Looking at the spread of photographs in front of him, Namjoon felt strangely cold and distant. He knew that he needed to explain himself, to start talking and let the others know what he was thinking about and yet he couldn't seem to do that. The photographs should have been tacked up on one of the boards across the room, pins placed in the map so that the case could start being developed and connected, but all that he could do right now was stare at Hoseok's desk; still and silent. It was the photograph of Woo that he couldn't seem to take his eyes off. This was a man that had been in The Boy's presence not that long ago, before Taehyung had been brought in to seemingly take his position. What did that mean for Taehyung exactly? Was this a mistake? Had Woo been caught up and murdered in a hit because Jungkook was supposed to have been present at the alleged transaction, with him or on his own? It could very much be a failed attempt on The Boy's life and there was no denying it right now. None of them had any evidence to prove otherwise, and Namjoon felt that it was the only explanation for the slaughter. That meant that Taehyung could have been one of those bullet-riddled corpses, should have been one of them.

Namjoon could have been looking at photographs of him with more holes in him than a target sheet at a gun range. His torso packed pumped with lead or missing a nice section of his head from taking a blast from a shotgun. That was what scared him, what made him feel a little faint. Namjoon wasn't stupid, he hadn't forgotten the fact that Taehyung was in danger but all this time he had not thought of it reaching such a high level. The most obvious danger that Taehyung could have gotten himself into before this discovery had been pissing another Haedogje Pa man off or having his cover blown. But Taehyung was smart and knew his men, wouldn't have possibly have made such an elementary mistake. But this wasn't an elementary mistake.

This was a trap, a big fucking trap.

"What do you mean by that?" Sungah asked to break the momentary silence that had fallen on the office. Her voice brought Namjoon out of his thoughts and he dragged his eyes away from the photograph of Woo to look up at her. "Who's stepping onto the chessboard?"

"I have no doubts in my mind that this is the work of Kim," Namjoon said as he tapped his fingers on the desk. "Kim Jinwoo, not his father, it's got his name all over it."

The department went silent again at his words, a heaviness setting in the air like a blanket of fog. Clearly they had all been taken aback by his reply, had not been expecting it at all. Namjoon knew that the rest of the team worked in their own departments, that they didn't have full knowledge but rather select areas that they all teamed together to make a bigger picture with. Taehyung was by far the most knowledgeable but he wasn't here right now, meaning that the responsibility to figure things out had now been left with him. He wondered if Taehyung even had a clue about any of this and thought that the answer was likely no, not yet.

"Why do you think it's Kim?" Hoseok asked, breaking the silence for the rest of the team. He moved to fold his arms on the desk, right beside the photographs, clearly finding the position more comfortable for his recovering stomach. "That's a pretty big accusation to make, you know? It could be so many other men so what makes you think that this is Kim?"

"Well, without getting into any complicated connections, I'm assuming from my gut instinct when I saw the photographs. I've seen a lot of dead men since working for this desk and I know it sounds pretty strange but every man has their own method, yes? Like how we know The Boy from Jeon, Jeon from some tight street dealer that offs a rival." Namjoon collected the photographs off the desk and moved over to the board. There was a free section on the other side of the map and so he sorted through to find the ones that would go on the board. "Looking at these photographs my first thought was: Kim Jinwoo."

"How's he different from Jeon or the others exactly?" Daesu asked as stuck a bright red thumbtack on Incheon and then added a sticky note to the side, scrawling down the exact location and keywords onto the yellow sheet of paper.

"Jeon doesn't do mass hits, he would much rather get an isolated death," Namjoon explained as he stuck his own tack through the photograph of Woo and pinned it to the board. "He likes his deaths clean and simple. This is neither of those things, this is messy and it's aggressive. It shows emotion, which Jeon's victims never do. You never look at his victims and know who made a slight mistake and who really fucked up, they're all the same. No one gets more than three bullets, max. These men look to have seven at least, maybe as many as ten. Looks like automatic guns, not at all like the semi-automatics Jeon has his men use."

"OK, so it's someone that's pissed off," Sungah agreed with a nod. "I can see that now." There was a hint of light sarcasm in her tone and when Namjoon glanced over his shoulder he saw Hoseok smirking. "Is Kim more pissed off than the rest?"

"The Kim and Jeon family have always had close ties, since the foundations of Haedogje Pa were cemented it's been those two families," he explained as he checked the other photographs. "But The Boy ruined those ties. He and Kim Jinwoo don't get along, never have by all accounts. Who else has enough reason and power to strike back like this? Enough influence and anger?" A quick glance back at his team showed that they were all thinking this over, playing his words over. "A few pissed off men wouldn't be able to pull this off. This is way too big for a petty attempt at a rebellion." Sungah made a noise in agreement at this as she placed her hands on her hips. "I mean, I could be wrong but it's the only thing I can think, and if Taehyung was here then I think he would say the exact same thing too."

"Mmm, probably would," Hoseok agreed with a nod. Namjoon added another shot onto the board, a panned shot that showed the entire room and all of the corpses like some strange class photograph. That was all that they needed, the rest could be kept in a file for reference. He went back over to his teammate's desk and placed them down.

"It makes sense that they would work for Kim, but it's makes no sense at all that they would try this." Daesu shook his head as he finished jotting things down on the sticky note. "Surely this won't work? They can't do anything, the second Jeon finds out about this then there's going to be hell."

"I don't think that it will take long at all for him to find out. The Boy would have to be pretty stupid to not see this for what it is, a blatant attack," Namjoon continued. "But what I want to know is: what happens when he finds out?"

"A full-blown revolt?" Hoseok suggested as he shifted in his chair, hand going to touch his stomach briefly before he moved it away again. "It could be in The Boy's favour, his loyal men standing up to defend his honour, or it could be against him like a ripple effect. A few men get the ball rolling and an entire army could rise up and start marching."

"A purge?" Daesu suggested with an uncertain furrow of his brows. "If The Boy gets the info first and gets names he could clean up big time and sort it out."

"But isn't that the problem in the first place?" Hoseok interjected. "The Boy only knows violence, he can't be diplomatic. Jeon's men know this fact, he can't handle an empire when his only ability to control his army is violence. What will a purge do? Just further show men that The Boy's incompetent as a ruler."

"The Boy has already been purging Haedogje Pa in preparation for his ascension. I think this is a reaction to the start of the purge, an attempt at a preemptive strike before a few men start losing their heads. Haedogje Pa have a fight on their hands," Namjoon said as he folded his arms over his chest and dropped his eyes to the desk. "Maybe even a war."

That was when the tapped phone started vibrating in his shirt pocket.

Taehyung climbed out of the backseat of the car and he slammed the door shut hard. The casino building was right in front of him, that imposing block of grey concrete. As he studied the building he reached down to fix his jacket, pulling down on the lengths without much thought. Taehyung glanced across the street to see nothing at all amiss; no cars parked along the length of the road, no pedestrians walking up and down the sidewalks. Not that it mattered if anyone was observing him, there would no doubt be cameras planted all over the area watching him. Tracking his every movement like a mechanical hawk and relaying it over a security system inside the building. He crossed the sidewalk and entered the building, seeing that the same female worker as always was standing behind the reception desk when he pushed the glass doors open. She glanced up at him and then gave him a smile and a nod, clearly recognising him from their last two encounters. That was confirmation for him to enter the back room so he held the curtain aside and quickly went across the massive area to the office. Just like his last visit he knocked on the door and entered after hearing Seokjin's voice.

"Master Jeon told me that you have info for me to collect," Taehyung stated, closing the door behind him as he did. Seokjin was seated at his desk just like always, it seemed that he lived there: hidden behind stacks of files and his computer monitors. "The info you mentioned you would collect last week?"

"Yes I do, as promised." Seokjin reached up to shove his rounded glasses up the bridge of his nose. Taehyung glanced down at his table to see an open file. This one certainly wasn't job applications but rather contracts of some sort, white pages covered in tiny print clipped inside. "Information on Lee Yoochun, as requested. Just give me a moment."

Seokjin turned back to one of his computer monitors, hitting a few buttons on his computer as he did. Taehyung didn't sit down and instead just stayed standing by the desk, watching him intently. Jungkook had had the message passed along to him this morning by one of the apartment bodyguards, telling him to go to Songpa-gu to collect the files. Though the man hadn't told him Taehyung knew that Jungkook was once again in another meeting that he wasn't allowed to be present in. That would be the only reason why he hadn't given him the order personally, which meant that the meeting was important of course. Taehyung would likely find out later, assuming that it was important enough to warrant his attention of course.

If Jungkook wanted to build an empire with him then sharing information was going to be very, very important.

"OK," Seokjin turned away from the monitor and glanced over his desk before moving to pull a desk drawer open. Taehyung heard him sitting through it, the rustling sound of paper being pushed aside. Then he was sitting back upright and holding an envelope in hand, a small white letter envelope rather than a padded manilla one. "Be sure to check the documents over fully," Seokjin specified as he handed him the envelope. He could feel the weight of the USB pen inside of it, heavy with information so that it was almost like an anchor on his palm. "Make sure you don't miss anything." The other man gave him a slight smile and Taehyung felt a little confused by his words.

Of course he was going to check it over fully. He would be sure to scan the document thrice over just to be sure that he didn't miss a single thing. He was used to doing so back in the department and working within Haedogje Pa was no different. After such scrutiny he would start entering the data into the computer so that Jungkook could access it at will when he was free from his meeting. Yet Seokjin was talking to him like he was stupid, as if he was new to this and didn't have a clue. Taehyung slipped the envelope into his inner jacket pocket.

"What should I be expecting to find on the USB?" he asked, thinking about the last time he had checked files on it for Jungkook. He would very much like to avoid repeating that mistake if possible.

"Transactions, photographs, the usual. The USB contains information on Lee Yoochun proving that he's been going to places that he shouldn't be going and seeing some men that he would be wise to avoid." Seokjin pushed his glasses up his nose with his forefinger again. "Nothing worthy of blackmailing him with so don't be alarmed."

"How d'you get this info, Seokjin?" Taehyung asked as he fixed his jacket. "You don't have to tell me but I've been trying to figure it out for days. Why does Master Jeon pay you to get info for him instead of collecting it himself?"

"The walls have ears, Taehyung, and eyes too," Seokjin explained as he glanced back down at his file. "There are so many powerful men that forget that ordinary people see and hear them, and there are so many prostitutes more than happy to sell photographs and personal sightings." He turned a page of the file and looked up at him, his lips lifting at the corners. "And bank tellers, and restaurant owners, and Haedogje Pa men themselves. You probably know a dozen men that would snitch for cash." Taehyung held his gaze and he couldn't help but feel waves of admiration for the other man. Talk about intelligence and slyness. "I'm a people person, Taehyung."

"Yeah, I guessed that much."

"Remember, check them over very carefully. Really read between the lines."

Taehyung left the building without another say on the matter, weaving around women getting ready to switch over the live telling feeds. The main area was packed full of glittering evening dresses and the overpowering scent of countless perfumes clung to the air as they exited and entered the rooms, finishing and starting shifts. The workers on the computers stayed where they were however, clearly not finished for the day. Taehyung wondered if this place ran twenty-four hours a day and found that he wouldn't be surprised if it did. He stepped outside the casino and onto the sidewalk, already collecting his fake phone in preparation, the one Lim had supplied him with that he had yet to even use properly. He popped the door open and climbed inside, unlocking the phone with his thumb.

"Ah, bad signal." Taehyung held his phone up and pretended to study the screen for a few seconds before shifting to hold it on a different angle. He hadn't even closed the door yet. "Shit, you getting any signal here, Yang?"

"Yes, Master, I'm getting a signal, but only low," the man explained as he glanced at him using the rear-view mirror.

"Is there a pay phone around here? Master Jeon instructed me to report when I collected the info. I don't want there to be a delay." Taehyung was lying through his teeth and he wondered if the man knew this. He didn't have Jungkook's contact number just yet and he hadn't been told to contact anyone. The chauffeur thought this over for a moment before saying that he recalled seeing one on the adjacent street earlier. Clearly he believed him. "I'll be right back."

Taehyung shoved his phone into his pocket as he climbed back out of the car again, slamming the door shut. As he walked down the sidewalk he couldn't believe that this sudden idea had come to him like that. Just out of the blue. Would this actually work? He couldn't see how it would go wrong, after all Yang would have no reason to question why he was using a public pay phone if not to call Jungkook. He supposed that it might be risky to act so sporadically like this but he couldn't seem to suppress the urge to do so. After all, he had been living on gut instinct and urges since the very start so what difference was this?

Just like the chauffeur had told him there was a phone box on the adjacent street, not far from the corner. It was standing just a few feet away from a bus stop, a black box with glass partitions. So Taehyung went over to it and pulled the door open, searching his trousers pockets for the coins he had stuffed in there this morning. He managed to get them free, cupping them in his palm as he picked up the receiver. He didn't know how long he could even use the device for but even a single minute was better than nothing.

"OK OK, I can do this. I can do this," Taehyung muttered the mantra under his breath as balanced the receiver into the crook between his neck and shoulder. He started slipping the coins into the slot as fast as he could. There was a dull buzzing sound in his ear as he did and when he was out of coins he started hitting buttons on the keypad with his thumb. He entered the phone number slowly, making sure to enter it correctly and save himself much unneeded trouble. He pressed the call button and sighed as he listened to the dial tone sounding. He even closed his eyes just so he didn't have to look at the grimy box in front of him, at the dust and dirt trapped in the grooves of the plastic and metal buttons. It took a several droning rings until there was a static crackle on the other end of the line. Namjoon had just picked up.

"Hey, hey man it's me," Taehyung said before the other man could speak. He leaned forward and placed his hand on the side of the box. Almost like he needed it for support. He actually did. "I'm here and I've got info."

" Christ, Taehyung, talk about perfect timing, " Namjoon said in surprise, and he could hear how shocked he was down the line. He didn't really know what he meant by this but he assumed that he must have called the other man right after he had mentioned him to the team. Or maybe something to do with the operation had been discussed. Good, he was glad to know that the others were working hard too and helping him from the outside even when he couldn't see them. " I sure as hell didn't see this coming. "

"Before we talk, is Hoseok there? Is he OK?" Taehyung asked breathlessly. He could feel the pit of his stomach knotting up tightly just by mentioning his teammate's name. Nerves, disgust and something that could have been fear all mingling together at once. Namjoon told him that he was, that Hoseok was in the department room with him and everyone else but Youngjae, who was out on the streets working. "Put him on the line, please, Namjoon, I need to speak to him."

" I...I don't know if that's a good idea, brother. Maybe you should try and stop thinking about what happened until- "

"Please, Namjoon, just this one time," Taehyung almost pleaded. "I need to speak to him and then I'll leave it all alone, yeah?" There were a few seconds of silence on the line and he knew that Namjoon was thinking it over. Wondering if this was a good or bad idea. Did that mean that Hoseok was pissed off with him or was he just scared that that was the case? Taehyung wouldn't at all be surprised if he was, all things considered. He had fucking stabbed him three times in the stomach. Then he heard a soft rustling noise as the phone was handed to someone else, followed by something that sounded like an exhale of breath.

" Hello? "

Hearing Hoseok's voice was enough to make Taehyung almost squirm, his stomach tightening to the point of painful. He felt his breath hitching and he had to press his lips together to stop any moans from escaping. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all? All that Taehyung could think of right now, after hearing his voice like this, was the look of confusion that had been on his face when he had plunged the knife into his stomach. He wondered what thought had appeared in Hoseok's mind too, if it was of him working in the department or the sight of him crossing the sidewalk and kicking the café table away.

" Hello? ...Think he lost signal I dunno- "

"Hoseok, hey, Hoseok, it's me," he said before the other man could hand the phone back to Namjoon. "Shit, I-I dunno what the fuck to say, uh-" Taehyung took a quick intake of breath, wishing that he hadn't blurted that out so stupidly, "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry man, I didn't-"

" I know, I know you don't need to explain, Tae. I understand, " Hoseok interrupted, talking to him in an eerily calm voice. Listening to him speak it was easy enough to believe that he was perfectly fine. Taehyung had expected him to still be in hospital, hooked up to machines and recovering but of course he was doing okay. It was Hoseok, he should have expected this. " You don't need to say anything- "

"But I do! I do need to explain and say sorry," Taehyung spoke over him. "I'm so fucking sorry Hoseok. I didn't mean to do that, I didn't wanna do that but I had no choice. The Boy was in the car with me, he knew you were police and he knew you were tailing the vehicle. If I had refused to do what he had told me to do then I'd have blown my cover and-"

" I know, and I'm OK, Tae. I've got stitches right now and I'm OK, I'm recovering. " Taehyung let his breath out in a heavy sigh. " I'm in the department with everyone else and we're working with you, not against you. I'm gonna put Namjoon back on, alright? " Hoseok explained. " He needs to talk to you about something very important. " There were more static sounds from the end of the line and then Namjoon's voice.

" We've got dead men on our end, Taehyung, several Haedogje Pa men discovered this morning. Looks to be a hit job, they were executed by gunfire, shotgun wounds and a semi-automatic. From what I can tell it was a handgun. We've identified one man so far out of them all: Woo. "

Taehyung opened his eyes and stared at the phone keypad. He had heard what he had said and yet he couldn't seem to understand his words. What did Namjoon mean by dead men? He had heard nothing about this at all. Was that why Jungkook was absent today, because he was being addressed on this very important matter? And Woo...Woo was fucking dead? What the hell was going on?

" Is this news to you or did you already know? "

"...No, no I didn't know. I didn't have a clue that this had happened, Namjoon. Uh, I gotta be quick 'cos I dunno how long I've got left but there's something going on right now with Haedogje Pa. Some uprising against Jungk- I mean The Boy, and I'm trying to figure it all out for him."

" We think that this might all be connected, Taehyung, and I've got a feeling that this has something to do with Kim."

"Kim? Kim Jinwoo, yeah I've had my suspicions for a while now." Taehyung nodded even though the other man couldn't see the action. "But I ain't got any proof yet. I mean, it's all word of mouth and gut feelings and that's not good enough. I know it's him but I can't do anything without hardcore proof, which I'm hoping to get my hands on today."

" What do you mean 'do anything'? " Namjoon asked, sounding both confused and intrigued by this. Taehyung stared at the keypad on the machine and he realised that he might just have said too much with that comment. What exactly could he say to distract away from the fact he had meant that he couldn't kill anyone just yet? He had a very strong feeling that Namjoon knew that he had meant that too. After all they likely knew about Nam and Ahn and had their suspicions about who had butchered them like that.

"Namjoon, brother, I've done some bad shit over these last few weeks. The kind of shit I can't tell you about and-"

" You don't tell us about that stuff, " Namjoon spoke over him. " You tell us about the information and nothing else, yes? Everything else, that goes into files for the department when it's all over and nobody ever has to know about it. "

"I'm gonna have to do some more shit, OK? I-I don't wanna but I've got no choice so I've started buh-blocking it out."

" Block it out, Taehyung, do whatever you need to do to keep yourself safe. That's how you survive now. "

"I'll try and call again as soon as I can. Just...just wait on me I promise I will. Also tell Hoseok I'm sorry one more time, yeah? I dunno if he believes me and-"

" He believes you, Taehyung. Now go, don't risk your ass. "

Taehyung said goodbye and then put the receiver back in the cradle. For a few seconds he just stared at the box in front of him, leaning against it for support. The phone box was completely silent and he couldn't even hear anything through the glass walls. After taking a minute to collect himself he pushed the door open and stepped outside onto the sidewalk. Taehyung walked around the corner of the street and back to the Mitsubishi, pulling the back door open and ducking to climb back inside.

"Did you manage to contact him without any trouble, Master Kim?"

"Had to leave a message, he must still be in his meeting," Taehyung explained as he settled back against the seat. Yang started the car again and pulled away from the curb without another word on the matter. Just like a good chauffeur would.

When he arrived back at the apartment block Taehyung went right up to his room without the slightest hesitation. He even removed the envelope from his pocket in preparation, pulling the USB pen free as the carriage ascended and studying it. There was very important information on this small device, information that would finally point him in the exact direction he needed rather than the useless database information he had scanned for two whole days now. So when he stepped inside his room he went right over to the computer, not even bothering to lock the door behind him. The USB pen went into the port, he downloaded the files, and then he started the thorough search Seokjin had told him to do.

The photographs came first, a dozen or so shots that showed Lee in random areas of the capital. The man had a penchant for wearing grey and blue suits rather than black, making it easy to identify him in the photographs. Taehyung didn't know exactly what he was looking at, for he didn't see any men that stood out to him. Clearly it was the areas that were of more interest. Jungkook would know without a doubt where they had been taken, so for now he concentrated on scanning the documents instead. He opened a Word file and studied it for a moment before feeling a wave of confusion wash over him.

Taehyung eyed the screen, scrolling up and down the page as he tried to figure out what the hell was wrong with the document. He could see various transactions and reports and yet none of them seemed to make sense to him. There were chunks missing, as if there was an error with the formatting so the lines of text were separated by lines of blank spaces. He couldn't even begin to figure out what was wrong with the file and wondered if there was error with it.

There was a sudden and curt knock and Taehyung turned his head to look at the door. Then he called out to let whoever it was know that they could step inside. It was most certainly not Jungkook for he didn't knock at all. He watched the door handle go down and then Jimin stepped into the room, closing it behind him without a word. Taehyung eyed him to see that he was wearing a loose white tee-shirt, the ends brushing against his upper thighs, and presumably something underneath it seen as the rest of his legs were bare. The cream and gold collar was on and Taehyung fancied he almost heard the metal links clinking together as he crossed the room. There was an unmarked envelope in his hand and Jimin held it out to him. He eyed it and wondered what the hell the contents could possibly be before deciding to reach over and accept the envelope off him.

"Kookie gave it to me this morning and told me to hand it over," Jimin explained as he shifted to sit on the edge of his desk. "Very important, I think? I don't know what's inside." Taehyung couldn't help but drop his eyes to stare at his bare thighs and he caught sight of a flash of pink under the hem of his tee. Cotton panties, the kind he imagined would have ' little angel ' or some other strangely infantilising message printed on them. He fiddled with the envelope as he dragged his eyes away, tearing the top open to access whatever was inside. Photographs. He stuck his fingers in and pulled them free to check.

"...Shit," Taehyung muttered as he eyed the photographs. It was just like what Namjoon had told him. Photographs of dead men, looked to be straight from the crime scene. He briefly wondered if anyone in the police departments across the city had leaked them for cash, knowing that that was the exact case. He flicked through them and tried to identify anyone but most looked to be goons and nothing more special than that.

Except for Woo.

Even in death the man looked oddly composed, nothing more than a few tears in his suit and blooming patches of blood visibly staining his white shirt for it didn't show on the black suit. Not like some of the other men, one of whom had had most of his head shaved away from a powerful blast of what could have only been a shotgun. If Taehyung had to guess he would assume a sawn-off shotgun because it would have been easier to smuggle in. There were photographs of the building, of walls riddled with countless bullet holes deep enough to punch into the plaster. A scattershot effect. Maybe an automatic too judging from the multitude of shell casings on the floor. Made sense, someone ran in with the smaller gun and opened fired with rapid shots to catch them all by surprise before the man with the shotgun jumped in and blasted whoever was still breathing away. Namjoon had called it a hit job and that was the only way that Taehyung could possibly see it. He shoved the photographs back into the envelope and placed it down on the desk only for Jimin to pick it up again.

"Uh, you shouldn't look at those, Jimin," Taehyung cautioned, reaching over to try and get the envelope out of his hands. Yet Jimin moved them away from him, clearly still wanting to look at the photographs. "There's graphic photos inside, dead bodies I don't-"

"Oh? You think I've never seen a dead body before?" The other man raised an eyebrow at him, expression looking rather mischievous. It was strange all things considered. Taehyung studied him in confusion and Jimin opened the envelope again to pull the photographs free. "Trust me, I've seen dead bodies and more. Seen things much worse than a corpse."

"Like what?"

"Like being lodged in a building full of baby prostitutes," Jimin remarked as he started looking through the photographs. His expression didn't budge, clearly not at all fazed by the sight of gunshot wounds. Taehyung studied him and realised that he had very much likely seen such wounds in the past. He was scared of guns after all. "You see some things in situations like that."

"I imagine you do..."

"Give me corpses any day." Jimin shuffled to the next photograph, still looking rather bored. When he got to the photograph of Woo he paused for a moment, staring at it and showcasing a little interest. "Huh, that's a shame. I liked Woo. He was quiet and didn't cause any trouble. A real shame." The man checked the last couple before slipping them back into the envelope and turning his attention back to him. "What's going on?"

For a few seconds Taehyung could only stare at him, wondering what he meant by that. The question applied to so many different things right now and he couldn't seem to figure out what. Jimin held his gaze and waited for him to reply, less pressure for swiftness coming from him. Not at all like Jungkook, who always gave off an air of slight impatience whenever he was made to wait for a reply.

"I, uh, I collected info from Seokjin this morning and I've been checking over the files," he explained, turning back to glance at his computer monitor. "There's some things here but most of it...it feels like there's something missing." Taehyung reached over to touch the mouse, moving it softly for a moment before letting go of it again. "I dunno, I can't figure it out."

Jimin shifted to sit right down on his lap, settling down rather comfortably on his crotch as if he belonged there. The weight and warmth of his ass settling down on him caught him by surprise and he tried to not shift under him. Taehyung had to lean over slightly to see what he was doing, watching Jimin grab hold of the mouse.

"What're you doing?" he asked in surprise, chin brushing against his arm.

"What do you think I'm doing? I'm helping you," Jimin retorted. "You've never been given encrypted data before, I'm going to teach you how to retrieve it."

"Encrypted? What'd you mean encrypted, it's right there." Taehyung tried to get more comfortable, moving to balance his chin on his shoulder and place his hands on his waist. This made Jimin laugh under his breath as he opened the Word file.

"Did you notice anything unusual about the files? Blank lines? Strange formatting?" Jimin hit two buttons on the keyboard to highlight all of the text. He furrowed his brow at this and watched him move the cursor over to the Tools bar. He hit the font colour and selected black and that was when Taehyung saw text appearing on the screen that hadn't been there a moment ago.

"What the fuck?"

"Seokjin does this often when dealing with...sensitive issues. Blackmail content is fine, he doesn't need to worry about that. But things like this? Better to be safe than sorry." Jimin leaned back for a moment, back curving wonderfully against his chest as he settled his weight against him. "I've watched Kookie deal with such documents before. The second you said something was missing I knew that it would be this. It's just low-level security, nothing extreme but enough to fool anyone that isn't aware that they're looking for such information."

"I didn't even think of that..." Taehyung muttered as he scanned the screen. "Shit Jimin, I thought the file was corrupted or something! I'd have missed all of this info 'cos it was camouflaged into the background." The other man made a pleased noise at this, a soft purr as his lips turned up at the corners. "You're fucking smart."

"Of course I am," Jimin agreed in a rather smug tone. He was clearly enjoying the praises, wriggling against him almost excitedly.

"Does Jungkook know y'know all of this?" Taehyung asked in a quiet voice. He let go of his waist with one hand so that he could grab the mouse, finger scrolling along the pad as he scanned the document. The other man didn't reply to his question and so he turned his face to look at him. "Does he know that you're this smart?"

"...Probably," Jimin replied, smile on his lips slowly relaxing. "I don't think it matters. Kookie doesn't want me because I'm smart, Tae, that just helps keep his interest." Taehyung studied the side of his face and he wondered if he had asked something wrong, something that might have upset the other man. But he had only meant to praise him and nothing more than that so he hoped that that was not the case. Why would he want to upset Jimin? The other man had been nothing if not exceptionally sweet to him from their very first meeting and he would make a very good partner too. He knew how to retrieve encrypted data and he had a feeling that Jimin knew men just as well as he did.

"It's good," Taehyung said in that same soft voice. He slowly moved his fingers on his waist, massaging his skin through the thin tee. "It's good that you're smart 'cos you helped me. You're more than a pretty face, yeah? I mean you're really fucking pretty but-" Jimin laughed softly at this, the sound making him smile as he did, "but you're more than that and I wanted you to know that."

"...Thank you, Tae," he said after a moment of thought. "That's very sweet of you." Taehyung offered him a smile and Jimin returned it, moving one hand off the desk to place it over his hand on his waist. He gently brushed his fingers along the back of his hand, around his knuckles in soft whorls. "I could work with Haedogje Pa with that kind of knowledge, hmm?"

"Yeah but...well, you don't wanna work for 'em, Jimin. Stick to working with Jungkook and avoid the danger. Leave that shit to me instead."

"You think I'm not in danger?" Jimin asked in a quiet voice, eyes glued to the monitor screen. Taehyung waited for him to continue and after a moment of silence he explained. "I know so much about Haedogje Pa and Kookie. If I decide that I'm done, that I don't want to do this anymore, then he'll kill me."

"Who'll kill you?" Taehyung asked. As if he didn't already know the answer. As if Jungkook hadn't told him all of this that night of the livefeed.

"Kookie," Jimin replied in an oddly flat voice, rather devoid of fear or concern. "He would kill me to make sure I don't blab to anyone. I even know how he would do it, I know him that well. He would strangle me to death, he quite likes choking but because of the films he had to stop doing it to me." Taehyung stared at the side of his face dumbly, one hand still on the mouse and the other tight on his waist. Suddenly the documents didn't seem that important to him. "So I don't like to think about the future, I like to concentrate on the present instead. It's so much more easier to live that way. My life is like the existence of a fucking mayfly."

"Jimin?"

"Mmm?"

"Do...d'you love, Jungkook?" Taehyung asked. He wasn't really sure why he asked this question but it had just come to mind and he had been unable to stop himself from asking it. Maybe he would regret it, maybe not. But he felt like he needed to know the answer to it, just to be safe.

"Am I supposed to love him?" Jimin asked as he turned to look at him fully, shifting on his lap as he did. "I didn't realise that was part of our contract." The apartment fell silent for a moment and then he continued. "Do you have any idea how much money I get every single day from this relationship? I have a black credit card all to myself and I don't even pay for any purchases, Jungkook does. Do you think we're in love, Tae? Is that what you think this all is?"

"Jungkook talks of you in a way that made me think that it was love," Taehyung explained, trying to not think about the whole 'murder him with my own hands' thing that both of them knew about. "I could be wrong and I probably am, I was just wondering. Is this a business contract or is it love?"

"I...I don't know," Jimin said as he turned back to look at the computer monitor. There was an air of discomfort coming off him and Taehyung wondered why. Was it because Jimin had never thought or spoken about these things before he had asked that question? "...Maybe, I don't know. I don't think about things like that, Tae," Jimin replied in a weary tone. "I just told you, I don't think I just live without all of that because it's easier that way."

Taehyung didn't ask another question on the subject because he could sense that Jimin didn't want to talk about it. Was maybe scared of talking about it. After a minute of silence Jimin shifted to get off his lap with a sigh.

"I'm going to go back to the suite, get stoned and maybe sleep for a little while-"

"Wait, don't go." Taehyung slowly pulled him back onto his lap and he held onto his waist tightly to stop him from trying it again. "Not yet just..."

Jimin stayed still and silent on his lap and so Taehyung moved forward to press his lips against the back of his neck. The collar got in the way and so he let go of his waist to reach up and undo the buckle at the back, pulling it through with several tugs. The other man asked him what he was doing as he removed it and dropped it on the desk and he didn't reply. Taehyung cupped the side of his neck in one hand so that he could plant kisses from his jaw down his throat. Jimin reacted to this, shoulders twitching at the contact of his breath and lips on his skin, but he didn't try and move off his lap or tell him to stop.

"Jimin?" Taehyung turned his face away from his throat, breathing his name into his hair. The other man made a soft noise, letting him know that he was listening. "Do you...do you want me to reward you?"

"Reward?" Jimin asked, sounding more confused than surprised. "What do you mean?"

"Do you want me to take care of you? Like what I do with Jungkook?" he clarified as he rubbed his nose down the side of his head. "I'll do it, just tell me if you want me to." Taehyung blew warmth breath against the back of his ear and Jimin squirmed on his lap.

"I'm not your master, you don't have to do it if-"

"I want to do it, I want to," Taehyung replied, pulling down on the tee so that he could expose the curved ball of his shoulder. He pressed his lips against his skin, planting little kisses on him and then opening his mouth to lick at his shoulder. "It's a reward, right? A reward for your hard work."

"Those rewards are for...for you."

"Mmm, you gave me a lot of rewards." Taehyung hovered his teeth over his shoulder. "I should pay you back." He sank his teeth down into his skin, hearing Jimin's breath hitch as he did. He sucked his lips around the bite, kissing his soft skin and feeling the hard curve of bone under it. When he moved his face away there was a red wet mark on his skin, little indents left behind from his teeth.

"I can't buy you designer clothes and sex toys but I can give you something..." Taehyung whispered down his ear. He slipped his hand under the ends of his tee and up his stomach, feeling his smooth skin. He trailed his touch down to the waistband of his panties and then pressed his palm down on his crotch. The warmth of his skin and the slow strokes against him made Jimin start stiffening to his touch. "Something better than all that."

"Tae..." He rolled his head back onto his shoulder. Jimin was straining against the silk, cock tenting the panties so much that he was almost spilling out of them. Taehyung rubbed his thumb over his head, watching as a wet patch start to spread out from his touch. The pink darkened to a near red and Jimin let out in a breathless moan.

"Are you thinking about Jungkook right now?" Taehyung asked, pressing his thumb down and eliciting a gasp from the other man. Just like he had told him that day in the department store, standing in the perfume aisle, always thinking about Jungkook to perform for the website livestreams.

"No, no I'm thinking about you, Tae."

Jimin's weight wasn't that much at all. He managed to lift him up easily, pulling him closer as he wrenched down on the panties and started pressing kisses on the dip of his back. He got the panties down to past his knees before giving up and grabbing hold of his waist again. The other man had to spread his legs so that he could balance his weight on his knees. There wasn't much room left on the desk chair but with some maneuvering he managed to stick his legs through the gaps between the seat and armrests.

"Jimin," he said between kisses, lips trailing down the curves of his buttocks. "You've got such a nice ass, kinda like a...a peach. I want to bite it and...and taste it." This made Jimin laugh breathlessly until he actually nipped at his skin. Then he squirmed on his lap again, as if he didn't like it.

"Tae, the films, you can't leave bruises," Jimin mumbled. "Kookie will get mad."

"Oh? Then I'll have to find something else to do with my tongue..." Taehyung wet his lips and he felt the most pressing urge to smirk at the idea that had just popped into his mind. "Jimin, has Jungkook ever eaten you out before?" The almost shocked and embarrassed sounds that Jimin made were fantastic. A porn star getting flustered because of him, well wasn't that the best kind of turn on? "I think it could be pretty hot..."

"Tae, don't joke around," Jimin replied yet Taehyung hadn't been joking. To prove this point he continued pressing kisses along his buttocks. When he licked along his skin towards his entrance the other man seemed to realise that he wasn't joking. Taehyung had to shift in the seat to get a better angle, lowering himself down as he did. "Seriously, what happened to you...you being a sweet virgin?"

"I think you have to take most of the blame for that," Taehyung retorted as he planted several more kisses on his skin. "Work with me here, peachy-"

"Peachy?"

"Yeah, it's your new nickname. Work with me, give me a better position," he muttered, still fighting the urge to smirk to himself. Peachy, that was a good one. What was even better was how Jimin was playing along with him right now, just like he had been hoping.

Jimin leaned forward and folded one arm on the computer desk to balance his weight more evenly and the shift in position was even better. It curved his back wonderfully and Taehyung didn't need to hold onto his waist. Instead he ran his hands up his thighs to his buttocks, which he spread open wider. Now he could do so much more than lick at him in a kittenish way but actually press the broad of his tongue against him. The heat and wetness of his tongue made Jimin gasp and when he rolled it up to lick at him he felt his thighs trembling. Taehyung traced around his entrance slowly, tip of his tongue on the pucker of muscles, before he prodded and slipped it inside.

The moan that escaped Jimin's lips was one of the best things he had ever heard.

Taehyung had never done anything like this before, had never even seen pornographic videos with such content. As a result he very much had to experiment and figure out what to do. He needed to open him up more to get his tongue inside better so Taehyung slipped a finger inside, quickly making it two so that he could open them up and stretch him further. There was a little resistance at first but then the other man started to loosen up for him, much quicker than Jungkook had.

Jimin saved him the trouble and touched himself in rhythm with his tongue. When he slowly curled it and licked back to his entrance the other man jerked himself off with slow, measured strokes, and when he jabbed his tongue deeper and faster Jimin pumped his fist and made a series of broken moans at the dual sensation. Taehyung didn't know if he could stimulate him with his tongue alone so he also used his fingers. It was messier and harder than he had imagined for he had to keep taking quick intakes of breath, face pressed up against him. Taehyung found himself dribbling down his chin and Jimin was so hot and tight around his tongue that he couldn't believe it. At one point Jimin moved his arm off the computer desk just so he could reach back and tangle his fingers in his hair and push his face that much closer to him.

"Do I tuh-taste as sweet?" he asked breathlessly. Taehyung couldn't really taste anything more than the lingering remains of something he thought might have been lube because the scent of his skin was much stronger, that sweet cocoa butter lotion that left his skin so ridiculously soft and smooth.

"The sweetest," he replied as he worked him with his fingers and saw his thigh muscles trembling.

Porn star or not it didn't take much effort at all before Jimin climaxed. Maybe because he was new to the sensation or just excited. Maybe because he was actually good at it. Whatever the case he was scissoring him open with his fingers and relentlessly jabbing his tongue inside of him when Jimin's body quivered and he let out a cry of pleasure. Taehyung felt something warm on his trouser leg and he realised it was cum spurting down onto his thighs and most certainly all over the floor too. He slipped his fingers and tongue free and delivered a final kiss before moving his head away. He could finally catch his breath properly and he reached up to wipe at his chin. For a minute the apartment room was silent save for the sound of Jimin breathing irregularly. He shifted to sit back down on his lap, seemingly content enough to not follow through with his earlier words. Getting stoned and taking a nap was clearly not of importance to him right now. Jimin no doubt could feel his erection pressing into his ass and thigh yet he stayed firmly in place on his lap.

"Hmm, kind of funny that I knew something you didn't," he said and Taehyung could hear the smile in his tone. "But do you know something I'm an expert at? Blowjobs."

"Uh, not right now I've got work to do," Taehyung replied with a soft head shake. "Working with my eyes and brain rather than my tongue and fingers." The other man laughed softly under his breath as he shifted to collect his panties off the floor. "Jungkook'll kill me for fucking around when I should be working."

"OK," Jimin said, shifting to slip them back on. "Then let's look at the rest, hmm? See if there's anything else you need assistance with." Taehyung wasn't able to tell if this was a joke or if he was being serious. He turned back to the computer monitor and grabbed the mouse.

"Seokjin gathered info on a man for me, a man called Lee Yoochun. Until Ahn Kangho told me his name I didn't even know who he was and now I can't stop seeing his name and face everywhere," Taehyung explained. "Y'know him?"

"Vaguely," Jimin replied as he watched the screen. "Probably met him at some point if he's important, might have been fucked by him in the past." He opened the photograph files and slowly started going through them again, allowing the other man to look at them.

"Works for Jeon, seems to be really good at embezzlement and monetary issues. Helps Haedogje Pa keep the massive monopoly the Jeon family controls."

"Hmm, then he's important but I don't know him. I know that building though," Jimin said as he lifted an arm and pointed at the screen. "The one they're standing in front of. It's called 'La Zone'." Taehyung stared at the dead neon sign to see that not all of it was visible but it seemed that he was correct. The letters he could see seemed to spell that word, not English. Maybe French? "It's in Gangnam-gu, right here in the middle of the club and bar circuit."

"You ever been there before?"

"...Only once with Jungkook, it belongs to the Kim family and currently it belongs to Kim Jinwoo," Jimin replied in a matter of fact voice. "Was his first investment actually, one of the most popular Haedogje Pa owned bars."

"I dunno much about Kim..."

"Of course you don't know Kim. Not a lot of Haedogje Pa men do. It's hard to find out about him. Kookie turned him into the middle child but I know enough. I've met him a few times, he's courteous enough I guess."

"Meaning?"

"Well, he might condemn me to hell but he's very polite whilst doing so," Jimin remarked with a laugh. "You've never met him, Tae, but trust me, Kim Jinwoo is the closest thing to a gentleman you'll find in this gang."

Taehyung hadn't met him but he had seen photographs of course. Kim Jinwoo did look strangely pleasant on them, he guessed. The kind of young man older women would want as a son-in-law. Certainly not a ruthless bastard like the rest of the men in Haedogje Pa. But pleasant or not he was deadly and Taehyung had learnt to not trust appearances too much. After all Jungkook looked perfectly amicable when he smiled if not for the dead eyes.

"If Lee Yoochun has been frequenting areas connected to Kim then I think it's pretty obvious what's going on," Jimin said, jumping right back into it again. "The stupid bastard is getting himself in hot water. It's risky being seen around the Kim family right now, especially when he's Jeon's man. What it looks like to me is that Lee is planning on jumping ship."

"Jimin, this could be the start of a beautiful partnership..." Taehyung muttered under his breath. When he turned to look away from the screen he saw that Jimin was looking at him too, and as their gazes settled on one another he gave him a wide smile.

It was the late evening hours by the time Jungkook stepped into the suite again. In that time Jimin had spent some time in the gym, had browsed various magazines and newspaper journals on his phone, and had been escorted around the block to take Wangbi for a walk with Taehyung. He was starting to greatly dislike the fact that he was constantly being escorted around but he knew that it was useless complaining about it all. It would all just fall on deaf ears anyway, and after what had happened to Woo he knew that he would be babysat for the foreseeable future, the knowledge of which was very depressing. So much for going to fashion shows and store openings like usual, so much for being allowed to breathe fresh air that didn't come out of an open window without another man breathing down his neck.

These days Jimin felt like he was on a leash more often than his pet cat.

Jungkook entered the suite on his own, giving off an unsettled air the second that he stepped into the room. He wasn't wearing his suit jacket and it was folded over his forearm, and his top two shirt buttons were already undone. His hair was messier than usual, the parting not as defined and a lock curled free over his brow like a comma. Jimin had been stroking Wangbi and listening to music playing lowly from the speakers across the suite, and at his arrival he grabbed the remote to turn the system off.

"I have a flight to catch tonight," Jungkook explained before he could even ask him what was going on. "To Singapore."

Jimin had never been to Singapore with him before. There were too many business affairs to handle in that country, never enough time for fun for the two of them. He had been taken to other places however, most of which had casinos and other forms of quality entertainment. Hong Kong, China, Hawaii, just several of the destinations that Jungkook had taken him to instead for a weekend of bliss. No, this trip to Singapore was very much going to be completely business-related and so he was once again delegated to be stuck in the penthouse suite like a housewife.

"Singapore?" Jimin asked in confusion, fingers ceasing their stroking in the cat's fur. "What do you need to go to Singapore for, darling?" Jungkook crossed the room in the act of getting undressed, throwing his folded suit jacket into the dining table. Clearly he was in a rush for he knew that he was heading straight for the shower and a fresh change of clothes. Then he would start packing things away in preparation for the flight and leave him again.

"Business," he explained, as if that wasn't at all obvious. "At The Gold Monkey Casino, I have a very important meeting with daddy's men there to discuss urgent issues at hand."

"Is it...safe for you to leave the country right now, Kookie?" Jimin asked as he watched him unbuttoning his shirt. Jungkook paused in the act of popping one of the cuffs free and stared at him for a moment. Then he moved over to the bed and reached out to place a hand in his hair.

"Of course it is, babe, why wouldn't it be?"

"I don't know, but after what happened with Woo I think you should be careful. Very careful," Jimin explained, feeling his fingers trailing down the back of his neck before shifting to cup his cheek. "There's something going on in Haedogje Pa. You know it, even I know it, Kookie, I can feel something is wrong."

"Babe, if a man even looked at in a way I didn't like he would regret it. No one's going to get close to me," Jungkook explained. "I will have Taehyung with me at all times."

Jimin knew why he had mentioned Taehyung of course. Taehyung knew how to handle a gun. It was Jungkook's way of telling him that he was in safe hands without having to specify anything to do with guns and possibly risk worrying him. This knowledge didn't make him feel better, in fact Jimin was pretty certain that it made him feel worse for his stomach did a horrible flip and he couldn't help but shift on the bed uncomfortably.

"I know, I talked to Tae this morning when he was working and that's why I know there's something wrong," he argued. "I just don't think it's wise to leave the country right now. Can't you conference call them like usual? What's so important that you need to see them in reality?"

"Babe, I can't autopen official business documents. Look, I have to get ready but I'll let you know when I land what's going on. I promise." Jungkook leaned forward and planted a kiss on his forehead before kissing him on the corner of his mouth. "Behave."

"Mmm," Jimin sighed the noise out and he watched him cross the suite to get to the stairs. Jungkook shrugged his shirt off and left it lying on the floor in a mess, just like always when he was in a rush.

Jimin shifted to lie back down on the bed and after a moment Wangbi shifted to lie across his ribs. Her weight was considerable and warm and he just stared up at his reflection on the ceiling rather than move to stroke her. The suite was filled with the sound of the shower and then footsteps as Jungkook moved around the bedroom, packing a suitcase for the trip. It didn't take him too long to do so for the younger man was used to packing last minute. As soon as he was done he left again with nothing more than a final goodbye kiss and the sound of the door slamming shut. Jimin closed his eyes and stayed where he was for a few minutes, Wangbi lightly napping on his ribs. Then he gently moved her head onto the bed so that he could get to his feet and go over to the kitchen. What better way to spend his time alone than to grab a bottle of champagne and try his hardest to drink the entire thing single-handedly?

It was after several full glasses that Jimin suddenly decided that he didn't want to stay in the penthouse suite. He was annoyed and slightly drunk and he wanted to go out and do something. He couldn't spend the entire weekend lying around in a mood like this, a black fugue that made him want to curl up and not move until Jungkook returned again. Yet he had nothing to do, no one to see. He wouldn't be allowed to go shopping at this hour even when quite a lot of stores would still be open because it would be too risky being out in the open. He had very little other places to go but he didn't want to be cooped up in the suite for a minute longer. So he shifted to get out of bed and get dressed, slipping into a pair of fitted black trousers and a white shirt. After getting into a pair of loafers and shrugging a coat on he left the suite to get to the elevator. As the carriage descended he made up his mind about where he was going to go and when the doors pinged open he stepped out into the reception. At his arrival the bodyguards all turned to look at him, expressions confused and surprised in equal amounts.

"I'm going to the den in Yongsan-gu," Jimin argued as he crossed the entrance area. "If you want to escort me, escort me. But I'm going and you can't stop me."

"Master Jeon advised against you leaving," Dongjun remarked from behind the reception desk. Those stupid shades were ever present on his face and Jimin thought that the man must have thought he was a real gangster in them. Just like in the films. "He doesn't think it's wise for you to go out on your own right now."

"Yes? Well Master Jeon isn't here, is he?" he replied rather brusquely. Yet the two bouncers assigned for the night, Hongsuk and Woosang, moved from their positions across the room to block the door. Jimin stopped a few feet and studied the two men before sighing heavily. "What, am I locked up in this apartment block all weekend long like some modern day tower?"

"Afraid so, princess."

" Princess ?" Jimin whirled back around and glared right at Dongjun. At least the man had the sense to look slightly regretful under his withering gaze. "This 'princess' could have murdered right this instant, if I wanted it to happen. Siwoo and Daewoo follow my commands just as much as Master Jeon's, they like me a lot. So I would shut your mouth you fucking idiot." Behind his sunglasses Dongjun might just have dropped his eyes to stare at the desk. Mentioning the twin thugs was apt to do that to most men, they were like the perfect guard dogs. "Now, who wants to escort me?"

Jimin ended up being escorted across the capital with Woosang in tow. The man didn't even attempt to start a conversation and instead the air in the car felt awkward and heavy. But Jimin didn't care, he had got his way and that was all that mattered to him. He couldn't even keep the smug smile off his face as some other chauffeur drove him to the drug den as he had requested. When they reached the building Jimin entered and did the usual routine, earning access to the back area with very little trouble. Woosang followed along after him like a good bodyguard-cum-puppy and he told him to wait behind rather than enter the office with him. The guard looked like he might argue against this but the offer of cards and booze from the other men finally won him over. Jimin waited in front of the office impatiently after knocking thrice on it and a few seconds later the door pulled open slowly.

"Good evening, Min," Jimin said in a sweet tone, as if it wasn't almost midnight and he had shown up without a single warning. "Can I come in?"

"You, uh, you ain't supposed to be here," Yoongi said, peeking at him through the gap in the door. He could see a single eye and a flash of messy blond hair through the gap, along with a black pullover. Jimin could sense that he didn't want to let him into his office room for some reason but like that was going to stop him in the slightest.

"Oh? Just let me in, sweetie, no one needs to know," Jimin said with a wide smile, turning the charm up to eleven as he did. Yet the other man didn't seem to be affected by it. So Jimin moved to grab hold of the side of the door and he gave it a shove. The hard push knocked Yoongi back rather pathetically easy and allowed him to step into the room. The other man murmured something disapprovingly under his breath at this but didn't tell him to leave. Yoongi paced over to his desk and starting ruffling his hair rather roughly and Jimin crossed the room to sit on a rather battered settee against one of the walls. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Yoongi said in a rather sarcastic tone. He stopped messing with his hair and instead played with the loose cuffs of his pullover. Jimin noticed that he wasn't wearing pants but that was of no surprise to him. Yoongi never seemed to wear pants because he was always working. There was a rather large bruise on one of his knees, a brownish circle with splotches of purple inside it. "Honestly, you ain't supposed to be here Hon-Jimin. You're Jimin, right?" Jimin nodded in agreement as he placed one knee over the other and settled down comfortably on the settee. "Master Jeon'd be mad if he knew you were here, it's dangerous. There's lots of drugs here."

"So I've been told. A hundred times already but I don't care," he sighed and glanced over the office. "Min, I need something to relax me."

"...Did you use all of the Valium I supplied already?" the other man asked in dumb surprise. Jimin shook his head and explained that he wanted something new, something different. "Uh, you ever smoked this shit, huh?" Yoongi asked as he pulled a drawer open and retrieved something. After a few seconds of rustling noises he pulled out a small plastic baggie. Jimin saw that it contained several joints and he shook his head in reply. He had never tried marijuana before but he would be willing to try it. "Well, it'll relax you just right."

"Good."

Yoongi opened the baggie and reached inside to pull one of the joints free. He dropped the baggie without a care on his desk and retrieved a lighter, a basic wheel lighter that was bright toxic orange. Then he crossed the office to stand in front of him, holding the joint out for him. Jimin leaned over to grab it between his teeth rather than take it out his fingers with his own.

"You get one on the house 'cos of Master Jeon," Yoongi explained as he ran his thumb over the lighter wheel and held up it to light the end for him. "Just uh, don't keep coming here for free weed, yeah?" Jimin made a noise around the joint as he took his first toke. The instant instinct that hit him was to start coughing because the smoke was hot and almost itched his throat and lungs but he managed to not choke on it. He scrunched his face up and the other man laughed at him heartily.

"Shit," Jimin pulled the stick free and breathed the smoke out in a series of coughs. "That's disgusting."

"So, why're you here again?" Yoongi asked as he went back over to his desk and shoved the baggie away. Jimin dropped his gaze to study his behind as he leaned over the wood, studying his rather thin and pale thighs. He wondered if Jungkook had ever noticed Yoongi's twink potential before and then found himself wondering what his position would be. He had just settled on needy power bottom when he realised that Yoongi was staring at him. Talk about caught in the act.

"Sorry, what did you say?"

"I asked why're you here?" Yoongi repeated, tugging down on the ends of his pullover to try and cover his thighs with it.

"Oh, I wanted to talk to someone but...I have no one to talk to," Jimin explained as he took a quick toke off the joint. "Jungkook and Tae are away for business, in Singapore for two or so days. I'm stuck here with no one other than Wangbi for company." At this he saw Yoongi furrowing his brow. "She's my cat."

"Oh? Cat. I like cats." The other man shifted to sit on the edge of his desk, arms folded over his chest. "They're nice."

"Have you ever met Woo before?" Jimin asked, taking another experimental toke on the end of the joint. He still thought that is tasted disgusting but there was a nice sensation coming from it, making him feel more relaxed than he had a moment ago. There was a slight lightheaded sensation but he thought that that would pass, or he hoped that it would. "Jungkook's old business partner?"

"Uh yeah, yeah," Yoongi replied, fiddling with the cuff of his pullover rather fidgety. "A few times when I was a teen I met him, and once or twice I've seen him with Master Jeon. Strange guy."

"You think?" Jimin raised his eyebrows at this, blowing the lungful of acrid smoke out of the corner of his mouth.

"Yeah, real strange," the blond man agreed with a nod. "He just has this air coming off him. Like a psychopath. Not a violent psycho just...dead inside." Yoongi made a series of noises under his breath and then lifted his gaze to look at him. "Freaks me the fuck out man, dead eyed like a fish."

"Had, you mean. He had those vibes coming off him. He's dead now." Jimin ran his tongue around his mouth, tongue feeling drier than usual. "Someone wanted him dead. He and several other Haedogje Pa men were all shot dead in a business meeting for daddy dearest across the capital. Jungkook was supposed to be in that meeting too but he moved it aside. Said he had work to do. I don't know what but he made Woo go there instead. I was away that weekend and I didn't have a fucking clue." Jimin sighed and shifted to lounge back on the settee. "That could have been Jungkook that night, riddled with bullets. He could be lying in a body bag right now and yet he isn't. That...those thoughts kind of scare me, you know?"

"Holy shit..." Yoongi muttered under his breath at this, fingers stopping their fiddling for a few seconds as he stared at him. "You're kidding me, right?" Jimin shook his head at this, taking another toke on the joint. Now it was starting to make him feel better, lighter almost. "Why're you scared? Scared for yourself or scared 'cos Master Jeon's in danger?"

"Both, I guess? The moment Jungkook goes, I go," he explained as he opened his eyes and stared at the office ceiling. There were dots starting to move around the white plaster, fuzzy little dots. "I mean, I'm pretty sure that many Haedogje Pa men would want me as their bitch. Imagine the bragging rights, "Master Jeon's favourite toy is mine now". Mmm, but I'm second-hand goods." Jimin sighed and dabbed ash off the end of the joint onto the floor without a care.

"Y'know, you gotta stop equating yourself as like...nothing more than a body, Jimin," Yoongi said as he pulled the pitiful joint stub out from between his fingers and held it up to his own lips. "You're like, so much more than that. Yeah?"

What the fuck did Yoongi know about him other than the fact he collected drugs for Jungkook? He probably knew that he fucked men for a living too, talk about a stellar example of being more than a body. The remark was actually enough to make him snort laughter and he saw the other man raising his eyebrows in surprise.

"I've been nothing more than a body since I was seven fucking years old, Min, it's hard to not equate myself as something different," Jimin argued, not meaning to sound so brusque with his reply but unable to curb himself. Yoongi studied him intently at this, joint still hovering in front of his lips untouched. "It's all I've ever been good for."

"Nah, don't say that shit," Yoongi disagreed as he finally took a toke. He breathed it out a few seconds later, nose and eyes scrunching up slightly as he did. "You start saying that shit - thinking that shit, and then you'll start believing it too. I bet that you mean more than a body to Master Jeon, in fact I know that you do."

"Oh? How do you know that?"

"I...just do - hey uh, what'd you think about that other guy? Kim?" Yoongi dodged his question spectacularly, eyes shifting across the room as he did.

"Mmm, I like him," Jimin said with a nod. "I like him a lot he...he actually-" he reached up to cover his mouth with his hand, fighting the urge to giggle. He couldn't stop a snort from escaping however. "This morning...he ate my ass out." Yoongi stared down at him for a moment, clearly a little slow with his reactions. Then he started choking on his lungful of smoke and the sight of the cloud escaping from his mouth and nose was what made Jimin start laughing. He couldn't help it, the giggles just flooded up from his stomach and he had to let them out somehow.

"Shit, too much info, man. Too much info." Yoongi waved his hand in front of his face to dispel the cloud of smoke. Jimin pressed his lips together to try and suppress the giggles, feeling his body shaking as he did. "He's uh, that Kim guy's strange too. I dunno, I think he's strange."

"What? Strange like what?" he asked him, the occasional breathless giggle escaping between his words.

"Dunno man," Yoongi took a deep toke off the end of the joint and held it in his lungs for a few seconds before breathing it out. "I get vibes off him too. Don't you?"

"No, no I like Tae. He's an amazing worker, does everything that Jungkook asks him to and more." Jimin wet his lips again and as he watched the smoke float to the air he was certain that the colours changed, from grey to blue to bright pink. "He's good, he's nice."

"Mmm, well Master Jeon picked him," Yoongi said after a moment of thought. "Pretty sure he can read guys better than I can."

"Min?"

"You can call me Yoongi, y'know? Min was my old man not me, I ain't like him." He breathed another lungful of smoke out the corner of his mouth. "I'll never be like him."

"Yoongi, I don't know what I'm supposed to do if I lose Jungkook. I can't get out, I'm stuck in Haedogje Pa for life. I've got nothing, I don't even have a fucking identity anymore. I can't just get out and do something else. I'm fucking stuck." Jimin started gnawing on his lower lip and Yoongi seemed to find studying the end of his joint much more interesting than holding his gaze. "I'm fucking stuck in this endless spiral of suh-sex and I can't get out."

"...Jimin, just say the word and I promise I'll find a way to keep you safe if anything happens to Master Jeon." Yoongi held the joint up to his lips and then he added. "I've got connections, I owe Master Jeon a good couple of favours. I could do it, just let me know. But nothing's gonna happen so don't worry; yeah? Master Jeon'll be fine." He took a final toke and then stubbed the joint out on the settee beside his thigh. "Shit, I'm hungry. Want some Chinese? I know a great takeaway place like a block down from here. Their egg foo yung is like the greatest thing I've ever had in my mouth. Let's just eat and get stoned and forget about all of the bad shit, yeah? Totally on the house."

Jimin had very little else to do for the next two or so days. Why not get stoned and eat greasy and salty food until he wanted to vomit? Hell, he could probably get one of Jungkook's men to bring Wangbi to him, let Yoongi meet her and see if he found her cute. Two days without Jungkook or Taehyung, two days that would have revolved around draining bottles of champagne and likely crying himself to sleep. Or two days with Yoongi and some drugs, some potential for fun? So he shifted to sit upright and sighed heavily.

"Are you sure nothing will happen to him?" he asked in a quiet voice.

"Well, I ain't psychic Jimin," Yoongi retorted with a rather wheezy guffaw. Nice, he liked that laugh. It was somewhat strange but endearing. "But Master Jeon's got Kim right? He'll be fine now, what about that Chinese, huh?"