NT 19

Chapter 19 (http://archiveofourown.org/web/20190414054414/https://archiveofourown.
org/works/14275449/
chapters/38385395) Notes:
There’s sweat pooling in the lines of his palms where his hands are clenched in his lap. It never
happens when he’s nervous and Taehyung wonders if he’s agreed to too much too quickly and
underestimated just what he can handle.
It’s strange, and he’s trying not to think about it too much, but everything he’s gone through doesn’t
feel as nerve wracking as being so domestic with the Jeons.
But the nerves aren't from Ji-hu talking his ear off like they’re best friends though they’ve just met
earlier in the day, or Jeongguk looking at him with the softest expression on his face. It isn’t making
him nervous that he’s seconds away from meeting Jeongguk’s father.
The nerves kick in the moment Seokmin opens the car door, revealing a place that Taehyung has been
a handful of times before. The fact that he never considered Mr. Jeon and Jeon Jeongguk to be related
has him feeling so overwhelmed and stupid he could throw up.
It just doesn’t connect in his mind. Mr. Jeon is one of the most fragile, weakest men he’s ever laid his
eyes on. Everything about Jeongguk screams strength.
“Tae Tae!” Ji-hu calls, scurrying to him when he jumps out of the car to take his hand. There’s
concern in his eyes like he can sense Taehyung’s inner turmoil, but then he smiles big and swings
their hands. “Have you met my grandpa? He’s the oldest man on Earth.”
Taehyung can’t help the nervous giggle he lets out when Ji-hu talks so seriously and when Jeongguk
snorts loudly behind him.
“Yah, don’t let harbeoji hear you say that.”
“Yeah, I’ve met him,” Taehyung says coolly, eyes flicking to Jeongguk because it’s something he
needs to know before Taehyung walks through the door of his family home and it becomes obvious.
He’s been failing at keeping himself impassive like he prefers to be.
He’s never been good at hiding his emotions completely like Jimin and it’s a wonder to him that
Jeongguk hasn’t realized just how far Taehyung has fallen for him.
“I think.”
Ji-hu doesn’t seem to notice when Jeongguk’s hand slides to his back, his tense smile burying into his
ear. “Taehyung -”
“I’ve been here,” Taehyung says, pulling back to look up at Jeongguk, whose bright eyes scream
tortured. He
keeps his tone serious, needing Jeongguk to understand when he can’t explain around little ears. “So
I’m not sure but, the man I was left with was very kind. Never stopped talking about his wife.”
Jeongguk holds his gaze for a long moment, eyes hard and searching before he nods.
It’s the truth. Jimin has brought him here after Bobby had taken him from Chung-Hoon. His first
client under Bobby. He had been terrified but Mr. Jeon never left his chair except to offer Taehyung
more food because my dear boy, you look as if your limbs could snap at any minute .
He visited a few more times, always accompanied with Bobby. He helped Mr. Jeon’s maid, an older
woman with a gummy smile that only appeared when she was in the kitchen. When Mr. Jeon snapped
at her, screaming and tossing the plates from the table in front of him, Bobby took him home and
never brought him back.
Taehyung wonders if that same anger is inside Jeongguk. He wonders how fair it is to assume that a
child must be so much like their parent when Taehyung was raised by a man who used his fists to
express any of his emotions.
“Told me many embarrassing things about his son. If I knew he was so fine, maybe I would have
come more often.”
“Ah,” Jeongguk says, embarrassed, face reddening before he pinches Taehyung’s hip. It’s the second
time he’s done it today and each time it’s made something ignite inside of him. “I can have Seokmin
bring you home if you want. But um, we have to talk about this.”
Taehyung only has the chance to shake his head when Ji-hu squeezes his hand impatiently, nose
pinched when he looks up at the two of them.
Despite the truth of how kind Mr. Jeon had been to him, the fact that he already knows Taehyung is a
whore bothers him. Men think differently of whores when it’s them in their bed compared to when it’s
them holding the hand of their grandson.
He wants to pull his hand away when the doorman opens the door, but Ji-hu holds on so tightly he’s
worried of hurting the boy’s feelings.
Jeongguk greets the doorman warmly, with a clap to his shoulder and a bow of his head.
“It’s been quite bad,” the doorman whispers and Taehyung diverts his attention though his ears strain,
“but he is quite chipper today. I think it’s due to Ji-hu’s return.”
There’s a new tension in Jeongguk’s body and a tighter smile on his lips when he guides Taehyung
into the house.
Ji-hu takes off running the moment his shoes are off, calling out for his grandfather. The touch on his
back travels to his neck, where Jeongguk squeezes lightly before Taehyung feels lips brushing over
his cheekbone.
The anxiety that has been plaguing him has seemed to seep into Jeongguk, his eyes searching him
intensely and Taehyung can hardly breathe as he tries to understand what Jeongguk is thinking.
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19-12-2021 10:05
Nodus Tollens - taecheeks - 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS [Archive of Our Own]
“I know I said we need to talk about this and I meant later but, I need to know. Are you sure he was
kind?”
Taehyung sighs softly at the fear flickering in Jeongguk’s eyes. He understands then. Jeongguk may
not know the way Taehyung’s been mistreated by others who are like his family, but he knows he has
been mistreated.
“He never touched me,” Taehyung promises as he hooks two fingers under Jeongguk’s chin. Maybe
he shouldn’t have told him, but if Taehyung is visibly upset and won’t tell Jeongguk why, he’ll torture
himself until he finds out.
His heart grows and flips in fondness.
Jeongguk still looks unsure but he nods his head and doesn’t say a word as the sound of footsteps
joins the mix of soft and tense between the two of them.
“Ah Guk-ah! Have you finally decided me worthy to meet this boy of yours?”
Heat rushes to Taehyung’s temples as he turns to face Jeongguk’s father. This boy of yours. It implies
being more than a nanny, which is all Taehyung technically is supposed to be.
The way Jeongguk folds a hand over his lower spine reminds Taehyung that he’s far from just being a
nanny. “Yah, Appa, please don’t embarrass me,” Jeongguk whines. “This is Taehyung.”
There’s recognition in Jun-ki’s eyes and suddenly the hand on his back isn’t only wanted, but needed
so
desperately that when Jeongguk’s fingers flex, Taehyung panics like he’s moving away and has to
stop himself from grabbing for him..
“Taehyung-ssi, it has been some time. I hope you are well.”
Good thing I told Jeongguk , Taehyung thinks as he bows and accepts the shaking hand held out
towards him. Jun-ki looks just as haggard as he had when they first met, though he’s aged a
considerable amount since. Taehyung doesn’t remember ever seeing him with such a bright smile
before; he only ever smiled softly when he spoke of his son.
“I am, Mr. Jeon. I hope you are too.”
Jun-ki reaches behind him, hand cupping the back of Ji-hu’s head until it pops around his hip. “Ji-hu
here says you’re his new nanny?”
The look in his eyes is one of amusement and Taehyung flushes harder. He doesn’t seem perturbed by
the idea of a whore nannying his grandson, nor the way his son lifts his hand to grab the back of his
neck reassuringly again.
“I am.”
Jun-ki laughs softly. “Good, good. Come in, come in.”
Taehyung follows after them with a gentle nudge, though he feels like fleeing when he hears Ji-hu
badly
whispering to his grandfather about Jeongguk’s pretty boy giving him strokes.
There’s no manual about how to act in a situation like this and Taehyung wishes there were. He
wouldn’t know
how to meet Jeongguk’s father even if he didn’t know him, but the fact that he does makes it even
harder. He keeps himself beside Ji-hu, finding comfort in the innocence he holds, as Jun-ki and
Jeongguk sit together to talk.
“Are you Woojin hyung’s hyungie?”

Taehyung glances between them where Ji-hu has spread out a box of action figures. They’re sat criss-
crossed on the ground at the edge of the living room, a few yards away from where Jeongguk and Jun-
ki are. He feels Jeongguk’s eyes on him every so often, but he pays more attention to the wide,
curious ones right in front of him.
“Uncle Yoongi told me.”

“I am,” Taehyung says, picking out the pieces left behind in the toy box. “Do you know him well?”
Ji-hu nods. “He sits behind Jimin sunbaenim’s desk during dance class,” he explains as he takes every
piece
handed to him. “He doesn't like the kids in class, only me."
There’s a pang in Taehyung’s chest but he only smiles and watches as Ji-hu collects pieces that look
like they go
together to build a transformer. “Eunae helps him, yes?”

“Oh yeah. One time she punched Hajoon because he was laughing at hyung.”
Taehyung jerks his head up, but Ji-hu is still looking at his toys. Neither Jimin nor Jin have told him
anything like
that. There’s a bit of pride inside of him for Eunae, even if it’s unacceptable behavior.
“Sunbaenim made Hajoon sit behind his desk for three practices with Woojin hyung.”
Taehyung bites at his smile and hands Ji-hu another piece. His eyes light up and a silence falls over
them, though
Taehyung notices that Ji-hu talks to himself. It’s quiet and under his breath, but it’s nonstop.
“I don’t know why you’re asking such questions, son.”
Attempting to be discreet, Taehyung glances at the two Jeon men on the couch. He had been avoiding
looking at
Jeongguk for so long that he doesn’t know when Jeongguk had started to look agitated but there’s a
look on his face that Taehyung’s only seen when Taehyung was injured.
“I’m asking because I need to know the answer,” Jeongguk replies, his tone a lot less friendly than it
had been earlier.
“And if you discover that Yunbok and his hyungs have their hands in brothels across the country than
you will what? Become a hypocrite?”
Taehyung diverts his eyes when Jeongguk glances towards him. His heart is thudding against his
chest and he tries to calm it so he can continue to eavesdrop.
19-12-2021 10:05
“Appa -”
“You’ve brought the conversation up,” Mr. Jeon interrupts, "if you didn’t wish to discuss this in
present company, you shouldn’t have asked me in present company.”
Another glance and Taehyung watches Jeongguk look as if he might deflate but a stubborn look
crosses his expression.
“I’d simply like to know if Yunbok-ssi is as cruel as his hyungs.”
The silence is heavy, only interrupted by the frantic beat of Taehyung’s heart. He is, Taehyung thinks
immediately, but it isn’t something he wants Jeongguk to know. He’s safe from Yunbok, from
Hanbin, from Chung-Hoon, he wants Jeongguk to let it go.
But something must have happened because Jeongguk’s asking the right questions now and Taehyung
doesn’t know how he found out.
“As cruel as Sungho,” Jeongguk whispers, his voice low but it travels enough for Taehyung to hear it
as he strains his ears.
“Tae Tae,” Ji-hu interrupts, thrusting a half made LEGO transformer towards him. “What do you
think?” “Good,” Taehyung murmurs distractedly. Ji-hu quirks a brow but he smiles and hands
Taehyung the next piece. “I see you’ve read your mother’s letters?”
“No. Not yet.”
There’s only silence that follows and Taehyung is too nervous to risk a look towards Jeongguk. He
listens to Ji-
hu’s soft whispering instead; focuses on the way he wiggles on his butt and jerks his head the way his
father does when he’s concentrating.
He doesn’t chance it until a nurse comes in, carrying a tray with bottles and a cup of water. He
watches the man move before lowering the tray in front of Mr. Jeon and Taehyung lets his eyes settle
on Jeongguk.
There’s a distant look in his eyes as he chews on his thumb nail, his leg shaking where it’s hooked
over the other. His eyes lift and meet Taehyung's but the distant look in them doesn’t appear.
“I’ve given Yoongi hyung permission to rest in Eomma’s home in Osaka,” Jeongguk suddenly says,
his eyes slowly dragging back to his father. “Eomma would have allowed it.”
“Is he in trouble?” Mr. Jeon asks with concern falling into his tone.
“I believe so.”
Taehyung perks up at that, blatantly eavesdropping now and he only flushes slightly when Jeongguk
catches him.
The hard look softens for a moment and Taehyung doesn’t hesitate to push himself from the ground to
be near him. “Do you remember the man that visits with Bobby hyung?”
Jun-ki nods, eyes following Taehyung who slips his butt across the cushions to be close. “Jimin-ssi,
yes.
Wonderful boy.”
“He works under Sungho,” Jeongguk explains as if he’s talking about the weather. It makes Taehyung
queasy.
He’s been trying not to think about it, about Jimin with that man again, and he hates being reminded
of it.
There’s a moment where father and son only hold each other’s eyes but Jun-ki breaks the silence first.
He looks
pained as he shakes his head and holds a finger to his top lip.
“No, that cannot be right.”
It catches Ji-hu’s attention, the stress upon his grandfather’s face and he sneaks over. His eyes are big
and wide as
he sits by his feet.

“Yoongi hyung and Jimin are close, Appa. It causes him a pain that makes men do stupid things.”
Jimin will kill Yoongi if he tries anything, Taehyung knows. He doesn’t know Yoongi well enough to
know if
he’d be the type to go after Jimin, but Jeongguk does and Taehyung suspects he wouldn’t voice a
concern he truly doesn’t have.
“Jimin sunbaenim and Uncle Yoongi are getting married,” Ji-hu chimes in before he glances at his
father for confirmation.
Jun-ki doesn’t seem to hear him as he looks off into the distance, the finger he has against his lip
shaking. “Call Yoongi-yah and tell him he may rest at your mother’s home but he is not to leave until
I say.”
Taehyung’s heart thuds hard against his sternum. There is a look of anger in his eyes now, one that
makes Taehyung’s skin crawl and his body tense as if the feeble old man may lunge and attack him.
“There is not a man more cruel than Sungho, my son. Yunbok hyung does not compare.”
Jeongguk scoffs, adding to the tension fueling around them. Taehyung wonders how much they’ve
spoken about this before and why Jeongguk is doing it with him present. He feels as if he shouldn’t be
here, even if he knows more about Sungho than the two of them.
Taehyung thinks there is many ways to be cruel and that both Yunbok and Chung-Hoon are equal,
even if they have caused him harm in different ways.
“If buying men makes a man cruel, than both you and I are none the better.”
Taehyung folds in on himself, eyeing where he’s pressed his hands between his knees. He isn’t
wrong, the act itself isn’t cruel but the men always seem to be.
19-12-2021 10:05
“Distrusting Yunbok for his associations with Sungho does not make me a hypocrite, father,”
Jeongguk says, eyes pulling away from Taehyung. His jaw tenses and ticks, his fingers playing
anxiously over the arm of the couch. Little details that betray the steadiness of his voice. “I’m not
kidnapping babies.”
The statement hangs heavily in the air, the tension loud as Jun-ki and Jeongguk hold each other’s
gaze. Taehyung eases himself into the back of the couch when he feels Ji-hu brush against his legs.
His eyes are still wide with worry as he peeks over the table and grabs a handful of the snacks laid out
between them. So far they have gone untouched and unnoticed but Ji-hu’s retreating hand catches the
older Jeons’ attention.
“Ji-hu, be a good grandson and fetch me the library key.”

Ji-hu stops his attempts to reach into a bowl of chips before he nods and scurries off, disappointment
on his face. Taehyung could laugh if he weren’t feeling too tense.
“Kidnapping babies,” Jun-ki repeats the moment Ji-hu is out of earshot. “I will agree that Sungho is a
cruel man, but that’s quite the accusation.”
“It’s not an accusation, Appa.”
The old man doesn’t look surprised or angered, but rather sadness creeps into his eyes as he stares
back at his son. It feels intimate and Taehyung wants to go but the moment he attempts to, Jeongguk’s
body jerks as if in a panic after him.
“I don’t judge a man for selling his body though I do judge the man who has forced him into it. Just as
I don’t judge a woman who was put into that life as a child, but I do judge the man that would place
her there.”
There’s a hint of anxiety in Jeongguk’s tone and Jun-ki’s stare is unwavering. Taehyung wonders
where any of this came from. He’s never known Jeongguk to be good at hiding his emotions, yet
Taehyung hasn’t seen anything other than exhaustion brewing.
Or at least, he thought any stress on Jeongguk’s face had to do with the uncertainty between them, not
because he knew of Sungho.
“Yunbok does not have the same hand in the game as his hyungs,” Jun-ki finally says, speaking
slowly, “but that does not mean he doesn’t enjoy the benefits of his brother’s power and I’ve heard
he’s not the gentlest of men. But mind you, I have never seen him intimately in that way to know how
he truly treats his partners.”
Taehyung’s heart thuds in his chest and he keeps his eyesight down, knowing the moment Jeongguk
sees his face then he’ll know the truth.
“As for children, you know Yunbok has never been kind to his sons, but he’s been kind to yours. If
that is what you're worried about, you should not be.”
At the mention of Ji-hu, he comes tumbling into the living room with a key held proudly into the air.
The tension snaps quickly, a smile pulling at Jun-ki’s lips.
Taehyung breathes out, relaxes into the touch at his neck as Jeongguk shifts closer.
“Thank you, lil bunny. Now help me up.”
*
The moment the door closes behind Yoongi, Hoseok regrets everything. It’s cracked enough that he
can hear, or
he could be able to hear if his heart wasn’t trying to beat itself out of his chest.
He believes it true. Chung-Hoon won’t hurt Yoongi, not permanently. But the worry that he is wrong
is present,
nagging, cause Hoseok to stand too close to the door and ready himself to pounce at any second
despite the fact that Chung-Hoon wouldn’t have any qualms about killing him the moment he stepped
through the threshold.
The first sound of a thunk and a garbled noise has Hoseok jumping forward, his hand skating over the
wooden door to push it open just to be yanked back by a firm hand clutching hard on the back of his
neck.
He doesn’t collide with the wall like he expects but he’s pressed firmly into it. The man in front of
him holds a finger to his lips, eyes narrowed in a warning.
“You go in there, you're dead,” he seethes through his teeth.
Lee Jooheon has a face that could kill, but his fingers are light where they hold Hoseok down against
the wall and his voice isn’t threatening, but warning.
Hoseok shoves him away in annoyance. He knows. He also should have known he wasn’t capable of
sitting still and waiting behind the scenes while Yoongi puts himself in danger.
“I’ve been on this for almost six years “ Jooheon whispers, pushing Hoseok back. “I’m not having
you fuck it up just because you’re boyfriend in there gets a little banged up.”
He’s pushing back, planting Hoseok back against the wall and Hoseok lets him. Jooheon is the only
thing keeping him from flying into the room Yoongi and Chung-Hoon are in. He’s bigger than
Hoseok in size, just as strong, and he holds a piece on his belt that looks as if it could blast Hoseok’s
entire chest apart.
It isn’t comforting knowing he’s undercover, just as Hoseok had expected. He’s still harmful in a
massive mob empire, posed as a guard who stands as if he’s a second hand man behind the boss.
Hoseok knows it takes violence to get to that position.
“If it happens again, I’m getting Yoongi out,” Hoseok breathes. He doesn’t want to be overheard
although he knows Chung-Hoon is smart, must suspect that Yoongi didn’t come alone. Unless he
thinks Yoongi to be dumb -
19-12-2021 10:05
Which he is, in a sense, pulling out a gun and pointing it at someone like Chung-Hoon, clearly afraid
yet doing it anyway.
“And with you dead how far will he get? He’s a bit of an idiot when it comes to that Jimin of his.”
Hoseok huffs out a laugh. “If he’s so dumb, why are you here with us?”
Jooheon curls his lips, showing his teeth. “Bringing down Chung isn’t my only order, I told you that. I
need Jimin
for the other and he isn’t going to trust me but his boyfriend just might vouch for me if I prove myself
trustworthy.”
He finally moves back, but only an inch. He keeps his fingers planted to Hoseok’s chest, keeping him
back in case
Chung-Hoon suddenly emerges from the room.

“Yah, you’d be more trustworthy if you told me exactly what it is you want with Jimin. Because
Yoongi vouching
for you or not, I won’t let you near him. And if I don’t let you near him, Yoongi won’t either.”
Jooheon’s jaw ticks. His eyes search over Hoseok’s face before he grabs for his belt. Despite his trust
that Jooheon
won’t shoot him dead here, his heart lurches into his throat.
“I need to find Taehyung,” Jooheon says before he whips his gun forward and digs it hard into
Hoseok’s breast
bone. “Kookangie, come here.”

Hoseok’s breath catches at the appearance of another one of Chung-Hoon’s men. He’s another
familiar face, a
man who Hoseok has seen patrol around the brothel. He’s always made Hoseok uneasy with how
quiet he is, never saying a word or even making eye contact when spoken to.
“Found this one creeping around,” Jooheon says, cocking his head to indicate Hoseok. “Where’s the
kid?” “Put your gun away,” is what the newcomer says. “The wife just got home.”
Hoseok’s heart thrums inside his chest. She isn’t supposed to be home so early, they had made sure.
They even
called her on their way here to confirm.

“Don’t move,” Jooheon growls as he slides the weapon back into its holster.
He doesn’t plan on it, but he can’t help the way his body jerks forward as the office door opens and
Yoongi steps
out. A hand to his chest keeps him planted back but he can’t focus on anything other than Yoongi.
Other than his face being paper white, Yoongi is seemingly unharmed. He only glances at Hoseok for
a second, a
soft look in his eyes before Chung-Hoon emerges from behind him.
Chung-Hoon looks murderous, his expression made worse by the gash highlighting his cheekbone.
Hoseok’s
mind runs as he glances between the two, half of him proud if Yoongi did the damage and the other
screaming when he realizes Yoongi is no longer holding his own weapon.
“Go,” Chung-Hoon grunts, pushing Yoongi forward. Hoseok remains still, fighting off the need to rip
his hands away from Yoongi. He doesn’t need to as Chung-Hoon lets him go just as quickly as the
thought surfaces, only to grab Hoseok instead.
The breath is choked from him the moment Chung-Hoon’s hand curls around his neck, squeezing
hard. Hoseok remains still despite his body screaming to fight back.
Chung-Hoon is larger but Hoseok is quicker, stronger. It’s the look in Yoongi’s eyes like he might
attack if Hoseok moves that keeps him still.
There are no words spoken, but the thumbs digging into his windpipe are enough for Hoseok to
understand. It feels weak the way he gasps when Chung-Hoon lets go, but his chest is aching and his
vision is spotty.
“Has my wife seen him?” Chung-Hoon grunts at Jooheon. Hoseok scrambled to grab for the wall,
shaking his head at Yoongi who looks like he might close the space between him.
“Yes sir,” Jooheon lies, his face hard and unreadable.
Chung-Hoon wrinkles his nose, staring at him for a moment. Hoseok barely has time to breathe in
enough to ease the ache in his chest before pain blossoms across his cheekbone.
The pain vibrates upwards to his temple and across his skull, deep like his brain has rattled from the
blow. Tears well in his eyes despite the fight not to shed them and Yoongi is there, arms curling under
his armpits to lift him though he hadn’t realized he was falling.
“Nothing you’ve done will go unpunished, Min Yoongi,” is all Chung-Hoon says before it goes quiet.
Ears ringing, Hoseok forces himself to stand, Yoongi’s grip on him uncomfortably tight. He’s saying
something, his lips moving but Hoseok can’t make out the words through the static in his ears.
“I’m fine,” Hoseok huffs, hoping his voice doesn’t betray them. Chung-Hoon has gone, taking
Jooheon with him but he sees the other guard lingering in the hall. “Hyung, I’m fine.”
Yoongi doesn’t look fine. His eyes are wide with alarm and hurt and Hoseok shrugs away, wanting to
prove he is. A touch to his cheek and he can feel the blood there, making his stomach twist violently
with nausea.
He sinks into the office, wanting to escape Yoongi’s hands that follow after him but he stops when he
spies the computer screen facing them. He can’t help the way he doubles over at the sight, the
reminder.
It hadn’t been to punish Hoseok, but to shove it in Yoongi’s face. Hoseok had been fine to take the
punishment, but he would have agreed if he knew it would be used against Yoongi.
He doesn’t care about ruining Chung-Hoon’s carpet as he makes a mess of it. He'll take the
punishment - he’ll do whatever to get Yoongi and Jimin the hell out of here.
19-12-2021 10:05
“Come on,” Yoongi huffs, grabbing his chest to help lift him. “Let’s clean you up for dinner.”
A laugh tumbles from Hoseok’s lips. His teeth ache and he wonders distantly if one is broken. Or his
jaw, or his face.
“Nah, staying will piss him off more. I can go. I can get Jimin.”
Yoongi looks as if he’s being tortured, eyes watering but his eyes blink at a rapid rate to keep any
tears from falling. Hoseok really needs to run, to escape the way Yoongi looks at his face like the gash
there is what is causing him pain.
“He’s coming here.”
Yoongi glances at the computer before swallowing thickly and focusing back on Hoseok’s face. He
wipes the blood that trickles down his cheek and Hoseok hates the way it stains his hands. It looks
wrong there.
He understands more so now than he did before why Jimin had been so closed off with Yoongi about
this life. It doesn’t fit him. It feels fundamentally just - wrong for him to even be the tiniest bit
involved.
“What?” Hoseok asks. He’s set up a fake client for Jimin for the entirety of the afternoon, making it
so his lack of presence around the brothel wouldn’t be suspicious. “What happened with Chung,
hyung? How the fuck are you breathing when it looks like you’ve attacked him?”
Yoongi shakes his head, suddenly breathless. The stupid fucking video plays behind them and Hoseok
wonders if one day they will laugh about this like old men rehashing on their university days.
“Sungho agreed to let him come with me on the pretense that when he needs Jimin, if he needs Jimin,
Jimin will have to return. But he’s coming here and then we’ll go. That is all that matters.”
Hoseok gapes at Yoongi. Going in, he had belief that Yoongi would accomplish something. Both
protecting Woojin and Jimin were equally important, but it’s not until Yoongi speaks that Hoseok
realizes which one he wanted to be more successful.
“Hyung, what about Woojin? Should we be calling Jin hyung now that Chung-Hoon knows he’s a
weakness of ours? Explain now, actually. He took your gun away so I know that isn’t the reason he
agreed to let you leave with Jimin.”
Yoongi glances away from his eyes and dread spreads throughout Hoseok.
“Now, hyung.”
Yoongi narrows his eyes but there’s a shake in his fingers as he wipes away the sweat on Hoseok’s
forehead. “You
were right about Eomma being his weakness, Hobi. I think the only reason he caved into letting Jimin
go was because she never stops talking about how much she dreams of us getting married.”
When he paces, Yoongi shakes out his hands, chest heaving and Hoseok understands the feeling.
There’s a strange type of adrenaline, a feeling too close to that of panic, that fills the body after
something like this. Hoseok has gotten into fights that have resulted in people pulling him off with
bloody knuckles and an urge to keep fighting. He’s stared at Chung-Hoon and envisioned the many
ways karma could be best delivered and had to go for a run afterwards, just to relieve the static inside
of him.
Yoongi looks that way now, breathing out in a way that makes his cheeks round like bubbles. There’s
a bounce in his step, but there’s something in his eyes that reminds Hoseok of the day when Yoongi
realized he had to call Jeongguk and tell him his mother passed.
“He’ll back off Woojin too. I - I think he’s desperate for something or none of this would have
worked, Hoseok. I might have pissed my pants. Fuck.”
Hoseok leaps across the office, hands out to catch Yoongi’s chest as he bends forward. It’s just like
that day. Yoongi hadn’t even considered the fact that Jeongguk’s father would be the one to tell him.
He automatically assumed it was his responsibility, as Jeongguk’s hyung. That’s why he could
swallow his fear down enough to do this, for Jimin and Woojin and maybe even a little for Hoseok,
but it’s catching up to him now.
“Breathe,” Hoseok huffs, crouching low to watch Yoongi’s face as he inhales through his nose. “If
you didn’t piss your pants, I’d be impressed.”
Yoongi laughs, but there’s no amusement in his expression. “He needs me to do something for him.
And something tells me he has been trying and failing, that’s why he’s so easily giving into some
bony kid with a gun he doesn’t know how to use. Because I’m one of the few people who can do it for
him and he said something about no longer having to form a bond with me just to get me to do it.”
Dread seeps into Hoseok but he keeps his face impassive as he mimics the way Yoongi should
breathe. It isn’t until Yoongi nods his head and straightens that Hoseok lets his chest go, but remains
close in case that fear returns. “What is it?”
No matter what it is, Hoseok already knows he’s absolutely against it. There’s nothing Chung-Hoon
could ask for that he’d be okay with Yoongi doing.
“He said Yunbok-ssi is creating H? In his lab. The one at Jeon Tobacco. He wants me to destroy
everything - get formulas and shit for him. The drugs too.”
His eyes divert, barely focus on Hoseok while he speaks. He swallows too much, his hands clenching
into his fists by his sides and -
19-12-2021 10:05
“What aren’t you telling me?” Hoseok urges. He listens for the sound of footsteps but there are none.
He doesn’t know what Chung-Hoon has played for right now, but he knows with Jinju in the house he
won’t kill him. Or at least, he doesn’t think so. “Jeongguk is going to kill Yunbok when he finds this
out, you know that right?”
Yoongi nods, nibbling on his bottom lip and finally, finally looking at Hoseok straight on.
“I know. He thinks Guk knows about it but I swore to him that he doesn’t. Jeongguk’s absolutely
going to lose his shit when he finds out. It’ll be easy. He’ll let us in and take it all without question.
Fuck , he has to.”
Hoseok huffs, his head hurting so bad it’s difficult to think straight. The one time he and Jeongguk
ever truly fought is because Jeongguk thought he had been high - even though he wasn’t, it had been
hard to convince Jeongguk of that.
“Hyung, I need you to go into this with the mindset that none of this will be easy. Breaking my face is
probably the gentlest thing Chung-Hoon is going to do to punish you.”
Yoongi nods in understanding, lips tight but Hoseok doesn’t think Yoongi knows as much as Hoseok
means, even if he thinks he does. Chung-Hoon is good. Even if they anticipate everything he could
use against them, they will still miss something he’s found.
“And nothing he asks you to do is going to be easy. Especially something like this. It involves his
blood. Even if it sounds like he’s going against him, it’s his brother hyung.”
Something flickers in Yoongi’s eyes and the dread inside of him worsens, his stomach threatening to
unload again. “He - he said if Jeongguk resists, I have to kill him. But he’s not going to. You know I
wouldn’t do that.”
Hoseok shoves Yoongi away, worrying he might be sick again. “If Chung ordered you to kill him,
hyung, he’s
going to be dead whether or not he hands the drugs over with a smile and a gift basket.”
Yoongi rakes a hand through his hair anxiously. Hoseok wants to ask more about their conversation
but they can’t.
They’ve already been hidden away for too long, he’s surprised no one has come to find them.
“I gotta go hyung. I’ll call Guk, okay -”
They’re interrupted by a gasp, the sound of Jinju’s concern making Hoseok want to fly out the
window to escape
her grasp. She stands in the doorway, eyes on them for a moment before she’s crossing the space
between them with giant strides.
She’s gentle when she touches Hoseok, tilting his chin to inspect his wound. She doesn’t ask.
The anger in her eyes makes her look scarier than Chung-Hoon.
“Come with me Hobi-ah. Let’s get you cleaned up.”
Hoseok ducks his head down, trying to hide the swelling of his face but fingers press harder into his
chin until he has no choice other than to look into her eyes.
“Eomma -” Yoongi starts, panic in his voice but she holds up a hand to stop him.
“We’ll talk later, dumpling. For now, turn that off and go wash up for dinner.”
Though her voice is calm, it’s the only thing calm about her. She radiates anger the way Yoongi does,
the way
Hoseok has learned is best to; quietly.

Shame fills him quickly as he realizes the computer is still playing, that Jinju has seen, and he stalks
off behind
her hoping that she doesn’t ask questions that he can’t answer.
Hoseok straightens when they emerge from the office, maintaining an impassive expression as he
finds the same
henchman still at his spot at the end of the hallway. Jinju pays him no mind as she guides Hoseok to
the bathroom. He wonders what she thinks all of this is. She isn’t dumb, she must know there’s
something going on. Something close to the truth.
The farm is a place that Hoseok had only visited briefly once before but it feels like the Min’s. It
reminds him of the Jeon guest house Yoongi used to live in growing up and he wishes that it
comforted now as much as it used to. But he can’t think of a single thing that would give him comfort
right now. Maybe seeing Woojin and Eunae with Taehyung - safe and well fed. That’s a thought that
sometimes trickles into his mind when it’s too quiet and his chest aches too much.
Maybe Jimin and Yoongi, with their hands intertwined and matching rings around their fingers. Or
Jeongguk with Ji-hu, both of them smiling at the same time. Chung-Hoon lying dead on the ground at
his feet.
“Come in baby,” Jinju says, gesturing to the bathroom. “Let me take a look at you.”
It’s quiet as Jinju pulls out a first aid kit and starts to tend to his face. There is a heaviness around
them brought on by the tight set of her lips and the look in her eyes as if she’s searching for something
to say.
There’s something about the situation that makes Hoseok feel like she already knows what happened
and he’s surprised when she asks who did this to him.
“I’m fine, Jinju-ssi.”

Jinju narrows her eyes as she dabs alcohol onto his skin. She isn’t gentle this time. “That doesn’t
answer my question, Hope-ah.”
It had been Jinju who had given him the nickname; Hope . He doesn’t even remember why anymore.
19-12-2021 10:05
Hoseok sighs, avoiding eye contact as her gaze makes him nervous. The plan was to threaten Chung-
Hoon with telling Jinju, Hoseok doesn’t know what the plan is now.
“When did you meet Ch - Sungho?”
Jinju’s eyes widen a small fraction before she purses her lips. “When I was quite young. My first job
was at a restaurant not too far from here. He was a frequent customer.”
That long , Hoseok thinks in despair. It doesn’t make sense for Jinju to even know a little about
Chung-Hoon and still be with him, but Hoseok doesn’t understand how she couldn’t know.
“We lost contact once I moved to Busan to work for the Jeons. I saw him a few times when he visited
with them, you know the Kim brothers and Jun-ki oppa are like family, but it was not until I moved to
Daegu that we reconnected.”
“Were you uh, in a relationship back then?”
Jinju laughs as if Hoseok told a joke. “Oh, no, no. He was infatuated with someone else. A friend of
mine. I hated him back then. One of those pure types of hatred, where every time I saw his face I
wanted to shove my chopsticks into his eyes.”
This time, Hoseok laughs as the image forms in his mind. It gives him a strange feeling of
satisfaction, except - “What changed?”
Silence follows as Jinju inspects her work and slowly puts away the medical supplies. Hoseok
watches her, an
anxious feeling in his belly until she taps his unharmed cheek fondly.
“Nothing changed my dear boy. I hate him now just as much as I did when I was a girl.”
*
The topic of Chung-Hoon and Yunbok had slipped into small talk, small talk that feels tense by the
way Jeongguk
simmers beside him. He’s moved closer across the couch, wanting to offer Jeongguk comfort with
their knees touching and his hand close if Jeongguk needs it.
He has a few times, absentmindedly reaching over to play with Taehyung’s fingers or trail his own
across the back of his hand.
It makes the anxious moths in Taehyung’s belly feel like butterflies.
He relaxes fully when Jun-ki and Jeongguk start discussing the company. Taehyung follows along as
best as he can but he empathizes with the bored look on Ji-hu’s face as he climbs all over his
grandfather, despite Jeongguk telling him to stop.
Jun-ki chuckles when Ji-hu collapses dramatically across his lap, whining softly for his grandfather’s
attention. “Still adjusting to the time change, I see. It sounds as if this little bunny is ready for bed and
it is barely time for supper.”
Ji-hu perks up at that, forcing his eyes open wide. “I’m not sleepy!”
His lie is betrayed by the yawn that follows, dragging quiet laughs from the men around him. “Sleep
is important, Ji-hu. You can dream of those puppies your Appa won’t let you have.”
Jeongguk groans in complaint as Taehyung throws an offended look at him and Ji-hu’s lips push into
one of the most endearing pouts that Taehyung has ever seen.
“Appa, why?” Jeongguk complains. “You know we can’t get a dog.” He glances at Taehyung, startled
when he sees Taehyung’s pout. “We’re not home enough for a dog.”
“I hear you’re barely at work these days,” Jun-ki says gently, amusement in his eyes as he glances
between the two of them. “Which, speaking of, I would be careful, Jeongguk. I wouldn’t put it past
that assistant of yours to take over when you aren’t looking. Soon these cigarettes will say Kim
Tobacco.”
It’s said jokingly but the amusement in the old man’s eyes falters as he looks pointedly at Jeongguk. It
feels like a scolding is coming and Taehyung grins at the idea of seeing Jeongguk being lectured like
a boy.
There are times when Jeongguk looks young and innocent like a child, like he has the same carefree
mind a child has. Taehyung knows that this isn’t true, isn’t possible for an adult to truly have, but he
likes when he sees Jeongguk like that. It makes him feel light knowing there’s moments where
Jeongguk isn’t burdened by any of the pain life is willing to hand out.
“They probably should,” Jeongguk admits with a laugh though his cheeks have turned rosy. “The
company would have collapsed if it wasn’t for Jin hyung.”
Ji-hu struggles with staying awake, curling further into his grandfather’s lap like he wants to hide his
sleep heavy eyes. It brings a smile to Jun-ki’s face and to Taehyung’s.
He’s fond of the boy and he knows that fondness is only going to grow stronger, but Taehyung for
once isn’t afraid or hesitant of the feeling in his chest. He’s always loved children more than adults.
Their love is pure and long lasting as long as you’re good to them, and even sometimes when you’re
not.
The thought brings Jimin to his mind and Taehyung feels his shoulders sag. Jimin has always loved
his mother unconditionally, even when he shouldn’t have. He hopes she has changed, that Jimin
doesn’t have to live with the reminder of his mother not loving him every day on top of everything
else.
19-12-2021 10:05
“I don’t doubt your words son,” Jun-ki says, voice straining as he attempts to pull Ji-hu upwards.
Jeongguk moves to help but his father waves him off with a grunt. “If you cannot have a puppy, visit
your Uncle Bobby my boy. He just purchased a dog of his own to keep himself company and I know
he’d like to see you.”
The tension returns, seeping into the air and Jeongguk squeezes Taehyung’s fingers. “I don’t think
that’s a good idea,” Jeongguk says quietly.
The anger that Taehyung had once seen on Jeongguk’s father’s face many years ago returns, his eyes
far from unkind as they turn onto his son. “I am not asking it of you, Jeongguk. Visit Jiwon-ah. He is
not well.”
Jeongguk scoffs. Taehyung wonders if he was trouble to raise as he looks at his father with that same
damn stubbornness in his eyes that Taehyung is so fond of. “No disrespect, Appa, but I don’t care.”
Ji-hu looks warily at his father as he wraps his arms around his grandfather’s neck. Taehyung pats
Jeongguk’s thigh in warning, glancing at Ji-hu so Jeongguk understands. Maybe it’s the long flight,
the lack of sleep, the constant stress Taehyung has caused him, but he looks so wound tight like he
might snap at any second.
“I think it’s time you read your mother’s letters, Jeongguk-ah. You have a kind heart, your mother
would be displeased if it’s changed.”
It’s the worst moment of the entire day the way Jeongguk glares at his father, lips parted slightly like
he’s surprised by his words. Taehyung finds it an unfair comment, his chest aching with the need to
tell Jun-ki so but it isn’t his place.
But it’s never been Jeongguk’s place either and even if Taehyung had been upset at the times he’s
gotten involved, he’s thankful for them all the same.
“Excuse me, Mr. Jeon,” Taehyung says, throat dry from not saying a word this entire time. “I don’t
mean to talk out of turn but, Bobby-ssi has done cruel things and I do not think it’s Jeongguk’s heart
being unkind.”
Sweat builds over the back of his neck when Jun-ki turns to look at him, cradling Ji-hu to his chest.
His eyes aren’t harsh though, instead as gentle as the small smile on his lips. He ducks his head before
he nods it.
“You are right, Taehyung-ssi. But I think it is unfair to come from a place of hatred before knowing of
the good things he has done as well,” Jun-ki says slowly, eyes finding his son again. “Read your
mother’s letters, Jeongguk, and then decided whether or not to give up on your hyung.”
Jeongguk’s jaw ticks but he doesn’t say anything as Jun-ki slowly shifts to place a now sleeping Ji-hu
on the sofa beside him. His knees crack when he stands and he reaches for the walker beside where
he’s sitting for balance but decides it against it once his legs are straight.
“Taehyung-ah, would you join me for a moment?”
Taehyung stiffens, his eyes going wide and hands still around where he’s attempting to catch
Jeongguk’s fingers again. Jeongguk goes just as rigid, although the confusion shows more on his face
than Taehyung allows to show on his.
He snaps out of it quickly, trained not to be rude, and stands.
“Just the two of us,” Jun-ki clarifies, his tone firm but fond as he holds up a hand at Jeongguk, who is
half out of his seat like he is going to follow.
“Appa -”
The concern in Jeongguk’s eyes has Taehyung’s heart stuttering a bit but he shakes his head until it
relaxes. Jeongguk is overprotective, assuming things, but is helpless to fight against his father even if
he has been trying. “It’s fine, Gukkie,” Taehyung says with a light smile as he reaches over to stroke
Jeongguk’s cheek until he
relaxes.
“We’ll be in the library.”
Jeongguk’s face crumples more and Taehyung can only glance at it for a second before he follows
after Jun-ki. The library has a series of locks on the door that Jun-ki takes his time in unlocking before
gesturing for Taehyung
to enter. He can’t help the way his eyes flit around or the way his lips turn down into a frown at the
rows and rows of empty shelves.
There are boxes stacked along the walls and over what Taehyung assumes to be the reading area, but
there isn’t much for as many locks on the door as Jun-ki’s father has.
“Has my son been treating you well, Taehyung-ssi?”
Taehyung is taken aback by the question. There looks to be genuine concern on the old man’s face, so
strikingly different from the way he had just been looking at his son. “Yes, Mr. Jeon.”
He moves to help when Jun-ki lifts a box that he seems to struggle with. His arms are like sticks, a
tremor in his fingers that Taehyung hadn’t truly noticed before.
“In truth?” Jun-ki presses with a light smile. “You hesitated just then.”
He hesitates again. The old man is hard to read, though kind, Taehyung is reminded that he seemed
defensive over Yunbok and his hyungs. Defensive over Bobby, though Jeongguk’s hatred for his
hyung might be a bit too intense.
Maybe. Taehyung doesn’t really know of their relationship to be sure.

“No one has treated me as well as your son, Mr. Jeon. He - he’s relieved me of my debt to um -”
19-12-2021 10:05
The smile on the old man’s face grows as he waves his hand to cut Taehyung off. There’s something
knowing in his eyes that has Taehyung dropping his gaze as warmth tickles his cheeks.
“He’s not spoken much about you, in respect for your privacy I’ve assumed. But I saw a change in
him the moment you came around. There’s been a ghost in his eyes for a long time, only disappearing
when Ji-hu is around. I haven’t seen that ghost in many months. Have you told him that we’ve met
previously?”
Taehyung nods. He doesn’t think he’s aided in getting rid of Jeongguk’s ghosts, but filled him with
new ones. “He’s worried that you’ve hurt me.”
Jun-ki trembles the way a man much older then he would. His lips shake when he presses them
together and the muscles of his face jump around as he struggles to open the box. Taehyung helps
him, apologizing quietly as he takes over.
“He should know better of his father,” Jun-ki says lightly, the set of his mouth falling firm. Their
voices are the same, Taehyung hadn’t noticed before. “He’s asked of Yunbok because of you, I’ve
assumed. Yunbok has always helped himself to those who work for his son like he has some kind of
entitlement to them.”
Taehyung falls still, his hands freezing where they hold the flaps of the box. There’s letters inside,
notebooks and what appears to be clothing.
“No,” Taehyung breathes. It’s the truth from his eyes - he’s never told Jeongguk about Yunbok, but
he wouldn’t be too surprised if Jeongguk managed to find out anyway. “I haven’t spoken to Jeongguk
about my treatment but -”
“He’s intelligent and determined,” Jun-ki supplies with fondness. “It’s not something he’s gotten from
me. I am a weak man. I always have been.”
Taehyung pulls away when Jun-ki digs through the box, remaining quiet as he’s unsure of what to
say. It’s strange being invited here and it’s even weirder to be talking about Jeongguk.
The worst part is he feels the urge to, to answer all of Jun-ki’s questions. Maybe he truly does want
the truth out and Jun-ki might be able to buffer Jeongguk’s reactions. Even when simmering with
anger, Jeongguk fell quiet under his father’s gaze.
“My weakness has granted me some of my biggest regrets,” Jun-ki goes on. “My wife requested
things of me after her death, things I could not do because of the grief that plagued me. It’s still here,
that grief. It has only grown as I’ve come to witness the results of my inaction. I am devastated to hear
that Park Jimin is in the hands of Sungho again. Do not tell my son this, but he isn’t wrong for being
hesitant of the Kim’s. They are not a kind family.”
Taehyung wonders if that is why the old man had look so taken back when Jeongguk had told him,
though Taehyung doesn’t know why he should care. Maybe because he’s protective of Bobby, who
has been so broken since Jimin left.
Jun-ki pulls out an envelope, teared at the edges. It shakes in his grip, but Taehyung can still make out
the letter in his hands.
If his heart had been beating badly before, now he’s nearing the edge of cardiac arrest.
“I thought Bobby finding you to be a second chance that I did nothing to deserve to make amends but
I failed even at that. Telling Bobby to care for you was a weak attempt. Deep down I knew he
wouldn’t. His fear of his father is greater than his fear of disappointing me worse than he already has.
I’ve forgiven him for things that no man would forgive someone for. He has grown too comfortable
with the fact that nothing he does will change my care for him.”
Taehyung doesn’t take the envelope when it’s handed to him. He even shakes his head like he’s afraid
of it, making the old man frown.
“It is my fault as well. I trusted him greatly. He is quite weak like me, so I cannot judge. Despite his
love for Park Jimin, he could not protect him the way he promised he would.”
Jun-ki forces the letter towards Taehyung, insisting that he takes it until Taehyung’s fingers brush
over the coarse material.
“I - I don’t understand anything you’re saying.”

Jun-ki laughs softly. “I knew who you were the moment you stepped into my house. You look just
like them. Your father used to be teased by his eyebrows but I’m quite sure your mother was fond of
them.”
Taehyung glances at the envelope again, at the writing scribbled onto it. He can’t stop shaking his
head because no . “You knew them?”
“Well,” Jun-ki clarifies as he places the envelope down, close enough so Taehyung knows he can still
take it. “I’ve met you once, when you were quite young. You never stopped talking and talking; it
drove your mother crazy. My wife was so fond of you I was worried she would steal you and make
you her own.”
Jun-ki pulls a stack of photographs, frowning so deeply his wrinkles look like oceans around his
mouth, searching through the photos before making a soft 'ah' sound.
The handwriting on the envelope had been enough to drag Taehyung’s heart into an unstoppable pace,
but when his eyes fall upon her face, it completely stops. It smashes into his sternum like a car
crashing, his ears ringing like breaks squealing and pain shooting through him like he’s been crushed
under the heavy weight of metal.
She’s young, maybe in her early twenties if not younger. She’s wearing one of her rare smiles, her
face squished up against his own. He can’t be more than four or five, too big to be held still.
Taehyung remembers the first time his
19-12-2021 10:05
mother told him that he was too big to be held and she was probably right, but he had been hurt by it.
It’s proof that Jun-ki knew his mother but his brain refuses to accept it. It had been his step father
wrapped up in
all of the gang shit that led to her death; she had nothing to do with it. “Is that -”
Taehyung hesitates before he slides his finger across his mother’s face and to the woman standing
beside her. She too is smiling, her lips stretched into her cheeks and revealing teeth that make her look
like a bunny. She holds a child around the same age as him, the same bunny smile on his face.
He’d recognize him anywhere, especially as he spent the entire day with the child version of him.
They look even more alike as children, barely any difference between the two of them. Under the
crushing weight of confusion, of alarm, Taehyung feels a fondness for the innocence he sees - the
innocence he still wants Jeongguk to feel.
“Jeongguk, yes,” Jun-ki murmurs, “and my wife, Young-Mi.”

*
To say Jimin is terrified is an understatement.
The farm. No one goes to the farm with the idea that they will be able to leave. No one except Kitty
knows where
the farm is and even her eyes are big with worry. He had been in his room, waiting for a client that
Hoseok had booked, when Kitty came bursting into his room in alarm.
There’s bits and pieces of his memory left from when he was a child and Kitty would do the same
thing; run into his room and make him hide under the bed or in his closet. He doesn’t remember much
other than how scared he had been staring up at the springs of his mattress and he has that feeling
now, settled and moved into his chest like it’s about to become a permanent resident.
“I have to tell you something, baby.”
Chung-Hoon is sending him back to Busan; probably back to Bobby. Jimin doesn’t know if he can go
back. He’s betrayed Bobby and even though it was justifiable, Bobby might -
He doesn’t know what Bobby will do but he knows how dangerous men can be when their hearts are
broken.
“Yes, Eomma?” Jimin asks as he watches the green flash by as they make their way into the
countryside. He did everything Chung-Hoon asked of him. He doesn’t know why he’d be in trouble.
Maybe it will be a good thing. If Jimin dies, he’ll never have to see Yoongi’s look of betrayal when he
tells him that he slept with Hoseok.
“I’m sorry.”
Jimin pulls his eyes away from the window to his mother. He’s definitely going to the farm to be
killed. His mother has never apologized for anything in her life, unless she was facing Chung-Hoon’s
ready to strike hand.
“What?”
“I’m sorry,” she repeats, more firmly this time like she’s forcing herself to say the words, “for giving
you the life I have given you. It’s all I’ve known and it wasn’t until my unnie died that I realized how
much I hated it. I thought I was safe and protected, living a better life than I could have but that
wasn’t the truth. I could have given you something more, something a good mother should be giving
her son.”
Jimin lets his eyes fall into his lap, not wanting to feel the emotion brewing inside his chest. He’s
annoyed by her words, but he also desperately wants to hear them.
It’s too fucking late for an apology but Jimin still wants it. Even if he understands. He felt safe and
protected with Bobby, it was Yoongi that made him feel like there was something else he could have
in life. He would have been fine living that life as long as possible if it were not the pain in Yoongi’s
eyes every time he stopped himself from kissing Jimin.
“I was selfish to everyone. My unnie left to have a baby, to start a new life. I was angry at her for
leaving me, that she found a man who was willing to spend every last cent of his to take her away,”
Kitty goes on, eyes sparkling with tears that she blinks away. “Our little sister ran away, ran from
Chung-Hoon and she should have. He started working her when she was still too young to even have
her first kiss. But I was angry at her because he was angry at me after she left. I had to be punished the
way she would have been if she were found and I was pregnant with you at the time, but he didn’t
care. I was angry because she was his favorite, the best tended to, and I thought her selfish for leaving,
for wanting more.”
Kitty sniffles quietly, nose twitching back and forth. “That’s why I want to help Bobby, too, Jimin-ah
and I hope that you understand. I have no right to ask you. My unnie left when Bobby was still in her
belly. She wanted to take care of him and I spent a long time resenting her for that instead of making
sure Chung-Hoon stayed away from him. I helped him train Bobby because I was angry and fuck ,
Jimin-ah there is little your eomma regrets more than that.”
Jimin sinks into his seat, absorbing the information that’s being handed to him. He doesn’t know if he
believes it or if the ache in his chest is because he does.
Or maybe it’s because Kitty’s talking about wanting to save Bobby more than saving him, her own
son. Because there is little she regrets more than having a hand in raising Bobby in this life, including
forcing Jimin into it. It makes her apology useless.
“Why are you telling me this now?”
19-12-2021 10:05
Kitty looks at him again as she turns down a long, dirt path. It’s so long that Jimin can’t see anything
but fields of green up ahead. “Because I’m afraid Chung is taking you from me again. He didn’t give
you to Bobby because he gave a shit about him. He did it to hurt me.”
Silence falls around them. Jimin feels the same way. Except he doesn’t know if he’s just going to be
sent away or killed.
If he’s sent away, what happens to Woojin? The deal was Jimin would work for Chung-Hoon to keep
him from the boy, but if he’s dead -
“You need to keep Chung away from Woojin. From Taehyung. Apologies don’t mean anything to me,
but this will.”
Kitty hesitates, hurt crossing her face for a moment before she nods and reaches over to hold out a
pinky for him. It’s something stupid they used to do all the time when Jimin was little. He’s always
wondered if he fabricated his mother’s sweet moments for him, but he considers maybe he hadn’t.
He thinks even people with horrible, abusive parents can find moments that they were good - that
their need to be loved by their parents were fulfilled. Maybe for one moment, a few seconds. Maybe
none of it matters anyway.
“When you call Mun, tell him about Taehyung. He will help him too.”
Jimin doesn’t want to let go of his mother’s finger but he forces himself to. Jimin is angry with her but
his anger for his mother has never been enough to get him to stop caring for her. “Tae is probably the
safest out of all of us since Jeongguk’s bought him. Even if he hates me for making it happen. Both
Yunbok and Bobby seem too hesitant to go against Jeongguk.”
The car falters, jerking to a stop before Kitty starts driving again. Her fingers agitate over the steering
wheel and she glances too many times at Jimin for his comfort.
“You know Jeongguk? Jeon Jeongguk?”

“Yeah,” Jimin trails off, frowning. “Bobby, like, idolizes him.”
He doesn’t mention knowing Jeongguk through Ji-hu or Yoongi. He has some trust for his mother,
that this Mun
guy will help, but he doesn’t trust her completely.
The car suddenly pulls to the side and Jimin’s startles when his mother puts her face into her hands.
She trembles
a bit, but she flinches away from the hand Jimin tríes to pay reassuringly on her shoulder.
“What do you mean he bought Taehyung?”
Jimin hesitates at the question. Nothing in life is starting to make sense anymore and he feels like he’s
been
dragged into an alternate reality. “He paid off the debt Taehyung owed Bobby, that Taehyung owed
Chung.”
Kitty shakes her head when she lifts it, keeping her face turned from Jimin so he diverts his eyes. She
used to cry
a lot when he was younger but as he grew, the only times she cried was when there was a needle
laying beside her. “What is Jeongguk?” Jimin asks tentatively. “I don’t understand why he holds such
power over everyone. Even at
the Minx, people look at him and treat him as if he’s the boss of Busan but he has no experience in
this life, it’s obvious. The first time he came into the club he looked like a thirteen year old boy
looking at a set of tits for the first time.”
Kitty sighs, hands folding back over the steering wheel as she leans into the seat. “Bobby and Yunbok
are afraid of him. Of Jun-ki, his father. Get on the Jeon bad side and Yunbok loses his career, his
stability, his reputation, maybe even his life. He needs the lab in Jeon Tobacco, the access that gives
him to other countries. Jun-ki’s got connections all over Asia, ties with gangs that make Chung-Hoon
look like the Holy Mother.”
Jimin nods though he doesn’t fully understand. Jeongguk had been terrifying when he came for
Taehyung, but not so scary that it makes sense for Yunbok to be afraid of him. He’s a boy still really,
unfamiliar with the street game.
Or at least, Jimin thinks so.
“Jun-ki has a lot on Chung-Hoon, on Yunbok, he’s respectable and is protected by Kuroi Okami, the
Guowangs. People will believe him if he ever speaks out on what he knows, if he ever reveals the
diaries his late wife has written about her time working for Chung. If he ever - ever spoke out about
what happened to her.”
Staring at his hands, Jimin tries not to react. He shouldn’t be surprised by anything anymore,
especially since Jun- ki isn’t shy about buying whores to spend time with. But the news of Jun-ki’s
ties to the Guowangs has his stomach tightening in a knot. He’s only heard Bobby mention them here
and there before, but his fear of them has always been loud.
The car pulls off again as Jimin processes the information. It’s only giving him more questions and he
doesn’t know what questions will make his mother stop talking, but they’re running out of time.
“What are in the diaries?”
Kitty shrugs. “She was the oldest of us, protective. She took every hit, every punch, every nasty man
directed our way. She’d slip into Chung’s room to keep him out of ours. She wasn’t allowed to keep
her children. It wasn’t until Jun-ki wanted her that Chung let her go and I was too selfish to be happy
for her. I was mad she left me after everything she did to protect me.”
There’s regret in her tone and Jimin feels for her, wishing he could get rid of the urge to hold her hand
to comfort her.
19-12-2021 10:05
“You were close with her?”
It falls silent as Kitty turns into a driveway that stretches far into a field of green. The house at the end
is large, bigger than the barns in the distance and seemingly as wide as the stables Jimin can just make
out.
“She was my unnie I told you about,” Kitty whispers, her voice call although her knuckles are white.
It makes Jimin nervous knowing his mother is nervous too.
“The one that left when she was pregnant?”
Kitty nods and Jimin feels a pit grow in his stomach.
“What do you mean she wasn’t allowed to keep her children? Eomma that doesn’t make sense. You
said -”
Kitty doesn’t seem to hear him as she pulls to a stop, a low pained noise pulling from her throat. Jimin
follows the gaze though he wants Kitty to explain. It’s the worst bit of information that Jimin has been
given the entire ride.
A woman is walking hastily from the house, her face so scrunched with anger that it takes Jimin a
moment
to recognize her.
Jimin wonders if you can pass out from being shoved a heap load of confusing information at one
time. “Jinju?” Jimin breathes as he quickly pushes from the car. There’s an ache in his chest, an
urgency inside of him
to be in her arms. It’s been so long since he’s seen her. Her face has always brought him comfort,
warmth, a feeling of family that he’s never had before.
The ache only grows when his mind finally catches up, reminding him that Kitty’s supposed to be
bringing him to Chung-Hoon, not to Yoongi’s mother. That he’s never told Kitty about Yoongi, let
alone his mother.
“Jimin-ah,” Jinju breathes, clutching his face desperately. Her eyes are wild but she blinks a few times
until they’ve softened. “Hey, baby, why don’t you go in the car? I have to talk to your mother.”
“My mother?” Jimin asks in confusion, clutching for her. He hasn’t seen her since him and Yoongi
were still in college. When Jimin had bought the restaurant for her and listened to her for hours and
hours, going on about every single thing she has planned for their wedding. “How do you know my
mother?”
The smile on Jinju’s lips is gentle and just for him as she pinches his cheeks. “Go get back in the car,
darling. Everything is okay.”
Jimin doesn’t move because he isn’t a child and because he physically can’t. Not when he hears the
annoyed tone of his mother’s voice, directed at Jinju. He used to wonder if his mother would be
jealous of him thinking of Jinju as a mother more so than his own. He used to wonder if it would hurt
her. He used to want it to.
“What’s going on?” Kitty asks from behind him, the door slamming shut. “This isn’t supposed to be
happening yet.”
The smile slips from Yoongi’s mothers lips quickly and Jimin desperately wants it back. It’s all gums
and tiny teeth, just like Yoongi’s.
“I’d ask you the same thing! I swear Kitty, you’re trying to mess things up. Trying to make up for
your wrongdoing? What a load of shit. You’re getting old, Yuri. It’s time for you to start acting like a
grown up and not a child.”
It’s whispered, but the daggers in Jinju’s voice has Jimin flinching. Yoongi’s always said she rarely
yelled, always soft spoken unless she’s laughing and excited like her son.
“Me? How about you tell me why your son stepped into my brothel the other day? Pretending to be a
Jeon no less! But I’m not here accusing you of anything even though that could have destroyed
everything .”
Jinju falls still, although her narrowed eyes don’t soften any. “He didn’t.”
“Oh he did,” Kitty snaps, whispering just as angrily. “Talk to your boy unnie, we’re only going to
have one chance at this. It can’t go wrong.”
There’s more questions filling Jimin’s already busy brain but he keeps his lips pressed closed as the
two mothers stare the other down. It seems to last forever and he tries to come up with something,
anything to break the tension between them. It only breaks apart when the door is opening again.
A chill rushes down Jimin’s spine as Chung-Hoon steps out, intimidating in the way he rolls the
sleeves of his pressed dress shirt up his forearms. There’s a new bruise on his face, a cut running from
his cheekbone to his temple. Jimin applauds whoever caused him the pain.
“Kitty darling, why don’t you take Jinju to that nice boutique you found last week for a few hours.”
Both women stiffen but their faces remain undisturbed. First Jeongguk’s mother and now Yoongi’s,
Jimin isn’t sure what to make of it all. He feels it now, that same type of blinding anger he felt when
he realized Yunbok touched Taehyung. He wonders if he’d be strong enough to kill Chung-Hoon just
to get him away from Jinju.
Hell, he’d cut his eyes out just to get them to stop looking at her.
“Oh honey, what about dinner?”
Chung-Hoon wears his friendly smile though his eyes are ice when they glance at Jimin. “I insist. You
deserve a
break. Plus, Yoongi and I could use some time together. That male bonding you wanted, eh? There
are things a father and son should share that aren’t appropriate for women’s ears.”
Jimin has to dig his toes into his shoes to keep himself from running off. There’s an alarm going off in
his head and he hates the way Yoongi’s name fills him with panic instead of the usual gooey mush it
usually makes him feel.
19-12-2021 10:05
The world spins around him, making him dizzy and the words he throws up are too hard to hold back.
“Yoongi’s here?”
His mother slides a hand over the back of his neck, a gentle smile on her lips despite the nails digging
painfully into his hairline as a warning.
Chung-Hoon quirks a brow, appearing confused. “Yoongi invited you for dinner, didn’t he?”
There are three sets of eyes on him, forcing him to nod even though confusion is holding tightly onto
him. No, no, no . Yoongi can’t be here. He can’t . He can’t fucking be here.
“Then come on,” Chung-Hoon hums, wiggling his fingers to call him over. “His friend is here too.
I’m assuming you know Hoseok?”
Danger signals go off in Jimin’s head because Chung-Hoon knows he knows Hoseok, but he’s stuck,
unable to turn around. He couldn’t possibly anyway, not with Yoongi inside and so close to Chung-
Hoon.
He couldn’t take Chung-Hoon if he tried, but his small body is made up of love for Yoongi and it’s
powerful enough to fight Chung-Hoon off long enough to get Yoongi away. His mother put him in a
lot of martial arts classes, wanting to train him to be one of Chung-Hoon’s fighters.
Maybe she truly didn’t plan on him being a whore. He wonders if it matters.
“Kitty and I will go shopping tomorrow, honey. I haven’t seen Jimin-ah in so long.” Jinju smiles
sweetly as she pets Jimin’s cheeks. “There’s much we should catch up on. I have some changes to the
wedding plans.”
“It’s okay,” Jimin hums, cupping his hand over hers. She must know how dangerous he is, he doesn’t
want her to be hurt. “How about we get breakfast tomorrow morning?”
He won’t be here tomorrow. Hell, he no longer knows if he’ll even survive dinner. Jinju looks
terrified, though trying to hide it.
Jinju hesitates, struggles with whatever she is thinking before she nods and leans forward to kiss his
cheek. Her lips brush over it instead, moving until they’re by his ear.
“He won’t hurt you if you cooperate. He won’t hurt Yoongi, trust me on this. Stall baby, your Eomma
and I will get him out of here.”
Jimin doesn’t believe her and when she pulls back, Jimin can see in her eyes that she doesn’t believe
herself either.
“Coffee tomorrow,” Jimin responds with a sweet smile. Survive, survive. There is a lot of things
Jimin has learned in life and that’s always been the most important.
Chung-Hoon holds a hand out to him when he approaches, that friendly smile still holding his mouth.
When he introduces himself, he isn’t sure if he should feel relieved or not. Both women know who he
is, there isn’t a point in playing games and pretending like they don’t know each other unless there’s
something Jimin isn’t seeing.
“Kim Sungho. I’ve heard so much about you.”
It’s said loud enough for Kitty and Jinju to hear but Jimin can’t speak. He’s mouthed off to Chung-
Hoon before, yet now he’s too afraid to even be polite. It feels as if his tongue has been ripped out of
his mouth and shoved down his throat.
“Come inside. Yoongi and Hoseok are waiting for you.”
The pounding of his heart grows as Chung-Hoon guides him inside. He can’t even hear the lock of the
door under the thundering in his ears. Other than a restaurant, Jinju really wanted to own a farm. Now
she does. Jimin wonders why he thinks of that as he steps through the door.
“Listen to me,” Chung-Hoon says, the friendly smile gone as he grabs Jimin’s chin with angry fingers.
There’s tears pooling in his eyes but he swallows them down and gives Chung-Hoon the same angry
look back.
Yoongi is here. It isn’t time to be weak. He needs the same umph inside of him he calls to when he
needs to protect Taehyung.
But that is different. Dealing with Bobby is different. Jimin always knew he would get his way, or at
least that Bobby would never kill him.
“You’ll be a good boy and do everything I say, understand? And both your friends will leave with
you, mostly unharmed.”
Jimin nods though it’s difficult with the way Chung-Hoon holds so tightly to his chin. “What do you
want with me? I’ve been good.”
Chung-Hoon coos mockingly as he rubs Jimin’s sore skin. “You have. You’ve done no wrong Doll,
but your boyfriend has overstepped. It’s a classic move, punishing one by making them watch the
ones they love most hurt.”
His fingers pull away only to tug at Jimin’s shirt, stretching the neckline until it lays messily low.
Jimin remains still, wishing his heart would as Chung-Hoon continues to tousle him like he’s a
moment from tearing all of Jimin’s clothes off.
What the fuck did Yoongi do?

Fuck, if he could live his life without Yoongi he would kill him for getting himself involved.
“You’ve dressed pretty without me asking,” Chung-Hoon hums. Jimin had, hoping to use his skin as a
way to
remind Chung-Hoon that he’s not something to be lost. Men crave his body, it isn’t a secret. He’s
made him a lot of
19-12-2021 10:05
money because of this.

Bile rises in Jimin’s throat when Chung-Hoon takes his hand and guides it to his belt. He’s almost
thankful that he
doesn’t lead him between his legs, but his heart lurches when he feels the cool metal. Chung-Hoon
smiles in delight, a twisted look in his eyes.
“I took this from your boyfriend. He’s inexperienced but passionate. A little training and he’d be
perfect. Maybe even right hand man material. God knows I could use a good right hand man.”
No, no, no .
Jimin is screaming on the inside but he keeps his lips shut as Chung-Hoon laughs. He strokes Jimin’s
face with his index finger, clicking his teeth. “I’ve decided on a way to punish him, but now that I see
you here, there are many things I could do. It could take hours, until he’s fully broken and desperate.”
Jimin breathes heavily through his nose, his body tense so he won’t flinch under Chung-Hoon’s chest.
“Make him watch every one of my men take you and claim you for their own.”
Jimin turns away as he feels his tears start to betray them. Chung-Hoon only laughs once more before
he turns and takes off, forcing Jimin to quickly catch his breath so he can follow after him.
It’s Jimin’s worst nightmare coming to life and the urge to kill Yoongi becomes stronger.
The first thing Jimin sees when he steps into what he assumes is the dining room is one of Chung-
Hoon’s guards standing beside where Hoseok sits. Hoseok’s face is marred on the side, a butterfly
bandaid keeping it together, the wound matching the one on Chung-Hoon’s face. He smiles but Jimin
can’t return it.
“Your Eomma told us to eat without her.”
Jimin bites hard on his cheek to stop the sob in his throat when his eyes land on Yoongi. He’s
unharmed though another guard stands behind him, one that Jimin recognizes from the brothel. He
always follows close to Chung-Hoon, and he’s scary but he makes jokes that have Jimin and the other
kittens laugh at times when they need it.
Yoongi’s staring hard at Jimin but he doesn’t say a word. He’s tense, but looks calm compared to how
Jimin feels. There’s no color to his skin, paler than usual and the bags under his eyes are ten times
worse than when Jimin had last seen him.
“Why?” Yoongi asks, blunt and disrespectful. He’s even cocky about it.
“Here,” Chung-Hoon says, ignoring Yoongi to place a hand to Jimin’s back, the touch burning.
Yoongi agitates in his seat but Jimin sends him a warning look as he lets Chung-Hoon guide him to
his seat.
It’s across from Yoongi and Chung-Hoon sits between them, claiming the head of the table. Jimin has
to look away from Yoongi or he might drop dead from the way his heart trembles inside of him.
Looking at his hands doesn’t help. He thinks of the way Yoongi’s fingers look pressed between his
own, the thought shifting into ones of Yoongi’s fingers wrapped around the cold metal of a gun.
He can’t imagine it. It feels wrong. Surely Chung-Hoon had been lying, but clearly Yoongi has done
something to piss him off.
“She had business to take care of. Yoongi-yah, be a good host and make your guest a plate. Are you
hungry, Jimin?”
Jimin nods, remembering from their breakfasts together how displeased Chung-Hoon is with his lack
of eating, even if he’s too sick to actually do so.
“Jimin-ah,” Yoongi says, his voice soft and Jimin hates that his body bursts with fondness at the sweet
way Yoongi calls his name. He doesn’t say anything else but he knows that look in Yoongi’s eye.
It’s okay, I’m here.
That makes it far from okay. It makes it worse. Jimin could handle being alone with Chung-Hoon; he
can’t handle this.
He doesn’t know how to act or what to say as it turns quiet, only the sound of their plates being filled
tinkling through the room. It drives him mad, the on edge feeling as he waits for Chung-Hoon to tell
him what he wants.
Something’s going to happen other than Jimin coughing up the water he tries to drink to ready his
queasy stomach for the oncoming food. It’s like he’s watching a horror movie and waiting for the
jumpscare.
It doesn’t happen until Jimin’s taken a few bites under Chung-Hoon’s expectant gaze. He’s always
enjoyed Jinju’s food, but now it tastes rotten.
“Jimin,” Chung-Hoon says, startling him and making his chopsticks clatter against his plate, “I’m
sending you back to Busan tonight. There’s some things we need to go over before you leave.”
Jimin only nods, avoiding the gaze he feels from Yoongi. Yoongi must know how they know each
other. He’s been trying to figure out why Yoongi has a gun and why Chung-Hoon seemed so ticked
off by it. There’s only one possible reason but Jimin’s been telling Yoongi to let it go for years.
He told him, he’s told Yoongi to drop it. He’s doing this for Woojin. It isn’t a risk he can take. Chung-
Hoon already knows Woojin is a weakness for him and he said it earlier, punishing someone by
making them watch their loved ones get hurt is the most effective.
“Although, I must admit I’m concerned about where your loyalties lie. I’m afraid of sending you there
for you to turn on me.”
19-12-2021 10:05
The room falls still, tension whipping around like a tornado. No one moves or says a word except for
the guard standing behind Yoongi. He walks off, heading to where Jimin assumes the kitchen is
located.
“I-I’m loyal to you,” Jimin says, eyes holding Chung-Hoon’s gaze. Whatever Chung-Hoon wants he
can have it if he just lets Yoongi leave and forgets he exists.
The friendly smile is back as Chung-Hoon bows his head slightly. “You haven’t done well in proving
it. I trusted your mother when she insisted that you wouldn’t bring a threat into my business, yet your
bodyguard brought a gun into my home with the intention of using it on me. You did not return with
the desire for me, but out of loyalty to Baby, to Baby’s family.”
Jimin swallows the thick ball growing in his throat.
“And you promised to be good for me today, but it was not to prove that you’re good for me but
rather, so I won’t hurt those who put a gun to my face. Sit.”
Jimin jumps at the sudden loudness as Chung-Hoon lifts a hand to Yoongi, who has half risen from
his seat. There’s anger in his eyes, rage that Jimin’s never seen on Yoongi’s face before, not even
towards Bobby.
This whole time he has been calm, whether for Jimin’s sake or Hoseok’s, who sits at the opposite end
of the table vibrating quietly with anger, Jimin isn’t sure.
But now he’s livid, his eyes just as cold and murderous when the flicker towards Chung-Hoon that
Jimin’s fear for him grows worse. Jimin thinks Jeongguk learned to be stupid about love from
Yoongi.
“Am I supposed to trust that when I send you back to Busan, you won’t return to Bobby and inform
him of my plans? I know how often you bed my dongsaengs. Should I be certain that you won’t
squeal about my operation the moment they flash a few thousand won at you. Or maybe Yunbok-ssi
likes to shoot you up before he fucks you, make you babble. You are quite similar to your mother.”
It’s meant to be an insult, his words are meant to hurt him, but Jimin doesn’t care. He doesn’t want
Yoongi to hear it, but he doesn’t care.
“I - I won’t, sir. I don’t want Bobby to have Busan.”

“Why?”
Jimin glances at Yoongi, who now sits but looks ready to pounce any minute. Idiot, his stupid idiot.
“I don’t want him to die.”
Chung-Hoon smiles at this, all teeth and poison. “Once again, your actions are not out of loyalty to me
but to
others. Jooheon, please if you would.”

The guard that had been standing behind Yoongi returns with his hands held out. Fear rips through
Jimin, sweat
starting to drip from his hairline as the man approaches Yoongi once more.
“Please,” Jimin breathes, panic washing over him. “Don’t touch him.”
“Who would you say you’re the most loyal to, Jimin? Yoongi here put his life on the line for you and
though it
didn’t work how he planned, I can see that he’d do it again. A true act of loyalty. I’m actually quite
honored by it. No one has ever showed me this kind of loyalty.”
Chung-Hoon’s voice is calm but stern as he takes the items from the guard. He’s seen them before,
watched the flame light up the end of the metal before it had been seared into someone’s skin.
“Sad if you think about it, that he would die for someone that’s so willing and ready to fuck his best
friend. To fuck anyone really, not even for pay. Tell me, have you slept with Jeongguk as well? It is a
good time to be honest about things, Jimin.”
Jimin can’t help the way he shakes his head, eyes finding Yoongi’s through his tears. Yoongi doesn’t
look surprised.
“Jimin, I don’t care,” Yoongi says immediately, starting to move but he’s stopped when the guard
behind him grabs his shoulder roughly and shoves him back into his seat. “You know I know you.”
“Bullshit,” Hoseok huffs, his tone annoyed. Jimin just might kill him too. There’s a challenge in his
eyes, like they’re really in a predicament to do anything but take what Chung-Hoon is giving them.
The guard that stands behind Hoseok has a face so blank it’s almost unhuman. Jimin has seen him
before too, seen him whack his weapon so hard against someone’s head that their skull broke. All
whilst expressionless. “His loyalties to Woojin and Bobby are no different than yours. You’ll punish
him for protecting the same boy you’ve been trying to protect?”
Chung-Hoon laughs as he takes the lighter that was handed to him and brings the flame to the small,
metal branding tool he holds. He only glances at Hoseok for a moment, nodding. “You are correct,
Hope. But it’s not his loyalties that he is being punished for. He’s not being punished for wanting to
protect mine.”
Jimin feels the fear start to seep lower, his body starting to ache with it when Chung-Hoon slowly
turns his eyes to Yoongi.
“Yoongi, I am quite looking forward to you working for me but your first lesson is that you do not
challenge me and go unpunished. My wife’s son or not.”
Yoongi struggles against the hold the guard on him but the guard barely budges. Jimin is too afraid to
search for Hoseok, terrified to take his eyes off of Yoongi. The room is gone from him, there’s
nothing else but Yoongi and his own heart beat, though there never was much difference between the
two.
19-12-2021 10:05
“Jimin, please stand and take off your shirt.”
Jimin does, though he isn’t sure how he can find any strength in his legs to do so. He keeps his eyes
locked with Yoongi, shaking his head some as a plea for Yoongi to remain calm. His movements are
robotic, his brain disconnected from the rest of him.
“I’ll do more than the one task,” Yoongi blurts as Jimin’s shirt falls to the chair behind him.
How often has Yoongi seen his bare body? He’s seen more of him than just his chest and yet Jimin
feels so exposed and hated under Yoongi’s stare.
The first time they laid together, Jimin thought Yoongi looked at him like he was seeing something
beautiful. He didn’t even need to say anything, Yoongi looked at him like he was overwhelmed by the
sight of him. He touched him the same way, their rushed and desperate grabbing turning into
something that made Jimin feel like he was melting into the stupid truck covered sheets Yoongi had
on his bed because he forgot to do the laundry.
“I might take you up on that offer,” Chung-Hoon chuckles as he admires the metal that now glows
red. “But you’re not getting what you want this time Yoongi. If I spoil you too much, my men will
start screaming nepotism. I can’t have that.”
It isn’t fear that rushes through Jimin as Chung-Hoon steps near, but sadness. How hard did he try to
keep Yoongi away from all of this? To not give him too many details about how people have used and
abused his body. He knows Yoongi’s suspected it, seen the bruises, but Jimin’s never given him
detail.
Now he’s going to see it for himself.

The worst part is that Yoongi’s going to see just how easily Jimin lets people ruin him.
The way his heart cracks and crumbles in his chest, he wonders if he’ll pass out as his body attempts
to protect
itself from the feeling. He can handle pain, but he can’t handle the look in Yoongi’s eyes.
“You’re wrong about my loyalty wavering,” Jimin breathes, surprising himself with how steady his
voice sounds.
He wants Chung-Hoon’s anger focused on him. He’s seen him blind with rage before. Anger and
power, a sickness in men that makes them become the opposite of what they think they are; weak.
“But you are right that it doesn’t belong to you.”
His body tenses when he feels the heat but the pain doesn’t come. Yoongi lurches from the seat,
pushing past the guards hand only to be grabbed again. He doesn’t hurt him and Jimin is encouraged
by it.
Anyone else would have gotten a blow to the ribs for moving. He’s seen it before. He’s wonder if
that’s what happened to Hoseok’s face. But this is Chung-Hoon’s wife’s son. A wife that Chung-
Hoon has kept hidden.
It’s a weakness that Jimin can’t really wrap his head around yet, but he knows that much. The guard
won’t hurt Yoongi, even if his knuckles are white with how hard he grips him back.
“And you can brand me all you want but that won’t make me loyal to you. I’m loyal to your family,
but that’s as close as you’ll ever be. You’re right about how much it hurts seeing your loved ones hurt.
I wonder how Jinju-ssi will feel when she sees your brand marked on my skin.”
Jimin closes his eyes, not wanting to see Yoongi’s face when the poker hits his skin. He holds his
breath waiting for it, but the heat disappears as a shrill sound fills the room.
He flinches before he realizes it’s a phone going off.
“Stay quiet,” Chung-Hoon says, raising the hot poker inches from Jimin’s face before he answers the
phone. He looks livid, a vein popping out over his temple and face so red it’s like his skin is trying to
mimic the hot end of the poker. Despite this, his voice calms out calm and almost bored sounding.
“Hey, my love.”
It’s Jinju. Jimin can tell by the shrill sound of her voice. He’s heard her like this once before, when
she called Yoongi to tell her that Mrs. Jeon had passed.
They’re all connected somehow. Maybe even Taehyung too. He wouldn’t be surprised at this point.
Nothing beats finding out Jeongguk is more involved than any of them.
Part of him had felt guilty for involving for Jeongguk, but not too much - he helped Taehyung get out.
The only
thing that had been important to Jimin. He wonders if it would have happened even if Jimin didn’t
meddle. “A fire?”
Yoongi is mouthing something that Jimin can’t make out, his eyes intense and desperate for Jimin to
understand as they flicker between Chung-Hoon and him. He strains his ears to listen to Jinju, but
between her sobbing and the distance of her voice he can only make out a few words: flames,
restaurant, come.
Stall .
Chung-Hoon cusses as he closes the phone, his knuckles turning white where his fist squeezes around
it and calls for the guard behind Hoseok. Jimin chances a look, finding Hoseok bent forward with a
piece pushed to the back of his skull.
Hoseok had been in this life almost as long as he has, but Jimin’s the one that’s put him in danger.
He's always been smart enough to avoid it.
“There’s an emergency. I need you to call Hyungwon and have him meet me at the restaurant.”
Jimin’s breath hitches when the hot poker is handed off to the guard. The guard doesn't even look at
him. Robotic. “Right on the hip bone. Where everyone can see. Make Yoongi watch,” Chung-Hoon
grunts, thrusting a finger at
19-12-2021 10:05
where Yoongi struggles against the other guard. “And send me a picture before he leaves. If you don’t
do it, I’ll cut each of your fucking thumbs off.”
The guard doesn’t flinch and his blank expression doesn’t change at all. He finally looks at Jimin
though, and maybe his expression isn't as blank as Jimin had suspected. His eyes can read. It reminds
him of Yoongi. He's like Yoongi, a hard to read expression with easily read eyes.
Chung-Hoon grips Jimin’s hair before he goes, rage simmering off of him as he yanks his head back.
“You will be sent instructions, clients I want you to secure for me. You won’t go to Bobby, but
Hanbin, understood?”
Jimin nudges his head a centimeter in understanding.

“What was that?”
“Yes, sir,” Jimin seethes through his teeth.
Chung-Hoon lets him go roughly, knocking him off balance but the guard grabs his elbow before he
can fall. His
anger is worse than it had been, radiating off of him in hot waves and threatening to set Jinju’s farm
on fire too. “Kill the bodyguard before you go. In the barn, I don’t want a mess and Jinju will kill you
if she has to clean blood off of her linoleum.”

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Chapter 19 (http://archiveofourown.org/web/20190414054414/https://archiveofourown.

“Yah, don’t let harbeoji hear you say that.”

His heart grows and flips in fondness.

“Taehyung-ssi, it has been some time. I hope you are well.”

“I am, Mr. Jeon. I hope you are too.”

“Are you Woojin hyung’s hyungie?”

“Uncle Yoongi told me.”

together to build a transformer. “Eunae helps him, yes?”

he sits by his feet.

“Ji-hu, be a good grandson and fetch me the library key.”

“It’s not an accusation, Appa.”

“You go in there, you're dead,” he seethes through his teeth.

Chung-Hoon suddenly emerges from the room.

bone. “Kookangie, come here.”

called her on their way here to confirm.

“Yes sir,” Jooheon lies, his face hard and unreadable.

“He’s coming here.”

Hoseok has learned is best to; quietly.

“I’m fine, Jinju-ssi.”

“When did you meet Ch - Sungho?”

“Were you uh, in a relationship back then?”

It makes the anxious moths in Taehyung’s belly feel like butterflies.

“Taehyung-ah, would you join me for a moment?”

He snaps out of it quickly, trained not to be rude, and stands.

“Has my son been treating you well, Taehyung-ssi?”

Maybe. Taehyung doesn’t really know of their relationship to be sure.

“I - I don’t understand anything you’re saying.”

“Jeongguk, yes,” Jun-ki murmurs, “and my wife, Young-Mi.”

“I have to tell you something, baby.”

“Why are you telling me this now?”

“You know Jeongguk? Jeon Jeongguk?”

Or at least, Jimin thinks so.

“What are in the diaries?”

“You were close with her?”

“Come inside. Yoongi and Hoseok are waiting for you.”

What the fuck did Yoongi do?

money because of this.

“Your Eomma told us to eat without her.”

It’s okay, I’m here.

“I - I won’t, sir. I don’t want Bobby to have Busan.”

others. Jooheon, please if you would.”

“Jimin, please stand and take off your shirt.”

Now he’s going to see it for himself.

He flinches before he realizes it’s a phone going off.

Jimin nudges his head a centimeter in understanding.

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