Dead By Accident
cw: mildly sexual content
***
The sky still hung like a deep indigo veil when Sa crossed the street.
The once bustling old district was now cloaked in a weary hush, with only a handful of neon signs flickering in the dark, reminiscent of a drug addict who had reveled in the last vestiges of feverish euphoria and was now suffering from withdrawal. One or two drunkards were sprawled on the curb, shivering under the chilly night air with heavy traces of intoxication on their faces, yet Sa did not even spare them a glance.
It was a peaceful and tranquil silence before dawn, but the apparent frustration and gloominess between Sa's brows betrayed his current emotions.
He reached his car in no time at all. Even without opening the door, he could already hear his phone buzzing quietly on the front passenger seat where he had deliberately left it behind. God knew how long those people had been trying to reach him.
In fact, Sa could hear his phone vibrate from meters away, but it wasn't the only source of his irritation for the night.
After settling behind the wheel, he slammed the door shut and smoothly reached into his dashboard for a thin metal box. Flipping the lid open, two rows of cigarettes greeted his eyes. The wrapping paper was black in color, with a cursive gold-embossed word 'S' engraved on the side. It was apparent at first glance that the cigarettes were not a widely manufactured product.
And it was true.
Rather than a normal tobacco cigarette, it was more accurate to call it a strong tranquilizer wrapped in thin, lightweight paper. It had been specially prepared for him courtesy of the desperate researchers in the National Awakened Center.
The dose contained in a single cigarette was enough to knock down an elephant in mere seconds, but for him, it was just a temporary solution to numb his senses.
He placed one between his lips and, without needing a lighter, summoned a small, flickering flame atop his gloved fingertip which glowed akin to molten lava, illuminating his striking dual-colored eyes that were still tinted with a passionate hue.
With a slow exhale, tendrils of smoke seeped out between his lips, curling lazily in the air. As the drug seeped into his system, he could feel the sharp stabbing pain in his skull morphed into a dull ache, and even the base of his tongue felt numb and bitter.
Just like that, he made himself comfortable by leaning back on the seat, his eyes squinting in the direction of the motel where he had just come out from as though his gaze could penetrate the walls to land on the sweet, beautiful man he had just devoured.
Without warning, a surge of memories emerged to the forefront of his mind— those misty, unfocused eyes framed by wet, thick lashes; moist red lips gasping and moaning his name; slender, fit, and beautiful body writhing between the sheets, covered in a glistening sheen of perspiration as he held onto that small waist and fucked into him with abandon.
And the sounds he made… oh those small keens and whimpers he so desperately tried to choke down… they were simply divine.
Sa had always despised loud noises, especially crying ones, yet the sight of that blue-eyed man in tears only served to fuel his excitement and dark satisfaction instead. He nearly couldn't resist the urge to bully the other person harder and rougher. It was unbelievable how easily the man affected him and caused him to lose the self-control he had always been so proud of.
Alas, such a pity that…
A fleeting trace of regret flickered in his eyes.
Lost in his thoughts, he unknowingly finished the whole cigarette. He stubbed it out by crushing it in his palm, watching it crumble and disintegrate into ashes before casually lighting another one. Only then did he deign to reach out a hand and answer the call with a careless swipe.
The person on the other end still had no idea that the call was already connected and was still rambling to no end, "...no! I said no! No means
"Oh…" Sa let out a dark and indolent chuckle, his voice slightly muffled due to the cigarette in his mouth. "A tracker under my car? I thought we had already discussed this two years ago?"
"...!" The caller let out a choked sound, and the chaotic ruckus on the other end died down in an instant as though someone had pressed the mute button.
After two seconds of heavy, rigid silence, the voice which had contained so much anger earlier instantly switched 180°, sounding as if the speaker was on the verge of tears. "S–Sa-nim! Sa-nim, you finally picked up the phone, oh my God! Do you know how many times I've called you? Ninety-six times, do you hear me? Ninety-six!!!"
Sa absentmindedly checked his phone and realized that— oh this guy was telling the truth. It was a wonder how his battery hadn't been fully drained yet. It wouldn't be far though, since there was only 4% remaining.
Taking another drag of his cigarette, he closed his eyes and allowed the tranquilizer to sink into his system before asking in a slightly hoarse voice, "Do you need something from me, Special Assistant Nam Sanghun?"
"You suddenly disappeared and didn't show up to your regular check-up, and you expected us not to worry?!" Nam Sanghun's pitch abruptly raised as he cried out like an aggrieved wife facing a scum husband. "Aigoo, we have no choice but to indulge in
Halfway through the rant, Sa had already tossed his phone aside and threw his gaze outside the window, a mocking sneer hanging from the corner of his lips.
One and only hope? Humanity's brightest star? What a joke. He could bet that Special Assistant Nam must have told the same thing to others as well.
…Not that it made that much of a difference, since they were essentially the same person.
But if Sam could do whatever he pleased, even running to some shady bar to perform a song, why couldn't he? Just because he was stronger and more resilient, thus would not be so easy to die?
Sa knew that his current thought was childish; it was useless to compare himself to Sam, plus the brewing negative emotions would only exacerbate his already dire situation instead. If there was a perfect metaphor to describe himself, it was like he had a ticking time bomb strapped to his body while he himself was hanging on the edge of the cliff with only the tip of his fingers.
If he so much as relaxed even one bit, then he would instantly slip and plummet into the pitch-black abyss below, yet to disarm the bomb, he had no choice but to struggle with all of his might…
The best solution he had come up with was to stay still and see— whether the bomb on his body would explode first, or the steep cliff he was clinging on would crumble first.
Either way, it all led to the same ending. He would follow in the steps of his predecessors, who could only find peace in their eternal slumber.
Nobody could save him, not others and not himself.
Especially not himself.
Realizing that he had once again slipped into a dangerous state of mind, Sa gave his head a shake and took a slow pull of his cigarette with a gloomy look between his brows.
Think of happy memories, he suggested to himself. Happy memories…
"That's right," he suddenly piped in, interrupting Special Assistant Nam's endless complaints about his inhumane boss. "Help me take care of a body. It's in room 208 in the motel across from the bar 'Midnight Tryst'." He proceeded to give a detailed location and even described the building to the other person to spare him the time and energy to search. Speaking until this point, he couldn't resist a curse.
"I accidentally killed him when he fucked." Still with a cigarette pinched between two fingers, he scratched his brow with his thumb, frustrated. "Haa… damn it."
Silence.
There was a whole five seconds silence from the other end of the phone, then—
"You did— WHAT?!" Special Assistant Nam's earth-shattering cry came through, forcing Sa to cover his ears with a grimace. "S–Sa-nim— no, Ryu Chanwook-nim! Esper Ryu Chanwook-nim! W-W-What the hell are you talking about?! You—"
"I suppose," Sa – or Ryu Chanwook – cut in once more, not giving the other person a chance to nag or lecture him, "he's a Guide. Should be around E or F-Class. I didn't realize it at first because his energy was so faint and weak." I really didn't do it on purpose. Sa left the rest of his words remained unsaid.
No wonder it felt so good, his mind wandered. Too good, even.
He had never felt such intense and mind-shuddering pleasure when he bedded others before, not that his experience was still valid since he had never hooked up with anyone after he awakened as an Esper. It seemed like his worldly desires had waned along with the rise of his supernatural abilities, leaving only a weary man who lived through each day like a zombie.
What drove him to make such an offer tonight, then?
To be completely honest, Sa surprised even himself. He had only come here to keep an eye on Sam lest the latter have a mental breakdown in the middle of the crowd, which would result in a tragic and devastating bloodbath.
Never had he ever foreseen that his attention would be snagged by a weak low-class guide instead, while his original target aka Sam was completely thrown to the back of his mind.
If he had to pinpoint the reason…
It was because the blue-eyed man exuded such an intoxicating scent that a mere whiff was enough to cloud his senses, enough to pierce above the pungent stench of cheap liquor, perfumes and smokes in the bar, leaving him craving for more and more.
Sa had never smelled anything so dizzyingly and tantalizingly sweet before, nearly making his mouth water with an unprecedented surge of raw hunger.
Had he been too rough? Unfortunately, Sa couldn't quite recall it anymore. But he knew very well the limit of an ordinary human body, so there was no way he could have lost control of his strength. Which was why, imagine his surprise when he returned to his senses to find that the person beneath him was no longer breathing.
What a dreadful and terrifying experience he did not want to repeat for the second time— ever!
Come to think of it, the blue-eyed man might have subconsciously guided him when they went on it like a pair of rabbits in heat. It was common knowledge among the Awakened that the most effective way for a Guide to soothe a manic Esper was through physical union. It was because the sexual gratification coursing through Guide's body when they reached the peak would transform into a special energy absorbed by Esper— similar to a high-quality tranquilizer. It worked wonders to alleviate the Espers' physical and mental symptoms.
The more compatible the pair was, the more effective the guiding process would become.
Sa could sense that his compatibility with the blue-eyed man was high— perhaps higher than all of the Guides he had tested with so far.
Alas, it was unfortunate that the difference in their ranks was too far.
No matter how high their compatibility was—even if it reached as high as one hundred percent— there was no way an E or F-Class could guide an S-Class Esper, especially one who was on the verge of going berserk at that.
At this moment, Sa's body was no different than a black hole— hollow and ravenous. It wouldn't be full no matter how much it was stuffed.
Let's not mention E or F-Class, even A-Class Guides would go into shock or have a mental breakdown if they were to guide him. An F-Class Guide's mental energy was akin to mosquito meat; it wasn't even enough to fill the gap between his teeth.
In this matter, the high compatibility between his and the blue-eyed Guide had become a curse instead— mostly for the latter. Because Sa's body had been 'starving' for far too long, when it encountered someone with the same energy wavelength, it would latch on without letting go and ferociously devour what it needed, which resulted in the Guide going into shock and then… death.
If Sa wished to recover, he needed the aid from an S-Class Guide. Unfortunately, such a high-level Guide had not awakened for the last four years, and it was still unknown whether they would come to exist in the future.
Thus, Sa's fate was, inexorably and hopelessly, sealed.
On the other end of the call, Special Assistant Nam's voice cracked from how hysterically he shouted, "Y–You didn't check whether they were a Guide or not before you slept with them?! Augh, augh, my neck— where's my high blood pressure medicine?! Hurry and fetch it for me!!" The endless chaos was transmitted through the phone, but Sa's patience was quickly running thin.
"That's it," he announced in an irritated tone. "Prepare as much compensation as you need. I will leave the rest to you. I'll hang up first, my phone battery is dying."
"Wait, wait—"
Beep.
The call ended, and Sa immediately turned off his phone without hesitation to prevent Special Assistant Nam – or any other people – from bothering him.
Taking one last puff, he crushed and disintegrated the cigarette in his palm before starting the engine and driving the car away.
***
At the same time.
In room 208 of the motel.
On top of the messy bed, the supposedly dead Kang Jinha drew in a sharp breath, his thick lashes quivering. It took him one, two, and three seconds before he finally managed to crack his eyes open by a sliver. Even then, the scene before him remained blurred as though covered by a layer of haze.
W-What happened to me…? his sluggish mind wondered.
.
.
A/N: In case you're wondering if there are Il (One) or I (Two), yes *laughing-crying* yes there are