Untouched [minsung]

Chapter 65

Lee Know had decided that Seungmin didn't deserve a courtesy text.

We walked up to his house whilst it was still bright and early at just 7:30 am. Lee Know began pounding roughly on the door.

The door opened quickly though and Seungmin answered while looking unsurprised (despite the fact that he had no idea we'd be coming over), put together (despite the bruise on his jaw), and eager to hear what we had to say (despite the overarching aggressive vibe in the air).

Lee Know walked past him, not even waiting for an invitation. I guess it was still technically his house. He had his arms folded, and he stood in the living room as I followed him inside with Seungmin behind me.

"Come on, let's go," Lee Know tapped his foot impatiently.

"To your place?" Seungmin asked.

Lee Know snorted. "Absolutely not. You're staying with Chan."

I saw a glimmer in Seungmin's eyes, and he nodded eagerly before heading off to pack some of his things.

Lee Know plopped down onto the sofa and picked at the fabric where his cats had once scratched away at it. He looked at me in annoyance and rolled his eyes. "What's taking him so long?"

I let out a little laugh at his reaction. We'd literally just gotten here. "He has to pack."

"Did he seem a little too happy about living with Chan?" he asked.

I'd thought the same thing but didn't want to add to Lee Know's Pros and Cons list on Seungmin staying with Chan vs shooting him on the spot. I doubted there was much wiggle room for error keeping Seungmin alive right now. I didn't want any more people to die...even ones that may have turned their back on us before like Seungmin.

"I didn't notice anything," I shrugged.

Lee Know continued to pick at the sofa. "Seungmin, hurry up," he complained as he sank into the sofa and eventually fell to the floor in boredom. I was learning that Lee Know was not a morning person...well, at least not a super early morning person.

"Sorry," Seungmin apologized as he entered the room with a backpack and carry-on-sized suitcase.

"That's all of your things?" I asked.

"I only packed the essentials."

"Great let's go," Lee Know clapped his hands together and wasted no time leaving the house and going to the car.

Seungmin put his things in our trunk and then hopped into the backseat. Lee Know whipped around to stare at him.

"What?" Seungmin looked back at him as if waiting to be scolded.

"Get out of my car. Drive your own," Lee Know ordered.

"I can't," Seungmin began. "I'm pretty sure Jeongin has tracking on it."

Lee Know exaggeratedly rolled his eyes and exhaled loudly. "Fine."

He backed out of the house and drove back to Chan's.

The car ride wasn't very long, but it was incredibly awkward. Lee Know kept looking in the rearview mirror at Seungmin as if he was daring him to make a mistake, so he'd have an excuse to hit him again.

"You guys already talked to Chan about this, right?" Seungmin asked nervously from the back seat. He was picking at the skin around his fingernails and stared down to avoid any eye contact with Lee Know.

"Of course. We don't put our friends in situations they aren't prepared for," Lee Know bit back.

"Very subtle," I whispered to him sarcastically.

"We talked with Chan and Hyunjin this morning," I replied to Seungmin more calmly.

"Hyunjin is there?" He sounded worried about the idea of staying with him.

"That a problem?" Lee Know taunted. He had a devilish look on his face.

"Nope," Seungmin said quietly.

I could tell there was something he wanted to say, but Lee Know's tone was closing him off. This was the opposite of what we wanted. Like it or not, we needed Seungmin and the information he had on our side. And making him feel unwelcome or burdensome wouldn't make us his choice to share news with.

"Hyunjin is fine with it," I assured him. "And Chan even seemed excited."

Seungmin looked up and smiled softly at my attempt at kindness. I may have exaggerated a bit about Chan's eagerness, but my goal was to not die. If making Seungmin believe that he had an ally in Chan was going to keep me alive, I'd do it.

When we got to their house, Chan answered the door right away. He'd obviously made an attempt to put some of the things away, but the house was still a mess. Seungmin looked around and was clearly turned off by the sloppiness. He looked especially grossed out by the kitchen where some of the dishes had fuzzy friends.

But to his credit, he gave Chan a warm smile and thanked him for letting him stay there. Hyunjin was still asleep which was probably for the best.

Chan showed Seungmin to his room and left him alone to unpack. He returned to the living room. I needed to talk to him, and I wasn't sure he was going to like the idea I'd had on the way over.

"Good news or bad news?" I asked.

He and Lee Know popped their heads up in unison.

"Good," Chan sighed. He was obviously exhausted from taking on so many things at once.

"I know how to get more information about Jeongin's plans when he's released so that I don't die."

"What's the bad news?" Chan asked cautiously. He was obviously expecting that he'd be involved in the plan and was clearly not psyched about that.

"You need to seduce Seungmin."

Lee Know looked at me with a confused expression. He hadn't connected the dots. Chan glared at me, but I knew he would do it once I explained.

I moved closer so that I could speak without Seungmin hearing.

"Seungmin thinks you're done seducing him, right? He thought it was to use him and then he called you out on it and traded information anyway."

They nodded and followed along.

"If Jeongin comes back, we need a way to find out what his plan is before he attacks and I die, right?"

"Obviously," Lee Know replied sarcastically. He'd definitely need a nap when we got home.

"We need Chan to seduce Seungmin to keep him on our side. And we need Seungmin to eventually fall so hard for Chan that he's willing to double-cross Jeongin."

Chan had gone from glaring at me to seeming almost proud.

"You're right. We will need Seungmin for that. Jeongin doesn't trust anyone else," Chan whispered and winked at me as if to say he was proud of me for coming up with that idea...or maybe he was just excited at the idea of getting to flirt with Seungmin still.

"Are you up for it?" Lee Know asked. "You're still dealing with Hyunjin."

"Hyunjin just needs me to feel safe. I can take on Seungmin, too. It'll be no problem."

And, with that, Lee Know and I said our goodbyes to Chan and left him to start his new job.