Taehyung supposed that he should find it very strange that he once again woke up in a room that wasn't his own. He wasn't surprised in the slightest however, because it was something he was very much starting to get used to. The sensation of the silken sheets against his bare skin rather than the usual cotton was pleasant, but not as pleasant as the sound of soft humming from somewhere in the penthouse suite. When he breathed in he could detect the mingled scents of Jimin's perfume and Jungkook's cologne, almost taste them. The perfume was floral and feminine whereas the cologne was woody and obviously masculine, a wonderful blend that he was now used to the scent and taste of. Taehyung recognised it with his tongue just as well as his nose.

His muscles were quite simply aching. It had been Jimin's idea to visit the apartment block gym of course, and being woken up at 6am to be his training partner had been more than tiring. It had been nearly two weeks of missed workouts with Hoseok and his body had started to get used to limited exercise once more. So the workout routine had quite simply drained him and Taehyung hadn't even realised that he had fallen asleep in the bed again after showering but he had. Had probably passed out in fact. But that wasn't the only reason his muscles were aching, particularly his thighs. Taehyung shifted with a low series of groans, propping his head up on the palm of his hand so he could look across the suite.

He saw Jungkook in the kitchen area by the entrance door, moving around from the stove to the counters as he was presumably cooking. He had thought that the humming had been Jimin and yet he discovered it to not be the case. The younger man had a pleasant sounding tone, soft and husky, and it was strange hearing him hum like that. Probably because it was a normal thing to do when cooking or cleaning, and Jungkook wasn't exactly normal. There were various pans on the stove bubbling away, the scent of meat hanging in the air.

"What time's it?" Taehyung mumbled sleepily, forcing his eyelids to stay open. Jungkook glanced at his watch and told him that it was 7:30 am. Well, that meant he had had close to a half hour nap. "Shit, Jungkook, how're you so awake right now? Do you ever sleep?"

"I'll sleep when I'm old, or dead," Jungkook retorted as he carried on flitting around the kitchen area. Taehyung shifted to sit up, suppressing a yawn behind his hand as he did. His damp hair was practically dry in the warmth of the suite air but when he swung his legs over the side and his feet brushed against the marble flooring it was cool on his soles.

"Mmm, that sounds like you." Taehyung rubbed at his eyes hard enough to see stars and then he dropped his hands to his lap. From somewhere else in the suite came the sound of the shower, presumably Jimin still cleaning up. He wouldn't be surprised if Jimin's cleansing routine took half an hour. All of that scrubbing and washing and shaving and moisturising. It was a workout routine of its own. "Good morning, Jungkook."

"...Good morning, Taehyung."

He noticed the slight pause before the younger man replied, saw how he stopped in the act of stirring the contents of a hissing wok. It was as if he had been caught off guard by the affection even though he had said it to him every morning. Maybe it was the fact he was sitting on one of his beds, voice husky and bare skin on display, instead of standing by the check-in desk? Taehyung got out of bed and he felt his muscles complaining as he stood upright. He couldn't help but press a hand against his lower back.

"Stiff?" Jungkook asked as he lifted an eyebrow at him languidly. "I'm used to the routine as is Jimin. You'll get used to it soon enough."

Taehyung knew that he wasn't talking about the exercise workout. He was talking about the sex. He was talking about the several hours he had spent in their bed last night once more, being passed back and forth like a fucking parcel. Giving and receiving, more than once at the same time. Of having his wrists and ankles bound up to the sound of Jimin giggling and the hot sensation of Jungkook's breath on his skin, fingers digging in just like the restraints. Taehyung doubted that he would ever get used to such a thing.

"Of course I will, Jungkook," Taehyung muttered as he started getting dressed for the day.

He was in the act of fastening up his trousers when Jimin came down the stairs across the suite. The other man was dressed in that same silken robe of his, skin almost glowing. There was a happy smile on his face and he hunkered down to grab Wangbi's head in his hands, peppering little kisses on her nose and above her eyes as he cooed sweetly at her. The cat stayed still on the chaise lounge, purring audibly at his touch and praises. Then he went over to the kitchen and started helping Jungkook set the table. It was covered in bowls of rice and grains Taehyung didn't recognise. Namul was in several of the side dish bowls, and the presence of meat meant that once Wangbi was present and hoping for scraps.

It appeared that Jungkook had finally started that drug detox he had spoken about, a system cleanse. Most of his plate was covered in greens and grains rather than meat or rice. It was strange seeing him knocking back pills that were clearly vitamins rather than Adderall and eating rather than quaffing champagne. At least Taehyung could finally drink some coffee though he didn't want to light a cigarette alongside it like usual. Just in case Jungkook really was detoxing. It was close to the end of the breakfast that a phone sounded loudly and the younger man shifted to grab his phone off the counter.

"Hang on, I have to take this call," Jungkook excused himself as he hastily crossed the ground-floor and as he ascended the staircase Taehyung heard him answering the call. He watched him disappear out of sight and then turned back to Jimin. The other man grabbed a chunk of chicken and held it out for Wangbi to eat whilst Jungkook wasn't present to nag at him. He winked at him as he held a finger up, telling him to keep it a secret between friends.

Taehyung wondered who had called him for him to excuse himself like that. Jungkook took calls from Woo in their company often so it must have been someone else. So he just collected the dishes together with Jimin and helped him clean them. When they were done the other man was crossing the suite to lounge on the bed, so he moved to sit with him. Wangbi was on the chaise lounge and he didn't want to sit at the empty kitchen table on his own. After fifteen or so minutes Jungkook made his way down the stairs at a quick pace, fastening up his trousers as he did. There was a rather hectic feeling coming off him, as if he was in a rush to get ready. His bare feet padded across the marble flooring, tie dangling from the crook of his elbow and a jacket folded over one arm.

"What's wrong, darling?" Jimin asked, clearly attuned to him perfectly to see that something had happened. Taehyung was amazed by the fact that he too had figured this out from a single glance. He was getting better at reading The Boy, almost eerily so.

"I have a meeting to attend," Jungkook replied as he slipped his feet into a pair of loafers. "Woo is pissed off with me for having to change the schedule again but I can't exactly turn this meeting down."

"A meeting?" Taehyung asked in surprise. "What kinda meeting? Like with the tributaries, or another kinda meeting?"

"Another kind, one you're not allowed to attend. My father wants to see me alone today," Jungkook explained as he fixed his shirt cuff securely. The top buttons of his shirt were still undone and Taehyung could see a mottled bruise on the side of his neck, the one perfectly shaped just like his teeth.

"Do y'know why?" Taehyung asked him as he watched him move onto the second cuff.

"Oh I know why." The younger man gave him a rather grim expression. "It's because of Ahn. He's pissed off about Ahn and he wants to tell me off for being naughty." Jungkook rolled his eyes and sighed heavily. "I expected this the second I saw him at the funeral, he was pissed then and he's still pissed now."

Taehyung held his tongue and just watched him dress because he didn't know what to say. Jungkook was in trouble for a murder that he had committed. Upon his demand of course but still. If Jeon was pissed off with his son...what position did that put him in? Possibly a very bad one, the kind that could see a bullet put in the back of his head if he wasn't careful. Jungkook reached up to fasten up his shirt collar buttons and then he was hanging the tie around his neck.

"Does he know about the betrayal?" Taehyung asked in a quiet voice. "About how Ahn was working against both of you?"

"Evidentially not," Jungkook replied as he moved to sit down on the edge of the bed beside them. Jimin shifted to get close and then he was grabbing hold of the ends of his tie so that he could start knotting it for him. Jimin's fingers moved deftly and showed much experience. Clearly he was as good with ties as he was with restraints. Taehyung watched him loop the front around and then poke the end through the top and down through the loop. When he pulled on the length it cinched tight and he adjusted the knot up to the top button of his shirt. They looked to be gold plated and inlaid with pearl, likely real for all he knew, the black wool tie clashing wonderfully against the white. "I had hoped that he had figured it out or had information on the matter but it seems not."

Jimin finished with the knot and shifted to sit back down on the bed beside him, perfume wafting from his movements as he did. Jungkook reached up to pull on it, adjusting the knot and then straightening the lengths out. Then he got to his feet and crossed the suite to get to a table. There was a cut glass bowl on it and he sorted through it before pulling something free. Taehyung saw that it was a tie pin and he slipped it on.

"What are my plans for today, Jungkook?"

"You're going to escort Jimin around for the day," Jungkook explained as he collected his suit jacket and slipped it on. "Await information from me in regards to the meeting. No point in snooping around the snake nest right now, we've stirred them up. They're apt to bite." He fixed the lapels and then pulled the jacket together to fasten the middle buttons. "I would prefer Jimin have an escort today."

Taehyung looked between them both and he thought about the unspoken words hanging in the silent air. Why exactly would Jungkook want him to have an escort if he was just going out for the day? An escort seemed to hint that maybe, just maybe the younger man was concerned about his current safety. Possibly because of what had happened to Ahn. Yet Jimin didn't seem fazed at all. Maybe he was used to this, was escorted whenever he left the apartment block by other men? Almost like a celebrity, or a child.

"So you know what that means right, babe?" Jungkook said as he crossed the suite and reached down to touch Jimin's cheek with the backs of his fingers. "It means: behave."

"You know I never do," Jimin retorted in a rather flirtatious tone. Jungkook leaned down and kissed Jimin like a husband leaving work would kiss his wife, hand on his cheek and a rather chaste press of his lips against his. Jimin pouted his lips out and up into a smile and then Jungkook broke the contact and got upright again. Taehyung realised that he had been staring at them both and before he could look away the younger man caught his gaze.

"Uh, good luck in the meeting, Jungkook," Taehyung almost mumbled at him. He felt rather stupid sitting on the end of the bed like this, as if he should actually be standing by the door instead.

"What? No goodbye kiss for Tae?" Jimin remarked with a grin. Jungkook gave him a quick glance and then looked back at him again. Taehyung could only stare at him dumbly until he moved to stand in front of him.

There was no gentle palms on his cheek like with the other man. Jungkook placed his hand on the back of his head instead and he felt his fingers lightly tugging as he pulled his head back to get a better angle for the kiss. Taehyung just wished that he didn't enjoy the way that Jungkook's mouth pressed against his, the soft brush of his lips and the slight hint of his breath as he pulled his head away again. Enjoying the sex was one thing, but sex and kisses were completely different. It was a second of contact and nothing more, and he shouldn't enjoy it.

"I'll report back as soon as I have information," Jungkook said as he let go of his hair. He gave his jacket a quick tug to straighten it out. "Supposing there's any to report that is."

Taehyung watched him cross the suite, eyes fixed onto the back of his head until Jungkook was opening the door and stepping out into the slight hallway. When the door clicked shut it plunged the suite into silence and the only sound he could hear was the soft rasping that Wangbi's tongue made when she licked her paws clean, perched on the chaise lounge as if it were her throne. After a minute of silence the other man broke it.

"Can't tie a tie but he can run an empire," Jimin remarked wryly. The way that he rolled his eyes reminded Taehyung of exactly how his mother would do so before muttering "men" under her breath jokingly. "Sometimes I find it cute, other times it's slightly concerning."

"I can tie a tie," Taehyung said, not really sure what he could say in response to this. It sounded almost like a brag, which was rather funny all things considered.

"You'll be running an empire in no time then, Tae," Jimin declared with that sweet smile of his. "Then I'll have to call you Master too, hmm? Would you like that?" Taehyung felt his cheeks heating up and his rather awkward smile had the other man laughing. "Don't be shy around me, Tae, I'm not the one to blush."

"Jimin, what's supposed to happen today exactly?" Taehyung asked to change the subject. He didn't really expect to get an answer because there was a chance that Jimin wouldn't know either. But Taehyung liked having a plan of action and today seemed like a wasted opportunity for him. He didn't want to go on a glorified shopping trip with the other man, picking up designer clothes and sex toys. There were so many more things that he could do today, so much information that he could gather for the team outside. But with Jimin in tow...

"Mmm, let me think." Jimin threw himself back on the bed with a heavy sigh and he stared at his reflection in the ceiling mirror. Taehyung saw how his hair fanned out on the sheets, how his bathrobe slipped to show a flash of his chest and quite a lot of his thighs. He looked like he was all set up for a photo shoot lying like that, effortlessly graceful and perfect. Jimin reached up with one hand to run his fingers over his lips, almost playing with them. "I have to collect a few things from a department store. More importantly I need to visit Min."

"Min, who's Min?" Taehyung asked as he slowly moved his fingers along the sheets towards his leg. Just so that he could touch his thigh, stroke his fingers along his smooth skin. Like what Jungkook often did to him whilst he was in the backseat of the car.

"Kookie's personal dealer," Jimin explained, seemingly unfazed by the sensation of his fingertips tracing whorls all over his thigh. Taehyung glanced at his face as he listened to him speak. "Best quality available, guaranteed. Also no chances of spiked or poisoned shit."

Of course, it made perfect sense that Jungkook would need a personal dealer. Buying from just anyone was risky, downright dangerous. A bad batch of cocaine or pills and he would drop dead. But it wasn't just the risk of accidental poisoning that Jungkook had to deal with. Someone might very much try to have him murdered, try to disguise it under an accidental overdose. Taehyung knew one Haedogje Pa man by the name of Min but he had absolutely no doubts that is wasn't this man. After all he was dead. So who exactly was this new Min that Jimin had just mentioned?

"Plus, the dealer's kind of cute..."

Taehyung had just looked away and across the suite when he said this and so he glanced back to see a rather mischievous smile on Jimin's face. He looked rather sheepish and he briefly wondered if Jungkook had a clue that he found this so-called Min cute? Did it matter that he did? Would Jungkook care if he found another man attractive? After all, hadn't Jimin been fucked by the pair of them? Or was he different, not the same as any other men that he might associate with? Jimin sat up slowly, reaching up to neaten a few stray locks of his hair as he did.

"That officer you stabbed yesterday was kind of cute too," he remarked as he fixed the front of his bathrobe, pulling it closed again. "Young, don't think I've seen officers that young in a while." Taehyung started nibbling on his lower lip as he listened to him. Here Jimin was, talking about Hoseok and reminding him about it all again. The stabbing on the street. "You know...you would look cute in a police uniform."

"...What?" He turned his head so sharply that he felt a muscle twinge in the back of his neck. A brief and horrible flare of pain.

"I said you would look cute in a police uniform, not the office wear type uniforms. I mean the ones regular beat cops wear, the all black ones yes?" Taehyung could only stare at him dumbly. "Kookie would too but he would never dress like the police. I joked around with him once, said that I wanted him to arrest me. He just pinned me down on a table and cuffed me and said he didn't need a badge to do it." Jimin laughed softly at this, as if it was a pretty funny story. "I'll bet that he would let you arrest him though..."

"No, no I'd look stupid," Taehyung disagreed with a head shake. "I look stupid in these suits, a police uniform would look even more stupid."

"You look good in those suits," Jimin disagreed as he climbed off the bed and crossed the suite. "And you would look in that uniform too, trust me."

Taehyung watched him bounding up the staircase to go up onto the first floor. Jimin practically skipped up the winding staircase, bathrobe bouncing around his thighs and flashing an almost illegal amount of skin as he did. He disappeared into what was presumably a private bedroom area to get dressed. Taehyung could feel a strange sensation in his stomach, something that felt like unease. It was a mixture of Jimin mentioning Hoseok again and the fact that he had joked about the police. The very mention of the police was enough to make him nervous and he couldn't just listen to Jimin joking about how he would look good as an officer. The last thing he needed was Jungkook hearing it and starting to wonder...

Jimin returned several minutes later, dressed in a fitted shirt and black trousers. He was in the act of looping a cashmere scarf around his neck and he had what looked like two coats folded over one arm.

"It's cold, Tae, here." He grabbed hold of one of the coats and then he held it out to him. Taehyung saw that it was a black overcoat, thick wool blend and clearly expensive. "Wear this."

"Is it yours?" he asked as he accepted it. The material was smooth against his palms and it was very nice quality. Certainly expensive.

"No, it's Kookie's. You're about his height and build. Might be a little loose but it doesn't matter." Jimin must have seen the surprise on his face for he laughed. "He never wears it, trust me he's owned it forever and he never wears it."

"I dunno, Jimin, I-"

"Put it on," Jimin said, tone almost making it sound like an order. It was so very much like Jungkook that it was eerie. Taehyung studied him and he wondered if he ever used that tone on the younger man too, or if he wasn't allowed. Then he shifted to open the coat and slip his arm inside it. When he was pulling his other arm through and fixing the collar Jimin beamed at him. "There, that's better." He moved to stand in front of him and smoothed the collar down with the fingers of one hand. "You look like a real master now."

Taehyung had only been in one high-end store before, the one back in Gangnam-gu. Sharp , the tailors that belonged to Hodong of course. He didn't really know how most high-end stores worked but he had imagined that pets weren't allowed inside. Maybe they weren't but no one told them otherwise and Wangbi was free to roam inside the store as if she owned the place, leash trailing along the floor as she did. Not that there were many customers inside to intimidate, for he could only see a few women and one or two looked to be assistants. As it was she didn't do much roaming before deciding to curl up on a window ledge, no doubt attracting a great many stares from outside passing pedestrians.

Well, he guessed that it made sense that pets were allowed. After all he and Jimin had been admitted...

"Aren't you scared she'll escape?" Taehyung asked as he eyed Wangbi over the top of the shelf. Jimin was too short to do so, would have to stand on tiptoe to peer over it. For some reason he found this almost cute though he wasn't exactly sure why.

"No, Wangbi's a good girl," Jimin replied as he started walking along the aisle. Taehyung felt something hooking around his wrist and when he looked down he saw that it was Jimin's fingers grabbing hold of him. Not tightly but rather gently so that he could guide him across the store. "She's never tried to escape. She likes her daddies too much to try that."

Taehyung took that as a good enough answer and he didn't ask any more questions. Instead he allowed him to pull him across and along the aisles. There were currently at a beauty counter set inside a massive department store and it seemed that Jimin had an order to collect from it. Taehyung imagined that he would have a very big order considering the amount of products he used. Yet Jimin crossed the counter and went right over to the perfume aisles rather than go over to the woman on the till.

"Aren't these female perfumes?" Taehyung asked as he eyed the bottles. All of them were shaped like thin flutes or bowls, and there were strange ones that looked like novelties. All pinks or golds or lilacs in colour.

"They're perfumes but that's it," Jimin replied. "So long as I smell sweet that's all that matters. What do you prefer, Tae? The taste of my perfume on your tongue, or Kookie's cologne?" He did have a point, the perfume did taste strangely wonderful on his tongue, almost like candy would taste. When Jimin picked up the samples and sprayed them into the air his nose almost itched from the amalgamation of scents. "Tell me about yourself, Tae?"

"Tell...tell you?" Taehyung turned his head to watch him and Jimin nodded at the question as he put the bottle back on the shelf.

"Yes, it just hit me that I know nothing about you except your name and face. That's it."

"But I'm not interesting, not at all," he replied, feeling a little awkward right now. "Why would you wanna know about me?"

"Because we're friends, Tae," Jimin replied. "We're friends, aren't we?" Taehyung thought it over for a few seconds and then he nodded and agreed that they were. "OK, here's a deal. You tell me about your boring life and I'll tell you about mine," he suggested with a smile. It made his eyes wrinkle at the corners in that same friendly manner as always, a true smile. One that Taehyung thought that he could trust. "Does that sound like a plan?"

"...Yeah, yeah, Jimin," Taehyung agreed with a nod. "Well, where should I start? You want a Copperfield kinda answer or?"

"Ha, Kookie would like that one," Jimin remarked with a laugh. "Tell me about how you ended up in Haedogje Pa first, that seems like a good start." He ran his eyes along the shelf and yet it looked like he was just doing so for effect rather than really looking at the products.

"I left high school and enrolled right into military conscription," Taehyung explained, the lies rolling off his tongue perfectly. He had rehearsed them for three solid months so he found that it wasn't at all hard to do. "That's where I learnt to handle guns and discipline. After being dismissed I was kinda out looking for trouble, y'know? I couldn't get a decent job 'cos I flunked most of my high school subjects so I ended up on the streets doing bad shit. Luckily for me I ended up earning the attention of a man that worked for Haedogje Pa. Lim, he works in Mapo-gu. Anyway, I thought I was gonna be some regular runner just like the rest of 'em but he saw something better in me."

"Because you're smart," Jimin said as he picked up another bottle, just nursing the weight between his hands. "Failed high school or not, you're smart. Just in different way."

"Yeah, real smart apparently. I started keeping records for him and next thing I know I was being escorted to a building and being told that I was a tribute; that I was going to be officially accepted into Haedogje Pa." Taehyung paused and studied the deep green glass perfume bottle on the shelf before looking at him. "That was when Jungkook spotted me in the yard. He asked me a few questions and from that point he ended up taking me under his wing."

"A smart decision, you're both smart." Jimin smiled at him warmly. "I wonder if he saw your smarts first or if he was distracted by your face?"

"What did he see in you first?" Taehyung asked. Jimin picked up the square deep green bottle of perfume rather than reply, fiddling the lid off to spray this one into the air. After a moment of silence he decided to carry on talking. "There's nothing very interesting to tell you. When I was in the army I followed the same shit everyday over and over, working for Lim I had my head in books or my ass in front of a computer all day. Only when I was accepted into Haedogje Pa does it really get close to interesting."

"So your childhood, that was boring too?" Jimin asked as he lightly cocked his head at him. A lock of hair slipped free and Taehyung shifted to brush it back for him because he was still holding the bottle. "Nothing interesting?"

"...Not really," Taehyung lied with a nonchalant shrug. "I can't really remember much of it that didn't revolve around school and detention: boring. What about you, huh?"

"Oh, my life story is far from boring," Jimin replied as he turned back to the shelf and placed the bottle down. "I can't really remember much of my early childhood, but my strongest memory was the day that I was snatched off the streets. I remember it because I was at a park, playing with friends and my younger brother. Looking back on it, there were so many boys and girls at that park and I wonder what it was that made them pick me. A few times the ball we were playing with bounced out the park you see, and every time one of us would race out to get it before it rolled into the road. But it was when I ran out to get it that they grabbed me."

"How?"

"There was an unmarked vehicle parked right outside the park. When I ran past it to get the ball the door swung open and someone grabbed me. It was that fast. One minute I was kicking and screaming the next I was out cold because they stabbed me in the neck with something. As I said I was seven at the time, maybe almost eight. Must have been a cute kid, still kind of chubby." Jimin paused as he ran his fingers over another bottle, this one a tall and thin pink flute. "I think I should explain that when I was seven years of age I didn't know a lot about the world. Back then I'm pretty sure that I was scared I had been kidnapped to be sold to some mean family or something stupid like that. I didn't know what sex was and I most certainly didn't know what happened to kidnapped little boys and girls."

"Shit, Jimin..." Taehyung said in a quiet voice, not sure at all what else to say. He knew that he should say more but he seemed incapable of doing so.

"Yes, it was pretty shit, Tae. When you start being prostituted as a child you kind of get used to it fast. I had a list of clients, I was a personal favourite. There were men that literally paid Nam to take me out for the day; to amusement parks, to the cinema and stuff like that. Like I was their actual child, not a baby prostitute with an electronic tracking tag around my ankle so Nam knew where I was at all times. I got food, toys, clothes. I was a princeling amongst peasants under Nam and I still don't really know why it was me. They must have sensed something in me I guess, sensed that I was in desperate want for attention and something close to parental love. I mean, the fucking kind of ruined that part but the attention was what I craved and they gave it to me."

"Nam? You mentioned Nam. The same Nam I'm thinking of?"

"Yes, the same Nam. He was young himself back then, a pimp really. He ascended to his highest position when I was a teen I think." Jimin paused before continuing. "So when he did he took me with him. I guess you could say that I was his favourite too. I made too much profit to be left in the hands of lesser ranked Haedogje Pa men. So for a few years I was pimped out at meetings instead of getting to go on day trips. Then one night I was being approached with some offer to star in films for a certain 'Master Jeon' who I had never heard of back then. All I knew was that he paid well and there was blood work and stuff, so it was safe and official. So I gave some blood samples and a few evenings later I'm stepping into this massive penthouse suite. It was crazy."

"That's how you met Jungkook?" Taehyung asked in surprise. He wasn't really sure what he had been expecting but for some reason this story surprised him. Knowing that Nam had something to do with Jimin...suddenly he was seeing the bigger picture here. Seeing why Jungkook might have wanted the man dead for more than just his attempted rape.

"Yes, a few months ago I was picked to star in his films. Only then did I find out that he was the heir to Haedogje Pa. Whores don't really get told these things, Tae." Jimin laughed to himself. "So that night I found myself getting fucked in front of a bunch of cameras. Fucked by relatively attractive young men I suppose, but sadly the kind that could fuck for longer than five minutes."

"Was he there that night?" he asked, already knowing what the answer would be.

"Watching my every move and asking me to stay behind after the others had left. I thought I was in trouble or maybe that he was going to ask me to star in more films. I know you'll probably find it hard to believe but that night was actually sweet," Jimin said, a soft smile lifting up the corners of his lips. "If you remove the pornography of course. Kookie said so many things to me, nice things. The kind of shit clients said to try and get discounts. Except with him it was actual compliments. He kissed me and teased me and in the end I was the one begging him to fuck me for once."

Taehyung would have found it hard to imagine Jungkook being sweet had he not acted that way with him yesterday. The touches and kisses in his apartment room, all of his words about loyalty and how good he was. He wondered what that actually meant now that he had heard Jimin speak of something similar. Was it all just pretend, manipulation, or was it maybe the truth?

"Being a whore meant that I didn't have to orgasm when working too, and I didn't. My clients just couldn't perform at all. I can't really explain what it feels like to be fucked your entire life and then be fucked by Kookie I mean." Jimin paused and Taehyung could only wait silently for him to continue. "I experienced my first true orgasm with him. It was the most intense and scariest moment of my life I think, because I had never felt something like that before and I had thought that I never could."

"The films?" Taehyung asked him, not having to explain further because he knew that Jimin knew what he was talking about.

"All because of Kookie. When I star in them and he's present it helps. If not I think of him and it does. I don't take pills like the other actors, I just play pretend." Jimin picked up the green bottle again and held it up to him. "I think this is the one."

Jimin had to wait at the counter for several minutes whilst the order was processed. When one of the workers returned she did so carrying two large bags, colourful pink paper visible sticking out that the bottles and jars were wrapped in. Taehyung wasn't at all surprised to see him covering the costs with a black credit card, one that no doubt belonged to Jungkook. He carried the bags for the other man, allowing him to keep hold of Wangbi's leash and walk her through the department store. Taehyung was aware of how many eyes were on them as they passed. Most of the people probably wondered if Jimin was a celebrity, maybe a model or even the son of a chaebol. Taehyung wondered if any of them had a clue that he was actually a porn star and certified bed warmer for the heir of the most powerful mob in the country. Probably not, Jimin looked far too sweet for that. But whatever the case all of the eyes on him made Taehyung increasingly aware of the weight of gun holster under his arm.

They flitted from store to store, into lingerie stores that Jimin bought underwear from. Taehyung found it hard to not imagine him wearing the silken and lace panties, the stockings. Then into another to buy a tie for Jungkook to replace the one that had been 'ruined' last night. Ruined meaning that it had been stretched out of shape around one of the bed posts and his wrist. Lastly into an adult store. Taehyung also had to struggle to not stare at the displays inside the store: the racks of legal imported pornographic magazines and films, the crotchless panties and pasties on mannequin bodies and whips and cuffs displayed on the walls. There was an aisle filled with so many colourful varieties of lube that it was like looking at a convenience store drink aisle. Taehyung tried to imagine Jungkook wandering into a store like this but it was a difficult mental image to figure out. He didn't know if it was all too tame for him or whether or not he would be as bold as to request free samples.

By the time they were climbing back into the car Taehyung was carrying so many bags his shoulders were starting to ache from the weight. Settling down in the backseat of the car was hard seen as Wangbi decided to use his thigh as a cushion, forepaws curled up so she could place her head on his lap.

"Yang, you know where to next. Yes?" Jimin asked as he settled back in the seat with a rather tired sigh. The chauffeur replied that he did as he started the engine and pulled it away from the curb.

Taehyung kept his eyes on the window as they traveled and it rapidly came to his attention that they were leaving Gangnam-gu. Clearly Jungkook's dealer didn't work in the same area as he did. So where was he situated? He tried to keep track of the district roads, of how long they were travelling for but it was hard. At some point he felt himself getting lost in the maze of buildings and similar looking streets, so he just settled back and waited for the car to stop. It could have been half an hour later, it could have been a whole hour, he had no way of telling but when the car finally stopped he looked over at Jimin and then the window again.

"Where are we?" Jimin explained that they were at the correct location. "Where's the location, what district?"

"Yongsan-gu," the other man replied and yet he made no move to get out of the car. He was just sitting there with Wangbi mostly on his lap, likely covering his clothes with golden and white fur. But she looked very content, eyes half-mast and a soft rumbling like the car engine coming from her chest.

"Are you coming?" Taehyung asked as he shifted to grab the door handle.

"Mmm, I don't like waiting around. You go collect it," Jimin said, more or less an order as he carried on playing with Wangbi's neck fur. "Just be sure to specify you're here for Kookie. If the man gets a little pissy then say: I've got a pain in my ass and you know how to fix it." Taehyung didn't really know what that meant and he stared at him rather dumbly, hand wrapped around the door handle. Yet judging from Jimin's face he was being deadly serious. "Trust me, they'll let you in. From that point just ask to see Min and you'll be allowed to collect the order."

Taehyung shoved the door open and stepped out into the curb. His loafers crunched on the gritty paving slab as he slammed the door shut and eyed the building. It was a very professional-looking building and a banner hanging from the side informed him in cursive characters that it was in fact an acupuncturists. A front of course, he knew that it was. A great front though because it fit into the area perfectly. Not at all out of place. A glance around showed a massive gym across the street, a herbal medicine store and several small tea houses. Taehyung fixed his coat - Jungkook's coat - and he crossed the sidewalk to push the door open. He stepped inside the building to see a reception area with dark wood and glass, walls painted a deep blood red. There was a door to one side but central to the room was a desk and there was a man standing behind it. A wizened old man with enough wrinkles on his face and hands he almost looked like a road map. He eyed him through small and rather piercing eyes and Taehyung stopped in front of the counter.

"Here for Master Jeon," he explained as he glanced over the area. There were Chinese scrolls hanging on the wall, which he couldn't read more than one or two characters from. "To pick up a shipment." The man on the desk stared at him unblinkingly, hands neatly folded on the glass. He swallowed hard and decided to do what Jimin had told him to do. "I've got a pain in my ass and uh, y'know how to fix it. Right?"

"...Follow me," the old man said before ducking under the counter. He did so with considerable ease considering how old he looked. Then he was guiding him in the direction of the door so Taehyung followed along behind him.

The backroom of the acupuncturists was connected through a narrow hall. Walking along it Taehyung could almost feel the walls brushing against him but he could barely see them in the dim lighting. There were several rooms in which people were getting treatment, the calming scent of incense hanging in the air. He saw mostly women performing the treatments, wearing white uniforms that consisted of loose trousers and high-necked blouses, hair pulled back in tight buns. He didn't catch sight of any women receiving treatment however, but mostly older men that weren't much younger than his guide. The man walked the length of the hallway and then stopped in front of an open room, a quick glance inside showing that it was empty.

"Just downstairs," the man said before stepping out the room and leaving him alone. He turned his head to watch him go down the hallway and then looked back at the room. There were no stairs in sight. There was nothing more than an unused table and-

Taehyung realised that he was talking about a trapdoor. There was a hidden door right there under that fucking table he was sure of it. So he moved over to push it aside and then experimentally pressed his foot down on the flooring it revealed. After a second or two he felt the slightest shifting under his foot and so he hunkered down and ran his fingers along it until he found a seam in the wood. Taehyung snagged hold and lifted the trapdoor up and it revealed a flight of stairs. He studied them before sighing and getting back upright to walk down them.

The staircase lead down into a small den area filled with men. Most of them were smoking and under the smoke he could also detect herbal tea. Judging from the woman holding the teapot they were sampling that rather than hard liquor. He saw cards being dealt and fanned in front of faces, boards of Go and stacks of cash. At his arrival one or two turned to look at him and so he cleared his throat and squared his shoulders.

"I'm here to see Min, on behalf of Master Jeon." For a few seconds no one moved or said anything. Then one of the men shifted to tap the woman on the arm. She placed the teapot down and got to her feet, sweeping an arm out to tell him to follow her. Taehyung didn't really need an escort but he stepped around the low tables to follow after her anyway.

"This is your first time?" she asked without looking back at him. Her accent sounded stilted, not Korean at all. He studied the back of her head and then looked at her bare shoulder to see a scar there. One he recognised very well; marked property. Taehyung told her that it was. "You'll have a good time."

Taehyung was taken down another small hallway and he saw a man waiting on one door across the room. It was only small, a waiting area he supposed. But one with concrete walls and flooring. There were several pieces of furniture but Taehyung decided to not sit on any of them. He didn't know what they had been used for. The dark leather made it hard to see if there were any stains on the material. The woman gave him a slight bow before turning and going back into the den, low heels clicking as she did.

There was a window on one of the walls but it wasn't to look outside of course. Rather it showed the interior of a large factory-like area. Taehyung moved to look through it and he saw countless tables and what must have been about fifty people inside. It took him a few seconds of staring before he saw that everyone in the factory area were only wearing their underwear, in the case of the women not even bras. There were latex gloves and masks present, along with countless pieces of equipment: beakers, burners, syringes. Taehyung eyed this all before he realised that he was standing outside of a production factory.

There was a massive drug production factory right here in Yongsan-gu and his team had no fucking clue.

When he glanced over at the man on the door he saw a holster strapped in place under his jacket. The man informed him that no one was allowed past this point, but Min had been informed and he wouldn't be waiting for long. He wondered if Jungkook would be allowed past as he turned his head and studied the factory again. They were definitely producing heroin in there, that much he was certain of. Everything else was guess work. Taehyung watched the factory intently and after a minute or two he noted that someone was crossing the floor to get to the door. Clearly to talk to the worker or something, maybe about something to do with shipments. Except the man stepped right out of the factory past the armed guard and it hit him that this might just be...

"Min?" Taehyung asked in slight confusion as he stared at him.

"Min Yoongi, actually," he replied as he reached up to pull his mask free.

Cute? Maybe if he had a thing for shrimps. Clearly Jimin liked twinks for the dealer was pale and terribly thin. Not at all liked he had expected, for he had pictured someone much stronger than this. Tall, well-built, charismatic in a possibly obnoxious way. This young man was wearing nothing but his underwear and he looked like he had last slept a week ago. His hair was a bleached mess and around his eyes the skin looked lightly bruised.

"I'm here for Master Jeon," he explained, trying to not drop his eyes and stare at his body but it was hard.

"Uh, just lemme get dressed, man," Yoongi said as he let go of the mask and let it dangle around his neck. There was also a necklace around his neck, one with a key rather than a charm. He looked over the area for a few seconds before gesturing for him to follow him over to another room across the waiting area. So Taehyung crossed the area to step into the other room. It was a small box room, possibly an office of some kind judging from the contents. The computer on the rather battered desk was certainly well-maintained and expensive and he could see three monitors hooked up to it. A quick glance at the screens showed one filled with digits that looked like a bankroll, the other a surveillance system of the factory. The final one was just a desktop and Taehyung stared at a wallpaper of a rather fluffy cat in mild confusion and amusement.

"Hey, uh, what's with the underwear?" Taehyung asked as the other man went over to the desk.

"No clothing allowed near production," Yoongi explained as he reached up to rub at his eyes. His voice was a rather sleepy mumble. Maybe even drunk. Pleasant to listen to but also rather sleep-inducing. Then he was collecting something off the desk. "Just in case someone tries to smuggle out a rock or ten, y'know? Hard to hide that shit in a pair of underpants." He pulled the oatmeal pullover on roughly, ruffling his already messy bleached hair. It hanged from his thin frame, much too big for him. Taehyung wasn't even surprised by the hole in the elbow. "That's why you weren't allowed."

"...I see," Taehyung said after a moment of silence. "What happens if they try and smuggled something outta here?"

"You kidding me, right?" Yoongi asked as he furrowed his brow. It made his already small but rounded eyes thin considerably. "What happens is..." he lifted one arm and stabbed his hand against the side of his head, fingers curled up and pointed to make the shape of a gun. "Boom," he breathed out as he mimed pulling a trigger. Taehyung thought about how Kangho's head had exploded when he had pulled the trigger and then he dropped his eyes to study the other man's bare feet.

"Seems like an overreaction..." The other man made a noise at this as he nodded. His expression showed that he thought so too, but clearly it wasn't his idea.

"He's never sent you before." The way Yoongi played with the pullover sleeves was almost endearing in its own way. Not how he had imagined a drug dealer to act at all. Even his toes curled up as he rocked back on the heels of his feet, a childishness coming off him. Taehyung noted that he had either decided not to wear his trousers or he had forgotten. "Usually he sends, uh, shit what's his name? It's-" Taehyung was about to say Jimin to help him out when he made a noise and his slight shoulders shot up, "ah! Honey, he usually sends Honey."

"Honey?"

"Nickname," Yoongi said in that same mumbling way of his. "Dunno his name so I called him Honey. Kinda fitted him." He mentally agreed with this statement because it was very fitting for Jimin indeed. "So uh, what're you his new thing now?"

"I work for Master Jeon," Taehyung said as he watched the man tottering around the room. He seemed to be going to collect something and he reached up to grab a board that was on the wall, a map of Seoul labelled with countless pins and sticky notes. When he pulled it free Taehyung saw a safe built into the wall. One that he clearly stored important stuff in.

"Key key key, where's my fucking key where- oh." Yoongi seemed to figure out that it was dangling around his neck and so he reached up to grab hold of the chain and pull it off. "Shit, I need to stop smoking on the job, man." He started laughing as he turned back to the safe. Taehyung knew that he wasn't talking about regular cigarettes. "But I'm always fucking working so..." The man inserted the key and twisted it hard to unlock it. Then he was opening the safe door and pulling something out. A thick manilla envelope.

"Right," Yoongi got upright and he carried the envelope over to him, rubbing his eyes again with his free hand. "This is the usual but there's uh...a bonus. Got a month's supply of Viagra for the actors, maybe. Unless he keeps hosting orgies that is. Um, month's supply for Honey. 50mg of Valium and 25mg of whatever the fuck the sleeping pills are called. Can't remember."

Taehyung wondered where the hell Jungkook had found a dealer like him. Yoongi couldn't even remember the names of the shit he was selling.

"For Master Jeon there's coke, sealed. Got a few hits from that, I'd estimate about ten? Also a month's supply of Adderall too, 'cos I know he needs that shit to function. He's so fired up twenty-four-seven, man, I couldn't be that high." Yoongi practically shoved the envelope at him and Taehyung managed to not drop it in surprise. "Oh, pass this along too. Tell him: Choi's fucking around again. Selling fucking seeded on the streets and charging for cut like I can't tell the fucking difference. I've seen it, I know. If he keeps doing it he's gonna fuck up standardised prices and other dealers are gonna be in trouble."

"OK, Choi's fucking up prices for marijuana. Got it."

"Nice, you're smart. But Honey's prettier, sorry. More talkative too." Yoongi gave him a rather wide smile, one that showcased a lot of gum. "But you seem like you could be chill, I guess? Either that or you're nuts."

"Nuts?" Taehyung asked him surprise, fingers tightening around the parcel.

"Yeah, you look like you could be fucking crazy. Like my old man." Yoongi carried on playing with his pullover sleeves. He studied his face for a moment and that was when it hit Taehyung who he was talking to. Min Yoongi, as in Min Yoonseok. Anyone that knew Haedogje Pa knew Min Yoonseok. The man was legend, having served under Jeon for almost three decades of his life before being murdered. And right now he was looking at his son. "But Master Jeon likes 'em crazy."

"He does?" Yoongi nodded again. It seemed like a habit of his. He didn't really what what he meant by that.

"So you're Haedogje Pa and not an actor?" the other man asked as he stopped fiddling with his sleeves and shifted to sit at his desk. He hit a few buttons and then moved the mouse around with a few quick wrist movements. Taehyung told him that he was, not entirely sure why he hadn't left yet. "You killed a guy yet?"

"...Yeah," he said in a quiet voice. "Yeah, I've killed a guy."

"Then I'll be sure not to piss you off, pretty boy," Yoongi muttered as he folded his arms on the desk and lowered his head onto them. "Hey?" His voice was muffled. "If Master Jeon let's you kill Choi for me I promise free merch, yeah?" Taehyung studied the top of his bleached head rather than reply. "Shit, I'll bring it to the suite personally so you can all get high without having to stop the orgy." He was just about to step out of the room when he heard him add. "Might just join in."

Jungkook didn't like his father's office room one bit. Not the one in the actual family home of course but rather the substitute one across the capital. It wasn't that he disliked the room. Not at all. He rather liked the entire wall of windows that stretched the length of the office room, showcasing a great deal of the district from the vast height of the office block. Currently he could see other buildings that looked like they were made from a child's set of toy blocks: concrete and brick and glass. There was a radio tower spiking up on the skyline and he could see enough roads to watch the traffic flow and gridlock should he want to. Right now that seemed like a great idea to the alternative, which was looking at his father.

The reason that Jungkook didn't like the office room was because he didn't like sitting on the other side of the desk to be scrutinised like this. Well, had his father not been pretending to look over papers to make him feel like a child of course. It was all pretend, a drawn-out game. The man was waiting for him to crack and say something to break the silence but Jungkook wasn't going to do that. It was unprofessional. When invited to another man's office it was respectful to not speak until addressed. If he had to hold his tongue for the next seven hours Jungkook would. Just to prove to his father that he wasn't weak. He had already been in the chair for twenty-five silent minutes now, punctuated only by the sound of rustling paper, a scratching fountain pen nib and the soft ticking of the wall clock to his left.

Fucking Ahn. As if he hadn't been enough trouble. Now he was causing even more from beyond the grave just to piss him off. He shouldn't be here right now, he should be doing something important instead and yet here he was. Wasting precious business hours with his thumb up his ass.

"You had Ahn murdered, didn't you?" his father asked to break the silence. Jungkook dragged his eyes away the windows to look at him. Ah, this was where he had learnt his ways from of course. Straight to the point as always, no time for messing around. Going in for the kill rather than toying with prey. He had learnt from a great master it would seem. It was clear that his father hadn't asked him this as a question but had rather simply announced it as a statement. He hadn't even looked up at him but rather continued signing a sheet of paper.

"Yes I did," Jungkook replied in an enthusiastic tone. Even gave him a nod as he sat fully upright in his seat.

"You also had a police officer attacked the day of the funeral too. Another mistake on your behalf, are you planning on a third?" His father made a noise at this, a rather exasperated noise. "The police are mostly on our side, son, start attacking them and you will start changing their minds."

"Even with the money flowing into their corrupt fucking wallets?" he retorted with an eyebrow raise. "I know that you let a little more flow their way after the incident so right now I don't see the problem?"

"Of course you don't see it. Was Ahn murdered by your own hand or by an associate?" More scraping sounds coming from his pen, eyes not moving off the papers. His father sounded and looked bored but he wasn't. He was alert and watching him out the limits of his periphery like a hawk.

"I was at a charity gala that night, daddy," Jungkook explained. "For poor children that won't hurry up and die just to inconvenience me. An associate dealt with him for me. Dealt with him spectacularly I must say, just as well as I could have and-"

"Oh, is this the same associate of yours that you're fucking?" his father interrupted as he finished with the papers and proceeded to gather them together. The sound of them tapping against the wood was irritating. The man looked up at him and so Jungkook took a moment to study his face before replying. There wasn't much in similarity between them at all, Jungkook had certainly inherited his mother's softer features. His father had a rather severe face, a squared brow and rather strong jaw and nose. The most common feature they both shared was their eyes, though not the shape or size. Rather just the intensity of their gazes. Jungkook supposed that some might say that he had his father's scowl, but at least he had yet to get his scowl and frown lines.

"Is it a pressing matter that I answer that question?" Jungkook retorted as he watched him place the papers aside. "Seen as we both know that you know the answer already."

"I do know the answer and I was hoping that you would prove me wrong, Jungkook," his father sighed and shifted to sit back in his chair ever so slightly. "You don't pick associates in that manner, son. We've spoken about this. You're supposed to see eye to eye with a man, trust him with your assets and nothing more. You're not supposed to fuck him."

"Why not?" Jungkook retorted as he shrugged, lifting his hands up as he did. "It's just fucking, daddy."

"You're eighteen years of age, Jungkook," his father said in a stern tone. "You think you understand the world but you don't. You think things like that can happen without any complications but you're wrong. Fucking leads to feelings, feelings lead to complications, complications lead to trouble."

"Oh...oh, you think this is about feelings?" Jungkook lowered his hands and then he smiled at him, a very amused smile. "I'm not going to fall in love with him."

"Woo informed me that when he entered your suite the morning of the funeral there were two men in your room, sharing your bed in fact. One was this Kim Taehyung fellow you call an associate, the other was that prostitute that you keep flaunting around."

"Jimin's not a prostitute," Jungkook explained as he folded his hands on the desk. "He's an actor, a fantastic actor. Stars in my films and-"

"It's been several months since I was alerted about him and he's still present," his father continued over him. "Is this another stellar example of how to fuck men and not get attached? Because it's not a very good example. You don't share: penthouse suites, millions of won, high-class restaurant dinners, valuable information, and beds with people you fuck for entertainment, Jungkook. Those people are kicked out the second you've pulled out, yes? You share those things with lovers. Correct me if I'm wrong, son."

"He's an investment," Jungkook said in a low voice. He knew that the man saw right through him. "Jimin's a precious investment. I need him for my films and-and Taehyung is..." He found himself suddenly short of words. Jungkook had heard that rather horrible stutter of his, that slight moment in which he had been hesitant to speak. He had never stuttered before and yet here he was, stuttering like a fucking child in front of his father. He wanted to tell him that Taehyung was an associate but that hadn't worked in his favour earlier. It wouldn't work now. Thinking of something to actually label Taehyung as other than that was surprisingly hard now that his father had stripped that option away.

"Hmm, thank you for proving my point," his father remarked. Jungkook set his jaw in annoyance as he stared at him from across the thin stretch of table. "You fuck men for fun without any attachment, and yet you've formed attachments to one already. One you keep telling me is an investment. This whore, Jimin, I think what you mean by this is that Jimin's a vessel for you to invest your feelings into. Am I wrong, Jungkook?"

"I don't have feelings."

"We both know that you do, son, you're just lying because you're upset."

"I don't have feelings and I'm not upset!" Jungkook snapped at him, unable to curb both his voice and the sour expression on his face. This just made his father laugh as he sank back in his leather chair. It creaked from the movement.

"There's that old Jeon temper," he said with a smile. "I was waiting for it to appear."

"I think there's a much more important issue at hand that we should be discussing other than who I'm fucking," Jungkook argued, hating how hot his cheeks felt. "We should be discussing why your man, Ahn Kangho, was assisting in causing an uprising against both of us by going against your wishes." At this his father's grin lessened, slowly slipping down at the corners. "That's what my man found out, that's what Taehyung found out."

"Ahn was a great man, he's not the kind to do such a thing."

"One of my men was wearing a wire and he recorded the entire thing, from start to finish. I have it on my phone if you want to listen to it. You can hear him admit to a great many things." Jungkook reached inside his jacket pocket and slipped the phone free so that he could place it on the table.

"What did he say?"

"He said that I wasn't fit to take over our empire upon your wishes and that he was saving it from its own destruction. He also gave two names, though only one of them was given in full. An unknown Kim and a man called Lee Yoochun." At this he saw his father's gaze shift to stare at the phone. Was that interest or shock? He couldn't really tell. "Do you know a man by that name? Because I don't and neither does my man."

"...Yes, I know a man by that name," he said in a quiet voice as he lifted a hand to rub at his mouth. Jungkook knew that habit well, for it was something that he did when he was thinking. "He definitely said Lee Yoochun?" He nodded in confirmation and his father dropped his gaze to study his desk. "God-fucking-damnit, Ahn." He cursed as he dropped his hand from his mouth, fingers curling in instinctively in annoyance.

"That's what Taehyung found out for me," Jungkook repeated as he collected his phone and slipped it back into his pocket. "He's not a whore, he's a worker and he knows many things."

"Jungkook, your man murdered one of my own."

"Upon my orders, daddy."

"Do you think that I can just let this slide? That I can know the name of the man that killed my own and just let it go unresolved?" Jungkook held his father's gaze and he knew exactly what he was saying. He was telling him that Ahn's death needed to be avenged. "What do you have to say on the matter, Jungkook?"

"...My men are your men," Jungkook said after a moment of thought. "Taehyung is your man. You would be avenging the death of one of your own men by killing another of your own. Except unlike Ahn, Taehyung has been loyal only to you." He wasn't going to tell him about how Taehyung had sworn fealty to him on his hands and knees. That he had promised to value him above every other man in the gang. "Taehyung killed a traitor. Do you think a traitor is truly one of your own?"

"You speak highly of this man, Kim," his father stated as he folded his hands on the table. "Aren't you placing too much trust on this one man, son?"

"No, I told you earlier. Taehyung is my associate. I'm training him. He won't go against me and if he does he will be punished." Jungkook mimicked his seating position. "If he betrays me I'll kill him with my own two hands." His father held his gaze steady, not at all fazed by this declaration in the slightest. "Now, daddy, do we have any business to discuss? Or should we start thinking about the purge?"

"It's too soon for a purge, son," he replied without the slightest hesitation. "You need more time to establish yourself as a power. What we need to do-" his father pulled a desk drawer open and retrieved a remote from it, pressing a button on the piece of sleek plastic plastic. Across the office a massive monitor screen turned on. "Is find out all of the snakes. This associate of yours, what does he specialise in exactly? Except fucking."

"Information: men, names, connections, profit margins, everything you need to know about a man he can learn."

"So what are you training him for?"

"I'm training him to be the perfect associate," Jungkook explained as he turned in his seat to eye the monitor. His father was already loading up a database on his tablet, hundreds of faces staring at them from the screen. "Taehyung's going to be able to sniff the snakes out for me and bite off their heads. Just like Kim was for you, an equal partner. I'm going to make Taehyung my partner."