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He ran. From his past life in Busan, from the foster homes, from the catholic teachings, from the messed up kids, he ran from it all. He thought Seoul would be his safe haven, his little piece of paradise. As things turn out, rent for the crappiest 1 bedroom apartment was going to be about 2 million won, and he left Busan with 650,000 ₩ and an expired bus pass. He was shivering next to a dumpster in some back alle he had found. It had roof overhang, so it kept the rain off of most of his body. His eyes were closed and twitching, his hands white as the snow that had shown up sometime late last week. The cold was starting to eat away at him faster, but he slept. He was tired, so he let the freezing temperatures creep closer to his life support.He was dreaming of a penthouse apartment, central Seoul, sipping imported scotch, the freshest kicks on his feet. He was dreaming of a flight to Los Angeles, to attend a red carpet event he was invited to. He was dreaming of things he’d never have, like his parents visiting him when he won a business award. He wanted more. These were the dreams of Yang Jeongin, a boy of barely 17 years old.He never knew his parents. He was told they were dead. He never really understood that.The sound of footsteps echoed through the night, splashing the shallow, reflective pools of water that covered the asphalt of the city. They were fast paced, uneven, and unrelenting. To Jeongin’s unconscious mind, it sounded like there were at least 2 people. They approached. Quickly. As they raced past the hidden boy, dirty water was splashed onto his face and neck. The wet substance stirred him from his slumber momentarily, just enough to open his eyes and adjust his curled up position, rattling a good bit of trash as he did so.The footsteps stopped abruptly. There were muted whispers and then an eerie silence. Jeongin shuffled again, closing his heavy eyes for only a moment before a very cold surface was pressed to his forehead. He blinked his eyes open slowly only to see the barrel of a glock and one lean hand with it’s finger on the trigger. He wanted to scream, but nothing came out. His eyes widened and he could hear his heartbeat in his ears, drumming incessantly. He opened his mouth to speak but was silenced by the gun’s owner.“I’m guessing you’re the newest Ring member, kid? Their initiation was always so fucked up. You’re gonna be coming with me, you’re going to make our lives very easy for a couple months.” The voice spoke, very deeply, with a rough undertone. It nearly sounded like the speaker was smiling as he spoke, the playful word choice showed that. Jeongin gulped.“I-I-I don’t know what the ring i-is s-sir.” Jeongin spoke as clearly as he could, his accent coming through strong and stuttering like a fool. The man cocked his gun.“Up. Now.”“Y-yes sir.”Jeongin stood up shakily, trying to get his footing as quickly as possible to satisfy his captor. He couldn’t see much in the dimly lit alleyway, but he could see another figure that was approaching. The figure had a gray hood on and the person holding him was wearing a black hood. He couldn’t make out anything else, but he could tell the man with the gun to his head had light hair, it showed up in the dark. He kept trying to gather visual information, but it was all cut off when a rag was put over his mouth and his eyes fluttered closed once again.
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Jeongin awoke violently, with a splash of cold water on his face. His head was throbbing, and his eyes had no time to adjust to the bright fluorescent light directly in front of him. He squinted his eyes to try and numb the sensation. He was a bit relieved when a figure stepped in front of the light, blocking out most of it, and leaving a silhouette. He opened his mouth to speak but a finger was put to his lips in a way of silencing him. The figure removed his finger and turned to adjust the light, turning the beam away from Jeongin. He sighed in relief. The figure turned back to him and he could see if captor for the first time.He was tall, taller than Jeongin, but not by much. He was very fit, with a muscular torso and lean arms and legs. His legs were strong, and his entire body was of a thinner build, despite his muscles. The man had precise looking hands that matched his body perfectly, with two black line tattoos on the tips of his index fingers. His skin was tan, and looked as if it was nearly made of porcelain. It looked smoother than skin could be, but it didn’t look like he was wearing makeup, unlike himself. His face was very sharp. His cheekbones and jawline were precise and strong, making his face look almost harsh. The only thing that softened if up were the man’s freckles, that littered his skin in various places but clumping up around his nose and under his eyes. His hair was white, bleached white, with very short fringe-like bangs that reached down to his jaw. It was swept out of his face, but he could tell that with too much movement, the boy would be blinded by his own hair. His eyes were the last thing Jeongin took in, they were big, hazel, and cutting. They had a yellowish tint to them, flicking back and forth between Jeongin’s eyes, seemingly staring deep into him. It made Jeongin shiver; he was stunning.“Take a picture, kid. It’ll last longer.” The man spoke, it was the same deep, rough voice from before. “You don’t get to talk, okay? I’ll be asking the questions, you will answer them truthfully or you get a bullet through your brain. Understood?” He spoke directly, but his speech was a little but messy. Jeongin wondered if he was a foreigner, but he just nodded in response.“What’s your name, age and affiliation with Purity Ring?”Jeongin tilted his head. He didn’t understand what he was asking. What was Purity Ring?“My name is Yang Jeongin, I’m sixte-I mean seventeen years old. I don’t know what Purity Ring is. Where am I? Why did you take me?” His busan accent came through thick, his speech slurred. The other male shook his head and reached behind him to reveal a 9mm glock, the same one he had seen when he was abducted. Then man looked it over almost wistfully.“I set out two very simple rules, and you broke both of them. I’ll give you one more chance to save your skin.” He cocked the gun and raised it to Jeongin’s head level. His arm was steady, there wasn’t the smallest hint of a tremble in it. His eyes were cold and serious, he wasn’t bluffing.“I’m not lying! I don’t know where I am, who you are, what Purity Ring is, why I’m here, I don’t know anything! My name is Yang Jeongin, I’m 17 years old, I’m from Busan and I only got here last week! Please don’t kill me!” His voice was cracking, getting higher in pitch with fear. His eyes began to water, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to do anything against his assailant. They only thing he could think of was how to make it out alive. He rushed through ideas and outcomes in his head, finally getting to a plan that could work. The chair he was tied to was small, made of wood, and definitely old. It should work.The man shook his head. “Wrong answer kid.” And then he pulled the trigger.Time seemed to slow. Jeongin saw the bullet coming toward him, so he leaned to the right before throwing his body to the left, knocking over the chair he was in and because of its age, it broke, releasing him from his ties. He rolled across the floor as the bullet hit the wall behind where his head used to be, and he grabbed his attacker’s glock, throwing it across the small room. He was breathing heavy as time resumed to normal, his attacker realizing what happened and lunging at him with a knife he had pulled from his belt. He pushed Jeongin against the nearest wall, the knife to his throat.“You must be syndicate affiliated to pull a move like that, kid. Now tell me, is it the ring or is it someone else?” The man growled, steady as ever, but clearly furious.Jeongin cried. The tears that formed in his eyes finally spilled over, surprising the taller man. He wasn’t bawling, his eyes were still open and though he was shaking like an earthquake, he held his head high and answered as clearly as he could, with his small tears rolling down his cheeks.“I don’t know anything.”And with that, the taller man moved to slit his throat but was interrupted by three men bursting through the door, to see the scene unfolding before them. Things moved so quickly, it was hard for Jeongin to follow. One man ran and disarmed the attacker, throwing him into another wall and pointing a different kind of handgun at his head once he had hit the floor. He winced in pain, but didn’t move. Jeongin had slid to the ground at this point, his knees giving out from under him, and the other two men came over to him. One crouched down to his height and tilted his head, as if inspecting him. The other stayed standing, a small distance off but still observing the scene.Jeongin’s eyes spilled more tears, his mouth slightly open and he was breathing heavy. His entire body was shaking, and he felt like he was going crazy. He was safe. The man in front of him reached forward and placed two finger on his neck, taking his pulse. He then softly cupped Jeongin’s face with both his hands, moving his head lightly to check for damage. Once he was satisfied with the state of the boy, he stood up again and offered a hand to Jeongin, wanting him to stand up. The shaken boy took his hand and cautiously got to his feet. He was wobbling and nearly fell, but the other man grabbed him before he could. He helped him out the door they had come in, and it was closed behind them, but not before he heard shouting between the man who saved him and his attacker. He couldn’t take in his surroundings, his ears were ringing, and there was too much sensory input for his body to take in.He was taken into a larger room with two cots against one wall, and a stack of supplies against another. He was instructed to sit on one of the cots and the other man rushed to get some supplies. He returned with bandages and rubbing alcohol. It stung, but Jeongin was still in shock, he could barely feel the pain. A blanket was placed around his shoulders after his wounds were treated and that’s what brought him a little bit out of his trance. He looked at the man who had cared for him and subconsciously pulled the blanket tighter around him. He sat down on the other cot next to where Jeongin was seated, and the boy shifted so he was looking at the other man.“Heya kid, my name is Kim Woojin. I know you might not be able to talk, but if you can, can you tell me what just happened in there?” The man spoke softly, with kind undertones, like he was worried for Jeongin.“I-I-I’m Yang Jeongin, I’m 17 years old, I’m from Busan, and I only got here last week…” The young boy stuttered as he spoke, his voice getting softer the longer he spoke. ‘Woojin’ nodded in a way of asking him to continue.“I don’t know where I am, I don’t know why I’m here, but the man with the white hair tried to shoot me and then he tried to cut me.” He was regaining his thought processes, being able to make more sense of what just happened. The man across from him nodded thoughtfully. He stood up and went to a small fridge in the corner of the room. He grabbed a bottle of water from it and tossed it to Jeongin, who caught it perfectly.“Sharp reaction time, even when he’s in shock…” He mumbled quietly to himself, Jeongin didn’t know or care what he meant.The younger boy finally had the chance to look at the man who had taken care of him. He was extremely tall, somewhere around 6’3”. He was very broad shouldered, with a stiff posture and strong aura. His body was well-built, not as muscular as the white-haired man, but still very fit and though he was large-placed, he didn’t look heavy at all. He wore a black and white shirt, with a zipper on one of the shoulders. It was oversized and gave him sweater paws, and it was tucked into his pants in the front, but nowhere else. He had on black skinny jeans with a gucci belt and black mid-calf combat boots. His face was kind, with wide-set eyes and a larger nose, his features gave him a soft appearance. His hair was honey blonde, sweeping out of his face cleanly. It was layered, with the bottom-most layer being dyed black. His eyes were a lighter brown, and they crinkled up small when he smiled. His smile was just as soft as the rest of him, it was big and welcoming and very forgiving. The man seemed like a father figure, or a caring older brother, his entire demeanor made Jeongin think of a teddy bear. He was also beautiful, though not in the same way as his attacker from earlier.One of the other men from earlier peeked his head in through the doorway to the room and called Woojin over. He whispered a few things to him before leaving, and Woojin came back over to where Jeongin was seated.“Jeongin-ah, I gotta go for now, please get some rest before I come back to check on you, okay? I’ll be back soon.” Woojin spoke again, his voice deep but still with a feeling of softness underneath the depth. Jeongin nodded and Woojin smiled lightly before heading out the door to the room, closing it behind him. The young boy flopped backwards onto the bed and curled up into the blanket that was given to him earlier. He fell asleep quickly, if not uncomfortably, and dreamt of his luxury penthouse once again.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
3 AM, the warehouse door rattled open, cracking the silence of the hideout. All 6 of the boys inside were asleep, calm and dreaming, until the door had closed with a bang, at which point one of them woke up. BC, they called him, rolled out of his bed and landed soft-footed on the cold cement ground. He reached behind him without looking and grabbed his gun, a 9mm handgun, from his bed. Every syndicate member had at least two, one with them at all times, as per regulation. BC had 4; one under his pillow, one in his bedside drawer, one in a holster he attached to his thigh, and the final one he moved a bit, from an inside coat pocket to just carrying it around. He walked slowly and silently towards the door to his room, and then the door to the warehouse. His handgun had a silencer on it, he didn’t want to wake the other members if it wasn’t necessary. He rounded a dark corner, his gun at the ready, only to see Han and Felix carrying in a body. He lowered his gun and sauntered over to the pair of syndicate members. Felix was carrying the body bridal style, but rather harshly dropped it on the ground once BC got closer. Han was watching the white haired boy’s back, he had just closed the door.“Did you kill that dealer like I asked you to, Felix? You didn’t have to bring his body back…” BC spoke softly but sharply, looking Felix in the eye judgmentally. Felix nodded.“He’s dead, put the money into my account.” He said directly, BC nodded back. Felix turned to Han and waved him off. “Get some rest man, you did well tonight. Thanks.” BC nodded in acceptance of Felix’s order, and Han muttered an incoherent reply before wandering off into the darkened warehouse somewhere to his room.“I found this kid outside of Purity’s cellar, I think he’s their newest runner. He was shivering and he seemed scared, the probably pulled him off the streets sometime last week, and we’re initiating him. I thought he could be of some use in terms of leverage.” Felix spoke, a proud undertone in his voice as he explained the situation to BC. The older man shook his head disappointedly.“You’re an idiot. They’re not going to come after some stupid runner. If you wanted to hit them where it hurts, you had to do better than a new recruit.” BC paused, then continued in English, now that it was just him and Felix. “Get rid of him by dawn. I don’t care how. You will not be getting paid for it.” BC said coldly as he walked away, back to his room to return to sleep. Felix felt like punching his superior, but he knew he’d be dead in a heartbeat. Instead, he opted to kicking the passed out boy in the side a couple times.After his temper tantrum, he picked up the boy and took him to the interrogation room. He tied him up and locked the door on his way out of the room. He went to his room and slept for a couple hours before he knew he had to be awake to question his hostage. His plan was to get as much information as he could out of the Purity ring member, and then put a bullet through his skull. Simple.
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BC was uninformed about the events that had happened regarding Felix and Jeongin that morning, that was until Woojin walked into his office with a very unhappy look on his face. The tall man explained the events and BC shooed him out of his office. About five minutes went by with Woojin standing outside his superior’s office, worried about what he was doing. BC opened the door and started walking towards the interrogation room where Woojin said Felix, Changbin, and Han were at the moment. He could indistinctly hear Woojin trying to tell him something, but he didn’t really care. He was pissed.He opened the door to the room harshly, catching the tail end of what Changbin was trying to discipline Felix with at that moment. Han and Changbin took one look at BC and then backed up to the other side of the room, letting Felix stand up. The white-haired boy started to speak, but BC had his gun pointed at Felix already. The younger boy gulped. Changbin looked afraid, he didn’t think it would come to this. Han scuttled out of the room, he didn’t want to see one of his best friends get killed by his boss. BC inhaled sharply and then pulled the trigger.A loud bang went off in the room, causing everyone’s ears to ring. BC had taken off his silencer for once, and his aim was spot on. Felix’s legs collapsed underneath him and he fell to his knees. His eyes were wide and blank, his face filled with no emotion but fear. BC spit on the ground in front of him, slid his pistol back into his thigh holster, and walked out of the room. Changbin followed close behind, Woojin staying and looking mournfully at the boy on the ground.“You know better than to disobey him, Felix. Next time, he won’t miss.” Woojin spoke pitifully down to the white haired boy before leaving, letting Felix be. He let one tear fall down his cheek, the shock finally getting to him. BC was the best shot in the entire syndicate web, his skills were unmatched. He missed his head on purpose. He wanted Felix’s life to flash before his eyes, he wanted him to know who was in charge. It worked, and now Felix remembered how much power BC really had.
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BC walked into the medical room, Woojin was sitting in one corner, organizing some of his medical supplies. Jeongin was asleep on one of the room’s cots, twitching ever so slightly, he looked uncomfortable and scared.“So this is the boy then, Woojin? What’s his name?” BC spoke softly, as not to disturb the boy in question. The leader was standing at Woojin stopped his work and nodded. BC walked closer to the foot of the cot, placing one hand on the bed to smooth out the blanket that covered Jeongin. Woojin walked over to his leader.“His name is Yang Jeongin, he’s 17, he says he comes from Busan. He was just coming out of shock when he fell asleep, so this nap of his is probably filled with fear. When he wakes up, he’ll be confused and painfully distressed.” The medic spoke calmly, explaining the situation to his superior. BC nodded. He was going to speak when the younger boy stirred in the bed, turning to face up, and then his eyes flickered open. Woojin went to the cot next to him and set his personality back to it’s teddy bear-like state. BC backed up a little.“Hey Jeonginnie… How are you feeling?” Woojin spoke softly and kindly, it amazed BC how quickly his demeanor can change. Jeongin moved to sit up, and winced painfully. His side hurt like the devil, and he wasn’t sure what was going on. He saw Woojin and recognized him, knowing he was safe, but his eyes flicked to the other figure in the room, and his heart rate quickened. He was scared and his body showed it by tensing up and causing his breathing to go faster.Woojin placed one of his large hands on Jeongin’s chest and hushed him. “Jeongin, calm down. He’s safe, he’s not going to hurt you. Breathe deeply. I promise you’re going to be okay.” Woojin spoke to calm the boy, helping him sit more upright. Jeongin’s eyes were locked onto BC, and though he was still scared, he tried his best to slow his own breathing. Woojin looked to BC and nodded, the mouthed the word ‘slowly’ to the other man. BC nodded.“Hi Jeongin, my name is BC. You can call me Chan. This is my place, and everyone you’ll meet here are under my protection and rule.” The man did his best to speak softly like Woojin did, but his voice ended up sounding sinister because of it’s monotonous undertones. He cringed at himself internally, but he did see Jeongin soften up as he got closer. He applauded himself and smiled a little bit at the boy before sitting on the end of the bed.Jeongin looked at the new character in his story. Tall, dark, handsome, with an aura that caused Jeongin to feel an indescribable amount of uneasiness. He looked strict, strong, and extremely handsome. His hair was tousled and black, much like Jeongin’s own, and showed a bit of his forehead with the part he had chosen. His body was fit and lean, but not as tall as Woojin. He was broad-shouldered and buff, with large hands and calloused palms. He had two offset thin line tattoos under his left ear, very similar to Felix’s on his fingers. His eyes were strong and intense, a dark chocolate brown that sparkled, even in the darkness of the room. He had a defined jawline and a slightly crooked smile with small dimples that were just barely visible with his small smile. His posture was professional and sharp, and he held himself with pride and power. He was wearing a black dress shirt with laces on the sleeves, which happened to be unlaced at the moment, revealing smooth, sun-kissed skin underneath. He paired it with blueish-gray jeans and oxford style dark brown shoes. When he first started examining him, Jeongin thought he was a snack. He knew now that he was dead wrong, he was a damn full course meal.Jeongin smirked, surprising Woojin, who was studying his actions closely. Chan stood up, thinking something was wrong, as did Woojin. The two were now standing close to each other and you could clearly see their height difference. Jeongin got an evil idea. Was something wrong with his head?“You’re kinda short to be walking around with that kind of ego, don’t you think?” The young boy spoke clearly, very obviously looking Chan up and down. He had no idea who BC was, and he didn’t really care. All he knew was that he thought he was hot, and Jeongin only knew one way to flirt. Chan blinked harshly, taken aback. Woojin opened his mouth and covered it with his hand in delighted shock. A massive smile spread across the tall man’s face and he looked at Chan, waiting for a response.“Excuse me?” Chan growled, finally coming to his senses and taking a step or two towards the boy on the cot. His hand hovered over the holster on his thigh as a kind of instinct, and Woojin placed an arm in front of him to stop him from going any closer to Jeongin, but then removed it after a beat, stepping back to watch the scene play out. “You heard me, short-ass.” Jeongin spoke clearly, moving so his feet were hanging off the side of the cot just in case he needed to run. He did notice the gun on the older man’s leg, but he chose to ignore it. Chan was having a war inside his head. He knew he had no reason or right to rough this kid up, but he was offended, his pride was wounded. He let the hand above his gun relax, coming up with a better idea.He pulled a switchblade from his back pocket, and he pushed Jeongin down onto the cot, pinning him with the blade. Chan’s forearm was pressed against the younger’s chest, one leg between his and the other on the ground. The other arm was holding the knife tight to Jeongin’s throat and the reaction was just what he wanted. He could feel the boy’s heart racing, his pupils were dilated, and he gulped stressfully. Chan smirked. This boy couldn’t be from Ring, he’s too immature for them. Perfect. He thought as he leaned down to Jeongin’s ear, choosing his words carefully.“You’ll learn to control that tongue of yours, now that you’re one of us. You’re mine, kid. Welcome to Clan 09, Yang Jeongin.” He spoke softly, making each word intentionally dramatic, and making sure his message was very clear. He backed off of the younger boy, a smirk present on his face, like it had been transferred from Jeongin to Chan. He flicked his switchblade closed and placed it back into his pocket, before shooting a knowing glance at Woojin and leaving the room. Woojin sighed.“Follow me to your room, kid. He’s not bluffing.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Jeongin blinked a couple times, confused. He looked at Woojin, hoping for some kind of explanation. Woojin just shook his head and sighed.“Sorry kid, the boss does what he wants, so welcome to Clan 09.” Woojin spoke, more normally than Jeongin had ever heard from the taller male, but he was still very confused, Woojin wasn’t helping him much at all.“But what’s Clan 09? And don’t I get any kind of say in this? I was just threatened like five times.” Jeongin spoke harshly, his teenage attitude kicking in. He was a proud boy, he didn’t like being told what to do, especially by someone close to the likes of Bang Chan. Who does he even think he is? Jeongin thought bitterly. ‘BC’... that’s so angsty, like he probably thinks he’s hot shit, probably all talk and no action. It’s not like he’s any kind of mafia boss, he can’t just induct me by putting a knife to my throat, it’s not the first time some jackass has tried that shit with me. Jeongin was getting more frustrated with each salty thought that passed through his brain. He shook his head and chuckled at how serious everyone was acting, in a mocking sort of way.“Nah man. Thanks for patching me up, but I’m outta here.” Jeongin spoke with an ego-filled tone, standing up and walking towards the door Chan had walked out a couple minutes prior. Woojin stood up after him, saying something about how he can’t leave, but the young Busan boy ignored the older man’s words. He strode toward what looked like the exit, ignoring the entire building. There was a man standing by the warehouse door, who looked rather stressed that Jeongin was beelining toward the doors. The young boy grabbed the handle and managed to unlatch it before he was lifted up and backwards like a child, someone was grabbing him under the shoulders, pulling him away from the door. He kicked aggressively, before being released and allowed to turn around. The young boy was about to open his mouth and give his attacker a piece of his mind, but his voice was caught in his throat. Was everyone in this warehouse a fucking model?!The man in front of Jeongin was handsome without a doubt, with a drawn out face and deep-set eyes, though hilariously short. Compared to the other men he’d come into contact with that day, he was tiny. Jeongin laughed a little bit, not really meaning to but the thoughts in his head just came out audibly. The man looked put out almost, for just a moment, and then his face warped into one of anger.“What the hell do you think you’re laughing at kid?” The man spoke, his voice natural and almost whiney, but not pitifully. I just sounded like the way his voice was, not like he was whining. Jeongin thought it was almost endearing.“Nothing man, just you’re pretty fucking short is all.” Jeongin spoke roughly, his satoori coming out loud and clear as he spoke to the shorter man. His comment earned him a punch, landing directly on his right cheek. He moved swiftly and Jeongin was knocked to the ground by the impact, the scared boy from a few hours ago returning just for a moment before he realised what had happened, as well as the smirk on his assailant’s face. He rushed to his feet and tried to land a punch in return, but missed horribly when the shorter male ducked. In his processing time, the other man had the chance to sweep a leg around and hit both of Jeongin’s ankles, sending him right back down, face first. He rolled painfully to his back only to have a grungy silver combat boot placed on his chest, the weight of its owner crushing down on the younger boy causing him to wince in agony.“You call me short again newbie, you’re dead meat. I’d send you right back to Purity in a heartbeat, but BC calls the shots, and he thinks you’re good enough for us, so get the fuck up and act like a good little rat and scurry.” He spat at younger boy. Jeongin nodded once as the boot was removed and the other male returned to his post at the door. He got to his feet and rubbed his jaw while side-eyeing the man who had caused his pain. He wasn’t sure what to do, so he started walking towards the door again but then changed his mind when the man who had punched him looked at him pitifully and shook his head in warning. Jeongin scrunched up his nose and turned around. He flinched a bit when he realized he was about three inches from Chan’s face, and he looked like he was out for blood. Jeongin backed up dramatically.“You’re completely stupid, do I have to do everything for you myself?” Chan spoke very monotonously and gaze one hooded glance into Jeongin’s eyes before turning around and walking down a corridor nearby. Jeongin followed, his pride wounded.“I’m not stupid! You’re stupid for thinking you can just boss me around.” Jeongin whined as he followed after the older man, crossing his arms. Chan rolled his eyes.“I don’t want to put another knife to your throat, so don’t make me, kid.” Chan spoke, very clearly annoyed. It was Jeongin’s turn to roll his eyes. Chan stopped abruptly, causing Jeongin to nearly bump into him. The younger boy looked displeased, and then looked around at his surroundings.He was in a long hallway, with tons of doors on either side. They were all pocket doors, most likely used for storage of some kind considering they were in a warehouse. The roof of the hallway had pyramid shaped skylights that let in yellowish light into the dim area. Most of the doors were closed, with the exception of two, which Jeongin could see a bit of the contents of each, decorated and happy-looking. Stark contrast to the rest of the building. The pair were standing in front of a closed door, at the very beginning of the hallway on the left side. Chan reached forward and grabbed the handle, sliding open the door with a screech of metal on metal. Dust floated around in the empty room, illuminated by sunlight filtering in through a small line of windows were the outside wall met the ceiling. Jeongin waved the dust away from his face.“Home, sweet home, Jeonginnie.” Chan said mockingly, opening his arms in grandeur. Jeongin raised an eyebrow at the black-haired man. He turned to the younger and shot him a glance before walking out of the room and farther down the hallway. Jeongin was angry and confused, so he angrily followed after Chan once again.“What the hell do you mean by that? I’m not staying here!” Jeongin yelled, only to have a black pillow thrown at his face from where Chan was, which looked like a bedroom of some sort. Jeongin caught the object and looked at it like it was a snake in his hands, foreign and disturbing. Chan chuckled a bit.“That’s what you fucking get kid, until I find time to go to Ikea or some shit to get you properly set up. Now get out of my hair, I have work to get done. Find someone else to tell you what’s going on, I don’t have the patience.” Chan said cruelly, almost like he enjoyed giving Jeongin only a pillow to sleep on. Jeongin scrunched up his nose in distaste again. He moved out of the way as Chan walked away, moving quicker than the younger could keep up with, so he just returned to the room he was shown to first. He walked in and threw the pillow on the ground, sitting down on the cold cement flooring next to it, deciding to collect his thoughts. He never got the chance, unfortunately.A white haired man peeked his head around the doorframe, commenting to himself about how this was the right room. He sat down on the ground across from Jeongin, making the younger boy scurry away and hit the wall behind him, never losing eye contact with Felix. The man sitting on the floor looked almost cat-like, tilting his head a little at the actions of the younger. He waved weakly, and Jeongin shook his head in confusion.“Are you here to try to shoot me again? Maybe put a fucking knife to my throat like the last guy?” Jeongin spat aggressively at the other boy. He was acting like a dog, cornered and scared, using any defensive measure he could. Felix shook his head.“Actually, BC sent me. I’m supposed to apologize and tell you what’s going on, because you’re pretty thick and you don’t get it yet.” The white-haired man spoke kindly almost, with a soft smile on his freckled face, his eyes crinkling up a bit. His rude words didn’t match his demeanor. His smile dropped rapidly after a beat, and he crawled up to where Jeongin was, stopping a couple inches back and leaning forward to inspect the shorter male. Jeongin closed his eyes, leaning back as much as he could, very uncomfortable with what Felix was doing. Felix took in all he could about the younger before he leaned back and caused Jeongin to relax a little bit more.The boy he inspected was frightened and lost, unaware of his surroundings and wanting to go home. He had raven black hair that curled a little bit on his bangs, that were currently hanging down to cover his forehead, but were once styled up and out of his face. He had long legs covered in ratty skinny jeans, dirty and covered in debris. He had no visible muscle anywhere on his body, but he had an aura that made him seem like he was itching for a fight. His skin was supple-looking, paler than most but still smooth and ivory-esque. He had on a ragged navy blue hoodie and a black tee, with basic black jeans. He really looked like a runaway, when Felix found him he had a small backpack with some money and miscellaneous other objects, but nothing that seemed too important. He was truly quite good-looking, for such a scraggly little boy. Felix got off to the wrong foot with him, holding a gun to someone’s head would do that.“I don’t want your pity, just go away.” Jeongin said, a kind of pain showing in his voice, and Felix wondered why. The younger boy had turned his head to the side, refusing to look at Felix. He was never very good with human emotions, his own or others. He suspected it was because the reality of the situation was dawning on him. Felix scooted a little closer.“I am sorry Jeongin-ah, I just wanted to please BC, I thought you were one of our rival’s new recruits, you were right outside their base. Want me to tell you what’s going on?” Felix spoke softly, that’s what Woojin always does when one of the members is having a hard time. Jeongin shifted his gaze up to match Felix’s cautiously, nodding shortly.“See, you’re in the base of Clan 09. 09 is one of the few top crime syndicates in Seoul, and we provide resources and services that go a bit under the stream of the Korean government. In no shorter terms, we’re a gang. BC is the boss man, whose real name is Bang Chan. He’s also the weapons specialist. Woojin-hyung is our medic and BC’s right-hand-man. Then there’s Hwang Hyunjin, he’s a bit of a klepto so he keeps to his books, he’s the treasurer and bookkeeper for the Clan. Under them, there’s me, Lee Felix, I’m a fighter and sniper assassin and my partner in crime is named Seo Changbin, and though he’s the shortest, he can really pack a punch. Next is Kim Seungmin, he’s the voice in our ears. He’s our hacker and technology specialist, if not a cocky little bastard. After that, there’s Han Jisung, or Han as we call him, and Lee Minho. Han is our communications liaison and spotter, he keeps us out of legal trouble. Minho is another fighter and is supposedly BC’s advisor, but Chan never listens to him. Then, that leaves you as our ninth member, completing ‘Clan 09’. Make sense?” Felix spoke slowly, trying to remember as much as he could, faltering often because of his lack of Hangul knowledge, but Jeongin understood nonetheless, so he nodded solemnly.“Good. You’re one of us now, though you’ll have to train before you can actually be put to work. You’re a scavenger right? Or a runaway?” Felix questioned the younger boy.“Yeah, uh, a runaway, I left my foster home in Busan last week.” Jeongin shook his head just a little before he spoke, as if trying to clear his thoughts. Felix nodded in understanding.“The rest of us are like that too. We all had nothing left, so we came here, hoping for some kind of refuge. We all have these tattoos somewhere on our bodies that represent our role in the system, Changbin gives them to us after we finish our training.” The white haired boy showed his fingers to Jeongin, giving an example of the tattoos he was referring to.“Channie-hyung takes care of us. He’s everyone’s best friend, and though he’s as cold as ice, he really does want the best for us. No one knows how the hell he came to where he is now, but we don’t question it. He feeds us well, gives a roof over our heads, keeps us warm, gives us a sense of friendship most of us have never felt. We think he’s sociopathic, but he swears he isn’t.” Felix rambled, bringing up important but somewhat unrelated topics. Jeongin was nodding in understanding as he spoke, very but still clearly scared and confused. “Why does he want me to be in this gang? I’m literally 17 years old, I don’t have the skills.” Jeongin spoke clearly, though his voice was shaking a little, he wanted to be understood. Felix nodded.“Because you’re different, I guess. You have a fiery attitude and he respects that, because you won’t be easily manipulated. You’ll get the skills through training, which I’ll be helping you with. You’ll become a killing machine in no time at all!” Felix spoke cheerily, despite the grim words he was saying. Jeongin understood why he was here now, and if nothing else, it was a roof over his head, so he’d stay. He could always slip away if he really needed to, it wouldn’t be too difficult. He thanked Felix and the older boy walked out of the room, letting the younger be himself again. The young, raven-haired boy fell asleep in the warm slits of sunlight in his room, his head falling down onto Chan’s pillow, and for once, dreaming of nothing
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Jeongin had an uneasy night, the cold biting at his body, waking up often and doing his best to get any rest he could. The pillow under his head was soft, but the cold from the dead cement floor below was seeping into it, transferring the feeling to Jeongin. Once the sun came up, so did Jeongin. He didn’t want to spend one more second on that floor. He stood and moved his single pillow to one corner of the room, before opening the loud metal door as softly as he could. It still squeaked unhappily, but it could’ve been worse. Jeongin wanted to explore without any other dangerously attractive men watching over his shoulder.He walked down the hallway and out into the main room. There were thrift store couches and tables clustered in a living space kind of way, it felt like a secret hideout for a group of preteens, hiding from their parents and whispering secrets about other kids in their class. It made Jeongin smile. He walked around the warehouse, peeking down many passages and trying to decide where to go first. He decided on the kitchen-esque area, because he knew he wouldn’t get lost there. It was in the back corner of the main area, next to the living room place, they kind of blended into each other. It was closed off on one side to make it more a detached room. It had all the normal workings of a kitchen and then some. A french press coffee machine, a panini press, a kimchi freezer, and a state-of-the-art rice cooker. Two of them, actually. The luxury appliances in the dimly lit area confused him, if they couldn’t afford a real place to live, than how could they afford all these things? He thought.He moved on from the kitchen down a very dark hallway. Most places in the warehouse had skylights of some kind or other sources of light, but this hallway had none of that. All it had were intense fluorescent lights drilled into the ceiling. There were three doors in the corridor, he tried each one. The first one was locked and very firmly so. The second rattled a bit but it seemed like it wasn’t used much, judging by the state of the hinges. The final door opened silently, the room within looking much like the bedrooms. It was a basic cement room, but there were no windows, only the same bright artificial lights on the ceiling. The room was large, and on three of the walls were cabinets, glass case cabinets filled with guns. Assault rifles, sniper rifles, miniguns, pistols, service handguns, and automatic shotguns. Jeongin inhaled sharply. He felt overwhelmed, a little like he was going to be sick. He’d never been around guns until a couple days ago, and those were only handguns; these were killing machines. Scattered around were other types of weapons and gear. Hanging on the walls wherever there was dead space were knives and blades, karambits, ballistic knives, and throwing knives among the most common ones.Binoculars, flare guns, first aid kits, grappling hooks, radios, gloves, jackets, smoke grenades, and various other pieces of equipment were strewn about, some of which Jeongin didn’t even know. He was oddly entranced in the room, wandering towards a rack of ballistic knives, gazing in awe as he reached out his hand to grab the ribbed black handle of a six-inch blade that had an oil-slick finish, shifting colors in the light. He tossed it in his hand a little feeling the weight enjoying the object. Then three small blades whizzed past his head, way too close for comfort and lodged themselves in the wall behind him. The young boy whipped around to see a caramel-haired boy standing there, twiddling a final thin throwing knife in his hand, leaning on the door frame. He smirked at the younger and tucked blade into some holder on his belt before sauntering over and taking the knives out of the wall and making them follow suit. He took the flashy ballistic knife from Jeongin’s shaky hands and placed it back on the shelf from which it came.“Don’t touch what doesn’t belong to you, newbie. And stop being so curious, just listen to the people above you, it’ll do you well in the future.” The man spoke. He was the most conventionally handsome of all the boys Jeongin had met so far, but his arrogance flowed off of him in waves and kind of killed any attraction Jeongin had when they’d first met. Jeongin scrunched his nose at the other man as he was walking out of the room, looking back as he walked down the dark hallway and back into the main area. The other man followed suit, after locking the weapon-filled room they were just in.“The name is Lee Minho, I’m one of the fighters in the clan. I’m also the group’s main visual, clearly.” Minho spoke with pride, adding a sarcastic tone to his final words, relieving Jeongin’s worries of if he was being serious. Another boy entered the scene, peeking his head out from the kitchen, looking at the pair walking in.“You’re the main visual? Try again sweetheart, have you seen this face?” The new man spoke, gesturing to his, admittedly very attractive, face with one hand and holding a cup of coffee in the other. Minho rolled his eyes and grabbed a banana off of the kitchen island, leaving Jeongin to stand awkwardly in the middle of the warehouse. The two others bickered and bantered, seeming to have fun with each other until another new face came onto the scene.This new boy seemed younger, his eyes were a little bit crossed, and his blood-red hair was sticking up oddly, seemingly having just got out of bed. He waved to the pair in the kitchen and was about to make some coffee for himself when he noticed Jeongin standing far off. The youngest noticed his glance and shifted uncomfortably on his feet.“How do you like your coffee Jeongin?” The red-haired man spoke kindly, his eyes widening a little and tilting his head with a smile. He seemed like a very pleasant boy, which made Jeongin smile in return. It felt like a very long time since someone used his real name instead of calling him some demeaning nickname.“Medium with some cream and a pinch of sugar please!” Jeongin spoke to the other boy, who was considerably taller than all the others in the room. He nodded and got to work, adjusting the french press. Jeongin moved a little bit close to the kitchen, trying to act like he knew what was going on. More familiar faces came into the room one by one. First it was Changbin, the shorter boy glaring daggers into Jeongin in a way of threat, which Jeongin didn’t take seriously at all. Next was Han, and he knew the boy’s name, though he hadn’t ever spoken to him. Following soon after was Felix, who patted Jeongin on the back in a brotherly manner before getting coffee for himself and sitting down to socialize. The final two were Woojin and BC, who came out at the same time, walking close to each other and wearing different parts to the same matching pajama set. The boy Minho talked to first snickered at this and Woojin shot him a knowing glance, silencing him quickly.A hush fell over the nine boys, all beginning to address the elephant in the room that went by the name of Yang Jeongin. Minho cleared his throat in the direction of Felix. The white-haired boy rolled his eyes and stood up, walking over to Jeongin and dragging him closer to the group. Jeongin felt like running.“Boys, I’d like to introduce Yang Jeongin, the newest member of Clan 09. He’s from Busan, he’s 17 and he’s pretty cocky, so whip some sense into him, yeah?” Felix spoke begrudgingly, introducing Jeongin like it was grade school and Jeongin was the transfer student. The young boy blushed a little bit and looked at his shoes. Felix looked at the other members expectantly, and they caught on quickly. Felix started the train by sitting back down and letting Jeongin look at the other eight boys.“Hey kid, I’m Lee Felix. I’m 17, and I come from Australia. I’m a fighter and sniper assassin for the clan.” Felix said, Jeongin knew that already, so the train moved on.“Hello, my name is Kim Seungmin. I’m 17 as well and come from here, Seoul, and I’m the technology expert here. I work all the wires from base while the rest of the boys are out on missions.” Seungmin explained. He was the kind one from earlier, with the blood red hair. He was a little shorter than Woojin, Jeongin guessed about 6’2”. He was slimly built, much like Felix but clearly had muscle hidden under his dirty bunny slippers and striped pajama pants. He wore round, nerd-like glasses that suited his square jaw, and his smile was very bright. He had a couple of horizontal lines tattooed on each side of his face next to his eyes. Jeongin liked him the most.“I’m Han Jisung, but the syndicate members call me Han for work. I’m 17 too, and my hometown is Incheon. I’m the communications liaison and spotter for the syndicate.” Jisung spoke softly, almost cautious of the newcomer. He had longer chocolate brown hair that was sloppily braided in a couple of places near his neck. He also wore glasses in a style similar to Seungmin’s, and his blue boxer shorts showed off his muscular thighs and long legs. He had two bands of thin lines tattooed around his right bicep, sporting his own gang mark.“You know me a little bit, brat, I’m Seo Changbin. I’m the main fighter for 09, and just about the only person who works the guard posts. I’m 18 and came from Yongin.” Changbin spoke harshly, staring directly at Jeongin as he did so. His line tattoos spanned across his knuckles, staggering and breaking every so often for a modern look. Jeongin nodded.“The name is Lee Minho, I’m also a fighter here. I’m BC’s advisor as well, but I mainly work on the ground. I’m 19, and from Gimpo.” Minho spit his words arrogantly, earning a chuckle from a couple other members, there was clearly something Jeongin was missing about the group dynamic, but he ignored it. Minho had his tattoos on his shoulders, where the strong muscles meet his neck. They wrapped from his back to his front, and he had two on each shoulder.“My name is Hwang Hyunjin, and I’m from Seoul too. I’m 18 like Changbin and I’m the main bookkeeper for Clan 09. I keep track of all the cash that comes in and goes out, and I just handle the business. I’m a bit of a klepto.” Hyunjin explained his role well, making it clear to Jeongin what he was doing here. His hair was black like Jeongin’s, parted in the center and shining in the early sun. His face was very specific, his eyes thin and direct, with his skin smooth and forgiving. His aura glimmered with money, and his silk pajamas also enforced his habits. His tattoos were placed on the skin between his thumb and forefinger, reaching around the soft expanse of skin.“I’m Woojin, you know me a bit already. I’m the medic here, and BC’s right-hand man. I take care of these idiots when they get themselves in trouble.” Woojin chuckled. “I come from Daejeon, and I’m 21 years old. Though I’m the oldest, I don’t lead these fools, that’d be this guy.” The honey-colored boy pointed to BC, making his superior chuckle. Jeongin gulped.“You know me, I’m Bang Chan, or BC. I come from Australia like Felix and I’m 20 years old. I lead Clan 09, overseeing everything that goes on regarding my men. I’m also the weapons expert, so I know what needs to be used to get each job done.” Chan spoke clearly, his words intended to hold meaning to Jeongin, some kind of respect complex, but they didn’t. All the younger could focus on was how Chan’s large lips moved as he spoke. Jeongin subconsciously licked his own lips, and thankfully nobody noticed. As a cover-up, Jeongin nodded in conclusion, signalling that he knew who everyone was now. The group broke up, returning to their rooms to get dressed for the day. Jeongin remained in the living room, he had no clothes to change into.Felix came out shortly still in his pajamas, but with a set of clothing in his hands. He set them next to Jeongin and told him to get changed quickly. Jeongin obliged. About ten minutes later, all of the members had come out of their rooms to get to work on whatever they had to do that day. Chan went to the dark hallway, disappearing behind one of the locked doors. Hyunjin followed the leader and went into the other locked room, while Woojin walked into the medical room Jeongin had been in once before. Changbin went to the warehouse door, while he chatted with Minho about nothing in particular. Seungmin went to where Hyunjin went, disappearing in the dark. Jisung was cleaning up the kitchen. Felix walked in to get Jeongin started on his training.The older boy choked up a little at the sight of Jeongin in his clothes, but he pushed his thoughts away for the sake of professionalism. He had a job to do for this useless boy, no matter how cute he might be.“We gotta get started on your training Jeongin, follow me closely.” Felix talked to Jeongin like family, speaking bluntly and with honesty. Jeongin stood up and nodded with diligence, excited, if not apprehensive, for the coming months of gang training.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Harder Jeongin!” Felix yelled at the younger boy who was sweating furiously in front of him. The older male was holding a large punching bag that was attached to the ceiling, keeping it in place. The goal was for Jeongin to punch hard enough for Felix to be physically moved by the force, but currently Jeongin wasn’t punching hard enough to even shake the punching bag, let alone knock Felix off of his feet. The white haired boy was getting bored and was gradually becoming more disappointed in the trainee.His training had been rough for the past couple of months, with a lot of ups and downs. Jeongin would excel at certain aspects of gang life, like stealth and agility, but when it comes to actual strength and combat he was lacking. Felix knew that every member of the syndicate needed to be not just good, but incredible at every aspect of gang life, but Jeongin was doing anything but. He was still acting like a child, complaining about the bruises on his knuckles, asking for better living accomodations, it was getting on Felix’s nerves. Chan had been almost MIA since Jeongin arrived, only showing his face at meals and occasionally in the hallways coming in and out of his office. For the past week, no one had seen or heard from him, not even Woojin. However, they all knew he was there and alive, because the atmosphere would be different if he wasn’t. It confused every member, but it angered Jeongin.Jeongin wanted BC to see his progress, see how much he was growing and becoming like the other members, because he wanted to prove that the syndicate needed him, that he wasn’t just being forced into the gang life (even though he was). His mind was filled with feeling that were holding him back from showing his best and giving his all for Felix. He was starting to feel attached to the older male, and he hated it. He needed to be like Chan, he needed to block out emotions.The door to the makeshift gym screeched open, and Felix glanced over, expecting Changbin. Jeongin expected as much as well, so he kept punching weakly at the bag hanging in front of him. He was tired and he didn’t feel the need to give his best at this point. Felix’s eyes caught sight of the new man in the room and nodded slightly in regard. Jeongin found this odd and stopped his feeble movements for a moment to look towards the sheet metal door. Leaning against the doorway was BC, staring harshly at the pair in the corner. His head was tilted downwards a bit and his dark chocolate eyes seemed to pierce through Jeongin’s body. They were lit up like a forest fire in the bright morning sunlight that filtered in through the high windows in the room. His black hair was nearly glimmering, the part in it a little off-center and opening up his features and the individual strands were perfectly styled back in order to do exactly what Jeongin was noticing.The young boy filled with rage and nearly ran up to his leader to punch him, but then decided against it in a split second of impulse control. Instead he locked eyes with the black-haired man and punched the bag Felix was holding with the strength of a thousand suns in one fist. The bag shuddered backwards and hit Felix’s body with full force. The white-haired boy ended up on the ground, the duct tape that was used as feeble repair on the bag split, and the object was swinging violently on it’s short chains. Jeongin thought he saw Chan’s eyebrows raise for a moment, but when he blinked he saw he was mistaken. The leader had the same blank, menacing gaze as he did before, still locking his stare with Jeongin’s. The younger steadied the bag with his hand and then walked out of the room, never once breaking eye contact with Chan until he was walking past him when he turned his head away in spite of the older man. Felix had no idea what just happened, he jumped up to follow after the angsty young man.Chan put an arm out to block Felix’s path. “Clean up in here and get yourself some food. I’ll talk to the kid.” BC spoke with purpose as he dropped his arm and turned out the door to leave. Felix murmured a ‘yes sir’ and then walked back into the room to clean up the various things that were scattered around from Jeongin’s training. Chan walked around the corner to see Jisung and Changbin talking on the couch, with Minho sitting on the kitchen island adding into their conversation occasionally. The chatter stopped abruptly once the talking boys realized Chan’s presence, his appearance surprising the trio. Chan rolled his eyes and continued to his destination; Jeongin’s room.The youngest member sat on the ground in his room, the space having a few more objects in it than it did before. There was now a shitty thrifted alarm clock, a fuzzy throw blanket, a small lamp with a ripped shade, and a couple of thin books next to the lamp. There was no furniture, everything was on the ground and the young boy didn’t even have a mat to sleep on. He was sure he’d have scoliosis or something because of sleeping on cement for over two months, but he had no other options. He had closed his door all the way, a sign in the syndicate of not wanting to be bothered, as the doors were normally left open a little bit. Chan turned the handle down and entered Jeongin’s threshold, the tension becoming so thick one could cut it with a knife.Jeongin sat on the ground cross-legged with his blanket underneath him to provide a barrier for the cold cement. He was undoing the wraps that thinly covered the knuckles on his hands, trembling as he did so from the force of the punch he had thrown just minutes ago. Chan closed the door all the way behind him and sat down across from the boy. He reached out and stopped Jeongin’s shaking hands from moving anymore, holding them with his own calloused palms. The younger boy in front of him tensed up significantly and thoroughly disliked the situation, but he didn’t do anything against it. Chan then resumed the task Jeongin was just struggling to do and slowly unwrapped the cloth strips from Jeongin’s bruised hands. It was very dirty and the white color that they once were had turning into an uneven grayish-brown, but the most concerning feature was the significant amount of dried blood on the wraps.The cloth stuck to Jeongin’s skin like tape, so when it got down to tha last layer Chan was forced to peel back forming scabs on Jeongin’s knuckles. Jeongin hadn’t said a word to the older male, not knowing what to say.“This is gonna hurt, okay fox?” The nickname of ‘Desert fox’ rolled off his tongue smoothly and caused Jeongin to widen his eyes a little. He had been given the nickname by Felix a couple weeks after he came to the syndicate, and it stuck with the other members, but he didn’t think Chan knew about it. Chan spoke without looking up at Jeongin and without any empathy in his voice, yet it still strangely comforted the younger black-haired boy. He nodded hesitantly before the last strips of cloth were removed from his hands, causing the wound son his knuckles to bleed. Chan reached into a pocket on his jacket and pulled out gauze and medical tape, patching up the smaller boy sitting across from him.“Thanks BC.” Jeongin murmured quietly, still not looking up from the ground. Chan sighed and backed up a little bit before quickly shooting his hand out and grabbing Jeongin’s chin, squishing his cheeks a bit in the bout of aggression. Jeongin flinched and inhaled sharply as his eyes met BC’s once again, the older’s eyes steady on his but Jeongin’s flicking back and forth between the two eyes, not knowing which on to pick. The boy’s faces were painfully close, Jeongin could feel Chan’s breath on his nose.“If you have something to say, Jeongin, fucking say it. Tell me what’s on your mind, if you don’t, you won’t survive a week once things get active again. Speak.” Chan spit his words quietly aat Jeongin, making the young boy fill with rage once again. He shoved the older male away from him and stood up so he was above Chan.“Who are you to talk?! You’ve been MIA since I got here, you shove me onto Felix because you can’t be bothered to clean up the mess you made for yourself! I’ve been working my ass off training while you did what? Sat in your office and admired your pretty guns for two months? I’ve become something you wanted me to be just so I can be a fucking pawn in your stupid game of crime. I know I’m expendable to you, so why are you making Felix do so much work that’s going to go to waste? Why are you pushing me so hard?” Jeongin ranted his thoughts into the room, his eyes pricking with tears of frustration that he wanted to go away. He didn’t feel the need to cry but the whirlwind of emotions swirling around in his brain were causing the primitive response to occur. He wiped his eyes furiously and looked down at the cement floor again. Then he sighed and forced himself to look up and meet Chan’s dead, hooded gaze, trying once again to mimic the older’s emotionless state.“Tch, who knew you would be such a brat, Yang?” After a beat, Chan scoffed and broke the eye contact for the first time. He was now the one looking at the ground, causing a strange shift in the atmosphere.“You’re not worth my time if you’re going to complain like a child. So I’m giving you one more week and then you’re gone. Prove yourself to be invaluable by then and I won’t put you back where Felix found you.” Chan stood up and threw the wraps that were once on Jeongin’s hand onto the ground dramatically. He looked at Jeongin once more before pulling open the metal door and letting it screech shut after he had left. The young man was left alone in his cement block and he felt like kicking something. So he followed after the man who just walked out of his room and kicked him square in the back as he reached the open end of the bedroom hallway.BC fell onto the cold cement, pushing himself up quickly and touching his face to feel a small trickle of blood coming out of a cut on his cheek. He turned to see Jeongin fuming and breathing heavily from adrenaline. “You’re not worth my time if you choose to treat me like dirt! I’m done!” Jeongin spat aggressively at the taller male, then shoulder checked him as he walked by to the warehouse door. Changbin started to get up to stop the younger boy, but Chan motioned for him to sit back down. Jeongin ripped open the door and slammed it behind him, not looking back once. Chan chuckled.Jeongin stepped out into the late winter sun, there were small drifts of snow melting off the last snow of the season, most likely. Jeongin kicked a bit of it, then screamed at the top of his lungs out of frustration. He didn’t leave his Busan hell-hole to get thrown into a situation that was just as bad. He either wanted to be treated with respect or he wanted out. He heard the warehouse door screech open and he rolled his eyes and turned to the new person, but to his surprise, he was greeted with the kind face of Seungmin.“I know it can get really infuriating sometimes. It took me almost a year to gain any sort of respect from other members besides Chan, though it seems you’re in the opposite situation…” Seungmin trailed off, failing at trying to comfort Jeongin.“But! My point is that I know Jisung, Woojin, and I are backing you up 100%. Even though Chan is, how you said, treating you like dirt, he’ll come around. He took you in for a reason, and you were unaware enough when you came here that he could’ve turned you loose without any problems. He didn’t though, which means he does want you here. My guess is he wants to put you under pressure to get the best out of you.” Seungmin spoke more clearly after collecting his thoughts for a moment. Jeongin nodded as he drew lines in the wet dirt with his shoe, feeling embarrassed for the scene he had caused. Seungmin understood him, they were the closest in age. The pair walked slowly back to the door after a couple of minutes of silence for Jeongin to catch his breath and they entered the bleak building once again.“Welcome back, drama queen! Did you have a nice temper tantrum?” Felix was the first one to speak, Jeongin looked down to the ground in shame and he felt Seungmin’s hand wrap around his own in comfort. It helped. Seungmin shot a death glare at Felix, before tapping Jeongin’s shoulder and silently checking with him if it was okay for him to leave. Jeongin nodded, and off Seungmin went.Felix came up and smacked the back of Jeongin’s head in a brotherly way after Seungmin was out of sight. “I know he can get pretty intolerable sometimes, but violence is definitely not the answer with him. It must sound weird coming from a gang member, but I’m serious. Don’t do something like that again, got it? You need to learn how to control that temper of yours and put it to better use than kicking Chan in the back.” Felix explained and then joked with the young black-haired male, and Jeongin chuckled before nodding. Felix let go of him and wandered off to his room, leaving Jeongin alone in the main area of the warehouse. He sat on the couch and let his head fall back onto the back of the seat, closing his eyes and sighing heavily. He didn’t want to be punished, but he knew he deserved it and that a pretty bad one would be coming to him soon.After an unmeasurable amount of time, Jeongin lifted his head and looked to his right only to see Bang Chan doing exactly what he was doing moments earlier. Jeongin flinched and scooted farther away from the leader, afraid of the punishment he would receive. BC felt the younger’s movement and lifted his head slowly before stretching his arms. He opened his eyes and looked at Jeongin, tilting his head to the side a bit and smiling softly.“I never nap, but I saw you asleep out here and I thought it looked like a good idea!” Chan spoke in a strangely cheery manner, creeping Jeongin out a bit. Jeongin crinkled his eyebrows a little and Chan realized what he was expecting.“Right. You humiliated me in front of most of my men, even after I helped you with your wraps and your hands. Because of this, I decided that I’m going to take over your training from now on.” Chan spoke, never once moving his gaze from Jeongin’s worried face. The younger boy gulped. He didn’t want Chan to take over his training, Felix was much nicer, much more tolerable, and actually cared about his well-being. He thought Chan didn’t, which meant he was planning on pushing Jeongin to the point of breakdown. He sighed at the thought but nodded in agreement nonetheless, he knew he couldn’t fight it, not after the stunt he pulled earlier.“Also, you need to apologize to me, in front on everyone at dinner tomorrow, traditional style. Got it?” Chan spoke his finals words as he stood up from the couch and Jeongin reluctantly nodded again. He knew he’d be humiliated, and that because he’d be embarrassed he’d probably snap again, but that was a problem for the future. He knew he needed to keep his tongue in control from now on, though he also knew it would be a much easier task said than done.“Oh and one last thing,” Chan said, turning around quickly and raising a finger to his scraped cheek. “You need to tend to this right now.” He tapped his own face lightly, meaning the scrape Jeongin had caused. The younger rolled his eyes. Now he’s just milking me for services… Jeongin thought as we went to Woojin’s medical station to get a bandage and some zinc repair gel. He came back and sat next to BC on the couch, having to lean over most of his body to apply the treatment gel correctly. Chan winced quietly at the sting of the treatment, and it almost made Jeongin smile, but instead he opened the bandage package and placed it on his superior’s face, tapping it gently to make sure the adhesive was sticking properly. Time seemed to slow momentarily, as Jeongin looked down and realized the position the pair were in at the moment. His cheeks lit up with blush, and he pulled away quickly from his leader, staring directly at the ground to avoid any kind of contact with the older.“Thank you fox, now get some food and get to bed, You’ll need all your rest for tomorrow's training. See you at 6.” Chan spoke as he shrugged his jacket back onto his shoulders and disappeared down the bedroom hallway. Jeongin let out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding as soon as he heard BC’s bedroom door close, and then began to dread the next morning.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Jeongin awoke to the sound of his bedroom door screeching open at the same time as his alarm going off. He wrinkled his nose and pinched his eyes tighter together in deep distaste at all of the noise, before reaching over and blindly turning off his trashy alarm clock. He sat up slowly and rubbed his eyes before opening them cautiously. He saw BC squatting down in front of him with a cruel smile on his face.“Morning fox! We gotta get moving, I have work to do this afternoon. So throw some clothes on and meet me in the gym.” Chan spoke as he ruffled Jeongin’s hair, causing the younger boy to lazily bat his hand away. Chan chuckled before leaving the room, letting Jeongin to change out of his pajamas and into some workout clothes. He did so swiftly and sauntered into the warehouse’s makeshift gym once again. BC was on the ground stretching out his arms, his legs crossed. Jeongin followed suit, stretching out his arms first and then his legs, pushing himself into nearly a splits to stretch his thigh muscles. Chan laughed a little at the sight.“I had no idea you were so flexible, Jeongin. What other tricks are you hiding from me, kid?” Chan spoke as he tried to copy what Jeongin was doing, only to fail miserably. The older man wasn’t very flexible at all, he didn’t have to be. He relied on his wits and his strength more than anything else, he let other people to the flips and wall climbs.“I’m not hiding shit, Bang. So shut it and let me stretch.” Jeongin spit his words sleepily, switching the leg he was working on. Chan rolled his eyes and followed the younger’s example as they worked. After about ten minutes, the pair of boys stood up and got to work. Chan pushed Jeongin much harder than Felix, just like he had suspected, but he worked through the pain he was in. Sets of pushups, pullups, burpees, and planks, Chan let him rest for a few minutes.The young boy was drenched with sweat, and collapsed onto his back after guzzling water. It was the first break Chan had given him, and he felt like he was going to die, he was so exhausted. His trainer disappeared into the supplies closet momentarily before coming back out with an armful of thick rope, an evil smile making its way onto his face. Jeongin sighed and squinted his eyes closed. He didn’t know what he was about to be told to do, but he didn’t like it already. The black-haired boy heaved himself up off the ground and walked over to BC.“What’s all this?” The young boy asked unenthusiastically as he took another gulp of his water. Chan was kneeling on the ground hooking the two ropes to steel loops in the wall and untangling them from each other. Jeongin tilted his head in confusion.“These,” Chan said, standing up and motioning to the ropes on the ground. “Are called battle ropes. You’re going to train with them from now on, since you’re doing pretty well everywhere else. I want you to spend half an hour each day using them and when you can get them to the right speed without losing form, you’re training is done. Okay?” Chan explained the situation as he picked up one of the heavy ropes and wiggling it a little. Jeongin nodded slowly before walking forward and picking up the ends of the two ropes.Chan stepped back and explained the proper form to Jeongin. “Put your legs shoulder width apart and squat down a bit. Make sure the muscles in your calves are being pulled tight, and then shake the ropes in opposite frequencies. Try to whip them as fast as you can, and don’t let them touch the ground.” Jeongin rolled his eyes at the task. That didn’t sound too difficult, right? They’re only ropes. So the young boy took a breath before whipping the heavy ropes in opposite ways, pulling them slightly to keep them off the ground. Just when Jeongin started to think he had gotten the hang of it, the backlash from the ropes started to hit him in waves, knocking him off his feet and making him let go of the ropes to stumble backwards into Chan. The older smiled and caught him, only to push him back towards the ropes and nod, as if to tell Jeongin to keep going.After a while, Jeongin’s vision started to blur from exhaustion, and Chan had left the gym. Just as Jeongin was about to quit, Felix poked his head in the door to the room.“Chan says you can stop now, Jeongin. Are you okay? Can I get you anything?” Felix asked his questions kindly, clearly worried for the younger. Jeongin heard his words and collapsed onto his knees before falling backwards, panting hard and trying to get his heart rate to stabilize. Felix rushed over to him and put to fingers to his neck to take his pulse. His veins were bulging out and his palms were bleeding from the abrasion of the ropes. His heart rate was pounding, and Felix’s eyes flashed with worry before Jeongin shooed him off.“Jesus, he really is trying to kill you…” Felix mumbled as he grabbed Jeongin’s water bottle for him. Jeongin nodded slowly as he pushed himself up into standing. Felix ran over again and steadied his younger friend, handing the young boy his water bottle and slinging one of his arms over his own shoulder, helping Jeongin walk out of the gym room. The pair walked down the hallway and into the main area, where all the boys were sitting down to dinner, chatting and laughing, with Chan at the head of the table sipping a beer. His eyes locked with Felix’s and the younger death glared into the older as he passed, before helping Jeongin into his room and grabbing him some clothes. The white-haired male had been lending Jeongin his clothing until Chan decided to be nice enough to take the young boy out shopping for his necessities. The younger boy collapsed onto Felix’s bed once he let go of him, and Felix turned to grab some clothing before leaving the room and shutting the door to give Jeongin some privacy. He walked back to the dining table where hushed whispers filled the air and stopped abruptly once his chair squeaked to show his arrival. Seated next to Jisung, the freckled boy rolled his eyes at the immature greeting. Changbin broke the silence first.“Is Jeongin feeling well enough to come eat with us? If not someone should definitely bring him something to eat.” The buff male spoke clearly, eyeing Felix across the table with an all-too-knowing gaze, and the rest of the table hummed in agreement. Chan scoffed audibly.“The kid is being overdramatic. He’s fine, so don’t baby him.” He spoke bitterly before scooping a forkful of steamed vegetables into his mouth. Felix tried his best to hold back in anger, though it didn’t work very well, as everyone could see he was fuming. Seungmin opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off but Felix’s rough voice.“Why’d you push him so hard today Chan? No, actually, why do you always push him so far? You’ve never treated any of us like that, even when we were just as snotty and entitled as him. So why are you so cruel?” Felix questioned intently, standing up from his seat as he did so, causing his chair to squeak backwards behind him and for all eyes to be on him. He slammed his fist on the table in frustration. “He’s a good kid, hyung! He’s sweet and bubbly and really wants to please you, it’s all he talks about.” Felix’s soft features were shifted into a desperate form, silently pleading with his leader to be kinder to the newest recruit. Chan chuckled darkly at his inferior, causing a couple of shifty glances to pass between the members.“Well, looks like our sniper here has a crush boys! Tell me, is that why he’s been wearing your clothing since the first week he got here? And why you cook for him, let him sleep in your bed if he’s cold, and treat him like a baby? Don’t think I didn’t notice, Felix, you aren’t slick. And you want to know the reason I’m so hard on him? Huh?” Chan spoke harshly, his cold words cutting through Felix’s confidence, the younger gulped expectantly.“It’s because he’s talented. He’s smart, quick, strong, he could be the syndicate’s best runner, his skills could put us so far above the rest of the gangs, it’s crazy. He thinks he’s trash though, because I am teaching him discipline. If he doesn’t learn it the hard way he’ll separate and then he’ll become our downfall instead of our weapon.” Chan explained, folding his hands under his chin and resting his head on them. He looked down to his half-eaten food and sighed solemnly.“I hope you don’t step out of line again Felix, otherwise something might happen to this little crush that you’ve developed… I’d hate to step on your feelings.” Chan hissed his words bitterly, causing a ripple of apprehension faze through the members, who were sat petrified at the fight that just went down in front of them. A shrill laugh sounded from the couch, where - as Felix and Chan only just then saw - sat Jeongin in a bubblegum pink hoodie and basketball shorts he had found in Felix’s room. All of the member’s eyes widened at the unsuspected guest.“Thanks for all the compliments Channie-hyung! It’s really sweet of you! I’m glad I know your intentions now, so I can hold it over you. I won’t leave, so don’t worry about that, you guys have a panini press! I wouldn’t leave that shit for anything.” Jeongin spoke like he was in Chan’s position now, in power, superior to the other members. He stood up from his place on the couch and walked over to Felix slowly, ruffling the older’s hair just like he had done to him many times before.“I know you don’t really like me like that, hyung, Chan is just a little bit jealous because you get to spend so much time with me.” Jeongin gave a big eye smile to the freckled boy, shooting a cheeky glance to Chan when he spoke his name. The youngest boy heard Chan audibly growl at his dig, which made his chest swell with accomplishment a little more than it should. Felix’s face heated with a blush at the situation, he thought it was funny that Jeongin was so blind, even though it was convenient for himself.Jeongin sat down at the large table, moving his plate to reach of food that was laid out. A serving of fried rice, some steamed veggies, it looked delicious to him, so he smiled. Felix was looking at him like he had just committed a crime, as were Hyunjin, Changbin, and Minho. Seungmin and Jisung look frightened, Woojin looked disappointed. Jeongin began to eat when Chan’s chair now squeaked and the fuming man stood up in frustration. He glared at Jeongin across the table, and then stormed out of the room, making good time towards his bedroom. Woojin sighed, as did Hyunjin and Minho. Jeongin looked around, confused.“Why’d he go? He didn’t finish his food…” Jeongin looked at the now empty seat, and he heard Changbin scoff at his thickness.“Are you really that dense, kid? You pissed him off, and now your neck is on the line because you couldn’t hold your god damn tongue. Have fun on the streets.” The straight-haired male said. He shook his head lightly, chuckling at the youngest member before tapping Hyunjin on the arm and flicking his head towards the bedroom hallway. Hyunjin nodded and made eyes with Minho, and then all three of the older boys stood up from their seats and walked off, marking their disappearance with one single screech of a bedroom door. Jisung and Seungmin slipped away silently and Woojin had followed after Chan shortly after he disappeared. Felix and Jeongin were the only ones left and they both picked at their food awkwardly.“Honestly, I could take the effort to tell you off right now, but I just want the day to end. Just know I’m not the happiest with you, Yang.” Felix sighed defeatedly after a few silent minutes, picking up the plates at the table and taking them to the sink. Jeongin nodded and followed his actions, helping load the dishwasher as Felix finished cleaning the dishes. Felix gave a small thanks before walking back towards his room, Jeongin still following like a lost puppy, all the way to Felix’s room.“Nuh-uh. Sorry Jeongin but I see Chan’s point. You do need to learn discipline, so you’re sleeping in your own room from now on. Goodnight.” Felix had turned around sharply when he felt the boy following him to his room, and shooed him away unhappily. Jeongin looked to the ground and nodded solemnly before turning and walking back down the drab hallway to his own pitiful excuse for a bedroom. His door screeched closed behind him and he shuffled his one blanket and pillow to look something like a sleeping bag again, before laying down on it and uncomfortably shutting his eyes.Once Felix had closed his own bedroom door, he waited to hear Jeongin’s close, and then slid down the cold steel door until he was seated on the ground with his knees close to his chest. He ran a hand through his hair and knocked his head back against the door in exasperation. He needed to get over his crush, which is hwy he was locking Jeongin out now, but that didn’t mean he wanted to. He knew he needed to, for the sake of the clan. He regained his composure after a beat and climbed into bed, falling asleep nearly as uncomfortably as Jeongin, despite having a soft bed beneath him. His emotions were making him uncomfortable, ones that he hadn’t felt in so long, but now felt the need to rid himself of.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
After waking up unhappily, Jeongin was sitting on the kitchen island munching on a bowl of American cereal. He wasn't sure what it was called, since the box had been thrown away, but it was ridiculously sugary and that is all he really cared about. He had an insufferable sweet tooth, and most Korean cereals didn't quite scratch the itch for him. Back in Busan he used to steal bags of Konpeitō from convenient stores when they were in season and eat them in his attic. The sugar crystals always made him happy. He hadn't had any of the Japanese candy in a long time, and now for some reason he almost ached for it. The members of the clan sauntered out of their rooms one by one as the morning dragged on, saying small morning greetings to Jeongin as they passed. The young Busan boy returned them fondly. Felix came out late, making eyes contact with Jeongin momentarily in a friendly manner before remembering their argument and casting his honey-colored eyes away again. It made Felix’s heart tug with pain and Jeongin’s stomach twinge with betrayal. Chan was the last one to come out of the bed hallway (as usual) and was (also as usual) followed closely by Woojin, both looking disgruntled. Changbin laughed and Minho rolled his eyes at the situation.Chan's presence was different from most mornings. It was one of dread and discomfort and the rest of the clan cleared out rapidly once they caught whiff of it. Woojin, Chan and Jeongin were the only ones who remained after a beat. Jeongin finished his cereal and placed the empty bowl in the sink before trotting over to Chan and looking slightly upwards at the older male with an expectant gaze.“Woojin thinks… that maybe… it would be best… if I…” Chan struggled to get his sentence out, he looked very unhappy with the fact that he had to say these words. Jeongin scrunched his nose.“Is that any way to say 'good morning’, hyung?” Jeongin spoke condescendingly, going up on his tiptoes to make himself eye-level with Chan though he still tilted his head like he was looking up at the older male.“He said, it would be good to… to… totake you shopping and get you adjusted to clan life.” BC finally got the sentence out, and Jeongin smiled with surprise. Both at Chan's odd state of being flustered and at his kind request. Woojin looked proud of himself behind Chan, and wandered off back to his room. Jeongin stepped back from Chan a little and blushed faintly.“Why thank you for the offer, Channie-hyung, that's very kind of you.~” Jeongin spoke to the floor before lifting his head and looking at Chan with big eyes. He wasn't intentionally trying to be cute, but Chan was struggling to stay emotionless in the odd situation. Jeongin couldn't tell. Chan coughed awkwardly.“Uh, yeah, sure. Don't take it for granted, kid. I'm not gonna spend a fortune on you.” BC said roughly, looking down at the ground once again. Jeongin smiled.“I'll go get ready then! Make sure you get something to eat BC!” the bright maknae said cheerily as he walked back to his room, waving Chan off slightly. The older male sighed.The younger reappeared after about 15 minutes of rifling through Felix’s clothes, the young boy emerged from the white-haired male’s room in an outfit a bit too dressy to just go shopping, but BC wasn’t complaining by any means. The black haired boy wore a very long sweater with a shredded up bottom that reached just above his knees. Its long sleeves covered up his hands and he struggled to keep them pushed up at his wrists. He had on ripped up black jeans and white patent leather doc martin boots to match his white patent leather choker. The young boy looked ridiculous, so stylish just to go to the store, but still Chan couldn’t keep his eyes off of Jeongin.When Felix, who was sitting on the couch, saw the younger, he spittled out his La Croix that he was sipping, them abruptly tried to cover it up with a couple fake coughs as he wiped his chin. The freckled boy thought he looked ravishing, in every sense of the words, so he quickly averted his eyes and let his blush crawl up his ears in uncomfortable silence.Chan covered up his awe with an eye roll at the younger’s clothing choice, which made Jeongin smirk. “You’re not too bad yourself BC! Now lets gooooo…” Jeongin complimented and then whined, breaking his cool facade instantly. Chan breathed out heavily in an almost ashamed manner. Jeongin shuffled his feet awkwardly, making Chan tilt his head a little. The youngest member went back and forth between cute, cocky, annoying, and shy in the blink of an eye. I guess that’s the way teenagers are. Chan thought before waving to Woojin and grabbing a pair of keys from a hook by the main warehouse door.“Lynx and Desert Fox are out!” Chan called as he opened the door to let the pair walk out. He heard a couple or remarks of understanding, so he closed the door behind him before locking it again. The opposite pair walked in painful silence to the garage, which admittedly, Jeongin didn’t know there was one, let alone where it was. Inside there were many expensive-looking vehicles, including multiple Ferraris (in varying shades of red, blue, and even purple), one midnight blue Mercedes G-wagon, and a matte black Audi S3. The keys in Chan’s hand made the headlights of the g-wagon light up when he unlocked it, and Jeongin was floored.The people that he had fallen in with had enough money to buy all of these cars, and keep them in peak condition. He suspected that the g-wagon was Chan’s personal vehicle, considering it had many more miles on it than Jeongin thought it would, and the way Chan looked in the vehicle. He seemed to belong in it, like he thought it was made for him. Jeongin agreed.The pair drove in relative silence for quite a ways before pulling into the parking garage of an Ikea. Chan intentionally parked far from the entrance as to not get his car damaged, and so the pair walked into the massive store together. They hadn’t talked much at all and it had been about half an hour since they left the house, so Jeongin was bored.“Channie-hyung, can I get whatever I want?? I mean, since I have nothing, after all…” Jeongin pouted like a baby as they stopped on the escalator moving upwards. The young boy leaned in a little bit endearingly, causing Chan to lean back, keeping the same distance between their faces. Jeongin batted his eyes a couple times much like a child and Chan rolled his.“You’ll be getting the bare minimum, Jeongin.” Chan spoke firmly, looking away from the handsome boy as they got off the escalator. Jeongin pouted momentarily but it didn’t last long, as he saw that he wasn’t getting Chan’s attention anymore. They strolled through the showroom, Jeongin pointing out his favorite items and Chan adding them to his growing list of furniture. They made small talk, but not much conversation was flowing. They reached the bedrooms part of the showroom and they sat on a soft loft bed together. Not much was said, but Chan had a feeling like they reached some sort of calm. They were both happy in eachothers company in the simplest way, and they didn’t need to speak. Jeongin smiled, which caused Chan to follow suit, seeing as he was looking at Jeongin out of the corner of his eye.By the time they made it to the pickup area, Jeongin had an entire notebook page of items to pick up and Chan didn’t complain once. It was surprising to the younger, but he decided not to look his gift horse in the mouth. One black, quilted, queen size bed frame, one queen size mattress, one white nightstand, one white and black dresser, one very large black framed mirror, one night lamp, a couple packs of hangers, two minimalist pastel rugs, and many small trinkets to place around the room was all that was gathered at the end of the trip, and the two boys struggled to carry all of the furniture items out to the car. Then they struggled even more to maneuver them into the expensive vehicle without damaging it or themselves.Once all was in the car, Chan sighed heavily, then turned to Jeongin.“Where to now, fox? Do you want some clothes to fill up that 254,000 ₩ dresser?” Chan spoke kindly, almost like he was happy and excited to finally be giving the young boy a livelihood. Jeongin nodded enthusiastically at the proposal, and quickly buckled his seatbelt. Chan chuckled softly at him and Jeongin’s heart warmed at the sound. It wasn’t a harsh condescending chuckle, it was kind of endearing, and it made Jeongin feel like he was being praised, though he wasn’t. Making Chan feel any kind of emotion (and show that emotion) was Jeongin’s main goal, because the man seemed rather unhappy otherwise.The pair arrived at a large shopping complex, with a couple of expensive name brands, as well as some more affordable shops like H&M and UniQlo. The pair of boys shopped around, finding Jeongin all sorts of clothing, from socks with cacti on them to jeans that were more hole than denim. He also ended up with a rather expensive leather bomber jacket from Gucci, as well as a pair of iconic slides for Jeongin to wear around the warehouse. He finished the day with a whole new wardrobe to challenge Hyunjin’s, and a very tired Chan that was now nearly 9,000,000 ₩ lighter than he was at the beginning of the day. Jeongin was turning out to be very expensive habit.The two boys walked back into their home at about 8:00 that night, their hands filled with goodies for Jeongin, after taking multiple trips to truly gather everything they had bought that day. Minho and Hyunjin laughed, clearly the pair had some kind of inside joke regarding the two men who had just arrived home, but neither of the men in question cared enough to ask. Felix and Woojin helped them move everything into Jeongin’s room, and then the four of them got to work on building Jeongin’s furniture.By 10:00 pm, Felix was gone, adn by 11:00, Woojin was gone too. Chan and Jeongin had finished making The dresser, nightstand, and were now working on the bed frame, which proved to be a nightmare. None of the pieces seemed to fit, but after 3 hours of work, the finally managed to get Jeongin’s whole room put together.“Woah, Channie, it’s 2 am… We gotta go to bed.” Jeongin said, unintentionally dropping the honorifics due to his exhaustion, and Chan hardly noticed due to his. He nodded and yawned, rolling his neck from side to side to crack the stiff joints. Jeongin caught his yawn and covered his mouth, blinking lazily afterwords. All of Jeongin’s new clothes were in his dresser, his rugs were laid out on the floor, and his bed was completely made, with his large mattress being covered by a dark blue and white pinstriped sheet set, with a black comforter. The younger of the two plopped down on top of it and groaned.“Hyung, this is so comfy. It so warm and nice, I’ll sleep like a baby on it compared to the floor.” Jeongin rambled lightly, but his comment made Chan’s tired heart twinge with guilt. He felt bad for making the young boy sleep on cement ground for weeks, without anything to help him. It was pretty harsh, considering it wasn’t a punishment, because Jeongin hadn’t done anything. Chan sat down on the edge of the bed cautiously.“Yeah, I’m sorry about that kid, it was pretty fucking rude of me. I’d never put one of my other guys through that, I think felix had a point a couple nights ago when he said I was too harsh…” Chan rambled off in an apologetic manner, really wanting Jeongin to heed his words, since he truly meant them. Jeongin sat up and nodded in understanding.“I get it hyung. It’s the past, and besides, buying me all this amazing stuff makes up for it tenfold.” Jeongin spoke groggily, with a cute smile as he reached out and ruffled Chan’s already messy black hair. The older swatted his hand away playfully, much like how Jeongin often did towards the other, since their roles were always reversed in this particular situation. Chan smiled back.Jeongin and Chan had changed into more comfortable clothes much earlier, wanting to make sure that if they did pass out before they finished, at least they would be comfortable. Jeongin was sporting a pair of black sweats and a loose white tee, while Chan offered a similar style with a tight black tee and gray sweatpants. Jeongin’s clothing choices engulfed his smaller frame, while Chan’s enunciated his stark bodily features.Jeongin yawned once again and swayed a little where he was sitting. Chan chuckled, much like how he had earlier in the car, making Jeongin’s sleepy eyes sparkle with joy. Chan could see it, which made him even happier. He smiled softly at the boy next to him. Jeongin returned it forgivingly before leaning forward and plopping his forehead on BC’s strong shoulder. The older man stiffened at the sudden action, pausing for a beat before cautiously moving his hands to Jeongin’s back to hold him gently. The smaller boy had shifted closer to Chan and his crossed legs were a bit under Chan’s as his leader held him close. Jeongin smiled at the scene.Chan eventually pushed the smaller boy lightly to move him, and then had him lay down in his new bed. Jeongin seemed both relieved and confused, until Chan laid down next to him and pulled the comforter close around their shoulders. Jeongin nodded, as if he understood the situation perfectly, and then wiggled closer to Chan before. The taller reached to the nightstand and flicked the lamp off, returning to the smaller boy that was laying very close to him. Their arms weren’t wrapped around each other, though Jeongin wished so in his mind. The younger’s arms were curled next to his head, and the older’s were laid under his head. They laid like that in the dark for a little while, before Jeongin broke the comfortable silence.“Thank you for finding me Chan. I’d be gone without you.” He said before closing his eyes and letting his aching exhaustion take him over and send him off to sleep. Chan’s breath caught in his throat before regaining his composure nodding slightly and reaching with one hand to carefully play with a stray piece of Jeongin’s black hair. He knew it didn’t matter to a sleeping boy, but he felt like he had to be delicate when physically interacting with him, for some odd reason. He closed his eyes as well and whispered a hushed response back to the young member.“Anything to keep you safe, Fox.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“BC didn’t go to bed in his room last night.” Woojin spoke darkly over a cup of coffee. Felix’s ears perked up at this, as it was very unusual for Chan to not go to bed in his own room. Jisung laughed and playfully hit Minho’s shoulder to get his attention. The older member rolled his eyes and dug around in his pocket for a moment before pulling out a crumpled 20,000 won bill out of his pocket before begrudgingly handing it over to Jisung who laughed in success. Seungmin chuckled as well, nodding at Jisung in understanding of the situation. Felix turned away from the confusing group, shaking his head. Changbin walked into the room and sat next to Felix, his hair still messy and his eyes still cloudy with sleep. Felix chuckled at the older male and grabbed his shoulder to tug Changbin closer. The fighter flopped his tired head on Felix’s shoulder and reached out to steal a couple sips of his coffee. The morning scene was a warm one, all of the members content to some extent.Farther off, behind a couple of warehouse walls, Chan’s arms were wrapped around the youngest member of the Clan unbeknownst to both of them. Chan was the first to stir, yawning and opening his eyes groggily, before shooting them open and yanking his arms away from Jeongin’s sleeping form. Panic flooded his system, his mouth was a little bit agape in shock. He didn’t know how he let this situation happen, and he hardly remembered the night before. He had no idea what was happening and so he hurriedly rushed around the room to gather his belongings before yanking open the door only to find Woojin, about to knock on the hard metal. Shock painted his face, but concern quickly overtook it and Chan averted his eyes and shoved past his right hand man. He knew he would follow but he just wanted to disappear.Chan yanked open his bedroom door and tried to close it before Woojin came in, but failed miserably. The slightly older man closed the door lightly behind him and locked it, before watching Chan collapse onto the floor into a pile of panic. The leader ran his hands through his black curls, looking down at the ground, wide-eyed.“Breathe Channie. What’s gotten into you?” Woojin spoke softly, crouching down and rubbing Chan’s shoulder lovingly, looking him up and down with concern clouding his vision. The leader slowed his breathing and calmed himself quickly, following Woojin’s command. He shook his head a little bit and spoke.“Sorry Woojin. Something happened with Jeongin last night because I was helping him with his furniture and I just woke up with my arms wrapped around him and I don’t think that anything happened but I’m afraid I was an idiot.” Chan spoke quickly and quietly as he stood up and Woojin punched his arm.“Yeah, you’re an idiot. You scared me, man! I thought something serious happened.” Woojin smiled at his best friend while Chan squinted his eyebrows.“Woojin, this is serious! I can’t let him think I’m some softie! I know it’s dumb but I just want him to respect me, like I’m not his friend.” Chan said, exasperated. Woojin laughed at his words, angering Chan further.“You’ve never treat us the way you treat him, you’ve never acted all ‘tough’ or ‘cold’ around us, but you want to with him. I have my own theories as to why this is, but you gotta get yourself together. Just chill out and stop alienating him, okay?” The honey-haired man laughed again and turned to leave but Chan reached his hand out and grabbed his arm, turning him back to face him. Woojin looked confused.“Why don’t you get it, Woojin? I have my own reasons, and I need him to-” The leader didn’t have the chance to finish, as there was a knock on the door. Woojin flicked the lock open, and Chan called to come in. a very sleepy Jeongin stood there, rubbing his eyes. Woojin’s eyes flicked from Jeongin back to Chan and saw his entire demeanor change. He rolled his eyes at his leader, wanting to laugh at his oblivious, stubborn nature.“Hyung-oh, hi Woojin- where’d you go? I’m so fuckin’ tired and you just ran off, like it’s only 9 in the morning, what is that, 6 hours of sleep?? You leaving woke me up and then I couldn’t go back to bed because it’s too light out and like, what the hell man?” Jeongin rambled in his unhappy, sleepy manner, and Woojin smiled before turning to Chan and mouthing “Handle It.” to his leader, who gave an annoyed expression back. The taller man left the room, letting Jeongin in and closing the door. He walked in and sat on Chan’s bed cross-legged unhappily, definitely expecting apologies from Chan.“Y-You want an apology? I don’t answer to you, Fox. It was time for you to get up anyways.” Chan silently cursed himself for not only stuttering his words, but also using an affectionate pet name when addressing the boy. Though, his words still seemed to hit their target. Jeongin’s faced crunched up in anger and he jumped off the bed and walked to the door, but stopped just before opening it. He turned back to Chan and crossed his arms.“You know, I really thought I was seeing a different side of you last night, and I felt like I could actually be a part of this group, since you were accepting me now.” He rubbed his nose in anger, the frustration pent up inside him taking a physical effect. Chan’s eye flashed with hurt momentarily but Jeongin didn’t see, which Chan was grateful for. He shifted his weight to stand straight upright, appearing taller and colder than before.“I guess you were wrong, Jeongin. I’m your superior, not your friend.” Chan spoke with such a harsh tone it nearly surprised even him. The words hit Jeongin like a train and his arms dropped to his sides in defeat. He balled up his fists and cast his eyes down, appearing more sad than angry.“How can you call yourself my superior when you act like a child?! I thanked you last night, but I take it back.” Jeongin looked up and stared right into Chan’s dark brown eyes, causing the older to stir because of the monster of negative emotions he saw rearing within Jeongin’s hazel ones, brimming with frustrated tears. “I wish you’d never found me. I’d be better off in the snow.” He spat at his elder before opening the door and slamming it closed after him.The sharp noise of the door made Chan flinch, since he was resting in a state of shock from Jeongin’s words. He shook his head in distaste while murmuring to himself before changing his clothes to something more suitable for daytime work. He slipped on a pair of black ripped biker jeans and a pair of knee-high laced combat boots. He put on a dark purple silk dress shirt and tucked it in before finishing it off with his holster belt and light black eyeliner. He walked down the hallway and into the main room to make himself a cup of coffee. Many pairs of eyes were on him, but he refused to give his members the satisfaction of breaking under their stares.As he was dropping a couple of sugar cubes into his currently black coffee, he heard light footsteps and knew the youngest member had just walked into the room. He heard a few small greetings of good morning before a metal object was placed next to his hand on the counter. It was a handgun, but it was his. It was engraved with special patterns and he recognized the hand that had placed it on the countertop.“You left this in my room last night, hyung.” The boy’s busan accented voice filled the room, he wasn’t trying to keep their little cuddle session a secret. The pair’s eyes met once again, Jeongin’s hurt still evident, but less apparent than before. He was the first to break, turning and walking toward the weapon’s room. Chan wanted to comment on the young boy’s appearance, but he knew that was one of the worst things he could do right then, so he held his tongue. The busan boy’s smaller frame was clearly growing by the day, looking much more buff than when he had first entered their ranks. Today, he wore a very oversized light jumper that was a burnt black color, it had a loose knit and a couple of rips and tears along it. He matched it with a pair of blood red doc martens and a red bandana to coordinate, as well as light eyeliner similar to Chans.The thing that really set Chan off were the pair of black distressed jeans he wore, that had so many holes they could almost fall apart. They were a looser fit on the 17 year old, and with all the rips they gave a nice view of a pair of blood red fishnet tights underneath the boy’s jeans. Felix had seen the outfit as the boy was walking away and he choked on his coffee enough to make a scene, the provocative style seemed very out-of-place for the youngest member.Jeongin entered the lock combination to the weapons room and walked into the terrifying area once again. He grabbed a glock, ammo, and a pair of training headphones from the wall and left, not spending much time in the dark room, locking it again once he exited. He headed to the front door, not saying a word to any of the members as he walked out and closed it behind him. He walked behind the garage to a makeshift training range, where he placed the gun and ammo on a worn down table as he put on his headphones. He loaded the gun and tuned the safety off, taking a deep breath before pulling the trigger of a gun for the first time in his life. The recoil was enough to bounce him backwards, and the sound was deafening, even with his headphones on. He missed horribly, but he knew he had to get better, so he regained his posture and continued.
---
Jeongin awoke the next morning to being shaken violently by Felix. He opened his eyes groggily and seemed very displeased with this obnoxious wake-up call. Felix stopped shaking him once his eyes were open and began to speak urgently.“Fox, you need to get up now. Get ready as quick as you can and come to the dining room.” Felix spoke in a rushed manner, stumbling over the Korean words as he did so. Jeongin’s eyes widened and he suddenly realized that his time being a trainee were probably over. Felix left quickly and Jeongin got out of bed just as fast. He combed through his messy hair and washed his face before throwing on a pair of black ripped jeans and a loose gray tee, then rushed into the dining area of the home-like warehouse. The members were gathered, all looking rather tired, seated at the long table with Chan at the head of it. Jeongin took his seat quickly. By the looks on the other syndicate member’s faces, they probably didn’t know much more than Jeongin did at that moment. He didn’t even know how early in the morning it was. Chan decided to speak.“09, we’ve been in a time of relative peace for about 4 months, since Jeongin joined us. We’ve been keeping a keen ear to the ground because this kind of peace is odd and often more dangerous than when we’re fighting with the other syndicates. We know now, thanks to a message from Orange Rose, that Purity Ring has been anything but silent. After their last defeat, they decided that they should go dormant to amass their ranks. They’ve recruited new members, and though we thought Jeongin was one of theirs in the beginning, he easily could’ve been inducted had we not found him. Hirai Momo, the leader of Purity Ring, has brought up and trained five new members since we last saw them. Seungmin, please show them the profiles.” Chan summarized the current events and the members were nodding in understanding most of the time. Jeongin, on the other hand, felt so lost. He didn’t know anything about Purity Ring, other than that they were the Clan’s rival gang. Seungmin stood up in Chan’s place, with his computer linked to a projector, and a clicker in hand. A fuzzy image popped up on the blank wall closest to them, and Seungmin began to speak. The young boy seemed a little bit nervous, though he’d done this kind of presentation a few times before.“Alright, uhm, so the Ring has now upgraded to having ten members, like us. I’ll go over the original four, as well as the new members.” He spoke, clicking to the first slide on his presentation. An image of a tall-looking girl popped up, her shoulder-length caramel-colored hair was tied back into a ponytail and she wore general combat gear.“This is Hirai Momo. She’s 21, originally from Japan, and the leader of Purity Ring as well as weapons specialist. Not much is known about her and her whereabouts, other than that she was born into poverty and forces her syndicate to main in the drug trade. She’s basically Chan’s reflection, but sloppier. She used to be the second-in-command, but we did away with the Ring’s leader last time we met.”“Her right-hand man is Kim Hyunah. She’s also 21, and functions as the group’s diversion specialist, communications liaison, the brain of the team. She comes from Jeolla, where she has two high-school aged brothers. Her family doesn’t know that she’s involved in gang life, and she joined because their previous leader took her out of an 18+ type of club.”“Our final original two are Kim Woosung and Kang Younghyun. They are in their same positions as always, both fighters, and really the scariest ones of the syndicate. Younghyun is from Ilsan, and Woosung is from Los Angeles, in America. They are both 21 as well, they’re never seen apart.”“The first new member is a younger girl named Jang Dahye, but she goes by the name of Heize. She’s 19, from Daegu, and is the Ring’s version of me. She’s their tech expert, their hacker, and their behind-the-scenes director, she hardly ever goes out in the field.”“Next we have Min Yoongi, previously of the Bangtan syndicate. He’s 20, and works as a sniper for the Ring. Previously, Purity did not have a sniper, and that was often an advantage we held over them, but it seems as though they’ve picked up on our tricks.”“Their medical expert is Park Jinwoo, 20, from Ilsan. He isn’t much of a fighter, so he rarely goes into the field as well, making the Ring’s actual fighting numbers less than the full group potential. Not much is known about him, just that his mother is very ill and is currently in hospital care back in Ilsan.”“Their version of Hyunjin, their treasurer, is Lee Jooheon. He’s a klepto, just like our own, and he’s 19. He’s also an extremely skilled fighter, he was classically trained for the majority of his childhood here in Seoul, so he has some of the best training you can imagine.”“Lastly are the two runners, Choi Yoojung and Park Chaeyoung. Yoojung is the youngest, shes 17. Chaeyoung often goes by the name of Rosé, and she’s 19. They’re both drug mules for the Ring, Yoojung being from Gyeonggi, and Rosé being from Melbourne, Australia.”Seungmin finished his presentation and the members started to talk amongst themselves before Chan got up again to finish the meeting. “We need to roll out late tonight. We’re running a stake out operation, so Seungmin will be finishing our tech for the remainder of the day. Go get ready, grab all your basic gear. We’ll leave at midnight to get to Purity Ring HQ by 1 AM.” BC spoke solidly, making his orders clear. The clan nodded and then got up to gather the necessary equipment and prepare for the mission.Jeongin did the same, if not a bit more apprehensively than the other members. He threw on a black and white silk bomber jacket with an embroidered cityscape and Japanese characters on the back. He left his room and walked to the weapons room, since he had none of his own yet. He removed a spare weapons harness from the wall and attached it to his back underneath his jacket. He then grabbed two glock pistols and slipped them into the holsters on the harness, as well the oil-slick finished dagger he had spotted on his first day and slipped it into a sheath hidden on his ankle underneath the leg of his pants.Minho and Changbin walked into the weapons room just as Jeongin was rolling his pants down after placing his knife into its sheath and took his leg off of the table he had placed it on previously. Minho smirked a little evilly.“Hey there lover-boy. Ready for Daddy Channie to see you fail your first mission?” The older man sneered at Jeongin through smiling teeth as he grabbed a couple of pistols from the case as well, Changbin staying silent as he did the same. Jeongin rolled his eyes.“Shut your mouth Minho. It’s just a stake-out to get their whereabouts, I probably don’t even have to be there. And I’m not a lover-boy, who the hell would I be loving?” Jeongin replied as he grabbed his jacket from the table in front of him in preparation to leave the room.“Hmmm… well sleeping with our lovely leader, getting him all wrapped around your little fingers, as well as snagging Felix in your mess and dragging him along behind you. Who’s next? Seungmin? You two have seemed pretty friendly.” Minho threw his words at the youngest member as he loaded and cocked one of the pistols he had grabbed before and slipped it into a holster on his belt. Jeongin shook his head a bit in disbelief.“Are you serious? You’re delusional. Felix and I are friends, he’s helped me out a lot since I’ve been here. And as for BC, he’s a little idiotic but we didn’t sleep together.” Jeongin spoke cooly before turning and walking out the door, stopping in the doorway briefly to finish his thought.“I’d rather you not associate Chan and I together, especially in the way you’re insinuating.” He shot behind his shoulder before exiting the room and heading back into the main common room, where the rest of the Clan sat around, casually preparing themselves and their weapons for the upcoming mission. Jeongin took a seat near Felix and rolled up his pant leg again to adjust the knife holster that was now digging into his ankle. The older boy shot him a glance before continuing to clean his rifle. The large weapon was sleek in design and very tactile, though it was currently in pieces, waiting to be assembled. It was a STC Delta PDShP anti-material rifle, the very top-of-the-line for it’s kind. Felix didn’t say a word to the younger member, even as he sat in awe of his handiwork as he cleaned the scope and started to connect the pieces. After it was assembled, the rifle was almost 5 feet long, and Felix wiped the barrel down a couple more times before loading the weapon with bullets and casting another glance at Jeongin. The black-haired boy was a bit confused, as his friend wasn't talking to him. He suspected it was because of the other day when he cast Jeongin off, though the boy in question never seemed like the one to hold grudges, especially against people he took interest in.Chan walked into the room, covered from head to toe in gear. He wore a black denim jacket, which Jeongin suspected was reinforced with protective layers of some kind, as well as gray acid-wash jeans and steel-toed black combat boots that reached his ankles. He had an equipment belt with a handgun on each side, as well as a couple of visible smoke bombs. He had a bandana loose around his neck, clearly there to be used later on to cover his face. His eyes were smudged with black eyeshadow and liner, giving a smokey-eyed effect that Jeongin wouldn’t want to admit made him a little weak in the knees.“Let’s eat gang, we have about 4 hours until we have to roll out of here.” He spoke with purpose, and directed his words with the movement of his body towards the kitchen. Clan 09 followed suit one by one, finishing up the tasks they were doing before Chan’s call, and all either took seats at the dinner table or followed Chan into the kitchen to help make their meal.The group decided on tteokbokki rather quickly and then they got to work cooking. Lively conversation was spread throughout the group, sounding much like a group of teens, despite their goulish appearances and the mass of destructive weapons currently scattered around their living space. Jeongin got swept up in it quickly, laughing at Jisung’s impressions and commenting here and there on Seungmin and Woojin’s conversation, as well as listening intently to a couple of Changbin’s clearly ridiculous tales of heroism. After a good dinner and an overly-lighthearted bout of conversation, the group knew what was coming up. They cleared the table and washed off their dishes, and then started to replace their weapons back on their persons. Jeongin placed his handguns on his harness, and strapped the knife in its sheath back onto his ankle under his pant leg. Seungmin didn’t have much, he just handed out earpieces to each member and explained how to use them. He had one small pistol strapped to his right thigh, but he clearly didn’t seem comfortable with it. Felix’s sniper rifle was fully assembled and he had just heaved it onto his back where it now sat, the cross-strap having a couple of pieces of duct tape for decoration, Jeongin assumed. He also had a dagger on his left thigh as well as three small explosives on his belt, clearly for emergency purposes.Jisung had a headset similar to Seungmin’s on, as well as a couple of small handguns on each of his thighs, and two knives on each of his calves. He had hardly any gear, as he had to be much closer to the target than any of the rest of the syndicate, and he would have to be able to make a quick escape if needed. Hyunjin had basic gear; a few glocks and knives, nothing too special. Changbin, however, was definitely of interest. The muscled man had one fully-automatic assault rifle across his back, as well as a full magazine for the weapon across his chest. He also had one pistol and two knives on his belt, as well as a pair of brass knuckles firmly in his grip. Minho also had basic gear, as well as gloves with sharp metal studs on each of the knuckles for melee combat. Woojin only had two pistols on his chest harness, everything else he carried was of medical use; bandages in pouches on his belt and a variety of different creams, sprays, and cloths in many places on his body.Chan was the final person Jeongin inspected, and he was the most decked out in equipment. He had a semi-automatic assault rifle on his back, similar to Changbin’s, as well as three handguns and two knives that Jeongin could see with the naked eye, he was sure there were more. His smoke bombs were now accompanied by a few small explosives, and he had a much larger earpiece than the rest of the members. The leader of the team led them all to the beck exit of the warehouse, where it led into the main garage. They exited and deadbolted the door behind them, and piled into a reinvented school bus. Inside, there was tons of computer and communications technology, as well as boxes of ammo and a couple larger pieces of medical equipment. Chan took off the rifle on his back and set it on one of the many hooks on the wall. He walked to the front of the bus and started it, before turning back to the syndicate. A hush fell over the previously rowdy group of boys as they turned to their leader for instruction.“Stay low. We don’t make a fuss if we don’t need to, and always wait for one of mine, Jisung, Seungmin, or Felix’s word before moving in or turning tail and taking off. This is only a stakeout so we’re not trying to start a bloodbath. Everything is going to be recorded from the moment we hit the site, so we can listen back and take note of anything and everything we can dig up from this small-scale investigation. Let’s move out.” And with that, Chan turned and began the drive to Purity Ring headquaters.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The bus screeched quietly to halt as Chan parked the vehicle and turned off he rumbling engine. The drive was shorter than what Jeongin imagined, but longer than he would’ve liked. They were about a block away from a large urban complex, long since abandoned. It wasn’t very wide, like the Clan’s was, but it was taller, about three stories high. There were rusty fire escapes on the outside walls and a little bit of fencing around the perimeter, though it seemed that it was very torn up and didn’t serve much purpose. Closest to them was the alley where Jeongin was found, a couple of dumpsters and a large metal bolt door that Jeonign faintly recognized as where he first met Felix. Chan got up warily from his seat and began to give orders to the team.“Alright. Felix, get to high ground around the side of their building, take Jisung with you and he can break off to scout closer up to the warehouse. Changbin and Minho, stay close with me, I’m going to get on the roof and see if I can gather any information. You two stay on the ground and stay sharp. Seungmin, stay in here with Hyunjin and work on intercepting any communications, see if you can pick up any radio waves, just the usual stuff. Woojin will also stay here, behind the bus setting up medical. Jeongin, come up to the roof with me and await orders.” He spoke quietly and all the boys started grabbing their gear and leaving as their roles were assigned. Jeongin was a bit unhappy with his given role, it seemed like he wouldn’t be doing much on this mission, just sitting out awkward silence with Chan.The team moved to their positions. Felix and Jisung scurried out of the bus first, checking their surroundings quickly before crouching low and running across the open road to the other side. They seemed to share a couple of words before running across the street again, Felix ducking into the alleyway and Jisung continuing to run towards the main building. Felix’s large sniper rifle made it difficult to run, though he seemed to handle it with grace and ease as he found a way up a nearby building and began to hop between roofs and buildings, finding a spot that was far enough away from the base to not be seen, but still close enough to be impactful. The blonde boy finally settled down in a falling apart apartment building on the north side of the building, making sure that his spot aligned with Jisung, as they seemed to be running together, though they were far apart. They had clearly done this before and had perfected the skill. The building was run down, with broken windows and split walls, and Felix resided just inside a room on the 8th floor. Jeongin watched with squinted eyes as he set up his camp, eventually clearing off the ground a bit with his boot and sliding his rifle into position. He squatted down and then laid down behind it on his stomach. He lined up his scopes with the main entrance, but with a wide enough view so he could just barely see Jisung, making sure he wasn’t blind to any event regarding the other boy. His deep voice rang through the linked earpieces, confirming he was set up, followed quickly by Jisung confirming the same thing.Woojin was the next out, grabbing a duffle bag from his seat and hopping out of the bus only to stop and begin setting up his station right behind it, safe and out of sight. Changbin and Minho grabbed their gear from the seats and got out of the bus, taking posts at each end of it, and Seungmin opened his laptop and moved over so Hyunjin could sit nearer to him. Seungmin slipped on a pair of heavy duty headphones and moved the microphone down to his mouth. Chan looked to Jeongin and nodded before grabbing his own gear and getting out of the bus. Jeongin followed suit, if not a little more cautiously than the others. He wasn’t sure what to do, then he heard a voice behind him just as he was about to exit the vehicle. He turned to see Seungmin sliding off his headphones so they hung around his neck.“Hey, Jeonginnie, you’ll be alright! Bang Chan chose this mission because he knew it was low-risk. He’ll keep you safe, just remember your training, and don’t freeze up. I’ll be with you the whole time, and BC will cover you. He knows you’re the most vulnerable, but you’re also the most valuable right now. Don’t stress.” Seungmin spoke smoothly, his lovely smile pulling through and shining light on Jeongin’s worries. He tapped his headset as he talked about being with Jeongin all the way and the youngest member nodded lightly. He took a deep breath and smiled back at Seungmin before giving him a thumbs up and exiting the bus.Chan was speaking hurriedly to Woojin, who was nodding at the leader’s words. Jeongin walked up and nodded at BC, who then walked to the entrance of the bus and closed the door tightly before hitting the side of the bus as some kind of signal to Seungmin and Hyunjin. Jeongin then heard a hiss and a loud click that he could only assume was a high security pressure lock, making sure that the contents of the bus were secure, even if their mission was compromised. Then the leader and the youngest member walked to the back of the bus and tossed their larger equipment up to the roof. Jeongin looked at BC expectantly, and the older rolled his eyes a little before getting on one knee and locking his hands on top of his elevated knee for Jeongin to use as a lift. The young black haired boy did so with ease, much to his surprise, and then moved farther from the edge, moving the supplies as well. Before he knew it, the bus rocked a little and he saw Chan jump to grab a handle on the top of the bus and then walk his feet up the back end of it. He pulled himself over the edge rather easily and joined Jeongin on the roof.The older man set up the area, opening a small laptop with a live feed of a building somewhere. Jeongin guessed it was somewhere inside of the Purity Ring base, and he watched carefully as Chan flicked through multiple channels, changing the camera, Seungmin had hacked the security feeds. There seemed to be nothing of interest, just blank hallways and empty rooms. The leader kept clicking through the different cameras until he landed upon a kind of conference room. There were the 10 members sitting around a large, black table and before Jeongin could question it, Seungmin’s smooth voice came through the ear pieces.“They’re talking about when to attack our base. Momo is taking ideas from the other members, they seem to be deciding on a date soon, maybe April? May? No no, definitely April. They’re saying mid-to-late april. Also something about the Bangtan Syndicate, but i can’t quite make it out, wait, they’re quieter now…” Seungmin spoke hurriedly, keeping up with the conversation but then slowed. The feed Jeongin and Chan were watching showed Heize leaning over to whisper in Hyunah’s ear, and then the message travelled non-verbally to Momo to looked dead into the camera. Jeongin’s heart leapt into his throat in fear. He saw the Ring’s leader pick up a gun from the table and cock it, never once breaking eye contact with the camera. Jisungs voice sounded over the voice channel.“Hey guys, we’ve got company. The building just went into lockdown.” Jisung spoke frantically, with short breaths as if he was running. “Felix! Am I covered?!” He yelled in a panicked voice. Felix confirmed that he was safe and soon the young man’s lean frame came into view, running at full speed. The alarm for the compound could now be heard, and a clear stir went through the Clan. Chan cleared his throat. Before speaking into the earpiece.“Remain calm, we know of to handle a firefight. Felix will keep us covered as best he can without drawing attention to himself and we will do our best to get out with less bloodshed than them. Our main goal is not to wage war, we just need to get out unscathed. They’ll follow us if we go now, so give them hell until they back down a bit. Their defenses probably aren’t the strongest yet, since they’re gearing up for April. Keep cool, and stay; don’t stray.” The leader spoke calmly into the member’s ears, easing some of their apprehension. Jeongin was still bubbling with anxiety, as he was barely trained in basic combat, let alone going against the second strongest syndicate in the city. Apparently, his fears were obvious. Chan clicked his earpiece to mute and pulled out various pieces of a minigun as he spoke.“Relax Fox, we’ll keep that pretty face of yours in tact. The don’t know you exist yet, so we have to use that to our advantage. Stay low and out of sight unless we really really need you, okay? You have a ton of potential power over them, once you become as good as the rest of us. Don’t get hurt.” BC spoke softly as he hurriedly assembled his weapon, glancing towards the building every now and then in apprehension. Jeongin nodded at his words and felt a bit relieved he didn’t have to go headfirst into a firefight. Though something about Chan’s tone struck him as odd. There was something different about it, almost like there was… remorse? Care? Maybe even concern and protectiveness. Jeongin was a little bit floored by the expression on his superior’s face because he had never seen it hold so much genuine emotion. He gulped and nodded slowly before moving to the back of the bus and placing his weapons on the edge. He glanced back at Chan before hopping off, landing with a barrel roll to break his fall. Chan then tossed his weapons down to him quickly before nodding again and disappearing from view. Jeongin decided to go to Woojin’s station, as it was invisible from any line of sight from Purity Ring’s base.Woojin was hurriedly moving things around and making sure everything was ready to pack up in a hurry before looking to the young member. They shared a knowing look and Jeongin squatted down next to one of the medical crates. He checked his guns’ magazines quickly to make sure he had full rounds, and then looked up to find Woojin sliding on a bulletproof vest and checking his magazines as well.“I’m going into the fight, but I’ll be back if anyone needs me. Stay put, newbie.” He spoke hurriedly before reaching into a crate and grabbing a few grenades and hooking them on his vest. He cast one more glance to Jeongin before speed walking to the front of the bus where Changbin, Jisung, and Minho now stood. Jeongin heard a loud thump and knew that Chan had just gotten off the top of the bus. From where he was, Jeongin could see Seungmin and Hyunjin frantically locking down the surveillance equipment and packing it up, before the hacker unlocked the bus doors and Hyunjin exited, before closing them again; Jeongin decided he would be safer in there. He crouched and walked over to the doors knocking in a cryptic pattern before they opened just enough for him to get in, before they were perma-sealed once again. The black haired boy made sure that he stayed low enough to not be seen through the dark tinted windows, as to not blow his cover. Seungmin recommended that he be his bodyguard, since Seungmin wasn’t trained very far in combat. Jeongin agreed. That’s when muted voices came through the earpieces, and both boys knew that someone had cranked up their mic sensitivity so that the three youngest members would be able to hear what happened.Before all the others stood eight of the ten Purity Ring members, sporting combat gear and weapons loaded as heavily as the Clan’s. All of them had gang tattoos, messy-looking open circles on their upper biceps. They stood in line, making sure too appear ever-intimidating.
“Look at you, naughty boy. Snooping through our security cameras, how rude!” A high pitched voice spoke. It came from Momo, and as she spoke, she stepped closer to Chan, looking him up and down and then running a finger from the middle of his chest up his neck and then flicking off of his chin. She had an evil smirk on her face, and Chan growled unhappily.
“Just as feisty I see, should I make you learn how to behave again? I’d do so happily…” She purred gruesomely, making Jeongin almost gag at what she was insinuating. At this, Felix turned on his laser sight, so a small red dot appeared on Momo’s forehead. Now it was Chan’s turn to smirk at Felix’s protectiveness, and Momo tried to look at it, going cross eyed in the process. Chan crossed his arms and put his weight on one of his feet, which angered Momo as her gaze returned to him.“I don’t know about you princess, but we aren’t itching for a fight. If you’d let us go peacefully, I won’t have to slaughter your men like last time.” He spoke with cutting ferocity, and Momo visibly winced at the mention of her previous members, the wave of uneasiness rippling through the rival gang like a tsunami. Chan noticed. “Oops. Sore topic?” The black haired man said cockily, and that sent the other group over the edge. Momo lunged at BC and the man moved out of the way swiftly, and the other gangs took this as a signal to attack.Gunshots sounded through the streets, and members of both gangs were dodging bullets and shooting them just as quickly. A female cry was heard, it was Yoojung. She collapsed onto the rough asphalt, the new wound on her leg bleeding profusely. She yelled for Jinwoo and miraculously, the previously hidden man appeared and ran into the fight to get the youngest member out of the fight. Chan pointed him out and an array of attacks began to be moved from other members to him, but he was fast enough that all he was hit with was a couple of bullets on the back of his bulletproof vest. Chan looked behind him toward to bus to check on it’s state just as a clip from a minigun hit one of the windows, shattering it and leaving a hole that disintegrated any idea of security for the boys inside. The leader yelled out to protect the vehicle, and to try to get away. The fight backed up until they were nearly surrounding the bus, and Seungmin warned over the intercom that a police squad was on its way.“Felix, converge on our location! And Seungmin, open the doors! Hyunjin, you get in first, then Jisung, then Woojin will grab his stuff and get in. The rest of us need to cover them until they’re secure, then get in ourselves. Don’t get hit!” The leader spoke loudly over the communication system, and the members replied with confirmation immediately, and far off, Felix started packing up his gear as quickly as he could. Woojin moved for the frontline to the back of the bus where he quickly locked everything up into bags and crates while Changbin and Minho covered his position, keeping Purity Ring at bay. Hyunjin followed orders and got to the bus, and Seungmin opened the doors briefly before closing them again. Jisung followed suit, and then as Woojin was moving his materials, He was hit in the chest. He stuttered backwards, dropping his bag, but quickly wincing as he picked it up again and got into the bus. Once inside, he collapsed onto a seat and breathed heavily, trying to control the sharp pain on his torso.The shootout continued as Felix was seen running from his hidden location at the abandoned apartment building. Hyunah saw him and ran toward him, blocking his entry to the vehicle. He slung his partially disassembled rifle onto his back and pulled out a couple of daggers. Him and Hyunah duked it out, him eventually pinning her to the ground with one dagger to her neck and the other held pristinely in his hand, just grazing her cheekbone, giving it a small cut. He took any visible guns off of her and tossed them far away, and then got off of her hips and blew a kiss before jogging to the vehicle. He entered it easily and with that, Minho and Changbin came in as well, leaving only Chan still outside. Jeongin became worried.“BC, get your ass in here, we’re ready to go, we have everyone!” Seungmin yelled out the broken window to the tired man who was waging war on the rival gang to the best of his ability. He was doing phenomenally well, his lithe body moving swiftly and strongly through attacks from multiple members, but he seemed to be in a trance-like state and didn’t respond to Seungmin’s pleas. He seemed to be losing, and everyone was on edge, calling out to him, hoping he would end his battle and come home, but he didn’t. Instead, he took a shot at Momo, ho happened to pull her own trigger at the same time; but Chan was tired and his trajectory was off, so he missed horribly while Momo’s bullet hit it’s target as he tried to dodge it. The team gasped, as some of them had seen him get hit but none of them had seen it this bad.Their raven-haired leader toppled to the ground, his engraved 9mm clattering on the ground with him. His arm raced to his shoulder, holding it in agony, as he hissed out murmurs of pain. The Clan inside the bus fell into panic, and all started trying to get out and help their friend, but the doors wouldn’t open. Seungmin tried time and time again, but the doors failed every time. Woojin and Changbin were yelling, Jisung was in shock, Felix was trying to strategize and Jeongin felt like crying. Seungmin was doing his best but everyone stopped their panic as they heard a loud thump and a couple of grunts.Jeongin had jumped out the broken window. He was the only member small enough to fit through, and though the jagged glass gave him some serious gashes, he made it out and he was now resuming the fight Chan had refused to give up. He picked up Chan’s gun and shot a couple bullets directly into the air before taking out his own glock and defensively pointing them at the Purity Ring members. The fighting stopped for a moment as a wave of confusion rippled through the rival syndicate. Momo stepped forward slowly, examining the young boy.“Come one step closer, I dare you!” The runaway snarled at the gang, but directed at Momo specifically. She smiled maliciously and took another step. Jeongin’s hands hook dangerously, and he pointed one of his guns at the ground near her feet and shot it, as if in warning, but the Ring’s leader didn’t even flinch. His entire body was trembling and he realized his fellow members were shouting at him. He quickly made a decision and tossed Chan’s gun through the open window and holstered his own before ducking down and grabbing Chan’s uninjured arm. The leader winced visibly and yelped a little in pain before they moved as quickly as they could to cover. Gunshot sounded again, and Jeongin heard and saw bullets whizzing past him. Thankfully, he managed to get to the safe side of the bus before he got hit himself and banged on the door. Seungmin had managed to override his own lock and they opened with ease, letting in the pair of men before closing again sharply. Changbin was already at the wheel with the engine started, and the fighter stepped on the gas as soon as they were both inside. Gunshots hit the back of the reinforced vehicle, denting it visibly, but never penetrating the surface completely. Soon, they were far enough away that it was clear they weren’t in danger any longer.Jeongin was seated in the back of the bus, completely in shock as he stared at his blood-soaked hands. The world was going in slow motion, and there was a harsh ringing in his ears. BC was laid on the ground in the middle of the vehicle, and he was stitching up his leader’s wound as best he could without the proper materials. He ended up butterfly sewing it and wrapping the entire area with gauze before making his leader sit up and rest his back against one of the seats. He had ice taped around his own body, the packs on his blood-bruises from the bullets on his vest most likely. The blonde man continued to tend to BC in the smallest ways, from wrapping him in a blanket to whispering kind words of comfort to him. Jeongin’s ears were still ringing when they parked in the warehouse’s garage and everyone started unloading.He couldn’t make his body stand up, like his boot-clad feet were glued to the floor of the bus. His eyes started to water, and as all the members came and went with loads of gear, Woojin and Felix came back together to get the last of the surveillance equipment. Woojin grabbed it all and left, leaving Felix alone with Jeongin in the small space, the latter standing a little ways away from the former and looking at him with a kind of forlorn distance in his eyes. The platinum blonde boy sighed in a kind of self-conviction, and then walked to Jeongin and squatted down a little to touch his hand. The younger flinched impulsively, before looking up at Felix with tear stained cheeks making small trails on his skin through the dirt and sweat that had made a layer of its own. Jeongin’s mouth moved in a manner like he was trying to speak, but no words wanted to come through. Felix nodded and moved to touch his hand again, but Jeongin stood up quickly. As he was about to take a step, his vision went dark in a sickeningly familiar manner and he fainted into Felix’s body. The older man caught him with ease as he sighed again and then picked up the young boy bridal style and took him out of the bus and into the warehouse.Jeongin awoke about and hour later, placed on his bed, tucked in. When he awoke, he hardly remembered what had happened, until he looked down and saw his hands, caked in now dried blood, the dirt on his clothes, the stinging in his eyes from his previous tears. Fainting had put him out of shock, but now he was falling back into it and it felt worse. His chest began to tighten, his muscles felt tense and immovable. His breathing quickened and his body began to tremble again. He started hyperventilating, and his hands found their way to his hair, gripping it around his ears as if covering them would stop the echoes of gunshots and the vision of Chan’s shoulder getting hit with that 9 mm. He didn’t hear when his bedroom door screeched open, he didn’t even feel a pair of arms wrap around his shaking body. The only thing that pulled him out of his thoughts was a smooth voice telling him to breathe slowly.He looked up slightly to see ruffled platinum blonde hair again, and he sighed a little. Felix was murmuring sweet nothings to him much like Woojin was to Chan on the bus, and they soothed him slightly, but just his friend’s arms around him grounded him more than anything else. The younger boy leaned into his touch and found comfort in his warmth, though still shaking, his breathing had began to slow and return to normal, as well as the ringing in his ears stopping. Felix now shushed him calmly and rocked him a little bit, making sure he calmed down thoroughly before speaking.“Heya kid, you alright now? I was gonna come clean you up but I didn’t expect you to be having a panic attack. You’re safe now, though.” He spoke, a little bit awkwardly, since it was clear he wasn’t sure how to handle the younger boy. Jeongin smiled softly, his eyes still leaking tears but his mind was calming down. He nodded and stood up, Felix following his movement and keeping hold of his arms to steady him, like he was made of glass. The pair walked to the main bathroom and went to the one bathtub in the room, and Jeongin took off his nearly ruined shirt. Felix blushed and looked away subconsciously, then looked back shyly to see Jeongin sitting on the edge of the tub and leaning over to turn on the water, checking the temperature as he did. Felix sat down next to him and grabbed a washcloth from the rack and dipped it in the water to scrub his face clean. After he did, he gave it to Jeongin to clean is torso and hands, and once he was finished, the older boy suggested he take a shower, to which he happily obliged. After a long, warm shower, Jeongin dried off and returned to his room, getting into pajamas and wrapping himself up in comfort blankets before falling asleep just as the sun was coming up.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“God you’re an idiot. It’s only been five months and you’ve already forgotten the shit that I’ve been drilling into your brain since middle school?” Woojin spoke clearly, roughly wrapping his leader’s shoulder in higher quality, cleaner gauze after he stitched up his gunshot wound better than he had on the bus. Chan rolled his eyes and winced a little as the medic’s hand brushed the injury again and again. He grimaced.“Oh god and that poor boy! He saw you get shot and he honestly thought you were in bad enough shape that he needed to save you! I won’t complain about it, but now because of your recklessness, we’re going to have to help him move past the mild PTSS and he’ll be afraid to pick up a gun, and every time he sees you he’ll probably wince at the memory, you won’t have the same relationship ever again…” Woojin rambled on in concern for both parties involved as he bustled around gathering a glass of water and a couple different types of pills. He handed them to Chan and the leader took them in silence before sighing a little.“What am I supposed to do about it, Woojin? He’s the idiot that jumped after me, I didn’t ask for that. In fact, I asked him specifically to stay out of sight but now Ring knows we have him and they also know he’s stupidly impulsive. I should’ve just left him here. No, actually, I should’ve left him in the snow.” The leader was fuming with frustration, spewing acidic words without thinking first. He started to get up from his seat on the bed but was stopped harshly when the back of his best friend’s hand collided with his cheek. He hissed in pain, as he had a couple scratches already and shifted his jaw before looking back up at the slightly older man. He was furious, and Chan had only seen him this way a couple of times before, so it shook him a little bit.“You disgust me. Your emotions are so out of control and you don’t even see it. That boy is worth so much to you that you’re pushing him away because you don’t want him to get hurt. In doing that, you’re hurting him more than you realize, Chan. Get your act together, and start acting like the leader we all need, especially him.” The taller man spoke angrily, spitting his venomous words at his leader before moving away and opening the door to the medical room, then stepping aside and motioning for Chan to get out. The black haired man groaned as he stood up, the sling his arm was in swinging a little bit, then shooting daggers into Woojin as he walked out the door. He heard it slide closed behind him and sighed a little bit.What does he know? He’s not the leader of Korea’s best crime syndicate. He doesn’t look out for 8 other men every single day. He just patches people up when things get rough. He doesn’t know anything about my feelings, especially towards Jeongin. I’m giving him tough love! It builds character… Chan’s thoughts were loud as he walked towards his bedroom. He mumbled a little bit but as he rounded the corner into the hallway, he heard light laughter coming from the first room. The door wasn’t closed, which was odd, considering the youngest member’s door often was. The leader peeked his head in, and what he saw made his heart simultaneously do somersaults and sink to the floor. It was an odd sensation.Jeongin was giggling loudly, trying to cover his smiling face with his hands, acting a little shy about the size of his smile. He was sat cross-legged on the bed opposite Felix, whose eyes were sparkling with wonder at the younger boy in front of him. Felix’s eyes were a little crinkled up, as he was smiling just as wide as his younger counterpart more at him than at whatever joke had just been made. Chan’s body moved without thinking and he knocked lightly on the open door frame. Jeongin looked towards the sound, and his eyes went hazy when he saw Chan. The shorter boy slowly got off the bed and walked to Chan, his hazel green eyes looking him up in down in inspection, his eyes staying fixed on Chan no matter how he moved. Felix had turned around and now seemed a little stiff, his posture straightening itself and his smile dropping immediately. Chan moved his gaze away from Felix and back to Jeongin, who was now rather close to him, with tears in his eyes. He reached a shaking hand out and lightly touched his leaders injured shoulder, causing the taller man to flinch a little bit, but not away.“Is it hurting?” The youngest member managed to whimper out one sentence in question of his leader, and in response, Chan nodded solemnly. Jeongin’s hand darted away from the injured shoulder as soon as he had his response, fear of hurting his elder. His hazel eyes dropped to the ground, studying the pair’s feet like they were the most interesting things in the world. Chan sighed a little and used his good arm to grab the younger boy and pull him into his own body, hugging him close and letting out a breath he didn’t know he was holding as Jeongin’s arms wrapped delicately around him as well. The smaller boy was shaking and he felt a few tears leak into his thin thermal shirt. The youngest clearly hadn’t ever dealt with loss firsthand. Felix slid past them and out of the room, casting his eyes down as he did and closing the door behind him.“Fox, you didn’t really think I would be gone from a hit like that, did you? You should have a little more faith in me than that.” Chan chuckled out, making Jeongin laugh sadly. Woojin hadn’t informed him of the shock that he was in, probably for a reason. Jeongin pulled back a little and Chan ruffled his hair playfully, making Jeongin smile forlornly.The younger boy looked to be in rough shape. His eyes were red from crying, and not just from the present situation. His black hair was messed up, but significantly more tangled and knotty than it would be if he had tousled it intentionally. He had on a pair of gray capri sweats and a tight v-neck tee with ¾ sleeves. Chan could see the outline of massive industrial-level bandages on his sides, though he was sure there were some on his legs as well. He also had a small cut on his cheek, very similar to the one the younger had given his leader previously. The cut looked deeper than just skin deep, and had two butterfly bandages across it to keep it closed. Chan felt sorry, he had caused the young boy’s pain. Woojin’s words started to ring in his ears, but he pushed away the thoughts, as well as pushing Jeongin away lightly and stepping back from the boy. Hurt flashed in his eyes but he smiled softly to cover it up and then walked away, Jeongin following until they hit the door where he shut it after the leader left. Once outside Chan let out another invisible sigh before straightening up and heading to his office.On the other side of the door, Jeongin drooped his head against the cold sheet metal, his forehead hitting it a little harder than he anticipated, but he didn’t react. He was expecting more from his encounter with the leader, though at the same time he wasn’t expecting anything. The man was complex and contradictory, but it seemed like everything he did was purposeful in some way, like he was playing towards an endgame. He caused a whole slew of emotions every time he encountered the youngest member, from infatuation and wonder to endless frustration and angry isolation. It seemed as if anything he said would later be turned against him, whether positive or negative. It was absolutely infuriating to Jeongin, especially when he had people like Seungmin and Felix who stood by him and trusted him, despite his inexperience and youth. They were truly his friends, even people like Woojin and Jisung had grown on him and had become something more like friends than Chan; who was supposed to be his first mentor and most trusted colleague. Instead, Jeongin never looked to him for guidance and often found himself blindly following him like a lost dog. The young boy had no idea what to do about his emotions or how to handle his leader.
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Minutes passed into hours and before he realized, the light filtering into Jeongin’s dusty room shifted from sunlight to moonlight. The young boy had just been resting since his encounter with Chan earlier. He phased in and out of consciousness while watching TV shows, he was very relaxed, as he was ignoring any problems with BC. He checked the time and was about to roll over to fall back into light sleep, but then his stomach began to yell at him, cursing him out and begging for food. Jeongin rolled his eyes and rolled out of bed lazily before opening his bedroom door and wandering into the kitchen. Once there, he was surprised to see Chan on the couch, lazing about much like Jeongin had been earlier. The older man didn’t move from his place, nor did he turn around to acknowledge Jeongin’s presence, he only lifted a hand lightly a waved as the youngest entered his space.Jeongin felt out of place. Chan was laying on the couch reading a book as thick as a pillow. The words on the white page were in English, so Jeongin couldn’t even pretend to understand the book. The older was eerily silent, seemingly not caring that Jeongin was now making a ruckus in the kitchen to get hot chocolate and some leftover tteokbokki, though it didn’t reheat very well. Jeongin chose to ignore his leader, much like how he thought the elder was doing to him. He was dead wrong.Chan was doing anything but ignoring his maknae. He was studying him silently from behind his book, observing his movements and finding himself nearly in awe at the way he simply moved. He stood on his tiptoes to reach a mug on the top shelf, though he really didn’t have to. His delicate fingers ripped open the hot cocoa packet and then shuffled around the pantry for marshmallows. He poured hot milk into the cup and mixed his drink thoroughly before plopping the small sugary cylinders into the steaming mug. He reheated the meal in the microwave, shifting his weight from foot to foot as he waited for the timer to end, yet he stopped it a second early so he wouldn’t have to hear the beeps. The curly-haired man was so lost in his thoughts that he hardly heard when Jeongin offered to make him some hot cocoa as well.“Hyung? Are you in there?” the maknae spoke softly, a playful tone riding on his words. Chan nodded a couple times and Jeongin turned back to the counter. He got out the marshmallows once again, and Chan decided to stand up. The older male reached the kitchen and then grabbed his favorite mug from the top shelf just as Jeongin was about to, leaving the two standing very close face to face. Chan kept his eyes locked with the gradually reddening boy in front of him and handed him the mug before stepping back. Jeongin nodded a little in thanks. Chan sat on a bar stool at the island in the middle of the kitchen, returning to his state of Jeongin observation. Except this time, Jeongin felt the older’s deep chocolate eyes burning into him as he moved.The air was thick with unknown tension and Jeongin felt under pressure. He turned around with his leader’s cocoa made, sliding it across the island before leaning on the side opposite BC. They sipped the cocoa in silence, seemingly doing nothing but staring at each other. Jeongin eventually tucked nito and then finished his leftovers, breaking the eye contact in order to place his dish in the sink. CHan thought he was going to return to their previous position, but instead he went and sat on the couch, casually leaning into one corner and placing his mug on his leg lightly like he was inviting Chan to sit with him. The oldest obliged.“Chan, why do you treat me differently?” The young boy seemed to lose all his confidence once he had to actually speak to his leader, his gaze immediately shifting to the cracked cement floor underneath the sofa. Chan shrugged.“Because you are different.” His answer wasn’t one Jeongin was hoping for, nor did it give any level of clarification to the situation. The youngest rolled his eyes a little and sighed unconsciously.“If you have something to say, Yang, then say it. I don’t have time for games.” Chan spoke again, cooly, sharply. His tone startled Jeongin, who wasn’t expecting such a harsh response from his superior. He took a small breath to collect his thoughts before responding.“I want to know why I’m different. I’m just another bullshit castout runaway who fell into the wrong kind of business, just like everyone else in this god damn warehouse. And yet, you treat me like dirt one night and like your best friend the next. You’re up and down and every time I try to understand you I feel like I’m running in endless circles. I can never get anywhere with you so at this point I’m ready to give up trying.” Jeongin spoke gravely, his voice a bit scratchier than it normally was. His eyes were still cast to the floor but the emotion in his voice was enough for a million facial expressions. Chan’s heart ripped a little bit. He knew his mistakes, of course he did.Chan didn’t speak. Jeongin didn’t either. After about two minutes of silence, Jeongin finally worked up the courage to look at the older man. And not just view him, but really, really, look at him. His eyes were tired. He had purple circles under them and his lids drooped slightly. His hair was in disarray, he had a bandage across his nose where he had been scratched by the asphalt. He had a form-fitting white tee on, close enough to his body to see the faint outline of his toned abdomen muscles, but more importantly, the outline of the massive bandage across his shoulder. His arm should be in a sling but Woojin wasn’t here to scold him, so it sat alone on the coffee table. His black sweatpants sat low on his hips, exposing the hem of his Calvin Klein boxers, and his white socks covered his feet, save a few holes from overwear.He was beyond beautiful, and Jeongin felt like he could begin hyperventilating at just the thought of Chan being more than a mildly psychotic gang leader. Any other way, and Jeongin was sure they’d be together. Chan could be a barista, making lattes and sending out kind smiles, or he could be a college student that Jeongin crashed into one day on the way to class. He could be a wrong number text turned right, or a long-forgotten penpal that Jeongin happened to remember. Instead of all these things, though, he was a cold, calculating, blood-thirsty druglord, and Jeongin was his runner. Not his regular at the cafe, not a cheeky underclassman, not a handsome stranger discovered over text or an old spark relit. He was insignificant and replaceable, and Chan was high and mighty. He was a genius, always knowing the right moves to make and always having a backup plan. Always having an escape route. Jeongin didn’t have one of those, so he was walking right into a trap and he was accepting it willingly. Deep inside, he knew Felix liked him. He knew Woojin cared for his wellbeing a little more than the other members. He knew Changbin and Jisung really enjoyed his presence under all their tough. But with Chan, his doubt still chewed away at his psyche like a shark.“You think too much, Fox.” Was all that Chan said before leaning to get his hot chocolate, wincing as he went. Once he sat back in his regular position Jeongin looked him dead in the eyes. The younger’s hazel orbs had an oceanic storm raging within them, a flurry of every emotion Chan was too scared to understand. The storm seemed to stop all at once though, and before he knew it, Jeongin’s soft lips were on his cheek. Then, the younger got up without looking back and walked back to his room, muttering a ‘goodnight, Chan’ as he went. And for the first time in a very long time, Bang Chan blushed.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“I know I sound like an idiot but that’s beside the point.” Felix spoke angrily, running his hands through his soft white hair again in anxious feeling. “I think I really like him, Changbin. Honestly. And all he ever does is run in circles with BC. I fed him when he first came here! I made sure he didn’t freeze on the solid ground since that asshat didn’t give him a blanket!” Felix was near shouting now, he was so frustrated.“Felix, I get it, and it’s not stupid. Honestly you just have to get over him. I can’t give you much more advice than that, because that appears to be the only way you’re going to get out in one piece.” Changbin spoke calmly, his voice unwavering and full of compassion. The slightly older male was trying to comfort his friend, though he was just a little out of reach. Felix sniffled in defeat.“Thank you hyung… I’ll do my best.” The white haired male spoke calmly again and thanked his undercut friend. Changbin had recently had it redone, and it looked so sharp. To Felix, the style really suited him, it made him look handsome. The pair of boys had been brought into Clan 09 around the same time, so they became fast friends. Felix sought out gang life, and Chan was his easy in. The freckled boy needed to support his family, and taking people out was an easy way to make big bank. 75% of each of his paychecks got automatically wired to his family’s bank account, they thought he was a freelance artist that happened to be hitting the right deals. Changbin was yanked into the crime syndicate web after he got into ring fights. He ended up losing against Chan and the penalty was three months of work. Of course he accepted, he was a good sport. After the three months however, he had grown to love the lifestyle, and he had found that Chan was a fantastic person to have on your side. So he stayed.A few rooms away, Minho, Jisung, and Seungmin were chatting over a high-stakes game of M&M poker. Minho was winning. The eldest of the three had joined the gang life at 17 out of sheer rebellion. Clan 09 hardly existed at the time, and Minho was one of the founding members. Jisung joined up purely for the thrill, because nothing in the world felt better to him than sprinting through the dim-lit Seoul streets from a squad of police cars with an AK-47 strapped to your back. Seungmin was scouted by BC, he was the brightest teen hacker in Korea. He had taken up computer science and technology studies in high school, thinking that the government would notice his potential and he could make his family proud. They never saw him, not even when he hacked their security systems for the hell of it. So he started looking elsewhere, in deeper, darker places. The boy-wonder had caught the eye of a number of less-than-legal businesses, but Chan was able to coax him in with good money and a fantastic cover story. Seungmin’s family thought he was a government iT agent now.Kim Woojin was rebandaging a cut on Hyunjin’s arm in the younger’s office, while he counted money. The black-haired boy ran into the dangerous gang lifestyle headfirst, as his sister got caught up in a hostage situation, or so he thought. The boy was fooled by a rival gang to work for them, but Chan snatched him up before he started working for someone else. The young boy meant to leave, he really did, but once his first paycheck rolled in, he never wanted to leave. Designer brand after designer brand, he got more and more comfortable in his role as treasurer. Woojin on the other hand, was born into his syndicate role. His father was one of the first mafia bosses in Seoul, so when Woojin was born, it became his birthright. After witnessing his father’s murder by his right-hand man, however, he decided to stray from his original path and let his father’s old mafia die out. Kim Woojin was infamous in the syndicate web, everyone wanted a piece of him and his bloodline, regardless of his loyalties. Chan though, had other plans, and made Clan 09 with his best friend as soon as he knew that he was free from his father’s clutches. They were the seed that sprouted into the intricate web of illegal activity that Seoul seemed to thrive on.Jeongin sat on his bed in his room, surfing the internet and browsing social media. All the higher-ups of the gang had been doing nothing but planning since their shootout with Purity Ring, and Jeongin was not in that circle. He was unaware of any plans or ideas in the making, but “mid-late April” was drawing ever nearer by the day. He trusted his teammates, so he just laid low, they would figure something out.“Knock knock.” A voice at the door pulled Jeongin out of his thoughts, so he looked up to find a very cute looking Felix standing in his doorway. The younger boy waved him in and scooted over on the bed a little to make room for his friend. The white-haired male took his silent offer and sat next to him on the plush bed, leaning back against the headboard and picking up a pillow to put in his lap and hug. Jeongin chuckled at the boy’s actions.“You look really cute today, Felix. And your socks are very nice.” The curly-haired young boy spoke clearly with a slight giggle in his throat, pointing out Felix’s appearance. He wore a light pink beanie, white melange ribbed joggers, and a black, longsleeved thermal tee that clung to his lean body. He had on fuzzy socks that matched the color of his hat and had little ears and a face embroidered on each one to look like bunnies. Jeongin thought they looked cozy.“Ah ~ Thank you Jeonginnie. You’re not too bad yourself.” Felix blushed as he spoke, unable to contain his smile. Jeongin reciprocated the loving grin and nodded in thanks. The younger boy didn’t feel like he was wearing anything special, just a pink and white floral silk sleep shirt, and a pair of white fleece shorts with fuzzy socks similar to Felix’s but without the embroidery.“Did you have a reason to come compliment me and steal my pillows or did you just wanna hang out?” Jeongin asked playfully, nudging Felix with his elbow as he went back to scrolling. His friend’s face dropped quickly and he began to subconsciously fiddle with his fingers. His eyes dropped to the soft sheets on the younger boy’s bed. Jeongin became concerned. “Hyung? What’s up?” His voice was laced with worry for his best friend, he thought something was drastically wrong. Felix sighed.“Don’t worry Jeongin it’s nothing bad, I’m just… I’m just scared.” Felix’s voice was soft, and Jeongin leaned in to hear it, only making the elder’s nerves worse. He took a deep breath. “I know it won’t work out for a multitude of reasons but it’s been eating away at me and I really want to tell you that I kind of like you. And I mean, like-like you. I guess I’m confessing right now.” Jeongin’s eyes widened, but before he could think of a response, Felix kept talking in his quiet, tense voice.“I just, actually feel alive when I’m near you. Ever since I joined 09 I’ve just been living day to day waiting on my paychecks and only having a little bit of fun with Jisung or Changbin here and there. Chan is a great older brother figure but ever since you came along it’s almost like you’ve brought this warmth and kindness with you that makes me not dread waking up every morning. Being around you when you’re happy is intoxicating and contagious, and it’s the best feeling in the world. God, and not to mention the fact that you’re physically a prince. Your eyes are so changeable and deep and your dimples add so much to your already beautiful smile. You have perfect proportions and I know this is probably too far but your lips look painfully kissable.” Felix rambled on and on, eventually getting louder and more confident in his words, like he was getting lost in the idea of Jeongin even when the boy was sitting right in front of him.“And when you talk about BC and the way he treats you, it makes my blood boil. He has no idea the damage he’s causing or what a precious gift he’s rejecting. You want to please him and be his friend and make him proud so badly and he just spits in your face and calls you names. You deserve better, Jeongin! He doesn’t respect you like you should, he doesn’t understand how lucky he is that he’s receiving your affections, even after all the bullshit he’s done.” Felix was nearly yelling now, and his eyes were glassy with intense emotion. He felt so strongly and he had never said all of his feelings out loud before, so everything just came tumbling out without a filter. He barely noticed that Jeongin was withered backwards away from Felix. He looked like a wilting flower, so beautiful but so distressed that it was eating away at his form. The older boy finally came out of his trance-like state and noticed the now shaking boy across from him. His eyes were cast downward and he was trying to make himself as small as possible. He winced at himself and then reached out a hand to try and comfort his younger friend, only to be met by Jeongin flinching away violently. That one stung.“J-Jeongin…? I’m sorr-” Felix tried to start, but the younger cut him off.“D-don’t you dare tell me what I do and don’t deserve. My feelings are my own and you have no right to dictate them. A-and you come here, confessing your emotions, and what do you think is going to come out of it? A relationship? I’m barely 17, and you don’t know the first thing about why I’m even here.” Jeongin spoke his words quietly, almost afraid of them. They cut through Felix like a knife, but he knew the younger was right. “I’m flattered, and I like you as a friend, as my best friend, but you have no power over who receives my affection and who doesn’t.” The black haired boy finished up his thoughts as he stood up and walked to the door. He stared at the floor and Felix saw crystalline drops falling from the young boys face. He pointed out the door.“Go.”And Felix did, without a word of protest, without any movement but getting up and walking out of the cozy room. Jeongin closed the door behind him and fell face first onto his bed again. He thought he would start bawling, but no more tears came than the ones already softly streaming down his supple skin. He felt hopeless and like his body was made of lead. He couldn’t move even if he wanted to because of the weight of his emotions crushing his back and shoulders. His best friend had a crush on him, and now their relationship was ruined. Jeongin was alone again.The young boy only had one idea in his head, and he knew it was a stupid one. He decided against his better judgement and stood up from his comfy bed and walked to the mirror. He checked his appearance momentarily to make sure he didn’t look like he’d just been crying, before walking out of his room and down the dimly lit hall to the last door at the very end. Before he could even knock on it though, Woojin opened the door to BC’s room from inside, surprising both of them. The older male only had on silk pajama pants and basic socks, no shirt. Jeongin had seen almost every member without their shirts, save Woojin and Chan. Well, now just Chan.The older male didn’t say a word as he stepped out of the room that definitely was not his, and walked around Jeongin, breaking eye contact only when he finally had to. The honey colored boy didn’t close the door, so he took that as an invitation in. Though he had been in it before, Chan’s room never ceased to surprise him.It was bigger than all the other rooms, and rightfully so. He had a king-sized bed that was a bit raised off the ground on a solid black platform. He had a dresser across from his bed and an indented closet in the wall. On the dresser a couple glass bubbles sat with little air plants in them. There was a black and white geometric rug on the floor and a few miscellaneous things like clothes and gun harnesses strewn about. It had a pyramidal skylight that had clearly been redone, as it had clean, slightly fogged glass panes instead of the dingy, rusting ones that were present in the rest of the warehouse. There were small succulents hanging on little gold chains from the corners of the light, as that was the only place they could get direct sunlight. Jeongin smiled a little bit at the thought of his leader having plants. BC had simple black sheets with nearly invisible wide navy blue stripes on it. He had a few pillows, and no plushies. The older man’s voice took him out of his thoughts.“What do you need, Fox?” BC spoke clearly, his eyes cutting right through Jeongin’s weak facade. There was no emotion in his voice, no resentment or concern or irritation; it was just flat. Jeongin gulped.“Yeah… I just kinda wanted to talk to you sir… I don’t feel so good.” Jeongin fiddled with his pants a little bit and cast his eyes to the floor. Now it was the leader’s turn to gulp. Sir.“Jeongin, you’ve never called me sir, what’s going on?” Chan closed his laptop that he was fake-working on and turned his full attention to the young boy in his doorway. His voice was still emotionless, it reminded Jeongin of when he first met the older.“Oh, yeah… sorry. It’s just that Felix, well, he confessed to me.” Jeongin spoke ever quieter, only casting his eyes upward when he apologized. Distress and shame were evident in his tone and caused Chan a small bit of unidentifiable worry. He heard Chan sigh in apparent irritation and hit the top of his laptop in frustration. Jeongin looked up at the noise to be met with Chan’s stony glare. Jeongin felt his heartrate pick up speed for a couple of reasons.“Jeongin, come here.” The leader spoke, disregarding his rare sign of emotion that he displayed just a moment ago and patted the bed close to his thigh as a motion for where Jeongin should sit. The young boy followed his directions obediently, only breaking eye contact to make sure he didn’t step on anything important on the floor. He sat lightly and scooted over to where Chan has pointed out, the pair’s thighs barely touching as he settled.“I have to ask the obvious, do you like him back? Did you accept his feelings?” The leader spoke, showing a little bit of boredom by the questions he of course had to ask. Unsurprisingly, Jeongin shook his head disdainfully. Chan nodded back, not needing any more explanation.“In that case, why did you come to me? Shouldn’t you have resolved it with Felix?” The black-haired boy said with a twinge of annoyance in his voice, making Jeongin crumble inside. The younger had no idea why he came to Chan, his mind just told him to. So he shrugged noncommittally. Chan rolled his eyes and scooted just a tiny bit closer to his youngest member. “Jeongin. Tell me why you’re here. I can’t do anything for you otherwise.” Chan spoke with a hint of condescension lacing his words and so Jeongin took a breath.“Because I felt like I needed to tell you. You were the only person I wanted to tell, hyung. I don’t know why but I did and now I’m here looking weak and vulnerable again and making your life harder with problems that aren’t yours.” Jeongin’s speech picked up speed quickly, the stress and confusion eating away at him at a rapid pace. He just needed reassurance and comfort, neither of which Chan seemed like he would be doling out anytime soon. The pair sat in silence for quite a while before Jeongin felt awkward, causing him to look down at the striped duvet and pick at a loose thread. He felt the need to get up and leave, but right before he started to move he felt Chan’s hand on his own. He looked up slowly, a slightly stunned expression on his face. His eyes met his leader’s and he gulped, heat rising in the back of his throat. The older male turned his hands over in his palms and just comforted the younger through physical touch. After a couple of silent minutes Chan took a breath.“I know that everything is confusing right now. And I also know that I have been anything but a good leader to you. I'm sorry, Jeongin.” The older male spoke calmly and cooly, and for once showed emotion in his voice towards the younger boy. Jeongin looked down again and nodded. Chan shook his head and reached out to touch the black haired boy's face. He used two fingers to lift the boy's head to look at him again, startling him and unknowingly cause a vicious blush to grow on his face. Jeongin gulped and looked at Chan’s lips momentarily without really meaning to. Some meaning flashed between them, and before he realized, Chan was leaning in ever so slightly, then Jeongin, and then their lips met.
!!!THIS IS THE WARNING!!!
It wasn't fireworks, it was more; it was like pyrotechnics at a stadium concert. Jeongin’s soft lips tasted like bubblegum and intoxicated the leader, only sending him reeling. Chan's hand cradled Jeongin’s face, pulling him closer to him, the younger’s body pressing against his own. Their lips were locked in a long-awaited embrace, and even when he realized he needed air, Chan refused to let go. They felt like they fit together, long they’d been searching for something and the moment their lips touched they found it. Jeongin was the first to pull away, much to BC’s distress. The younger was now basically on Chan’s lap, his wrists draped over his hyung’s shoulders and neck in a very feminine way. Chan’s hands had moved from his members face to his hips, subconsciously squeezing them to draw him closer. The smaller boy let his forehead rest on Chan’s for a moment, catching his breath and biting his lip a little bit in awkward anticipation. BC was just soaking up the view.“Hyung, how long have you wanted to do that?” Jeongin asked abashedly, averting his gaze from Chan once again. Chan chuckled and squeezed the boy’s hips again, making him squirm a little in unexpected pleasure.“I didn’t really know how badly I wanted it, wanted you, until you were leaning in, fox.” The leader’s words sent chills down Jeongin’s spine and the speaker blushed slightly at himself. The pair sat in relative silence for a few minutes, letting their actions settle into the air. Chan was happy, but thoroughly scared as to what this meant for the future of the Clan. He was about to open his mouth to speak when Jeongin started to move, Chan thought to leave. Instead, the younger boy simply fixed their position so he was straddling his leader’s lap. Chan felt heat rise to his cheeks for the first time in front of someone else and when he met Jeongin’s eyes with his own there was a devilish fire within them that made the leader gulp.“J-Jeongin… What are you-” Chan tried to speak but was cut off abruptly by Jeongin’s lips on the corner of his own, clearly trying to tease him. The black haired boy quickly realized what the boy on his lap was trying to do so he just sat still, not reacting to the tempting things the younger decided to do with his lips. He kissed the corner of his lips, then trailed his kisses to the older male’s neck and ear, giving Chan goosebumps from the younger’s bated breath.“Come on hyung… why don’t you play along?” Jeongin’s mischievous side was back out in full force and it lit a fire inside Chan just like how it had when they first met. He groaned in a displeased manner before moving the younger away from his tattooed neck and placed his attention back on his lips. Jeongin smiled in an accomplished manner into Chan’s mouth, running his hands through the elder’s hair and settling his hands on his cheeks. Chan’s rested on his partner’s hips again, and when their lips began to melt into each other, the elder pulled Jeongin roughly closer to him by his hips, earning a surprised noise from the younger boy, delighting Chan. The older boy licked Jeongin’s bottom lip, and the smaller eagerly accepted his invitation. They continued, Jeongin’s breath progressively getting hotter and came out in shorter pants, Chan becoming greedier by the second. Eventually Jeongin found the willpower to push his partner away, because he knew at this point Chan never would. The boy in question looked up at Jeongin with a confused glance before trying to go back in for his swollen pink lips, but the smaller boy just pulled farther away.“B-BC, we have to stop… I’m still a minor and we have an attack on the horizon…” Jeongin stuttered out his words between sharp intakes of breath. He tried to keep his eyes away from Chan’s face, he knew that just one look from the leader’s lust-filled eyes would send any impulse control to the wind and he couldn’t go that far, he was still too young. He felt Chan loosen his death grip on Jeongin’s thighs, where his hands seemed to have travelled during their heated moment. The boy scooted away a bit, making sure to put safe distance between them now. Chan nodded at the actions, understanding and agreeing that it was probably the best course of action. The pair sat in silence before Chan flopped down backwards on his plush bed, surprising Jeongin a little bit. The smaller boy looked at him skeptically before BC rose a hand and beckoned him to come, Jeongin obediently obliged and crawled over to his leaders side, lying next to him happily. A strong arm snaked around his waist and the pair eventually drifted off to sleep, a million unspoken words dangling in the air between them.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Sirens rang through the building, awakening both of the young boys sleeping in Chan’s bed. The older of the two sat up immediately and scrambled underneath his pillow for his gun. Jeongin sat up quickly, but rubbed his eyes lazily, looking around in tired worry at what was going on. Chan handed the gun to Jeongin without looking at him before getting his primary glock from his bedside table. The young boy’s eyes widened at the action and was about to speak when his leader silenced him with a wave of his hand as he stood from the plush bed and silently sauntered over to his door. He pressed his ear to the cold sheet metal before waving Jeongin up and waiting for the youngest member to arrive at his side. He silently counted off and on three the ripped the door open, causing a deafening shriek of metal-on metal to sound through the warehouse. Their guns were pointed down the hallway at any possible invaders. Chan leaned towards Jeongin without looking at him. “We have to go room by room and get all the members awake and ready. I’ll start at Woojin’s, you go to Felix’s and then just take that side of the hall. Keep the doors shut and watch their backs.” Jeongin nodded solemnly and began the work he was told to do. He headed to Felix’s room, his back to the wall before quickly opening the white-haired boy’s door and closing it again once he was safely inside. The slightly older member was already awake and moving, thankfully.“Hurry up.” Jeongin spoke softly over his shoulder, not looking away from the closed door. After a moment or two, a felt a hand on his shoulder and the two exited the room in much the same manner as he had with Chan only minutes earlier. The pair continued down the hall, awakening Jsung and helping Seungmin find his personal gun. They finally joined with Chan and the others in a nook in the hallway to discuss. The loud blaring of the alarm still rang out, but seemed to just fade into the background of their adrenaline-filled minds. BC was still injured, and though he tried to play it off, the members could tell he was in near agony from the previous day’s gunshot wound.The clan’s leader disappeared to his room, coming back with the earpieces the members had gotten to know recently, as well as a tablet of some kind with live video footage. All was still except for the garage, where the numerous expensive cars and even their beloved school bus were being ransacked and torched. His stony facial expression faltered for a moment before returning to its normal state. He didn’t know what was going on, but he knew they had to leave.“We’re under attack, and we have no means of escape. They have our exits covered and they torched the garage. Move quick. Gather what you all need and book it out the underground tunnels. We’ll use the dune buggies once we get to secondary, but until then we’re on foot. Seungmin, make sure you wipe everything after you’ve copied it to stick. We’ll grab your gear, Changbin will stay with you to make sure you’re okay. Make sure we’re all at the entrance of the tunnel in 20.” The fearless leader spoke swiftly and quietly, giving orders left and right. Jeongin felt like passing out, he was so overwhelmed. He had no idea there was an escape route to the warehouse, let alone where it was or what he was supposed to grab on his way there.Chan broke the small circle and harshly grabbed Jeongin’s wrist and pulled him along in the same direction as most members were going. The pair broke off early though and dipped into an entryway where Chan typed in a few numbers onto a keypad and opened the door with a key. The youngest member was pulled into the new room and told to keep watch. The office was spacious and felt like Chan, scattered with manilla folders coated in coffee rings, and small air plants placed in certain areas. The leader quickly sifted through the folders and papers before grabbing a massive accordion folder labelled ‘Safety’. He ushered Jeongin out before taking another look around the room and pressing a button on the door that began a countdown. Jeongin was confused.Across the hall, Seungmin was rapidly copying and deleting the Clan 09 servers. Changbin stood watch at the door as any schematics, plans, and documents were transferred to a microstick. Time ticked away and Changbin grew anxious, this was taking too long. The servers had grown too large, too much information and though Seungmin had the fastest routers in all of Korea, they weren’t fast enough. He decided to pick and choose the data he took; going for member profiles first, then data sheets, base blueprints and safety regulations. Once everything necessary was copied, the young hacker wiped the servers. With one click of a button, the crime syndicate was deleted off the planet. He looked solemnly at the beautifully mechanical setup in front of him before ejecting the microstick and asking for the bottle of gasoline by the door. Changbin looked at him with sympathy as he tossed the container towards the redheaded boy. The gasoline made the room stink as he coated everything he could with it, and then made a trail out of the room with Changbin covering his six. They headed to the armory.All but Chan were now frantically grabbing gear and shoving it into duffle bags or slinging it over their shoulders. Six of the eight boys knew where Chan was, but Seungmin and Jeongin were in the dark. They just kept their mouths shut and helped fill the bags. As if on cue, the all-knowing leader in question walked into the doorway, with quite a few bags loaded onto him. He looked exhausted, especially considering his injury. He disappeared down the hall and the rest of the clan took this as a sign that it was time to go. Quickly and quietly the boys trudged out of the room, movement weary with the weight of their weaponry. Jeongin was the last out, looking back at the looted room. His eyes darted to the wall he saw when he first came here and he rushed back for the same oil-slick finish knife he fell in love with on his first day. He took it out of it’s casing and slid it into the open pocket on his thigh holster. A voice called his name urgently and he followed after the rest of the members hastily.The pack of gang members were now staring at the fully empty end of a hallway, with Chan tracing a series of patterns into the seemingly solid concrete floor. Finally he spoke an authorization code and a rough entryway opened into the ground beneath the warehouse. Jeongin’s jaw dropped. BC took off his bags and tossed them into the hole in floor, before waving Minho to hop down. The boy took off the heaviest of his bags and handed it to Chan before disappearing into the abyssic passageway. After an unintelligible shout, Chan tossed the bag down to him and then each member followed in much the same style. Seungmin fiddled with the microstick and a ball chain around his neck, trying to distract himself from the generally terrifying situation that surrounded the syndicate.As Jeongin was unloading his bags into the entryway a loud thudding erupted from the front entrance. Chan’s eyes widened at the sound before running behind Jeongin and pushing him toward the entrance. The young boy screeched in protest at first but quickly realized the severity of the situation. He hopped down the hole and called for his leader who quickly followed towards the tunnel entrance. The trail of gasoline stopped right before where the boys were standing and BC had a zippo lighter in his hand. Jeongin yelled out in fear but it was too late. The reeking liquid was rapidly set aflame by the small silver device in his leaders hand, now on the ground and the flames danced viciously towards the server room. Before he could process anything though, Chan had jumped down the tunnel with him and through a series of motions, reclosed the opening, leaving the tunnel in complete darkness, the only sound being anxious breaths from the syndicate boys and the crackling of flames engulfing their home above.Small lights embedded in the walls of the tunnels began to click on one by one, quickly illuminating the space in warm, foreboding light. It brought the boys fears to light, showing the distress in their features and the sweat on their brows. The fear flashed in their eyes not unlike the fire above them destroying the life they all came to know. Chan clapped once to get their attention.“Stop standing around. We have to get to secondary, so everyone grab some bags and get walking. Minho will hold up the back and I’ll lead. Keep Jeongin, Seungmin, and Woojin in the middle.” His voice was just loud enough to hear and though still seemed strict, it had a weak wavering in its undertones that showed his emotions about the situation. Slowly but surely, the group began to move down the tunnel, keeping in formation like Chan asked. A painful silence rested on them like a blanket, muting any sounds besides their faint breaths and the crunch of combat boots on gravel and cement. The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife and before long Jeongin heard small sniffles coming from his redheaded friend in front of him. He reached a hand out and loosely held Seungmin’s in comfort, eventually just linking pinkies and still not daring to utter a word.
---
The nine boys walked for what felt like days, stopping to rest here and there at small alcoves in the tunnel, passing around water bottles they had snatched before leaving their base. Their home had never been compromised in such a way, none of the other syndicates even knew where the warehouse was located. Purity ring had found it though, causing Chan’s worst fears to come to fruition. The clan’s home was gone. If not burned to ash, then taken over by their rival gang, being ransacked for any semblance of information about them. BC’s mind was swarming with these thoughts, and he felt like breaking down. His shoulder had begun bleeding through the stitches about an hour ago, and he didn’t have the courage to tell Woojin. He couldn’t be selfish at a time like this, he has to be strong for his members.He always did.Changbin was holding Felix’s hand in the darkness, the shorter fighter showing his softer side to the only person he felt close to in the group. He knew Felix was shaken up, both from what happened the previous night with Jeongin and from the current situation. Jisung, Minho, and Hyunjin were huddled together as well, whispering small words to each other as the walked, spoke in a hushed manner as to not disturb the other members. Woojin looked after them, checking in on everyone but Chan, he didn’t want to disturb him in his thoughts.The group was travelling underneath Seoul. Avoiding subways and sewer systems, the group of nine moved without a trace. Chan’s condition worsened by the minute and Woojin began to take notice. He moved slower and his breath was heavier, his steps staggering every so often and he generally seemed not okay. Woojin called for the clan to stop.“Chan, are you okay? Is it your shoulder?” Woojin called to his friend as he put his bags down and walked towards the leader. He was still holding his bags and seemed to intentionally not turning to look at his members. Woojin lightly turned his body to face him, and gasped a bit at his appearance. His skin was pale and ghostly, sweat making his hair stick to his forehead in the most unpleasant way. Quickly, the medic removed the bags from his friends’ arms and dropped them on the ground before making Chan sit down. The black-haired boy didn’t even have the energy left to protest the actions for the sake of his pride, he just went with it.“You fucking idiot, you’re about to send your body into shock again from this much overwork. Why didn’t you say anything? The stitches are coming undone and you’re bleeding again…” Woojin mumbled away at the leader as the other members looked on in exhausted worry. They all knew Woojin didn’t have the proper materials to care for his leader, let alone patch him up correctly. Jeongin’s eyes were clouded with fear, deciding to take a seat on the gravelly ground of the tunnels. Seungmin and the rest seemed to think this a good idea, so after moving Woojin’s duffle bag closer to him and BC, they sat in silence, letting their bodies rest.Woojin did everything he could with what he had, butterfly stitching the bullet hole after pulling out the old stitches. He knew it wouldn’t last for long but it was the best he could do. He gave Chan a couple of painkillers to take the edge off and the leader nodded in thanks. Woojin had taken the tunnels to secondary once before with Chan, so he generally knew where they were in relation to their safe house. They were a little over halfway there, but Chan wouldn’t be able to make it there without passing out, even with his strength. Woojin had to make a crucial decision.“Guys, we’re going with a change of plans. We’re going to get out of the tunnels at the next subway opening, where I’m going to call one of our allies in Orange Rose. They’ll house us until Chan can keep going. Don’t let any of the weaponry be seen by the public, or we’ll have a serious police issue on our hands.” The caramel-haired man spoke with purpose, the sudden change worrying the members. Jeongin has no idea who Orange Rose was, he assumed another gang, hopefully friendly. Seungmin seemed a little confused too but then something clicked in his bright mind, before nodding in agreement with Woojin’s idea. Minho shrugged and stood up, helping Jisung up after him. The clan all gathered their belongings again, concealing as many weapons as they could. Chan was helped up slowly by Woojin, and the older male took his bags and distributed them to the rest of the members. Thus continued their walk, now with a new destination and apprehension thick in the air.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Amber was there. She waited anxiously on the train platform, anxiously awaiting her friend’s arrivals. She tapped her foot nervously and chewed her spearmint gum in time to the music bumming from her earbuds. He saw a flash of honey-colored hair and she ran to the stairs where Woojin and the others were emerging, bags heavy and many suspicious looks being thrown their way. They did, after all, just appear from behind a service door underground. Amber scuttled to grab a couple of the boys bags, trying to help with the load.“Thank you A, we’re in quite the bust.” Woojin spoke softly, walking next to Amber as the rest of the clan followed tiredly behind, not bothering to ask questions.“Woojin, you know Chan is one of my strongest allies and a personal friend, I’d do anything for the people he trusts. We’ll house you as long as you need us to, anything that's ours is yours.” She answered back, reaching a pair of peach colored g-wagons with matte finish. She unlocked one, popping the trunk open as a second girl got out of the second and started taking bags from the boys, throwing them into the back of her car. Amber did the same, and eventually all the boys were piled into the two luxury vehicles without so much as a ‘thank you’ to their mystery hosts.They drove for a while before reaching a rather upper class district of Seoul. Jeongin looked out the window at the towering skyscrapers of high-end condominiums. He was in awe, and was bursting with questions, but he assumed it would be smartest to stay quiet and wait for answers. The cars pulled into a gated parking garage underneath on of the said skyscrapers, swiping a pass and eventually parking on the lowest level, farthest away from any other cars in reserved spots. More silence followed the boys as they all gathered their things and were led to a private elevator through the lobby by their hosts. After reaching the highest floor, all eleven people piled out and walked into an exquisite scene.Themed in peach, black, and silver, laid an extravagant penthouse. Floor to ceiling glass windows lined one entire wall, giving a breathtaking view of the glowing city. A circular lounge area was placed in the middle in front of them, with a bar next to it. There was a kitchen tucked in one corner, with a glimmering black granite island and dining table. A frosted glass door was next to the kitchen, leading to another section of the home. Another lounging area resting in the opposing corner of the rectangular space, with plush leather couches and a roaring fireplace, as well as a large plasma TV and a glass coffee table. There was also a door on that side of the room as well, leading to god knows where. It was a millionaire’s paradise, adorned top to bottom in class and life of the owners. Exquisite art, flowers, and the occasional bit of clutter.Amber whispered something to her friend, before the unknown woman motioned for the boys to follow her to the door near the kitchen. They passed through the threshold into a maze of rooms and locked doors, mindlessly following their leader. The clan was split up into groups of four, three, and two, the groups of four and two each getting a room and the last group were told they’d get the lounge in the main room. They could choose amongst themselves who slept where.Chan and Woojin were still in the main room, explaining the situation to Amber and filling her in on what had happened. She then took them to the other door, leading them to a hallway of doors before entering a second one. A medical room, much like Woojin’s, but smaller and more organized. Chan sat as stoically as he could on the one cot in the room, wincing as he did.“Channie, quit it. Just sit and make yourself comfortable, Woojin and I are going to fix up that mess of a shoulder.” Amber spoke harshly to the male, the kind nickname falling sweetly off her lips. The boy in question simply nodded and let Woojin take off his blood and sweat stained shirt, discarding it onto the floor. The pair made quick work of removing the butterfly, and redoing the (now many more) stitches. Some painkillers and a few melatonin later, and they were escorting the clan leader to the one small room he’d be sharing with another member. He laid down and fell into an uncomfortable but deep sleep. Seungmin, Hyunjin, and Jisung made their way to the lounge, arranging themselves on the various couches and chaises in the area, while Changbin, Minho, and Felix settled themselves on the double beds in the larger guest room. Woojin followed soon after, joining Minho in his slumber. Jeongin slithered into the small room after admiring the city view with tired eyes for a moment, his mind reeling and worries swirling around like a whirlpool. He recognized his leader’s motionless sleeping frame, and couldn’t even muster the energy to roll his eyes at his predicament. He simply laid down facing away from BC and drifted off into an unpleasant world of night terrors and cold sweats.Awaking the next morning to a shift on the bed next to him, Jeongin sat up slowly and rubbed his eyes, opening them just enough to see Chan blearily exit their shared room. The young boy plopped back down onto the bed, taking the pillow next to him and briefly screaming into it at his situation. He felt so fucking lost.Just as he had started to feel at home in the syndicate warehouse, it was ripped from his grasp and torn apart in front of his eyes. The same thing with Chan. He thought he was getting somewhere, but apparently not. And now the idiot had a hole in his shoulder and Jeongin a hole in his heart. What were they meant to do? Just hide in the middle of Seoul with targets on their foreheads? Purity Ring took their only home, and now they were at the mercy of people most of the clan hadn’t ever met. Essential strangers that left them vulnerable. The young boy may not know much but he did know that what they were doing wasn’t safe. He also knew they had no other options, so he would keep his mouth shut. Jeongin’s thoughts continued to spiral around the room with wild fury until the door opened and his mind was forced to a halt by messy black hair and two glasses of orange juice.“Oh, sorry Fox, did I wake you earlier? I brought you some juice, Rose is making food but it’ll take a bit. They are feeding like 15 people…” Chan rambled nervously a bit clearly trying to avoid Jeongin’s obvious questions or the elephant(s) in the room. Jeongin shook his head and chuckled at his leaders actions, before reaching out and taking one of the glasses of juice. Chan shut his mouth and sat down on his side of the bed, his back to the younger syndicate member. The sat and drank their juice before the silence started eating away at them. The younger gave in to his teenage ambitions and placed his now empty glass onto the nightstand and crawled over the Chan. He placed his chin on the elder’s shoulder, pouting slightly before nuzzling into his neck momentarily. The leader chuckled at his childish actions and pushed his head back against Jeongin’s to give him the attention he clearly wanted. The pair eventually shifted so their backs were against the polished dark wood headboard, and Jeongins head still rested on Chan’s good shoulder.Though they were comfortable, an aura of fear and uncertainty resided around Jeongin’s perfectly tousled morning curls. Chan thought he looked delectable, in the most innocent sense of the word, despite the worry lines evident on his glowing skin. Just as the older was about to comment, Jeongin cut the thick air.“Hyung, what’s going to happen to us?” His voice wavered with a child-like fear, and in that moment, all his training and bravery against Purity Ring seemed moot. He was just a kid. He was only 17, and the things he had already had to see and go through were black as hell. Chan didn’t even know the extent of what happened to him back home in Busan, but he did know it wasn’t pretty. Chan held out his hand and Jeongin took it without comment. The older paused before a response, lightly rubbing his thumb along Jeongin’s knuckles.“We’re going to live. We’re going to be thankful and resourceful and kind. We’re going to keep our heads down and maybe live like civilians for a little while. Orange Rose will keep an eye out for Purity Ring for us, and we’ll act when we can. But that might take a little while. So we just have to be here for each other until then.” Chan spoke softly and kindly, a rather rare sound for Jeongin. It made his heart flutter, knowing Woojin was probably the only other person that had the privilege of being around him like this.The morning sunbeams were trickling through the blinds, catching particles of dust in their wake as they made their way onto the leader’s golden skin. His hair glistened in waves of artificial midnight blue and black, and his voice dripped over Jeongin’s worries like honey. The younger nodded and admired everything he could about the older, he knew this wouldn’t last. So instead of thinking about the inevitability of heartbreak, he let his gaze wander over the strong hands and etched features of one Bang Chan.Before long though, the sunlight faded out and the sounds of a full house began to fill their ears. Jeongin was the first to move, casting a soft smile at his leader before exiting the bedroom to the real world. Chan sighed a bit, he knew this was going to go down in flames, but for some reason, he felt like getting burned.