Someone is going to die today. Maybe, even a group of people. Jin Woo stood on the opposite roof of where Yuki's cafe was, and it was taking all of it within him not to crumble the building beneath his feet. Beru standing behind him, like the good soldier he was, and shivering at the anger Jin Woo omitting.
"If someone is strong–" Beru straightened up "–wouldn't people just leave them and their loved ones alone?" The ant gulped and he lowered his head, "My Liege, maybe they are mocking you." Jin Woo clenched his jaw and some of the building cracked. The aura he was omitting had some of those bystanders sweating and looking around to find the danger.
"It sure seems like it, doesn't it." He glanced at his phone, and read the messages from Go Gun Hee. The older man, Min Byung Gyu, and Jin Ah are unable to get ahold of Yuki and Jin Woo would be panicking if it weren't for Igiris in the other's shadow. He would know if Yuki's life was in danger, even if that danger is himself.
Go Gun Hee, the powerful and well-loved S Rank, has pulled some strings. Using old contacts, he had gotten the video tapes from the security cameras around the area. Jin Woo isn't sure what the old man is planning by giving Jin Woo access to these videos, but he wasn't going to look a gifted horse in the mouth.
Looking back at the cafe, Jin Woo narrowed his eyes once more. He'll visit Yuki right after this. He needs to.
As he was about to leave, his phone started ringing. It wasn't an unfamiliar number, but definitely not a usual caller, "Hello?"
'Mr. Sung, is it true?' Baek Yoon Ho, for how intimidating the man can be, cared a lot about those close to him. Jin Woo is trying to think of the times he and Yuki have gotten close enough for the S Rank to call Jin Woo to check if a rumor is true. His response allows for multiple situations to take place depending on the tiger's answer, "Which one?"
'The cafe. Is it true it's been vandalized?' It's been more than vandalized, but sure. Jin Woo will answer that "Yeah. Everything inside will most likely need to be replaced."
'Jesus.' The Son of God isn't going to be enough to save the fuckers who did this. He already had somewhat of a plan for the people who did this, and it involved some ants. If the tapes don't show enough of their face, it's a good thing Tank has a good sense of smell.
'I'll tell the others then, just to confirm it for you so you don't get spammed.' Jin Woo wondered just when they got that close that the tiger would do that for him. Once again, he's not going to look a gifted horse in the mouth.
"I appreciate it." Pocketing the device, he gave the crowd and the cafe one last glance. A smiling man caught his eye, and Jin Woo didn't hesitate to put a soldier on the man's shadow. Even if he wasn't the one to do this, laughing at Yuki's pain is punishable.
Jin Woo will make sure everyone remembers that.
Using Shadow Exchange, he walked into Yuki's bedroom. Despite it being only around 2 pm, the room was dark and all hints of light had been snubbed. The curtains were drawn on all windows, and the little hallway light pulled out of the outlet. Clothes were thrown haphazardly on the ground, and the smell of cigarettes filled his nose. Glancing at the bed, Jin Woo took note of the soju bottle and the full ashtray.
Walking over to the bed, where an obvious lump in the covers was, Jin Woo rested his hand where he thought Yuki's shoulder was. Sitting on the edge of the mattress, Jin Woo rubbed Yuki's shoulder and back. The silence was all the only thing he could offer the other right now, and until he got the perpetrator's head, he still wouldn't show Yuki. All he could offer the other would be the simple phrase, "It's been dealt with." Until then, this was all he could do.
"...Go away." The words muffled, and the lump under his hand moved, shifting and rustling as he moved under the comforter. Jin Woo didn't move his hand, "Yuki." The comforter shifted, and red eyes peeked out of the little cave he had made. Jin Woo clenched his jaw, taking in the sight of Yuki's pained eyes and the bitten lips. His eyes widened when he took note of Yuki's hair, a large hand cradling the back of Yuki's head where the once-long strands were now short. Barely touching his neck and cut with frantic hands.
Jin Woo's face must have shown something because Yuki, grabbed his wrist and moved it away from the nape of his neck to his cheek where Yuki could nuzzle the palm.
"It was getting too long." Jin Woo decided to leave it at that. He leaned down and kissed Yuki's cheek, "I'm sorry Yuki." Yuki's beautiful face contorted to one of pain-fueled anger. His eyebrows furrowing and nose scrunching, Yuki's lips grimaced as the memory of his cafe filled his mind. Out of habit, Yuki bit his bottom lip, making the soft flesh bruise even more. He curled tighter into a ball, trying to make himself smaller. Jin Woo rubbed circles on Yuki's cheek, trying to help soothe the other.
"It's not fair." Jin Woo looked up and felt his blood boil at the even more pained expression decorating Yuki's face. Red eyes shining from unshed tears and the scrunch of his nose meeting the furrow of his brows getting deeper as he tried to control his emotions. Trying to desperately put them into words, but these feelings and pain went beyond words.
"How could they do that to my treasure?" Because that is what it was. That cafe, with cream-colored walls that held photos, supported local artists' works and had been the background in many people's photos, now holding spray-painted slurs and threats. The floor which was tiled in a fun design that had many kids trying to play a game, stepping only on the colored tiles and not the white ones, was now stained with blood and shattered glass. Machines worth thousands are now unable to be used. Plates and cups smashed into oblivion.
A dream, once a reality, now ripped into shreds.
Yuki had invested so much into that place. He invested his time, his soul, and money for a place that could be a safe space for everyone. Hunters loved the discrete discounts, because not everyone was proud to be a Hunter, and civilians loved the illusion of safety it had. Everyone loved the food, the drinks, and the place. Even when they were little, and the cafe was only a dream, Yuki had always made it known that everyone would be welcomed in those doors.
Everyone would a have slice of Yuki's treasure because Yuki has always been gracious. He's always been someone who was okay with sharing what was important to him. Yuki has always been selfless.
It is why Jin Woo learned how to be selfish. He would be selfish for both of them. What is his, is Yuki's and only Yuki's.
What is Yuki's treasure, is also his. Someone had robbed Yuki of his most precious thing, which means they robbed him. Like the idiots they are. Jin Woo is selfish enough for both of them and possessive enough to inflict his own form of punishment. Not only for stealing but for being the reason Yuki is now failing to fight back the tears and making such a painful expression on his ethereal face.
When the tears finally escaped, Jin Woo did nothing to try and stop them. He didn't beg Yuki to stop crying, and he didn't wipe them away either. He watched as those tears reflected what little light there was like diamonds, and how they left trails on Yuki's cheek. Each tear will be a limb he tears off.
"Why me?" Jin Woo kissed a tear away, still cupping Yuki's cheek as he pressed their foreheads together. He wanted to take the pain away. All of it. Even the pain that is not from the cafe, Jin Woo wished he could just steal it all. All so Yuki could smile.
Jin Woo will not tell Yuki what he plans to do. He will not tell anyone, besides his soldiers, what he plans to do.
He crawled into the bed with Yuki, the other allowing him some room under the covers as he pressed himself into Jin Woo's body. Strong arms wrapping around the man in a secure hold, promising to protect him.
"Min Byung Gyu and everyone expressed their worry for you," He whispered. Yuki buried his face into Jin Woo's chest, mumbling, "I still need to give some of them their pastry." Jin Woo hummed, "They understand. Just know, the people that matter are on your side, Yuki."
"...I know." Still, just because you had an army behind you didn't mean the attacks hurt less. Jin Woo would know all about that.
Jin Woo kissed the top of Yuki's head. He eyed the layers, and how Yuki missed some longer strands but it wasn't anything that couldn't be corrected with a simple trim. As much as he liked Yuki's longer hair, he didn't mind this new change. Yuki had always looked good in whatever hairstyle he chose, but he did wish that this decision was done out of want rather than out of emotional necessity.
Yuki's hair was always the first thing to change whenever something extremely stressful something happens. When he was removed from his home, Yuki had dyed his hair brown for a solid two months. When his stepfather had been arrested, Yuki had it cut. All throughout his life, whenever something happened that was out of his control and caused him stress, it was always those healthy strands that paid the price first.
'Well,' Jin Woo eyed the now sleeping male. Exhaustion is clear on his face as he slept the minutes away.
'There are worse things to do with scissors.'
++++
Min Byung Gyu stood in front of the cafe with a heartbroken expression. When he first read the article about Sung Jin Woo and Yuki, he was ecstatic that those two were together. 'Finally' he thought, seeing the photo of Sung Jin Woo leaning down to peck Yuki's cheek. It was clearly meant to be a private act, which got caught. Not like it was a big deal, a lot of Hunters had families and were involved in relationships.
That happiness vanished the moment he read another article. A news article about a local cafe being vandalized. He stared at the photos in shock, and soon he was dialing for Yuki faster than he ever has. When his friend didn't pick up, he tried texting. When that didn't work, he tried again. And again. And again.
"Hyung he's not picking up!"
'Min Byung Gyu relax, Sung Jin Woo is going to check it out.'
"His shop just got destroyed over something as small as sexuality and you want me to relax?!" The line was silent for a minute. He can't see it, but Baek Yoon Ho is staring at his phone with some concern and a hint of fear.
'Mi-Min Byung Gyu?' The Healer took a deep breath, recalling his apology afterward and trying to remind himself that Baek Yoon Ho was not at fault. He's just stressed and upset for his friend.
If Sung Jin Woo says he's handling it, then he is handling it.
Min Byung Gyu made eye contact with the giant Ice Bear that was sniffing around the broken shop. Almost blending in completely with the darkness, if it weren't for the blue glow of his eyes and the blue fire? It reminded him of the inside of that ant nest for a brief moment.
Gulping, he nodded to the giant bear, who went back to sniffing the carnage.
'Sung Jin Woo is handling it.' He watched the bear continue to nose around. Being careful of the already messed up shop and the overturned tables. When the bear caught a scent, he disappeared, undoubtedly going to go get Sung Jin Woo. Min Byung Gyu looked towards the table he and Yuki always sat at. The top of it was scratched and cut up, and the chairs had their legs broken.
Walking into the shop, now that the giant bear was gone, Min Byung Gyu walked to the wall where the photos were. Some old and some new, some funny and some posed, some destroyed and some intact.
His and Baek Yoon Ho's was still intact. Only the corner was touched by the paint, and somehow it still remained almost in perfect condition. There was one of him and Yuki, taken by Baram, and Yuki's face had been singed. A burn mark took out his face and leaving only Min Byung Gyu's.
"Whoever did this is stupid." High-profile Hunters were regulars. All the photos suggested that. There were Hunters from White Tiger, Hunters, Fiend, Fame, hell even people from the Hunter's Association. If Sung Jin Woo didn't do something, no doubt a lot of other Hunters will.
Shaking his head, Min Byung Gyu walked back out of the desolate cafe and felt a shiver run down his spine for a quick moment. He's felt it before, back when Sung Jin Woo was fighting the ant. That stupid ant. It wasn't rage or fear. It wasn't irritation or magic. Recalling the smile that S Rank had on his face, Min Byung Gyu could imagine it again.
'Sung Jin Woo is out for blood.'
'Sung Jin Woo is out for blood.' Choi Jong In mused as he watched that giant dragon, or whatever it was, fly through the air with a silhouette on the back. Choi Jong In watched as it disappeared along the horizon, flying at a record speed that he's sure not even Baek Yoon Ho could keep up with.
Sighing, he leaned back in his chair and glanced over the papers. Applications for joining the Hunter's Guild, which he found to be pretty amusing seeing that when it is revealed Sung Jin Woo is creating a Guild, the majority of these will go there. That's assuming that he even accepts them.
No offense to the man, but he doesn't seem like the type to just let others in. Let alone join what will essentially be a business, or in Baek Yoon Ho's case, family. Choi Jong In lit a cigarette, and inhaled deeply.
'Too bad this didn't cause him to awaken.' When Choi Jong In first came across Yuki, it was a pure accident. The other had walked by him, without even glancing at him, and Jong In could feel it. Similar to how you can feel the faintest brush of a cherry blossom when it falls and touches the skin. Catching the attention only briefly, and it isn't until you look up that you notice the mass amount of cherry blossoms right above you. Swarming the trees and making the branches almost impossible to see.
Yuki's magical output was that cherry blossom against the nape of Choi Jong In's neck, and when he turned to look, he saw it. The source of where that little brush of magic came, and he had wondered why no one else was reacting to what he was feeling. The mass amount of magic that surrounded Yuki looked suffocating.
For a second, Choi Jong In thought he was looking at another Hunter. It wasn't until he offered to light Yuki's cigarette that he noted the 'shell.'' When someone is unawakened, but holds enough magic to be emitting from their skin like sweat, it is contained in what many call a 'shell.' It can be compared to an egg really. They can see it, and feel it, but it is not yet tangible to the outside world. Flowing within and around the person, trapped close to their body and never reaching beyond whatever length the 'shell' gives them.
Until they do awaken. Then that 'shell' is gone, and it is when power runs and rolls off others in waves. Now tangible for everyone to see and feel. Now moldable for the person.
Yuki's shell was just bigger because the amount of power he had was large.
Mage types, and healers, are more sensitive to magical output due to their use constant use of mana. When you use something so often, you tend to get good at feeling and searching for it. The higher the rank you are, the more sensitive you are to it. The more powerful attacks created by magic left a mage's body more accepting to outside mana sources that can be converted to magic.
Choi Jong In was calling it early, if Min Matsuno Yuki were ever to awaken, he would undoubtedly be at least a high A Rank. At least. He also noted, through many annoying jokes and jabs, that Yuki had this tight control over this magic. Whether it was consciously or unconsciously, the man had that magic in his grip and was not letting go. It rarely wavered, even when he was annoyed, and it only circulated around him. It didn't try breaking out of the shell like many others try to do. Instead, it laid content just revolving around Yuki.
Pink eyes opened, and he stared at the cherry-flavored cigarettes he bought after that encounter.
"Hmph, if this didn't cause him to awaken, I wonder what will?" Sometimes, when magical output is as prominent as Yuki's, stress could cause the 'shell' to break. Yuki has always looked stressed whenever Choi Jong In visited.
His phone ringing tore his attention away from his thoughts. Glancing at the Caller ID, he couldn't help but chuckle.
"President-nim, how can I help you?"
'Have you seen Sung Jin Woo-ssi?' Choi Jong In smiled, "I did. He looked like a man on a mission." There was an audible sigh on the other end, and Choi Jong In would have been concerned if he didn't already know what was going on.
'Is that right?' However, if Go Gun Hee does not bring it up, then neither will Choi Jong In. As annoying as he can be, he respects the older gentleman.
"Have a good night, President-nim."
'You too.' It amazes him how far people are willing to go for their loved ones. Sung Jin Woo is willing to turn the public into an enemy, and Go Gun Hee is willing to help. Choi Jong In, or anybody outside that circle, really knows Go Gun Hee's and Yuki's history. He knows that they have known each other for a long time and that Go Gun Hee was there for his high school graduation.
He also knows, that for a period of time, Go Gun Hee was signing checks off to someone who might now be Yuki. Choi Jong In was curious, but not enough to ask. He's seen the way Go Gun Hee has glared at some workers who have commented on Yuki. Nice comments too. They were compliments really, but the look Go Gun Hee gave them made it look like they were saying something disgusting about him.
'I wonder what kind of face President-nim made.'
++++
Jin Woo has a plan. A not so well thought out plan, but who needs one when you are this powerful and basically untouchable? He's got one guy cornered. Only one, out of the group of four. He's tracked down all of them, and has placed soldiers in their shadows so when the time comes, he can be there.
However, as of right now, he only has one. One is all he wants in fact.
"I-I-I'm sorry." Jin Woo didn't even look at him. Jin Ah sent a photo of her doing Yuki's makeup and holy shit. Yuki with red eyeliner is deadly.
"Shut up! Don't talk to My Liege." Beru, whose appearance didn't match his voice because it was Japan's S Rank Healer's voice, growled. It got some getting used to, to be honest. Igris stood beside him, eyes narrowed and it is only because Jin Woo has known this shadow for so long that he could see the rage beneath those blue eyes. Igris is a knight. One who values protecting and fighting for their charge. While Jin Woo may be his leader, Yuki is the one he is to look after.
Jin Woo hummed, turning his attention back the sniveling man that was on his knees and head pressed into the ground. Beru's clawed hand digging into his scalp and cheeks.
"I don't really care why you did it." The man flinched. Jin Woo walked closer, scuffing his feet so the man can hear him walking around him. Like a predator surrounding wounded prey.
"I don't care how you got roped into it." He stopped behind him, making the man gulp. Sung Jin Woo came out of nowhere. Absolutely nowhere! One minute he's walking back home, slurring his words and stumbling, the next his shadow is grabbing him and pulling him into an alley where a giant ant, knight, and S Rank Hunter are waiting.
They said they wouldn't get caught! That there would be no repercussions because once people found out who that cafe owner was, no one would care! No one! So why is he the one being punished? He was only following along! That's it! All he did was wreck some windows, is that worth being hurt over?
He's not the one who spilled the pig's blood over the counter or wrote those words on the walls. He wasn't the one who wrecked the machinery or lit some photos on fire. All he did was smash some glass and throw some chairs. So why is he the only one being punished?!
"You're probably thinking why are you the one getting in trouble." The man jolted. Jin Woo smiled, "You're not. You're just the first."
Crack
The scream the man released had Beru shoving his head into the concrete to shut him up as his body withered in agony. Beneath Jin Woo's foot was a shattered ankle. Bones, muscles, ligaments, and tendons are crushed from under his foot.
"One."
Crack
"Two."
Snap
"Three."
Crunch
"Four." Both ankles and knees crushed, and the man had blacked out. Jin Woo clicked his tongue, and with a flick of his gaze, Beru was smashing the man's head into the ground again. Bringing him back to consciousness.
Tears and snot racing down his face as he cried out. Begging for mercy, apologizing, and overall sounding hysterical. Jin Woo walked in front of him and looked down at the man.
"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to." Ants. There were ants all over the alley, from the walls to the ground. The man's breath began to pick up even more as he stared into the eyes of a Hunter.
"Live a better life next time, okay?"
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Guys it's been a while since I wrote a scene like that and I forgot why I love them.
Have a good day!