"Oh. Yeah yeah, I know Jaehwan hyung. I will don't worry," Hongbin smirked, the deep dimples springing up like two sink holes in his pale cheeks. He reluctantly haled himself off the cold grey wall and back in up the steps to the practice room where he left his luggage.
"Come ON! We don't have time to wait, we have a concert in Mokpo tomorrow night so as soon as the car comes around we have to leave. There's press tonight!" a tired Hakyeon snapped passing out the door past Hongbin before looking across to the silent man beside him and screaming "JUNG TAEKWOON DON'T YOU DARE ROLL YOUR EYES!"
"Oooh~ Domestic!" giggled Ravi, bouncing down off the steps just as Taekwoon swung around to give him a piercing death stare. Hakyeon grabbed onto the brown fur of the hood of Taekwoon's parka, spinning him around and giving him another lecture about trying to be media friendly.
Ravi lazily started kicking chipped old white paint off the wall near the bins, Hyuk strolled out the door towards him followed by Hongbin and Jaehwan, all trying to avoid getting involved in the lecture session taking place. Hyuk briefly bent down next to Ravi while tucking his laces back into his hightops. At this low level of sight the maknae could see the collection of white paint chippings gathering where Ravi had just been kicked. In the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of dark stain peeking out from under all the chippings but before he could point it out the black van slowly rolled around the corner and their manager began shouting at them all to hurry up and get in.
~
The van fell into almost after the hour spent wading through the evening rush hour traffic in Seoul had lead to most of the members drifting off to sleep. Various melodies all mixed into an incomprehensible faint backing noise in the van as everyone had earphones in trying to block out Ravi's snores so they could get some sleep too.
Hongbin sat in the back right seat with his forehead pressed against the rain covered window. The cool late autumn weather had been generally pleasant and mild but had taken a dark turn in recent days. When they first set off on the journey the radio had been giving out warnings for thunder storms nationwide and rough seas to the south of the peninsula. Hongbin had smiled to himself at the time, he had always enjoyed watching lightning strike down on the ground like an eagle swooping down to snatch its unsuspecting prey.
To Hongbin's side Hyuk suddenly stirred in his sleep, turning over and flinging out his arm accidentally hitting Hongbin's arm. Drowsily Hyuk mumbled an apology that caused Hongbin to smile sweetly at the sleepy maknae. With eyes barely open Hyuk whispered something up at him.
"What was that?" Hongbin grinned down at him.
"Your face...pale...dimples look..hollow..holes..." Hyuk sniffled before dozing back to sleep. Hongbin ruffled his black floppy hair and sighed slightly. People have been commenting a lot recently about his complexion, most have passed it off as being the usual promotion time tiredness but he has felt more than the usual dull exhaustion from the constant performances and little sleep. In fact he had not slept in days and nobody had noticed yet. His insomnia, a choice at first was now slowly becoming, like everything eventually does, natural.
~
"Hongbin? Binie? YA!" A tanned hand gave Hongbin's arm a sharp slap. "It's time for press. Liven up a bit! Do you need some coffee?"
"No, no hyung. I'll be fine. Sorry," he mumbled back looking back at the leader's motherly worried face.
"Don't mind him," Jaehwan piped up, standing up from the black leather couch Taekwoon was also sitting on and stretching before strolling over to the two. "Hongbinnie has been in his own little world the past few days. I'm starting to wonder if he actually is under a voodoo spell!"
"Yah! Stop it!" Hakyeon laughed as Jaehwan started doing some elaborate voodoo chant, dancing about the waiting room. "Save some of your energy. We have to go in now. Come on."
~
A shrill beep snapped Hongbin once again from his trance. Reaching over to his phone on the bedside locker he glanced at the message that had woken him from his very own no man's land. It was a short enough message but looked longer because of all the emoticons Hakyeon had added to it:
"Must get some sleep everyone~ (´･Д･)」 Don't want to be zombies tomorrow!!!! (-_-) @.@ Let's be great for Mokpo fans! ♪( ´▽｀) !!!!"Hongbin gazed over at the bed beside him to see Hyuk's phone was lit up with the same message. He ran his thumb over the screen showing the leader's caring message before clicking off his phone and flinging it back down onto his pillow. Jumping up from his sitting position he grabbed the nearest hoddie from the chair next to the television and slipped on a pair of high tops making his way towards the hotel door.
The bathroom door flung open and an almost naked Hyuk emerged from the steam, towel drying his hair. He stopped in his tracks when he noticed Hongbin with a hand on the door.
"Oh? You're going somewhere?" he inquired, adjusting the towel around his hips.
"Yeah..." Hongbin muttered. "Just, out for a walk. Or else I won't be able to sleep tonight. I just know it."
"Ahh. I get you.. Go on ahead," Hyuk waved.
~
The cold sea air hit Hongbin's round cheeks as he stepped out the side door of the hotel, trying to avoid any possible fans out the front. He inhaled, taking in as much of the fresh autumn air as possible before setting off towards the beach. They had passed it earlier in the car and he made sure to note what direction it was in terms of their hotel, knowing he would need a late night stroll on it.
Before he knew it he could feel the tug. A gentle pulling at first which slowly gets stronger and stronger until reality gets ripped from him and his "little world" as Jaehwan has been putting it takes over. He embraced the feeling, the only escape he got during these insomnia filled days.
"H-hongbin oppa?" a quiet voice chirped up.
Hongbin swung around to find a small girl about 16 standing underneath a bus shelter, clasping a VIXX sign. A pair a dark rimmed glasses took up most of her face but Hongbin could still see her dark eyes were glistening under the street lamp light. She took a step slowly towards him as he remained motionless, hands in his pockets with his head tilted slightly while his eyes combed her entire body.
"Umm. I was waiting earlier for you all, outside the hotel. B-but it looked like you weren't coming out so I left to get my bus home. I-I think I missed the last one t-though," she stuttered, smiling brightly up at him.
"I'm just out for a walk.."
"Oh I didn't mean to disturb you!! I just.." her voice faded off into the silence of the night.
"No it's ok," he straightened up, now beaming at the fan. "How about you join me? I don't really know the area and I want to go to a quiet part of the beach."
"Oh you won't have to worry about that! Nobody will be out at this time. Not even the fishermen! B-but I know a really pretty spot on the beach. It's full of rock pools and really beautiful in the moonlight! Although...I heard there was going to be storms. So maybe we shouldn't.."
"Look up," Hongbin smiled as the fan tried to stifle a squeal when she saw his dimples spring up, "The sky looks pretty clear to me." She nodded slowly, convinced by his sweet tone. "What's your name by the way?"
"Ah," she gasped. "Yes, almost forgot that! Park Jisoon."
"Well then Jisoonie, lead the way," he grinned, stretching out his hand which Jisoon nervously took.
~
"It's just down here," Jisoon murmured, guiding Hongbin around a rocky slope.
"Wow, so out of the way. It must be beautiful to be so awkward to get to," Hongbin smirked. Jisoon giggled and continued to pull Hongbin's hand as they slowly clambered down the slippery rocks.
After a few minutes Jisoon jumped off the final rock onto a sandy shore. The moonlight lit up the small beach, the rock pool water glittering like diamonds. Hongbin stood for a moment gaping at the sight.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Jisoon smiled.
"Wow."
"I know I just knew you would-"
"It's just perfect. The perfect setting," Hongbin nodded, turning back to Jisoon. "You've been so kind to lead me the whole way out here."
"Oh no need to tha-"
"Don't worry you've worked hard for your reward," he smiled widely, the moonlight reflecting brightly in his dark eyes.
"My...what?"
Hongbin smiled sweetly down at the young girl, leading down to her ear, his lips brushing against her jet black hair as he whispered "I will set you free."
Before Jisoon got to reply to his unsettling words, two pale thin hands clasped around her pale neck. Her face lighting up with fear and confusion, Hongbin smirked down at her once more, his hands pressing tighter and tighter around her young neck.
"Oh this really is so perfect, so beautiful. So innocent, you never were taught about the calm before the storm," he whispered, gazing into her dark eyes relishing every second as they slowly clouded over. He stroked her cheek before letting go of her limp body. "Good girl, no mess this time."
Grabbing her two warm wrists he dragged her down to the dark shore line, clouds beginning to cover over the bright moon. The wind began to pick up, howling in his ears. Flinging the dead weight into the waves, he walked into the shallow water, getting his shoes soaked just to kick the body out further to make sure that she was picked up by the waves.
"I don't think I have to worry too much about this," he laughed as the dark figure of Jisoon got sucked down into the black abyss of the sea after catching onto a rip current.
~
"Hyungggg!!" Hyuk's voice in the distance barely carried over the roars of the wind when Hongbin jumped down from the final rock to make it back over to the main beach. He glanced around the dark beach, the moonlight totally covered up by now, he couldn't see any sign of the maknae for now. Good, he thought, I'm not finished yet.
Turning towards the dark shore line he strolled slowly down to gaze into the open sea. The waves had picked up greatly as the weather on the radio earlier had predicted. He chuckled quietly to himself when the waves began to batter up the sand, the water level already to his knees.
"Hyung?" Hyuk called out, finally spotting Hongbin when he ran further down the beach. "Hongbin hyung!! I've been looking for you. We have to go back. Something has happened. Hyung!! A fan is missing in Seoul, last seen outside the company. Hyung?!"
Hongbin finally gazed back at the frustrated maknae. Giving him a sweet smile, "I know."
"You do? Then why haven't you come back? I thought you're phone was in the... Hyung," he paused, taking in the scene completely. "Hongbin hyung.. What are you doing in the water? You'll get sick!"
"I won't get sick," he called back as he faced out to the sea once again. "No, I won't. I can't."
"Hyung," Hyuk sighed tiredly. "You're not some sort of superhuman. Come on now, we have to go back to the hotel."
"Let the sea wash away and cleanse what is dirty in me," Hongbin whispered before stepping further into the surging water.
~
yeah idk where this came from after such a dry period of no fanfics i'm tired so lots of mistakes that i say i will fix up but who knows if i ever will
officially renaming Hongbin - Hongbun and Hyuk - Hyunk.
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