You guys don't play around, do you? 200+ votes before 1k reads? Well shit, you guys are getting the new mafia Yoongi fanfic. I'm gonna keep doing vote goals like this in the future, especially for stories like The Cop From Busan (Jimin police AU) and Repeat (Yoongi soulmate AU). I'll explain more in the future. Thank you guys for voting and boosting me in the algorithm. I'll keep posting new stories as a way to show my appreciation for hitting the goals!

┊ ˚➶ ｡˚𝓐 𝓦𝓲𝓼𝓱 𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓜𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽 𝓢𝓸𝓸𝓷 𝓣𝓸 𝓡𝓮𝓰𝓻𝓮𝓽 ˚｡➶˚┊

Park wanted to die more than usual.

"Why are you always late for the summit?" Yoongi asked, grabbing Park by the elbow and pulling him to the side, out of earshot of the other guards. "You're either late or disappear. You need to answer for our troops. This year is even more important, we have Moros breathing down our necks. I don't know what the Emperor did to make them back off, but that won't last forever."

Park knew what the Emperor did to get them off New Theon's back. Park knew all too well.

"I was controlling traffic on the staircase. Every summit year brings stragglers trying to peek in and see what we're talking about. It's called doing my job, Mr. Min. Is there a problem here?" Park asked, Yoongi's left eye twitching.

"If I asked the Emperor if he told you to control traffic, would he say yes?"

Park ripped his elbow away from Yoongi's grasp. "If I told him you were slowing me down, do you think he'd approve?" Yoongi went quiet at that, Park moving closer. Thanks to the boots he wore, he had the height advantage over Yoongi, casting a shadow on him. "Listen very carefully, Mr. Min. Whether the Emperor likes you more or not doesn't matter, but do you know what does? I'm the commander of the Emperor's forces. His second-in-command. Do you know what that means? It means I'm more important than you. So you can go crying to the Emperor all you want about me controlling traffic, but at the end of the day, you're stopping his second-in-command from doing his job. Does that sound like it'll gain you the Emperor's favor? Hm?"

Yoongi glanced down, but Park used his index finger to tilt his chin back up. Their eyes locked. "Let me make myself clear: you answer to me, not the other way around. If you want to stay alive, you should stop getting high off power trips," Park whispered, pushing Yoongi back ever so slightly. Park went to leave, but Yoongi laughed.

"At least my back isn't covered with scars. How are they healing, by the way?"

Park whipped back around and grabbed Yoongi by the throat, slamming him against the wall. "The fuck did you just say to me?!"

"You act like you have power," Yoongi said, coughing. "But all you are is the Emperor's little bitch. Get back in line and let the adults do the talking, yeah? But go ahead and put some ointment on those whip marks, I'm sure that'll do the trick."

Park wished he could snap Yoongi's neck, but he knew that'd result in the death of his brother. So, he released Yoongi, the man gagging and rubbing his bruised neck.

"Call me the Emperor's bitch all you want, but he needs me. I'm the best fighter in New Theon. You're just intelligence. You can be replaced at any time. The second you stop being useful, I hope you know I'll be the one to kill you. I'll make sure it's slow. Maybe we can bring back the rack just for you. I wonder how long it'll take a human to bleed out after losing all their limbs," Park said, Yoongi glaring. Park grinned. "See you later, Mr. Min."

Park strolled away, entering the staircase and going down to the first floor. The summit consisted of all the prominent leaders from around the world of New Theon. Although only the mainland was New Theon, the others liked to refer to the entire world as New Theon. It was easier, even if Mount Moros didn't support the idea.

The lobby was void of citizens. All that remained were the prominent figures. There was a representative from the City, two representatives from the Emperor's Farm, three from the Islands, five from Moros, and the list went on. That list didn't even mention the representatives from the various towns and villages scattered throughout New Theon.

The Emperor was in the center of it all, donning golden robes with a silver mask covering his face. The mask was made of chains bound so tightly together that Park couldn't see the man's mouth. He could barely see his eyes.

Commander Park joined the Emperor's side, Emperor Donovan extending his arms and giving Park a hug. Park stiffened, the urge to vomit hitting his core, but he returned the embrace a second later. The Emperor made sure to dig his nails into the scars on Park's back. Particularly the ones that hadn't healed from the last time only a few days ago.

They parted, the Emperor turning to the countless faces. "This is Commander Park, leader of my forces and my second-in-command. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask."

A hand raised, the crowd parting to show a blonde woman with angelic cyan eyes. Park's breath hitched in his throat. It was the same woman he slept with for peace. Her smile was more like a smirk as she scanned over his body.

"I have a question," she said, Park dipping his head. "Are you free tonight? I could use a combat lesson. Surely Moros and New Theon can create a stronger bond if we teach each other our..." She paused, glancing at his lips before meeting his eyes. "Tricks."

The Emperor's gaze burned into Park's side profile. Park forced a smile. "As long as there are no security issues during the summit, then I will be free. I'll talk to you more about it later, when I know more."

"Perfect. Maybe I can bring some friends."

Park's gut rolled around inside him until his legs threatened to shake. A waiter walked by, offering glasses of champagne to the guests. Park was the first to snatch a flute, downing it in one go and placing it back on the tray.

"Any other questions?" he asked, no one bothering to raise their hands.

They sat, chatting about the state of New Theon. Park zoned out one too many times. He disassociated from the conversation at hand, his leg shaking from how close the woman sat to him. She had a dress on that was too low cut for comfort. Whenever the Emperor spoke, she leaned closer as if trying to hear better. Each time resulted in her breasts getting rubbed against his arm.

"And how about the farm? Are you handing out more resources to your citizens?" a man from Mount Moros said. Park recognized the man as Commander Shawman, a higher-up who started the rebellion against the Emperor. "If you ever want our support again, we need guarantees that more of your people are seeing these supplies."

"Yes and no," the Emperor replied, his voice just as smooth as ever. "We are distributing more, but unfortunately, not in happy circumstances. There was a wildfire that took out Thermus Boulevard. We've been getting more fires lately. Commander, have you found the cause of these fires yet?"

Park snapped into focus just as the woman came closer, her hand tracing by his thigh. He froze and couldn't find words, his eyes zipping around to find something to latch onto to keep him grounded.

"Commander, I asked you a question," Emperor Donovan said, his tone dropping to a warning only Park knew the meaning of.

"No sir, but I believe it is an isolated incident. The Boulevard got fires every other week before it fell. The City is safe, but we'll keep investigating to make sure the outer villages and towns don't suffer the same fate," Park said, giving them what he hoped was a comforting grin.

"One less town means one less town to feed. More resources are going to the outer villages and towns, but we're trying our best to make them more self-sustained. We started a farm closer to the Rocklands to help with distribution."

That was a blatant lie, but Park nodded to support the claim. Commander Shawman clicked his tongue. "Can the representatives confirm this?"

One of the representatives, a woman from the outer sections of New Theon, cleared her throat. "I can. More guards have been posted to protect us and help us with our goods."

Park had no idea what kind of threat the Emperor gave her to entice her to lie, but Park imagined he didn't want to know. He bit his tongue and leaned back in his seat, the cushions of the couch moving with him.

The woman by his side slid her hand to his inner thigh, going closer to an area he didn't want her to touch. However, he was powerless. Rejecting her would result in damaged relations with Moros and a beating from the Emperor. Park forced himself to disassociate from the moment, pretending the hand wasn't there.

He couldn't blame the woman. After all, the Emperor told her Park was interested in her. The Emperor lied on a daily basis, and he did a damn good job of making people believe whatever he wanted. Although the woman should be able to pick up on basic body language, he didn't fully blame her. Everything always tied back to the Emperor. Always.

"If you clean up New Theon, Mount Moros would love to join the mainland again. But until we see genuine progress outside of a few promises made at a meeting, we cannot move forward with the peace treaty," Commander Shawman said, Park letting out a mental cheer. "You're on the right track, so we'll hold any attacks, but if we see more damage being done..."

"You won't," the Emperor replied. "Commander Park has been a vital asset to my operation. There haven't been any rebellions in months." Minus the Emperor's Tower, but he conveniently forgot to mention that. "We have no civil wars. That should show you how much progress we've made, hm?"

"I'll believe it when I see it. I propose I leave two representatives in your castle. How about Angelica and Brayden?"

The woman by Park's side lit up. Park held back a groan. "I'd love to," the woman, now identified as Angelica, said.

The man next to Commander Shawman agreed. "I'll stay at the farm, Angelica can stay at the castle."

"That works for me. What do you think?" Commander Shawman asked, directing the question toward the Emperor.

"If that will convince you we're making progress, then of course. Whatever it takes."

Angelica chuckled and came closer to Park, pressing her shoulder against his as she played with his inner thigh. Park's vision edged with lines of crimson, his nose going blind due to the amount of perfume the woman wore. He couldn't take it anymore. He had to leave.

"Sir, I'll be right back," he said, the Emperor tilting his head. Park came closer and dropped his voice to a whisper. "All these people could attract wildlife. I just want to do a check around the back to be sure we're safe."

Although the Emperor didn't seem convinced, he didn't care to voice his concerns. Park left the area, going to the bathroom instead of the exit. It was a private bathroom that had a mirror and a one-way window in the corner. He gripped the sides of the sink and sucked in a few breaths, staring at his reflection.

He didn't want to be sober. Thanks to the rebellion, he'd get out of Angelica's disgusting offer. It didn't change how he wanted to get wasted and forget today ever happened. The only good part about today was he got to choose who he wanted. He got to choose Y/n.

With all the strength he had, he went to the window and used his sword to pry it open. He slipped outside, strolling down the bustling streets. The people bowed to him. He didn't return the motions.

Park made sure to loop around the City, ensuring he wasn't seen before he went into the forest. While scouting the City, he went into the forest to search for possible distractions. Creatures he could lure in. It'd kill two birds with one stone: he'd save the rebellion and he'd cause the summit to fail. The more pressure Moros put on New Theon, the better. They agreed with the rebellion. All they needed to do was meet and combine forces to overthrow the Emperor once and for all.

That led him to the middle of the forest, his hand going to the hilt of his blade. There was a Bassa nest not far from him. He could see the clearing. It was a circle with Mismas flying around, their cyan bodies and tiny, clear wings filling his eyesight. He grinned as the insects glowed his favorite color, one landing on his finger.

A Misma, art by Bianca van Loon

"Hey there bud," he mumbled, lifting it up so it could hop off him and onto the tree. Park went deeper into the nest, watching as the Mismas drank sap from the various trees. All he needed was one Bassa to come, then the distraction would work.

Park sat on the rock in the middle, though he got grossed out by the idea that Bassas mated in this area. Still, he stayed put, whistling out the notes his mother used to sing to him and his brother as a lullaby. Every detail of her caring face came into his mind. Her relaxed eyes that never had any bags under them, her dark hair that hugged her neck, her colorful blouses she hand-crafted from fabric his father brought home from his long trips around New Theon. Back then, Park had a childhood. A life. Then, it was taken away.

Three minutes passed, Park bouncing his leg. The rebellion had to be in the Emperor's hotel room by now. He needed this distraction and he needed it now.

Park got to his feet and decided against waiting. With his sword, he banged the rock and made a loud 'clang!' noise that echoed through the trees. Leaves brushed by in the wind. Some of them fell off their branches, landing on Park's head. He chuckled and swiped them off. He made sure to crinkle one of them, watching the particles float through the air.

More time passed. He waited, continuing to strike his sword against the rock. The Mismas scurried around him. He ignored them, watching the brush move in the distance. The trees shook with the ground, Park gulping and backing up. He saw the arched back of the Bassa approaching, hiding behind whatever nature it could.

"Oh fuck me, I don't get paid enough for this," Park mumbled as he turned and ran.

He sprinted through the forest as the Bassa followed not far behind him. He broke through the trees and went back to the City, panting and hiding behind one of the closest buildings. It stretched high above him, the shadow covering his frail form. The Bassa roared, its pointed, gray ears with a fire-like interior spiking up as if listening for Park's presence. Instead, the Bassa heard the people.

It skipped off toward the activity. Park let out a breath and drew his bow, loading an arrow and stepping out to face the creature. The Bassa ignored him and stormed through the City. Its long, dirty claws slashed through citizens without mercy.

"Shit," Park whispered, springing into action. Guards were already on it, a patrol that was passing by grabbing their swords and preparing to attack. Park went to them. "Get in a defensive position! Protect the civilians and the hotel!"

His guards obeyed, forming a circle so they could protect each other. Park stayed in the middle and raised his long-ranged weapon. He fired an arrow, skimming the animal's ear. It created a gash that squirted out cadmium green blood. Park loaded another arrow and fired, hitting the thing in the ear again.

It pranced away, going closer to the hotel, where the most people were. The guards moved with Commander Park, traveling to the hotel before the creature could smash into it.

Park got into a firing position while the others went for close-ranged combat. From a distance, Park had a better vantage point. He glanced up at the hotel, noticing a group scaling down the side of the building. Park couldn't stop himself from smiling.

They did it.

Park had to hold up his part of the plan. He had to keep the guards distracted long enough for the rebellion to escape. Seeing as they had to scale down a hotel with over a hundred floors, he had a feeling they'd need more time.

"Close in on it! Don't let it escape!" Park shouted, coming a bit closer and taking aim.

He fired and purposefully missed, the Bassa howling as the arrow whizzed by its head. It grabbed two guards and threw them. They both hit houses, dying on impact. The Bassa stomped on one guard, using its agility to rush around and claw through hordes of men. Park watched his guards die, yet he felt nothing. Many of them were innocent in this war. Park still couldn't bring himself to care.

He took aim again, glancing to see the group had made progress, but not enough. They were about halfway down. They were like tiny dots climbing down the side of the hotel. Park found himself searching for Y/n, but the Bassa caught his attention before he could find her. He couldn't even tell how many were in the group. Two, three, four; he had no idea.

He fired another arrow, this time hitting the Bassa's shoulder to weaken it. The commoners fleeing the scene almost bumped into him countless times, Park dodging them while attempting to kill the writhing beast.

Right when he was about to take aim, a figure shot out from beside him. Park gasped and stumbled back, watching as the fast man sped toward the Bassa. With one sword, the man jumped and stabbed the Bassa's other arm, the arm Park hadn't injured.

The guard sliced through its skin and got covered in its blood. Slice, slice, slice; the sword cut through the Bassa's figure until its head got cut off. The guard stood over it, victorious and smelling of a sticky, bitter scent. Park approached, swinging his bow over his shoulder. The man took off his helmet, revealing Kim Namjoon. He peeked at Park, tilting his head.

"Nice bow," he said, Park rubbing the string of his weapon and clearing his throat.

"Nice moves. You saved our asses."

"Please tell the Emperor that. I could use his favor." Namjoon went to pass him, but he stopped to squeeze Park's shoulder a little too hard. He leaned closer to Park and dropped his voice to a whisper. "You better be damn good at apologies. You and I both know the Emperor won't accept this. Good luck, old friend."

Namjoon left him there. Park shuddered and swallowed what he could. The stale air around him clogged his senses. Namjoon was right. It was summit day, and a Bassa attacked. Even if the rebellion got out, it didn't change Park's fate.

He was screwed.

┊ ˚➶ ｡˚˚｡➶˚┊

He screamed.

The chain fell from his mouth as he allowed himself to scream and cry. His legs trembled, his bare back bleeding and covered with bruises he didn't want to see. The concrete wall welcomed him as he banged his head against it, sweat dripping down his skin while his chapped lips struggled to form words.

"I'm sorry!" Park shouted, his hands pulling on the chains.

"This is the most important day of the year, and a Bassa attacked?!" the Emperor shouted back. Park glanced at him, watching the Emperor use his gloved hand to wipe blood off the ends of the chained whip. "This is the one day things needed to go well. I told you to do one thing: don't fuck up! Now Moros is pissed! Do you have any idea what you caused?!"

"I didn't know," Park said in a whimper, his voice cracking. "I didn't know. I didn't know."

He repeated the words over and over until he got lost in a fit of sobs. He slipped and fell to one knee, the Emperor hitting him for that. He didn't scream this time. Mostly out of fear his brother would hear.

"Get up," Emperor Donovan said. Park couldn't move. "Get the fuck up!"

Park did all he could to get to his feet, wobbling as his toes cried and his knees buckled. He pressed himself against the wall, tasting the dirty concrete and inhaling the aroma of his own fluids.

He braced himself, but no more pain came. The Emperor dropped the whip and unchained him, Park falling to the ground. His entire body shook. The Emperor spat on him, Park wincing from the contact. He tucked his knees against his chest and kept his bulging eyes on the wall ahead of him.

"You crossed the line this time. I asked you to do one very simple task, and you couldn't even do that. You've been sneaking out, staying out far too late, doing 'traffic control' on the staircase." Park wished he could snap Yoongi's neck. "You have ten minutes. Angelica is waiting for you. Clean yourself up, you look pathetic. While you do your job, I'm going to have a nice chat with your brother."

"No!" Park yelled, willing himself to get to his knees. He stared at the Emperor through the tears clouding his vision. "Please, I didn't know a Bassa would be there."

"You didn't even stop it. You needed Namjoon's help. Maybe he should be my second-in-command."

"Please sir, I'll do anything to prove to you I'm worth it. Just don't hurt him. Please."

Emperor Donovan glared, grabbing Park and throwing him to the ground. He pressed his boot on Park's head, forcing him to stay in that position.

"I gave you one task. You didn't do it. There are consequences for your actions, Commander Park. And don't forget the consequences for this nonsense rebellious teen act you have going on. Do you ever grow up? We're in the middle of a war, and the best you can tell me is 'I'm sorry'? Get yourself cleaned up, do your damn job with Angelica, then go visit your dear brother. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes sir," Park said, quietly.

The Emperor left a few beats later, Park laying on the ground with chains surrounding his body. His upper body was glistening with sweat, his hair sticking to his face. He peered at the door the Emperor left half-open, unable to bring himself to move. He laid there, unmoving, waiting for the time to tick away.

He didn't realize ten minutes passed until the door opened all the way, Angelica stepping inside. She froze at the sight of him, Park not bothering to explain.

"What the fuck?" she said with her jaw dropped, Park lifting his head and managing to let out a groan. She rushed to him, helping him up and making sure none of the chains touched his body. "Who did this to you?"

"The Emperor," Park whispered, his voice coarse.

"Why?"

"For letting the Bassa attack."

"But that wasn't your fault," she said, knitting her brows together. "Why would he..." She trailed off, backing up and stumbling. She went paler than normal, her eyes wide and her lower lip quivering. "He lied."

"He lies about everything," Park murmured. "And I'm always the one who pays the price."

"I'm gonna be sick." She broke off, covering her mouth as liquid poured out of her eyes. "He told me you wanted to meet me and..."

"He lied."

She silently sobbed, her entire body trembling like his was not too long ago. "I'm so sorry. Holy shit, I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I swear, I didn't know-"

"Stop," he said, shaking his head. "Spare me the theatrics. If you really want to help me, get out of my room. When the Emperor asks, I did amazing and I'm satisfying you."

She seemed as though she wanted to keep talking, but she agreed. "Okay. When I report to Moros, I'll tell them about this. We won't let the Emperor get away with this."

She left, Park gazing at the spot she just was. "He always does," he mumbled, laying back down and falling into his thoughts. The time ticked by, Park waiting for what felt like long enough. He got up, cleaned, and put his armor back on. He went down the halls of the castle, locating his brother's room. He froze outside, his entire body stiffening while his tongue went dry.

Jihyun was crying.

Park rushed into the room, locating his little brother curled up on the bed. His heart deflated, bile rising to the back of his throat, his spine on the verge of breaking. The boy looked just like Park did. He had his knees tucked against his body, his head hung, his hair stuck to the side of his face.

"What did those monsters do to you?" Park asked, hoping his loud tone didn't scare Jihyun. Jihyun didn't answer, Park going to him and forcing him to sit up. "Hey, Ji, listen to me, okay? What's going on? What did they do? I can't help unless you tell me."

Park wiped the boy's tears away with the pads of his thumbs, Jihyun sniffling and clutching onto Park's arm. He whimpered, his shirt loose on his body. Park took the hint and helped Jihyun discard the shirt, Jihyun turning. Park staggered back, adrenaline hitting his blood until he felt rage skyrocket throughout him.

They branded him.

Covering most of Jihyun's back was a scorching burn mark. The Emperor's signature emblem, the head of a Leeka, was burned onto Jihyun's body. It took up all of Jihyun's skin. The odds were, Jihyun would never get feeling back.

"Okay," Park said, masking his terror behind a sweet smile. He went over and gave Jihyun a side hug, refusing to touch the injury. "It's okay. Let me go get some supplies, okay?"

Some of Jihyun's skin was charred off completely, bubbles of white and red surrounding him. Pus cloaked the lower half of his back, Park begging himself not to throw up.

He went to get ointment and all the medical supplies he could find from his room, returning a few minutes later. "Lay down," Park said. "On your stomach." Jihyun did as he was told, Park kneeling and grabbing Jihyun's sheets. "Bite down on the sheets. It'll be over soon, I promise."

"What are you doing?" he asked in a hiccup, his mattress soaked from the tears.

"You have a lot of dead skin. I need to remove it so it can heal properly." And by a lot, Park meant most of his skin was fucked. "I need to do a skin graft. I'm going to take some of your healthy skin to replace it with the damaged skin. I'll use some of mine if I have to."

"Do you know how to do that?" Jihyun asked, coughing and heaving.

"The Emperor taught me," Park said, keeping his voice soft and alluring. Like his mother's.

He set up all the tools he would need, staring at the details the Leeka mark had. The truth was, the Emperor didn't teach Park how to do this. He forced him to learn. Park rubbed his shoulder, the shoulder that had his sea tattoo. It brought back memories of the branding the Emperor performed on him. Only Park got a tattoo to hide it. Jihyun wouldn't be so lucky.

"I don't know if I can do this," Jihyun said in a whine, Park shushing him and stroking his hair. He didn't realize he was crying until the tears rolled down his lips, causing him to taste salt.

"It's okay. Everything's gonna be okay." Jihyun nodded and relaxed, Park's hand shaking as he held the knife. He scanned over all the dead skin. All the pus. All the reds and whites and blacks that made up his little brother's skin.

Then, he sucked in a breath and began.

┊ ˚➶ ｡˚𝓐 𝓦𝓲𝓼𝓱 𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓜𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽 𝓢𝓸𝓸𝓷 𝓣𝓸 𝓡𝓮𝓰𝓻𝓮𝓽 ˚｡➶˚┊