fire from the ashes (MINWON)

chapter three

"Mingyu, please stop," Wonwoo pleaded as he watched the general drag Kai along the rocky path that led to the garden.

He could swear that out of the corner of his eye he saw some lights turn on, but he ignored them, his attention focused on saving the guard.

"What was this man doing in your bedroom?" Mingyu asked angrily, throwing the man to the ground. "Are you going to tell me that he is not your lover?"

Wonwoo swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat and did his best to hold back the urge to cry. He couldn't deny the obvious.

"I was putting an end to our relationship," he explained, his voice somewhat broken. "Until today I had no idea about our engagement, I thought I lived as a free man. Kim Mingyu, if you are a man of honor, you will not punish a simple subject for this."

"And what am I supposed to do then?" The other man almost roared, "Let this man continue to see you? Allow you to disrespect me?"

Wonwoo wanted to punch his ridiculous face, he didn't understand why he couldn't just let it go, they hadn't been engaged for even a day, and even though Mingyu knew about this news first, it didn't give him any rights over him.

"I will not disrespect you," he swore through gritted teeth, "you can be sure that I am not that kind of man and..."

Kim Mingyu laughed although nothing about that situation was funny.

"You are not?" He asked in disbelief "am I supposed to believe that? I have seen the way your spokesman touches you and now I find you hugging this man in the darkness of your room. It seems to me that if you are that kind of man"

Wonwoo knew that he had never been someone who was patient, that he had never been someone especially intelligent when it came to knowing when to bite his tongue, but he had gone numb years ago and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't remember ever feeling such burning fury. like now.

"You're a fucking scumbag, you miserable..." Wonwoo would have wanted to say much more, but the black leather whip in Mingyu's hand made him stop.

He was running out of time.

Kim Mingyu would do it, he would actually whip a man to death just because he didn't know that Wonwoo now had a fiancé.

He couldn't allow it, he couldn't let someone die in his name.

He made a decision then, realizing that a small crowd of people had gathered.

He couldn't see the faces of Jeonghan, or Soonyoung, or his little Chan, which was much better, because he wouldn't have been able to bear to see the terror in them.

He took a step forward and was sure that Mingyu had perfectly read what he was trying to do. The man's face hardened.

"I will forgive him," he said then, surprising the prince.

Wonwoo froze in disbelief. Mingyu was playing with him, he was playing with him in a very cruel way.

"You won't," Wonwoo whispered.

"I will," Mingyu repeated, staring at him, challenging. "If you assure me that you are really only mine, that I have nothing to worry about."

Wonwoo's mouth tasted bitter. Mingyu wasn't speaking softly, he was putting on a show, and that just embarrassed him, having to admit that in front of everyone destroyed him, but he would do it for kai, he would do it again and again.

"I am yours," he said to Mingyu, his head raised as high and petulant as only a prince could, with the challenge and pride in his voice.

Mingyu almost smiled.