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cry me a river | the game of chess

— summary: everything’s burned down into flames and all that’s left is you right in the center, unable to escape

— pairing: bts x reader

— genre: angst, mafia!au

— word count: 7.3k

— warnings: slight violence

— part 1 / part 2 / part 3 / part 4 / part 5 / part 6 / part 7 / part 8 / part 9

— masterpost

He takes you in his arms, a hand on your back, the other under your knees, and picks you up effortlessly. You fall limply against him, head resting against his chest, eyes closed tight, the tremor no longer as prominent as it had been when you reached out to him, pleading a silent cry of help because your legs could no longer support your body up. 

Mingyu watches you carefully for a moment, brows knitted slightly together upon the sight of red around your neck and the weariness which lies on your face.

You’re tired. Drained. And he wishes he had the power to take all your pains away in a heartbeat but the world doesn’t work like that and you’re left to suffer your own wounds alone.

When he looks up to find your previous lovers watching your limp body held in his arms, he questions what goes on in their heads.

Are they worried? Angry? Upset?

They caught you in a moment of weakness, something he knows you will most definitely come to grow angry with yourself for, and found out a secret you had hidden away in your heart to stay. As compared to everything you’ve gone through, they only know so much, but how does finding out the lover that they threw away had suffered through something they never knew about make them feel?

Daejung had scarred you physically and mentally and being in that room with him, being made a laughing stock, he wonders how they view you at this moment right here.

Mingyu turns around from their hard gazes, refusing to let their eyes linger on you any longer because he knows that they don’t deserve to feel concerned. Not after everything they’ve done to you. He still doesn’t know the complete story, perhaps he never will, but he knows enough to understand that among the living hell you walked through, they betrayed your trust and left you to fall.

He walks away from the scene, a tense silence filling the air saved by the sound of his footsteps walking down the hall.

Yuna opens the doors for him to get out once he’s made his way through and Dasom holds an umbrella over the two of you. Under the sound of the heavy rain, the three of them walk side by side in silence, brows heavily knitted together, while you remain unconscious in Mingyu’s arms.

.

.

.

A blink in the wake, a blur in the eyes, before you can finally adjust to the light in the room. Your head falls heavy, a shot of ache against your temple when you sit up, and as you feel around your neck, you find white bandages wrapped around them.

The memories of what had happened flash in your head just as vividly as it was when you faced Gwon Daejung head-on, letting you know just how well your mind will refuse to let go of it any time soon.

This was what you feared; remembering the very things that you’ve buried away long ago.

Yet how do you think you can possibly go on to live a life of freedom if you can’t face the enemies of your past? You can’t. You have to get rid of every last one of them. Staring at the invisible shackles that wrap around your wrists, you fear the things you will have to face.

If meeting Daejung made you this much of a mess, you wonder how it will be when you meet the others. Your hands tremble beside you when you think about it, hating every last second of it as the sound of rain falls prominent outside the windows. The room you’re in is bright as compared to the outside world yet when you turn to look outside, you feel as if you belong there and not here.

But then again, what difference does your room make as compared to the darkness of the outside world? It’s dark both inside and out.

Ah, you don’t like it. You don’t like it at all.

You try to call out for someone, a name, yet nothing comes out as if your voice is stuck against your very own throat, and the memories of Daejung’s hands wrapped around your neck flashes back.

You ball your hands into fists, brows furrowed, head lowered. Why are you so weak? Why are you so damn weak?

You throw the blankets off you and rush to try and walk out of your room. But you don’t get even a footstep in when your legs give in underneath you, failing miserably, and you find yourself sat right on the floor beside your bed.

Weak again.

“You are not allowed to be weak,” you hear your father’s voice in the back of your head. “If you show me any signs of weakness, I will kill you right now. Don’t think I won’t do it.”

Oh, you knew he would. He’d kill you in a heartbeat.

Once he came to know of your potential, your strength, your ability to listen and heed his every word, your lack of hesitation to kill a man for him while carrying all the scars there were to carry in order to get stronger, he grew even more powerful as his role of the puppeteer.

You were his doll to control, his puppet.

And there was nothing that you did to go against him.

You stare at the floor mindlessly, body hunched over, head lowered, with your hands right beside your head, trembling hard.

Daejung. Daejung. Daejung.

He’s dead. He’s gone. He can’t hurt you. He never did for years after your escape but for the longest time, he remained in your head, mentally draining you for nights on end. 

Just four days. You stayed with him for four days and he remained scarred in your heart for the rest of your life. How many more people will you have to prepare to face? How many more are there left for you to get rid of? You don’t want to face them. Ah, you don’t want to face them.

You reach out as if someone will be there to catch it, as if there will be someone you can hold onto when you feel as if everything is falling apart and nothing is going right.

You reach out, and feel someone take hold of it.

“Y/N.” You look up with a bit of shock, not expecting someone to catch your hands, but there he is, the very man who kept you warm for the longest time without ever leaving your side.

“I’m cold, Mingyu,” you tell him like a needy little child, crawling into his arms as if seeking out the warmth from the love of her parents. He doesn’t hesitate to hold you. 

How many years has it been since Mingyu first reached out to you? When he held his arms around you, transferring his warmth onto you when you shivered in his presence? For the longest time he had always been the one to make the first move as any caring older sibling would, selflessly keeping you warm in his arms, never one to force you to speak a word when you fell silent. You don’t remember when you first sought out him, for his comfort, his hearth, but you remember Mingyu always being there whenever you needed him.

He was always there.

You let your ear fall against the beat of his heart, wanting to steady yourself, to feel composed again because you hate feeling out of control, you hate it when the world gets the best of you.

“I can’t control it,” you tell him in a whisper, desperately trying to search for some sort of answer to tell you what to do, and right now only Mingyu is in your line of sight. “I can’t control it,” you repeat again, stronger, more frantic, as your hands tremble against his blazer, clenching onto them tightly as you look up at him for answers.

He remains calm, a somewhat exasperated sigh leaving his lips with a small rueful smile looking down at you. “Sure you can. You’ve done it for years,” he reminds you kindly.

But you shake your head, hating this more than ever. “Because father forced me to and now..now that father’s gone…Now that he’s gone, I don’t know how to—”

Mingyu takes ahold of both your shoulders when you begin to stray away, eyes frantically searching the room, and brings you back to focus on him. “Do not rely on your father, Y/N. He is not your control, he is your disorder.”

Your disorder.

Disorder.

Disorder.

“But that’s all I know, Mingyu.” You speak those words like a plea, a prayer to take you out of his cuffs, to set you free from him, because you know that no matter what happens, you will never be able to truly let go of your father. A part of you will always be with him just as a part of him will always remain with you.

Why did you have to love him so desperately when you were younger? Why did you always crave for his love and attention? He never cared, never batted an eye your way. Only when he found you useful, a pawn, were you met with those eyes of his. It was toxic but you held onto those eyes, those eyes that found you and kept you chained up as a puppet in his hands.

As long as he paid attention to you, you wanted to be of use to him in any way possible.

Seokjin taught you to hold your head up high, to never shake before others underneath you.

Yoongi taught you beauty and kindness hidden behind an unmovable strength.

Hoseok taught you to rest, to rely on others, and that a single embrace would be enough to dispel all exhaustion and suffering.

Jimin taught you to free yourself from rules and laws, to enjoy in the moment and revel in its thrill.

Taehyung taught you to let go, to release yourself from the tensions, to let the tears flow not just when you needed it but when you wanted to.

Jungkook taught you innocence and vulnerability concealed underneath a hard exterior.

And Namjoon taught you to be the calm in the storm. He taught you control, he taught you power. He taught you how to stand before a crowd even if you were never successful in practice. He taught you that while it was important to conceal your emotions before others, it was just as important to let your walls down before your most trusted ones.

He taught you the balance of controlling your emotions.

Now everything’s burned down into flames and all that’s left is you right in the center, unable to escape.

“All I know is disorder.” You whisper into the room once more, eyes rounding about as your hands tremble against the opening of Mingyu’s blazer. “I can’t be perfect. I can never be perfect. Not for him, not for me, not for anyone.”

“I’m not asking you to be perfect.” He stops you once more, holding onto both your hands as if taking the tremor for himself, to induce control, to show you a sturdy foundation that you were never allowed to rely on. “When you shake, Y/N, when you tremble, I will be your control.” He squeezes your hands that are wrapped around his own, face written with a firm and strong expression so transient, so beautiful. “So be the storm as much as you’d like, whether you can help it or not, and I will be your calm.”

The world falls heavy against your shoulders, darkness surrounding your every corner. Even in this very room which shelters itself from the crying storm outside, you still feel as if you are a part of the rain.

But here is Mingyu, letting you lean against him, falling into your storm despite the fact that he can easily escape it if he really wanted to. But he doesn’t.

He doesn’t run, he doesn’t leave.

Just like Yuna.

Just like Dasom and Yeonjun and the rest of the Reapers that have kept by your side since the day you saved them.

Mingyu holds you steady and the tremor in your body begins to weaken little by little. You feel your heartbeat slowly settling, though you know that a storm still resides there, not wanting to ever leave. In the darkness of your heart, the storm which seems to only grow day by day, he is your calm, he is your control.

Almost like a soulmate. A platonic soulmate.

The grip you had against his clothes falls and you let your head rest against his chest, listening to the beat of his heart.

You can do this. You can control your ire, your fears, your weaknesses that wishes to unveil you. You can regain control once again.

You can regain control.

Two knocks against your door and you hear familiar footsteps walking right in but you remain still in Mingyu’s arms.

“We may have a problem, boss,” Yuna alerts with a careful approach. “Mr. Kim would like to discuss it with you. He’s sent a letter in and asked of you to visit him when you woke.”

You sigh. “What’s the problem?”

“Close allies of Daejung couldn’t handle his assassination so—”

“So they figured it out.”

“It is only speculations at the moment.”

You let yourself fall silent and nothing but the sound of the storm outside can be heard. For a long while you sit there doing absolutely nothing, while a mess of darkness scribbles all throughout your mind, wanting to take you in.

You listen to Mingyu’s heartbeat.

A second.

Two.

Three.

And your eyes shift from that desperate little girl to a void of emotions, a blanket of boredom, blankness, and bland masking your face.

You sit up a little straighter to grab a light sheet of blanket off your bed and wrap it around yourself, not ever leaving Mingyu’s lap. “Speculations or not, they’ll still try to come after me.” You take a long look at your legs for a moment, wondering if you can stand up well but eventually give up to look up at Mingyu. “Carry me.”

He hesitates initially. “You need more time to—”

“I don’t need time. I’m fine.”

So when worrying doesn’t work, Mingyu resorts to narrowing his gaze at you, returning to his usual playful self because anything else will anger you. “Surely you can walk on your own, kid. I’m not your slave.”

“You sure look like one. How long have I been out?” You deadpan.

He looks away with hesitation. “...Three days.”

“You know I hate sleeping and you left me unconscious for that long. My legs are weak.”

Mingyu lets out an exasperated sigh as he goes to stand with you in his arms, knowing not to argue with you because he knows he always loses. “Yes, yes, your highness.”

“Your legs aren’t that weak, are they?” You hear the worry in Yuna’s voice. “Should I call for a doctor?”

“No,” you shake your head although Yuna cannot see it. “I can walk on my own if I try, this is just Mingyu’s punishment.”

The older gentleman simply rolls his eyes.

.

.

.

“You should have taken some more time to heal,” Namjoon says after Mingyu takes his leave upon being there to set you down.

You stare at him for a moment, thinking with nothing but a blank expression. You’re used to this, not resting after a hard mission even if your body had taken a toll from it. Father never allowed you to rest so you’ve managed to get better at getting right up once you finish a mission, ready for another one right away.

But you remember always reminding Namjoon and the others to rest when they could, to never push themselves against their limits, fretting over their injuries, scolding them when they went too far. You never understood the complexity of the mafia but you knew that not allowing your body to properly heal was important and that was that.

They grew to take care of themselves more because of you, learned to rest, learned to heal properly.

You never had someone to remind you of such things because even when your loyal secret Reapers tried, what would be the point in listening to them when your father’s words were law? He stood above everyone, threatening your life while you held on by a piece of thread.

“You don’t matter. Get up and fight even if you have to die.”

His words were law.

“I’m fine,” you say, dismissing Namjoon’s concern with a turn of your head to the side, catching sight of the outside through the window. “I hear I might be wanted now,” you say nonchalantly with no emotions on your face or tone. “Do they know you’re involved?”

“There’s a high chance I will be linked with you, being as I’m allied with you and Mr. Gwon. Gwon was never one to choose his allies casually after all.”

“You knew the risks when accepting my request, didn’t you? I presume you’ve already chosen a side, then.”

“Well, you did promise me information on my brother.”

“Right.”

Now isn’t the time though and Namjoon knows that. “What do you plan on doing?” He asks, his eyes staring pointedly your way.

You give him a simple answer. “Take out whoever tries to come after me.”

“You do understand there are many risks to that, don’t you?”

“Oh don’t worry. My next target is another man allied to Daejung so the situation is actually rather helpful,” you tell him nonchalantly as you take a sip of the drink before you. “They’ll come after me and I’ll get rid of them just like how I got rid of Daejung.”

Namjoon sits there for a second, his eyes narrowing as he realizes something. “You have this all planned out from the very beginning, don’t you?”

“Everyone is linked to something, Namjoon, including you and I. Taking out the first target is what brings everyone together, just like how you came back into my life after I killed my father. Though of course, I never expected to meet you there at the time.”

“So you intended to meet eventually.”

“I need your power,” you tell it straight to his face, eyes peeking over the porcelain cup in your hand. “Just like how I was used in your game of chess, I’m making my use of you now. Position and power matter after all, and without influence, a strong and ambitious hero is nothing but another sidekick. Who gets the recognition in the end? The hero who took hold of the people’s hearts and minds. And the sidekick? They simply get kicked off to the curb and will always be second to the hero. That’s why so many heroes turn into villains.”

Villains.

Every villain has a story, a tragic past that caused them to become the person that they are. They never chose the path, life forced their hands.

And now here you are, playing the role of a villain who may never return to the light. What’s so bad about being a villain anyway? They always get what they want while the hero remains a people pleaser and will always need that validation from others in order to remain relevant. So what happens when those people turn against them and no longer approve of them?

They fall.

Just the way you did.

On your knees, begging for attention, begging for love. Namjoon was right about one thing, it was quite shameless of you to do such a thing. A shameless little fool who didn’t know when to stop, who was so desperate for love she needed others to keep her at bay in order to remain stable. A shameless fool who was too stupid to realize no one stays forever.

They will always leave in the end.

Just like they did.

“Thank you for being one of those people who made me realize that,” you set the cup onto the table, eyes void of emotions even as the corners of your lips curl upwards. “You played your role well, Kim Namjoon. Being hurt by you made me realize a lot of things even though it took me some time. I won’t be blinded by false promises and hold onto false hope anymore.” You stand from your seat and ignoring the way it trembles slightly underneath you, you offer Namjoon something. “I’d like to show you something, if you have the time.”

He checks the watch on his wrist and stands. “One hour,” he states, and you begin to walk off with him not too far behind.

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.

.

“My lady.” The second a man in a grey suit sees you, he is quick to lower his head in a respectful manner.

You whisper some words to him and he nods obediently before running off at your command. Meanwhile, Namjoon stands there, slight suspicion falling your way when you turn back to him, standing still. “He doesn’t belong to the mafia, does he?”

“I have loyal members outside of the darkness,” you tell him, “in case anything goes wrong and I need help elsewhere.” He looks around the building, observing the fancy white structure and when the man returns again, he holds a wooden box to you who takes it after a word of appreciation. 

“For you,” you say as you hand him the box when the man walks away.

Namjoon’s brows furrow with confusion. “Me?”

“I’ve kept them safe for all these years, hidden through people like him where my father was unable to get to.” You begin to walk towards an area that leads towards a large white balcony and Namjoon follows, staring at the box. “It belongs to your brother.”

He freezes for a moment, staring at you who leans her forearms against the balcony, eyes staring straight ahead as you let the wind flow through your hair.

His brother, you said. Whatever could be in here?

He opens the box carefully to find envelopes after envelopes on top of one another, each of them almost completely blank and without a name except for three little initials written on the bottom right corner.

KNJ.

None of them have been opened.

“He gave them to you?” Namjoon asks, looking up at you.

You shake your head. “I found them.”

The night of his murder, even though you were still shaken up pretty badly, you rummaged through Mister Butler’s belongings, quick to grab anything that looked important, and hid them away so your father couldn’t find them. Initially, that wasn’t hard. After all, no one ever comes into your room, hence that was the best place to hide it, but once you grew older and had a better understanding of things, once you learned to make an impact on people’s lives, you had his belongings sent away.

Far, far away from the manor.

Away from your father’s eyes.

Because there was no way he killed Mister Butler just because the two of you cared for one another. Maybe that was part of the reason but your father was too much of a wicked man to ever tell you the truth about his death.

To this day it’s still a mystery because even though you were the one who went through Mister Butler’s belongings, you never dared to ever look around and read through everything.

They were his things after all, his secrets.

You never dared to look into them.

“I assume he wrote those with no intent to send them to you,” you say, reminded of where you had found those letters. “They were all stuffed away, as if what he wrote were something like a diary to a brother he could no longer see.”

A diary written to a brother he could no longer see.

Why did he disappear with no intent to return?

Why?

Why?

If his father was here, he’d know the truth, force it out of him, but Namjoon knows more than anyone that would only harm him. Yet he falls so desperate to find out the truth behind his brother’s disappearance.

“What was he to you?” He asks, eyes hardening as he stares at you with accusation.

You ignore it to speak your truth. “A man I loved.” Namjoon’s brows furrow at your confession but you look over to the side to meet his eyes. “A father. A brother.”

“Did you know he belonged to another gang?”

“How could I have known? I was sheltered from a lot of things, remember?” You remind the man. “Whatever his purpose was to infiltrating the Reapers’ manor, the me then had no idea except for the fact that he was a kind man who always stood by my side.”

For a second there he can almost see the girl he knew then. Your eyes are gentle when you speak about his brother, softness in your words, tenderness in your expression. It’s subtle and you’d have to look very carefully but it’s there.

And for a moment he falls awestruck by how soft you look right now.

The wind which had been stronger moments ago slows down into a little more than a gentle zephyr. Your hair blows as the sun shines against the blush of your skin.

You used to be as soft as this — no, softer then — but even as the years have changed so much of you, the way you speak about his brother in such a manner, Namjoon knows not to mistake that with a false pretense.

Nothing about your expression is fake. You held onto his brother dearly and Namjoon wonders what happened in those years his brother had been your butler. What’s the story? What happened? And how did he disappear?

Suddenly he feels a dagger-like gaze from far away and his body automatically tenses up. A glance over his shoulder, the wooden box falling from his hands, and Namjoon’s quick to take your shoulder and hide you in his arms as a sharp pain pierce through his shoulder.

“Namjoon!” You gasp when he hurls over, a hand quick to clutch against the shoulder that had just gotten shot.

“Go.” He demands when you knelt down with alarm and upon his words, you quickly rush up to your feet and jump down from the balcony.

You land in a safe position, eyes scanning the area like a hawk and once you catch sight of a slip of a black figure, you’re flying past a few people and cars to catch up.

Only things don’t work too well in your favor as the strength in your legs weakens abruptly and your knees fail you as you fall hard onto the ground. You wince at the pain, realizing you’re still dealing with the aftermath of the fight with Daejung and just as you’re about to grunt with frustration, someone is quick to pick you up and run towards where the figure had run off to.

You don’t question Jungkook as you put one arm around his neck to keep yourself steady while the other reaches for the gun around your belt.

The man in black is just up ahead, running in a flash and into the woods as Jungkook keeps up with his pace. With your eyes keeping close contact with the flashing black through the greens and browns of the woods, you set your gun aiming at his figure, and in three seconds count, you pull the trigger and his figure disappears somewhere deeper in.

“I got him on the leg, let him go,” you speak into the intercom of your earpiece before patting Jungkook on the chest. “Let’s go back.”

“What? You’re gonna let him go?” He asks in disbelief.

“There’s a high chance he’ll be at the place I plan on going in a few days, I’ll take my revenge there,” you say. “In the meantime, your boss just got hurt so we should head..—ah,” you groan at the pain that pieces sharply against your leg, and Jungkook looks down with worry.

“Did he get you?”

You shake your head. “No, it was from the jump.”

“You’re still hurt from three nights ago, aren’t you?” He settles you down onto the ground and rolls up your dress pants to check on your leg. Thankfully it’s the left leg, thankfully he won’t have to see that scar left on your right leg from the night you pulled your ring out because you realized you deserved better. “You’re too reckless, Y/N.” You see the way his brows furrow when he finds your leg bandaged up but you still decided to jump from a balcony. “You’ve sustained injuries from Daejung so you shouldn’t be doing too much or else you’ll leave a permanent scar. Can you walk?” He asks as he goes to check your other leg but you’re quick to pull it back from him.

“No,” you say while refusing to meet his eyes.

You can feel his gaze on you but eventually, Jungkook sighs as he stands to carry you in his arms once more, this time to return to the building you left Namjoon in.

No words are exchanged from there, just an awkward silence you refuse to take away.

“You’re injured.” You point out blankly once the two of you have returned, finding your ex-husband on the steps waiting for you as Yoongi stands beside him, holding onto the wooden box that had fallen when he took the bullet from you.

Namjoon looks up with an observing stare at the way Jungkook’s carrying you. “And you can’t walk once more.”

You shrug when Mingyu walks up to you and Jungkook, his eyes a hard stare as he holds his hands out to take you back from Bangtan’s maknae. For some reason, silence fills the moment and they face off in a staring contest none of them are willing to back down from.

You sigh.

How childish.

And reach out for Mingyu, causing Jungkook’s brows to furrow a bit but he eventually willingly lets you go to your second in command. Once secure there, you face Namjoon once more.

“They were aiming for me, weren’t they?” When he nods to confirm your speculation, you think back on the man who had run hard for his life, brows furrowing as you wonder why he would recklessly do such a thing in the open air when you were literally in a meeting with another member of such an influential mafia. “Will you let me take care of this?”

“Seems you weren’t expecting this.”

You shrug. “I have my ways of working through things but whatever people do in response is a script I do not write up. I knew someone would strike out in public but for it to happen while you were with me is quite a surprise. Surely they know who you are, no?”

“It’s likely to confirm whose side I’m on.”

“Well then, I guess you’re as guilty as I now.” He shrugs. “You don’t regret it?” You ask, noting at his injury. “You do realize that associating with me will only bring you more conflict, no? I am now the public’s enemy.”

“I’m already head deep, Y/N.”

“Then if you’re up for it, in three days’ time, I will make my next move.”

He looks beyond the scenery, right into the woods where the man had run towards. “If you continue to keep this up, Y/N, you’ll eventually wear yourself out,” he says, noting the way you can’t even seem to walk on your own. “The way you’re going about things is dangerous.”

“My hit list is filled with powerful people, what did you expect? It’s not as if I asked to be associated with them,” you say with a lighthearted shrug. “And if you keep this facade up, eventually I might believe you’re actually worried about me.” With a pat against Mingyu’s shoulder, he begins walking away, leaving the scene so the two of you can climb into a black vehicle that had just pulled up for you.

The three that were left behind simply stare at the moving vehicle until it disappears into the distance.

.

.

.

“The invitation came as expected.”

You take the red envelope that Mingyu hands to you, a leg crossing over the other with a blank stare at the fancy golden letters spelling out your name. “Seems he really is a fool,” you utter as you read the content of the letter to make sure it was true. “Who in their right mind would send an invitation to the woman who killed one of his most important allies?” You laugh a little when you think about it. “He really plans to cage me in, huh?”

“Are you actually planning on involving Bangtan in this?”

You shrug at Mingyu’s question. “They’ll be invited to the party but whether they want to get involved is all on them. Whether they do or not does not change the fact that I plan on killing Jummy that night. Something tells me it’ll be a big headache though.”

“That man doesn’t hesitate to act out on his anger.”

You sigh when you think about it. “Well, it’ll be fun playing with his feelings for a while. Get ready.”

“Yes, boss.”

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.

.

With a tight fitted black dress that almost hits the floor when you walk and a long slit upon your left leg, Hoseok cannot help but simply stare at the woman he sees walking into the room. Even in a crowded room that fits many guests who also have on their own formal gowns, you grab ahold of the room’s attention the second you step foot into the room.

Hair rested in a pretty updo, you let a hand gracefully swat the straying hair in the front, eyes looking up to scan the room and despite holding the attention of almost everyone in the room, you pay them no mind as you walk along, steps bold and unwavering, standing tall and proud without a blink to your eyes.

You’re so different from who you used to be then. You used to be more hesitant and meek, always seeking to instinctively hide behind others. You hated the attention that always seem to draw your way. After all, who can ever deny such attractive beauty? So you always kept your head down, eyes lowered, and kept to their sides whenever possible.

But now, whether you’re beginning to embrace the attention or not, he cannot tell, but you sure are handling it better than you did then. You’ve learned to stand on your own.

He can’t help but feel a little skip against the beat of his heart, proud of your newly found confidence.

“It’s only been three days but you seem to be walking well again.” When you approach him, Hoseok doesn’t hesitate to offer you a drink. The two of you fall under the attention of others but decide to ignore them. After all, everyone at this point understands you to be Daejung’s murderer.

You take the champagne glass, swirling it well for a moment as your brows furrow slightly. “I’m not too fond of these types of dresses,” you admit with a scowl.

He chuckles a little. “Well, it does suit you rather well.”

“Careful, your boyfriends might get mad at you if they were to hear such compliments made to me.”

He shrugs with a slight roll of his eyes. “They’ll get over it.”

When you look at him, you wonder how Hoseok dealt with the aftermath of your leaving. He had been the only one who seemed to care until the very end, while the rest of them let you be when Namjoon decided to stop being the good husband he once was. They all grew distant except for Jung Hoseok who had no idea what was even happening outside the room he had been hospitalized in.

It was you who grew distant with him.

You wanted to hold onto hope, to him, but knew it was impossible when it came to such a relationship, so you had to let him go.

“Why?” He would repeat that question. “Why didn’t you tell me?” Sounding so broken and hurt, angry but his anger was never intended to be directed your way. Hoseok could never get angry, not with you, not ever.

He was angry at himself, for not being there for you, for not being enough, for not knowing. He was angry at the boys who decided to let you go. He was angry at everyone but you, begging and pleading that somehow, in some way, things would be okay again.

But it was too late for that. You had made your decision, deciding to free yourself from them and to return to the dreaded hellhole you were so used to.

A part of you always wondered what could have happened were you to give in to his words and give it another chance but even the you then understood that nothing could be done to save your relationship. It was already too late, whether you and Hoseok wanted to admit it or not.

You wonder if he fought for you. He probably did.

You wonder if he punched any of them. He probably did.

You wonder how long he loved you until he eventually gave up. You wonder how they made up, if the rest of them find him suspicious in some ways now that you’re back, whether they question his feelings, whether he still loves you or not.

No.

It’ll do you no good to have such intrusive thoughts.

The past is done, you’re over it.

You’re over it.

“Well, well, well.” The two of you look up to find the man of the hour who approaches you with a sly little grin as he holds his arms out, and you straight up, eyes staring him down with your guard up. “Seems you were shameless enough to attend this party in honor of Mr. Gwon.”

You know he’s trying to humiliate you, to have you cornered and stared down by the crowd but you don’t give him the benefit. “Isn’t it more shameless to invite the woman who’s the cause for this dreaded party to exist in the first place?”

“So you admit to your crime.”

You shrug. “Why hide it when everyone already knows? That’d be quite foolish of me. It would seem as if I regretted my decision in eliminating him.”

Jummy’s brows crease. “What bold words, little miss Reaper. I’m surprised such a small little thing like you who used to submit to everything your father said has turned into the boss herself. I didn’t know you had such the potential.”

Quite a close ally of your father’s. You remember his face well, how can you not? Out of all the people your father used against you, he was one of the more prevalent ones, a true villain who thought the world of himself. For some time he acted as if he was on your side — you never believed it, of course, how could you trust so easily after what Bangtan had done to you? 

So eventually when his tactics didn’t work, he resorted to being your father’s fist.

You cannot count the many times your father would use him to punish you, the many times his hand rose against you, the many times that familiar sly smirk of his formed along his lips, laughing and laughing hysterically, a proud man for being your father’s little puppet.

The amount of hate this man has by your loyal members and you will never cease to exist.

Yuna’s probably the happiest knowing he was the next person on your hit list.

“You were such a well-behaved little girl.” When he tries to reach out to hold your face, you take a step back as Hoseok takes ahold of his wrist, stopping him from doing so with a warning glare. “Ah, Jung Hoseok,” he turns to the man, finally acknowledging his presence as he shakes his hand off with a fake smile. “Good to see you here, huh? Where’s Mr. Kim?”

“He has more important business to attend to,” Hoseok states flatly without a filter.

“Well, being as he aided little miss Reaper here upon getting to Daejung, I had expected he wouldn’t have come.”

Hoseok’s brows furrow. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“Such a traitor.”

“In a world where power is the most important,” you cut in with a swirl of your drink, “don’t you think he made quite the wise decision to back me up? Mr. Kim has good eyes for who he decides to ally himself with, even if that means betraying someone along the way. If they’re weak, why keep them by your side?”

Just as how he threw you out of his life when you became of no use to him.

“You on the other hand just love to suck up on anyone in position no matter who they are.”

The smirk on Jummy’s face twitches slightly, his facade slowly breaking. “What did you say?”

“Just like the way you obeyed my father’s every command, wagging your little tail each time he called for you. You’re a little attention whore who needs validation from everyone else in order to remain relevant.”

“Weren’t you the same?”

“Oh don’t do that,” you laugh at his pathetic attempt to bring you down along with him, “because unlike you, I knew where my goal lied and that wasn’t living under the shadows of everyone that came my way. I’ve built my own empire, where’s yours? Ah, that’s right,” you look around the room, an amused expression plastered on your face, “you’re too busy wagging your tail for everyone to think straight. It’s quite shameless if I do say so myself.” 

You see the way he grits his teeth, hands balling into fists, and scoff at his foolish reaction.

How is it that such small little words have already gotten under his skin already? He always did have quite the temper, one similar to your father. Though, unlike your father, he was never one to keep calm and composed for a good amount of time.

How foolish.

You used to fear this man for all the things he’s done but looking at him now, he’s just another pathetic man.

A pathetic bug.

“Since when did you get so bold, little Y/N?” You don’t like how he’s using your name as if the two of you had a close relationship in the first place. But it’s a bit amusing seeing him trying to keep calm in front of a crowd because the Jummy you know would always lash out and take his anger out on you whenever you were available for him.

Father never stopped him.

“I was always bold, Jummy.” You look up at him through the hood of your eyes, a smirk curling along your lips with amusement. “Did you really think I grew this confidence out of nowhere? I feared you, I do admit it, but even children stop believing in the monsters living under their beds, especially once they come to realize that everything was fake and they never existed in the first place. You aren’t a monster, Jummy, you’re just a pathetic fool who never knew how to control his anger, believing he was the bigger and stronger man when in reality, you’re weak for not being able to control your emotions. You’re pathetic and shameless, and even now, you’re still sucking up to Mr. Gwon who’s already gotten sent to hell, thinking you can still win by—”

You feel a harsh impact against your cheek as the wind picks up the force, lightly blowing against the strands of your hair, and as you face to the side, your eyes widen a bit as you realized Jummy had just slapped you.

Ah.

That kind of stings.

Hoseok is quick to grab him by the collar while you stand there, a light chuckle leaving your lips.

“Congratulations Jummy, it seems you’ve just signed your death warrant.”

cry me a river | the abuser and the bystander

— summary: it hurts just as much knowing someone could have stopped it all but chose to stand by and watch instead

— pairing: bts x reader

— genre: angst, mafia!au

— word count: 7.4k

— warnings: violence, mentions of physical abuse, use of poison, mentions of child labor and child abuse, manipulation, gaslighting

— part 1 / part 2 / part 3 / part 4 / part 5 / part 6 / part 7 / part 8 / part 9 / part 10

— masterpost

He levels a glare your way but even still, furrows his brows with confusion by your words. “What?”

“It’s alright, Hoseok, let him go,” you tell the man beside you with a soft pat against his arm. Hoseok hesitates to do so, a glare leveled at Jummy but he gives in to your words nonetheless, letting go but not without force and causing Jummy to go into a fit of coughs.

You grin with amusement. “Hey, Jummy,” with a hand trailing onto his shoulder to wrap itself around and hold the nape of his neck, you lean forward so close to his ears in order to fall out of earshot from everyone but Jummy. “You know what’s funny?” Hoseok’s brows furrow at the sight, not liking how close you are to the man and the fact that he can’t hear a thing you’re saying. “My father never once laid his hands on me.”

“That’s because that bastard always had others do the job for him.”

“That’s right, and you were one of those people, weren’t you? So don’t you think it would be right for me to do the same?” You take a step back, a smirk held his way.

“...What?”

“Yuna.”

The second you speak the name, Yuna is at your side in an instant. No one knows where she came from but here she is without falter, dressed in complete black from head to toe. 

“For all the times you were stood on the side, unable to do anything as Jummy did what he wanted to do with me, you can seek your revenge now.” If Yuna had eyes, you’re sure they would have darkened at your commands, or perhaps they would have filled with thrill and excitement. She grabs ahold of her two sai blades which lied on each side of her belt, spinning them well along her fingers before holding onto them with a tight grip, and even without eyes, Jummy feels his body running cold upon Yuna’s attention.

“Y-you really think you can come here and take over my party? All the guests here are—”

“No one’s on your side, Jummy, haven’t you realized that?” Upon your words, he looks around frantically for help but no one steps up. “If they were to come after me, it’d be their revenge for me taking Daejung’s head but in your case, only you can protect yourself now.”

“I-I have my own people to—”

A bullet from a high distance shoots a man down when he tries to come to his boss’s aid and you send the man a smile as the party falls into an uproar upon Dasom’s signal.

“Well then, good luck, Jummy.”

With that, you turn your back on him and begin to walk away as your people take over.

“He wasn’t the one you were after was he?” Hoseok asks, his feet carrying him to walk along your side.

You shrug. “Hey Hoseok, could I perhaps give you the honor to get rid of a man for me? I think you’d quite enjoy the job.”

“Who?” He doesn’t ask why, just ready at your command and you take ahold of your gun amidst the chaos, pointing it at a man from afar and without hesitation, shoot right upon the thigh of his leg.

“That man,” you say. “Looks familiar, doesn’t he?”

A limp in his foot, the other leg now taken from you once more, and Hoseok gets his gun ready. “What about you?” He asks, wondering what your plans were.

“Don’t worry about that, I can take care of myself.” With that, you’re taking off on your feet, disappearing into the crowd with your long black dress and heels clicking away.

Hoseok stands there watching you for some time before he takes off in the opposite direction, trusting you in your plans. “Jimin, Yoongi,” he calls into the intercom.

In just a split second, the younger man’s voice comes in. “Hyung.”

“Get to Y/N,” he orders as he catches sight of the limping man trying to escape. “Something tells me this is bigger than it seems.”

There’s no way you just put on a show just for the fun of it. Jummy wasn’t your target. Perhaps he was indeed someone who did you wrong but you’re letting one of your members kill him off for you, telling him that perhaps all of this was just to divert the crowds’ attention from somewhere else.

Somewhere you’re heading towards.

“She’s heading for her real target.”

.

.

.

“Hello there, Ying.”

You slide in through the window like a slithering snake and situate yourself against the windowsill with a leg crossed over the over, revealing more of your bare legs.

Ying pauses in his tracks as he looks over at the call of his name, his expression appearing calm as he turns to face you and gives you his full attention. Adjusting the collars on his sleeves, two of his men who fall on each side of him stands tall and intimidating, while he observes you.

“Missed me?” You chirp with an easy-going grin.

“Y/N,” he says, voice low and calm, unlike his hot-headed younger brother. “You seem to be doing well.”

“Well, taking over the throne has certainly given me much more freedom than my father would ever have,” you say, shrugging lightly. From the corner of your eyes, you notice two familiar silhouettes just outside your viewpoint, blind to the men before you.

“You have my brother cornered, who knew you were such a smart woman behind that silent gaze. Are you upset at him for what he’s done to you?”

“Oh Ying, if I was that upset, I would have taken care of him myself, no? Jummy’s just a waste of my time.”

His brows crease slightly. “Then why are you here? To sign an alliance with me?”

You laugh aloud. “Men are so, so foolish, aren’t they?” You jump from the windowsill, approaching him, and even as his two men step up on guard against you, you ignore them to continue your way towards Ying who remains standing still with no will to move away. “Did you know that the abuser and the ones who simply decide to just watch the abuser and do nothing about it are just as bad?”

“So what? You’re upset I never stepped in to help you?”

“If I was really that weakhearted, would I have survived for this long?” You ask him, a raise in your brow. “You pretend to be the good brother, the knight in shining armor, and if I wasn’t such a smart little girl, I would have totally fallen for your charms and believed you were on my side all along. But in reality, there’s something much darker about you, isn’t there?”

“What are you saying?” He looks down at you with furrowed brows as you play with his tie. “Was my kindness to you not enough?”

“Kindness?” You snicker. “You don’t actually believe offering me a few sweet words and tending to my wounds after your brother’s abuse would have been enough to swoon me, did you?”

“Just clench your teeth and the next time it happens, it’ll all be over before you know it.” You remain silent as he speaks those words, head lowered while he sits before you, carefully looking over your body and tending to the wounds himself. Even though he has his own men in the room, Ying always offered to do the treating himself.

But this isn’t kindness.

Not when he’s always there to watch Jummy hurt you and do nothing about it, simply letting his younger brother do his thing, and then deciding to step in once it seems the ignorant brat is done taking his anger out.

This isn’t kindness. He’s just trying to sweeten you up, have you believing he’s on your side when he’s really not.

You’re just a puppet to his eyes, someone who can help him in the future, someone who can give him power and authority. He wants to use you, to pretend to be a good man, and perhaps even make you fall in love with him in order to claim the Reaper’s seat.

You’re much too scarred to ever trust a man that easily again but if he wants to pretend then you’ll pretend as well.

“Why don’t you do anything, Ying?” You ask him in a small voice, pretending to slowly break. “You’re the older brother, can’t you…can’t you stop Jummy? It hurts, Ying.”

“I know, but it won’t be too long until all of this is over, alright? Just hold on a little longer.”

Just hold on a little longer. It’ll be over soon.

That’s what he always tells you. How long has it been since the first time he’s spoken those words? Perhaps a year now. Yet he still thinks he can sway you with such words.

“I’ll be right back. I’m going to talk to Jummy, alright?” When you don’t give him an answer, you feel his large palm touch you on the top of your head. And then, he leaves along with his men, leaving you all to yourself once more.

When you look up to stare at his back, the glare that levels his way, even after the door closes, doesn’t ever leave.

You rip the bandage he wrapped around you, calling unto your boys. “Mingyu. Yeonjun.”

They come in a split second.

“Be a good girl and head back home, Y/N. You’ve already gotten Jummy.”

He takes you to be a fool, he always had from the very moment he laid eyes on you. The Reaper had always been quite a force and because of that, you were a tool used by your father who wished to exploit you in all the ways possible.

When Ying found that out, he decided to fake his way into your heart and pretend to care when no one else did, having no idea of your own loyal members who were already doing their jobs well.

Yet unlike him who only stood by to watch willingly and feign his kindness afterward, your Reapers always had a hard time holding themselves back when watching you get hurt by your father’s men. Unlike him who had the power to stop them at any time, your Reapers were forced to stand back, knowing that one wrong move would have your secrets all spilled out and everyone would end up dead while you suffer the consequences.

There is a difference between being a willing bystander while knowing you have the power to do something, and being a bystander who has no power and no choice but to stand and watch, knowing that if they were to do something, it would result in serious consequence.

Ying is different from your people.

He feigns his kindness and you hate fake people.

“If you want me to go home, get these men out of the way.”

“No.”

“Why not?” You feign a pout. “Do you see me as a threat, Ying? Aren’t I just a hopeless little girl who needs a knight in shining armor in your eyes? What can a small girl like me do to you? Look,” you slither your hands up and around his neck, causing his men to quickly act but are immediately held back by Jimin and Yoongi. You ignore them to remain staring into Ying’s eyes. “My hands can barely wrap themselves around you. If I were to choke you, you’d have me dead in a split second.”

Ying remains still as he meets your cunning gaze, face only deciding to inch closer to him.

“Ah but my sweet Ying wouldn’t ever hurt me, would he? You promised after all.” You laugh at the memories before looking over to the side when more of his men seem to gather around. Jimin and Yoongi step up to deal with them while you keep yourself busy with the boss at hand. “Hey Ying, maybe you could call off your men, yeah?”

“You’re here to kill me, aren’t you?”

“Hm…am I?”

“Do you want an apology? For all the times I stood by and didn’t stop my brother from hurting you? Is that what you want?”

How foolish. “No, I just want you dead,” you admit casually as if speaking about the weather. “You have to realize, Ying, that it hurts just as much knowing someone could have stopped it all but chose to stand by and watch instead.”

Namjoon was the sole reason the relationship fell and when you needed the rest of them to step up, they did absolutely nothing. He was in power, sure, a man in a position higher than any of you, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t have done anything for you.

You wonder what was going on in their heads when Namjoon spoke insults at you, when you were so desperate to save the relationship, pretending everything was okay while trying your best to keep everything stable with everyone else. You wonder what they were thinking when you fell silent upon their ignorance, upon your desperation.

You wonder why they never did anything to stop Namjoon. You wonder why they never tried to help you.

You wonder why they just stood there, doing nothing.

“You’re just as bad as the abuser.”

As you speak those words, something so small yet so sharp stabs against the nape of his neck. Ying’s face crumbles with pain, his body lurching forward, falling to his knees, but his struggle doesn’t last long because just seconds later, his heavy body has dropped to the floor, left lifeless.

You’ve learned from Daejung that simple poison won’t work on the men you’re trying to rid of. They’ll put up a fight, hurt you, and cause you more damage than you’ve already gotten from them. So you had Yeonjun look into creating a much more lethal poison that wouldn’t give you any trouble.

It worked.

“Y/N—” You ignore Yoongi to throw a dagger at the man who ran up from behind him.

“Come on, Yoongi, you know better than to get distracted during a battle.” With that, the three of you come together to deal with the rest of the men who’re too stubborn to leave you be, especially after their boss had just fallen.

They should know when to retreat, especially when you give them no mercy and claw away at them, stabbing blades after blades, shooting each of them down with your gun. You don’t care for the messes you’re making, you welcome it.

After all, disorder is much better than perfection.

And soon enough, everyone’s body has fallen dead on the floor with you standing right in the middle.

When the two men look at you, they see nothing but a blank stare, emotionless and filled with an empty void. You don’t cower before the blood, you don’t even attempt to rid of the stench and stain which now decorates your body and dress.

Instead, you stand there almost as lifeless as the bodies on the floor.

When you look up at them, there is nothing but silence.

You’re just as bad as the abuser, they remember you say and for a moment it almost seems to be directed at them.

They still remember those days as clear as the sun. How could they not? They once loved you so dearly and now a part of you will always doubt that love.

“Feel better, alright?” Those were the words Jimin remembers saying to you at the beginning of it all, as if it was that simple, as if it was that easy.

But it wasn’t and when you needed them the most, they left you all alone.

It’s a long silence but eventually, you’re the first to break the stillness of the room, stepping towards Ying’s body to search for something in his pockets.

“We’re not done yet,” you say.

“We aren’t?”

“I didn’t come here just to kill a few people.” A black card flashes in your hand from Ying’s pocket and you begin to walk off. “Follow me,” you say, and after sharing a glance at one another, the two of them follow along.

You lead them to the end of the hallway where an old elevator resides and step right on in. Once there, you scan the black card upon an empty space, causing a small beeping sound to then resound and the ground floor button appears.

Jimin’s brows furrow. “What is this?”

“Ying had a secret he kept from everyone. Something I found out a year into knowing him so I had my team investigate his suspicious act and low and behold,” the doors open to show a dark underground, “there was something quite dark and disgusting about the man.”

“What’d you find out?”

You fall silent without an answer to Yoongi’s question, simply stepping forward to walk into the darkness. They follow without a word, knowing they’d find out the truth themselves. It grows colder and colder by the second the further the three of you walk through the undergrounds, until eventually you make a right and a few guards that have been posted are seen.

They’re on the floor for some reason, however, lifeless, and you guess someone must have already gotten here before you.

Your brows furrow at the sight until the dungeon of cages appears and a man stands in the middle of the hallway, holding onto a child while more surround him at his feet.

“Children…?” Yoongi whispers in disbelief at the sight of frail little children who’re now out of the cages, clothes shriveled up and ragged, their bodies dirty, faces heavy with fatigue as if they’ve been forced to do harsh labor.

You don’t pay attention to them even as a few gasps upon your entrance, your eyes are simply trained at the man in the middle, feet quickening until you’re up kicking the dirt from the ground and jumping right in to land a forceful kick on his stomach, causing him to fly backward and hit the wall behind him.

You walk forward to grab the little boy out of his hand, a glare leveled his way.

“What are you doing hanging around him willingly?” You ask the boy in your arms, brows furrowed with anger.

“B-but he—”

Before he can say another word, you inject a needle poison into the man’s neck and the children gasp at the sight of a man killed right before their eyes.

“Y/N what the hell?” There’s no way you just did that in front of the children.

You ignore the two men to turn back to the children as you set the boy down and crouch to their level, eyes stern and hard while they lower their heads, cowering in fear.

“Well?” You prompt, demanding an answer out of them.

Sunoo, the little boy, speaks up. “He…he was nice, milady.”

“So what? Are you going to trust every nice adult out there?” You accuse, voice hard and scary despite the fact that you aren’t yelling. You never yell, not once have they ever heard you yell, but when you’re like this, you’re much more scary than all the other adults that have laid their hands on them.

“Tell me, Poya,” you turn to the little girl closest to you and she straightens up upon your call, “when has that man ever helped you?”

“He…” She hesitates. “He would give us extra food when we behaved well and..and he would treat our wounds when we got hurt.”

“And did he ever do anything else?”

“Huh?” She looks up, confused.

“When Ying would come in, yell at you, accuse you all of something you hadn’t done, criticize you for your lack of your strength, your lack of worth, and when the others would harm you when you did one small thing wrong, tell me, did he ever step up then?”

“W-well…”

“That’s because he couldn’t!”

“Yeah! He couldn’t.”

Your eyes harden and they quickly fall silent once more. “That man may not have authority over Ying but he had enough authority to stop the rest of the guards from hurting you, didn’t he? Look at you.” You take one of their hands, turning the palm over to find it swollen. “Pain.” You point to a little boy’s knee. “Cuts.” You shove the sleeves of a little girl to reveal her arm. “Wounds and bruises. You see this? Did he ever stop them from hurting you? And who are you to know the medicine he treated you with will help you rather than cause you more pain? He only stepped in when there were no eyes on him, only smiled at you and gave you sweet words when everyone else was gone or asleep. Do you really believe this to be kindness?”

They don’t say a thing but you know your words are getting to them.

They’re understanding.

“He didn’t abuse you but he stood there doing nothing and only faked his kindness after you were hurt,” you point out with a hard stare. “There is a difference between not being able to do anything out of your control and doing nothing at all when you know you could’ve helped. This isn’t kindness.”

You see the way their shoulders tense up, how their bodies begin to tremble, a teardrop falling to the floor from a lowered head, how they’re completely silent and still, knowing that showing you any form of weakness or tears will only cause you to push them away.

Because Sir Mingyu said crying in front of you will only burden you. You hate tears, you hate weaknesses, you hate love. So they have to be careful around you.

They have to be careful if they want to remain by your side.

“Why were you late?” Sunoo asks, his voice cracking a bit but he clears his throat afterward, looking up to feign bravery and strength. When he looks at you, there is no ounce of hatred in his eyes, no level of accusatory leveled your way. Just the burden of a child who should not have lived through the things he did. Yet he puts you first and foremost. “Are you okay now?”

“Do not concern yourself with me,” you deadpan in an emotionless tone. “Worry about your own well-being first if anything.”

“You got hurt,” Vinni says, tugging at the blood stains on your dress.

“Was it difficult coming here?” Lily asks, her hand coming up to take your hand as she stares at the cut you grazed on your arm.

“Who do you think I am?”

“Right, of course. My lady fought well,” she says, her brows furrowing slightly when her little hands come up to gently stroke around the blood of the cut, making sure she doesn’t accidentally touch the cut.

You notice her concern. “Seems blood doesn’t scare you anymore.”

“I’ve gotten braver!” She declares proudly when she looks up at you with a bright smile.

“Have you now.”

“Mmh!” She nods happily. “It’s because we knew you were coming soon, milady. We were right to believe in you.”

You frown. “What did I say about believing in people so easily? Even I can betray you one day. What would happen if I were to never show up? Would you still believe in me until the day of your death?”

“Well…” She hesitates, unsure of what to say upon your interrogation. Even in front of the children, you remain hard-headed, unwavering, but even then they were never afraid of you. You’re not like the rest of the adults, after all. Even behind that cold gaze, you’re kind. “I just knew,” she whispers, “I knew you wouldn’t abandon us.”

Because just like them, you were once a lost little child who had no one to rely on, hating the evils of the adults, not knowing who to trust and who to keep your guard up against.

Just like them, you were hurt plenty by the people around you.

Seeing the small little tears in their eyes which they do so well to hold in for your sake, you know just how strong they’ve been.

“You did well,” you speak into the silence, “all of you.”

The way their eyes brighten, the way their lips curl up upon such simple words are almost enough to let the tears flow but they keep strong, blinking them away, hiding them into their arms when some of them can’t keep it in.

“Where will we go now, milady? What will happen to us now?” Sunoo asks, his eyes filled with worry as he looks up at you with his big rounded eyes.

When you stand back up, their eyes follow you like you’re the alpha of the wolf pack, looking at you for guidance, for instructions. “You said you believe me, right? So heed by those words and just worry about yourself. I will take care of everything.”

.

.

.

“Mingyu! Sir Mingyu!”

“Miss Somi!”

Dasom’s face cringes with discomfort as she eyes the second in command with disgust. “Why the hell are they calling me that? They picked it up from you, you bastard.”

“Hey, mind your language,” he whispers to her ear. “Also it’ll do you well to look more kindly in front of the children.”

She tsks while Mingyu turns his attention back to the children, crouching before them with a friendly smile.

“Looks like you haven’t eaten in some time,” he observes as he stares at their skinny little bodies. “Did you get your shots from Yeonjun yet? Have you gotten treated?”

“Yep! That’s why we’re here otherwise Lady Y/N will get angry.”

Seeing their apprehensive expression upon that, Mingyu narrows his gaze as he tilts his head to the side. “Hm, looks like you’ve already made her angry though.”

They pout upon the reminder, head lowered with shame. “She scolded us,” Poya admits and Mingyu laughs aloud.

“Of course she did. She wouldn’t be Y/N if she doesn’t get angry that easily. She’s a real demon, you know. One time I—”

Dasom hits the back of his head without hesitation. “If boss hears you, I wouldn’t hesitate to volunteer to kill you myself.”

“Why’re you always so mean to me?” He cries.

.

.

.

“What are you planning to do with the kids now that you’ve rescued them?” You look up at the sound of Hoseok’s voice as he takes a seat beside you where you sit on the stairs of the building, eyes staring mindlessly at the empty streets before you. “You’re not thinking of sending them away to some orphanage, are you?”

You scoff a little at the question. “I’m not that cruel, Hoseok. Anyone who came into this business because of the orphanages is proof they don’t treat kids well.” He’s a living proof of it and he knows you understand that. “I’ve built an academy for them about two years ago, before the plan to rescue them took place today,” you say, eyes returning to stare at the street. “A few of my people outside the mafia will be in charge of it, making sure they get their education, their meals, and live in a safe environment.”

“For a moment there I almost thought you’d take them in yourself.”

“Ha, and bring them in deeper with what this world has to offer?” You laugh at the thought before your expression hardens. “They don’t deserve this kind of life, they’ve already been through enough.”

Almost everyone who’s joined the mafia has gone through the process at a young age, the rest of them an exception. After all, it’s always been a wiser decision to train their people when they’re still young and striving with ambition. It’s easier to instill loyalty into them, easier to break them.

Hoseok can still remember his time so vividly as if he was living it yesterday. He’ll never forget it.

When he looks your way, the sight of your hand touching the cheek where Jummy had hit you catches his attention.

“Looks like it does hurt after all,” he observes, a slight furrow in his brows. He remembers the slap well, how it echoed into the silence of the room, how you just simply let him do that. You provoked him on purpose, wanting a reaction out of him, and received a slap in return. You let him slap you.

“Well,” you say with a shrug, “whether I like to admit it or not, a slap will always hurt.”

“You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

“What?”

“You knew that provoking him would give you a slap in return,” he says. “Being as you had history with him, he’s probably laid his hands on you multiple times before.”

“Probably.”

Feeling a rush of ire running through his veins, Hoseok just can’t seem to read you. “Why do you say that so calmly? Shouldn’t you be more upset?”

You laugh a little at his question, not taking this seriously at all and it makes him mad. “Hoseok, if I got upset and let every little thing get to me, do you really think I’d be where I am now?”

“Still—”

“My goal wasn’t him in the first place, it was Ying. Yuna was the one who wanted to hurt him. She carries my emotions.”

He looks at you for a moment, thinking, wondering, and when you turn your head towards him upon his silence, you feel Hoseok’s hand placed against your cheek. The stinging sensation is still there, you can feel it, and when Hoseok touches your cheek, the coldness from the night breeze begins to warm.

You frown. “What are you doing?”

“Do you not feel anything anymore?” When you try to run away, Hoseok doesn’t let you and instead asks a question, softly, and something that had been hidden in your memories surfaces.

“Why aren’t you getting angry? He did something to you, Y/N, so don’t you feel anything?” Hoseok was so angry, so upset, and for a second you remember almost seeing his eyes watery with tears. He was feeling all these emotions for you, all for you.

“Hoseok…I..I-I’m okay, so—”

“You’re not okay and you know it,” he emphasizes, brows furrowed heavily as he runs his hands through his hair, frustrated. You watch him for some time, unable to say anything, not sure of what it is that you should say, so you stand there, silent, while he paces through the room back and forth, staring at the watch on his wrist as if trying to see when the rest of them would return.

“Hoseok…”

He lets out a heavy sigh and turns back to you, shoulders falling with defeat. “Were you scared?” He asks, softly. “You were scared, weren’t you?”

You don’t give him a reply but Hoseok knows. Hoseok always knows. And when he opens his arms out for you, you don’t hesitate to run into them, engulfing yourself in his warm embrace.

“I’m sorry,” he says against your hair. “I’m not upset at you, it’s just…I wish you’d get upset too.”

“But…what if you don’t like me because of that?”

“Why would I not like you because of that?” He asks, sincerely confused. “It’s human emotions, it’s natural. Just like I don’t like getting sad but you still welcome me either way.”

“It’s…similar to that?”

“Mmn.” He leans away just enough to see your face as he brings himself forward, forehead resting against yours. “I’ll love you despite everything so get mad, get upset, throw a tantrum, and I’ll still love you even then.”

“I do feel, Hoseok,” you tell him, hating the memories that have walked into your head. “I feel anger for all the people that have done me wrong, that’s why I’m going after them for revenge.”

“I feel like I should be proud but…that’s all you feel now, don’t you? Other than anger…there’s nothing but a void in your heart.”

You turn away from his hand, eyes stripping away from him to avoid those eyes that may become a weakness to you. “It’s better to not feel. In this way, I can go about my plans much more successfully. If I let my emotions get the best of me, I’ll just give myself weaknesses to shoulder and we can’t have that if I’m trying to get rid of all my enemies.”

“You’re doing risky business, Y/N.”

“From the minute we were associated with the mafia, everything became risky. In your case, at age nine.” You lost your only love and protection at age nine, Hoseok lost his innocence at age nine.

What a time to be alive.

“And you?”

You look over at him when he asks the question, a chuckle running through your throat. “I was born into this life, remember? Being a mafia heir isn’t an easy task, Hoseok. Whether you were someone who was loved dearly by your parents or not, this business will always serve dangerous for anyone that lives in it. Only ten years ago did I finally find the courage to embrace it. After all, you can’t ever escape the shadows once you step foot into it. That fantasy I lived in only proved to me that living a false life of freedom isn’t something that’s meant for me.”

That fantasy.

The false life of freedom.

You mean to say the three years you spent with them, don’t you? He knows it well and remembers how happy you were in spite of the fear and danger that surrounded your life. You had let them take care of you, trusted their words to never make you fall, to always be there to love and protect you. You gave them your trust and they destroyed that.

The person that you are now doesn’t strive to seek for that happiness anymore. It’s almost as if you’ve truly come to understand all it is that exists in this world of greed, power, and imprisonment. He lived like that for a long, long time, until he found his sanctuary.

You did too but it was forcefully taken away from you unlike him who still has the honor to keep it for his life.

When he looks at you, a burning ache shoots at his heart because he knows he could have saved you. He could have prevented so many things if he knew. 

If only he knew.

The boys were too cowardly to let him in on the knowing while you grew afraid, forcing you to a point where you had to leave. You were afraid to destroy his relationship with them, afraid to hold him back. You left for yourself and you left for him.

“Don’t look like that.” Your voice brings him back from his daze and he looks up, blinking. 

“Huh?”

“You’re blaming yourself again,” you say, head turning back to look at the streets before you. “It’ll do you no good to always put yourself in the blame. On the bright side, I’m much stronger than I was then.” The dagger in your hand spins effortlessly without falter, a skill that probably took years to master. He notices you’re more comfortable with the blade. Was it the first thing you touched when you decided to train?

It makes sense. After all, during your years of living with them, you were always afraid of going near a gun, the incident with the two bodyguards that died before you always made you tremble in your wake. So the question lies in how long it took you to find the courage to hold a gun.

“Who trained you?” He asks and you pause in your flickering. He wonders why. But before he can even speak up on it, your head turns his way again, a light smile on your face.

“A great master whom I also choose to go up against once day.”

Hoseok’s brows furrow. “It wasn’t your father?”

“Ah, father tried for a good time but then decided to hand me off to someone else. Someone stronger than him.” Someone who could break you down much easier than him. You laugh a little at that. “When it’s time to take him down, it’ll definitely be a fight. I might even die.”

“How can you joke around like that?”

“It’s not a joke, it’s the truth.” You say that but you’re still laughing, as if going up against danger is all that you seek, as if your life means nothing to you.

“So you don’t care if you die?” He asks, not liking the sound of that.

“So as long as I live, I’ll keep going after the people that have wronged me in the course of my lifetime.”

He wonders if those people include Bangtan; the other six. Namjoon. But something tells him in their case, you won’t be going after them with the intent to kill. After all, so far the people that have wronged you have all done something unforgivable — not that what Namjoon and the others did to you isn’t unforgivable but deep down, Hoseok still believes you to be someone who still holds kindness in her heart.

“I won’t go after Namjoon,” you assure as if reading his contemplating thoughts. “That’ll be an easy way to die, after all. And you might even hate me for that.”

So you care if he hates you?

“So you’re willing to die by anyone else’s hands?”

“Of course not. I’m just saying, if I die, I die. Who cares by who and who cares how.”

“But what about your Reapers?”

“What about them?”

“They hold a strong sense of loyalty to you,” he states. “At the split call of their names, they’re right next to you, heeding at your every word. Whatever you say is law. Whatever you do, they follow with no question. You don’t see that just anywhere, Y/N, not even in Bangtan. So don’t you think it’d affect them quite a bit were you to carelessly die by a nobody?”

You fall silent to that, hand continuing to play with the dagger at hand. The light reflects from it ever so often, whiffing sounds leaving as you flick about, spinning it, throwing it, catching it.

“I’ve trained them to not care about those sort of things,” you say after a moment. “They all know to prepare themselves if I were to die. Mingyu will take up the throne and things will go about as if I never existed in the first place.”

You let out an exaggerated yawn after speaking those careless words, arms stretching out before you. “Anyways, if I don’t wake up in ten minutes, call Mingyu for me, yeah?”

With that, you rest your head against the cold, hard railing of the stairs, eyes quick to close.

As Hoseok sits there watching you, he can only think of how wrong you are.

.

.

.

“Sir Mingyu, um…”

“Hey, what did I tell you about calling me a sir? Say hyung. Hyung. You’re making me feel old here, little man.”

“You are old.”

He glares up at Dasom’s retort. “Don’t you have somewhere better to be?”

She brings her hands up in defeat. “Ah, you’re right. Anywhere without you is a much better place to be.”

“That Somi,” he mutters under his breath as she walks away casually, knowing not to put up a fight otherwise she will literally try to obliterate him. 

Learned that the hard way. 

“Anyways,” he turns to the little boy who had walked away from his friends to approach him, “what was it wanted to say, Sunoo?” 

Sunoo stands on his toes, eyes hesitant as he brings his hands forward, fiddling with them while his mouth opens and closes ever so often, as if what he wants to say is something he shouldn’t be saying but something he wants to say. 

Mingyu crouches down to his level, a gentle hand placed on his shoulder. “Come on now, it’s not like you to be so hesitant. You want to ask me something, don’t you?”

“I…”

“Boss always says in all the seconds that pass through hesitation, it could be spent in being killed. That’s why you must never hesitate, no matter what it is. The seconds are always ticking after all. Time never slows down for anyone.”

Hearing those words, Sunoo is quick to straighten up as his head picks up, eyes a bit more strong than they were when he had initially approached the older man. Mingyu chuckles silently to himself, knowing anything that has to do with you, anyone will listen well.

You have everyone wrapped around your fingers, whether you know it or not.

“I..I want to become a Reaper, Mingyu hyung!”

For the first time in his life, Sunoo watches as the amused and easygoing expression on Mingyu’s face washes over in a second, replaced by something much colder and much more intimidating.

He physically shivers in fear.

“Sunoo…” 

Sunoo’s back straightens even more upon the call of his name as he feels the hand on his shoulder tighten. An unexplainable fear washes over him and he feels pricks of needles pinning through all of his back, legs, and feet. 

He can’t move.

“Never utter such words again, you got that?” He stands from his spot and turns around, quick to dismiss the conversation before it can continue any further but Sunoo stops him, not understanding.

“Why?” He asks, a tug on Mingyu’s blazer. “I want to protect Lady Y/N and the only way I can do that is—”

“If you really want to protect her, you’re better off staying away from us.”

“What…?” He stares at the older man in confusion, dreams and hopes ready to shatter but Sunoo holds on, not wanting to go down without a fight. You’ve protected him from so much and now that he wants to pay you back, he can’t do it in the way he knows how to?

Mingyu lets out a sigh when the kid doesn’t let go and turns back around, his expression still firm and grave, different from the man everyone knows him to be. “It’s a good thing you came to me first, otherwise boss would have killed you herself if she ever heard you say such words.”

“But—”

“Until you learn how to manipulate your emotions and hide them well, until you understand what it means to restrain yourself, to stand by and be a good bystander, only until then will you ever be worthy enough to serve along Y/N’s side.”

“A good…bystander?” What is that supposed to mean?

A kid will never understand, Mingyu knows, because kids who care for someone will always stand against the unjust and recklessly put their lives and everyone else’s lives in danger just for that person. Whether it’s their mother, their father, a friend, a lover, whoever it may be, they will not hesitate to scream and shout, begging and pleading, standing in the way of the unjust, stepping up and defending that one person.

He will be killed in an instant if he doesn’t understand control, if he doesn’t understand his role, and it will break him in more than one way.

“When you learn how to play that role, and know how to play it well, only then will I deem you worthy enough to stay by boss’s side.”

“Yo idiot, boss fell asleep on the stairs.”

Upon hearing Dasom come back with a finger pointed towards the outside, Mingyu looks up, face returning to his usual easygoing expression as he takes a stand.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m going. Honestly, why can’t she ever sleep during appropriate times and at appropriate places?”

While Mingyu complains under his breath as he’s walking away, Sunoo remains standing still in the place Mingyu left him, eyes shaking with a waver, his heart aching when he realizes he’s just gotten rejected.

He’s not worthy enough to protect you, to even stay by your side. He’s not worthy enough.

And whatever Mingyu meant, if he never figures that out, if he never learns how to be a good bystander, he will never be worthy enough to ever even approach you.

“Hey kid.” He slowly turns at Dasom’s call, head still in the clouds, hurt by what Mingyu had told him. Dasom lets out a heavy sigh as she pats his head. “The idiot’s right. The only way you can protect boss now is by staying away. She’ll never let you serve her otherwise.”

cry me a river | the black rose

— summary: he loved you once, so hard, but taehyung has no right to begin caring for you now

— pairing: bts x reader

— genre: angst, mafia!au

— word count: 7.5k

— warnings: implied sexual harassment/abuse, implied forceful age-gap relationship, mentions of predatory actions/character

— PART 12 / previous part / masterpost

Taehyung watches you with a silent gaze as you stand by yourself, eyes closed against the softness of the night breeze as it flows past you in a neat manner, allowing your hair to fly freely. You sparkle well despite how the darkness of the night, but he guesses he has the street light of the London streets to thank for.

You don’t say anything nor do you do anything to make a move despite the clock ticking at every second. It passes and passes while you stand there, no words leaving your lips.

You’re calm. Too calm.

And something tells him soon enough, it won’t be like this for some time. Perhaps that’s why you’re taking in the calm, the silence, and the peace, before you have to walk into a battlefield.

The calm before the storm, they say.

And although he hasn’t the slightest clue as to what could go on when you make your move, a part of him carries the fear your second in command had when he approached them, asking for them to protect you well now more than ever.

The fear of the unknown.

You’re too calm.

“There is a chance he may invite me to stay at his place,” you speak into the silence, eyelids fluttering open as you turn your head to look back at him from over your shoulder. The golden lights of the lampposts highlight your features well and Taehyung’s brows furrow slightly upon your words. “I won’t deny his invitation for that matter.”

“What?” He blinks, confused. He licks his lips, wondering what’s going on in that head of yours. “I thought your plan was to get him on his feet, make him think he’s got you in the palm of his hands.”

“Exactly,” you say. “Mr. Leehyun like pretty girls that don’t go against him. As long as I comply with him, he won’t think anything’s up and I’ll be able to make my move. Shall we go?”

You begin to walk forward but Taehyung hesitates.

“Wait, Y/N,” he stops you, expression falling into a conflicted concern. “I don’t think this is a good idea.”

“Don’t stop me,” you tell him straight and clear. “Otherwise you aren’t allowed to follow me.”

Mingyu said to never leave you out of sight, to never leave you alone with Leehyun, and Namjoon allowed his words to take precedent in this situation. He doesn’t know the situation, none of them do besides Mingyu and the rest of the Reapers, but even they can tell this mission may take a wrong turn somewhere down the line.

You told Hoseok you were prepared for your death, that you didn’t care to stop so as long as you got to your enemies. Even if you had to die for your revenge, you weren’t going to ever stop until every last one of them was buried underground.

Just how much have these people done to you to make you break like this?

“Come on, Taehyung. If you keep looking at me like that, I’m going to mistake that look as you worrying for me.” You hold out your hand for him to take and although he does so with hesitation, Taehyung falls in order with you, knowing there’s no other choice.

When you walk into the grand room in an unfamiliar environment, the way you hold your head up without the slightest hint of hesitation or fear in your eyes, each step bold and long, it’s almost as if you belong right here in this light.

Nothing about you screams out of place and Taehyung guesses you’ve come to blend in well into the crowd without completely becoming invisible or taking everyone’s attention. Just the right amount that lets the people here know you are a mafia’s daughter who can hold her ground.

He doesn’t like being out in public nor does he like the attention but he guesses if he’s with you, it’s only inevitable.

You’re beautiful after all, no one can deny that.

“There’s our target,” you say in a soft murmur, eyeing a familiar-looking man who now holds a bit of grey hair after years of absence.

You falter for a moment, frozen in spot, and before Taehyung can ask about anything, you’re back to your bold and cold demeanor, eyes vanished of emotions as you lead him along to walk towards the man you have always dreaded to face. It’s as if that small moment of hesitation had never occurred.

Hyunjin isn’t anywhere to be seen.

“Mr. Hwang,” you call out in a silky tone, leaving the hand of your ex-lover to flash a small little smile towards the older man.

He, who had been talking to two other women, turns at your call, his eyes bulging slightly at the sight of you.

That gaze of his always made you feel things.

“I hope you haven’t forgotten about me.” He turns from the ladies upon your words, a familiar flash glinting in his eyes as he meets your approach halfway. Taehyung follows you just behind, eyeing the whole exchange as Hwang Leehyun takes ahold of your hand and greets you with a kiss on the back.

“How could I ever forget a beauty like you?”

Taehyung frowns at his mannerism, already feeling uncomfortable.

“Father gave me a small little vacation so I decided to come to London. I’m glad to have met you in this little moment.” You lie so easily through your teeth, feigning innocence and sweetness, your smile kind and gentle but behind it all, Taehyung knows you must dislike all of this.

“It’s unfortunate our relationship had to cut off too soon but I’m happy to hear you still think of me.”

You grin his way, pushing past its strain. “You’re hard to forget, Mr. Hwang.”

That isn’t a lie.

“You are too.”

You look down at the way he strokes the back of your hand with his thumb with no signs of letting go anytime soon. In moments like this, you wish Mingyu was here to rescue you, to give you space, a bit of a breather. You have to fight hard to restrain yourself and not kill everyone on the spot because right now there is nothing else you want to do.

Just to forget. Just to get rid of it all.

But you know that if you were to lose control now, you’d lose. You can’t lose to Hwang Leehyun again.

Not again.

“You seem more easygoing, my dear.” You don’t flinch away when Leehyun reaches out to tuck a few strands of hair behind your ear, caressing you as if you were some sort of lover to him. “You smile more easily. You’ve grown more pretty. You’ve always been pretty but…something about you is different.”

“Does it please you?”

He laughs. “It certainly does.”

Right.

Unsure of the way things are going, Taehyung clears his throat albeit awkwardly but it catches the attention of Leehyun, who takes his hand from your face, allowing you to breathe a little better. You take a step back towards Taehyung, somewhat bitter yet thankful at the same time.

“This is father’s assistant acting as my bodyguard, Mr. Hwang,” you introduce with a lie. It’s a good thing Taehyung doesn’t go out often for his face to get recognized, unlike the other boys, hence you allowed him to follow you during this mission. It was probably the reason why they chose him in the first place. Namjoon always knows what to do in dire situations. “Unfortunately the more powerful father gets, the more enemy he has, hence he has to come along with me.”

Introducing Taehyung as your father’s assistant helps to give you more leeway, because in that sense, Leehyun won’t see Taehyung as an obstacle and won’t fall suspicious in the way he follows your steps. He’ll just think Taehyung’s here to keep an eye out for you in your father’s place and not someone who’s on your side and will interfere with his time with you.

“Your father is quite generous. His love for his daughter is immeasurable,” he acknowledges Taehyung for a split moment before turning to you once again. “If I had a daughter like you, I would spoil you to no end. It’s unfortunate the engagement with Hyunjin didn’t work out.”

You leave him with that; wanting more. So with a nod, you entangle your hand along Taehyung’s arm, a bidding goodbye on the tip of your tongue.

“I would love to talk more, but my friend here will be snitching to my father if I stayed up too late. If you will excuse—”

“How about staying at my place?” His suggestion isn’t unexpected, in fact, you knew it was coming. Still, you feign a small little blink of innocence. “I’m sure if you were with someone reliable, your father wouldn’t be able to complain.”

He holds his hand out for you and you can tell with the way the corner of his smile twitches a little and the small little glance made Taehyung’s way, that he holds some sort of feeling towards the way you hold onto your father’s so-called assistant.

You’d rather stay with your ex-lover but in such a situation, you decide to let your hand fall into the palm of Leehyun’s hand.

“Then, please take care of me, Mr. Hwang.”

The way he squeezes your hand and the way his eyes flashed with a bit of sinister makes you sick to the stomach.

.

.

.

“What were you doing with a man like him?”

You look at Taehyung through the mirror of the vanity before you as you sit on the cushioned seat, a hairbrush flowing through your hair under the dim light of the room.

He doesn’t understand and perhaps he never will, but it doesn’t matter to you either way. All he has to do is stand still, pretend to be your bodyguard, and follow your lead without doing anything to stop you. That’s all he has to do.

But something concerns you with the way his brows crease a bit deeper than how they usually are, the way his nose flares up, the way he rests his hand on his hips, pacing back and forth as if he cannot fathom what reason you could possibly have to stick around with a man like Hwang Leehyun.

What were you doing with a man like him, he asks?

“Surviving,” you answer simply, leaving it with just that.

He can interpret it in any way he wants, you don’t care either way. And because you decide not to say anything any further, it frustrates him even more.

So you let out a sigh and turn from the mirror, putting the brush down against the desk. “It will do you well to calm down and get some rest. Stop pacing back and forth, you’re going to tire yourself out and—”

“Y/N, I know you.” You frown at his words. “You’re someone who won’t cry out or complain or give the whole truth to something because you hate looking weak in front of others and I don’t know whether you’re scared or too prideful but the situation here clearly indicates that—”

“Taehyung.” You cut him off with a simple call of his name, tone falling a little more low and dangerous than how it was mere seconds ago. He stops speaking, standing still in place as if it were Namjoon speaking to him. You fling a leg over the other, eyeing him down. “It’s been several years since we’ve parted,” you remind him, “do you realize how much a person can change in ten years? You may think you know the girl I was then, and perhaps you do, but I’m not who I was anymore. I’ve changed, and who knows, I may even be just as sick, if not more, than the man who escorted me right into this very bedroom.”

You stand from the chair to walk on over to the bed without another word, leaving him lost in his thoughts as you give him not another spare glance.

.

.

.

“Y/N…..?”

Hyunjin stares at you with small, widened eyes, his mouth left slightly agape, frozen in place after he walked in through the entrance to his manor. Of all the people he expected to see walking back to his house, he never sought out to find you; a woman who was almost his to claim but decided to give up on when he knew you could never love him all the same.

You had no room for him in your life and he accepted that, freeing you from one of the chains holding you down for you to reach your potential. His sincerity to you was in the form of leaving; saving you from his father.

And now here you are, years later, standing before him with a small smile plastered on your face, the glint in your eyes different from what he knew previously.

You’re different from who he saw years ago, an aura overbearingly strong as you stand beside his father without the slightest hint of flinch.

And he realizes your purpose in being here.

“Hyunjin,” his father calls to him, an easygoing lighthearted expression on his face, unaware of what meets him on the other side. Nevertheless, Hyunjin remains stoic as he continues his walk as if that moment of hesitation had never happened in the first place. “You remember Y/N, don’t you?”

“Who can ever forget Miss Y/N?”

“That’s right,” Leehyun chuckles and he catches the way his father places a hand around your waist, pulling you in close as if you were a lover he was introducing to his son.

What a sick bastard, especially knowing you were almost his son’s fiance.

“She’s on vacation,” he says as he looks down at you with a smile. You return one of your own and the blind father doesn’t suspect anything behind that glint. Hyunjin is disgusted at the sight he sees before him.

“..Is she?” He holds a hand out for you, eyes boring into yours with a piercing gaze when you glance back at him, a small secret stare exchanged for you to notice. He takes you from his father, allowing you to stand by his side instead and to Taehyung, it almost looks as if these are two men of equal standing fighting over the same woman. “What a pleasant surprise.” Hyunjin lets go of your hand but keeps you beside him nonetheless.

You notice his kindness. “It’s nice to see you again, sir.”

Leehyun looks at his watch impatiently upon your exchange with his son, keeping his cool. “Unfortunately I’ve got a busy schedule. Since you kids were almost betrothed to one another, why don’t you show her around town, Hyunjin? You did get along fine years ago.”

“Of course, father,” Hyunjin nods at the command, and before his father could try and personally bid you goodbye, he turns to you with a tight smile, blocking his father’s path as he holds out his hand for you again. “Why don’t we go now? I know a few good breakfast spots.”

You take his hand, nodding. “I should get ready first.”

“Of course.”

While ignoring Leehyun, Hyunjin leads you away from the entrance, not sparing his father another chance to speak to you again as he keeps his focus on you. It is until his father leaves does he let go of your hand, the formal smile dropping from his face.

You watch him as he takes a step away from you, cautious of your personal space as he takes a moment to bring his gaze down your body. Anyone else would think he’s checking you out but you know better than that. You hold out your hands before him, showing off your naked wrists at the furrowed brows and anxious twitch of his lips.

“He didn’t try anything on you?” Is the first thing he asks.

“I have a friend with me who refuses to leave my side,” you reply lightly, beckoning towards the other man in the room.

Hyunjin looks over to find Taehyung, who in turn narrows his gaze slightly with suspicion, and the two of them start off into a staring contest, both keeping up their guards against one another.

Taehyung’s face isn’t someone familiar to Hyunjin’s eyes, and he knows because throughout his times with you, the man had come to recognize your close aids, especially Mingyu and Yuna. You’re not one who will carelessly allow people by your side openly to anyone, which probably means that to some extent; you trust this man but he isn’t a part of your gang.

To Taehyung, Hyunjin’s probably another guy like Leehyun, but with the way he regarded you before his father and the way he keeps his space from you with caution, he guesses Hyunjin isn’t entirely a bad guy. Well, Namjoon did mention you said he had left Korea all for you so he can probably trust this man to an extent.

“Though his touches are indeed uncomfortable.”

Upon your voice, the two boys look away from one another, forgetting about their little silent disputing moment to draw their attention back to you, who places a hand on your waist, your lip taking a downturn with a disgusted frown resting on your face.

“There isn’t much to be done about that, however. I knew what I was getting into.”

Hyunjin has an expression of guilt though you’re unsure as to why. Perhaps he feels responsible in some ways though you’ll never blame him for what his father has done. Just because one may be blood-related to someone doesn’t mean they are one and the same.

Fathers are terrible human beings.

“I’m glad you can express yourself a little more now,” you hear him say, causing you to give a slight tilt of your head his way. Hyunjin chuckles as if recalling some memories, and with a small cautious glance Taehyung’s way, he continues with a fond smile your way. “You used to allow anything and everything happen to you without complaints.” Taehyung stands there, listening silently with furrowed brows. “You were almost lifeless then.”

You don’t flinch away from his touch when he reaches out to gently brush away a few stray hairs from your face. He gives you an expression that speaks “yet you’re still hurting, aren’t you?” and you don’t reply, eyes falling to the floor at the memories.

Taehyung’s here so you can’t let him know that the reason you’re able to express yourself a little more is because your father’s dead. Now that he’s gone, you have freed yourself just a bit, and although life hasn’t completely gotten better, in some ways your shoulders are less heavier than they were before.

“Is—”

You give him a look, eyes staring down at him to not say anything any further, and you guess he can take the hint that although you trust Taehyung, there’s only so little he knows.

Taehyung stands a bit envious at how well Hyunjin can read you, as well as the secrets he knows that Taehyung will probably never come to know. You share a past with one another, and although Hyunjin implied you didn’t keep a close relationship with the man, the fact that you can be like this with him now tells him everything.

In the three years he spent with you, it almost seems as if those years never existed, because the person he sees now and the person he saw then make him realize that in the end, they never did know you, did they?

You have your secrets, they all did, but unlike them who had gradually let their walls down and allowed you to see their vulnerable selves, you kept the walls up; steady and thick.

On days you’d cry, show your weakness, lean on them when you’d need it most, but as he watches the exchange between you and Hyunjin, Taehyung can only see that no matter how much you loved them then, there was always a part of you who kept yourself a secret from them.

You don’t love Hyunjin, he knows you don’t, but Hyunjin knows a part of you that he will never come to know, and for that, a part of him feels a small ache in his heart.

“Would you still like to look around London?” Hyunjin asks you as he takes a small glance around the house. “I’m sure this environment doesn’t make you any less comfortable.”

You send him a small nod before excusing yourself upstairs to dress up in a better attire for the weather and Taehyung follows behind without a word.

.

.

.

“My father is dead.”

Hyunjin nods as the two of you walk side by side, Taehyung walking along somewhere else where he’s out of earshot but still allowed to keep an eye on you.

“I assumed so,” Hyunjin says without an ounce of surprise in his tone. “That’s why you look a little more free than you did then.” You don’t say anything to that but he continues anyway, used to your silence. “So you finally took the bullet to his head, huh? I was waiting for a moment to strike my own father and now that you’re here, there’s no more time to waste. How’re you planning on doing this?”

“I want to use you,” you say, stopping to look in his direction. “May I use you?” You ask him and Hyunjin looks down at you, a small chuckle leaving his lips.

“If it helps you in any way.”

You nod at his reply, thankful, before you continue on your walk again. “Your father gets off on relationship dynamics where he’s in full control without having to share any of that power with anyone, that’s why he never cared for your mother, and that’s why getting close to him as a ‘significant other’ isn’t going to work.”

“You plan on becoming my fiancé,” he guesses at what you’re putting at, scoffing with disbelief when you confirm it. After finding out the deeds his father had done, Hyunjin was beyond disgusted, and hearing it still makes him boil with rage thinking about it.

His father is a predator, a disgusting creep.

“It’ll allow him to put his guard down a bit, though it seems he may be a bit hostile towards your care for me.”

“Do you want me to tone it down a bit? Provoke him less?” He doesn’t want to, but if it helps your current situation, he’ll have to agree to your words.

“No.” Yet you say, firm in your decision with a glint of ire flickering in your eyes. “No matter what happens, don’t ever do all that you can to stop him from trying things with me. He’ll tolerate it because you play the role of the fiancé and he’ll know that he doesn’t have the right to take you from me. It will make him more upset and it will cause him to try more things with me in that case, but no matter how hostile and angry he may be with you, do not ever leave me to him. I want to use you as a fiancé and I want to use you as a shield, and if I can’t shoot him in the head like I plan to, if I somehow freeze up, I want you to end him for me. No one else.”

This is the first time you’ve ever asked Hyunjin for a favor, a silent cry for help, and he remembers the last memory he had of you; sitting on his bed, lifeless eyes staring only blankly as you had no strength in you to fight back against anything or anyone. You were a doll made for your father to use, and as long as he had no complaints about who or what was happening to you, you had no reason to act out, especially since the Reapers and the Black Rose were allied then.

It was your way of survival; playing the role of the puppet.

That was why he left, because he knew anything else would have drowned you further down and down the deep, deep ocean, weights of burdens and people holding your feet to keep you in. He knew what he did wouldn't save you but he wanted to take at least one weight away, just for you to float up from the sea at least just the slightest bit.

He had no power to go against his father, accuse him of all the things he’s done to you — he would have died — so he plays the role of an obedient child, just as you had, waiting to strike and turn against him during the right moment, so he wouldn't know it was coming. 

When Hyunjin looks at you, he can see traces of the war leaving you drained and exhausted. You’re tired of everyone and everything, yet you have no will to back down anytime soon. He knows you’ve gone and killed a few of your enemies already, his father is just another target on your hit-list, a passing moment, and you still have others to kill, others that have done you wrong. 

Still, no matter how much you hate a man, a part of you will still be afraid and your body knows it best.

“I’ll kill him,” he nods against your request, firm and unwavering. If you can’t take the shot, he’ll do it in your place.

You turn from his gaze at that, accepting his answer, when a small little droplet hits your cheek. 

You look up, aware of the small drizzling of the rain, when an umbrella is held over you without hesitation. You look over to find Taehyung, silent and observant, now by your side with an umbrella over your head. 

For a man who’s only pretending to be an assistant, he sure does his job well.

Luckily it’s only a small little rain, so even though you’re the only one with an umbrella held over your head (by someone else), you don’t care to move away from the opening. 

The other two don’t seem to mind either.

“I want this over with in less than three days if that’s alright with you,” you continue the flow of the conversation as if it never stopped in the beginning. “Any more stalling may cause me to go insane and I cannot afford that.”

“Of course.”

“Tonight we’re going to discuss the merging of our hands. I’ll push for the engagement party the day after tomorrow. I’m sure your father won’t mind the rush.” Of course he wouldn’t. “And as for the case of him not yet knowing of the news of my father’s death, as well as who killed him, I’ll take care of it. All you have to do is play the role of my fiancé. Once it’s all done and over with, I’m sure you will do well to hide all these secrets from the London mobs. Namjoon gave me the passageway into the streets, I need you to give me a way to leave it. Bring only the people that you can trust in to the party, anyone else will pose a problem to us.”

Years ago, Hyunjin would have never thought you to take up the reins and lead a whole mafia on your back, yet the way you speak without falter, a voice of authority and strength, he can no longer see that little girl who only followed behind the shadows of her father.

The puppet has become the puppeteer.

Or maybe you were the true puppeteer all along, waiting to strike.

No one saw it coming, you did well to follow in your father’s steps, and although many sacrifices were made, you’re now standing here right in the center, eyes unwavering and filled with a strength only someone who went through so much can hold.

He knows, however, that you can only grow stronger. You just have to sacrifice a few more of yourself in order to do so.

And for that, his heart hurts for you.

.

.

.

“Shall we become a family?” 

Of course it’s Leehyun who proposes the idea first. You know that in his mind, you’re only staying here for a limited amount of time before you return to your home, and he’ll no longer be able to see you. You were already taken away from him the first time, this time you can see in his eyes that he doesn’t plan to let you leave him just as easily as you did then. 

It’s sickening the way he looks at you.

You feign a smile, shyly glancing over at Hyunjin before returning your gaze back to him again. “Are you sure, Mr. Hwang? Would that be alright?”

He likes that expression on your face; shy, innocent.

You hate it.

“Of course it would. I’ve always wanted you.” You cringe at those words, holding your expression as he continues on. “You’d be the perfect daughter-in-law anyone would ask for. You’re sweet, obedient, and always listen well without ever acting out. You’re the perfect daughter-in-law.”

Daughter-in-law, not his son’s lover or his son’s fiancé but his daughter-in-law.

“You flatter me, Mr. Hwang.” You let your eyes flutter down to your lap, a hand against your hand to play the role of an embarrassed, shy, innocent girl.

You hear him chuckle in response and can feel the eyes of the two other men in the room. 

“Of course, we’d have to discuss this with your father.”

“Actually, I have some good news.” You turn to Taehyung and he hands you a letter that then gets slid across the table towards the older man. “Father did mention hoping to reconnect with you, said he wouldn't mind Mr. Hyunjin and me to be betrothed to one another again.”

“Really?” He raises a brow with keen interest as he takes the letter you’ve handed him. Of course, it’s a fake letter, one you had Mingyu write, feigning your father’s handwriting to make it real. Out of everyone who’s stayed by your side, Mingyu knows your father’s mannerisms and speeches best. 

“If it’s alright with you, would you like to return to Korea, Mr. Hwang?” You blink up at him with wide eyes, a hopeful gaze set in them, one you know he wouldn't be able to refute. 

Just on cue, you see that familiar glint in his eyes and almost falter in your stance.

You can feel your heart beating hard against your chest and it’s not the good kind of beating. It never is when it comes to Hwang Leehyun.

“Returning to Korea sounds like a good idea, wouldn't you think, Hyunjin?” 

Hyunjin, uncomfortable in his seat, nods with a tight smile. “Yes, father.”

“Unfortunately I have to return in a few days,” you speak up again. “Father mentioned an important mission I’ll have to take that will require my attention for some time. So if it’s alright with you, why don’t we hold the engagement party while I’m here?”

“Without your father?”

“He has already given us his blessings,” you push the conversation on. “Plus father has never been one to enjoy parties.”

“Of course,” Leehyun nods, pretending to remember that fact. You’re sure he doesn't remember much about your father. He’s only ever kept his eyes on you after all. “You’ve become quite the lady, haven’t you?” A small change in his tone, Leehyun reaches out to gently stroke your head. 

You smile meekly, eyes fluttering to the floor, feigning shyness when in reality, you’re just hoping to not meet those eyes of his. 

It’s disgusting. He’s disgusting.

You hate this.

“It’s getting late.” Hyunjin stands with a hand held out to you, breaking the moment. “I’ll take you up to your room.”

“She can go alone.”

“Ah, but would anyone want to leave such a pretty lady alone to herself? I am to become her fiancé soon after all.” 

“Right..” You hate the sound of his tone. 

“I am her aide,” Taehyung speaks up for the first time that night, “I can take her upstairs.” 

He holds his hand out for you, and although you hate every part of this, you’re relieved he can at least read the room and can step in when he needs to most. So you take up his offer, bidding the other two goodbye, and you return to the guest room with Taehyung by your side.

It is when the door closes do you finally drop your acting face down, eyes hardened with gritted teeth against your jaw. 

Your hands tremble with anger as you fist a hairful into your hands, touching where Leehyun had held you, breathing louder than you intend to. You pace back and forth, silent, as Taehyung watches on, understanding your frustration and turmoil.

“What is it?” He wants you to speak, to let it out. So you speak.

“I want to kill him,” you say, a whisper laced with ire. “I want him gone, I…How dare he touch me so carelessly? If I could cut his hand off — no — break each of his fingers off in the most slowest and cruelest ways, I…If I could just kill him right now, I’d—”

“Y/N.”

“But I can’t.” You run your fingers through your hair, making it disheveled on purpose. Perfection is what they want out of you. You hate perfection. “I have to be patient. I have to do this perfectly. If not, everything I’ve worked so hard for will go down the drain.”

“It’s okay. Just hold on a little longer.”

It’s alright.

You’ll be okay.

Just hold on a little longer.

Just a little longer.

“You can take it, can’t you? Just a little longer and it’ll all be over.”

Those words are mocking you, trying to tear you down to pieces, and as if Taehyung can understand just how much his words have affected you right there and then, he steps up before you, an expression of guilt. 

“I apologize. That must have sounded inconsiderate of me.”

Inconsiderate.

Ha. What a word. 

If Mingyu was here, what would Mingyu do? What would he say? He’d know just what to do, to calm your ire, to calm all that you are right now. 

Everything threatens to tear you down but you can’t even let it all go. You have to hold on because looking weak before Taehyung will only backfire on you. You can’t break down. Not now.

Not now.

Not now.

Where is the pillar that you need the most? Where is your calm?

You shut him out. 

That’s right. He wasn’t allowed to join you, otherwise he’d stop you from what you’re trying to do right now. None of them were allowed to come. If Mingyu had been by your side during all of this instead of Taehyung, you’re sure he would have had a few things to say by now.

You stare at Taehyung who stands before you, and although you know the rest of them must be listening in on everything that has happened so far, as well as this moment right here, you can’t help but ask; “May I see your hand?”

He falls confused, unsure of what you’re meaning to do, but he holds his hand out either way. 

You take ahold of it, touching the larger, callous hand, and run it against your head. 

You lean against the touch, closing your eyes, and Taehyung realizes this is the exact place Leehyun had held you previously. Mere moments ago. 

His brows furrow and he holds out his other hand before you. “Shall we try something?”

You open your eyes to find Taehyung lost in your memories.

“Shall we try something?” 

You tilt your head slightly to the side, lips pressed together with confusion. “Try..something?”

He sends you a soft smile, one that always seems to calm your heart. “Mmn,” he nods, “I think it can help you. Well, I hope it does.”

You’re still confused but place your hand in his either way. Taehyung holds it up so that both your palms face one another, as if you were looking directly at a mirror before you. But it isn't a mirrored version of you that you see before you. It’s Taehyung. Just Taehyung.

He looks at you differently from what your reflection shows. Rather than resentment and insecurity mirroring you, Taehyung watches you with a soft expression of love and care. 

“What did we say about hiding?” He asks gently with a kind smile. “I told you, didn't I? You can complain all that you want. You can lash out, throw a tantrum, scream, shout, just don’t hide.”

Don’t be silent.

It’s okay to scream.

“You’re hurting, aren’t you?” He leans in and you fall forward, meeting his forehead with yours in the middle. “It’s okay to rely on us, to rely on me. You don’t have to hide, Y/N, not when you’re with me.”

He intertwines your fingers together and…

…pull you in close, allowing your ears to rest against his chest, where the beat of his heart lies. It’s steady unlike your own and when you close your eyes to listen to his heartbeat, it’s the last thing you hear before your body falls limp a few moments later. 

Taehyung holds you up and carries you off to the bed, tucking you in before he leans away, watching you with an unreadable expression, all the while knowing he’s being listened in on by the rest of the crew back in their hotel rooms.

.

.

.

You wake up in the middle of the night just as you had done the night before. Taehyung wakes up along with you, woken by your moving presence who stands in the middle of the bedroom, aimlessly staring at nothing.

You look like a ghost, a walking corpse, and as he watches you from where you stand, your eyes aren’t as guarded as they always are when you’re wide awake. He knows you must be in a state where you aren’t fully awake but you’re not asleep either. It’s as if you can’t sleep well, and he wonders whether that’s because you’re placed in a different environment or if it has to do with something else.

“Y/N?” He calls your name, softly, but you don’t react one bit.

A blanket is wrapped around you, keeping you warm, but as you walk towards the light of the moon right outside the window, it falls from your shoulders, leaving them bare, causing you to shudder at the sudden coldness.

Taehyung walks over to pick the blanket up, a concerned furrow on his brows as he watches you, unsure of what’s going on. Last night you stood for a while before taking a seat on the floor, your head resting on the wall, and that was when you finally got some sleep, but tonight something tells him your body might not adjust to sleep as easily.

He remembers a time in the past when his heartbeat used to bring you to sleep but things are different now and although it helped for a moment, you’re awake now, unable to get a proper night’s sleep.

Just how much are you holding in that head of yours?

“Y–” He tries calling again when he hears something and senses another presence. 

Taehyung reaches for his gun when he finds a shadow against the window. They jump in without a sound, like an assassin made from the shadows, and when the person brings a finger up to their lips to keep him quiet, he realizes this is one of your Reapers.

Yuna, was it? Your blind shadow.

He puts his gun down but watches her with a steady gaze, unable to completely let his guard down.

She ignores him to turn to you, who stares blankly out the window, a small tilt in your head as you look up at the moonlight. Yuna takes the blanket from Taehyung to drape it over your shoulders. You take it as if possessed, covering yourself from the coldness, eyes still blank, lips sealed shut.

She stays beside you, silent, and reaches a hand out to you, weaving her hand through your hair. You welcome the touch without flinching away, a sign that tells Taehyung her touch is one you trust, one you are safe with, and one you have familiarized yourself with.

“Why are you awake, my lady?” She asks softly, her approach careful with a touch of tenderness. “You have a big day tomorrow and the day after that. You should be sleeping.”

You turn towards her voice, and something tells Taehyung you aren’t taking in what her words are saying, you’re just reacting to the sound of her familiar melody..

You’re still in a mindless state.

“Aren’t you tired?” Yuna asks, and upon those words, you lean in to rest your head against her shoulder. She takes your hand and you follow her willingly, allowing her to sit you down against a soft little seating in front of the window. She sits beside you, letting your head fall against her lap, and with the blanket held on top of your body, the silence of the night fills in as Yuna runs her hand through your hair, helping you to flutter your eyes closed and get a good night’s rest.

It remains quiet for a while before your breathing evens out and they know you’ve finally gone back to sleep again.

Taehyung wonders if you even realize this happens to you at night. Do you realize you wake up in the middle of the night, unable to sleep? And do you realize only your Reapers can get you back to your resting state without breaking you out of your mindless state?

You trust these Reapers, he knows, but just as their loyalty and allegiance to you runs deeper than the ocean, he wonders if you ever realize how deep your trust runs in them.

When he looks at Yuna who keeps quiet, something tells him they probably keep this part of you a secret to themselves.

“Your…blindfold,” he sparks up a conversation. Her hand pauses in the air for a split second at his voice. “..What happened to your eyes?”

Yuna remains silent for a bit, her hand continuing the gentle motion in your hair before she decides to entertain him the story.

“It was a price I had to pay for in order to stay by my lady’s side,” she says, her words filled with memories of those days. “Boss took them out herself and I willingly allowed her to. Our secrets would have been exposed otherwise and we couldn’t afford that.”

“So you became blind…for her.”

“For my lady, I’d do anything.” She tilts her head up and if she had eyes, Taehyung knows she would be looking straight at him. “This was the first test of loyalty between the first Reaper and the lady. The bond between the Reapers and the boss would not have been as tight if it weren’t for this sacrifice, because if I never lost my eyes for her…I’m sure she would have never been able to trust in anyone ever again.” He presses his lips tightly against those words, connecting what that meant. He knows she’s talking about their betrayal to you. “Once you pledge allegiance to someone, it behooves you not to betray the faith that they have placed in you. That is the agreement between the Reapers and the boss. Losing my eyes for her meant she could place her faith in me and the rest of us that came after me.”

Yuna; the very first Reaper who stood by your side and got you to earn her trust and restore some sort of faith in others again.

When they left you all alone during those days, it never occurred to him what would have happened as an aftermath of their actions. You had to pay the price, the consequences of their actions, and for the first time since the night he watched from the sideline as you bowed your head before them, Taehyung can feel a tinge of regret aching against his chest.

All the things you went through, he will never come to find out. The only person who knows and is even close to staying by your side through it all is the one before him, who holds her head up, unwavering loyalty not meant to ever break even past her death.

When he looks at the way she regards you, Taehyung feels so little against her despite his physical body much bigger than her.

Does he even have the right to regret anything? Who is he to only care after seeing you like this? Who is he to begin caring now when he realizes you’ve had it rough throughout those ten years after the divorce?

If he didn’t care when you graced them with your smile, what right does he have to begin caring when he sees the invisible tears left in the weight of your drained eyes?

He knows he has no right.

None at all.

cry me a river | the broken

— summary: once someone's been taught to stay quiet their whole life, how do they learn to scream and shout for help?

— pairing: bts x reader

— genre: angst, mafia!au

— word count: 11.1k

— warnings: implied sexual harassment/abuse, implied forceful age-gap relationship, mentions of predatory acts/character, mentions of memory suppression, resurfacing of suppressed memories, implied forced submission, gaslighting, manipulation, mentions of breaking, mentions of toxic family relations, toxic power dynamics, suppressed emotions, brief mention of miscarriage, violence, slight gore

— PART 13 / previous post / masterpost

“Will you help me with the zipper?”

The light-colored champagne dress you wear fits you beautifully, just as everything does, yet tonight you seem to look a bit more elegant and dignified, the lighter color creating a more pure and soft look as compared to the darker dresses he’s gotten used to seeing you wear. This is part of the play. After all, in order to seem innocent before Hwang Leehyun, you have to look the part.

As he helps you with the zipper, Taehyung doesn’t know how to feel about you dressing up for a man like Leehyun.

You give him a small thanks before turning to the vanity mirror and taking a seat in order to fix your hair and makeup. The first thing you do is brush through your hair while Taehyung stands on the sideline, watching you. You bring a fancy hairpin along your hair, holding it up into a low bun, then turn towards the makeup kit to begin patting your face down.

The beauty comes along and when you reach a certain step, you frown slightly at the eyeliner in your hand.

You’ve always had Dasom handle your makeup and playing with eyeliner is something you have yet to get used to. But she did always mention using a sharp-lined corner as a guideline to help you through in case she wouldn’t be around to help you.

You look around before putting a leg up against the vanity, rolling your dress up to take the knife you had hidden against your thigh, and Taehyung watches with slight confusion as you line the edge of the knife along your eye.

He meets your eyes in the reflection of the mirror when you use the knife as a guide to create your wings, your gaze intense with a fire he has yet to get used to.

He’s first to rip away from the contact, feeling rather flustered at how..hot that was.

Respectfully.

“Shall we get going?” When you stand up and hold your hand out for him a few minutes later, Taehyung has to take a moment to take your appearance in. No matter how much time has passed, your beauty will always shine bright, but in the past months he’s met you again after a couple of passing years, you only seem to shine even brighter.

“Don’t get too carried away now,” you say and he realizes he got caught staring.

Taehyung clears his throat as he takes your hand and leads you to the door, not entirely fond of the fact that this is all for the sake of a sick bastard.

.

.

.

“As expected you are…” the second Leehyun sees you, he can’t help but fall into a slight daze, “..beautiful.” He speaks with a sighing breath as if he can’t believe what he’s seeing before him, and Taehyung’s stance straightens at those words, his eyes hardening at Leehyun.

Perhaps this is why you didn’t allow your Reapers in on this mission. Would they be able to hold themselves back for their boss? Even he’s having a hard time restraining himself.

Leehyun reaches out to lightly brush a strand of hair to the side and when he leans into you, you can feel Taehyung’s hold of your hand tightening. “I can’t wait to become a family,” he whispers, and perhaps to others, he truly adores his future daughter-in-law in an innocent way but to you and Taehyung, those words only bring chills down your spines.

“Father, Y/N.” Hyunjin steps in to the rescue, allowing his father to back away at the call of your names. “The guests have all arrived, we should get going.”

“Right.” He seems a bit disappointed at the moment ripped away from him but the three of you do not care for it as you turn to stand by Hyunjin’s side.

Taehyung takes a second to look at Hyunjin, who gives him silent words of reassurance, before he takes his leave from the potential newly made family. He walks away to join the room full of guests, blending into the crowd with cautious eyes staring at his surrounding.

“I don’t think you would have been able to hold yourself back if you were in my position,” he says the instant Jimin pulls up to his side, offering him a glass of champagne.

“Well,” Jimin hums, “it was bad enough just listening in on the conversations, I can only imagine.”

“He’ll die soon enough,” Yoongi speaks up with eyes staring straight towards the fancy door that hides the three of you from the eyes of the guests.

Soon enough they open with the sight of Hwang Leehyun with a proud grin on his face, the one that hides his sinister self, hidden from the public to see. And hidden from the eyes of Leehyun and his men are the men of Bangtan blended in with the crowd, watching with steady eyes as he opens his mouth with a prepared speech at hand.

“I thank you for coming here on short notice..” he begins and his voice trails off for Hoseok as he walks about discreetly, watching the room to see if anything is amiss.

There are two guards by the entrance door, three men upstairs keeping an eye on the room, and a few more in the room, dressed in black suits with earpieces connecting them to one another for communication purposes.

If anything happens, you’re the last person they’ll think to harm, especially with Hyunjin and Leehyun by your side so he doesn’t need to worry about your safety for the beginning portion of all of this.

You’ll be alright…for now.

“I ask that you protect her well,” Mingyu’s voice echoes in his head. “Whatever you do, do not stop her, however…save her…if it so gets to that point.”

In the beginning, he couldn’t understand what those words meant. They lied heavy with great responsibility and although Hoseok knew he would have obliged them without Mingyu having to say it, now that he understands the context of things, it only makes him sick to the stomach.

The things you went through when you left them can only be left to their imaginations and for your sake, Hoseok hopes you can keep strong.

He saw how much you’ve changed, the strength in you different from how it was during the three years he got to know and love you. You have a sort of strength that seems almost impossible to break, your thoughts and mind plagued with only the desire to seek revenge for those that have wronged you.

But even the strongest villains in the world can break down and fall apart.

What if something goes wrong down this line? What would happen then?

“Please welcome my future daughter-in-law,” he hears Leehyun say, and you come into sight, a dignified beauty beyond compare.

You’re beautiful, glowing brightly under the chandelier lights, and he knows that everyone else in the room is thinking the very same thoughts. When you grace them with a smile, you only shine brighter, and before they can approach you with congratulations and introduce themselves, they have to take a moment of breath to take your beauty in.

You’re beautiful.

Hoseok looks around the room to find Namjoon who stands from afar, his stare blank. To anyone, he looks as if he holds no emotions on his face, but Hoseok knows better than that.

He’s mesmerized yet at the same time, worried.

They all share the same thought, he realizes, when he finds the rest of them.

Leehyun will die tonight but what price would you have to pay in order to reach that goal?

Will you be alright?

“How long until the wedding? Will you hold a formal party or will there only be a private signing of papers?” When the question is asked, you take a glance at Hyunjin, who chuckles lightly in response.

“Our Y/N here is shyer than she seems so for her sake, we’ll keep the process private and quick.”

“And besides, the quicker the process, the faster we get to be family.” You don’t know why Leehyun agrees to Hyunjin so quickly but when he lands a hand on your shoulder, you can only think about how uncomfortable you’re feeling.

The guest at hand laughs with ignorance. “You’re lucky such a beauty will become a member of your family.”

“Yes, indeed I am.”

You discreetly glance over at Hyunjin when his father squeezes your shoulder as he continues speaking to the guest as if you were the one he was presenting as his potential wife.

It’s irritating.

Disgusting.

Hyunjin reaches over to take you back when someone calls for his attention.

“May I have a moment with you?” They ask, and Hyunjin hesitates with a glance your way, enticing a chuckle out of the guest. “Come on now, Hyunjin, I know you’re eager to marry such a beauty but you’ll get her the rest of your life so let me steal you for a moment, yeah?”

You give Hyunjin a small nod to let him know that it was alright to leave your side, and although he continues his debate in his head, he’s eventually dragged off away and out of sight from you, leaving you to converse with more guests with Leehyun by your side.

“Are you tired?” After a few more minutes, he asks you the question which causes you to look up with a small huh. Leehyun grins your way, an innocent smile, but you know better than that. “You don’t do too well with crowds, do you? I think you should take a break. Here, let me get you out of here.”

He takes your hand without hesitating another beat and your heart quickens slightly as he begins dragging you off.

You feel eyes on you, alerted, but you signal Taehyung with a shake of your head, letting him know that he shouldn’t follow you.

If you’re going to do this properly, you can’t expose your weakness just yet.

He can’t stop you. None of them can.

And so you’re led to a door with a guard just outside, opening it for you, and Taehyung watches as the door closes with you and Leehyun on the other side, left alone together.

He bites his inner lip, anxious.

.

.

.

“Water?” Leehyun offers but you shake your head politely, remaining stood by the door as he walks further in to take a seat on one of the fancy comfortable chairs in the room. “Is it draining?” He asks after taking a sip of his drink. “I know you aren’t someone who likes staying in the presence of a crowd much, especially when you’re at the center of attention.”

Why is he speaking to you so casually? As if nothing about him is wrong?

No, this is how it’s always been, hasn’t it?

“I can endure it,” you answer him and he chuckles lowly in response.

“That’s right. You’ve always been so good at enduring things.” Your finger twitches at those words so you keep them hidden behind you, keeping the beat of your heart steady. “When this is all over, we’ll finally be a family, just the way I hoped many years ago.”

Many years ago.

Those years…you never want to remember anything from it.

“You can’t leave me now, Y/N,” he says and you keep silent. “Hyunjin seems to have taken a liking to you and he’s a bit more observant than he was then but he doesn’t have to know. Everything can still be kept a secret between the two of us.”

Secret.

You never did try to conceal anything. Back then you didn’t care whether you were hurt or not. All you knew was surviving and if that meant letting others hurt you, you did what you had to do. Hyunjin was the one who found out on his own and in turn, as a sincere apology for his ignorance, he left the country and took his father along with him.

He was and has always been a sincere man, unlike his father. Even though you knew he cared for you in some ways, he never did anything to force you to do things for him. He could have done anything and everything with you if he so wanted but he didn’t because unlike everyone else around you, he was human.

He had morals he abided by and always treated the people around him with respect.

If you had spoken up about your struggles then, perhaps you would have gotten hurt less.

“Have you taken a liking to Hyunjin as well?” Leehyun tsks lightly as he stands from his seat, walking slowly over to you with a small shake of his head as if liking your soon-to-be fiancé isn’t ideal. “That’s kind of a shame. You’ve always been a good little girl, haven’t you? You’ll listen to me still, won’t you, pretty girl?”

You stare at the ground, hating every bit of this, every little nickname he gives you, that glint in his eyes, everything.

“Eyes on me when I’m talking to you,” Leehyun commands in a tone that threatens to resurface your buried memories. He holds your chin up to force your eyes to meet his. “You’re not thinking about telling Hyunjin everything, are you?”

Your brows furrow.

“He’d never believe you, you know. Why would he? I could just tell him you came onto me.”

“What?”

“Hyunjin’s my son. Why would he believe you over me?” 

He doesn't understand anything, does he? Years ago he threatened you like this as well, though years ago it didn’t matter much because you didn’t care to tell anyone about anything. You were already far gone, not able to trust strangers.

Hyunjin could have saved you sooner than he did but you kept quiet.

Once someone’s been taught to stay quiet their whole life, how do they learn to scream and shout for help?

Hyunjin came to earn your trust when he proved his good heart by leaving the country for you, but even then you remember being in a state in which nothing mattered. Whether you were hurt or not, you couldn’t care about anything but pleasing your father and becoming stronger than you were then.

You endured through everything with a blank heart, mind falling into a state you aren’t be able to recall memories from. You remained quiet for the longest time.

Still, his tone threatens to shake your core. You can feel something building up inside of you, something not so good. It’s as if all the weights you thought had disappeared are all coming back up at the same time.

Father’s face reappears in your mind, his threatening gaze so dark and cold whenever he looks your way. All you ever were to him was a puppet in the making. He wanted you to grow up loyal and obedient only to him, to become strong and powerful, and if gaining strength meant enduring through all the things others did to you, he didn’t care to bat an eye your way, even as you were thrown to the wolves.

No.

He threw you to the wolves.

So of course he never cared what the wolves did to you in return. All he cared about was you returning to his side, whether that meant alive or not. He didn’t care for your survival, for your life or death.

If you came back with strength, that just meant feeding you to more wolves until you grew strong enough on your own.

Until you returned to bite the hand that fed you.

It’s a wonder he never saw your betrayal coming.

“We should return,” you say against the silence that befalls the room, making up an excuse. “If we stay here for any longer, the guests will wonder where we’ve gone.”

You turn to put a hand on the doorknob when Leehyun’s hand takes over yours. You restrain yourself well to not flinch at his touch, only retracing your hand back silently. He watches you while your eyes remain still before you, and when he opens the door, Leehyun holds your shoulder once again.

You hate every bit of this.

“Mr. Hwang.” Not even two strides out the door and someone approaches him.

You recognize the voice and when you look up, it’s indeed Namjoon who had decided to walk up to the two of you with Jungkook by his side, acting as a bodyguard more than an important figure.

Leehyun grows surprised at the sight, not expecting a man like Namjoon to have come to London, not to mention his son’s engagement party. He speaks up, bringing him into a conversation as you stay there, silent.

You can feel Jungkook’s piercing gaze on you, a silent question on the tip of his tongue as if wondering if you were alright and if Leehyun had done anything to you.

You weren’t alright, not alright at all. He didn’t do anything but it sure feels as if he did. You hate the touch of his hand on your bare shoulders, his skin burning against you like touching the spike of a porcupine but being forced to not flinch away.

Every part of your body screams to push him away as it prickles with disgust, a tremor waiting to reveal itself but you know how to handle it, you know when not to show your weaknesses before others. You’ve been taught your whole life to conceal all that you feel after all.

What more is a few minutes?

When father was around, he instilled the practice well into your head, engraving it as if a burning metal pressed hotly against your skin, the mark there to stay forever. 

That’s what Leehyun’s touch feels like; a hot iron burn that will remain forever even if he does manage to leave you alone.

Hyunjin, where’s Hyunjin?

Hyunjin isn’t anywhere in sight so despite the fact that there are two people here who are on your side, you know they can’t do anything to rip Leehyun’s touch off you.

The voices spoken between him and Namjoon fade in and out as your eyes shake, looking around for something, anything, when you catch the sight of a hand held out to you, grabbing your attention back forcefully from your moment of frantic.

You look up to find Namjoon right before you, his hand held out expectedly as one would when meeting someone for the first time. “It’s nice to meet you, miss Y/N,” the words slip easily from his lips.

Right.

Despite the fact that the two of you were wed once upon a time, no one knows of your relationship. You were kept a secret for the longest time. Mother’s pregnancy was announced the moment the two red lines appeared on the stick, her eyes bright with delight and hope, you remember the maids saying. But her happiness and joy were forcefully ripped away from her when the doctor congratulated her on the news of carrying a baby girl.

It wasn’t what mother wanted. It wasn’t what father wanted. It wasn’t what anyone wanted.

The congratulation that left the doctor’s mouth was the very reason his tongue was cut off and later killed by the order of your mother.

She wanted to get rid of you the instant she knew of your gender but she kept you. A part of her probably hoped you’d grow up competent, prove her wrong, prove the world — father wrong, that you’d be her pride and joy and she wouldn’t have to care about your gender.

Meanwhile, father was already letting the world know that her pregnancy was a fail, that she had a miscarriage. You were deemed a mistake before he even saw you, but he allowed the only thing mother had left to keep to herself with promising words of not wanting to have anything to do with you.

The birth was risky and mother grew severely depressed, affecting even more of her health, until eventually her blooms wilted away and the last thing you saw of her was her disgusted eyes filled with hatred towards you.

You ruined her. Your very own mother.

Father was heartless but he turned you into his little puppet to hold and manipulate the strings of. You followed his every word whether willingly or not. After all, a puppet has no control over its own strings. They only do and say what the puppetmaster wants them to. You were no exception.

He kept you a secret until the end, only sharing you with the people close to him but even then, he never cared to pay you any attention unless it was to use you as a pawn.

That’s why you grew to shy away from the crowd, hating every bit of attention on you. Yoongi told you that it could never be, that no matter where you go, eyes will always follow you, it’s only inevitable. Your beauty is like the bright light for the moth, he said, meant to attract attention no matter what you do.

You held onto his words dearly and keep them still because he’s right. You will never be able to truly blend into the crowd as you wish and you let that fall to your advantage once you learned to manipulate others in the same way father had.

Like father, like daughter.

You may hate your father but no matter what anyone says, the two of you share blood and a part of him will always be instilled in your veins.

You hate every part of the truth.

“..It’s nice to meet you,” you finally say after a heartbeat, holding your hand out to shake Namjoon’s hand.

You linger a little longer, grip tighter than it should for a casual handshake, hoping, praying, in your silent cry, for him to hold onto you just as tight and yank you out of Leehyun’s grip. It’s a silent plea you don’t realize you’re doing when your ex-husband watches you attentively. Anyone would think nothing of it but you see the slight furrow between his brows, the way his mouth protrudes in just the slightest unnoticeable way.

You want him to take you away, to save you.

But before anything can happen, it’s you who forces your hand away from his first as if waking from your moment of daze, remembering what you’re doing and why you’re here.

You can’t forget your revenge for a moment of peace. Peace has to come after the storm, not before, otherwise the fight and the war will be for naught. You can’t get caught up with a small glimpse of hope. You’re already here in this room, held against Leehyun, you can’t back down now.

Revenge revenge revenge.

This is all for the revenge.

Namjoon can sense something is wrong, wondering whether you can still keep yourself upright for the sake of the mission, but when you retract from his hold, he squeezes his hand that’s held in mid-air after you left him, returning it back to his side.

“I didn’t know you were the daughter of the Grim Reaper,” he says, keeping up the font of your father still alive and striving well and not six feet under or burned into crispy ashes. He isn’t sure what you’ve done to your father’s body and he doesn’t really want to know.

Something about the relationship gives him a bit of suspicion but he can only base that on what he’s seen. What he’s heard tells him a different story. You’ve never smeared your father’s name before him, even in death, in fact, you tell him he’s treated you well throughout your life but what if all of that is a lie, just as a lot of things about you? You feign your smile before others, picking up an arrogant aura, fake the way you welcome each and every attention that falls your way when you walk into a room.

What if what you’ve told them about your father has also been a lie?

“Father has always been overprotective about my identity,” you tell him, something that sounds so believable yet so false at the same time.

What if you got rid of him not because you were “bored” but because you were forced to? Because that was the only way to freedom you’d ever earn? Because there was no other choice? What if everything about you in those three years they spent with you were all nothing but lies?

No. You’ve always been truthful and honest.

He can still remember looking into your eyes and always seeing the sincerity in them, how nothing in this world felt real except the sincere eyes that you always gave him. He didn’t believe in anything but your eyes were the only thing he knew that could never lie to him. Anything else, anyone else would but you…you never lied to him.

Yet as he stands here now, he thinks that perhaps he had been naive all along. There was always a part of you that you’d hide from them after all, no matter how much they tried to edge you on, reminding you that they loved and cared for every part of you so that you would be willing to open up. They shared their secrets, their deepest insecurities with you. But before he could ever cut open your heart and see what was inside, he broke the ties between you and the rest, divorcing you all too soon.

“That reminds me,” you look at him with a small smile, as if you were that shy little girl who always hid behind him whenever strangers were to try a spark a conversation with you, “I hope you can still keep this a secret. The people here don’t truly know of my identity but because you’re from Korea, it’s a whole different story. So for the sake of my father’s wrath and to conceal his kind heart, I ask that you not mention any part of meeting me and announce it to the world.”

What if the reason your father kept your identity a secret is not because he loves you so dearly but because he hates everything about you?

He wants to doubt the sincerity you held for him in those three years he cared for you. Still, Namjoon says, “Of course. You have my word.”

“Thank you, Mr. Kim.” When you give him a small bow of a nod as a way to thank him, you don’t allow your head to look back up so he’s left with only seeing your hair which conceals any emotions on your face.

You suddenly feel so small, as if the acting is beginning to take a toll on you and you’re starting to believe in this fantasy. As if Namjoon indeed doesn’t know you, as if you’re still that hopeless, pure little girl who’s been shut out from the world, as if you will indeed marry into the Hwangs and be trapped in a cage with the keys lost to the sea.

You wish Mingyu was here so that his presence can calm your racing heartbeat. You wish you could hear him with an intercom connecting his voice to your ears. You wish he could remind you to breathe, that you needn’t worry because he’s watching every step you make, that if anyone were to put you in harm’s way, Dasom’s bullet will pierce right into the skull of their heads.

You want to feel Dasom’s sniper watching you, you wish Yuna’s lingering gaze never left, and plunge yourself into drinking all of Yeonjun’s tea to end all the nerves that are screaming at you to break away from Leehyun’s hold.

To breathe.

To run away and find your safe place; in your Reaper’s safehold.

But you can’t because you’ve shut them out, told them to not interfere with your plans, to not stop you no matter what happens.

You don’t realize the Reapers are still watching you through Bangtan’s gaze, still ignorant to the fact that Mingyu had walked into their headquarters and dropped his head before Namjoon, asking them to protect you until the end, to save you if necessary. You don’t realize their protectiveness has been asked of to be replaced by Bangtan.

You don’t see Jungkook’s watchful gaze on you while Namjoon has Leehyun distracted in a conversation that falls deaf to his ears, careful in making sure Leehyun doesn’t mistake his watchful gaze on you and hide you away in response.

You don’t see the way the corner of Jungkook’s lip twitches, or the way he tries not to fiddle with his fingers in anxious thought of how this night will end but fails miserably. You don’t realize Jimin’s anger when he sees you held against Leehyun, standing by and watching with Yoongi as they recall the voices of conversations exchanged between you and Leehyun through Taehyung’s hidden mic.

You don’t see the way Taehyung rushes into the crowd, eyes scanning for a familiar figure to force him to return to your side otherwise he may snap and ruin the plan you so forced your Reapers away for.

But something goes wrong when he catches sight of the said man he placed his trust in to keep you safe. Hyunjin stands with a lower subordinate by his side, who whispers unheard words into his ear. Something’s wrong when he feels Taehyung’s gaze on him and looks up, his eyes hardening with a warning on the tip of his tongue.

Taehyung feels his mouth drying and when he snaps his head back at where you should be standing with Leehyun, Namjoon and Jungkook, but all that’s left are Namjoon and Jungkook without the other two figures in sight.

His eyes scan around the area, flashing with alarm as the words of Mingyu repeat in his head; “Don’t ever leave her side, no matter what. Don’t ever leave her alone with Leehyun.”

He knows you more than Taehyung does, probably knows every little secret you hold dearly within the thick walls you’ve built around yourself. He’s witnessed what you’ve been through, understands your responses and how to react to them, knows how to deal with every situation he’s faced with.

Taehyung doesn’t know anything. He has a clue but clues are useless and right now you’re missing, out of sight, and he feels as if the storm is coming sooner than it should. At a fast pace at that.

“Where’s Y/N?” He quickly asks the two boys who were last seen with her. The big boss gestures to two doors that lead away from the room where the party is held and grows irritated because he remembers all the doors in this house during his time here and that door does not lead to a private room. That room leads to a hallway into the unknown. “Why would you leave her out of your sight? I look away for one second to find Hyunjin and—”

“She asked us to let her go,” Jungkook cuts him off, his brows furrowed as he nips at his lower lip, a habit he does often when he’s anxious. “When Leehyun began to lead her away, she shook her head when we tried to stop him.”

They’re not supposed to stop you, they’re not supposed to do anything when you don’t give an order to. This is your revenge after all, your mission, so anything you say takes top priority but for once Taehyung wishes they hadn’t listened to your stupid demands and stopped you right then and there.

He understands Mingyu’s dilemma to a certain extent now. He might not know everything but he knows enough to understand that your underboss had every right to worry.

But right now he doesn’t have time to worry, to snap at the boys for letting you go. Right now he needs to find you and fix the situation before anything gets out of control.

“They’re filing in,” Hoseok’s voice walks into the intercom. Taehyung looks around to find him somewhere beside Seokjin, his voice discreet as if he were conversing in a friendly conversation with Seokjin rather than all of them. He doesn’t approach them for suspicions of their activity. “There are more of them now than there were minutes ago.”

The only guards, besides a few of them to avoid suspicion, should be Hyunjin’s people. He guesses this was what was exchanged between Hyunjin and the person beside him then.

Something’s definitely out of place.

Taehyung looks across the room to find Hyunjin making his way towards in, eyes meeting his as he speaks. “They’ve caught onto us.”

Four words simple enough to bring a shuddering rain crawling against their skin.

Namjoon keeps calm like the leader he is, knowing how to deal with situations like this due to experience. He can feel their gazes on him once the dreaded words leave Hyunjin’s lips, looking towards their alpha leader to give them direction and lead them to do what he thinks would save them from the situation. 

He turns to Taehyung and speaks. “Find another way in that leads through those doors and take Yoongi with you.”

.

.

.

“Do you know what I hate the most in this world?” Leehyun speaks calmly under the flickering light of the cold basement where he led you to after following a maze you probably won’t be able to remember the way of. The men he walked past stand just outside the door, leaving you alone with him once again. 

But this time there’s no one you can run to if something goes wrong, there’s no safety in knowing just outside the doors, you can cry for help and the crowd will look towards your call, glaring confused stares at Leehyun’s way.

It reminds you of a place you haven’t been to in a long, long time; the White Room.

Where you were held against your will, crying and begging for someone to help but the only people who stood outside were the guards who fell deaf to your cries. Even if the doors didn’t keep your screams in, you know they wouldn’t have helped you either.

It’s a bit different though, in lots of ways. This room is darker, lit up only by a flickering lightbulb held up by a string just above your head. You aren’t alone either, the perpetrator is here with you, keeping his watchful gaze on you, and you’re held bound by itchy ropes that are so bulky any movement against them forces prickling needles into your skin, sat on a lone wooden chair.

It’s cold though, in the same way the White Room had always been.

“I’ve told you before, haven’t I? You’re a smart girl, go on and repeat those words to me,” Leehyun prompts you and to anyone, it sounds as if he were speaking to someone precious, a gentle nudge towards a child who needs to be reminded of the rules she just broke while remaining stern. You hate how he treats you.

Still, you chant out the words as if under a spell. You can’t ignore him for some reason, as if remembering how you were with him years ago, unable to disobey anything that he says or does. Your body remembers even if your mind tries to forget.

“When people touch the things that belong to you.” It tastes bitter against your mouth but you give him nothing to read on your expressionless face.

Just as they always were years ago.

“That’s right,” Leehyun nods. He crosses his arms against his chest. “So what happened?”

“I held Mr. Kim’s hand.”

“And?”

“I let him steal my attention.”

“And?”

“...” You hesitate for a moment, just a split moment because you know Leehyun hates it when people don’t answer him right away. “I allowed you to fall into my foolish traps. Made you believe in my lies and hid behind the protection of your very own son.”

“My very own son.” You aren’t sure the exact moment when he realized it but perhaps in the process of thinking you held him wrapped around your finger, he was the one who had control of everything. You were foolish to think you could easily execute your plans without any mishaps. “Did you come to London in the hopes of taking your revenge on me?” He asks. “Are you here to kill me?”

The anxiety is felt clearly along your body. You aren’t sure why you’re like this when you thought you’ve trained yourself well enough to face your opponents but you guess trauma will always return to you and remind you of how you dealt with things no matter how much time has passed. You’ve returned to the doll that you were before father died.

At this moment right here, you’re the same person you were when you were with Leehyun years ago; obedient, robotic, dull, and blank.

Habits are scary.

“..Would it upset you if I said yes?” But unlike those times, the emotions are clear and you’re unable to repress them in the way your body did then. You can feel the heavy weight sitting on your chest, something constricting your airway in order to make it harder to breathe, and the slight little trembles against your body which you’ve always done so well to hide.

He laughs and you remain still. “What happened to your father? Did you get rid of him?” He asks rather than answering your question. He knows your answer and you know his. “You hold your head up high now, flirt easily, acting arrogant and mighty.”

“I killed him,” you answer fluently.

He laughs again, this time with a bit of a surprise, as if he can’t believe the girl he knew then would have been capable of killing her own father. You always followed your father’s words as if they were law, never going against him no matter what he asks of you, like a trained puppet. When did you escape from those strings? When did you gather the courage to leave?

Or perhaps you were the one playing with his strings all along, pretending to be a good little doll for the sake of catching him off guard and killing him when he least expects it.

“I see,” Leehyun nods, his laugh fading away as he thinks about it. If you’re capable of killing your father, a ruthless and merciless man, then you’re capable of killing him. Still, Leehyun wants to see your skills and wants to witness just how powerful you’ve become.

He takes three long steps back, arms uncrossing to be held behind him, eyes watchful as he calls for his men to come in. Ten muscular men walk in ready at the command of their boss while you remain sitting on the chair in the middle of the room, limps bound by strong ropes that cut through your skin whenever you make even the slightest movement.

“Why don’t you show me your skills then, sweetheart? I want to see how this little girl could have possibly taken down the Grim Reaper.”

It isn’t a request, it’s an order.

And when the men draw in on you, you have no other choice but to comply with Leehyun and give him a show.

You force your body back to push the chair onto the hard floor, causing it to collide and break into pieces, allowing your body to no longer be bound by the chair.

Someone swings a weapon your way but you duck right on time, headbutting him the second you’re given the chance. Someone else reaches for your arm and forces you to jump, you manipulate your body to fall against another man as you kick your feet forward at the man who wanted to take your arm.

Your hairpin falls from your hair, forcing the sight of your clear vision to fall a bit hazy, distracted by strands of hair, but you pay it no mind as you snatch the hairpin from the floor with your teeth, getting a bit of your hair in between. Leehyun marvels at how it turns into a sharp weapon of some sort.

Your body moves fluidly like the leaves against the wind, like the tide meets the beach, crashing against the enemies, manipulating every movement while using his men at your disposal. 

He grows irritated at how weak they are against a smaller figure, a girl, who still has her hands and legs tied.

You use the sharpness of your hairpin to take the binds off your ankles when you get the chance, allowing your feet to then kick freely at whoever tries to come at you. They don’t stand a chance, and Leehyun realizes the person your father tried so hard to train is now laughing back at him.

He called you useless, weak, incompetent, but the person he sees now is anything but.

How had your father thrown such a sparkling gem away without knowing your potential? In those years he knew of you, you held some skills your father forced you to take but now he realizes a lot of things you’ve been hiding in those years. Even back then when you were less skilled than you are now, you did everything your father asked of you perfectly. Whatever mission he asked of you, you finished it and came back in one piece. Whatever person he asked you to take down, you returned just as well.

Your father created a monster.

A beautiful, powerful monster.

Did he ever realize your strength before he died by your hands?

When his men lay dead on the floor, your chest heaves hard as you stand in the middle, a cut on your face, a long gash along your leg, and although you should be falling down exhausted, you remain standing as you stare down at him with eyes that could very well belong to a beast.

You still have your hands tied behind your back, hairpin held against your teeth.

Perhaps this is your way of showing him your strength has yet to reach its maximum level.

For a moment, he’s genuinely afraid of the one before him. And when you force yourself to hurl at him, he doesn’t have time to think before the sharp hairpin stabs him right against his side, allowing a cry of pain to leave his lips.

You don’t keep the hairpin in, forcing it out because you know pressure against a wound helps to keep the blood in. You want it out.

When you see Leehyun’s legs giving out, you take that opportunity to kick the doorknob off the door with a harsh and forceful kick, opening it with a loud bang, and without a moment of hesitation, you run and run, trying to remember the path Leehyun took when he brought you in here.

Along the run, you take a big leap, jumping to allow your hands to rope from underneath your legs in order to be held before you rather than behind. You take the knife that had been hidden under your now torn dress, cutting the stingy rope and returning the hairpin to hold your hair back in place.

Your dash is mad while your eyes frantically look around, trying to calculate every movement, recalling the memories of what you saw when you followed Leehyun down here. You can hear the thunder of Leehyun’s feet just behind you and know that getting lost will risk you your life.

You can’t die now, not yet. You still have people to kill and although you told Hoseok dying is trivial and you don’t care how or by who, you don’t wish to die at the hands of a predator. Not here, not in the maze of his basement. 

So you allow your brain to work, eyes snapping at every new corner that has a fork in the road, taking the turn you think you remember until eventually, you hear a call. Two calls.

“Y/N!”

“Y/N, where are you?!”

It’s Taehyung and Yoongi.

You never thought you’d ever say that you would be relieved to hear the voices of your ex-lovers again but here you are, body almost giving in at just the sound of their voices. But you know better than that. You know you aren’t safe just yet.

Luckily your brain hadn’t failed you and luckily you find the familiar silhouettes of your ex-lovers as you run and run, unable to slow down at any given moment. For now, they are your safety net, for now, you aren’t alone.

You run towards the warmth of their presence, letting out a breath of relief, when a hand snatches your hair and pulls you clean off your feet.

You let out your first yelp of pain as you go down and before Taehyung and Yoongi can take another step forward, you feel the head of a gun to your temple and watch as they visibly freeze on the spot.

The sight of you is alarming; the tight straps of your dress fallen over your shoulder, one of them snapped into two, a cut on your cheek, disheveled hair, the skirt of your dress torn to reveal your legs where one of them has a gash along your skin. You ran without shoes, heels long forgotten somewhere along the line, the soles of your feet shattered in cuts and swollen red.

You wince at Leehyun’s forceful fistful of your hair, teeth clenching tightly, and the two before you almost wince along with you.

“Should I just end it here?” Leehyun says, his lips so close to your ear it brings a chill down your body. You hate how cold it is here. “You came to kill me, didn’t you? So why don’t I bring you along to hell with me? We belong together after all. You’re mine.”

You scoff at those words, shaking your head in order to keep his lips away from your ear but he forces you back in an instant. “You’re sick,” you spit his way. “I was and will never be yours.”

“Darling, what did I say about talking back?” He grits his teeth as he says so, suppressing a fit of anger that takes in the form of his ripping your hair. You let out a strangled noise that causes the two the urge to do anything to take you away but they know one slight movement can potentially have the trigger pulled and they can’t risk that.

“You were always a good little girl,” Leehyun says, still trying to keep this relationship sane. “What happened to that, huh? You were mine to hold and do anything to. Why can’t you obey me in the way you had then?” He turns his attention to Taehyung as if recalling something, eyes flashing with anger and resentment towards the younger lad. “If it hadn’t been for your little bodyguard and Hyunjin, I would’ve had my way with you long ago.”

“That’s precisely why I never left her alone,” Taehyung grits out, eyes hardening as he levels his glare down at him.

“She’s mine to own, not yours.”

“She’s not a possession for you to make claims to.” A voice reaches them from the back and you can physically feel Leehyun freeze up against your back when a click is heard. Hoseok holds his gun right at the back of his head, no amount of hesitation in his eyes were Leehyun to do anything to you. “Get your hands off her,” he demands in a threatening growl and it almost triggers some lost memory your past self had once held so dearly to her heart but you do well to repress it back.

Someone else appears from the shadows; Hyunjin. He takes a step from behind Taehyung and Yoongi, a gun leveling his father’s way while the rest of them follow along, completely trapping Leehyun.

“Ah..” He realizes his defeat and lets the grip on your hair go, causing the tightness to finally release from his hold.

Hoseok watches as you scramble to your feet, a little limp in your legs taking hold when you stand either from the weakness or the gash, or both. Yoongi helps you stand tall and he hates the sight he sees before him. You look terrible.

It’s fortunate they got here in time otherwise Hoseok would never forgive himself. He remembered the second Taehyung realized the change in the air, Hoseok’s heartbeat accelerated hard against his chest, breath shortening, and before Seokjin can realize the change in him, he remembered to remain calm and not let the situation take the best of him.

He was angry at the things he heard through the device Taehyung held hidden against his clothes while with you in person, hated every moment Hoseok had to sit there, listening to the vile things Leehyun said and your voice whispered in turn, feigning interest. If he were in Taehyung’s place, he knows he would have never been able to hold restrain.

Perhaps it was best letting Taehyung go after all. For a moment he had been afraid, they all were, because they know how Taehyung is with people. He doesn’t like the crowd, avoids parties, and prefers his own personal space. As a hacker, he had no reason to leave his lab but it was because his face was less known to the public that forced him to take up the mission of being by your side.

The rest of them were more at risk of being found out, their faces more known whereas Taehyung was a secret.

He did a better job than Hoseok expected. Even through the intercom, he could feel Taehyung’s frustration and anger building up the longer he stayed by your side having to witness everything firsthand. He restrained himself even though Hoseok could tell he wanted to punch Leehyun many times, and during moments when the two of you were left alone in the guest room, Taehyung held himself together as he saw you. 

You were the victim but you held onto yourself well, projecting a font that doesn’t slip as easily as his anger does.

At night it’s a bit easier to see your more vulnerable side but even then you hold yourself together. In your mindless state, you silently yearn for a familiar hold only your Reapers can provide.

Hoseok wonders why you never cry for help, why you never scream or shout. Even in the years he was with you, you cried silently as if afraid a peep of sound will have punishment forced upon you. He hates your silence.

Hyunjin offers his gun to you but you shake your head, taking ahold of your knife instead.

Hoseok wants to give Leehyun a good, solid punch in the face for all the things he’s done to you but he knows he can’t do that. This is your fight after all, your battle, and it’s up to you whether you want to kill Leehyun with your own hands or if you want to ask Hyunjin to do the honors instead.

He’s in no place to kill him himself. So Hoseok keeps his gun pointed at the man, eyes watchful as they give you space.

You’re in control.

When you look at Leehyun, the old man’s eyes are silently begging for help, for your mercy, but you can only laugh at those words echoing into your ears.

“It will do well for you to apologize now,” you say into the silence, offering him a false chance. “Why don’t you apologize, Mr. Hwang?”

His eyes tell you he’d rather fall off a bridge and into a hot active volcano than level himself below you and ask for your forgiveness. He gets off power after all, and if that’s taken away from him, he’ll grow angry and throw a tantrum like a child would if they couldn’t get what they wanted.

He knows you won’t give him your forgiveness and he knows he will die anyway. That’s how this world works. Once you have bullets on the verge of piercing through your skull, you have no chance left to run no matter how much you beg.

But he falls shameless either way, in hysteria, because fear of death takes priority over the shameful feeling of apologizing to someone younger than you. He falls to the floor, crawling on his knees, begging for mercy with a chant that repeats again and again in your ears like a mantra.

You stare down at him as he worships the ground you stand on, head bowed forward in a shameless position, pleading and begging for you to spare his life. He has no shame, throwing away all his dignity to bow to you like a god in front of his son and Bangtan.

“Please Y/N. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

“Please, I…I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

Why is that flashing in your thoughts right now? The sight of you leaning your head down in a shameless manner, the night you tore the ring off your finger?

Namjoon falls into your line of sight. He watches the scene unfold silently and you wonder what he’s thinking about. This is the first time you’ve had someone bowing and pleading before you and you feel absolutely no sympathy for him. But even you understand the difference this situation is from yours.

You had no idea what you were apologizing for because you had nothing to apologize for. Nothing was your fault yet you felt like everything was your fault. But for Leehyun? He has no idea what he’s apologizing for because he has everything to apologize for.

Everything is his fault yet you know he feels as if nothing is his fault.

It irritates you.

You hate the sound of his begging, the annoying voice, those annoying words that repeat over and over again without any source of sincerity behind them.

“You…you don’t even know what you’re apologizing for, do you?” You ask the pitiful man before you, anger and ire building up. You feel like a ticking bomb that will explode at any second. “You’ve never shown me any mercy so why should I show you mercy?”

“Th-that’s because..” Leehyun looks up, frantically searching for an answer when something pops into his head, and the begging stops as his eyes twist into something sinister. You’ve seen that before, an expression you’ve met and encountered with so many people throughout your years of surviving in this world. “That’s because you never stopped me,” he says and you blink at him, brows knitting.

“..What?”

He sits up as if a realization had hit him, his eyes sick and dark while the boys keep their eyes on him to make sure he doesn’t do anything rash, guns still readily pointed at him.

“That’s right, you..you never stopped me so why is any of this my fault? Did you ever beg me to stop? Did you ever scream for help? Now that I think about it, you must’ve liked it, didn’t you? You enjoyed it just as much as I did. You never went to your father for help, you never told anyone anything about the situation. If you really hated it, you would have done something but you didn’t.”

Ah, he’s really doing this. Trying to twist the situation, trying to gaslight you, even though he knows he only chose you as a victim because you wouldn’t do anything to go against him.

A silent little doll who only listened to the words of her father. If your father tells you to fight back, you’d do it. And if your father tells you to endure it, you’d let others hurt you. Leehyun was just a coward who wanted someone who would listen to his words without fighting back and you were the victim he preyed on.

A silent doll whose voice box was broken, unable to scream for help. He used that to his disposal.

“No one would believe you,” you hear his voice echo repeatedly in your head, the same words coming in and out in every situation he placed you in. If you had emotions, if you wanted to scream for help, he’d remind you over and over again that he could just manipulate the situation into letting others believe you came onto him instead, that you were a dirty little slut who would go for anyone.

You never called for help.

You didn’t care to call for help because you didn’t know how to call for help.

In the moment when you’re with him, your body felt nothing, lifeless, a corpse of some sort, the socket of your eyes void of light as if you weren’t human at all. But even then you understood to some extent that Hyunjin would believe you. He was the only one who would believe you, were you to open your mouth and let the words ring out.

You didn’t know him and he didn’t know you, but you shared a connection with how powerless the both of you were against your fathers, both forced into a position that almost required you to fall bound into an engagement. 

Hyunjin always treated you kindly no matter what. He never forced you to do anything, never stopped looking out for you. Your suspicion of his kindness was confirmed when he moved away with his father, leaving the country for you.

If you knew how to speak then, you would have told him “thank you” and you would have accepted the kindness and warmth he always wanted to provide you with.

“When you decide to let your thorns be known to the world, I hope you can come after my father and kill him yourself. I will wait for you until then.”

He was kind to the end, prepared at any moment to kill his father for your sake, for his sake, for both your sakes.

As if understanding just how sick and manipulative his father is, Hyunjin steps up with fierce anger flashing in his eyes, ready to tear his father down. But you stop with a look, shaking your head, telling him in your silent manner that he doesn’t have to fight his father for your sake.

“Come on, Y/N,” Leehyun takes a step forward, approaching you as the others fit into a defending stance in an instant, watching him closely without doing anything unless you signaled otherwise.

This is your fight, you’ve told them, and they aren’t allowed to meddle unless you say so.

Leehyun holds a hand out to your face, his finger gently grazing against the skin of your cheek while you stand there, not doing anything.

“Be a good girl, won’t you? Tell your people to leave. We’re fine, aren’t we? If you’re unsatisfied with something, all you have to do is tell me and I’ll fix it. You know I’d never do anything to hurt you. You’re my obedient little girl, aren’t you…princess?”

Princess.

As if on cue just by that small little nickname, your pupils dilate and something flashes before your eyes, the buried memories slowly but surely resurfacing back into your mind.

“Hello there. You’re very pretty, aren’t you?” An older gentleman who looks the same age as your father watches you with eyes that confuse you a bit. You don’t like it but who are you to act up?

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Hwang sir,” you bow your head before him in a respectful manner, polite and quiet.

“Yes…it is indeed.” He touches your hand in a gentle manner and brings it up to his lips, pressing a kiss on the back with eyes never leaving your face.

It’s weird. You feel strange.

Not the good kind of strange. Not at all.

“..Sir?”

“Keep calling me that,” he grins as he pats the top of your head with his other hand. “I quite like you calling me sir.”

“Sir,” you take a step back, retreating your hand, “your son and I–”

“No one has to know,” he says as he grabs your hand again with a little more force this time. The smile he gives you causes you to stare in slight horror, his words echoing in your head.

No one has to know.

No one has to know.

Who are you to refute that? Not when you’re taking a glance at your father and he does nothing to approach you from where he stands. You know he can see Leehyun and you know he knows what’s going on. 

He does nothing to move and tell you to get away from the man. Instead, he only looks away as if he doesn’t care.

He doesn’t care one bit.

‘Endure it,’ you hear the words without it needing to be said aloud, so you turn back to Leehyun with obedient eyes, no longer trying to force your hand away, and letting him in.

If father doesn’t care, why should you?

“What a good girl you are. You’ll never do anything to go against me, will you?”

“Such a good little princess.”

“You’re so pretty.”

“If you tell anyone about this, no one will believe you, you know that?” Whether Hyunjin cares or not does not matter. Nothing matters.

Just endure it.

Endure it.

“Does your father even love you? That’s alright, I can share my love with you instead.”

“Do you let Hyunjin hold you like this too?”

“Hyunjin doesn’t hold me like this.” Hyunjin doesn’t dare to do anything to hurt you. Even then you aren’t sure how to trust him. He shows you goodness by not doing anything to you but how do you trust when trusting only leads to your break?

“Of course he doesn’t. If he does, you’ll let me know, right?”

“...Yes sir.”

Endure it. Obey his words. Keep quiet. Keep quiet.

Quietquietquiet.

“What a good girl.”

“Sir-”

“It’s alright, just a little longer.”

Stop.

Stop it.

Stop it all.

Something shakes your core, your stability, your foundation, and your emotions. And all of a sudden, you feel something you’ve never felt before. All the emotions spiraling into one single wave, rushing down your body, building up so strongly and forcibly you tremble on sight, knife stabbing into his skin without warning.

Leehyun shouts in pain at the sudden intrusive pierce and when his hand reaches out to force you away, you pin him down by the legs, ignoring the pain shooting up on one side as if possessed by some sort of demon.

The boys all watch in horror when you carve your knife into Leehyun’s skin like a force working on its own, eyes staring widely with sealed lips like a silent killer who holds no emotion for her victims as the knife goes in and out. In and out. In and out. 

And it isn’t you anymore.

It isn’t you.

Die die die die die! Your thoughts repeat over and over and over. You hear his scream loud and clear as your arms work the tool into his body, the blood oozing out and painting your cheeks, your dress, your thighs, everywhere. It’s like a scene straight out of a horror movie as the rest of them watch on, eyes widened in shock at the sight of your merciless self stabbing the man even as he no longer cries and lays on the floor, clearly already dead.

The guns point down, arms releasing tension on them but they can’t take their eyes off you.

You thought you’d kill him slowly and painfully, so he can feel every little pain with his eyes wide open. You thought you’d give him a slow death, one where he’d suffer the most in the same way he had hurt you and made you suffer and endure.

But your body acts impulsively as the memories resurface and all you can do is continue on the action until someone has to rip your arm away, forcing your body off the man with the knife thrown far away from your grasp.

“Y/N, stop.”

You push Hoseok’s hands away, head spinning, eyes falling into a blur and it seems as if everyone in this room is against you and is out to harm you. Your mind falls clouded as the world falls all at once, emotions becoming unstable and suddenly you know you’re panicking.

Tremblingtremblingtrembling.

Where’s Mingyu?

Yuna?

Where are the Reapers? Why aren’t they here?

It’s hard to breathe. Can you breathe? Ah, how do you breathe again?

The memories horrify you as they fall back vividly and suddenly you remember all the times when you were left tortured as a kid, screaming, looking around for help but no one makes a move. No one helps no matter how hard you cried and begged.

No one’s on your side.

No one’s on your side.

Endure it, they tell you. You have to endure it all and everything will be okay. You just have to…you just have to endure it.

“Y/N!” Someone grabs ahold of both your shoulders forcefully.

“Y/N!” Seokjin shouted, ripping you from your state of panic.

Seokjin, it’s Seokjin.

You’re safe with Seokjin.

“I’m here, I’m here,” he repeats in a soft, soft whisper. Enough for you to hear. “It’s alright, Y/N, you’re safe now. No one’s going to harm you, I’m right here. Breathe, just focus on breathing, don’t focus on anything else right now.”

Seokjin.

As your vision narrows in on him, his face clearer with each blink you make, you remember the familiar face of your eldest lover.

Seokjin’s safe…right? He loved you once.

He loved you once.

Ah, but he left you too, just like everyone else in your life. But you don’t really have a choice, do you? He’s the only one in your sight, the only one safe for now.

With trembling hands, you grab onto his white dress shirt, the blood on your hands dirtying it with red as you look up at him with pleading eyes, and two soft, barely audible words escape your lips.

“..Save me.”

Your eyes turn blank, dull, a void walking right in, and the shaking disappears as you stare at nothing before you, as if your soul has just been snatched away from your body, the light in your eyes no longer in sight.

“Y/N?” Seokjin calls your name cautiously but you don’t hear him. You can’t hear anyone, not even yourself as your body falls into a state of void.

You feel nothing, like a lifeless corpse living in the body of a human.

cry me a river | the liar

— summary: hoseok lied about choosing you, namjoon lied about leaving you, but the biggest liar of them all is you

— pairing: bts x reader

— genre: angst, mafia!au

— word count: 9.1k

— warnings: mentions of food poisoning, mentions of starving, fear of food, allusions to eating disorder, manipulation, y/n isn't in her right mind, talks of death, death attempt, ptsd

— PART 17 / previous post / masterpost

“Isn’t she pretty?” You say as you play with the white thin strings that hold the doll upright. “A pretty little doll, so perfect.”

She wears a white dress that falls to her ankles, dark black hair held in an updo, eyes that flutter open and close each time you move her head up and down, her wrists, back, head, and legs all held up by thin strings.

So petite and fragile.

“Look Dasom, watch this.” You stand from your seat, the strings in one hand as you hold it up into the air, and reach for the scissors. Dasom watches, lips sealed, her back standing straight with hands held behind. You take the scissors and you stare right at her, cutting the strings where they’re held together in your hands.

And down the doll falls in an instant.

Breaking.

Dasom doesn’t flinch.

“Pitiful, isn’t she?” You place the scissors onto the table and crouch down to pick the broken doll up. The wrists where the strings held caused her hand to detach from her body, a leg twisted, a knee to her foot also detached, bits of pieces broken like scars, no longer a part of her body anymore, and one eye remains wide open while the other falls half-lidded. 

“The doll once belonged to someone, until it was passed over and promised by a new owner to always hold on and never let go. The new owner treated her well for some time but unexpectedly, they decided to cut all the strings and as a result, here she lies, broken on the ground, and returned to the previous owner to…reattach the strings once more.” You look up at her as you stand back up again and place the doll on the table, right next to the scissors. “You understand that, don’t you? After all, when we first met, you were the same; a perfect little doll forcibly passed onto my father.”

Dasom remains quiet but you see the way she clenches her jaws and you look back down at the doll. You take the hand that broke away itself from the body after its fall and look at it for some time.

“We’re the only ones who can fix ourselves, Dasom. If we trust in anyone else, who’s to say they won’t break us more than we are now? That’s why you cannot trust anyone, not even I. Because one day, I may betray you. Just as one day, you may betray me. Do not look at me as your savior, do not get blinded for even a moment, because when it comes down to it, one day…I may even end up just like my father and hurt you all over again. And when that moment comes, if I ever betray your trust and become the person my father was…your trust in me will hurt you more than anything. So never trust me, Dasom. Never.”

She stands alone in the room when you leave, heels clicking away, head never turning back for a second glance.

Dasom stands there for the longest time, staring at the broken doll who lays on the table, the scissors right beside her, and just before any memories can fall into her thoughts, the door opens to reveal Mingyu.

“What did boss tell you?” He asks when he walks in, and pauses momentarily at the broken doll on the table, before he looks at Dasom again, a mark of concern on his features. “Did she say something out of line?”

She looks up, meeting his gaze as her shoulder tenses even more. “She reminded me not to trust her,” she says, her brows furrowed. “She warned me to not look at her as a savior, that there will always be a chance she may end up like her father, like my perpetrator, like our perpetrator…..like her perpetrator….and that where we are now is just a fleeting moment in time, that just because she saved me doesn’t mean she can’t also be the one to cut my strings and I’ll end up more broken than I am…was.”

Mingyu keeps his eyes on her when she reaches for the doll, caressing it while throwing the scissors roughly to the side. Away from view.

“She said that only I can fix whatever was broken when my family was still alive and when her father still lived.”

“So. Do you believe her?”

“No,” she says without hesitation, eyes looking up at him with desperation meant for him to understand. “Because she saved me. She fixed me. Us. She took all the pieces that make up the Reapers, sewed our hands and feet, opened our eyes, helped us stand and run and fight, and become the sort of people that we are now, strong enough to protect her, to return the kindness that she had in her heart to fix what had been left broken by the people that have hurt us but we’ll never be enough, will we? No matter what we do, we’ll never be able to save her.”

“...” Mingyu takes a step forward to gently caress the hair of the broken doll in Dasom’s hand. He smooths down the disheveled mess and plays with the broken eye, silent for a moment, before he utters the words that the Reapers know yet hate to hear the most.

“Because boss doesn’t want to be saved.”

.

.

.

There is one part of the manor you’ve never returned to ever since destroying and rebuilding what your father cherished ever since that night you came back with news of his death and decided to rid all of his followers. There is one part of the manor you left untouched, one part of the manor even your reapers do not go near; your annex.

Where resides your old room, Mister Butler’s old room, the torture rooms; Yuna’s room 157, and,

The White Room.

You don’t know why your feet have decided to drag you down here, why you’re walking this way. It’s been months after all, months. You remember your eyes catching a glimpse of the calendar in that room you were in with Dasom and realize that it’s almost been a year since you decided to pursue your revenge plan.

It’s almost been a year.

A year.

A year since your father’s death, a year since his life ended and you seeking for your supposed lost freedom, a year since you’ve met with your ex-boyfriends, ex-husband, and although the revenge isn’t even a step close to being completed, perhaps now is when Namjoon will decide upon going back to the two of you never seeing each other again.

It won’t be unexpected.

You’ve given him the bait, after all, told him you killed his precious older brother, so you’re sure there’s only so little time left before he calls you over to discuss business on the alliance. After taking some time for grievance and taking in what you told him, he’ll end things.

It’ll end soon and you won’t have to see them ever again.

It’ll end soon.

So perhaps the reason why you’re walking towards an empty room, Mister Butler’s room, is for this very fact; to apologize.

Because if you can’t give Namjoon the truth, if you have to hold your peace forever and make him think you’re the bad guy, make him believe that all those hopes and dreams he had were for naught and turn you into the villain that you are so that he can hate you and push you away, the least you can do is apologize to his older brother.

Because despite how cruel Namjoon was to you in the last weeks of your broken marriage, Mingyu is right in saying that he didn’t deserve what you’ve done.

Meeting toxicity with toxicity will only fire back in the end.

And even if you did have a good reason, it’s still a selfish reason.

But Namjoon was getting too close to your liking. He was beginning to doubt, beginning to question, and you didn’t like questions because questions meant getting close to the truth, questions meant doubting the facade you pull every day in front of everyone, questions meant reviewing the past and realizing something was wrong from the very beginning.

You can’t have him doubting your happy fairytale with your father, the story made of rainbows and sunshine, the house of cards you and your father created with your hard work and easy lies.

Letting him think you’re the bad guy is the only thing you can do.

The hallway down the annex is daunting. 

Terrifying.

You hate all the repressed memories that wish to reappear, the cold air it carries, the ghosts of the past trying to touch your shoulder and crawl back into your life. It’s dark, so dark, and with each step echoes the daunting wails of the ghosts who hold onto your ankles, unwilling to let go.

The air is heavy, hoping to drag you down with the memories. Your footsteps are heavy.

You hate the distant screams you hear in the back of your mind. You hate the silence.

The silence.

The silence.

You feel your hands trembling, the way your knees falter and the heels underneath you threaten to twist. It feels numb. Your legs feel numb. But you keep your eyes straight ahead, not daring to take a glance to the side otherwise all those memories you’ve tried so hard to keep hidden will resurface and you can’t have that.

You can’t have it.

So when you reach Mister Butler’s room, you just simply stand right before it, facing it head-on but refusing to reach a hand out, twist the knob, and take a step in.

You stand there, staring.

You know that the room is empty; no furniture, no presence, nothing, and so you keep it that way because you’d rather imagine there is something in there.

His old bed, his old closet, the precious things that he kept in that room……Him.

Him.

“I’m sorry,” you whisper, head lowered, eyes falling to your feet, bowed into a ninety-degree level. “I’m sorry.”

There is no one here, no one except you, but you still feel the coziness in the lost fragments of your memories, the only warmth in this annex, distant but felt, just like in the past. A gentle child’s voice echoes in your ears, laughing. An older gentleman follows along, kind and sweet just as it always was.

Why did he have to come here? Why couldn’t he have stayed at his own home? Why did he care for a child who held no relation to him?

He should have stayed, shouldn’t have taken up the mission his father gave him, stayed with his little brother and he’d have still been alive.

In meeting you, he died. In loving you, his life was taken away.

“I hope you can forgive me,” you say softly, knowing he hears every word you utter whether it’s barely audible or not. “I’ve hurt your little brother, told him a lie he believed in, crushed his hopes of seeing you reappear in his life ever again. I’m sorry for hurting him…If you were here, would you forgive me? Mister Butler, I…please…tell me what to do…”

There were times when you wished everything had been nothing but a long, long nightmare. Times when you’d wake up and run to Mister Butler’s room just around the corner, hoping, searching, just to see nothing.

No warmth. No smile. No kindness.

No Mister Butler.

He told you about his little brother once. Once. When he was tired and you were on the brink of falling asleep. You remember the gentle hand that patted your head ever so often, his voice soft when he spoke of his brother, eyes filled with happiness but with a bit of regret, a bit of guilt, a bit of longing.

He wanted to return, you realized years later and to this day you still wonder why he hadn’t. He should have, he had his chances, you were sure of it. If Namjoon and his father are both men known for their intelligence, then you’re sure Mister Butler should have been able to make his escape with the brain that he had.

But he never left and sometimes you wonder.

Was it because of you?

Did he stay because of you?

“I killed him,” the words repeat in the back of your head as you recall Namjoon’s confrontation. You may have not been the one to have pulled the trigger but perhaps you were the cause for it. Father told you he shot him because he was your weakness and perhaps father knew at the time he was an enemy in disguise, but at the end of the day, Mister Butler could have escaped.

“I killed him because of you,” Father said and for a while, you believed it. But there was another time you doubted his words, believed that it was just his way of manipulating you once more, that he was just saying it because he wanted to hurt a little kid like you.

And now that you think about it, perhaps you really did kill him. Because father’s right.

If it wasn’t for you, he would have been an ordinary man who didn’t catch father’s attention. If it wasn’t for you, father wouldn’t have cared about his existence. The very fact that Mister Butler looked out for you, cared for you, showed you kindness, and loved you, was the very reason father saw through him and decided to kill him.

If it wasn’t for you, he could have lived.

He could have lived.

You bite onto your lower lip, hard, and a memory resurfaces.

“Don’t bite too hard, young miss, you’ll bleed.”

He’s crouched down to your level, a hand reaching out to swipe along your lips when your teeth bite against it, while his other hand holds your head in gentle strokes, soothing whatever it is that has upset you this time.

“..Why?” You croak out, tears held back as you stare up at him with wide, bulged-out eyes, not daring to blink otherwise the tears will roll down your cheeks. Father says crying is weak. Father hates tears and you don’t want him to keep hating you.

You have to be loved. You have to earn his love. And only good girls can be loved. Only strong girls.

“If I do this, then it’ll be easier to not cry.”

Mister Butler knits his brows, that kind smile replaced by pained anguish. “If you do that, you’ll hurt yourself.”

“I don’t care,” you say. “Father doesn’t like people who cry and if I keep being weak, I’ll never earn father’s love. I have to earn his love otherwise I’ll never be capable of love and—”

He cuts you off when he pulls you into his arms, wrapping them around your petite body and pressing your face into his chest. “Don’t say that.” His voice sounds so odd when he says that. “Don’t, please..please don’t.” As if he were the one in pain, as if he were the one hurting in your stead, like an older brother who can’t bear the sight of his little sister in pain. Like it’s physically hurting him that you’re hurting. “You are worth so much more than what your father thinks of you as, my lady.”

“But I..I’m not.” You try to force yourself away from his embrace, hands balling into fists as you punch his chest and push him away. You can never be anywhere stronger than Mister Butler but he lets go, leaves because you want him to go. “If you keep showing me kindness, if you keep spoiling me, I will never get strong.”

“You don’t have to be strong.”

“But I do! Because then father will never love me!”

His face contours in pained frustration as he clenches his jaw and when you think about it now, perhaps what Mister Butler wanted to say was ‘Your father will never love you no matter how weak or strong you are’ and he’s right. Father is a monster who cannot love another human being.

But the little you then would never understand and would only hurt more if he were to utter such words.

So he swallows those words and holds your shoulders, keeping his anger in to not scare you off.

“Do you think of yourself as incapable of being loved because you are weak?” He asks and you nod.

“I can’t be loved. No one will love me if I’m weak.”

“I love you,” Mister Butler says. “I love you,” he stresses. “I promise I love you so please…please cry.” He cups your tiny face in his large hands, thumbs brushing against your cheeks. “You don’t have to hold it in, young miss. When you’re around me, you don’t have to worry about trying to act proper and trying to act strong because I don’t care. I don’t care about anything. You can lash out, you can throw a tantrum, you can scream at me and hit me and spit in my face and—”

“I’d never!” You quickly shout, face contouring in horror as if the very thought of it could break you. “I’d never, Mister Butler, I’d never.”

“I know,” he nods, pressing his forehead to yours, “I know but my lady, you…you don’t have to worry about anything because no matter what happens, I’ll love you. Even if you cry, young miss, I’m right here. I won’t leave, I won’t throw you away so it’s okay. It’s okay to cry because I’m here. I’ll still love you no matter what. So stop holding those tears in, yeah? Cry. It’s alright to cry.”

“But..-”

“No one’s here. No one can hear you in this room. It’s soundproof and no one ever comes around in these halls so it’s okay. No one can hear you except me. And I love you so it’s okay. It’s okay, young miss. It’s okay to cry.”

Your lips quiver, trembling, and he nods, encouraging you. When the first tear falls with consent, the rest follows and you close your eyes shut, allowing them all to fall like rushing waterfalls.

Against all the things your father had instilled in you, Mister Butler doesn’t leave, he doesn’t discard you. He presses your face into his chest, holds you as tight as he can, and in the sounds of your cries, you don’t realize that he trembles slightly, afraid, frightened, and angry.

You don’t remember the last time you cried but you know that it was before Mingyu came. Before he arrived.

You were broken before he arrived so Yuna is the only Reaper who has ever seen you cry but you don’t know if she can recall the exact moment you stopped shedding tears.

It’s been a while even you can’t remember. Your memories are hazy from those times, when things were rougher, when it was only Yuna who watched you every day like a frightened child losing their precious mother who lied on their deathbed.

Yuna was the only one who saw you through it all, who was there when you still had a soft heart, innocent and precious, who smiled kindly. She was there to see that light stripped away from your eyes, right there when you had let the darkness win, when you succumbed to it.

When you fell silent. Completely silent.

When you broke.

She was right there. The only Reaper to know and to remember all that you were and all that was lost. She may never be able to see again but you remember those eyes, those eyes that were far too young to see such a thing happening right before her.

Those precious eyes that you yourself had to rid of.

Perhaps that’s why in some ways, the others are a little gentler towards her and allow her to take care of your needs when Mingyu isn’t there. Perhaps that’s why they let her near you when you don’t want anyone in.

And perhaps that’s why you let her in.

Because she knows and because she remembers the things even you can’t remember.

Yuna remembers. She remembers everything.

But she was too young to lead the Reapers, too young to know everything on what to do when it came to you and your needs. You needed so much, too much, and her young mind wouldn’t allow her to think things through properly to know just what to do.

When you’d panic, when you’d freeze up, when you’d grow angry, when you’d refuse to eat anything, when you’d get silent, completely silent.

You needed to be saved and Yuna didn’t know how to do it.

She was too young.

While she knew how to comfort and provide you warmth, you needed much more than that, you needed a foundation that could hold you steady and keep you grounded. You needed Mingyu.

And Mingyu came.

And together, the two of them became the first Reapers only loyal to you, building something much stronger than anyone could ever imagine.

You saved Dasom, Mingyu allowed her to pledge her allegiance, and together with Yuna, they taught her on what she needed to know.

Then Yeonjun came along and the same thing repeated over and over again until you created a network of Reapers under your own control, who were loyal to you, and who hated your father all the same.

None of them, except Yuna, has ever seen you cry.

Not even Mingyu.

But you’ll never show them now, or ever. Because you’ve lost it all. 

Your eyes can no longer cry.

Father has trained you well.

“My lady?” You hear footsteps, two pairs, and look up to find Yuna and Yeonjun walking toward you.

How they knew where to find you, you’ll never know, but you guess no matter what happens, your Reapers will always manage to find you wherever you are so you shouldn’t be surprised.

They take one look at the door beside you and they can already imply just why you were down here in the annex where you’ve forbidden yourself to come to. There’s something in Yuna’s hand which she hides away behind her back after taking a glance at the door, but you’ve already caught sight of it; it’s a letter.

A letter. Which means Namjoon has finally decided to formally end things.

You ignore it.

“Yuna. Yeonjun.” They come at your call. “I hate this place,” you say. “I hate it. I hate it.”

The air feels heavier, trying to constrict your breathing, something weighing on your chest, something trying to tear you down.

Your hand trembles when you reach out and Yuna’s right there to help you keep steady on your feet as Yeonjun offers his back to you. You climb on with some effort, eyes shut tightly closed as you press your face into his shoulder, hating everything about this annex.

It’s cold, too cold. You tighten your hold on Yeonjun, terrified and wanting the ground to swallow you whole so that you can disappear forever. You want to get out. Get out.

Everything screams at you in your head, the ghosts of the past reappearing, the distant sound of a little girl crying and begging and pleading for someone, anyone, while the two guards stand completely silent outside the doors of the White Room, not moving a single inch despite how hard she screams at them to come, to save her.

You hear it loud and clear in your head.

Loud and loud and loud in the silence of the annex.

Yeonjun runs out of here in an instant.

.

.

.

“Are you disappointed?” You ask, a small tilt in your head, raising a brow, with a quirk to the corner of your lips.

You look calm, carefree, and that playful smirk on your face is almost taunting him but Hoseok knows better than that. He knows not to take the bait in the same way Namjoon and the others have. This is just a facade. 

A facade.

“How can I be disappointed…when it wasn’t you who killed him?” He asks and there’s a small little falter in your lips.

The sharp corner falls and your eyelids rest to show your disappointment in him not catching the fishing hook you’ve dropped into the pond. You look upset, as if wondering why he still wishes to believe in you, why he still remembers the girl you once were when you lived with them, when you loved them dearly and when they loved you the same.

Hoseok stares right at you, unblinking, and perhaps that’s what makes you take a step back, hating his strong pursuit in not believing the words that leave your mouth, hating that he makes you falter, that he seems to hold power over you.

You look away, not wanting him to search through your eyes, and utter, “There’s no use believing in the girl you thought you knew.”

“Just like how I shouldn’t have believed in the girl who lied to me about being alright?” He asks, stopping you from turning your feet and walking away from him. You’re here for Namjoon, he knows, and sooner or later this alliance between the two gangs may fall apart but before any of that can happen, before he can never see you ever again unless by chance, Hoseok has to say something.

Anything.

Before it’s too late.

“You never told me you went on your knees,” he says, jaws clenched.

“Why would I have told you that?”

“Do you think it’s shameful being desperate for something? Wanting love and attention from your loved ones?”

“I don’t know, Hoseok,” you look up at him, shrugging, challenging him, “why don’t you ask Namjoon that?”

He bites his inner cheek, eyes drifting off to the side because he knows. If there were anyone he should have asked that question to, it would be Namjoon. 

“I could have done something,” he says, voice quieter, upset.

You laugh at those words, shaking your head. “Oh Hoseok, there was nothing you could have done at that point. Once a man like Namjoon makes up his mind, not even the strongest wind can make him bend a knee.” Ironic how you were the one begging instead. “He stopped loving me and the rest followed along because to them, to..you, I will always come second to Namjoon.”

“That’s not—”

“Don’t lie to me,” you cut him off sharply, eyes piercing. “The number one rule in the mafia is to never betray the gang otherwise you die, and obviously Namjoon would never kill any of you but you have nothing left without the gang right? Even if you had known the truth then, even if they had told you every last detail about what happened, you would have ended up just like the rest of the boys. You would have chosen Namjoon, and I would have been left all alone without anyone to rely on.” With a bitter smile curled along your lips, your eyes drift down to the floor, a flash of memory falling through your mind. “Don’t you think I kept everything a secret from you for a reason?”

You look back up at him, a pressed smile, “To hold onto that last piece of fantasy I blinded myself into living before letting it all fall apart. You would have ended up like them, Hoseok, like the rest of the boys. Even if they still loved me then, even if it was against their will what Namjoon did and even if they resented Namjoon for some time for it, that doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt. It hurts because you would have done the same, whether you think that’s true or not, you would have chosen Namjoon, it’s only inevitable.”

You begin to turn away from him, walking off. “You all loved him more than I, after all, and I would have been your second choice as well. Don’t lie to yourself, Jung Hoseok.”

Hoseok doesn’t have a say before you’re walking away, leaving him alone in the halls as he hears your heels clicking away.

.

.

.

It’s silent.

A deafening silence.

You can never get used to silence no matter how long you’ve spent almost your entire life drowned in it because when it’s silent, your mind likes to speak. It likes to act. It likes to play with you.

Playing and playing and playing until you get too exhausted it drains all that you are.

You hate silence.

Hate it more than anything.

More than your father perhaps.

“So,” hence you’re the one to break it with a leg crossing over the other, leaning back as you play on an easygoing expression as if Mister Butler’s death meant nothing to you and that despite how much you came to resent Namjoon, letting him know that his brother died did nothing to your conscience. 

“Shall we get straight to the point? We’re ending things, yeah?”

His thick brows knit, chin protruding in the way it always does when he’s angry or serious, his inner cheeks bitten upon.

That’s right, hate me some more.

“Do you have nothing to say?” He keeps his voice restrained, holding back his emotions, but you want to push his buttons. Want him to hate you with all that he has.

“Did you want an apology? Want me to get on my knees and beg for your forgiveness like that night almost eleven years ago?”

“Y/N.”

“I can do it if you’d like,” you uncross your legs, standing, “I have no shame after all.”

“Y/N.”

On your knees, “I apologize for—”

“Stop!” He shouts at you, eyes reddening and there are signs of fatigue, nights he spent restless, nights he spent shedding tears for the news that you gave him, the bags he doesn’t care to hide, hair imperfect, disheveled, different from his perfect image, the stare in his eyes holding so many emotions it’s a surprise he’s deciding not to hide them before you.

Namjoon is a man who holds his walls up high.

Not as high as you but high enough.

He isn’t one to let people read him that easily yet here he is, emotions on full display.

Awkwardly, you stand back up to sit back down on the seat provided for you, feigning an exasperated sigh as if all of this was just a hindrance to your schedule and you’d rather run off killing the people on your hit list.

Namjoon presses his fingers to his temples, trying to keep himself controlled and calm and you frown at the fact that he isn’t lashing out more at you.

You want him to hate you even more than he feels now.

“Why?” He asks, voice strained and quieter.

You shrug. “Was I supposed to know it was your brother I killed then? We didn’t even know each—”

“You found out your old butler was my brother when you approached me again after ten years. You knew he was dead then and you used that to your advantage, hitting me at my weakest. Why?”

“Why?” You feign a chuckle as if the answer was that obvious. “To use you, of course. I needed your power, Namjoon. As a newly developed leader in the mafia world, climbing up the ranks was easy doing it alongside you. You got me to go up against Daejung, helped with Ying and Jummy, and even came to London with me. Not to mention your position as my ally itself scored me a lot of bonuses. Why wouldn’t I have used you? You made a great pawn on my chess board.”

A pawn, right.

“That was all I ever was to you, right? So isn’t it fair I did the same to you?”

He hates that silly little smile you press his way.

“Did none of my sincerity ever mean anything to you?”

The talks of the past, a face of offense as if you’re the only one at fault here. Your little smile falls, though a rueful chuckle leaves your lips. “You talk of the past as if it was just a few years ago. It’s not been a few years, Namjoon, it’s been ten, almost eleven. And in that span of time, a lot has changed. Do you still blindly believe I’m still the person I was then in the same way Hoseok still believes in it?”

His eyes harden. “I know you aren’t the same.”

“That’s right, I’ve changed. You used me as a pawn then, right? Discarded my feelings, all my sincerity, and threw me out when I was no longer useful to you. Why should it matter what I do to you now?”

“I didn’t use anyone you loved against you.”

“You used the boys against me.” You stand from your seat, glaring his way, and he follows suit. “You admitted it, Namjoon, you fell out of love with me, but you falling out of love doesn’t mean it’d be the same for the boys but in the end, they chose you.”

“How is that my fault?”

“It is your fault. A lot of their actions were their own faults but they were entirely your fault. Having you first, loving you first, and having gotten saved by you left them with no other choice but to choose you. If I had fallen out of love with you, they would have still chosen you. Don’t you get that? I wasn’t ever going to be a choice in that relationship, I was always on the losing end, and I would have inevitably gotten tossed away to the side whether you stopped loving me or not. If you had just stopped loving me, why didn’t you just say that? Why did you have to be a coward and made me believe I wasn’t ever going to be enough for you?”

“You ended up fine anyways,” he argues, “It’s not like you had nowhere else to go. Your father accepted you back with open arms.”

Ended up fine?

Your father welcomed you back with open arms?

You laugh.

Laugh.

And Namjoon watches with slight confusion plastered on his face as fits of laughter leaves your lips so obnoxiously you almost sound crazy and out of your mind.

You are crazy and out of your mind because it sounds so funny to you, his words. Your shoulders tremble, a hand coming up to cover your mouth as your eyes crinkle into crescent moons.

“You..really…” It starts to die down, slowly. “So that’s what it was, huh? You decided to play with my feelings, feign the fact that I wasn’t enough so I’d hate you and willingly divorce you on my own so I could return to my dear loving father? That was the story?” When he doesn’t answer your question, the silence answers itself.

Namjoon fell out of love and he thought the best decision to make everyone hurt a little less was to return you to your dear father.

Your father.

Where you’d live out a fantasy and be that lovely little daughter protected by a father, loved and cherished by her people, and not get thrown into a lonely room, a cold, white room. Where you did not get neglected, wondering what her next meal would be because sometimes they come in small platters, or sometimes they don’t come at all, or sometimes you’d get too afraid of it being poisoned because your father has tried to kill you before as a child.

Once? Twice? No.

You can’t count how many times you believed over and over again as a child, thought the food was okay, only to end up in bed sick in the body for days and left on your own to take care of your own self.

Father wanted you dead and he did what he could to try and kill you. You don’t know when he stopped, or if he ever did, because by the time you learned to stop believing in the food he fed you, you started relying on your own self to grab the food you were sure hadn’t gotten touched yet by anyone.

So came the days when you stopped eating, when you wouldn’t eat at all.

Sometimes just bread crumbs you could find in the kitchen, sneaking out in the middle of the night when almost everyone was asleep, stealing bread.

So when you returned, the nightmares and fear returned. 

Because Bangtan never gave you wasted food or anything that was poisoned. You remember it well, remember keeping your eyes open and pointed, watching the way the servers would serve food in random order, watching the way everyone took a bite first before having enough courage to eat yourself.

You never showed them your fears so they never knew and they still don’t.

But you’ve always been afraid of food.

And Yuna was the first person you ever trusted to make you food when you returned to the Reaper’s manor. You only ate what she gave you.

Only ate whatever she could make with her horrible cooking skills; eggshells in her egg sandwiches, food too salty, too bitter, too dirty in color, and sometimes they weren’t even edible.

But you ate them because she was the only person you could trust. The only one.

If she poisoned you it’d be an accident but you still ate it because it was Yuna. The first Reaper, the very first one. The only one you could trust.

The only one.

“You know, I’m glad your brother’s dead.”

Words uttered that don’t have any emotions behind them at all but you utter them with disgust, with contempt, and with hatred for the one who forced you back into that hell and made you fear for every second you lived in that manor when your father was still alive.

There were days when you didn’t eat at all, days when brought into the White Room, you’d just lie there against the wall or on the floor, eyes blank and dull, no hope left in them, no words escaping, no cries for help, no more calling for Hoseok because no one would come.

No one.

Nothing kept you warm except a flimsy old blanket Yuna would put on you but even that wasn’t enough to keep your temperature up.

Or sometimes your temperature would get too high and you’d tremble in that lonely room. The echoes of Yuna’s cries ringing in your ears but you don’t remember a lot of it because every day was like that; painful until you could feel no more.

Painful until you decided to get stronger, to feel all of your father’s wrath and all of his torture.

Hurting even more.

Namjoon will never know what his actions had put you through. He’ll never know.

“Excuse me?” So he glares at you when you tell him those words about his brother, believing in your lies, believing in your anger.

You see the way his eyes shake, hands balling into fists and if you were a man, you’re sure he wouldn’t have held himself back from hauling a punch right onto your face. It’s funny to you, so funny, because you want him to hit you, you want him to hurt you.

You want to feel the pain.

“You..you’re a monster.”

“That’s right, I am.” You play along with his anger, fueling it, wanting him to hate you even more. “I’m a monster, Namjoon. I killed the father who loved me so dearly and I killed the butler who showed me nothing but kindness. Do you know how gentle he was with me? When I’d cry, he’d hold me, when I’d bite onto my lower lips to keep the tears in, he’d worry about my lips bleeding. He’d give me extra treats, stealing the sweets when no one was looking. He’d ask ‘my lady, have you eaten?’ or ‘young miss, don’t eat too fast, the food isn’t going anywhere.’ And when I’d get in trouble and hide away from the adults, he’d be the very first one who’d find me. He always found me. No matter where I’d hide, no matter where I was, he’d find me. He’d be the first one to notice if something was wrong. Always checked my temperature in the morning, always made sure I was eating well, always made sure he was around to play with me if father was too busy or if mother was too sick to pay attention. Your brother loved me. And you know what I did?”

You show him your fingers, the index and middle pressed up against one another with the thumb off to the side, and slowly point it towards your temple, playing a trigger pulled and jerk your head to the side, laughing in Namjoon’s face.

“I killed him, Namjoon. I killed him. I told the Reapers to pull the trigger and he fell dead right before my foot, shocked I betrayed him.”

Namjoon trembles, eyes drifting off to the side, shaking, unsteady, breath held up against him as if he can’t breathe.

“I killed your brother, Namjoon,” you chant like a psychopath. Chanting, chanting, chanting. “I killed Jungwon, I killed your brother.”

He’s weak in his knees, he can’t hold himself up.

His hands come up to hold his face, breathing in, breathing out, while you chant and chant, until Namjoon looks through the cracks of his fingers, piercing eyes, red, a glare mirroring that of the devil, and it’s then that you realize he must really want to kill you right now.

So you push his buttons even further.

“Kill me, Namjoon.”

His hands slowly and shakily fall from his face, wrinkles in between his brows. “What?”

You take a step forward, ignoring all warning signs from your body because Leehyun still has lasting effects on you, and take Namjoon’s wrists, forcing his hands to wrap around your neck with a strong hold. He tries to pull back but you don’t let him.

“Kill me right now,” you dare, eyes staring straight into his soul. “Do it, do us both a favor, Namjoon. If you hate me that much, you wouldn’t hesitate to kill me.”

For what he did to you, calling you names, belittling you, made you feel unwanted, forced you to rip your ring off, kicked you out, throwing you back to your father. Death feels less painful than all the things you went through when you ran back to the arms of your father. 

For throwing you back into the lion’s den when you had escaped for the first time, Namjoon killing you would have been no different.

“Why don’t you just kill me?”

“Are you crazy?! Let go of me.”

“End me!” You push against his hold, tightening both your hands around your neck. “Do it now! You hate me, don’t you? I’m giving you permission now so just do it! I’m right here in your territory so there’s no one to stop you and even after the Reapers get the news of my death, it’s not as if they can kill you. You're stronger than me, stronger than us, and you have men much stronger than we will ever be. So what’s holding you back? End all of your sufferings and you’ll never have to see my disgusting face ever again. End me..-!”

“Stop!”

In the midst of trying to pull away and rid of his grip around your neck, Namjoon accidentally pushes you too hard so you end up on the floor and his eyes widen, a gasp leaving his lips. “Y/N, I—”

“Kill me already!” You’re shouting still, wheezing from the chokehold, coughs leaving you, and while he gets distracted by those painful coughs, your eyes find the gun he placed on the coffee table just before the talk and rush to reach for it.

Only to have it snatched away by your ex-husband.

He presses something on his watch and the door opens, revealing Yoongi and Seokjin.

“Detain her,” Namjoon commands, and they look with confusion.

“What?”

“She’s not in her right mind.”

Your eyes widen, rushing to stand, only to have someone holding you down. “Namjoon, stop being a coward and do it already!” You twist your body against Yoongi and Seokjin’s holds, trying to push them off. “Kill me already!”

Other footsteps are heard, the rest of them have probably come at the sound of your voice, but you’re still jerking about with all of your might. Why does it matter they’re here now? Rushing into the room, eyes widened and filled with a type of fear that wants to understand what’s happening and why you’re acting the way that you are.

Why does it matter now? Why do they have to act like they care? They could have cared then and it would have made a difference but caring now does nothing for you.

“Y/N-”

“Get off me!”

You use your legs, kicking Seokjin away, and use your head to shoot back and hit Yoongi right on his forehead, causing both their grips to falter for a second, and in that second, you escape from them.

“Y/N-” Namjoon comes to stop you but you punch your fist right into the coffee table, causing the glass to shatter from underneath and allowing your skin to tear, blood pooling all about.

The room falls silent.

Frozen.

“Do you know how much it hurts?” You look up, meeting his eyes. You stare at the gun in his hand, the one you failed to grab, the shattered coffee table, and turn at the rest of them before letting out a chuckle as if everything about this was funny. But it’s not funny. It’s not.

“I thought I stopped feeling long ago but it still hurts,” you say at the hand that bleeds with glass shards cut deep inside your skin but they know you aren’t just talking about your hand. “It hurts so much. But you don’t care one bit, do you? Just like that night years ago when I fell on my knees and begged for the pain to stop. You didn’t care then, why would you care now?”

You look at them again, feeling that familiar ache in your chest, a familiar pain you haven’t felt in a long, long time.

“I never begged for help until that last second but you knew, didn’t you? You knew that I was afraid and that I wanted help. You knew I was hurting. But what did you do but live in ignorance bliss, pretending as if nothing had changed and that Namjoon wasn’t purposefully hurting me just to force me into making a decision that he wanted; me out of your lives. You knew everything and you did nothing. If you tell me you cared then, that you did still love me then, then I call that bullshit because how can you love someone and willingly watch them fall apart?

“Ah but I get it,” you sigh, scoffing, “you couldn’t do anything because it was against the mafia’s code, right? Because Namjoon’s your boss, because loving me still and taking my side meant betraying your boss, the boss that saved you, the boss that loved you. If you went against him, if you chose me over him, that would have meant betraying the gang and you have nothing left if you left the gang, right?”

You look at Namjoon, eyes hardening. “That’s what you did, Namjoon. You forced them into a corner, forced them to choose you. Because of your stubborn and selfish ass, you broke apart what could have worked out if you had only tried just a little bit more. Oh, but why does it matter? Why should you continue trying when I could just return to my dear precious gang and live a life of bliss, escaping your abuse and your selfish acts, returning to the people that actually loved me? Because to you, in your head, you thought that I’d be happier if I was to return rather than remain in a toxic environment right? And then everyone would be happy because no matter how much the guys resented you then, in the end they’d forgive you and you’d all return to loving once again and we’d all live happily, ever, after. Me with my gang. You with yours.”

How funny is that?

Everyone lived happily in the end, happy and joyful and back to loving once again as if those three years with you had never existed in the first place. As if you never existed in the first place.

Everyone lived happily ever after.

Everyone but you.

You turn to your bleeding fist and hold it up to take a closer look, hating how your hand trembles, how you can’t seem to hide your anger and pain and fear this time.

No one says anything, no one answers.

It’s silent. You hate silence.

Leehyun walks into your mind when you remember touching Namjoon and letting Yoongi and Seokjin touch you. They’re all here in this room, watching you, staying completely silent because they know all the words you’ve said are true and have no courage to say anything that will rebuke you.

Your left hand comes up to hold your right arm, hugging yourself against the cold chill that falls down your body.

It’s dark, why is it so dark? You don’t remember the room being this dark when you first entered and no one is moving, no one has done anything to make this room darker but it’s dark. Dark.

And cold.

Father likes it when it’s cold. Father likes it when you tremble like a leaf, telling you that you’re better off getting used to the cold but you never did and you don’t think you ever will.

You hate the cold.

Hate it.

You hate the silence, the dark, and the cold.

And when you look up, this time the faces in the room aren’t clear in your vision anymore. Everyone is a blur so you can’t make out what they look like, how they’re looking at you, if they still look concerned, if they still look the same as they had when they first walked in.

Your chest feels heavy, your throat feels as if someone is holding onto it like that moment you forced Namjoon’s hands around you.

He’s not touching you, he’s a few feet away but he’s not touching you. No one is. But you feel a presence, a heavy presence that constricts your breathing, that touches your skin, the nape of your neck.

Why did you touch him? Why did you force him to touch you?

Get away. Please get away.

You take a step back, afraid, and stumble upon something. Perhaps your own foot. But when someone holds an arm out, you immediately put on a defensive stance.

“Don’t touch me,” you demand. “Don’t come near me.”

You’re shaking.

Shaking.

The room is wide, large, so you move to a corner, away from them, and slide down the wall to rest on your bottom because your legs feel weak, because you can’t keep holding yourself up anymore.

You hear a voice in the distance, someone saying Mingyu’s name, but you don’t know what they’re saying. You feel eyes, eyes, and put your head down, afraid.

A second passes.

A heartbeat.

You count the beat of your heart which drums loud and hard against your chest to let you know that you’re still alive, that you’re still living. You count it.

One beat. Two beats. Three beats.

Mingyu says that if he’s not around, you have to get into a corner where no one can touch you, where no one is around, and listen to your heartbeat. You have to count it until he comes.

Until he comes.

Breathe in and out. Don’t forget to breathe.

Four beats. Five beats.

Six. Seven. Eight…

So Mingyu gets called after Namjoon makes a command and when he arrives, you’re sat in the corner of a room, left alone, head lowered, surrounded by seven men who watch your every move from a distance, not wanting you to ever leave their vision in case you do something irrational again.

He’s shocked at the scene, at the hands that still bleed because you refused any treatment, refused anyone to touch you, to come near you.

Mingyu takes a glance at Namjoon for some answers but he says nothing and only looks away to hide his gun behind his back so Mingyu turns back to you and walks over to you, kneeling before you.

“...Boss,” he calls, gently. He makes sure he doesn’t sound cautious, makes sure he doesn’t sound afraid, worried. “Hey, Boss. I’m here. It’s Mingyu.”

You look up slowly and he has to keep himself back from letting out a gasp at the red ring around your neck. Someone touched you but he knows Namjoon wouldn’t have deliberately hurt you on purpose. Did you do something? What happened? Why are you like this?

You say nothing but those eyes of yours are dead. Tired. And when he presses a hand against your cheek, you lean into it, closing your eyes, nuzzling against the warmth of his palm, and barely utter out;

“.....Take me home, Mingyu.”

When the room empties of your presence, the rest of them turn to Namjoon for an explanation, for anything, wondering what had happened, wondering why you demanded such actions from him, wondering why you were like that when they walked into the room.

But the leader keeps quiet for some time, for the longest time, as he looks out the window where he sees you carried in Mingyu’s arms and getting taken away into a black car. It is only when the car disappears completely from his sight does he speak.

“She didn’t do it,” he says and they keep silent, waiting for him to keep going. Namjoon turns from the window to face them and stares at the corner where you had sat. “There are a lot of things Y/N does but what she does best…” he looks at Hoseok, “is lie.”

He takes the gun from his back, examining it as the memories of you trying to grab it flashes in his mind.

“I killed him, I killed him, I killed him.” You chanted over and over again.

“Even back then she was the same. That part of her will never change.”

“You’re saying..”

“She didn’t kill Jungwon,” he concludes. “And everything we knew about her…everything we thought we knew…..all of it was a lie.”

A Confidence Game~Character Profiles | BTS Mafia and Con Artist AU

Plot: Hoseok and Minsuk’s parents have died 11 years ago and they have been living as con artists for 8 years now. The moment Hoseok wants Minsuk to have a chance to start a new life, the Bangtan mafia approaches them to pull one last con.

(M) Warnings: angst, swearing, trigger warnings of character death, drug use, drug abuse, graphic violence (in future chapters. If any of these are triggers you don’t want to deal with, you might as well not read the beginning and get hooked to the story and deal with the frustration of whether or not you want to continue reading, k? )

Character Profiles:

The Bangtan Administration

Namjooon: Crime boss of the Bangtan mafia. He’s straightforward, focused, detailed-oriented, protective, flexible, and impatient. He can be indecisive but can make the quick decisions under pressure; still, he never cracks. Although he’s fine with a detailed plan, he prefers to give more freedom and flexibility for his members to thrive on their own to get the jobs done; it’s less planning anyway. He’s extremely detailed-oriented, so he makes sure he understand how each member likes to work and how they choose to complete their tasks. As long as he’s let in the plan, he’s normally okay with anything they do. At pressured situations, when his members need it most, he steps in with striking and aggressive power to complete the job. He will break down every aspect in order to find his opponent’s weakness and constantly and consistently crush it. He’s over protective and uses his aggression to show it. He feels insecure of his own position. Although it is not the case, he feels like more like a supervisor than a boss. Occasionally feels the need to exert unnecessary dominance and reinforce hierarchy, especially when it comes to his underboss. He’s drawn to the way con artists work because they are thorough but flexible.

Seokjin: Consigliere of the Bangtan mafia. One of the most contradicting people you’ll ever meet. Empathetic but detached. Idealist but practical. Cares for many, trusts a few. Unsympathetic to enemies and has little patience to the ignorant. He advises the planning phase. When the plans don’t look easy, but he likes the idea, he will mold it so it will become a very appealing opportunity. He occasionally acts as a mediator between the boss and underboss. He’s Namjoon’s most trusted confidante and his oldest friend. He’s very controlled with his emotions, but when he finally expresses any ill feelings, he doesn’t hold back and is recognized as the most sadistic. He’s paranoid of anyone to be deceitful. Only trusts Namjoon, Yoongi, and his wife, more than he’s comfortable to admit. In contradiction, he’s irked when people don’t trust him; has he ever given anyone a reason not to? He thinks the con artists are amusing because of the quirkiness in real life, but can completely switch into a different character for a con.

Yoongi: Underboss of the Bangtan mafia. He’s the perfect underboss and takes action. Precise, loyal, efficient, stubborn, hates change, results-oriented, calculative, meticulous, and logical. He always executes a clean job, which doesn’t leave much need for backup plans. He thinks he sees every option, and when he chooses what to do, he will not change his ideas. He’s easily annoyed. He’s confident in planning and tries to keep his head clear from any unnecessary thoughts. He’s a perfectionist so he’s always fearful that he hasn’t thought through everything yet and that could potentially lead to failure. Failing those who trust him is the greatest guilt he will ever come to know. He need to feel like he’s reliable to others and will go lengths to prove it. More often than not, con artists are far too fluid for his taste, but he can’t deny that they are quick-witted and effectively finishes a job.

The Bangtan Capos

Jimin: Retrieval specialist and head of gambling. Aside from handling the casino that Bangtan owns, every once in a while, there’s some idiot who doesn’t “remember” to pay up and Jimin is the man to find. Charming, charismatic, bold, decisive, quick-witted, and sincere. He’s a short term thinker who looks at all possibilities and chooses whichever will choose the best quality outcome. People normally mistake him as simple-minded, but he just knows what he wants and is quick to achieve his goals; he’s already considered everything that is probable for him and is quick to choose which ever best suits him. He can grasp emotion well and learn to spin off of that, making him an easygoing conversationalist. He makes people feel comfortable to speaking to him, even to the point of accidentally leading information, but thinks nothing of it because he is seemingly harmless. He’s great a manipulating the atmosphere and people’s emotions. He cares for a spotlight, so he’s great at making a scene and diverting people’s attention. Emotions are very easy for him to feel and express, so he is very aware that his sincerity makes him vulnerable to others. He feels the need to hold himself back on many occasions so people don’t get the wrong idea of him, or the right one…If anything, he is the con artist in the mafia, so he feels like the con artists are kindred spirits because of the nature of their work so he can understand their M.O. very well.

Taehyung: Blackmailer and head of drugs. He’s interested in drugs trafficking and his insight is alarming. He keeps all his acquired information to himself and knows exactly when to use it, making him an ideal blackmailer. He’s an energetic, calculative, manipulative, analyzing, chaotic opportunist. He feeds off of your insecurities and fears, making you spill your guts and take impulsive actions faster than a bullet. He doesn’t see the need to be physically sadistic, but he is psychotically sadistic. He’s easily bored and changes tactics often, making it difficult to follow his train of thought or see his vision. If someone can, they are an ally. He will consider that person to be respected and should not be underestimated and he is very fortunate. If not, he considers himself superior and that person is nothing. The moment he thinks anyone can catch on, he feels vulnerable. His tactics are convoluted and he often likes to test people to see where their reasoning skills lie on his scale. If they do catch on, he feels the need to keep you close and watch you carefully. He never wants anyone he doesn’t trust to have an upper hand on him. He’s intrigued by the con artists’ M.O. and is more than willing to assist so he can watch the cause-and-effect.

Jungkook: Protection racketeering and head of arms. No one likes to be head of defense more than this guy. Honest, loyal, direct, protective, responsible, reflective, and adaptable but uncomfortable with change. He only looks at the details, he only needs to handle those and the bigger ones can handle the bigger picture. He’s unforgiving to those who’ve done him and his friends wrong; he will only remember to hold a grudge for those people. He likes to stick to the plan, out of convenience and for other’s sake. He remembers every event and is very efficient. He’s cautious of his actions, a great executer, and most reliable, and also most vulnerable out of the three capos. He’s broken by guilt too easily. He’s contradicting in the sense that his family, Bangtan, is his number one priority and will go out of his way for them, but is strongly upset by ruined plans, especially if he’s the one who’s caused them. He feels the need to be protective of those around him and will eliminate all threats, even if it means to ruin the plan. He believes his greatest strength and weakness is caring for Bangtan before anything else. Initially annoyed by con artists because they’ve ruined the mafia’s plans a couple times.

The Con Artists

Hoseok: Charming and enthusiastic con artist. Specific skills include hacking, fighting, and grifting. Charismatic, cautious, organized, protective, and responsible. He’s very self-aware and aware of others. He’s a loving person in his personal life, and also very serious and precise in his work. Between Y/N and him, he is the planner. He wants to settle and get things done without making a mess, but sometimes the dirty work is inevitable. He plans well, far too many steps ahead of others. He knows that every plan has potential to slip up, so he tries to keep a cool head and stays flexible when things go down. He’s got the next plan in his back pocket and can quickly find another one to replace the backup. He has the most conscience out of everyone (which isn’t saying much), and puts family and love first without a care about what that implies to him. Anything else is just a luxury and an extra factor that he will force himself to make-do without if necessary. Unlike Jungkook, he sees it as his strength because family and love is where he draws his strength. He feels the need to take care of both with everything he’s got. He will not let anything happen to them. It makes him predictable in the sense that people know that he will take action for his family and loved ones, but he’s unpredictable in his methods. He’s very wary of the mafia and finds them untrustworthy until proven otherwise.

Jung Minsuk: Idealistic femme fatale con artist. Special skills includes grifting, thieving, and money laundering. Genuine, authentic, creative, imaginative, enthusiastic, perfectionist. Unlike Jimin who fears of his own sincerity to become his own downfall, she uses her true nature to gain trust from others. To everyone else, she’s gullible, genuine, and authentic, and that is the key for her to manipulate. Her desires and goals make her most devious in such a depth that no one can perceive. She easily identifies everyone’s intentions and fears. She uses that knowledge to break people and push them to make the choices she wants them to make. She tends to method act so she can be the most authentic when grifting; she never breaks character in the con because it is essentially her. Between her and Hoseok, she executes the con and enjoys it more than her brother. Unfortunately, all of this means she puts herself in danger and getting caught up. She’s most likely to fall for her own con. Very driven, so she’s stubborn to finishing a job, and flexible in finding using whatever ways to get to the end. She feels like she’s able to handle all self-sacrifices necessary to pull off the job. She is well aware that she puts herself in trouble, and while she doesn’t want to bother anyone with her own problems, she believes it’s the best way to reach for the outcomes and no one can convince her otherwise. Tries to be a perfectionist in execution, but like Hoseok, she recognizes that plans can fall out and tries her best not to blame herself for the smallest mistake that makes changes in plans, but she does. She sees potential everywhere and in everyone. She feels like people don’t trust her judgment enough so she feels the need to push the limits of everything and everyone because their potential is far more than they can perceive. She will force them to get there so they will know she was right from the very beginning. She doesn’t care about the mafia, although she’s very curious about the people in it and why they are in the position they are in.

More OC characters as the story goes on

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A Confidence Game 1.1 | BTS Mafia and Con Artist AU

Plot: Hoseok and Minsuk’s parents have died 11 years ago and they have been con artists for 8 years now. The moment Hoseok wants Minsuk to have a chance to start a new life, the Bangtan mafia approaches them to pull one last con.

Words:4,248 | Drama/angst/violence (at some point. we’re dealing with the mafia and con artists here)

Warnings: (M) mature themes

Character Profiles

Part 1: Foundation Work: The preparations, which are made before the scheme is put in motion, including the elaboration of the plan, the employment of assistants, and so forth.

Jung Minsuk makes light conversation with Mr. Kim as they both wait for his artwork inspector. Honestly, she’s not the type to make small talk, but rich heiresses are; and that’s what she is right now. Mr. Kim is a middle aged man with too much money to enjoy any other pursuit in life other than collecting artwork. Such men have plenty to share and they’re perfect sponsors for her college fund.

A clean and slim man with handsome features and thin frames walks into the shipping warehouse. He carries a large silver briefcase, loaded with an artwork inspection kit. Mr. Kim turns around at the sound of his entrance and extends an arm to introduce him to her. But she already knows him.

“Ms. Song, please allow me to introduce you to Park Jinhyuk. Mr. Park, this is Song Sooyoung. Mr. Park is very adept in verifying artworks. He’s helped me on numerous occasions.” She gives a polite nod at her brother and he gives her a quick head bow as if it is their first meeting.

“The Cyclone, Tsunami, Firestorm. They are all verified by this man right here. I’ve spent the last half year hunting down the Natural Forces Collection. Now the only one that’s missing – “

“Is my Earthquake.” She finishes his sentence for him and he nods at her with a grin. She looks over at Hoseok who silently and diligently gives a once-over on the artwork before he set down his brief case to take out his inspection kit to examine the painting.

“And why is it now that you want to verify this artwork with Mr. Park, after so many times you’ve bought so many other artworks of mine?” She asks Mr. Kim. In total, he’s bought four other artworks and antiques from her; all were real, but at a much lower price than the Natural Forces. That doesn’t mean the Natural Forces are any more valuable though. If anything, they’re less real and practically worthless.

“The Earthquake is a bit more important to me. My other experts need to eat too. I request for Mr. Park’s expertise on the more expensive and important artworks.” She inwardly shakes her head at the ignorance. Though he’s spent a little less than a decade pursuing art, he knows nothing about it. He’s just another pretentious old man. She’s dealt with too many ignorant people. She’s grateful at some level; they technically were the ones who’ve pays her to learn a lesson. But still, she is astounded and disappointed by the number of ignorant people in this world.

“I guess the previous items in my possession were too good for you to pass up before you came to my Earthquake.” She smiles. They better be. She and her brother spent almost a whole year to acquire them to be their bait.

“Yes. I can’t believe I’ve dealt with you so many times, that I never asked whether you knew about the Earthquake, let alone ask if you had it. You had so many other…tempting collectables for me to acquire, that I completely forgot about the matter for a period of time.” Mr. Kim’s lids lowers halfway as his eyes trails down from her brown contacts to the pearl necklace resting on her collarbone.

“To be fair,” she brings his attention back up to her eyes, “I probably wouldn’t have told you when we first met.” He looks at you quizzically.

“The Earthquake is a very prized painting, Mr. Kim. I didn’t let it out of my sight for two weeks. I kept it in my bedroom so I could just stare at it until I fell asleep.” She peripherally notes that Hoseok’s hand twitch at her words. Really? You’re laying it on a little thick, aren’t you? She can hear him chastise her.

“So why do you want to sell it now?” Mr. Kim clears his throat.

“I’m looking into another collection right now. I’ve had the Earthquake long enough. Besides, you already have the other three. Might as well reunite them since I can’t have it.” She explains. You are a fickle rich heiress who wants doesn’t care for long term sentimentality and have a business mind, she reminds yourself.

“Oh, and what collection are you looking into?” Mr. Kim raises his round glasses.

“Ah, sorry. I can’t tell you. I wouldn’t want you to fight me for it. I can get pretty vicious.” She wink.

“Well, I don’t doubt women being vicious sometimes. But who would want to fight you for anything?” She just smiles at him, letting his imagination run wild. That’s the funny thing about humans; their imagination. But most of them are very small minded.

“Mr. Kim.” His attention is brought to her brother. All Mr. Kim needs is Mr. Park’s nod and his grin widens at the approval. He looks at the paining and gestures at his men to take the painting.

“Ms. Song, I’m still astounded by your resources to have obtained this painting at such a young age. “ He praises her as his men cover the painting and moves it out the room.

“Well I’m home alone quite often. I must keep myself busy, no?” She crosses her milky white arms and saw two large silver briefcases that replaced her brother’s inspection kit on the table. The briefcases opened up to reveal cash bundles neatly stacked to fit all 300 mil won. She smiles and hides her greed as she closes the briefcases.

“It’s been a pleasure doing business with you again.” Her rented bodyguards take the two briefcases and she holds out her hand to shake. Mr. Kim takes it and puts his middle-aged lips on the back of her hand, lingering just a little too long.

“I hope you find what you’re looking for.” He says to her. I already have.

“Same to you.” She smiles and turns away. Minsuk waits until she’s out of his sight. She waits until she gets in the car and her men drive her away before she furiously and disgustedly wipes the spit off the back of her hand.

“Minsuk!” She looks up from her laptop. She just placed the money in plenty of different bank accounts. Now it’s just to wait for the banks to verify the amount. She pushes up her reading glasses as the descending sun’s reflection flickers on the lens. Behind her glasses are her strange eyes: one is a dark chocolate brown, one is a deep sea blue.

“Oppa!” She calls out. Hoseok emerges from the hallway of their home. Her smile turns into a large grin when his hands from behind his back reveal a large envelope. It’s SNU’s reply to her college application.

She jumps up from the couch and runs to him. She jumps on to him for a hug and then takes the envelope from his hand with a squeal.

“An envelope that big, there’s no way that it’s –“

“I got in! I got in!” She prances around the living room and Hoseok joins her, dancing around like complete fools. Seven years ago, she and Hoseok were conning for his college fund. After he graduated, they waited until he stabilized his job as a software engineer at an IT company before she thought of saving for her own college fund. Now, eight years into the confidence game, they are finally able to plunge deep in the lake. She’s starting college two years late, but it doesn’t matter. The fact is she’s in now.

“Ah, my beloved dongsaeng. I’m so proud of you!” Hoseok calms down before her and they exchange the biggest smiles of their day.

“And I thought conning Mr. Kim for 300 mil won was the highlight of the day.” She rereads the congratulatory words in the acceptance letters. Today is a good day. Mr. Kim has been their mark for almost two years now. The con is finally over.

“You did really well, Ms. Song. But did you really have to flirt with the guy so much?” she knew this was coming.

“He got so much spit in your hand. I wanted to rip out his eyes for the way he talks about and looks at you.” Hoseok frowns. In the past 7 months, he’s been Mr. Kim’s artwork inspector.  He’s heard Mr. Kim talk about you very inappropriately before, but he didn’t tell you. Con or not, it bothers him to see anyone look at his sister, or any other lady, with such disgusting mannerisms. Luckily, after today, all contact information and personnel files about a Song Sooyoung and a Park Jinhyuk will be wiped from the face of this earth. Mr. Kim will never find either of you again.

“Well it was the approach. I’m an underestimated rich heiress who loves art and desperate for attention. Men always fall for the fun-loving type. And he needed attention away from your lame verifying tricks, Mr. Park.” He flicks her forehead and she returns him a cheeky grin. He knows it isn’t the sole reason she puts herself in such a compromising role. She always got a thrill of playing characters.

“Hey, I’ve done a very good job as his art inspector. He’s taken me to other deals to inspect and I can actually verify them. It’s funny, ruining someone else’s con. I actually give his other experts a run for their money.” He takes her hand and rubs away what she hasn’t already sanitized three times.

“We’ve done this for so long. I know what I was doing.” He looks at her with concern.

“I understand, oppa. Besides, the job’s done. We’re lucky we’ve been able to take the job so far.” He wants to shake his head at her. She never understood when she takes it farther than she should. But when he finally decides to chastise her for it, the results were evidently effective. She’s always proved herself to finish the job unharmed and so he never got past her justifications.

She gives Hoseok a hug and he holds her for a long time until his nose twitches at the smell of dinner. He smiles and turns around to see the dinner set on the table with the covers.

“What’s for dinner?” he asks as he drags her to the dinner table.

“Kimchi, yakiniku, dolsot. Your favorite for a good day.” You both sit down and he hisses a cheer.

“I’ve already placed about three fourths of the money in our different accounts. We can start transferring and layering this weekend with what is already done while I layer the rest in cash.” It’s her favorite part, but also the most complicated part. Layering is basically spending money and investing it. It continues to spend the dirty money and make it hard to trace until she can bring the clean money back to under their name.

“That’s good. It’s just in time, now that SNU has accepted you. We can start paying the college tuition and your other expenses.” He starts chowing down on the meal. She stares at her brother and then around the apartment. This place has been their home for two years now. She and Hoseok have been living independently for eleven years, and eight years since their first con. She is the most important part of Hoseok’s life and he’s hers. He worked so hard in the first three years so he could take care of her all on his own. It was so tough on him. Even when she was 11, she understood a lot of the tough things in life. When she was 14, she felt like it was time for her to start giving back, make things easier on him. She was so young, but then again, so was he.

Thus, Minsuk pulled her first con with him.

Hoseok was across the street as he watched Minsuk profusely bow her head to the middle-aged restaurant owner.

“I really thought I had money in my pockets before I left home. I distinctly remember counting the money. You’ve seen me eat here, I’ve been here many times. I’ve always paid. I’m not lying!” She pleaded. She shook her 14 year-old hands nervously as she looked up to the woman with her big doe-like and distinctive eyes. The woman just looked at her with skeptical and stern eye. The lady had her hands on her hips and her lips were pursed.

“Okay, my home is two blocks away. My wallet should be home. I distinctly remember it on my coffee table before I left. I’ll be back in 10 minutes, I promise.” She turned away but the woman pulled her back before she could even see the door.

“That is not happening, girl. If you can’t pay, you are going to stay here and work it off today.”

“No, I can’t. School starts in less than an hour.” her eyes darted everywhere before it settled on her wrist; there rested her bracelet.

“Look, here. This is a bracelet my aunt from America bought for me for Christmas. I will be back for this bracelet and I will have the money. I promise you. It’s real. Please, I’ll be very fast. I’ll run.” The lady saw Minsuk’s breathing quicken as she looked up at the clock and the lady looked at her school uniform that indicated Minsuk’s school. Her different eye colors were the most distinguishable feature; surely, she could find Minsuk again if she needed to. Minsuk took the bracelet off herself and put it on the woman’s wrist before she could reject her. The lady greedily looked at it as the gems flickered from the sun’s reflection.

“I will see you back at this very spot in 10 minutes. If you are not back with the money, I will be looking for you at your school. I recognize your uniform, it’s the same school my son goes to.” She warned Minsuk. Minsuk exhaled with relief and she bowed countless times with a strong thank you. She ran out, on her way home to grab the money.

Hoseok walked in the door, dressed clean and looked older than his true 18 year-old identity. He ordered a quick to-go coffee and breakfast. His eyes rested on the bracelet. For as long as the restaurant woman has been fixing his coffee, his eyes are fixated on the bracelet.

“You are a very lucky woman. My girlfriend keeps talking about that bracelet. She hints that if she doesn’t get it for her birthday, she’ll break up with me.” Hoseok chuckled bitterly as the woman came forward with the coffee.

“This is just collateral until some little girl comes back with the money to pay for her meal.” The woman looked at the bracelet. Hoseok raised his eyebrows.

“How old is that little girl? Does she realize she has this year’s limited edition of that brand? Tsk, kids these days, don’t understand value. How can she use this for collateral? For a mere breakfast, no less! If she truly left because she couldn’t pay for a meal, she would be the fool, not you.” Hoseok scolded the absent you. The restaurant woman’s ears perked up at limited edition.

“H-how much did your girlfriend say this was?”

“About 3000 US dollars. And it’s limited to 200 in this world. So…” Hoseok whistled lowly. He heard her quietly suck in a breath.

“Are there anymore left?” she probed.

“Trust me, if there was any left, I would have found it already. My girlfriend has been good to me; she helped with my college tuition. I wish I could show her that I can provide for her well…” Hoseok licked his lips and ripped his eyes away from the bracelet for the last time before he leaned forward.

“Listen, I’ll be willing to pay 4 million won today, in cash, for that bracelet. I have to go to work now and my girlfriend’s birthday is less than a week away, so I’m in a rush. Tell that little girl to give me a call today. I can return at the end of the day to make the deal. Here’s my contact information. I really have to go. Thanks for the coffee.” Hoseok left without a passing glance at Minsuk, who just returned from around the corner. The restaurant woman wanted to call out to Hoseok who just went out the door and disappeared in a hurry to catch the bus, but something stopped her. The bracelet still glistened in her peripheral. She felt the heavy weight of the silver bracelet that was laden with gems on it.

“I’m here! 7 minutes! I told you I’d be back.” Minsuk said breathlessly. She had a hand on the counter with her wallet in her other hand, resting on her waist as she was bent, trying to catch your breath. She finally looked up at the clock. She only had 35 minutes to pay and make her way to school that was 15 minutes away.

“Here. How much was the meal?” she opened up your wallet, ready to count out the cash.

“Uh-10000 won.” The restaurant woman blankly watched Minsuk count out her measly 1000 won bills out. 4 million won still throbbing in her head. The man was willing to pay for 4 million won, when the bracelet cost roughly 3.4 million won. He must have been desperate. The lady looked at her wrist. This bracelet has started to look better and better on her wrist with each passing minute.

“You know, this is a very nice bracelet.”

“Yeah, my aunt sends these things to me all the time. I’m usually not a luxurious person, but she’s very nice. I’ve gotten so much from her.” Minsuk said lightly. So, maybe she wouldn’t even miss this.

“Can I have it?” The lady asked. Minsuk looked up in surprise. The lady looked down with a strong air around her; haggling was her business.

“I will pay you 3 and a half million won for this.” She said quickly. Minsuk eyes widened and she looked at the bracelet.

“I didn’t know it was that expensive.” She breathed out. The little girl really didn’t know the value? The woman should have started lower.

“It’s not.” The lady said quickly, trying to cover up how much the value of the bracelet really was, “But it’s my daughter’s birthday in two days and I haven’t come up with anything remotely close to her liking. This might be my only chance to shop around before her birthday. I want to get her something really nice. Please. You don’t know what it’s like to be a mother.” She said. It was a lie. Her husband was the one who didn’t get his wife anything for her birthday two weeks ago. She could pretend this was his gift. Minsuk’s lips tightened and she looked up at the clock.

“I’ve only had this for three days. I’m not sure I’m ready to let that go.” She looked at the bracelet. The lady moved it out of Minsuk’s sight and she pulled out cash from the register. She ran to the back to find more stashed.

“How about 4 million?” That’s more than what the bracelet was worth.  Minsuk’s eyes bulged out at her call. This greed of hers was far more than Minsuk expected. She’s willing to take all the money in this restaurant. Since it was Minsuk’s first con, she was surprised by the lady’s greed.

“I-“ Minsuk had no idea what to say. She’s never been offered money, let alone 4 million. The lady waved the cash in her face and she nodded slowly, eyes following the cash.

The exchange was quick. The lady would have to let that man know that the bracelet was not for sale. She put the bracelet safely in her pocket, feeling the weight of it as Minsuk left for a school she doesn’t go to. Minsuk and Hoseok were 4 mil won richer. And the restaurant woman? All she had was just one cheap bracelet, only 100k won worth, in her pocket…

“I saw an apartment in Seoul. It’s about 10 minutes away from SNU by the subway. It’s about 10 mil won for deposit, 725k per month. It’s not bad with two rooms, 2 baths. It has a really nice kitchen where I can make more recipes with convenience. If not, there’s one that’s outside of the city, so it’s an hour away by subway. But its 2 rooms and 1 baths, 8 mil won for deposit and 650k per month…” Minsuk starts to say. Hoseok looks up from his plate. Food is still in his mouth. He quickly chews and swallows.

“No. We’ve talked about this. All of that 300 mil will be going to your college fund. You’re there for four years. Groceries, utilities, transportation, expensive tuition, and miscellaneous expenses. And that’s just you alone, in dormitory. It was easier for me because I stayed in Gwangju and our living expenses weren’t as they are now. Add me in Seoul? You know the math. I’m not moving.”

“But oppa, we can –“ Minsuk starts but he cuts her off.

“No. We’re not. You’re going to be clean from now on. You’re going in to university! There’s new opportunities for you to do what really interests you. You get a clean slate. I’ve tiptoed around with you long enough with these cons. They’re good, and we can get by, but we can’t do this forever. I don’t want you to do this forever. You already lost four years where you could have already graduated college now because we were too busy with my tuition, and that’s at GIST! You’re just starting. You’re not doing anything else but getting that education for the next four years.” He isn’t going to have this discussion again. He’s her brother. What he says goes, and that’s final.

“Okay, oppa.” She says quietly, poking at her food. He looks up and sighs. He reaches over to her hand on the table.

“I know you want to stay close. But really, you’ll be fine. And you’ll love Seoul. It’s so exciting over there.”

“But…you’re all I know.” She says with tears welling up. Really. Their parents left them one night; bags packed and everything. They left them. If that is the whole story, she would never forgive them. But that isn’t the end of it. Their train derailed and crashed. She can’t be mad anymore, even if she wants to. But the only thing constant in her life was her brother. Everything else was always temporary: jobs, cons, homes, education. It doesn’t make sense to her to lose the one thing that has always been so stable; the only thing stable.

“Hey, hey, hey.” He drops his utensil on his plate and comes over to her side to hold her tight, trying to shush her as she struggles to hold on to her tears.

“We knew you’d be going to college soon. How are you still not prepared, after two years?” he lightly laughs, trying to make her smile too.

“You were still here! You had me while you went to college. We had each other!” She cries, lightly slapping his arm, too weak to truly fight him, not like she really intends to hit her brother anyway.

He laughs and holds her tighter, keeping her from loosening her arms so she could hit him again.

“Look, I’ll visit you. All the time. You can show me the sights. Let me feel like a tourist, yeah? It’s going to be fun. You’ll make good friends; you might not even have time for me. Especially if you’re studying hard and making me proud, right?” He looks at her when her cries subside.

“I’ll always make time for you, oppa.” She sniffles, grabbing the napkin on the table to wipe her nose. He takes an extra one to wipe her tears, chuckling at he.

“I have no doubt. My little dongsaeng loves me will never forget me, right?” She meekly nods. He goes back to his side of the table and waits for her to take a bite of her food before he picks up his utensil again.

He really doesn’t want her to touch the dark side anymore. For the past eight years, while they dirtied their hands for sure, he always made sure to scrub hers clean. He hacks into the system every day to make sure there were no tags for a young pale 22 year-old girl with straight black hair and wore large brown contacts to hide what makes her stand out.

He always checks up on her. She’s as innocent as a young con artist can be. She still prefers to spend a Saturday in her pajamas and pink bunny slippers, eating cereal while reading the newest fantasy novel while humming a Saturday morning cartoon theme song from her childhood.

The moment Minsuk steps into the university, he’s going to make she’s done with all of this; the both of them. He’s a software engineer in an IT company in Gwangju. He has a stable day job. She’s going to make her own path and be just like any other happy, simple woman in South Korea. Her only distinction will be her beautiful eyes he loves dearly. She would never have to hide her eyes away from authorities again. He needs to make sure she stays that way.

Next chapter

A Confidence Game 1.2 | BTS Mafia and Con Artist AU

Plot: Hoseok and Minsuk’s parents have died 11 years ago and they have been con artists for 8 years now. The moment Hoseok wants Minsuk to have a chance to start a new life, the Bangtan mafia approaches them to pull one last con.

Words:3,298

Drama/angst/violence (at some point. we’re dealing with the mafia and con artists here)

Warnings: (M) mature themes

Character Profiles | Previous chapter

Part 1: Foundation Work: The preparations, which are made before the scheme is put in motion, including the elaboration of the plan, the employment of assistants, and so forth.

Over the weekend, Minsuk and Hoseok go to Seoul to get to know the university, the area, and go to the bank to make some bank-to-bank transfers. Minsuk already layered the last bit of the money through online banking in one account. This time she’s going to layer some in person from a different account. This con was the biggest one the two of them have ever pulled; kind of as the last hurrah before they leave the game for good and also for raising Minsuk’s college fund. 

Since it is first time they conned such a large amount, she and Hoseok have set up numerous accounts in different countries, aside from the ones they already have. Majority of the money are in off-shore accounts in those countries and they have accountants there on high authority of secrecy that help them launder those thoroughly. They basically help set up regular transfers in-and-out of those accounts to give the impression of income and investments. Each transfer in each account has varied amounts and they cover its origins to be from its own country. After this, the pair will go on a wonderful shopping spree, to launder a small amount through purchasing assets and also a way to celebrate.

“Gangnam prices are crazy.” Minsuk mumbles as Hoseok hands his card over to the waiter to pay for the lunch.

“It’s not that much more expensive, food-wise. Not like we don’t have the money for it. And it was well spent. Look at your plate! You practically licked it clean.” Hoseok laughs at her as he stuffs his wallet into his back pocket. She looks at her plate.

The restaurant has a dark atmosphere with one lamp over every table. The light is blinding through the reflection of her large white plate. Food residue is apparent, but Hoseok is right, she had taken her finger to wipe the last bit of sauce off the plate.

“If I don’t have you with me, I probably wouldn’t come to such an expensive place though.” she sighs, subtly reminding him how much of an impact it was for her that he wouldn’t be with her. He caught it, but he isn’t going to let her off like that.

“Well, you will be once a week. Remember? I will visit you all the time.” He grins. She returns a half smile. She’s normally more stubborn than he is, but this is one thing the two of them have argued time and time again. If he put his foot down so many times, she knows he will out-stubborn her on this one.

He isn’t just arguing with her though, he knows that if he wants her to see it through his way, she needs to see what is offered in his ideas. They have visited the university campus and to be honest, the both of them really had a blast. He got her excited about going back to school and learning everything in a more formal, but casual setting.

They walked into one of the summer classes, and since it was college, no one really cares. She loves the feeling of anonymity but also being of something bigger, it was being in a con to her. He told her to have fun. She could even go in with different personalities. He played on her playful and creative spirit she indulges in whenever she has to pull a con; just as long as the teachers who actually takes attendance knows who she is. He made her laugh and get embarrassed when he winked at some college girls in passing. She’s going to have to keep him off campus, for college girls’ sake.

“Where to next?” she asks when the two of them step out of the restaurant.

“I think, we should go invest in some stocks.” He winks. They hop onto a train to make their way to the stock exchange.

Today is super packed and they have to squish themselves in the middle; but with Hoseok, Minsuk is still content.

Hoseok is her pillar of strength wherever she goes and she will comfortably admit her dependence on her brother. As much as he enjoys her dependence on him, he often feels the complete opposite. Minsuk gives him something to live for. He honestly feels dependent on her, for her dependence on him. He loves the fact that it has always the two of them against the world. But when two people are co-dependent on each other, they will spiral down into reclusive existence. He can’t allow that to happen to her. She has a lot to offer to this world and he needs others to see her. He needs her to see that. The cons had implanted darkness in her like a parasite. He’s so afraid that it will be all that she ever knows. She has to see what else she can do with her life.

The overhead voice in the train notifies them of their stop, but it is also for just about everyone else. At first, there is not much to think about, just to keep herself from tripping over, but Minsuk starts to notice some sort of pattern that has everyone moving her along, farther than Hoseok, him being forced back. She wants to turn her head, but with everyone forcing her body forward, she can’t orient herself properly. She feels like Batman in a stiff suit.

Hoseok notices the pattern too and senses intention to it. He starts to assert himself to shove through everyone. His heart rate and breath quickens as strangers’ heads disorient his vision of Minsuk getting farther and farther away. When he finally makes his way through, she’s gone. 

He has his hands up in his hair as he feels anxiety. When the two of them were still starting out as amateurs, not every paper trail was burned. Not every con from start to finish had been finished completely clean and they both had their fair share of repercussions. Since eight years ago, the two of them have been able to improve their act for clean executions but they can’t be sure if they are able to cover all their past tracks. For all he knows, this is another person who had finally tracked them down.

His phone rings and he knows it was Minsuk. He picks it up without looking and keeps looking around.

“Where did you go?”

“Calm down.” her voice is far too calm, it’s rigid. He looks at the phone and it’s Minsuk’s number. So at least she can communicate.

“Where are you?” He takes a deep breath and asks a little more calmly this time. Whoever has her, they want him to cooperate.

“The information of where they’re taking me is stored in my phone. Hack into it and you will figure out where I’m going. I’ll see you later.” And then the phone is cut off. Hoseok closes his eyes and sighs. This is a test. If it is a test, then this isn’t going to be the end of it. Either way, he needs to find Minsuk before anything else.

He quickly sets himself aside to a corner and opens his bag to take out his laptop. He hacks into Minsuk’s phone too many times for cyber security purposes; he basically created his own security system in her phone to keep her phone from being hacked. He keeps hacking into her phone in order to know how to improve its system; so at this point, only he knows how to get into her phone and all her history. Luckily she doesn’t have anything to hide from him, especially when they agreed for him to do so on her phone. 

It takes him 2 minutes to hack into Minsuk’s phone. She doesn’t have any files, no new contact information, where is he going to find the information? He searches her browsing history and finds two paired sets of three and four digits. He instantly clicks that they are phone numbers but the pairs are obviously scrambled. He fixes the numbers and gets two phone numbers. He hacks the two phone numbers and although they are obviously just disposable, they also have a security system from being hacked. But they are next to nothing compared to his hacking system. 

He quickly gets in and finds one latitude coordinate and one longitude coordinate on the two different numbers. The moment he gets the two coordinates, the phones disappear from his screen; they are destroyed. He plugs in the two coordinates on an online map and finds the address. He looks up and sees that the train that is about to leave is the one he needs to take. He jumps up with all his stuff and scrambles his way, luckily there are less people and he makes it in time.

When he settles himself, he looks at the address more closely. It is a hotel in Gangnam; they were just there in the restaurant of that hotel. It’s possible that the two of them had been followed since then. But if someone has worked their way into phones and kidnapping, obviously they’ve been watching them for a while. All of this is premeditated.

He rubs his face and puts away his computer; he knows where he needs to go now. He watches the train map above the door. The blinking light indicates that he has two more stops. That’s two stops too many.

The moment he steps into the hotel, he realizes he is still missing one more crucial piece of information. This hotel is big. He doesn’t know her exact location.

He hacks into her phone again, hoping to look for any new information. There is a new memo note on her phone with 7 symbols. He breaks the encryption to turn the symbols into numbers and hacks into the new number. Once again, there is another memo note on the new number: 1164-816.

He rushes to the elevator to the top floor, where the room numbers starts on 1100’s.

On the top floor, he finds the room which is the penthouse suite with a number keypad. He punches in 816 and enters.

His first instinct is to focus on Minsuk and he sees her sitting on a chair with her legs crossed and her hands resting in her lap. Her head whips to the sound of the door opening. Her nervousness turns into relief. He rushes his way towards you but is stopped by men.

“Hello, Mr. Jung. Let him go, boys.” Hoseok looks to the man who had given the orders. He is a young man, probably younger than Hoseok. He has orange hair that is parted in the middle and his hair waves out. He is shorter than him, but most definitely more built than him. He is obviously a fighting type. By strength, this man overpowers Hoseok, but Hoseok is an accurate speedster. He wonders how he would fair in a fight with this man. But something tells Hoseok that he won’t fight him unless Hoseok throws the first punch. Either that or he was given an order.

This man has the mark of the mafia. The man has many thick and heavy rings on his fingers, but there is a gold one that stands out. There is probably an insignia on it but Hoseok is too far away to see it clearly. If only he sees it, he’d know which mafia they are dealing with.

Hoseok walks slower this time to reach Minsuk. She holds her hands out and he connects with her as soon as he gets close enough. Her hands are still warm; that is a good sign.

“Get Mr. Jung a chair; he’s been running all over the place. How are you? Do you need some water?” Hoseok looks to Minsuk’s side to see her glass of water. She obviously drank some, so the water is safe. Even so.

“No, thank you.” One of the men sets a chair next to Minsuk and Hoseok slowly sits down. His hand never leaves hers. He looks to her and her eyes speak only confusion. If her eyes still holds confusion, that means that she hasn’t been able to obtain any information about why they took her and why the two of them are here. Either she is too cautious or they won’t budge. At least her eyes don’t hold any fear.

“Now that you two are here. Let me just say, it is incredible to see you work, Mr. Jung. And the swiftness when you rushed through those train doors. Talk about cutting it close. I was actually really nervous, I wasn’t sure if you’d notice that it was the train you had to take. It was like watching a movie.” This man was watching him?

“Oh, by the way. I’m Jimin.” The orange top finally introduces himself.

“Why are we here?” Hoseok asks directly.

“You’re not nearly as tactful as your sister.  She at least tried to have a regular conversation first.” Jimin shakes his head in disapproval. He grabs a chair and sits down in front of them two; very casually to keep the mood light.

“Anyway, it’s been an honor to see your work. I wanted to ask you, why do you think you’re here? I mean, you came so willingly. I know it was for your sister and she must be your everything, but there was absolutely no hesitation. All for your sister. I’ll admit, I find that very admirable of you.” Jimin goes on talking about the two of them until he realizes he isn’t getting any reaction out of either of them.

“So, I mean, back to our topic. Take a guess. Why are you here? I bet you noticed by now, I’m in the mafia, Bangtan to be exact.” Hoseok stiffens in his seat now that his speculation is confirmed. Bangtan mafia is quite big, as far as their influence goes. Even when they went over to the States to set up accounts, they heard whispers of Bangtan’s name. It’s a big deal that a big mafia group would spot out the two of them; unsuspecting con artists who works for themselves.

“Who was it?” Hoseok asks, “Who did we con that made you notice us? Was it an associate of yours? Another member? I’m sorry. But let my sister go. I’m the one that plans our cons, not her. She’s usually the one who executes it, that’s all.”

“But isn’t she the one who picks your mark first?” Jimin points out. He knows that she’s the picker. So that must mean that they’ve been followed for a while.

“It’s okay. It’s not the point. I mean, yes. A lot of your cons deal with the rich, and well, you’ve crossed us before. Do you know how much you took from us? We saw them first, but you two strike faster than a King Cobra. Once again though, I applaud your eye for the ignorant. It would seem that you two are very compatible with our vision, our targets.” It clicks into Hoseok that this isn’t about revenge. Something about Jimin’s demeanor that tells Hoseok that today is not about murder or revenge. He sees Minsuk shift in her seat. She’s caught on as well; probably a little earlier than Hoseok because she’s been here longer, just needed more evidence.

“You want us to do a job.” Minsuk finally speaks up, declaratively more than interrogatively. This whole time, they aren’t watching the two of them, per say, they are watching their work. The mafia is very business-like. Her guess is that they are looking for potential associates.

Jimin looks at her and throws his head back in laughter, “Very intuitive, Ms. Jung. Yes, we do. We need someone of your talents. You see, there’s a po – “

“No.” Hoseok declines, cutting off Jimin. Jimin looks at Hoseok in surprise. Hoseok’s not sure if it’s because Hoseok declines, or because he interrupted Jimin.

“We are not con artists for-hire. And we just did our last con.” Hoseok is going to put his foot down. He already doesn’t want Minsuk to mess around in this life anymore. And it’s even worse now. 

The mafia wants her to plunge her hands in filth again. They will want to control the con, not her. They will keep her in their books longer than she will live. All this time, the two of them have been doing all of this for survival, not for money; at least Hoseok wasn’t. Minsuk isn’t doing it for the money either, but she might have taken to the thrill of a con. He needs that to stop. There will be no turning back with the mafia.

“I know. Your sister is going off to college, you have a stable job. I get it. It sounds like a great time to start anew. We can help you. We can pay for your sister’s college.” Minsuk perks up at the mention of that. That would mean the money they saved up for her college could be used for something else. Say, an apartment in Seoul for Hoseok.

“We only need one job from you guys. This is a make-it-or-break-it on our end so after this, there’s no point in asking for more help from you two. Not that we will cut you out after helping us, no, no. We never forget the help, we don’t hurt those who help us. We simply want your help on one job. Afterwards, your life is still yours to live. Not ours. We will not hold anything against you. We will burn every paper trail of your existence that will connect to us in anyway. If we ever get caught and give names, not that we ever will in general, but your name goes to the grave with us. We can promise on that.” Jimin looks at the pair seriously.

The funny thing about the underbelly of every society, there is like some sort of code for the evil.  The rest of the society always gets hurt because they don’t retaliate; no eye for eye. But every criminal has their individual abilities to hurt another, and they’re not afraid to do so if anyone ever crosses them. It’s the reason why there are no secrets. One will never hurt anyone who has the ability to hurt one back, and possibly twice as hard. But criminals are still skeptical in every corner, believing it’s the way to stay alive. If one wants cooperation, it’s best to keep one-self open and loyal, put honesty in every word.

Still, the two of them are con artists. Hoseok is right, they never did a job for anyone else, so why start now, when they want to end this career? Jimin personally thinks that they contacted them a little too late, but it isn’t his job to speak up about that. He looks back and forth between them too. Minsuk obviously shows interest, but still wants to know more. Hoseok just looks stern.

Jimin sighs; the administration really should have asked Tae to do this. He gets up to go to the next room and speed-dials.

“Yoongi, it seems that the brother is a little more hesitant right now. Minsuk looks interested but she’s not going to move if her brother won’t. I really think Tae should take over at this point. I –“

“Don’t worry about it, you’re doing just fine. We expected this to happen.” The underboss reassures Jimin, but that just makes him more confused.

“If you didn’t think I was going to get them at the first try, then why’d you –“

“You are step one.” A few more words from Yoongi and he hangs up. Jimin scrunches his lips to one side. Okay; whatever Yoongi says, goes.

Jimin goes back to the room where Hoseok and Minsuk are quietly talking to each other.

“So, how goes it? What do you think?” Jimin asks with a smile.

“If you really wanted cooperation, first of all, you’re not giving us enough information to agree to anything. Secondly, you started on the wrong foot. How is taking my sister going to make me want to cooperate with you?”

“Fair enough,” Jimin shrugs, “So let’s start all over. How about dinner?”

Next chapter

A Confidence Game 1.3 | BTS Mafia and Con Artist AU

Plot: Hoseok and Minsuk’s parents have died 11 years ago and they have been con artists for 8 years now. The moment Hoseok wants Minsuk to have a chance to start a new life, the Bangtan mafia approaches them to pull one last con.

Words: 4,156

Drama/angst/violence (at some point. we’re dealing with the mafia and con artists here)

Warnings: (M) mature themes

Character Profiles | Previous chapter

Part 1: Foundation Work: The preparations, which are made before the scheme is put in motion, including the elaboration of the plan, the employment of assistants, and so forth.

Minsuk smooths her dress down and takes her brother’s hand on the ride up the elevator to the restaurant floor. Jimin scheduled with Hoseok to have dinner to talk things over, and Hoseok demanded to speak to the ones with highest authority in order to get good word from the ones who have most control. To ensure the two of them will come, Hoseok needs Jimin to promise not to have people follow or escort them, otherwise they will run and make things difficult. Jimin promised and you were good at spotting lies. He doesn’t want things to get difficult either and wants to prove his honesty and credibility to them.

Rather than the same hotel, it is another one in Illsan, but by Hoseok’s research, both hotels are owned by Bangtan. Hoseok used the rest of the afternoon to come up with an escape plan, should things go wrong. Minsuk on the other hand took time to choose what the both of them should wear, what cologne Hoseok should put on, what perfume she should put on, or if it was even necessary. Hoseok is on defense mode, but she wants to take another approach. She wants Bangtan to let their guard down. She wants to present the both of them as cooperative and respectful; to respect the meeting, the dinner, and to show that they are open and receptive to the ideas. She wants them to feel like they can work with them. When doing so, she finds that people are more flexible and she always needs flexible.

To be honest, she is already entertaining the idea when she saw the opportunity for Hoseok to move to Seoul. Not only will this help the meeting, if she digs deep down, she’s on Bangtan’s side. She wants Hoseok to see that this is doable and beneficial to both of both.

She snaps out of her thoughts when she felt Hoseok squeeze her hand at the sound of the elevator ding.

The large metal doors slide apart and they step out to the restaurant lobby. Every hotel Bangtan owns screams prestige. At the previous hotel, the color scheme is a dignified and professional teal and silver. Here, everything is passionate and regal, with the colors of red and gold, giving the sense of an oriental palace.

The lady in the front wears a red and gold cheongsam with a loose bun held together by hair chopsticks. Minsuk wouldn’t be surprised if she took out her chopsticks to reveal dangerously sharp pins if fights ever ensues in this mafia-owned hotel. She leads them through the mass of tables, each filled to the max capacity of each table. At first, Minsuk would have thought that the mafia would close the restaurant for this special event, but come to think of it, it might make Hoseok more at ease to see many people, provided that they are truly normal citizens and not the different associates of the mafia. She can already see Hoseok’s eyes darting left and right to take in the real visual of his plan, rather than just blueprints.

The women leads them to the last and largest room. There, Jimin is already waiting for them. He wipes his mouth from his food and stands up from the long rectangular table to greet them.

“You are very punctual, that’s cool.” he smiles at the two of you.

“Glad you got started without us. I would have felt bad, if you were starving just by waiting for us.” you greet him like this is a high school reunion.

“Yeah, I mean, I’ve been here for a while now, so I figured it’s a good time to eat as any.” he gestures for the both of them to sit and hands Hoseok the menu.

“Everything is on the house, of course.”

“Of course.” Minsuk chuckles.

“As if you could give any authority of when things are on the house in this hotel.” Another voice speaks up. A man comes out of a door on the side. He has flared blond hair with a pink tint to it.

“Hey, I practically run this place. The casino downstairs is my home.” Jimin counters leisurely and leans back on his chair. The second man comes around to Jimin’s chair and rests his arm on the high back of the chair.

“Yes, speaking of gambling.” the man looks at Minsuk and Hoseok and gestures to the roulette table against the wall.

“Play for a meal?” she guesses with raised eyebrows. The man smiles lightly and nods. His smile is very concealing.

“As in, I get to choose my own meal, I pay for the meal, or who gets to eat?” she asks as she gets up. If she plays along, it will prove her willingness. Hoseok has no choice but to loosen his grip on her arm.

“How would you like to play? Either way, sounds fun, right?” the man reveals a full and innocent rectangular grin now. She offered many options for the results of the game and it intrigues him how else she might want to spin the game.

“First, I never play with people who I don’t know. For you, I’ll make an exception, but I still need your name.” she crosses her arm but kept her charming smile.

“Ah, forgive my lack of introduction. My name is Kim Taehyung.” he bows and she returns it.

“What, what happens when we lose?” Hoseok attempts to stop the game from continuing further.

“Depends how she wants to play. Corresponding to the options she gave, if she loses, I get to order the food, she pays for everyone’s dinner bill tonight, with money, mind you, and I get to choose when she eats and how she eats. By a single option though. Everything else will be fairly split if she so chooses.” Taehyung looks at Hoseok as he specifies the punishment so Hoseok won’t feel gipped. Minsuk takes the menu from the table and scans the food choices.

“How flexible are you about the rules of this game? And choosing options?” She asks and looks up at Taehyung from the menu.

“Very flexible. What did you have in mind?” Taehyung’s grin twitches again in concealment. He resists his grin because people typically mistake his grin to be malicious, when all of it is just excitement and curiosity. He knows it scares people, so he does his best to hide it when he first meets people. The intrigue never leaves the glint in his eye though.

“I think I’m actually pretty picky, so I would rather choose my own food. I don’t mind paying for the bill in the confines you set, but I’d rather not let money get in the way of our first encounter. I think it’s fair if we split the bill for our own meals. I would like to be able to eat how I want and when I want, so I do not want to include option three in this game, but I think it would be intriguing if I were able to win…” she thinks out loud as she looks at the roulette wheel.

“You make fair points about the money, I will not argue with you on that. But we never talked about what would happen if you won.” Taehyung points out. she looks up at him and breaks out into laughter, “Oh yeah.”

“We can set your winnings as what you just said. But only,” he hands you a white ball and holds up a black one of his own.

“If you get your single, you win all three components of the bet. If you don’t get the number, color, or even/odd number right, then I either choose your food from the menu, you pay for it, or you have to feed me when I want it and I feed you when I feel like it. If you don’t hit your number but you get the corresponding color or even/odd number and I do, I will decide which one of the components of the bet you lost. Vice versa if you win. If neither of us gets it, then we just consider this meal without a bet and continue the night as it is.” From the side, Minsuk can hear Jimin’s low whistle and a screech on the floor as he gets up from the chair.

“Hey, Tae. Is that really necessary?” Jimin puts an arm around his friend, trying to not take it too far on the first encounter.

Taehyung shrugs and looks at her, blocking her view from Hoseok. He recognizes easily that she always looks to Hoseok for guidance, but she has her own mind more than anything. Taehyung wants to see what she would do on her own.

She has already started the intriguing bet and the rules are already talked about. She can’t back out. No way but through and through.

“Who said he would win though?” She counters at Jimin’s words and looks at Taehyung with an accepting smile. He can tell that she isn’t challenging him, but humoring him. That’s all he need.

29. A black odd number. You give him your bet and hold up your ball.

12. A red even number.

He spins the roulette wheel so fast, her mind starts playing tricks on her; she sees the blurred red and green squares moving backwards. She goes first and spins her ball against the wheel’s direction. Hers land on 31 black. Taehyung gets his 12. 

Hoseok immediately comes to her side and puts an arm on her shoulder, ready to fight anyone who takes her, if they dare.

“You can’t take it too hard on yourself. He comes here often to gamble in the first place.” Jimin runs a hand through his hair and gives her a sympathetic smile.

“And you didn’t care to mention that?”

“You didn’t ask. It’s okay, not bad. You were close.” Taehyung notes in fake consolation; she knows he really doesn’t care. But doesn’t really care if he cares anyway.

“So, which component do I want you to pay up?” Taehyung tilts his head and taps his finger on his chin. She cracks a small smile because she feels like he looks like a child who won a game against an adult. Taehyung and Jimin are confused by her smile but they hid their confusion.

“I agree that I don’t want us to have any monetary grievances between us, even though it is fully warranted. I’ve met many a man who still gripe about losing to me fair and square. I don’t believe you are, but this isn’t a simple bet you’re here for today anyway. I know you’re not allergic to anything on this menu, so I think I can order anything and it won’t cause any harm to you…” Taehyung glances at Hoseok, who has his fist clenched on his side.

“I think I want you to feed me. And I’ll feed you.” Taehyung decides with a silly grin.

“Pleasure to play the game, Mr. Kim.” she shakes his hand out of good sportsmanship. Everyone is able to order their own food. Jimin orders four extra entrees which both Minsuk and Hoseok assumes it would be for the Administration who are supposed to be on their way.

“So where is the Administration? They don’t seem to respect this appointment very well, do they?” you speak up after some small talk.

“They’re here. They just figure you would like to be a little more comfortable before they reveal themselves. They tend to take extra precautions with potential associates. who feel a little uneasy about their reputation.” Taehyung directs his eyes at Hoseok. Hoseok just looks at him with wariness.

“Maybe a one-time partner. We will not be your long-term associate.” Hoseok clarifies his position.

“We don’t ask for anything else.”

Four men come in from the entrance of the dining room, escorted by the lady who escorted you two earlier. Jimin and Taehyung stands up to greet them. Out of social instinct, the siblings also stand up to greet them.

The tallest man wears a fancy black suit with velvet lining. His blond hair is buzzed lowly on the side and the rest is gelled back. His stature is tall and straight and looks down to everyone, exercising his dominant approach. 

The next man is paler, shorter and thinner. His cold exterior with slit eyes easily takes away any mistaken underestimation. He sports platinum blond hair which is longer than the first man but doesn’t pass his eyes. 

The third man is tall and the most handsome. The air around him is much calmer. He may not be the tallest, but his stature is most posh. 

The fourth man is about an inch taller than the third man. He has a boyish face and his black hair is styled to match, but it is clear in his eyes that he’s seen and done more evil than any boy ever should. His expression almost matches Hoseok’s expression of distrust, but his bear more enmity which confuses Minsuk because it’s the first time either of them has seen him.

“Perhaps we waited too long before making our entrance?” The handsome man tries to spark pleasantries to act like he really gives a damn. Does he really? Maybe for pure manners like she would, but not for the sake of the business, which is the attitude Hoseok takes.

“Too be honest, it felt a little pretentious; your entrance was too grand.” She glances down but looks back up to him. He’s amused and gives her a gentle but disapproving smile as an elder would to a child.

“Our apologies, Miss Jung.” The tallest man bows to her with a little amusement to his dimpled smile, and the rest follow suit; the boyish man is a little stiff though. He takes his seat at the end of the table. 

The siblings continue to watch who took which spot. By their research, the tallest man is the crime boss. Jimin and Taehyung moves down to allow the short man to sit next to the crime boss’ left; the underboss. The handsome man takes the short man’s left; the consigliere. Hoseok is on the right and she is on his. Taehyung sits next to her and Jimin sits next to the consigliere, across from Taehyung who is next to you. The boyish man sits at the end of the other side of the table.

“My name is Kim Namjoon. My underboss and consigliere, Min Yoongi and Kim Seokjin. You’ve met Park Jimin and Kim Taehyung. That man at the end is named Jeon Jungkook.”

“I’m Jung Minsuk.” She greets. Namjoon raises an eyebrow, “I know.”

“I know you know. But it’s manners to introduce oneself.” She smiles like a child. Hoseok puts a hand over hers which rests on the armchair. They both agreed earlier that he’d be the one to talk to the mafia.

“I’m Jung Hoseok.” Her brother greets, removing the stiff fear in his manner.

“I realize that earlier in the afternoon, we’ve made a bad first impression. Please forgive us, we would truly like to start all over. Starting now.” Namjoon gives a diplomatic smile as a waiter knocks his way in with the food.

The dinner proceeds with learning about job and term negotiation.

Kang Yeonseok is a politician who Minsuk recognizes and has seen his speeches at least a couple of times on television, even though Minsuk hates politics. The man is charismatic and inspiring. She always feels out of the loop with politics, but at least this man makes it a little more bearable. Even if she doesn’t know the other politicians, she would probably bet that he is one of the few who are actually making a difference. But at the same time, she finds him rigid and probably very intimidating if she ever meets him.

“He’s a threat to Bangtan. I need him corrupted, preferably under our thumb.” Namjoon is very direct about his aim but…

“He’s currently one of the greatest politicians in the country and you want to screw him up? Our country needs to be done being stupid. With him, the country has a fighting chance.” Hoseok raises an eyebrow.

“The stupid country is where we all draw our income. There is no perfect world, country, or society, so why bother? That’s not the point. He’s cleaned up a few of my foes, I’ll give him that, but he’s cleaned up a fraction of my men as well. One is already too much. I’ve got to feed my brothers. It does you no benefit for him to be here either. I know you’re going clean, but we found you, he could find you too. Politicians are stupid, but stupid with unlimited resources. Imagine that unlimited resource in a man who is determined to look up every scum in the underworld. No offense, but that includes you and your sister. She’s no underground rat, but you know where her hands have been, no matter how much you’ve tried to help scrub her clean.” Namjoon nods his head towards Minsuk.

Hoseok resists a gulp and his eyes flickers to his right to see her in his peripheral. She is his endearing sister and there’s no greater fear for him than her consequences coming back to bite her in the ass. She was so young when she got pulled in to the ugly game. All she wanted to do was to help her brother support this family. He’s always been guilt ridden that he can’t provide for her enough to make her feel like she has to help and step in. Namjoon had grabbed his attention.

Unlike Hoseok, Minsuk prefers to read her information and research; besides, he’s supposed to take over the conversation. The files came hidden under the food cart.

Taehyung had already been warned that his gambling reward shall not get in the way of the negotiations. He agreed, but it’s not a promise. Every now and then, he opens his mouth and taps her shoulder. She feeds him and dabs the corners of his mouth gently. He makes a proud face with every bite. He smiles and laughs with Jimin, who tries to stifle his laughter. Jungkook is unamused, and the Administration does their best to ignore the event on that half of the table.

Taehyung gives her either small nibbles or overly big bites that stun her and she almost can’t close her mouth, greatly ruining her table manners. That is only at the beginning though. By every inconsistent bite, he tries to tick her off but as she read more and more, he realizes that she won’t care enough to give him any response. She’s preoccupied with reading Kang Yeonseok’s background information. She barely notices the amount of food she ingests in one bite. Taehyung recognizes her seriousness and compares it to Hoseok’s hostility, favoring her cooperative nature.

He slowly assists her by feeding her regular bites and taking care of his own meal, now that the bet is obviously shot. He reads over her shoulder.

Jimin and Seokjin soon notice her dismissive behavior to the rest of the group. She’s clearly in another world and her quirky multitasking behavior has them amused. She mentally highlights notes and visualizes them on everyone when her head feels like she’s taken in too much. She giggles to herself as she visualizes a post-it on Seokjin’s cheek.

There are many files that she has sprawls them all open around her part of the table and invades Hoseok and Taehyung’s space too, not that they mind.

She busy herself to look at multiple files, interconnecting Politician Kang’s relationship; be they family, friends, partners, and acquaintances. She learns his background, growing up history, his clean record, his family’s records; this guy seems incorruptible. But not everyone around him has the same standards as him.

As she is busy reading, Hoseok negotiates the terms to this “potential” partnership. But really, at this point, everyone knows that Hoseok can’t back out now. Everyone knew this dinner is to hook them long enough to say anything but no.

That is exactly how the Administration had devised the plan. Jimin would hook them with sincerity and honesty. Taehyung’s gamble would keep them obligated to stay for dinner, giving enough time for Namjoon to convince them two, or namely Hoseok, to agree to take the job.

“Minsuk’s education fund will be laundered by her to bring it back into our accounts; that’s how you will pay for the tuition. You are to leave us alone when we are not working, no oversight on our private lives. From the beginning to the end, we will not be revealed of our involvement with you, ever. This is our only job with you; we are not involved with anything else in your business. No side jobs, we are not your associates, we are not your partners aside from this. Our names will not exist in your books and they never leave your lips to your grave. Because this is a job, obviously we need to be actually paid, aside from Minsuk’s education; that’s just a benefit. I say, 5 million won per week.” Hoseok organizes his terms with Namjoon.

“That’s fair, but we will need open communication and constant updates from them. That means that you will update us of your progress every night as well. Seoul is your world now, since your sister will be going to SNU. It’s compromised from being our rendezvous, so we will move to a different location every time, but don’t worry, Cinderella will be back in her dorms before midnight.” Namjoon glances at the distracted Minsuk before turning back to your brother.

“This job is huge, so we know it cannot be done by you two alone. We will provide you any assistance. Jimin, Jungkook, and Taehyung will be under your disposal. If you need anyone else, you let us know. Only for the con’s sake, they will be our eyes, providing close-distance observation, just so we know that the information we receive is consistent from you. It’s not really that we don’t trust you, but – “

“It’s out of precaution. We understand.” She speaks up as she’s still reading, speaking up before Hoseok will get the wrong idea from Yoongi.

This entire time, Yoongi has done his best to ignore the sounds of food being munched, paper being flipped, files being plopped on the table and slid towards Minsuk for easy access. He already knew he doesn’t have to convince her, and so he only cares to focus on the one he has to convince. However, her actions may have come across to him more as dismissive and probably impolite with not being quiet. Her brother is much more diplomatic to him, probably because he’s actually speaking to him in a business-like manner.

Hoseok notices Yoongi’s not-so-subtle glare at her interruption and Hoseok pats her thigh, signaling her to notice her surroundings again, something he constantly needs to remind her of.

She looks up and sees what he sees. She lowers her eyes and gives a small head bow, apologizing for her loud behavior and interruption, even though it is for his good. She goes back to her file and continues what she was doing, but making slower and quieter movements.

Hoseok looks at her concentration, he knows she’s in. He also knows that he can’t say no at this point. Now it’s just the matter of his perspective; needing to be in line with Minsuk’s in order to feel okay with the plan.

“We originally thought that would like you to get close to Kang and slowly make him spin off-track. And when he does, it needs to be related to our businesses so that we have a hold on him.” Namjoon starts to say but she raises her hand. He cocks an eyebrow at her again.

“Yes, Miss Jung?” He calls on her.

“I think your plan has a problem. First of all, have you seen this guy? He’s incorruptible. He can save himself from problems and Hoseok can only get so far with him. He needs to be motivated from a problem that’s not his to solve. It needs to be someone else’s problem that’s related to you and he chooses to involve himself, tricking him into believing passive participation doesn’t mean anything.” She finally tears her eyes away from the last file and gently settles it on top of the other overlapping files in front of her.

“What do you suggest then?” Seokjin asks with a small smile. She blinks at him and looks around the table, flashing a smile. She settles her eyes onto Hoseok, asking him, “How do you think I would do as a model?”

What?

Next Chapter

A Confidence Game 1.4 | BTS Mafia and Con Artist AU

Plot: Hoseok and Minsuk’s parents have died 11 years ago and they have been con artists for 8 years now. The moment Hoseok wants Minsuk to have a chance to start a new life, the Bangtan mafia approaches them to pull one last con.

Words: 5,174

Drama/angst/violence (at some point. we’re dealing with the mafia and con artists here)

Warnings: (M) mature themes

Character Profiles | Previous chapter

Part 1: Foundation Work: The preparations, which are made before the scheme is put in motion, including the elaboration of the plan, the employment of assistants, and so forth.

Minsuk sighs as she plops file over file on top of one another. She and Hoseok took all the documents home that night. Hoseok is currently reviewing the contract with Bangtan as she maps out the important information; the things that were vital to know about the con.

“Honestly, all these information, they’re good, but they’re just scratching the surface. They’re still not as in-depth as you usually can pull up for us. You might have to do some extra digging.” She mumbles and hears Hoseok’s hum as a reply. She looks up. His eyebrows knit together as he analyzes every word.

“Relax. I trust that they need us more than we need them. They tailored this contract for us. You even watched them write it out, print it, staple it, and put it in the folder, before passing it on to you. It hasn’t left her hand since then. Have a little faith.” Hoseok snorts at her last words.

“Faith? In the mafia?” He raises his eyebrows at her, “Minsuk, the world cannot always be trusted, especially not the underworld. It’s because they need us more than we need them that they could trap us. We tripped at our own finish line for them and now we’ve started another race. I need to make sure we finish this and there will be nothing else. I will not allow us to be blindsided by what they’ve offered, which really isn’t enough anyway.”

“You could have given them an outrageous term. You know, throw them off and decide they don’t want to work with us.”

“If they thought I’m just toying with them, they could kill me and sell you.”

“I guess so. Then I’m glad you were cooperative to them.”

“It’s because, beyond me, I know you want to do this.” He reaches out for her hand.

“I know you’re excited that I can be in Seoul with you, but it’s at such a dangerous price. We never mingle ourselves with the depths of the underworld. We don’t know what we’re dealing with. So I want you to promise me.” He makes her look at him dead-straight in the eyes.

“We’re going to keep each other in check to stay safe. We’re going to stay sharp against the mafia. We’re partners for one con with them, but they’re not our family, we are. Family is always going to be the priority here. The moment we are in too deep, we stop. Between the law and the mafia, I’d rather be in trouble with the law.” She inhales sharply.

She knows that the checking on each other is really him checking up on her. She’s more of what Hoseok would call “impulsive”. She’s pulled extemporaneous stunts that could have literally stopped her heart on several occasions, not to mention break his. Not only is Hoseok primarily a planner, he is the one who takes the background roles while she is the main face of each con. He has every right to act cautious for her sake since she isn’t.

Hoseok’s right to not underestimate the mafia’s ruthlessness. But even though they don’t dabble with the rest of the underworld, she knows the common rules. Partnership requires a certain amount of accountability between two parties to pull through; it’s good business. 

Bangtan had a strong name on a global scale, how else can they get there without a fair bit of accountability and efficiency? It’s their good name that had them climb up the ladder. Such reliability doesn’t spout out of nowhere without some truth.

She doesn’t know if there’s an official reason why they spotted them out of all the con artists in South Korea, but it’s true that there have been whispers of their M.O.; but no names, thanks to Hoseok. This matters to Hoseok, but not Minsuk necessarily. At this point, Hoseok is going to keep his sister close and his enemies just as close. Given that she is the closest thing he’s got, it’s saying something.

Maybe she is crazy, getting high off of the thrill. She isn’t sure whether she’s greedy for the rewards or prideful of her work, but there’s some sense of accomplishment at the end of every trick that she can’t find anywhere else. Granted, she’s never really put herself out there to experience anything else that can give her the same feeling. 

Maybe she’s far deeper than her brother hoped and he doesn’t see that because he doesn’t want to. Whatever the case, she knows she has to appease her brother in order to see this through.

“I promise. But you will also promise me. Ever con is dangerous, we both know that. You can’t expect everything to be smooth sailing in this one, even if we have more help, especially because they’re from the mafia. When we do dangerous things, we still need to stay and stick it out to get it done, so we don’t get stuck in a dangerous position. We’re going to put our best efforts because of three reasons: 1) this is our last con, so we need to do this right for ourselves. 2) Even if we don’t care about the mafia and their reasons, we need to execute this con the best we can so there’s no backlash from them. They are technically our first and last client. 3) Clean job is our M.O. We will not allow ourselves to have repercussions from the mafia or the law. We never left any unfinished business, and we will not start now.” she holds out her pinkie. He looks at her pinkie and smiles at her childish gesture, but one she still uses quite often.

“Deal.” He hooks his pinkie on hers and stamp her thumb with his to seal the deal.

The next day, they introduce their proposed con to the mafia.

“We’ve thought it through last night. You said that you would prefer that he is under your thumb, but we’ve already established that you can’t do that because he’ll probably figure a way out. So what we should do is essentially just take him out of the political game. Since he can see past direct attempts, we need to look for someone in his life who can’t. When that person gets backed into your corner and he feels like he needs to help him out, then he consciously chooses to plunge his hands into the filth. He’s in such a pedestal to the public. The moment he falls, he has everything to lose.” Hoseok begins.

“What’s the bad choice he has to make?” Yoongi asks.

“Don’t know yet. We’re still digging through for more information. Somehow, you’ll make a deal with him that he can’t say no to because of that person he’s helping out. It needs to be a deal that you can attempt to rationalize for his benefit though. This is essentially a con within a con.” Minsuk folds her hands and smiles at everyone.

“A dream within a dream.” Jimin mumbles through his fingers and gives a sly smile at Yoongi like some sort of inside joke. Yoongi just grunts and gestures to Hoseok to continue.

“Who’s the person you are corrupting?” Namjoon asks Minsuk.

“His son.” Hoseok took out a folder and slid it over to Namjoon.

“He’s a third year at SNU, majoring in photography and journalism. I’m still working on how to approach him though. The idea is in here,” she taps her skull, “but I’m still working out the plan.”

“What are you doing while she’s working on her mark?” Seokjin points to Hoseok.

“I’m going to be on Kang’s side. Working out the politics, keeping an eye on him, and figuring out a way to find a “beneficial” deal for you to give to him.”

“How long will all of this take?” Yoongi asks.

“The university semester starts in the beginning of March. Elections are mid-April and it’s cleaner to just have him drop out of the race before then. Right now is just the beginning of January. We’re looking at three and a half months. But since March is when semester starts, we actually have a month and a half to actually con Mark and his father.

“Since the semester starts in March, what are you going to be doing now?” Namjoon asks.

Minsuk looked at Jimin, Taehyung, and Jungkook.

“I’d like to get to know you.”

The first person she goes along with is Jimin back to the first hotel they met. She looks at the different cameras in front of her. They’re currently in the security office, watching the people gambling their lives away in the casino.

“Why gambling? I mean, Koreans aren’t known for their gambling.”

“You’re right, but how many Koreans do you see down there, other than those who work for me? It’s very few. Most of the people who enter in are tourists. We’ve landed casinos in Las Vegas, Macau, Atlantic City, Monte Carlo, Reno, and other places with a high gambling reputation. They all highly recommend ours back in this country and so we technically monopolize majority of the gambling joints in Korea, and we’re in Seoul so there’s a lot of people who pass by. We’ve got other smaller casinos all around the country as well, so I don’t have to stay in one place all the time. Since we have the ability to monopolize it, why not? It’s a market others can’t compete with us.”

“Do you personally enjoy gambling?” She asks.

“Being a firsthand observer of those addicted, I’m not tempted. But I’m not really in it for the gambling aspect.” Before she can ask for further explanation, his phone alerts him something. He looks at the notification and smirks.

He looks at her, “Do you want to know what I’m talking about? Fair warning, it’s a long drive.” She nods and goes along with him.

“Stay in the car. Wouldn’t want your brother putting me in a headlock for bringing you to some place dangerous. You can observe through the tinted windows.” Jimin doesn’t look at her and slides out of the car and closes the door before anyone outside can sneak a peek to know she’s still inside.

She cracks open the sunroof to hear the conversation outside and scoots closer to the window. She looks at the driver who quickly glances at her through the rearview mirror but angles his head so it won’t look like he’s looking at anyone in the back of the car. She stares at him until he looks away and so did she.

“Mr. Park.” The man walks towards Jimin and they meet halfway.

“Mr. Long, I heard you were in a fair bit of trouble. What’s going on? Tell me everything” Jimin shakes the hand of the man who’s already shaking. Mr. Long sniffs as he looks left and right, and then to the car.

“Can we go inside? It’s a little cold out.”

“Sure.” Jimin turns towards the car and walks towards it with Mr. Long tailing behind him. His piercing stare made Minsuk feel like he can see her even through the darkened windows. Passenger’s seat, he mouths.

She quickly hurdles herself forward and climbs to the front passenger’s seat. She slouches as low as she can and raises the privacy window between the driver and the backseats. She looks at the driver, again with another awkward stare until he looks away.

She hears the car door in the back open and close. The weight of two men shift the car.

“How about some brandy to warm up?” Jimin takes the brandy bottle in the back and a glass.

“Thank you.” When Jimin hands him the glass, Jimin shifts himself to face the man and stretches his arm to rest on the back of the seat.

“What’s going on?”

“So I’m here on vacation, right? I stayed at the casino hotel nearby and I kind of spent the past four days gambling. A couple hours ago, I realized I’ve gambled away everything except for 600k won. I played my last game of black jack with the ante starting at 295k won. I had 19 and I kept raising, hoping to buy the pot but the dealer had a 20. I lost to a damn 20. The pot was 2.4 million won…”

“So now you own the casino 2.4 million won.” Jimin plays with the rings on his finger while expressing concern in his eyes.

“Yeah. Look, I know we haven’t met long, but seriously, you introduced me to the hotel. I need some fast money. I can’t get the money from home, that account is being watched by my wife. Luckily, I already have my round trip ticket home, but I know I can’t leave until I pay.” Jimin looks stressed as he rubs his eyebrow and puts a finger to his lips.

“So let me get this straight. You actually do have the money at home, but you can’t get it? It’s just a matter of your wife right? You can convince her, can’t you? It’s a problem stuck in whether or not you can convince her. It’s not necessarily that you don’t have the money.” Jimin clarifies.

“My wife can’t know I’ve been gambling here. She thinks I’ve been clean for half a year. Look buddy, you introduced me to the hotel, you got me that escort that used up a good fraction in one night. You need to help me.”

“You’re putting the blame on me, huh? It’s your own damn fault for giving in. Who told you to listen to me? We met at the bar in an airport.” Jimin slowly shows his true colors.

“I – well, you told me that if anything happens, come to you.” She raises her eyebrows at the sound of that. It sounds very familiar because she’s heard it many times in her own cons. Jeez, people are stupid.

“I did. And I did say that I’ll help. But I never said I’m helping you. You’re asking me to help you pay myself back. What idiot would do that?” Jimin tilts his head at Mr. Long and gives him silence to figure it out.

“You – you’re –“ Mr. Long puts the pieces together and turns around to open the door and scramble out, but Jimin quickly locks the door on his side and lunges towards Mr. Long. Jimin puts his arm horizontally to lock Mr. Long from moving his arms to defend himself and gives him a few solid punches. Jimin rams his knee to the man’s right gut. He rams Mr. Long’s head against the window and the window cracks. He throws him to the other side and elbows the man’s calf. Minsuk winces when she hears a sickening crack.

Mr. Long shakes as he unlocks the door and opens it, rolling out of the car. He crawls forward as he cries and Jimin leisurely steps out of the car, playing with his rings again. Minsuk raises her head slightly to see Jimin’s back as he crouches down to Mr. Long and gives him a pat on the back.

“Look, all you have to do is fess up to your wife. It sucks, no doubt. But consider the alternative: me. How much is 2.4 million won in your country? $2000, give or take? It could be worse. You have two more days until your flight back home. I suggest you convince your wife to transfer the money to you overnight. The mafia isn’t patient or lenient with people who don’t pay their dues.”

“The ma–mafia?” Mr. Long sputters and finally sees the shadows on Jimin’s face, seeing his true nature.

“Yeah, uh, the hotel? It’s owned by Bangtan. If you don’t know who that is…jeez, have you been living under a rock? Pay the casino tomorrow by 4pm. If not, let’s just say you’re far too easy to find. I don’t need you to message me to know where you were, just saying.” Jimin stands up and takes in the surroundings. He exhales and runs a hand through his hair.

“You’re right, it’s pretty cold. Here.” Jimin goes to the back trunk and pulls out an extra coat and throws it on top of Mr. Long.

“Wouldn’t want you to freeze to death before you paid. If it’s after 4pm tomorrow and you haven’t paid yet, well then, I’ll be taking the coat back.” Jimin turns his heel and goes into the car, signaling the driver to go, leaving Mr. Long.

Minsuk lowers the privacy window and turns her body to look at him. She peeks through her seat to look at him and he looks at her, or only up to her nose.

“You look cute.”

“You look scary. It wouldn’t truly faze you if my brother did put you in a headlock, would it?” Jimin barks in laughter as he rubs his rings again. He kisses them even though she’s pretty sure there was some blood on it.

“What did you expect? I’m a part of the Bangtan.”

“I don’t know. I don’t really have any expectations.” He stares at her for a second. Sure, she admits that she thinks he’s scary, but she really doesn’t show that she’s actually afraid. If anything, he thinks she’s intrigued.

“Well, now you know me. Did you get what you wanted? What did you want anyway?”

“I guess so. I’m trying to see how I can integrate you, Taehyung, and Jungkook into the job. If I figure your strengths and weaknesses, I can put you in a place where it’s best for you so you can be as natural in your roles as you can.”

“I see. Well good luck in doing that. And trust me; I’m not the worst one out of the three of us.” Jimin looks out the window. Minsuk turns her body to face the front again.

The next one is Taehyung. His “home” is an unassuming small medical facility in Daegu. In there, Minsuk finds many of Bangtan’s soldiers in one side of the medical facility, getting treated and checked up. Apparently, they come with their own medical insurance and hospital. It actually has all the technology for any health related conditions ready for emergencies.

The other side of the facility is open to the public, sort of.

Taehyung is the drug dealer for Bangtan, dabbling in all sorts of narcotics and stimulants. Minsuk wonders if any of that could account for the strange extra bounce in his stride. He has her walk beside him as he strolls through the facility to the employee’s only door in the back. He swipes his card key, punches in a code, and uses an actual key inserted into the door before opening it.

“So much security.” Minsuk notes as they go through and pass a cold hallway into a hot boiler room. They descended underground of the facility and finally came to her destination.

“Welcome, to my lab.” Taehyung exclaims and bounces down the metal stairs and she follows him.

Many people are in confined glass cubicles and it seems that they are doing chemical tests. At the top of every cubicle’s door, there is a series of different symbols.

“I made that. It’s my own language.” Taehyung says proudly when he turns around and sees MInsuk trying to make sense of it.

“What are they supposed to stand for?”

“Only those in the cubicles and I know. But I’m sure you’ll figure it out, it’s fairly easy. Just don’t say anything.”

She observes the people through the glass but doesn’t say anything.

Taehyung moves on without another word either and she knows that he’s going to leave her here if she doesn’t recognize that she needs to follow him. She’s supposed to be the well-trained puppy that follows its master without a leash.

They come to the end where there is another door. She follows him into a tunnel. The end is into a bright, white clean room with just three people working there. They walk up to the three people in the room and see one of them working on drug pills, one on powder, and the last one working with liquids.

“Are these all the same drug?” MInsuk asks.

“Correctamundo!” He exclaims and takes a pill to show her.

“This is the Victory drug. It’s from a Russian plant which thrives in harsh conditions, thus named as the Victorious Flower. I would show you the flower, but we don’t have it right now. It’s currently being imported here though.”

“What kind of drug is it?”

“It’s a stimulant drug. Major effects include euphoria, pain-numbing, and hallucinations. Interesting isn’t it?”

“What are the side effects?”

“Victory is not for everyone. Do not consume it if you are pregnant or trying to get pregnant. Side effects may include excessive sweating, aggression, nausea, anxiety, paranoia, short term memory loss, increased blood pressure and heart rate, increased body temperatures, tremors, seizures, or even death. Consult your doctor before taking Victory.” He speaks quickly and smoothly like a detached pharmaceutical commercial that makes her laugh.

“For real though, you need to be in a safe environment if you ever do consume it.” He puts it down and she follows him back upstairs.

She goes to the second half of the medical facility where there are a few people around.

“They’re here for…medication?” She asks quietly as they pass some people. She can see the restlessness and dark circles in some of their faces.

“Yup. And they aren’t allowed to leave with Victory. That’s why we have this room for them to stay in until they’re done. Because of the increase in body temperature, we have a cold room for them to make them feel more comfortable.” Taehyung opens the door for her and she goes in. He closes the door on her and watches her from the window. She turns her head to look at him and then back at the rest of the room.

People are sprawled on the floor, the chairs, couches, tables, corners; anywhere and everywhere. Everyone is drugged and experiencing the high of it. The room is cold and bare other than the simple furniture for the people to relax on. Everything is bolted down on the floor though, so there’s no throwing chairs or overturning tables. On the wall, there is a sign that says no weapons.

There’s a guy squatted on the floor against a wall. He looks up to Minsuk with his head tilted and lolling around. He gets up and staggers towards her. He takes out a knife in his pocket and screams, running towards her. She backs up to the door and bangs on it, screaming to be let out. When the man gets to her, his movements are rather slow enough for her to grab his wrist to keep him from stabbing her.

“Let me out, Taehyung!” She yells behind her. The man wretches his wrist out of her grasps and throws her on the floor.

“The symbols mean what drugs you have in your lab!” She yells. The moment the man is about to stab her, Taehyung steps in and grabs his wrist. He twists his wrist and the man dropped the knife. Taehyung catches the knife in midair and spins the man. Taehyung knees his back and the man falls forwards to the wall. He’s taken out of the room by other men.

“I thought you’re not supposed to have weapons in here.”

Taehyung looks down at her with a glare. He pulls her up and holds the knife up to her.

“I thought I told you to not say anything. You don’t know how to follow the rules.” he threatens her.

“You don’t either!” she yells back.

“You don’t get to consult the doctor before taking Victory.” He says lowly. Taehyung pulls her out of the room and back to the lab where he takes liquefied Victory in a syringe needle and walks towards her. He traps her on a chair and has the needle looming over her collar bone.

“I’ll give you one more chance.” He says. He rests his cheek on his hand as he looks at his needle dancing above her skin. What chance? What did he want?

“Name the first drugs in the cubicles on the right and left. Get it wrong, then this goes into you, and you go in the boiler room.” He explains. He’s a little irritated that she doesn’t know what he was talking about. Too slow.

She closes her eyes and tries to flashback to the symbols but it’s too difficult, especially when there’s a needle with a drug about to be inserted into her. Instead, she decides to remember inside the glass cubicles. She at least knows the first cubicle because of the identifiable black sticky mush on the table. She tries to remember the left cubicle but she can’t. She doesn’t even remember what the drug looked like.

She feels the needle poking at you, but not breaking skin yet. She can’t wait and guesses.

“Meth and opium!” She yells. She feels the needle move away from her and the pressure of his arm is lifted off her chest.

“Did you deduce it from the drug itself or the symbols?”

“I’m not telling you.” she looks at him. He raises his eyebrows and shrugs. He turns away and puts the needle down on the table.

“There’s a car waiting outside for you. You’re done here.”

Jungkook silently goes about his way, ignoring Minsuk. He doesn’t slow down for her to keep up with him, he glares at anyone passing by who looks at her longer than they should, and she almost has the door close on her face.

“Slow down.” she calls after him, picking up her pace again. He only walks faster.

“What is this place? Hey, I’m talking to you. I know you don’t like me. I don’t know why so you should at least tell me that.” She tries again. He stops in his tracks and turns around to look at her with his biggest glare.

“I’ve lost men because of you.”

“Huh?” she tilts her head in confusion. This is the second day they have met and she’s been unaffiliated with Bangtan before that.

“Do you know why you were picked? I don’t know either! You’ve got in the way of several payments that I couldn’t collect because your cons were directed at my clients. I can’t complete deals in my business because someone had already drained my potential clients of all they’re worth. I get my men in a lot of trouble and hassle in order to get things done and you are an inconsistency that I can’t seem to escape from. We’ve gotten caught from the police because you heightened the senses of my clients and they’ve been able to catch a few of my men. My ass gets chewed while they purposefully locate you and hire you!”

“Hey, don’t blame me for not being able to do your job right. It’s not my job to make sure I don’t hurt anyone else’s agenda in the process of feeding me and my brother. What the hell do you think I do for a living?” she shoots back at him. He shakes his head at her with a glare.

“It’s exactly that I know what you do that I don’t trust you. You’re a con artist. I don’t know what you could do to us, but I know what we have to offer. Any idiot who’s greedy enough will try to take it and I know you’re that greedy idiot. I won’t let you do that. You are not going to break Bangtan, do you hear me? And I will not be ordered around by you. You are not the authority over me. Stay away from me.”

She raises her eyebrows at him. This is his real concern; not the fact that she’s messed up his plans on several occasions, even if she had no knowledge of it. His real concern is that she would mess up the actual organization.

This guy is delusional! She barely acknowledged their name before they approached her, let alone come up with some hidden agenda in the span of two days. She has the ability to do so, but Hoseok wants to finish the mission and be done with it. As much as she enjoys being a con artist, she knows he’s right and she’s willing to finish this and be rid of Bangtan forever.

“Look, I don’t want to cause trouble. If I did, I’m sure you or Bangtan would have no problem getting rid of me or my brother. But here I am and here you are. If we both want to not have to see each other again, we need to be efficient and cooperate so the job is done as soon as possible. I’ll do my best to not order you around, but remember, we’re here only for a job. It’s your bosses’ request, so at least respect that and try to work with me. Just a little while. Just three and a half months, if that.”

Normally, it’s probably not a good idea to stare at the mafia straight in the eye, in case they take it as some sort of defiance or challenge, but she usually does so people would trust her through eye contact.

He just looks at her for several moments before turning his heel, “We’re going down to my warehouse.”

She lets out a silent breath and follows him. His steps are still fast, but at least he doesn’t pick up the pace when she catches up to him.

Underground is his warehouse. Men in black walk around carrying large wooden cases. Jungkook has one of them crank open the case and takes out a firearm. Minsuk quietly observes him with his men surrounding him as he checks through the product.  She looks at other open cases. Grenades, hand guns, rifles, shot guns, machine guns, anything with fire power really. He gives a head nod to them and puts it back in the case, having his men take it away.

“Who do you sell these to?” She asks. She sees Jungkook’s shoulders rise and fall from his heavy breathing.

“Overseas organizations, overseas mafia, and individual consumers.” He answers quickly. She looks around the warehouse. This place must be over several hundred acres and three stories high worth of weapons in this place. Enough for the whole army and then some.

“I got to go. Thanks!” Minsuk runs up the stairs and Jungkook turns around to see her walk out of the door. 

He clenches his teeth. He takes the firearm in the case, cocks it, and shoots at the door where her head was just moments ago.

A/N: Finally finished this chapter! Yay!

Brownie points to you if you can figure out why I named it Victory ;)

Next Chapter

A Confidence Game 1.5 | BTS Mafia and Con Artist AU

Plot: Hoseok and Minsuk’s parents have died 11 years ago and they have been con artists for 8 years now. The moment Hoseok wants MInsuk to have a chance to start a new life, the Bangtan mafia approaches them to pull one last con.

Words: 3,297 | Drama/angst/violence (at some point. we’re dealing with the mafia and con artists here)

Warnings: (M) mature themes

Character Profiles | Previous Chapter

Part 1: Foundation Work: The preparations, which are made before the scheme is put in motion, including the elaboration of the plan, the employment of assistants, and so forth.

Yoongi and Namjoon settle on the bar chairs and Seokjin goes behind the counter to pour out a couple drinks.

“You know, with the Jung’s reputation, I would have expected a little more concrete plan. Right now, it’s just goals and objectives.” Yoongi looks at Namjoon who looks forward at the folder that holds the plan outline the con artists concocted last night.

“Well, it’s normally how a plan starts. Give them some time, since they have a whole month anyway. Not everyone plans their every breath like you do, Yoongi. I’m already surprised they gave us an outline, bet they never had to do that before since they’ve never had a client.” Seokjin says with his back turned at them.

“I think they’re on a relatively proper pace.” Namjoon stares at the folder that Hoseok slid over to him earlier at the meeting. Minsuk had drawn a cartoonish girl giving a wink and an okay sign on the cover of the folder. Yoongi follows his gaze. Namjoon rarely gives credit to their associates; mostly because he rarely shows his face to majority of them. But it still stands that he rarely gives credit, and he rarely gives slack.

“She’s a con artist.” Yoongi reminds Namjoon. Seokjin turns around at that time to put the drinks down in front of his friends.

“I know.”

“She can’t be trusted.”

“I know.”

“We hired them because they are the best at what they do. That’s it.”

“I know. I found them. I chose them. I watched them. I know exactly what their capabilities are and who they are. I run this. Namjoon snaps.

“You’re usually not the one to do the research. Because of that, it’s messing with your head. You observed them for so long that you’re deluding to establish some sort of connection with them. You are rarely directly involved in any of our business. You’re the boss so you don’t have to. So what are you getting out of this now?” Yoongi presses.

“Because this is big. We’re facing our biggest threat here. You’re right. I’m the boss and I need to know this won’t screw up.” Yoongi stares at him. Does that mean he doesn’t trust Yoongi to get it done? What the hell has he been doing this whole time then?

Yoongi is about to open his mouth again but Seokjin interjects.

“Guys, look. We all know who they are and what they can do. Namjoon, you did the work and you’re prepared, or else you wouldn’t have ordered to use them, we get that. But we’ve met too many deceptive people. We never completely trusted what the files tells us or what our eyes observe, no matter how prepared we are at the start. There are always uncertainties we can’t afford to ignore. It pays to stay skeptical of everyone’s motives at this point. It’s only natural. We don’t trust them, it’s nothing new. Since when have we truly trusted anyone outside of the seven of us?” Seokjin puts his outstretched hands on the bar and leans casually.

“You are married, you know.” Namjoon murmurs.

“Yeah, okay. Fine, eight of us.” Seokjin rolls his eyes and looks at the clock.

“Speaking of my wife, I’ve got dinner. Remember, we don’t ever trust those outside of us. We only trust their professionalism enough to get shit done.” Seokjin grabs his coat and leaves.

Namjoon and Yoongi just sit next to each other in silence, rubbing their glass in their hands.

“She’s lively, that’s all.” Namjoon finally says. Yoongi looks at him.

“It’s rare to see anyone in the underworld with so much spirit.” Yoongi snorts.

“I think she’s just naïve. Her real world is nothing but cartoons, her brother, fiction, and cereal. She doesn’t even watch the news. She’s ignorant of the rest of the world is all. It’s stupidity, not liveliness. Not to mention, she’s reckless. I would have never believed that she was the one who conned well for eight years if it wasn’t for the results. Her brother is the more sensible one but he isn’t helping the situation for her. He is so protective of her. Either way, it’s their skill set that we are interested. Not them. And anyone with that skill set, no matter how ignorant they may be, they aren’t trusted.” Yoongi corrects.

“I don’t remember the last time I felt so blissfully ignorant.” Namjoon mumbles. Blissfully is Namjoon’s keyword, but Yoongi ignores it, even though he feels like he needs to correct it. Ignorance wasn’t bliss to Yoongi. It gets in the way of what is true.

“Good, you wouldn’t want to. You shouldn’t, especially in our line of business.” Yoongi says as he raises his glass to his lips.

“You’re right. I’ve been watching her for so long, so it feels like I know her. I may be a little distracted, but my head is on straight. I know what I’m doing. Our ultimate goal is to get rid of Kang. I won’t think anything else.” Namjoon turns his head slightly to Yoongi but still doesn’t look at him. There is something unsettling with his choice of words again. “Ultimate” goal stuck in Yoongi’s head but he chooses to ignore it again.

“Good. That’s all we want.” Namjoon and Yoongi clinks glasses.

“So I went with Jungkook to his warehouse. He’s the weaponry capo. Apparently he deals with weapons and protection racketeering. What do you think?” Minsuk asks Hoseok the moment she settles down at home again.

He hums in response, “You’re thinking of using weapons as the deal Bangtan will make with Kang.” She smiles. She loves working with her brother because of well they know each other.

“Yeah. Say Bangtan wants to find more opportunities to make money and make use of their assets -”

“- and then strike the deal with Kang, since he knows people in the Republic of Korea Armed Forces.” Hoseok finishes off for her.

“Exactly.”

“Let me do a little research on the current suppliers and the procedures.” Hoseok already starts typing away to do his research. Minsuk plops on the other side of the couch as she watches her brother.

“I’m thinking of doing some modeling for Mark Kang. You know, to get to know him. In his photography class that he’s taking this semester, the past few syllabuses say that he needs to create a portfolio by the end of the term. I want to be one of his subjects and I think that way, I can spend some time with him.”

“What happens after the job ends?” She shrugs at him.

“Probably won’t bump into him anymore. The school’s pretty big. And besides, I don’t really think he’ll pay attention to one of his models after what he’s gonna have to go through.”

“If you’re the one who lures him into it, he will. If he connects the dots…”

“Come on, I’m going to have to get in touch with him at some point. We knew that the moment I chose to choose him as my mark, it was because he goes to the school. I have no time to run around Seoul for another contact of Kang’s without any authentic reason. I’m new to Seoul and I want to earn a little extra money and if being taken photos by photography majors can help with that, then little ol’ me is all up for it. It’s why I came into college two years later than all other freshman, because I’ve had to slave to save tuition.”

Hoseok shakes his head as she threads her story together so naturally. Something she learned in this line of work is to create a story; interesting enough to get people hooked, but not so overelaborate that she’s memorable. Blending in while standing out is quite the feat. Only difference this time, she’s incorporating her real life into it. It’s dangerous because one, she can get her personal life involved, and two, she might become overinvolved with the job.

The sooner this is over, the better.

“I looked through the previous syllabus for photography majors in the class that Mark is taking. Every semester, the photography class needs to create a portfolio of only the things they’ve worked on this year. Minsuk will be his subject. That’s a perfect situation for her to be in, seeing how she’ll be a part of the university anyway.” Her brother says and he shifts his attention to her in the corner of his eye. It took her a little persuading him because he’s concerned it’s going to mess up her education/real life. She had to convince him it was the easiest and simplest way to find someone to corrupt. Any other situation would have taken more effort and they wanted to finish this job fast.

“When we con, we’re exploiting people’s vulnerabilities. We figure out their desires and we give it to them on a silver platter to the point that they rely on us for its availability. In this particular case, we need to figure out what Mark’s vulnerability point is and then find a way to hand off his reliance to you.” She explains her part of the con.

“We found out a little something about our military. Did you know that the Trigrams mafia is one of the domestic military weapon suppliers for the Republic of Korea Army? I’m sure you know that the Trigrams has four branches, each branch signifies as one of the trigrams on our flag. The supplier is the Heaven Branch.” As evidence, Hoseok slides a photograph of the butt of one of the military’s assault rifle. There was a small insignia of three unbroken bars as the Heaven trigram.

“We believe that there is a mole or undercover mafia in the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, specifically within the Republic of Korea Army, what we know as ROK Army. Only the ROK Army has this insignia on their military equipment. Kang has connections with the Ministry of Interior. If we give him clues to help figure out there is corruption involved with the suppliers and help uncover the mystery, and then we can effectively take the person out as well as gain Kang some attention. When we do, there is a reason for you, the mafia with strong weapons, to swoop in and take over as the new supplier. Mind you, there are holes and concerns. If it is simply a mole, he is much easier to deal with. If he is an undercover mafia, we are directly in contact with another mafia. Either way, we are going to go against the Trigrams, but if the person is undercover, direct contact is much more dangerous to handle.”

“Wouldn’t it be stupid for Kang to uncover the Trigram’s involvement and then find another mafia to take their place?” Namjoon asks with knitted eyebrows.

“That’s the thing. This hole in our plan is actually a decoy. You see, all he needs to know is that his son is in trouble with the wrong people, the deed is done and the hands are dirty. He needs to scrub them clean for his son, and that’s when you offer the deal in exchange for his son. He’ll know your deal is stupid, and he won’t take it. The moment he makes contact with you guys, he’s black, all you have to do is claim proof of his involvement and he’s done for. But I mean if he does agree with you, there’s no loss on your half. Your fake proof will become real evidence. But I highly doubt he’ll agree.” Hoseok explains all in three breaths. No one claims objection to it so Hoseok goes on with the plan.

“By being on Kang’s side, I’ll be able to look into the conspiracy and slowly hand the information to Kang.”

“What do you need from us, other than that last bit of the plan?” Yoongi asks.

“Your men.” Minsuk looks at the three other guys in the room, other than the Administration and points to them, “I need Jimin and Taehyung to come with me to the university. I need the both of you with me to figure out his weakness. Jungkook is your military capo so he will be the one making the deal with Kang. He can stay low until then.” Jungkook looks away from her but glances at Yoongi. Yoongi nods and Jungkook looks down in acknowledgment. Jimin and Taehyung both give Minsuk a curt nod.

“Who will be watching you then? We need someone to keep tabs on you too.” Yoongi says to Hoseok. Everyone is silent, looking around. The Administration won’t get involved and the current capos are now occupied under Minsuk’s authority.

“This person could assist you in keeping watch over Kang. Maybe his assistant or something?” Minsuk suggests to Hoseok.

“Not his personal assistant. That person would have no business in contacting me. If I’m going to be a part of his political campaign, so will that person. We can find someone to take a role in the campaign.” Hoseok discusses.

“We’ll look through our men and see who can take up the task. Are there any criteria to fulfill?”

“They’re getting involved into grifting and politics, so someone who can bullshit is pretty crucial. Detailed oriented and reliable. Any background in politics would be helpful, but not necessary. We don’t go in each role with one hundred percent related skill set. But if no one has ever been a grifter, to have some knowledge is better than none in order to bluff your way through.” Hoseok advises.

“No.” Seokjin crosses his arms and stares down at the shorter man. After the meeting with the con artists, the mafia goes off to do their jobs and hunt for another capo or soldiers they can find. Yoongi, however just follows Seokjin home and here they are, standing in the middle of Seokjin’s living room.

“But she can do this. She was a political science major and you know she’s a capable person. She’ll help.” Yoongi tries to convince Seokjin but it seems like Seokjin is pretty firm.

“This isn’t any of her business. We don’t family involved. I’m not getting my family involved in this.” Seokjin says firmly.

“Get me involved into what?” They both turn to see Seokjin’s wife return home.

“You cornered me home so she would find out.” Seokjin whips his head to Yoongi and glares at him.

“Maybe.” Yoongi shrugs. He looks at Sangmi. She is a beautiful woman who is the same age as him. She and Seokjin met in her last year of college and they got married three and a half years ago.

“You know, I haven’t really got in touch with much politics since I married Seokjin.” Sangmi starts after hearing the whole story.

“But you still keep up with the news; you know what’s currently going on. They say the actual skill isn’t required, just preferred if you’ve never had any grifting experience. We don’t need you to grift on Politician Kang as much as keep an eye on the con man. As long as you can stay by Kang’s side, that’s all we need from you. Our men’s eyes are far too intense to pass as a simple political campaign team member. If you keep under the radar, you can be forgettable after the job ends.” Yoongi tries to convince both Seokjin and Sangmi after they all sit down.

“Sounds easy enough. You say this will help you guys? I’m more than willing to help. I can see why none of your soldiers would want to do something as tedious as babysit a con man.” Sangmi chuckles and looks over at Seokjin’s set jaw.

Yoongi sees Sangmi is okay with it, now it’s just Seokjin.

“We don’t get family involved.”

“Technically, we’ve never established that, seeing how the only family we have outside of us is Namjoon’s family who started this and Sangmi. It is preferred, but really, she’d be great at the job.” Yoongi argues.

“Not saying that getting married to you isn’t the best thing in my life, but before getting married, I was focused on the wedding. Now, I’ve focused on doing some remodeling in this house. I can hand it off to the architect and get myself out of the house a little bit. It’s only a month or two, right? You guys don’t have to make contact automatically.” Sangmi helps Yoongi’s argument.

“The other grifter doesn’t have to make contact yet, but the one you need to watch will integrate himself onto Kang’s team as soon as possible to get as much time to plan and dig.”

“So one extra month, three months. That’s still not too bad. It’s a lot of quiet supervision and reporting to you right? I’ll be fine. Kang would barely know I’m there. I know how to be quiet as a mouse too.” Sangmi rubs Seokjin’s arm lightly, soothing him into agreeing.

“Seokjin, come on. I’ve never let you down before. This is a simple task and it doesn’t get her hands dirty. We’ll make sure Hoseok won’t have her do anything like that.” Yoongi promises.

“Okay. It better be as simple and small as you say. I don’t want Kang to notice her. And don’t get chummy with the grifter either. We don’t tell them anything about Bangtan other than what’s necessary for the job. Anything else is crossing the line, got it?” Seokjin pats Sangmi’s hand on his arm. Sangmi nods in understanding.

Sangmi smiles at both of them.

“So, when do I start?”

The next morning, Sangmi is introduced to Hoseok.

“Alright, now it’s the matter of finding a spot in his campaign to fill.” Hoseok announces.

“We’ve got that covered. We’ve recently got in touch with their volunteer coordinator. She just quit.” MInsuk and Hoseok instantly narrow their eyes and Minsuk stands up.

“Did you guys make her quit? What happened to her? Did you guys kill her? This isn’t part of the plan; we don’t kill anyone, ever!”

“We do.” Jimin points out.

“We are not going through with this if this is how we get the job done. I’m not going to agree to this.” Minsuk crosses her arms.

“Relax. She’s not dead. We just gave her a good reason to retire. She’s safe, off the radar, living normally. No threats were involved.” Taehyung rolls his eyes at Minsuk. Her eyes stay narrow though.

“First of all, she’s a regular civilian with no bad background; there was no reason for us to harm her so we doesn’t, alright? Second of all, you’re currently doing a job for us. Other than your contract terms, you have to live with what we choose to do on our end. Your contract says you two aren’t getting involved with murder, so you’re not. And if she was murdered, the fact is you’re not involved. Neither is Sangmi, she’s just another innocent applicant after the volunteer coordinator retired and neither of you are a part of that either. Third of all, you are in no authority to give us ultimatums with that attitude. So, chill; sit down.”

After a few awkward silences, Minsuk settles back into her seat.

“Sangmi, I’m sending you in first. Since they just lost someone, they’re quicker to replace that person than any other positions. Do you need help to guide you through the interview?” Hoseok asks, breaking up the tension and focusing back into the meeting.

“No, I’m pretty sure I know how to get through a job interview.” Sangmi smiles politely. Hoseok gives a curt nod. He files in her application to the system and in two days, Sangmi is called in.

A/N: Hey, it’s been a while, but here I am. Giving in the next chapter, hurray! Enjoy.

Dealer (1) - myg

Summary: Your boyfriend seemed like a dream come true: always wanting to be around you, making sure you would get home safe, never taking his hands off you. These little comforts became your whole world, and then the only thing you were allowed to have left in the world. Luckily, your boyfriends drug dealer turned out to be a much nicer guy.

Pairing: DrugDealer!Yoongi x Female!Reader

Genre: Mafia/drug kingpin au, Y/N coming from nothing, found family, Eventual smut

Warnings: Zeke is a red flag, Hoseok is a drug dealer, Yoongi is a drug dealer, Weed, measurements, prices, and the selling of weed, Hoseok is extremely concerned with y/n, guns :)

Referenced: manipulation, psychological abuse, implied physical abuse, self-harm.

Word count: 2.8k

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Note: If you are sensitive or triggered by abusive relationships or manipulation in any way, please do not read this fic, it can be very triggering. It will also be referenced that Y/n used to self harm, and has self-harm scars. This is fic is going to cover a lot of intense topics, and there will be a lot of drugs.

He was so sweet at first. He made you feel seen for the first time in your life; like someone actually wanted to see you, to spend time with you without any other motive. He made you feel important, made you feel special. For the first time in your life, you felt beautiful and appreciated and loved; and he was the reason for it.  

So when he was rushing the relationship along, you had no problems with it. Not when he asked for your number the night you met. Not when you went on your first date the next day. Not when he showed up at your job every night you worked, or when he asked you to spend the night at his place a week after your first date, because he was too tired to make sure you had gotten home safe. He was just looking out for you, after all.  

He was making every part of your life revolve around him, and you just thought it was him being in love with you.  

You were fine with it when he rushed you into a sexual relationship with him, and you were fine with it when he wanted you to move in with him. Your apartment building wasn’t safe, someone could break in, there were shootings in that neighborhood all the time. He needed to keep you safe.  

It only took him 2 months from the day you met to get you living with him, sleeping in his bed every night, letting him use you and your body in whatever way he’d wanted, because this is what love is, right? Two months after that, you weren’t allowed to have your job anymore. There were too many men that looked at you at the bar you were waitress at. Too many men who’d ask for your number, too many men trying to grab you, trying to talk to you, trying to fuck you.  

They all wanted you, and you were just too stupid to see it. You were naive and sweet and innocent, and all those men all wanted one thing from you. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust you, no, not at all. He couldn’t trust them, what they’d do to you in your fragile state. You were still healing from trauma, even if before you had met him, you would have considered yourself mostly healed.  

The urge to start self-harming again came up so often, even if you hadn’t done it in years. You couldn’t get the thoughts out of your head as you were isolated in his house, not allowed to leave unless he came with you. Not allowed to talk to anyone, not without permission anyways.  

You’d do anything for him, and the way he loved you. The way he’d bring you so high up, just to take it all away, leaving you drowning, begging for his love again, for his gentle praise and his hands on you. You needed him, and he had you just where he wanted you.  

The only person you’d ever seen aside from him was Hoseok. Hoseok was his weed dealer. He’d come to the house once a week stay for a little, have a conversation and maybe smoke a little before he left, a bright smile on his face as he went. You loved these little weekly visits, as they were the only time you got to see someone other than Zeke. Not that you didn’t like spending time with him, but it was nice to see someone new.  

Hoseok however, hated coming over to sell to Zeke.  

It wasn’t something he’d ever minded in the past, having been his dealer for a few years now, but it started to get worse and worse whenever he’d met you.  

Hoseok was there the day Zeke had first noticed you, weeks before he’d officially introduced himself to you. The bar you used to work at was a place they’d frequented. They’d party there together, or just go to hang out for a little on the weekends, but he could immediately tell a difference in him from the second he saw you.  

It was easy to ignore the differences in him, as Hoseok was never the biggest fan. Mostly just hanging out with someone who bought from him a lot to make sure he kept a customer.  

But he really loved when he started talking to you, because you were one of the sweetest people he’d ever met. He loved spending time with you, not that he was interested in you; you were just sweet and funny, always good company.  

But then, things started changing. Changing fast.  

He’d be excited to meet Zeke at the bar, hoping you’d be their waitress so he could talk to you some more. But then you stopped working there. Fine, fine, he usually met Zeke in his apartment anyways and you were there most of the time, so he’d still get to see you, your bubbly personality and your bright smile always shining through as soon as you saw him.  

But you wouldn’t smile as much, and when you did, it was never quite as bright as it had been when you first met. You didn’t tell as many jokes or laugh at many of his. You wore baggier clothes and curled yourself up into a ball on the couch next to Zeke, who seemed to treat you more like a pet than a girlfriend.  

You looked at him when you wanted to speak, as if asking permission. That was when he couldn’t handle it anymore. He watched you go from one of the most lively, outgoing, charismatic, and sweetest people he’d ever met to a lifeless husk, barely strong enough to have any original thoughts.  

He’d watched this man ruin your life in less than a year, and he did absolutely nothing to stop it.  

Any time he tried to talk to you when Zeke wasn’t there, try to figure out what was going on, if there was any way he could help you, Zeke would always show back up just as he felt he was getting somewhere. He’d show back up and push you back the hall, out of sight.  

As if no longer seeing you meant he hadn’t previously seen the bruises peeking out of the holes in your jeans.  

So, he stopped going when Zeke texted him. Made up excuses every time so he wouldn’t have to feel the guilt that always surrounded him when he saw you.  

He decided to talk about it with one of his good friends one day when they were hanging out at the bar you used to work at. Zeke had messaged him, asking if he was around and Hoseok sighed loudly at the sight of his number appearing in his phone. His gaze narrowed down at the screen before he clenched his jaw and clicked off his phone, tossing it back down onto the table in front of him before he leaned his elbows on the table, bringing his hands up to cover his mouth as his leg bounced under the table.  

“Who’s got you so pissed off, Hoba?” Yoongi cocked his brow as he took a drink, eyeing his usually level-headed friend. Hoseok closed his eyes for a second, taking a deep breath before he let his hands fall back down, hands gripping onto his beer and swirling it around the frosty glass.  

“Just this guy I stopped selling to,” he didn’t bring his eyes up to meet Yoongi’s, knowing if he did he’d have to elaborate. Yoongi didn’t push him any further, but Hoseok decided he wanted to share it anyway. “Zeke, the one whose girlfriend used to work here,” Yoongi nodded, vaugly remembering the name and waitress. Hoseok had pointed you out to him a time or two when you still worked here, but it had been a while. 

Hoseok thought for a second, about to proceed with telling Yoongi all about you, and how he felt bad for not saying something to someone sooner, but he stopped himself.  

Yoongi was also a dealer, and a much more high-profile one at that. He always carried around a gun and had no problem telling people off, especially if they were buying anything less than a QP, and Zeke never bought more than an ounce at a time.  

If he just told him about you, Yoongi would just say “yeah, that sucks” and they’d move on. But if he saw it.... 

Maybe he could try to pawn Zeke off on Yoongi. Get Zeke off his back, and when Yoongi saw you, he’d no doubt do something.  

So, that’s exactly what he did.  

“I heard him say something slick to her the last time I was there. Nothing serious, just not someone I’d really want to associate with, you know?” Yoongi nodded again, knowing how likely this story was considering how pissed off Hoseok had been only moments ago. “Maybe you could sell to him? Just once at least, so I can figure out whether I can afford to drop him or not,”  

Yoongi thought for a second, trying to remember how much weed he still had before going to his distributer next week.  

“How much does he need?” Hoseok unlocked his phone and opened the conversation with Zeke.  

“An ounce, I usually charge him 250,”  

“Tell him I’ll charge 275, but I can be at his place in an hour,” Hoseok nodded and sent Zeke the text, which he thankfully had the money and was willing to pay it. 

“Just texted you his address, though you can be a little late, he’s kind of a dick anyways,”  

- 

Yoongi didn't like the look of you when he walked through the door.  

He didn't like that you looked so goddamn stiff, uncomfortable even as soon as you saw him.  

At first, he thought it was him making you uncomfortable; you judging him, a man you did not know for being there. But Yoongi didn't need to be there for more than two minutes before he realized that it wasn't him making you nervous. No, but the guy that had taken a seat next to you, the guy whose house you had been in. The guy you had been living with.  

You sat idly as he scooted in closer to you, spreading his legs out and pulled one of yours onto his before he rubbed up and back the length of it. He kept making lewd comments about your body as if you weren't there, and you laughed along with any joke he told, your eyes never leaving your neatly folded hands that sat in your lap.  

Yoongi was disgusted as he watched the man claiming to "own" you continue to do whatever he wanted to you, touch you and speak to and about you as he pleased. Yoongi could see why Hoseok had sent him over here, and it wasn’t just because of a slick comment. He’d always been more ballsy and ready to take more risks than Hoseok had, never really willing to stand for any bullshit, and this was most certainly included in that.  

You were sitting opposite each other, his eyes sneaking glances at you anytime Zeke looked away. The small talk had ended, and Zeke stood to go get the money from his bedroom, at the opposite end of the house. As soon as he was out of earshot, you spoke.  

“You're a friend of Hoseok's’?” Yoongi nodded softly, a little taken back by your sudden friendliness. Zeke had stopped letting you be alone with Hoseok, so it had been weeks since you’d spoken with anyone. “How’s he doing?” 

“He’s really good, he just couldn’t make it today. Scheduling conflict, you know how it is,” You nodded and smiled, moving your eyes back and forth between the hallways and Yoongi.  

“Would you tell him I said hi?” Yoongi nodded his head, brow furrowed as he pulled his phone out.  

“If you want, I could give you his phone number,” You very quickly shook your head, still looking at the hallway behind Yoongi to keep an eye out for Zeke.  

“No, I don’t have a phone–”  

“You don’t have a phone?” You bit your lip lightly, shaking your head as Yoongi eyed you.  

“Just tell him I'm okay,” You fell back into the couch as you heard Zeke walking back down the hallway. Yoongi followed suit, quickly busying himself with his phone. He pulled up Hoseok’s contact and started typing as Zeke sat back down.  

You said he was an asshole, not a fucking dictator– 

“What’d I miss?” Zeke asked as he sat, beginning to count his money.  

“Not much; Hoseok texted. Wanted me to apologize for him not being here again,” Zeke gave a half-hearted smile, looking back at you to make sure your eyes were still down, that you were still behaving.  

“It’s fine, Hoseok’s an old friend of mine. We go way back, he’ll just owe me one,” Zeke threw the counted money onto the table that separated them, before his hand went to your thigh, slightly lifting the material of the skirt you had been wearing to reveal the edge of a giant purple and black bruise on your thigh. He squeezed down onto it, turning a loving gesture into something that made Yoongi’s blood boil.  

Fuck it.  

Yoongi pulled the weed out of his pocket and threw it down onto the table next to the money and stood, hands in his pockets as he spoke calmly.  

"Your shits free if you let her leave with me," Zeke looked back and forth between the two of you, your head down as you could feel the anger beginning to radiate off of him, his fingers digging deeper into your skin.  

"What the fuck are you talking about man? What the fuck did you do?" He turned to look at you, his voice coming out a muffled growl as he tried to scare you into answering him.  

"I said," Yoongi spoke up again, this time as he pulled a gun out of the waistband of his jeans, switching the safety off as he pointed it at Zeke’s head. "Your shits free if you let her come with me." 

Dealer (1) - myg

Summary: Your boyfriend seemed like a dream come true: always wanting to be around you, making sure you would get home safe, never taking his hands off you. These little comforts became your whole world, and then the only thing you were allowed to have left in the world. Luckily, your boyfriends drug dealer turned out to be a much nicer guy.

Pairing: DrugDealer!Yoongi x Female!Reader

Genre: Mafia/drug kingpin au, Y/N coming from nothing, found family, Eventual smut

Warnings: Zeke is a red flag, Hoseok is a drug dealer, Yoongi is a drug dealer, Weed, measurements, prices, and the selling of weed, Hoseok is extremely concerned with y/n, guns :)

Referenced: manipulation, psychological abuse, implied physical abuse, self-harm.

Word count: 2.8k

Previous | Next

Note: If you are sensitive or triggered by abusive relationships or manipulation in any way, please do not read this fic, it can be very triggering. It will also be referenced that Y/n used to self harm, and has self-harm scars. This is fic is going to cover a lot of intense topics, and there will be a lot of drugs.

He was so sweet at first. He made you feel seen for the first time in your life; like someone actually wanted to see you, to spend time with you without any other motive. He made you feel important, made you feel special. For the first time in your life, you felt beautiful and appreciated and loved; and he was the reason for it.  

So when he was rushing the relationship along, you had no problems with it. Not when he asked for your number the night you met. Not when you went on your first date the next day. Not when he showed up at your job every night you worked, or when he asked you to spend the night at his place a week after your first date, because he was too tired to make sure you had gotten home safe. He was just looking out for you, after all.  

He was making every part of your life revolve around him, and you just thought it was him being in love with you.  

You were fine with it when he rushed you into a sexual relationship with him, and you were fine with it when he wanted you to move in with him. Your apartment building wasn’t safe, someone could break in, there were shootings in that neighborhood all the time. He needed to keep you safe.  

It only took him 2 months from the day you met to get you living with him, sleeping in his bed every night, letting him use you and your body in whatever way he’d wanted, because this is what love is, right? Two months after that, you weren’t allowed to have your job anymore. There were too many men that looked at you at the bar you were waitress at. Too many men who’d ask for your number, too many men trying to grab you, trying to talk to you, trying to fuck you.  

They all wanted you, and you were just too stupid to see it. You were naive and sweet and innocent, and all those men all wanted one thing from you. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust you, no, not at all. He couldn’t trust them, what they’d do to you in your fragile state. You were still healing from trauma, even if before you had met him, you would have considered yourself mostly healed.  

The urge to start self-harming again came up so often, even if you hadn’t done it in years. You couldn’t get the thoughts out of your head as you were isolated in his house, not allowed to leave unless he came with you. Not allowed to talk to anyone, not without permission anyways.  

You’d do anything for him, and the way he loved you. The way he’d bring you so high up, just to take it all away, leaving you drowning, begging for his love again, for his gentle praise and his hands on you. You needed him, and he had you just where he wanted you.  

The only person you’d ever seen aside from him was Hoseok. Hoseok was his weed dealer. He’d come to the house once a week stay for a little, have a conversation and maybe smoke a little before he left, a bright smile on his face as he went. You loved these little weekly visits, as they were the only time you got to see someone other than Zeke. Not that you didn’t like spending time with him, but it was nice to see someone new.  

Hoseok however, hated coming over to sell to Zeke.  

It wasn’t something he’d ever minded in the past, having been his dealer for a few years now, but it started to get worse and worse whenever he’d met you.  

Hoseok was there the day Zeke had first noticed you, weeks before he’d officially introduced himself to you. The bar you used to work at was a place they’d frequented. They’d party there together, or just go to hang out for a little on the weekends, but he could immediately tell a difference in him from the second he saw you.  

It was easy to ignore the differences in him, as Hoseok was never the biggest fan. Mostly just hanging out with someone who bought from him a lot to make sure he kept a customer.  

But he really loved when he started talking to you, because you were one of the sweetest people he’d ever met. He loved spending time with you, not that he was interested in you; you were just sweet and funny, always good company.  

But then, things started changing. Changing fast.  

He’d be excited to meet Zeke at the bar, hoping you’d be their waitress so he could talk to you some more. But then you stopped working there. Fine, fine, he usually met Zeke in his apartment anyways and you were there most of the time, so he’d still get to see you, your bubbly personality and your bright smile always shining through as soon as you saw him.  

But you wouldn’t smile as much, and when you did, it was never quite as bright as it had been when you first met. You didn’t tell as many jokes or laugh at many of his. You wore baggier clothes and curled yourself up into a ball on the couch next to Zeke, who seemed to treat you more like a pet than a girlfriend.  

You looked at him when you wanted to speak, as if asking permission. That was when he couldn’t handle it anymore. He watched you go from one of the most lively, outgoing, charismatic, and sweetest people he’d ever met to a lifeless husk, barely strong enough to have any original thoughts.  

He’d watched this man ruin your life in less than a year, and he did absolutely nothing to stop it.  

Any time he tried to talk to you when Zeke wasn’t there, try to figure out what was going on, if there was any way he could help you, Zeke would always show back up just as he felt he was getting somewhere. He’d show back up and push you back the hall, out of sight.  

As if no longer seeing you meant he hadn’t previously seen the bruises peeking out of the holes in your jeans.  

So, he stopped going when Zeke texted him. Made up excuses every time so he wouldn’t have to feel the guilt that always surrounded him when he saw you.  

He decided to talk about it with one of his good friends one day when they were hanging out at the bar you used to work at. Zeke had messaged him, asking if he was around and Hoseok sighed loudly at the sight of his number appearing in his phone. His gaze narrowed down at the screen before he clenched his jaw and clicked off his phone, tossing it back down onto the table in front of him before he leaned his elbows on the table, bringing his hands up to cover his mouth as his leg bounced under the table.  

“Who’s got you so pissed off, Hoba?” Yoongi cocked his brow as he took a drink, eyeing his usually level-headed friend. Hoseok closed his eyes for a second, taking a deep breath before he let his hands fall back down, hands gripping onto his beer and swirling it around the frosty glass.  

“Just this guy I stopped selling to,” he didn’t bring his eyes up to meet Yoongi’s, knowing if he did he’d have to elaborate. Yoongi didn’t push him any further, but Hoseok decided he wanted to share it anyway. “Zeke, the one whose girlfriend used to work here,” Yoongi nodded, vaugly remembering the name and waitress. Hoseok had pointed you out to him a time or two when you still worked here, but it had been a while. 

Hoseok thought for a second, about to proceed with telling Yoongi all about you, and how he felt bad for not saying something to someone sooner, but he stopped himself.  

Yoongi was also a dealer, and a much more high-profile one at that. He always carried around a gun and had no problem telling people off, especially if they were buying anything less than a QP, and Zeke never bought more than an ounce at a time.  

If he just told him about you, Yoongi would just say “yeah, that sucks” and they’d move on. But if he saw it.... 

Maybe he could try to pawn Zeke off on Yoongi. Get Zeke off his back, and when Yoongi saw you, he’d no doubt do something.  

So, that’s exactly what he did.  

“I heard him say something slick to her the last time I was there. Nothing serious, just not someone I’d really want to associate with, you know?” Yoongi nodded again, knowing how likely this story was considering how pissed off Hoseok had been only moments ago. “Maybe you could sell to him? Just once at least, so I can figure out whether I can afford to drop him or not,”  

Yoongi thought for a second, trying to remember how much weed he still had before going to his distributer next week.  

“How much does he need?” Hoseok unlocked his phone and opened the conversation with Zeke.  

“An ounce, I usually charge him 250,”  

“Tell him I’ll charge 275, but I can be at his place in an hour,” Hoseok nodded and sent Zeke the text, which he thankfully had the money and was willing to pay it. 

“Just texted you his address, though you can be a little late, he’s kind of a dick anyways,”  

- 

Yoongi didn't like the look of you when he walked through the door.  

He didn't like that you looked so goddamn stiff, uncomfortable even as soon as you saw him.  

At first, he thought it was him making you uncomfortable; you judging him, a man you did not know for being there. But Yoongi didn't need to be there for more than two minutes before he realized that it wasn't him making you nervous. No, but the guy that had taken a seat next to you, the guy whose house you had been in. The guy you had been living with.  

You sat idly as he scooted in closer to you, spreading his legs out and pulled one of yours onto his before he rubbed up and back the length of it. He kept making lewd comments about your body as if you weren't there, and you laughed along with any joke he told, your eyes never leaving your neatly folded hands that sat in your lap.  

Yoongi was disgusted as he watched the man claiming to "own" you continue to do whatever he wanted to you, touch you and speak to and about you as he pleased. Yoongi could see why Hoseok had sent him over here, and it wasn’t just because of a slick comment. He’d always been more ballsy and ready to take more risks than Hoseok had, never really willing to stand for any bullshit, and this was most certainly included in that.  

You were sitting opposite each other, his eyes sneaking glances at you anytime Zeke looked away. The small talk had ended, and Zeke stood to go get the money from his bedroom, at the opposite end of the house. As soon as he was out of earshot, you spoke.  

“You're a friend of Hoseok's’?” Yoongi nodded softly, a little taken back by your sudden friendliness. Zeke had stopped letting you be alone with Hoseok, so it had been weeks since you’d spoken with anyone. “How’s he doing?” 

“He’s really good, he just couldn’t make it today. Scheduling conflict, you know how it is,” You nodded and smiled, moving your eyes back and forth between the hallways and Yoongi.  

“Would you tell him I said hi?” Yoongi nodded his head, brow furrowed as he pulled his phone out.  

“If you want, I could give you his phone number,” You very quickly shook your head, still looking at the hallway behind Yoongi to keep an eye out for Zeke.  

“No, I don’t have a phone–”  

“You don’t have a phone?” You bit your lip lightly, shaking your head as Yoongi eyed you.  

“Just tell him I'm okay,” You fell back into the couch as you heard Zeke walking back down the hallway. Yoongi followed suit, quickly busying himself with his phone. He pulled up Hoseok’s contact and started typing as Zeke sat back down.  

You said he was an asshole, not a fucking dictator– 

“What’d I miss?” Zeke asked as he sat, beginning to count his money.  

“Not much; Hoseok texted. Wanted me to apologize for him not being here again,” Zeke gave a half-hearted smile, looking back at you to make sure your eyes were still down, that you were still behaving.  

“It’s fine, Hoseok’s an old friend of mine. We go way back, he’ll just owe me one,” Zeke threw the counted money onto the table that separated them, before his hand went to your thigh, slightly lifting the material of the skirt you had been wearing to reveal the edge of a giant purple and black bruise on your thigh. He squeezed down onto it, turning a loving gesture into something that made Yoongi’s blood boil.  

Fuck it.  

Yoongi pulled the weed out of his pocket and threw it down onto the table next to the money and stood, hands in his pockets as he spoke calmly.  

"Your shits free if you let her leave with me," Zeke looked back and forth between the two of you, your head down as you could feel the anger beginning to radiate off of him, his fingers digging deeper into your skin.  

"What the fuck are you talking about man? What the fuck did you do?" He turned to look at you, his voice coming out a muffled growl as he tried to scare you into answering him.  

"I said," Yoongi spoke up again, this time as he pulled a gun out of the waistband of his jeans, switching the safety off as he pointed it at Zeke’s head. "Your shits free if you let her come with me." 

hi, this is for the quote game.

"but am i not important too?" w/ any boy. i really don't mind :) ty!

⨽ pairing: mafia!jimin x reader (f)

⨽ genre: established relationship au , hurt/comfort au , hint of angst (i think)

⨽ warnings: strong language , crying (again, is that even a warning?)

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You peeped into Jimin's office through the crack in the half-open door. You were unsure of whether to walk away or go in.

Your boyfriend hadn't been in a good mood for the past couple of days, and you were afraid you were going to make it worse. He did chase you out when you tried to talk to him yesterday...

But, you really wanted to see him. In fact, you hadn't seen him outside of his office ever since that day. You remember how shocked you were to see an angry Jimin stomping out of his office and screaming on the phone.

You weren't entirely sure what went wrong, but from what you could make out, something went horribly wrong with Jimin's business, and he's been trying to fix it.

Letting out a sigh, you decided to try your luck and go in.

"Jimin..." you softly said as you closed the door behind you. A frown formed on your face when you received no response. Your boyfriend was too busy typing away on his computer.

Did he even notice you came in?

"Jimin?" You said a bit louder as you made your way to his table. "Jimin-"

"What is it?!" He suddenly said, causing you to flinch in surprise. "I'm busy, y/n, what do you want?"

"I... I just wanted to see how you were doing. I haven't seen you step out of your office, and I miss you... It's been days, Jimin." You slowly stepped closer to his table. "Don't you want to take a break? How about we get some food or-"

"No, y/n! I told you I'm busy. I don't have time for that. I've got important things to focus on," he said, not bothering to look up from his computer, and you let out a sigh.

"Oh... okay. I'll just bring you something to eat, then." You didn't want to make it any worse. So after giving a little bow of apology, you disappeared to your shared bedroom.

For the fifth night, the bed was cold, and you went to sleep without him by your side.

The following morning you tried again, hoping work would've eased and Jimin would finally have time to step out of his office and spend time with you.

It had almost been a week. Surely whatever was going on would've died down a bit, right?

Wrong.

When you walked into his office, Jimin didn't spare you a glance and kept his eyes glued to his computer. But at least he somewhat acknowledged your presence this time.

"What is it this time?" Jimin grumbled.

"I just want to talk..." you told him. Your boyfriend closed his eyes and let out a sigh. "How many times do I have to tell, y/n... I'm busy. I've got important things to focus on!"

Your eyes cast to the floor. "I know... but am I not important too?"

And that's when Jimin finally decided to look at you. "What?" He whispered. You let out a soft sigh and gulped as you tried to prevent your tears from falling.

"Am I not important too? Jimin... it's been almost a week since I've seen you step out of here. It's almost been a week since we've hugged, kissed or done anything together."

"I don't know much about what's going on in your mafia world, and I tried to give you space so you can work, but I miss you... Every time I tried to talk to you, just to check in on you, you'd chase me out and tell me that you had important things to focus on."

And then you asked him once again. "But am I not important to you too, Park Jimin?"

Jimin hadn't realised how much he had been neglecting you for the past six days. "Oh my Gosh, I'm so sorry, baby."

There he was.

"I'm so so sorry," he immediately got up before making his way towards you and pulling you into his embrace. "I'm so fucking sorry for how I've been acting. Of course, you're important to me."

"It's okay, Jimin... I-I don't mind you wanting to focus on your work but please-" Jimin hate to see you cry. And he hated it, even more, knowing it was because of him you were crying. "Shhh, don't worry. I won't do it again. Ever."

"Promise?" You asked, lifting your head off his shoulder. Jimin placed his hands on your cheeks and nodded as he whipped your tears. He gave you a quick peck on your lips and smiled.

"How about we do whatever you wanted to do, hm?"

.

hi. it's been a while since i've done a request and sorry for making you wait! (also sorry for the shitty ending)

hope you like it though <3

.

part of quote game , no longer accepting requests

A Mafia!RM Concept….

Prologue –

           “With this ring…” I swallowed thickly. “I thee wed.” I shakingly slid the ring onto Namjoon’s finger as the cold feeling of mine provided me with sensory overload. I stared up into Namjoon’s unwavering form knowing that with this exchange my fate was sealed. The ring… what was meant to symbolize the unbreakable bond of lifelong love and commitment between two people was nothing but a testament of Namjoon’s ownership of me. This marriage wasn’t about love or trust or even choice for that matter. It was about duty and honor, about doing what was expected. And I should have run when I had the chance…

Author’s Note -

Hello to any potential readers out there...I have not written anything creatively in 3 years time and I’ve recently graduated from university and have felt the urge/passion to write again. I am relatively new to the fandom but I do have a concept that has inspired me for a series and I just want to know if people would be interested in reading this.... lol. It is actually loosely based on a novel series I read years ago but I think it would work perfectly with the members of BTS.

Vowed in Blood: Chapter One

Synopsis: Born in a world where choices are a privilege not bestowed upon women, Mariah’s father establishes an arrangement with the deadliest mafia of New Work City to have her married off to its heir. In this world, a handsome exterior often hides the monster within; a monster who can just as easily kill as kiss you.

Pairing: Mafia!Namjoon x OC

Chapter Warnings: OC is underage but nothing inappropriate happens this is all just backstory. Namjoon is not even in the building yet. lol

Chapter one: The Arrangement

“3 years ago,…”

           There was a stark contrast between the loud sounds of my typing compared to the silence that reverberated through the corridor walls just outside my bedroom door. Something about today has felt off. The home that I’ve grown up in has constantly been filled with people bustling in and out and today has been nothing but complete and utter silence. What is more concerning to me is the fact that my mother has been invited into my father’s cabin for the daily morning meeting. Unusual… My father, the great and powerful dictator of this household who has strictly prohibited the women in his life from ever entering his office has specifically indicated for his wife to join him. Did I mention he also happens to be the Godfather of the Cassian Mafia? 

Yes. You heard that correctly. Father of three girls, one son, and an entire crew full of mobsters. What a multi-tasker. Only, he’s never been much of a dad to us anyway… 

           My thoughts were interrupted when my mother walked into the room with her complexion pale and her lips turned into a straight line. “Did something happen?” I questioned, furrowing my eyebrows. She took a deep breath before answering, “Your father needs to speak with you…in his office.” I slid my legs out from under my desk and approached her, “Did I do something wrong?” I did not know what I could possibly be in trouble for. My youngest sister Leah and I were usually the obedient ones. My middle sister Jade was the troublemaker who always broke the rules and always got punished for it. “Mariah just go. You know what happens when we keep him waiting” she dismissed.  

           I entered my father’s office carefully hiding any emotion from showing up on my face. He sat behind his overly large desk in a wide black leather armchair placed in front of various shelves filled with books that had never been read. However, they hid a secret entrance to the basement and a corridor leading off the mansion’s premises. That I knew for sure. I placed myself in one of the chairs sitting opposite of the desk across my father’s form. I waited for him to start speaking with my hands folded in my lap.

           “The Russians and the Taiwanese Triads are trying to mark their claims on our territories and they are gaining strength every day we do not make a move.” He declared. To say I was even more confused than when the day started was an understatement. Father never spoke of the business with us. Women did not need to know such details. They were just meant to carry along as they were told by the men of the house. I knew better than to interrupt. “As a result, we have to mend our grievances with the Bangtan Clan of New York in order to garner enough capital and strength to stave off our enemies.” Father carried on.

           Peace with Bangtan? I questioned myself. Every member of the Cassian mafia including my father despised Bangtan with every fiber of their beings. Although women were supposed to be kept in the dark about these things the feuds that have been happening for decades were no secret. Our families have been killing each other off for years and only within the recent past decided that it was more practical to kill off members of other crime organizations that were bigger threats such as the Russians and the Triads that had come to impact both territories negatively. “At least Bangtan got one thing right, there is no stronger bond than blood” father continued as I frowned, “Born in blood, sworn in blood. That’s their motto.” I nodded but understood nothing.

           “I met with the head of Bangtan yesterday and we agreed that in order for us to establish peace between ourselves we are to become a family.” My father’s eyes bored into mine and a sickly feeling crept up my spine. Surely he wasn’t suggesting what I think he would be suggesting. “We have decided that you are to marry the heir of Bangtan Kim Namjoon. That is the arrangement we have agreed upon and given that you are the oldest it is your duty to ensure the security of this alliance.” The finality in my father’s words ensured that there was no room for debate or question but that was not going to stop me.

           “I can’t get married! I’m only fifteen!” I countered back as if that would make a difference in my father’s eyes. “That is where you are wrong. If I say you have to get married you would do it no questions asked because I said so.” Father’s eyes bored into mine and I knew my fate was sealed. “Luckily for you, your mother was adamant about you being of age and finishing school before leaving the walls of this house.” He continued. Any sort of relief his words were meant to bring me never came to fruition.

           There were only two things I knew of Kim Namjoon. One was that he was the heir to one if not the deadliest mafias to have ever existed and two he received his nickname ‘The Vice’ for the vice-like grip he used when crushing a man’s windpipe with his bare hands. “Father, please don’t make me do this.” I pleaded as a last resort. There was no way out of this if my father didn’t create one. His expression tightened, “You will marry Kim Namjoon. You will be a good wife to him and when you meet him for the engagement you will act as an obedient lady. End of discussion.”

Vowed in Blood Masterlist

Synopsis: Born in a world where choices are a privilege not bestowed upon women, Mariah’s father establishes an arrangement with the deadliest mafia of New Work City to have her married off to its heir. In this world, a handsome exterior often hides the monster within; a monster who can just as easily kill as kiss you.

Prologue

Chapter One: The Arrangement

Chapter Two: The First Meeting (07/18/21)

Vowed in Blood: Chapter Two

Synopsis: Born in a world where choices are a privilege not bestowed upon women, Mariah’s father establishes an arrangement with the deadliest mafia of New Work City to have her married off to its heir. In this world, a handsome exterior often hides the monster within; a monster who can just as easily kill as kiss you.

Warnings: None (yet).

A/N: We’re making Jimin taller in this because he’s Namjoon’s brother and Namjoon is the size of Groot. 🤣

 Chapter Two: The First Meeting

*3 Years ago,

           My life was over before it even started. Everything was decided for me. “But you’ve never even met him!” My middle sister Jade exclaimed. “He could be ugly, fat…or even worse OLD!” She shuddered. “There has to be something about him on the internet, let’s google him!” Jade suggested. Multiple photos and articles surrounding the members of Bangtan flashed across the screen. A swift click on images and Kim Namjoon popped up. “He’s taller than everyone…” Leah, my youngest sister, explained in amazement. Curiosity got the best of me and I peeked over to the screen.

           Yes, he was tall…but that was not what got my attention. His eyes. They were dark and piercing. I could only envision how those eyes were the last image seen by his victims before finding a painful end. I stared into those emotionless eyes until Jade clicked a link and an article pulled up stating how Namjoon was one of the most sought-after bachelors in New York City. An heir to hundreds of millions of dollars when it really should have stated an heir to my impending doom.  

           “Wow, women really throw themselves at him. He’s with a different girl in every photo.” Jade huffed. “They can have him,” I said bitterly. In this world, a handsome man was more devil than prince charming and I needed to know just what I was dealing with. I stood up abruptly, “I need to speak with Thomas.” Thomas was my father’s most loyal soldier. He also was entrusted to keep Jade and me safe whenever we were not on the mansion’s grounds. He was our bodyguard. If anyone else knew more about Namjoon than my father, it was Thomas.

           “He became a Made Man at fourteen,” Thomas explained. “FOURTEEN?!” My eyes almost popped out. Boys did not become officially a part of the Mafia until they were at least eighteen and initiation typically meant making your first kill. “That means. He killed someone at fourteen years old?” I swallowed thickly. At fifteen, I could hardly register being able to take someone’s life. Jade shook her head, “He’s a monster.” Thomas shrugged as he said, “He is what he needs to be. Growing up in this kind of life, you can’t be a pussy. Especially with a father like his.”

 *Months Later*

           Time had flown by giving me less and less of a chance to prepare. Two days until the engagement and mother was fluttering around the house trying to ensure that every detail of the home was in tip-top condition. The occasion was meant to be small since this alliance was relatively new, just Namjoon’s family, mine, and a few other respective heads of New York and Chicago. Thomas explained to us this was for safety reasons as if I wasn’t being sold off to the most dangerous man in the vicinity. I wish they would have canceled it altogether.

           Jacob, my five-year-old little brother jumped up and down on my bed, “I want to play!” He had entirely too much energy. “You know the rules Jake, Mother doesn’t want you running around the house before the guests arrive.” I sighed. “But they aren’t even here!” Luckily, Namjoon and his family were not set to arrive until tomorrow. Only one more night until I met my future husband… I squeezed my eyes shut and took a deep breath to quell the anxiety from bubbling over. “Are you crying again?” Jacob asked as he slid off the bed and put his small hand into mine. This little boy was my solace. “What do you mean?” I smiled wide to prevent tears from slipping down. I mostly cried at night hoping to drown myself in my sorrows protected by the darkness.

           “Leah says you cry a lot because Namjoon bought you,” Jacob furrows his small eyebrows and looks up into my eyes. For a minute, I was taken back. I would have to tell Leah not to say such things especially in front of Jacob. I shook my head diligently, “He didn’t buy me.” Liar. Just then Jade showed up in the doorway of my bedroom, “Same difference,” she shrugged. I huffed. “Stop saying things like that before dad hears and we all get in trouble.”

I felt a tug on my arm, “I don’t want you to leave,” Jacob cries as he grabs my waist and clings on. I bent down to ease his worries, “I won’t be leaving for a long time, Jake.” I held his face in my hands and kissed his nose.

           Suddenly, a devilish smile appeared on his face and he dashed out the open bedroom door, “CATCH ME!” He exclaimed. Jade tore after him, “I’ll kick your ass you little monster!!” I rushed into the hallway after them both when Leah peaked her head out of her door and followed suit. I flew down the stairs hot on Jade’s tail but unfortunately, Jacob was still in the lead. Mother would have my head if something got broken. I wanted to shout for them to stop but my father’s office was just around the corner and if we were caught, we were dead.

           We passed father’s door and relief came over me seeing that he wasn’t in there. However, three men dawned in all black suits rounded the corner and all relief drained out of me. Jacob managed to halt himself, but Leah hurled herself straight into the man in the middle with full force. Any other person would have lost their balance but this wasn’t just any other person. He was six feet and built like a bull.

           I jerked to a stop in time to see the traffic jam disaster in front of me only to find the pair of eyes I was so desperately trying to escape from looking down at my sister Leah. My gaze was frozen on my future husband as Jade clamored next to me and gasped. Namjoon was preoccupied with steadying my little sister with both hands on her shoulders. Hands he had once used to crush a man’s throat….

           “Leah,” I said trying to keep my voice leveled and void of the anxiety I felt. I wished I was better at hiding my fear. Now everyone was staring at me, including Namjoon. His brown eyes scanned me from head to toe, lingering on my eyes. Wow, he was tall. The men beside him were both tall in their own right but Namjoon dwarfed them in comparison with his massive body frame. His hands were still on my sister’s shoulders as he studied me carefully. “Leah, come here,” I firmly spoke and held out my hand. I wanted her as far away from the three men as possible. She took a few steps back and then flew into my arms. Namjoon raised an eyebrow.

           I heard a scoff next to me, “So, you’re Kim Namjoon?” Jade asked not even trying to disguise her disgust. Jacob made an entirely animalistic sound and charged after Namjoon. Well, he charged after Namjoon’s kneecaps and started pummeling his legs with his small fists. The sight was almost comical if I wasn’t so terrified. One of Namjoon’s men looked down at Jacob, tilted his head, and huffed a chuckle. “Leave Mariah Alone! You don’t get to take her!!” Jacob shrieked as he continued to throw nonexistent punches at Namjoon’s legs. My heart could have literally leaped out of my chest right then.

           I shifted Leah over to Jade and slowly approached this giant tree of a man. Again, I was scared shitless but I had to get my brother away from him. Bangtan and the Cassian Familia were trying to build a bond but alliances could be broken within a blink of an eye and I could not let that happen. A sigh escapes the man smiling down at my brother, “What a warm welcome we get. This must be the infamous hospitality of the Cassian Familia we keep hearing about.” He was a couple of inches smaller than Namjoon with the same color eyes just not as dark as Namjoon’s. it was unmistakable, they were related.

           “Jimin,” Namjoon spoke in a low husky voice. It made me shiver. Jacob was still struggling but Namjoon held him at arm’s length. “Jacob,” I firmly gripped his upper arm. “That’s enough, that is not how we treat our company.” At this Jacob froze, turned around, and looked up at my face. “He’s not a guest! He wants to steal you away Mariah! AND I don’t care if he’s the size of Groot, I AM GOING TO FIGHT HIM!!” Jacob charged back towards Namjoon’s legs. The man named Jimin began to outwardly chuckle, “I’m glad father convinced me to come.”

           “Ordered you.” Namjoon quipped. He didn’t take his eyes off me and my cheeks blazed with the heat of his scrutiny. My father made sure that my sisters and I were never around men very often if he could help it. They were either family members or older than dust. Namjoon was neither family nor was he an old man. He was five years older than me, but he made me feel like I was a child in comparison. He let go of Jacob and I pulled my brother towards my body folding my hands over his heaving chest. Jacob never stopped glaring at Namjoon. As small as he was, he had the courage of a bull. I couldn’t afford courage in this lifetime. “I’m sorry,” I said in haste. “My brother didn’t mean to be disrespectful.”

“I DID!” Jacob interrupted. I covered his mouth with my hand and he squirmed, I just held onto him tighter. “Don’t apologize to them!” Gianna spoke looking the men up and down in disgust. “It is not Jacob’s fault that they take up so much room in a hallway. At least Jake is honest. Everyone else thinks they need to blow sugar up his ass because of his inherit-“

“JADE!” I quickly snapped at my sister before she went too far over the line. “Take Leah and Jacob back to their rooms. Now.”

She glanced over to the men in the corridor one last time “But…” I nodded back to the opposite way indicating for her to leave, glad I couldn’t see Namjoon’s expression. Jade grabbed Jacob’s hand and grabbed him and Leah away. Bracing myself for Namjoon’s fury, I was surprised to turn around and see him smirking at me with one eyebrow lifted. My face was burning with embarrassment and I folded my arms around my body. I took a deep breath and began to apologize, “I’m sorry for my siblings, they are…”

“Protective of you.” Namjoon nodded in acknowledgment. His voice was even, “This is my brother Jimin and my right-hand Jungkook.” He gestures to both men on either side of him. Jimin gave me a slight wave and Jungkook gave me the briefest nod before he went back to scanning the corridor. I wasn’t sure of what he was waiting on, it wasn’t like we had hidden snipers along the hallway waiting to strike. I focused on Namjoon’s chin and hoped it was enough to appear as if I was looking him in the eyes, “I should get back to my siblings.” Namjoon had a knowing expression on his face and nodded. I didn’t wait for any more words to be exchanged, I simply turned around and walked off. I never fathomed my first meeting with Kim Namjoon could be any worse than this.

Hey guys, I’d really like to start a tag list for my mafia!namjoon fic because it doesn’t seem like people are seeing whenever I post a new chapter. Please let me know if you’d like to be added to the tag list for Vowed in Blood. 🤗

death valley | masterlist

summary: welcome to death valley. once you’re in, there’s no telling whether you’ll make it out alive. a summer internship turns wild with blurry nights of dangerous men, dirty money, and extremely hot sex. you soon get caught in a savage game of greed, power and obsession, only to find out that you are the grand prize 

genre: smut. thriller. yandere. mystery. gang!au rocker!au fightclub!au

pairings: drugdealer!jungkook x reader, rockstar!jimin x reader, producer!yoongi x reader, songwriter!hoseok x reader, officer!seokjin x reader, gangster!taehyung x reader, fighter!namjoon x reader

series warnings: ok this is really meant to be a fun & thrilling sexual adventure for you. think edgy, sexy, hot summer vibes. yandere behaviors & darker stuff (manipulation, coercion) lots of different kinks, power dynamics, & lots of drug/alc use! specific warnings on each part. drug abuse & addiction are very real issues, and this is not a realistic portrayal of those themes. please do not read if this is triggering in any way!

full masterlist | ask box | drabbles: vmin x yn smut | taekook x yn smut 

QUICK NAVI: part 0 | part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | part 7 | part 8 | part 9 | part 10 | finale (lite) | finale (dark) part 11 | part 12 | part 13 | finale | series navi | masterlist |

ᐅ part 0 | smut ft: jimin x reader; jungkook x reader your coworker invites you to a big fight at death valley, a notorious local hotspot. you didn’t think you’d end up witnessing your favorite rockstar shooting someone…and then also have his cock in your mouth the next day

ᐅ part 1 | smut ft: taehyung x reader; hoseok x reader; jimin x reader back again for the rematch, you’re determined to keep namjoon safe. after making love with a stranger who somehow knows your name, your fears become realized, and you get a glimpse of the man who might be behind it all

ᐅ part 2 | smut ft: jungkook x reader; namjoon x reader x hoseok; slight yoongi x reader a wild night of drunk fun at death valley ends up with you getting kidnapped by an unknown person. you find out that you’re in a lot more danger than you initially thought, the question is why–and from who?

ᐅ part 3 | smut ft: jimin x reader; taehyung x reader; namjoon x reader the fear within you grows when you find out truths about the people you thought you knew. a breathless encounter with someone you hate leaves you questioning everything. ending up in the hospital, you remain unaware of the looming danger right besides you

ᐅ part 4 | smut ft:  yoongi x reader; jungkook x reader; namjoon x reader jimin is down, your house gets robbed, and all you can do is go to your boss for help. you team up with the only person you still fully trust, only for them to still end up turning on you. broken threats, confusing lies, and so many drugs—you crave the pain that will make it all go away

ᐅ part 5 | smut ft: yoongi x reader, taehyung x reader falling in love is dangerous, but even more so when the guy you’re falling for might be the most dangerous man out there. you and jin get locked away and try to put the puzzle pieces together, but nothing adds up and you’re left dazed and confused. jimin needs to find you, and he’s willing to go to any extent to do so, even if it means starting a full on gang war.

ᐅ part 6 | smut ft: jin x reader, jimin x reader with yoongi holding you hostage, you find out just how big of a role he plays. it doesn’t help when jimin decides to take your relationship public. and when it seems like things can’t get any worse, well…it does

ᐅ part 7 | smut ft: hobi x reader, jin x reader, yoongi x reader yoongi has now placed his life in your hands, a burden which you have only just begun to realize. new allies get made, and old flames get rekindled. the big night has arrived, and its sure to end with a bang.

ᐅ part 8 | smut ft: jin x reader, slight taehyung x reader, jungkook x reader secrets spilled over shots of tequila, a wild night of fire and snow, loyalty gets put to the ultimate test. you thought you knew what was coming, but even you weren’t ready for this.

ᐅ part 9 | smut ft: yoongi x reader, jungkook x reader, jimin x reader, jin x reader there’s nothing quite like the exhilarating high of torture. believing in the ones you trust most may prove fatal once again. the thrill of fame, power and love tempt you. welcome to the chase.

ᐅ part 10 | smut ft: yoongi x reader, namjoon x reader, jimin x reader all eyes are on you, and there seems to be no way out. tired of being manipulated and used, you seek to find your own answers. but the truth may only bring more pain that the comfort of lies you knew.

**ALTERNATE ENDING** ᐅ finale (light version) | smut ft: namjoon x reader, yoongi x reader, taehyung x reader only you have the power to bring down death valley, the question is, are you going to? when heartbreaking secrets get revealed, you decide you’re tired of being a puppet and take matters into your own hands.

death valley finale (dark version)

there are two paths you can take after part 10. the finale (light version) allows more creative freedom in how the story ends. in the finale (dark version) au, events in that ending will leave off at the end of part 10 

ᐅ part 11 | smut ft: namjoon x reader, yoongi x reader, slight taehyung x reader the dead man turns out alive, taking you back to the place it all began. you learn that your fantasy man exists only in your dreams, and the reality of the monster you call your lover is more horrid than you imagined. regretful choices lead to impulsive decisions. you find yourself slipping away, eager to latch on to any sense of power you can

ᐅ part 12 | smut ft: jungkook x reader, jin x reader jimin is nowhere to be found, and you realize the full extent that your lover is willing to go to keep you in his grasp. guilt turns to loyalty for a last shot at redemption. and the sweet taste of fame makes even the best men delusional. now it’s your move, will you be a queen or simply another pawn in this wretched game?

ᐅ part 13 | smut ft: - jimin x reader, namjoon x reader, jin x reader  lost in a haze, your eyes flutter shut while death looms at the door. amongst the hot flames of lust lies selfish men tying loose ends. while reeling betrayal sinks deep into your heart, you’re saved by the one man whos been with you from the start

ᐅ finale | smut ft: namjoon x reader, jimin x reader it's hard to tell if people can change if you never truly knew them in the first place. taehyung's betrayal forces you to reflect on your relationship, while namjoon makes a final play for your heart

drabbles: vmin x yn smut | taekook x yn smut