" He accused.

"Wait no—" Mingi took a step forward and raised his hands as if he was trying to calm down a cornered animal. "You don't understand Yun I was already here when I saw you at the airport," He tried to explain it all in a way that didn't make him sound like a psychopath. The fact that they were both guests at the same exclusive party on the same island thousands of miles away from where they lived sounded more than a little suspicious. No matter how he looked at it in his mind it definitely looked like he had stalked Yunho here. "I know how it sounds—"

"Yeah it sounds fucking crazy," Yunho said as anger began to surface alongside his apprehension. "You don't speak to me at all after leaving and then as soon as I begin to move on you appear out of nowhere Min," His spat as his eyes narrowed, studying his ex's face. "And how the fuck did you get in here? You can't just walk into a place like The Garden..."

Mingi blinked and looked down at the golden mask in his hands. The face seemed to be mocking him from its lifeless eyes. "I was invited here just like you were," He answered showing him the mask as if it would make the growing fear in Yunho's eyes dissipate. He walked forward and grabbed Yunho's wrist to lead him away from the other guests who milled around the outside of the mansion. "Look I don't know what's going on here but something is not right. I think we both need to get the hell out, now."

Yunho yanked his hand free and stepped away from him, eyes brimming with tears. "No! I'm not going anywhere with you, Mingi. You honestly don't expect me to believe that both of us being here was some giant fucking coincidence?!" He shouted. Some of the guests outside turned to watch their exchange and Mingi's heart began to race in his ears. He didn't want to draw any more unnecessary attention to them but he couldn't leave Yunho behind in a place like this. His stomach had been in knots ever since the mask had show up at his hotel with his name on it. He wasn't sure what was happening at this party but everything inside of him was screaming at him to leave.

"Look we can talk about this after we get out," Mingi hissed as he tightened his hold on Yunho's arm and tried dragging him away from the crowd that was beginning to gather. "You're just going to have to trust me! I'm not leaving you here!"

"Don't fucking touch me!" Yunho roared trying to twist out of his hold. Mingi's fingers dug into his skin as he fought against him making fresh tears spring into his eyes. "You're hurting me Min, let go of me!" He screamed as he tried to pry his fingers off of him.

"Stop struggling! Look, let's go somewhere private so we can talk. Don't make this hard, Yun." Mingi grunted as he adjusted his grip on the writhing boy. There was an undercurrent of dissension in the crowd that had begun to gather.

"Get the hell off of him!" Came a booming voice from the house. Mingi turned to see who it was just as a fist whistled through the air and connected with his jaw. His head jerked violently to one side as he stumbled backwards and lost his hold on Yunho. The blue haired boy scrambled away from him and locked his eyes on the shorter boy that begun to square off against him.

"You little shit," Mingi hissed as he rubbed a hand over his tender jaw. Whoever the newcomer was he had a powerful left hook. "This doesn't concern you so get the fuck away!" He said in a dangerously low voice. His eyes burned with rage as he lunged for the younger boy. The sudden move caught the other by surprise and he managed to land a vicious punch to his face. The younger boy staggered back bringing a hand to his freshly split lip. He recovered from his surprise quickly and grabbed Mingi's shoulders to deliver a swift kick to his chest. The taller's air left his lungs in a whoosh and he slumped over.

"You son of a bitch!" The shorter male yelled as his dress shoe connected with Mingi's face. Mingi flipped over onto his back as blood arched into the air from his now broken nose. He coughed as a metallic taste of blood bloomed in his mouth. He hardly had any time to react when his rival landed a couple more powerful kicks into his side. Pain flared up inside his rib cage as he struggled to drawn in a breath.

"Jongho stop it!" Yunho cried as he stepped forward to stop the younger from beating on his ex any more. He put himself in between the two of them and forced the shorter male to look him in the eye. Jongho's chest rapidly rose and fell as he stared at the half conscious boy on the ground. "He was— he was trying to hurt you." He panted as he jabbed a accusing finger in Mingi's direction. The knuckles on his left hand were split looking angry and red.

"But I'm okay now," Yunho reassured him as he glanced at his ex on the ground behind him. Mingi's head lolled to one side and he coughed up more blood onto the marble floor. "Look I don't even know if Mingi can stand. He's not going to hurt me." He reasoned with the younger who was still staring daggers over his shoulder. "C'mon Jongho, let's go cool off. Let's not make this a bigger scene than it already is." He pleaded. After a moment the younger boy sighed and closed his eyes trying to calm himself down.

"Okay," He finally agreed. He shot one last look at Mingi and disappeared back inside leaving the two of them alone. Yunho rubbed a hand over the part of his arm that Mingi had grabbed him and winced when he felt what must've been barely forming bruises. He wanted to help his ex but was still afraid of being alone with him. He didn't fully trust how he'd come to be here tonight as his eyes drifted over to him. Mingi had managed to pull himself up into a sitting position and looked up at him pleadingly. "Please... Yun don't go back in that house. You don't know what's happening—"

"You're right," Yunho interrupted him with a wary look in his normally kind eyes. "I don't know what's happening here. I don't—" He choked up and brushed a hand over his eyes. Mingi felt his heart break at the sight of Yunho, who was once the love of his life, fall apart over him all over again. It was as if that fateful afternoon in the café was replaying before his eyes.

"I don't know who you are anymore, Mingi." He finished tearfully. Mingi bit the inside of his cheek fighting the urge to cry as struggled to think of anything he could say to convince him stay. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't think of anything to say that sounded even remotely logical. Yunho was right. Both of them being here was far too much of a coincidence for them to ignore. But one thing Mingi knew for sure was that someone had brought them here for a reason and he was determined to find out why.

"Please just stay away from me..." Yunho finally whispered. His eyes shone brightly with unshed tears before turning his back on the man he used to love and leaving him there.

Lure
•
Detective Park

Seonghwa hung back as he silently observed the guests. His plan was to blend in as much as possible as he tried to ascertain Seunghyun's whereabouts or whether or not there was a sale taking place tonight. He leaned back against the wall as his gaze drifted over the crowd of guests looking for anything he deemed suspicious. His eyes were drawn to a head of fiery red hair as he locked onto the mysterious stranger he'd met earlier that day.

"Bahk Honggi," Seonghwa whispered to himself as his eyes narrowed. "Just what is it that you're hiding?"

He knew from the second the boy had introduced himself to him that he wasn't truthful about his identity. Years on the force had given him an uncanny ability to sniff out a rat. Seonghwa couldn't put his finger on what exactly drew him to the younger boy but he couldn't shake the feeling he had vital information on the ring. There was no doubt in the detective's mind that he knew about the depraved things that had happened behind the closed doors of this very mansion.

He slowly stalked around the perimeter of the room keeping a wary eye on the mysterious Mr. Bahk who was busy downing a bottle of wine. He turned his back on the older and the detective made beeline for him. Suddenly someone materialized from the crowd and stepped in front of him to block his way.

The man flashed Seonghwa a dimpled smile behind his glittering mask. The detective instantly recognized the Harvest's host and worked hard to maintain his stoic expression. There was nothing in his intel about a Mr. Choi or any known associates of Seunghyun that fit his particular description. He gave a slight bow to him before his eyes flitted up to his face. He looked amused at the action and returned his bow by slightly dipping his head.

"Good evening," Seonghwa said politely. He slid his hands into the pockets of his slacks feeling the reassuring weight of his sidearm beneath his jacket. He was determined to keep the conversation as cordial as possible, adopting a nonchalant attitude as he crossed one leg in front of the other. "What an unexpected surprise. Mr. Choi was it?"

"Please call me San," He replied running a hand through his pale hair. There was something predatory about the gaze he gave the older boy from behind his mask. It made Seonghwa feel a sliver of fear even as he tried to appear composed on the surface. "You and I haven't had the chance to speak yet. How are you liking the Harvest so far?"

Seonghwa gave him a tense smile as he peered over his shoulder at the red haired man standing at the table behind him. He was eager to speak with him before he had a chance to disappear. "So far so good. You have a lovely home, San." He responded. The host's smile widened even further and he tilted his head to the side studying him. "Oh I think both you and I know that the Garden isn't my home, detective Park Seonghwa."

Seonghwa's blood ran cold at the dark undertone he sensed in San's voice. For the first time since he stepped foot in this place he wondered if he really prepared to do this alone. Maybe he should've hung back like his boss suggested and waited for backup to arrive. It was apparent that this Choi San knew more about him that he was comfortable with but why did he invite him here? Was the invitation here all just a ploy? A trap to lure him here for some nefarious reason that he couldn't see? No matter how he looked at it there was nothing the mysterious host could've gained from inviting him here...

Was he in over his head?

"Oh, I see the wheels turning in your head," San said almost playfully, smile spreading impossibly wider. He took a step forward until the two of them stood only a breath apart. Seonghwa was having an increasingly hard time standing his ground with San's close proximity. There was something so unsettling about the host that triggered something deep and primal inside of him that told him to run away from him as fast as he can.

Out of the corner of his eye he caught a flash of red as Mr. Bahk disappeared up a flight of stairs and out of his sight. He clenched his hands in his pockets into white knuckled fists. Fuck that, He thought resolutely returning San's stare. If this creepy motherfucker has anything to do with Seunghyun I'm going to make sure he burns right alongside him...

"You're trying to wrap your mind around what exactly is going on here and why I brought you," San said as his eyes travelled over Seonghwa's chest like he was carefully sizing him up. He trailed a slender hand up Seonghwa's shirt to adjust his tie. "But let me ask you a question detective. You came here so desperately searching for something... But what if the only reason you're here is because something was searching for you?" He said cryptically.

"What the hell is that even supposed to mean?" Seonghwa asked hating the slight tremor he heard in his voice. The smile fell from San's face as he leaned in closer to him, soft breath fanning over his lips. He was held captive there by the younger's unblinking gaze. He was so close he saw San's pupils dilate until the black nearly overpowered his strange swirling gold irises.

"To give you an answer to your burning question detective..." He whispered into the older boy's ear. "...You are in way over your head."

Then San stepped back letting his normal dimpled smile reappear on his face. Seonghwa blinked feeling as if he'd just awoken from a dream and looked at the host with an unreadable expression. San brushed Seonghwa's shoulders and laughed lightly dispelling the ominous aura he had a moment before. "Enjoy your evening at The Garden Mr. Park," He said before turning and walking away, smile falling away from his lips. "...We'll both be seeing each other very soon."

A/N

Okay I'm not 100% sure where I'm going with this but I know the story will be getting steadily more intense as we go on.

Anyone have any theories as to what San is? Or perhaps the backgrounds of any of the other characters?

It's been so long since I updated this is anyone even still reading it? lmao.

ily