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Make It Right [BTS Mafia!AU]

Pairings: Jin x OC | Taehyung/Hoseok x OC | Yoongi/Jungkook x OC Genre: BTS Mafia!AU Warnings: Graphic Violence, Heavy Language, Angst, Smut, Slow Burn WC: 3,967 Prologue 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 “It’s always darkest before the dawn…” It’s a dog-eat-dog world in Seoul, South Korea. One has to dwell in the shadows in order to reach for the light. What are you willing to sacrifice in order to feel the sunlight on your face? What will it take to drag you back into darkness? How long will the journey be to make it right?

AO3 | WP

Chapter 12: The Truth Untold

"I can’t show you my weakness, so I’m putting on a mask to go see you."

Seoul – Myeongdong; Jung District South Korea

Eden felt her shoulder being nudged playfully and she groaned, her thick curls falling about her shoulders and ears as Raelyn grinned at her. The other woman practically bounced up and down in her seat, her glasses giving off a slight shimmer as the mid-morning sun hit the lenses. The taxi eased on down the road and she sighed, propping her elbow on the window and resting her cheek against her knuckles. As she watched the city go by, she could only grin as Raelyn chatted about all the things they were planning on doing when they finally stopped. After they ate, of course.

They could have driven to Myeongdong. Eden’s car could drive this week. Some might have found the odd-even license plate rotation law a bit of a hassle, but she could understand why. It cut out on heavy air pollution and on days when the air was bad and dust was more prevalent, the need for less vehicle traffic was essential. Raelyn insisted they just take a cab so Eden wouldn’t have to worry about parking. It was a fair argument and since Raelyn was offering to pay for the cab both ways, she wasn’t about to argue with her.

When the cab finally dropped them off at their destination, Eden stretched her arms over her head and rolled her shoulders back. She noticed that Raelyn took a moment to surmise her surroundings, as if she were looking for something. Eden watched curiously, stuffing her hands into her bomber jacket as she scuffed the heels of her Converse along the sidewalk.

Satisfied that she hadn’t seen anything, Raelyn smiled to Eden and quickly ran up beside her – immediately looping her arm through hers as they walked into the café. They both ordered their lunches and, of course, their coffee (extra milk and sugar because it was their day off and they could do these things).

The two of them sat down and talked idly about work. It was usually the first thing they did. Eden didn’t envy Raelyn’s job; not one bit. Overseeing people’s lives or having to be the one to tell a family member bad news didn’t sit well with Eden’s stomach. Cars and motorcycles were easy. They didn’t talk and if something went wrong, it was usually a mechanical issue that was out of her control. Machines weren’t built to last forever.

Then again, people weren’t either.

The conversation soon switched to lighter topics: what movies they’d seen recently and if they were caught up on the latest K-Dramas. The two women spoke English to each other freely. They rarely used it in their day-to-day lives. But when they were together, they shared conversations in their native language with smatterings of Korean. Eden remembered how relieved she was when she’d first met Raelyn. They were both transplants and while Eden was of Korean heritage, she was half African American. They’d both had rough lives and became fast friends. Their hours were a little weird compared to other working individuals, but they always made time for each other at least once or twice a week.

It was a nice friendship to gain after she’d been dumped by Yoongi shortly beforehand.

“So, what’s the latest?”

Eden raised her brows, tilting her head slightly. “Huh?”

“You know,” Raelyn said, smirking, “with the ‘Petty Mutt’ and all. How is that going?”

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t get me started.”

Raelyn laughed. “That bad?”

“It’s not bad, Rae Unnie. It’s just, fuck, I don’t know.”

“What’s not to know?”

“I didn’t want to get involved with anyone else after things ended between Yoongi and me.” Eden shrugged, lifting the cup of coffee off the table. “I just don’t think I’m ready to be with anyone like that.”

Raelyn’s brows furrowed as she looked at her. “It’s been almost two years now, Eden. You need to think about yourself and not worry about anything else.” She sipped from her cup. “He asked to be friends, right? Then that means that he’s drawn the line.”

Eden sucked her lips in between her teeth before releasing them with a pop, resting a hand to her temple as their orders were brought out to them. Raelyn was right. When Yoongi offered to “just be friends”, it was clear that boundaries were finally being set. He’d ended things on his terms and while Eden knew that things between them had gotten a little rocky, she just figured they would work through them like they always did.

Then again, he didn’t go out of his way to introduce her to any of his actual friends. Business colleagues here and there, but when they went out – just the two of them – it was usually sequestered away from the rest of the world. Eden always believed it was because Yoongi wanted to keep her all to himself; taking her to the mountains during Winter to a private cabin, out to the coast of Busan where they could relax at lovely villa. In the summer, they went to Jeju Island to enjoy the quiet and solitude.

They rarely went out in Gangnam and when they did, it was for dinner or a movie and then he would always crash at her place. She remembered how embarrassed she’d been when he first asked to come over to her house when she’d been feeling ill. She tried to tell him not to bother with it; that she’d be fine after drinking some soybean soup and sleeping. He’d brought her medicine, soup, and bought her an extra mink blanket to snuggle into since she lived in the rooftop apartment.

Had it all been a lie? Had it all been just his way of messing around with a foreign girl? He’d gotten bored with her and tossed her aside when he’d finished amusing himself with her?

Her fingers curled into the ceramic mug, her nails scraping along the surface. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

Raelyn must have known she’d struck a nerve because she instantly reached across the table to grab her wrist. Eden blinked back the angry tears that were threatening to spill out.

“Girl, listen to me,” she said, her voice gentle, “you are a catch, do you hear me? If he wants to let that go because of whatever excuse he gave you, then that’s on him. That doesn’t mean you have to deny happiness for yourself.”

Eden’s blurred vision righted and she gave a small laugh. “You sound like one of those cheesy self-help books, Unnie,” she teased.

Rae lifted her chin proudly and winked. “I have to find something to do when I’m working those extended hours at the hospital.”

“Wow, and she admits to reading cheesy self-help books.”

“Don’t knock it till you try it.”

Scoffing, she waved her hand back and forth as she picked up half of her sandwich. “No thanks.” The lettuce crunched when she bit into it and she waited for Raelyn to finish chewing before talking. “So, what about you? You haven’t dated anyone since you broke up with Hoseok.”

Raelyn snorted. “I’m not a fan of having work stress follow me everywhere I go.”

“It’s true though, right?”

“About what?”

Maybe she shouldn’t be poking at this topic, but Eden had always been curious. “That you were a mafia boss’s girlfriend?”

She watched Raelyn’s eyes go wide as she coughed loudly. Eden’s brows raised when she saw her friend waving her hands back and forth – like she’d spoken some forbidden phrase and now the floor was going to open beneath them; sending them straight to hell.

“W-Where did you even hear that from?”

Eden smirked. “I’ve been here longer than you, Unnie. Anyone who lives in Gangnam knows all about the Golden Jackals’ leader, Jung Hoseok.” She took another bite of her sandwich, savoring the surprised look on Raelyn’s face. “Rumor has it that he had an American girlfriend for about a year before things ended between them.”

Raelyn pouted. “Who said you could just know all that about me?”

She gave her a ‘yeah, right’ face before swallowing. “Do you even know where I work, Unnie? People talk and Koreans are the best sort of gossips. I never would have figured that you were that same Raelyn, though.” Eden watched as Raelyn stirred her coffee when another thought hit her. “Wait. Is that why you were looking around when we got out of the cab? Because you’re a former Hyungsoo-nim?”

The older woman hissed at her, telling her wordlessly to hush up. “Not so loud, would you?”

“If you knew that, why did you want to come here of all places to go shopping?!”

“Because I can’t let that be a brand on my back forever, Eden, okay?!”

Eden opened her mouth to tease her but saw how serious Raelyn was and closed her mouth.

“We already have enough shit to deal with in this country. You should know that better than anyone. Do you think I want that shit following me around like some dark rain cloud while I’m here? So some bastards can show up at my hospital and stir up chaos; at a place of healing?” Raelyn sighed. “I can’t stay trapped in Gangnam forever. I should be able to walk and shop and travel wherever I damn well please. I’m a free woman and that means I shouldn’t be scared to go into some other mobster’s turf.”

“Unnie…”

“I need to know if I still have my freedom, Eden.”

Eden knew what she was getting at. She understood it completely. The stigma that existed with their skin color and even their backgrounds made things harder for them in South Korea. It didn’t make them love the country any less. It was just a reality they’d come to accept. Eden had to thicken her skin up even more when she finally decided to move to the country of her mother’s origins. She needed to do it in order to survive in this place.

The two women managed to move the conversation back to lighter topics. Their phones pinged various notifications from others trying to contact them but both women chose to ignore the messages. They were out there to spend time with each other and that was all. They didn’t want any other unnecessary distractions derailing their day.

They visited a few shops, bought clothes and a few things at the electronic shops. Eden bugged Raelyn to stop by the nearest manhwa shop so she could buy a few more comic books to tide her over for the next week. Raelyn made a fuss, but she wound up purchasing all of The Bride of the Water God series for herself. Eden teased her relentlessly as they continued strolling through the heart of downtown Myeongdong.

After their matinee movie, it was getting close to dinner time. Neither of them wanted to go to an actual restaurant, opting to hit up a tent house instead. The women ordered beer and soju for their table, a side of pork belly with lettuce, rice and soybean paste. Eden busied herself with mixing their cups – half soju and half beer – before handing the older woman her glass.

“Cheers!” they said, clinking their glasses together.

The two drank, ate, and laughed loudly. They didn’t care if others were paying attention to them. This was one of the few times that Eden allowed herself to cut loose. However, their laughter was interrupted by the sound of cups slamming on a table clear on the other side of the tent house. All other patrons quieted their conversations and Eden looked over to where the noise came from.

Several men were seated at a table, drinking and eating just like they were. One of them had a clearly aggravated look on their face – his face a little pudgy and pink from the alcohol he had consumed. In fact, they all looked a little similar, though that might have been the alcohol in Eden’s system playing tricks with her. One face stood out among them, however, and he seemed unbothered by what was happening. His chestnut bangs fell over his brows and he lifted his shot glass to his lips, drinking quietly.

He looks like a woman, Eden thought bitterly before huffing to herself, her hands busying themselves with folding meat into lettuce once it was off the grill.

“You women are so fucking noisy,” growled the one who’d made all the noise. He spoke in English, attempting to sound intelligent and failing. She caught Raelyn rolling her eyes while she poured herself another drink. “Some of us don’t want to hear your stupid cackling. You sound like a couple of chickens.”

Eden stuck her middle finger up at him. “Then stuff your ears with cotton, you fuckin’ prick,” she fired back in Korean. A slow smile formed on her lips. “Better yet, go play in traffic, you wild boar.”

Two of the men shot up from the table, knocking their chairs to the ground. “What’d you say?!”

“Did I stutter? You got rocks in your ears?”

“You little bitch!”

“Knock it off,” said one of the men at the table. Eden eyed him and watched as the two men picked up their chairs and set them back upright. It was the one who looked a little feminine. “Making all this noise unnecessarily. It’s disgusting.”

They bowed their heads. “Sorry, Hyung-nim.”

The one they called ‘Hyung-nim’ looked at Eden and Raelyn, a lazy smile crossing his features. “Can I buy you ladies a drink?”

Eden scoffed, pouring what remained in her soju bottle into her glass. “No thanks,” she snapped, “we can buy our own.”

“It’s only polite. Especially since the Golden Jackal’s Hyungsoo-nim is present.”

A bottle crashed to the floor and Eden looked up to see Raelyn’s face reddening slightly, which was a feat considering her darker skin tone. She could see her friend’s face contorting between anger and worry and this infuriated Eden. The mixed girl cut her eyes to the man whose own facial expression hadn’t wavered. Not one single bit.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” he said sweetly, “I meant former Hyungsoo-nim.”

Eden’s hand slowly went into her jacket pocket, her fingers caressing the handle of her switchblade. The man clicked his tongue to the roof of his mouth, waving a finger back and forth as he continued to hold his shot glass.

“I wouldn’t try anything funny if I were you.” He shrugged, downing the shot and setting it down. “There’s no sense in getting hostile.”

“If you even think about touching my Unnie,” snarled Eden.

“I wouldn’t dream of it. It’s not like she’s tied to that group anymore.” His smile grew just a hair and he looked directly at Raelyn. “If she still were, well, we would be having a very different conversation right now.”

There was a long stretch of silence that permeated the tent house. Everyone in the establishment was afraid to breathe. At least everyone that wasn’t involved in the conversation currently passing between them. Because they all knew who was sitting at that table. Everyone knew whose territory this belonged to.

“So which Jade Fang are you?” said Raelyn calmly, breaking the silence.

He bowed his head politely toward Raelyn. “Yoo Kihyun,” he said before lifting his head up, “the Mongoose.”

“I see,” was all she said before standing up from the chair. “Eden, let’s go.”

Eden stood up quickly, almost knocking her chair over. “Rae Unnie, we can’t—”

“Let’s go,” she snapped, looking pointedly at her, “Now.”

She balked at Raelyn because she’d never spoken to her like that. Angrily, the mixed woman kicked her chair before throwing a wad of bills onto the table. Raelyn was the first one to leave but just as Eden was parallel to their table, she paused to glare down at Kihyun. He merely smiled to himself while pouring another shot of soju into his glass. However, he didn’t look at her.

“Watch yourself,” she said softly, her eyes shifting to look at the others. A few of them sucked in air through their teeth and she flipped them off again for good measure before following Raelyn.

She saw she was already hailing a cab and Eden started to protest. When she caught the look on Raelyn’s face, however, she quickly closed her mouth and got in the cab. Her friend gave the driver instructions to take them back to Gangnam and those were the only words issued the entire car ride back.

When they were getting closer to her place, Eden started to shake her friend who was beginning to fall asleep. Raelyn mumbled something incoherent and she sighed, shaking her head. Eden paid the driver after she was able to help her friend out of the cab, making a mental note to have her pay her back at her earliest convenience.

As she watched the cab driving away, Eden readjusted Raelyn’s body against hers – draping her arm over her shoulder as she stared at the stairs leading to the rooftop. “…fuck me,” she mumbled.

“You really need to stop swearing so much,” called a voice behind her, causing her to spin a little harder than she’d intended. “I guess I’ll have to pray harder for you.”

“Jimin-ah,” Eden said, smirking, “what are you doing here?”

She normally saw him when he came to visit her at the shop or when she finally took the time to attend church. Eden was aware of his ties with the underground circuit, but there were so many times when she forgot because of how soft his expression was and the kindness he showed to others so often.

He shrugged, the silver crosses dangling from his ears swinging back and forth. “Well, a certain someone wouldn’t stop pestering me since someone refused to answer his text messages today.”

Eden huffed a laugh, preparing to shrug off all accusations when she saw Jungkook step out from the shadows and into the light pouring down from the streetlight nearby. Her smile fell a fraction and she looked between the two men. How had it never occurred to her that Park Jimin and Jeon Jungkook were part of the same group? They both hung around Gangnam often and it was well-known that it was Golden Jackal territory.

Even so, it was still a little surprising to see them standing side-by-side like that.

Raelyn groaned, her hand moving to press up to her forehead. “It’s so loud,” she mumbled, lifting her head up to glare at the two of them. “Who said you punks could show up here?” She swung her head to look accusingly at Eden. “Did you invite them? How could you do that without asking your Unnie? Huh?”

Before Eden could answer, it was like Raelyn’s entire body was being pulled down by gravity. She stumbled forward and Eden let out a yelp, her fingers losing their grip. But Jimin rushed forward and caught Raelyn in his arms, steadying her back onto her feet.

“Hyungsoo-nim, are you alright?” His brows furrowed with concern and even Jungkook peered at the older woman curiously.

She smacked Jimin’s shoulder in drunken frustration. “I’m not your damn Hyungsoo-nim anymore, you got that?!”

Those were the last words she managed to get out of her before she lost consciousness. Jimin motioned for Jungkook to hold Raelyn upright long enough for him to turn around. Once he was, he motioned again toward Jungkook and he helped her onto his back, grabbing their shopping bags into his hands as well.

“Is she staying with you, Noona?” Jimin asked as he readjusted her so that her head could rest comfortably on his shoulder.

She nodded, fishing into her pocket to give him the key. “Yeah, just hurry and get her inside. I don’t want her to catch a cold.” He took the key from her and started making his way up the stairs. “There’s some Tylenol in the kitchen cabinet above the stove.”

“Got it,” he called back, his steps swift as he continued upward.

Eden watched, barely noticing that Jungkook was at her side. The two of them stood in companionable silence before he reached out to tuck some of her hair behind her ear. The action made her jump and she looked at him with wide eyes and he smiled.

“Since you were with Noona, I can see why you were ignoring my messages,” he teased, causing her to pout, “but you both looked like you had a fun time.”

“Yeah, until those stupid Jade Fang bastards showed up.” Even though she knew it wasn’t his fault, she couldn’t help but glare at Jungkook. “I know Raelyn isn’t with Hoseok anymore, but don’t you guys think you should do something about their fuckin’ attitude? They were completely disrespectful to Rae Unnie.”

“Well, some things happened and they’ve kinda been on our ass a little more these days.” He said it with a frown, as if he wanted to tell her the details but knew that he couldn’t.

Eden scoffed. “Whatever,” she snipped, fishing into her pockets for her cigarettes. Slipping one between her lips, she fumbled around for her lighter. When she realized that it wasn’t in her pocket, she let out an aggravated growl. “Goddammit.”

“No lighter?” Jungkook sighed, shaking his head. “You really should just quit.”

“And you need to get off my back.” She watched him smirk. “Go upstairs and get my lighter.”

He saluted. “Sure,” he said, turning to make his way toward the stairs.

She heard him take a few steps but then he stopped. Wondering if something had happened, she looked to her right and saw that Jungkook had only made it up one stair when he paused, looking down the sidewalk. Eden took the cigarette out from her mouth, her hand falling to her side.

“Jungkook-ah,” she called, but he wasn’t looking at her, “what’s the matter?”

“…Yoongi Hyung,” he said softly.

Eden craned her neck and saw Min Yoongi stepping out from the shadows, a lit cigarette between his lips. He wasn’t smiling like he normally did when he saw her. His expression was dark; a mixture of confusion and mild anger. She knew that look because he didn’t show it often. When she looked at Jungkook, she saw that he was still looking at Yoongi.

“Yoongi,” she said, her eyes shifting to look back at him, “what are you doing here?”

“Go upstairs, Jungkook-ah,” he said, ignoring her question.

Jungkook blinked, his head turning to look at Eden and she could see his confusion. She was just as confused but something was slowly starting to make sense. One thing was clear though.

The two of them knew each other. And they knew each other very well.

“Now, Jungkook.”

Jungkook bowed his head and quickly made his way upstairs. Once he was gone and Eden heard the door to her place open and close, her eyes moved back to look at Yoongi. He tossed his Zippo lighter at her and she caught it without thinking. Cigarette still between her fingers, she curled her hand into a fist and felt it break between her knuckles. A soft pat issued when it hit the pavement.

It made sense. It finally all made sense.

“You,” she began, her voice seething as her fists began to shake.

“That’s right,” he said, his expression as neutral as ever. Except for his eyes. There was anger swirling in his dark depths and this, in turn, enraged her. “I’m one of the Golden Jackals.”

She watched as the cigarette dropped to his feet and he crushed the ember out with the heel of his shoe.

“Min Yoongi, The Lightning Claw.”

Make It Right [BTS Mafia!AU]

Pairings: Jin x OC | Taehyung/Hoseok x OC | Yoongi/Jungkook x OC Genre: BTS Mafia!AU Warnings: Graphic Violence, Heavy Language, Angst, Smut, Slow Burn WC: 3,496 Prologue 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 “It’s always darkest before the dawn…” It’s a dog-eat-dog world in Seoul, South Korea. One has to dwell in the shadows in order to reach for the light. What are you willing to sacrifice in order to feel the sunlight on your face? What will it take to drag you back into darkness? How long will the journey be to make it right?

AO3 | WP

Chapter 13: Reflection

"But you know, sometimes I really really hate myself. To be honest, quite often, I really hate myself."

Seoul – Hannam; Yongsan District South Korea

When Yoongi got the call, he was on his way to the airport.

Seokjin managed to secure a personal financial advisor for their group so the next step that needed to be taken was to start consolidating their assets. Yoongi was one of the ones responsible for setting up accounts overseas and he wanted to get the business deals taken care of before the end of the week. He’d need a couple of days to adjust to the jetlag and then he would be in and out of office meetings for most of his stay. Americans were capitalists by nature and so they ultimately would try to get the biggest bang for their buck.

Yoongi was out to accomplish the same.

He’d packed his suitcase that morning. His flight was scheduled to depart in the late afternoon, and he would hopefully arrive in California first thing in the morning. He wasn’t planning on staying for more than three or four days, timelines depending. Yoongi wanted to get lunch with Eden before he left.

They’d agreed to be friends, after all.

Friends, he thought bitterly, staring at himself in the mirror as he adjusted the lapels of his gray blazer, who am I kidding?

It was an excuse. It was an excuse for himself.

Reaching out with the olive branch for friendship was his way of being able to stay close to Eden, but keeping her at arm’s length. He could lie to her every chance he could and he’d be a liar still if he didn’t feel a shred of relief when she’d accepted his offer for friendship. But there was a part of him that knew he had to keep the ruse up for as long as possible. The further he kept her from his life, the less entangled in the criminal underground she would get.

He’d been selfish to have maintained the illusion of their relationship for so long.

He sighed. Three years…

How could he have continued to lie to her for three years? It was one thing when they were just starting to get close while he was in the States. He never imagined she would travel all the way to South Korea. Yoongi wasn’t arrogant enough to believe she’d done it for him. He knew of her desire to learn more of her mother’s roots and to walk the same paths and see the same things that her mother had. She’d been an orphan for her entire life, but Eden always cherished that side of her heritage – even going so far as to learn the language and the culture long before he’d ever met her.

It was creeping closer toward mid-morning. He shot Eden a quick text, inquiring whether she had any plans for lunch. It was probably presumptuous of him to think she was just waiting around for him to call or text her. They met up one more time after he’d let a week slip by with no contact. Honestly, Yoongi spent those days contemplating if he’d made the right decision in wanting to maintain a friendship with her. Should he have just cut her out of his life completely and made the choice to stop making excuses to pull her into his orbit?

After waiting for her to respond and getting nothing back, he decided to leave it alone. He’d text her when he arrived State-side and let her know he was out of the country on a business trip. She was used to that, seeing as how he drew up his entrepreneur persona and maintained that guise for all the years he’d known her.

His phone rang and he answered, not bothering to look at the screen to see who was calling. He was already on his way out the door.

“Min Yoongi here.”

“Hyung, we have a problem.”

It was Namjoon.

“What’s wrong?”

Closing the door, he waited for the security lock to beep before he headed down the stone walkway leading out to the expansive front garden. Dragging his rolling suitcase with him, he fished for his keys so he could lock the front gate. Once it was locked, he rounded the corner of the building and headed out toward the street.

“It’s Hyungsoo-nim…”

Yoongi froze.

“What?”

“…uh, I mean, Raelyn Noona.”

He sighed, brushing a hand through his bangs in frustration. “Is Hoseok still having her monitored?”

“Look, Hyung, that’s not really important right now. You know how thorough Hoseok is. He just wants to make sure she’s safe and he always keeps his distance.”

“Whatever.”

“Anyway, that’s not the problem. The problem is that she was seen in Myeongdong today.”

Yoongi was about to take another step when he stopped. “She was seen in Jade Fang territory?” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “It’s not like she doesn’t know how those guys operate. Why would she risk even going there?”

“Well, she was out shopping with a friend. A mixed girl. I think her name is Eden?”

A lump of ice crashed into Yoongi’s gut.

No, he thought, a bead of sweat forming on his brow, how did I miss that?

But the answer was right there. He’d missed it because he always made it a point to keep Eden as far away from his world as possible. Which, in turn, caused him to be kept just as far away from her world and inner circle as well.

“Fuck.”

“Yoongi Hyung? Are you alright?”

“And we can’t send Taehyung to fetch her because he got caught fucking around out there, either.”

He heard Namjoon sigh on the other line.

"No. And I don’t want to risk sending any of the other boys out there. The Jade Fangs are probably itching for any excuse to start a skirmish.”

“God fucking dammit, Taehyung-ah,” he muttered. If he hadn’t blown his damn ability to sleuth around properly, this would have been a cake walk. “What about Jungkook?”

“With his reputation on the streets? They’d see him coming a mile away.”

“I know Seokjin Hyung is in Busan right now. What about Jimin-ah?”

Namjoon sighed again. He wished he’d quit doing that. It wasn’t helping his nerves in the slightest.

“He’s still not back from Jeju. He won’t be arriving until later in the evening.”

“Fine. I’ll go get her.”

“No, you can’t either Hyung. Just like everyone knows about Jungkook, they know about The Lightning Claw too.”

Yoongi hissed, clicking his tongue against the back of his teeth.

“And I can’t go running in there since I have to stay by Hoseok’s side. I’ve already had to convince him three times to stay put.”

This was getting stupid.

But Eden was with her. He knew that she could take care of herself and as long as they didn’t move against them, there would be no reason to stir up trouble. Hoseok wasn’t dating Raelyn anymore and, as a result, she was no longer the Hyungsoo-nim of the Golden Jackals. There would be no reason for them to push at her since she wasn’t tied to them anymore.

Well, at least not in that capacity. He couldn’t control what Taehyung and the others did.

“This is one giant fucking mess.” Yoongi spied the time. He’d have to cancel his flight. “Keep on them. And as soon as Jimin gets back, you let him know what the hell is happening. He’ll at least have an idea of what to do about this since he’s the only one of us who knows how to keep his foot out of his goddamn mouth.”

“Got it. I’ll let you know if anything changes.”

“Good.”

He hung up the call and immediately called the airport to cancel his flight. Yoongi dialed a cab and after five minutes, he hopped in and made a beeline for Gangnam. He didn’t know how he was going to manage it, but he had to keep an eye out and make sure that nothing crazy happened. He’d keep his ears to the ground for as long as he could manage it before calling for reinforcements.

Seoul – Cheongdam; Gangnam District South Korea

It was a fifteen-minute cab ride.

It felt like it took a hundred years to get to Eden’s street.

Arriving, he paid the cab driver and immediately made his way up the stairs. Once he reached the top, he fished into his pockets to retrieve his keys. He quickly plucked through them and saw the spare key.

He still had the spare key to Eden’s apartment and while he’d been meaning to give it back to her for some time, it just never came up. She never asked for it back. While he’d never encroached into her privacy, there were times he would swing by when he knew she was at the shop to make sure that she was at least eating properly.

She wasn’t, of course. She was always eating out – the tell-tale signs of Chinese takeout in her mini fridge.

Slipping the key inside, he unlocked the door and dipped inside. Kicking off his shoes, he slid into the spare house slippers and immediately began marching around the small space.

“Eden?” he called.

There was no answer.

The darker part of Yoongi’s mind that often dreamed up the worst scenarios immediately began to panic. His heart jack-hammered against his ribs and while her apartment was small, it felt like it took almost an hour to search. His legs frantically moved from one empty space and then to the other. She was nowhere to be found.

Dashing out of the apartment, he stalked around the rooftop – flinging his arms out to avoid being hit by the laundry she still had hanging out on the line.

She wasn’t there.

Fuck, came his angry thought.

Well, at least she wasn’t there bleeding out on the floor.

Shaking his head, he took a breath and quieted those dark thoughts – smothering toward the shadowy corner of his heart where they belonged. “She’s fine, Min Yoongi. Get it together.”

He tried calling her and texting her. The call went straight to voicemail.

Again, Yoongi attempted to quiet his frantic mind. It’s fine. Her phone just might be dead. You know how she barely keeps the thing fully charged daily. It’s fine.

Yoongi went back inside, deciding that he would wait for her. That was the best course of action to take. Falling onto the couch, he sank into it and felt like the weight of the universe had been thrust upon his shoulders; this being the first break he was able to take all day.

His phone began to ring and he answered before the first buzz got a chance to finish. “Hello?”

“Yoongi Hyung?” It was Jimin. “I just got back to Seoul. Is everything alright? Namjoon Hyung told me to call you as soon as I was able to use my phone again.”

“Are you still at the airport?”

“Yeah. I just picked up my bag.”

“Good. I need you to take a cab to Gangnam immediately. Raelyn was spotted in the Jung District.”

“Heaven help me, are you serious? Was she by herself?”

“No, Eden—” He paused, taking a moment. He could already tell he was about to sound way too familiar. “—her friend, Eden, is with her. At least that’s what was reported to me.”

There was a long pause and Yoongi looked at his phone to make sure the call wasn’t disconnected. “Jimin-ah?”

“Huh? Oh, sorry Hyung. I just got a bunch of texts from Jungkook. He’s bugging me about coming with him to check on someone. Hold on.” There was the distinct sound of street noises being heard. Yoongi heard Jimin hailing a cab and once he finished giving the driver directions, he returned to the line. “This boy. Well, it looks like I’m headed that way anyway, Hyung. Jungkook is up my ass about bothering Eden. If Hyungsoo-nim—I mean, if Raelyn Noona is with her, then I can kill two birds with one stone.”

Yoongi suddenly sat up. “Wait, what?” His eyes narrowed. “You and Jungkook both know Eden?”

“Huh? Well, yeah, Hyung. Jungkook met her a few months back when he brought his bike into her shop to get it looked at.”

“And you?”

“Hyung, I’m a Christian, remember? Eden goes to the same church I do.” He heard Jimin laugh. “Well, when she makes the time to come, anyway.”

He frowned. Had he even known that about her? Yoongi knew that she believed; that she was a believer, but he never remembered her attending church back when they were in the States. And she certainly hadn’t gone to church when they were still together.

But now that he thought about it, he was usually gone and when he wasn’t gone, he was with her and only her. He took her to various places away from prying eyes because he didn’t want to risk anyone recognizing him and tying her to him. The risk was too great; for her and for himself.

Yet she’d somehow managed to entangle herself in their world, regardless.

Yoongi got up and started heading toward the door. It was already dark outside. When had it gotten so late?

He took two steps out of the door, pulling it closed behind him. He locked the door just as the sound of a motorcycle roared to life from down the street. Yoongi moved to the other side of the roof, peering over the edge. Jungkook’s motorcycle could be seen from the other end of the street. He slowed his pace as he hit the wide turns as he peeled into the neighborhood. Yoongi spun on his heels and immediately went to the other end of the roof behind Eden’s apartment, vaulting over the edge and landing on the fire escape.

Descending the stairs, he hit the pavement in time to see a cab pulling up. Jimin stepped out from it but Yoongi remained hidden in the shadows. Part of him wanted to reveal himself to Jimin, feigning ignorance for why he was there. He was simply checking on Raelyn. Nothing more. He didn’t even know this Eden chick.

That was the lie he could have spun if Eden didn’t already know both Jimin and Jungkook.

He watched as Jimin and Jungkook met each other after parking, the two exchanging brief conversation and relaying to the other about the call from Namjoon. If the two of them were there, then that would be fine. He could leave things in their care and call it a night. He still had to fly out to the States tomorrow morning.

I’ll wait until she gets here, he told himself, pulling out his pack of cigarettes from the inside of his jacket pocket, then I’ll go.

He’d barely gotten a few puffs in before another cab pulled up. Yoongi spied that it was Eden with Raelyn in tow. She hefted the drunk woman up, barely able to keep herself upright as well. They’d been drinking a lot, it seemed. Eden managed to pull out a few shopping bags and paid the cab driver. When Jimin and Jungkook made themselves known to Eden, he was about to leave.

That is until he saw Jungkook brushing Eden’s hair behind her ear.

His legs remained rooted to the ground and a flare of heated jealousy exploded across his chest. While Yoongi knew he had no right to feel that way, the emotions pushed to the forefront. He recalled the conversation that he’d had with Jungkook a few days back about the “Stubborn Tiger” he was pursuing – how he’d stolen her number but was still willing to talk to him despite knowing that he was affiliated with the mafia.

And she hadn’t turned him away.

He took a step forward, away from the shadows and into the light. Could things have been different?

Yoongi watched as Jungkook started heading upstairs, only to stop when their eyes met.

“Jungkook-ah,” Eden called, but Jungkook didn’t take his eyes off of him, “what’s the matter?”

“…Yoongi Hyung.”

It was here that Eden’s eyes searched the darkness and when he appeared, he could see the confusion and surprise on her face. He did his best to ignore it, but he knew that his anger was showing all over his face.

“Yoongi,” she said, her eyes shifting to look back at him, “what are you doing here?”

“Go upstairs, Jungkook-ah,” he said, ignoring her question. His mouth felt dry all of a sudden and he knew it wasn’t because of the cigarette perched between his lips.

He watched Jungkook turn to look at Eden and this made his brow twitch. But when he turned to look back at Eden, he could see the wheels turning in her mind. And then that was when he watched her mentally put two and two together.

“Now, Jungkook.”

He waited until Jungkook was out of earshot before he tossed his Zippo lighter to her. She caught it easily. But he knew she wouldn’t light up in front of him. She was about to get angry. Her anger was about to rise to meet at the level of his own.

“You,” she began, her voice seething as her fists began to shake.

“That’s right,” he said, his expression neutral and his tone cold. But he couldn’t hide the throbbing behind his eyes – the way that his eyes seemed to shake with the heavy emotions swirling in his chest. “I’m one of the Golden Jackals.”

He dropped the cigarette from his lips and crushed the ember out with the heel of his shoe.

“Min Yoongi, The Lightning Claw.”

For a moment, nothing else was spoken between them.

And then he watched the tears form in her eyes, shining under the glow of the streetlight.

“You son of a bitch,” she muttered. Yoongi watched her reach into her pocket and she pulled out the switchblade she was always known to carry. “You fucking…SON OF A BITCH!”

Yoongi watched Eden run at him, and just when she was about to strike, he caught her wrist at the last second. Holding her arm high, he squeezed on the pressure point where her wrist was – forcing her to drop the knife. It landed on the ground with a loud clatter and she raged at him, her voice echoing off the brick walls of the residential housing in the area. He watched her left hand curl into a fist and when she tried to land a blow to his face, he blocked it with his forearm and gripped onto her wrist.

“You liar! You goddamn fucking lying sack of shit!” She tried to jerk free, but his grip tightened. “Let me go! LET ME GO!”

He braced most of his weight onto his back leg, spinning her around and forcing her arms up and over her. Once they were crossed in front of her, he held her tightly against him. He wasn’t sure if it was her heart or his own drumming mercilessly against his chest, but he knew that their breaths were coming out in rough huffs simultaneously.

“How could you lie to me? After all these years, you had me believing I was nothing to you!”

Eden shook violently, doing her damnedest to break free of his hold. But he wasn’t letting go.

“I did it because I didn’t want you wrapped up in this shit, Eden!”

She was practically vibrating now. “That wasn’t your choice to make! It was mine, you bastard! It was mine and you took it from me!” Eden tried her best to fight his hold, but he was too strong. He could hear a broken sob escaping her. “You never even let me make the choice for myself, you asshole.”

The sob was what did it and he finally released her. When he did, Eden whirled around and a loud crack issued as her palm connected with his cheek. Tears streamed down her face and he sighed, the pain of the strike nothing compared to the betrayal that was etched so perfectly all over her face.

“Is that why you finally decided to tell me the truth? Because you’ve figured out that I not only know Raelyn Unnie, but Jimin and Jungkook too? Because your little lie was finally going to come back full circle and kick you in the balls?”

Yoongi couldn’t say anything. What could he say? It wasn’t like anything she’d said was a lie.

He watched her angrily swipe at her nose and cheeks. “You’re a real piece of work, you know that, Min Yoongi?”

And without another glance his way, Yoongi watched Eden ascend the stairs. He couldn’t bring himself to go after her. Because what excuse did he have now? What leg did he have left to stand on?

Eden McGee, once again, managed to knock all the fight he had left out of him.

AN: So it's come to my attention that some of you might not know which honorifics I'm using. I've decided to go ahead and start by listing the honorifics in the story in notes so there is no confusion. -- Hyung - what a younger man calls an older man who they are close with or actually blood-related to. -- Noona - what a younger man calls an older woman who they are close with or actually blood-related to. -- Hyung-nim - what younger men call an older man who they are close with and also see as a mentor; can also be a term for rank, as in Hoseok's case. This can also be used in terms of "In-laws" when speaking to the older brother of their wife. -- Hyungsoo-nim - what a younger man calls his older brother's wife. In this case, since Hoseok is the leader of the Golden Jackals, his ex-girlfriend, Raelyn, was once called "Hyungsoo-nim" as a show of respect. -- Unnie - what a younger woman calls an older woman who they are close with or actually blood-related to. -- Name-ssi - a polite way to address someone deemed as an acquaintance or used in the workplace between fellow colleagues. -- Name-ah/ie - an informal way to address someone who is more than just an acquaintance; generally used between close friends and by older siblings to address their younger siblings. These are the ones that I use the most and will be the most prevalent in this fic. I figured I would go ahead and clear up the confusion. Hope this helps. I will update these as I go depending on which ones are used in the story.

Make It Right [BTS Mafia!AU]

Pairings: Jin x OC | Taehyung/Hoseok x OC | Yoongi/Jungkook x OC Genre: BTS Mafia!AU Warnings: Graphic Violence, Heavy Language, Angst, Smut, Slow Burn WC: 3,228 Prologue 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 “It’s always darkest before the dawn…” It’s a dog-eat-dog world in Seoul, South Korea. One has to dwell in the shadows in order to reach for the light. What are you willing to sacrifice in order to feel the sunlight on your face? What will it take to drag you back into darkness? How long will the journey be to make it right?

AO3 | WP

Chapter 14: Seesaw

"So there’s an ambiguous continuation of passing on responsibilities, And we get so tired or if that we finally became parallel..."

“Hoseok-ah,” came Namjoon’s deep voice, “you have to calm down, alright? You need to calm down.”

Hoseok rounded on him in the middle of his pacing. His dark hair flew in every direction across his forehead and the tails to his suit jacket lifted off his back. Namjoon felt his spine grow rigid. He could see his reflection in Hoseok’s dark eyes, spidery red veins stretching to caress his irises. Namjoon watched as Hoseok’s chest rose up and down, showcasing how heavy his breathing was in that moment.

The two men said nothing. All they could do was stare directly into each other’s eyes. Namjoon felt a lump rising in his throat while Hoseok’s brow twitched from his fury. It wasn’t until he saw his friend’s upper lip curling into a snarl that he snapped out of the fugue state he’d momentarily found himself in. It was like his soul departed his body in those few short seconds and Namjoon forgot who he was.

He’d almost forgotten who the man standing in front of him was.

Sighing, he took another breath and then rested his hands on Hoseok’s shoulders. He felt the muscles jump under his palms and Namjoon curled his fingers into the fabric of his jacket for good measure. When he finally felt Hoseok’s shoulders relax did he, too, relax his grip.

“Hyung-nim,” he stressed, which caused Hoseok to blink in surprise. He could see the blind rage bleeding out from his eyes. “We have to wait here. I’ve already got the boys on it. If something happened, we would have heard about it.”

He watched Hoseok’s face and saw his mind racing behind his eyes. After a handful of seconds, he closed his eyes. When Namjoon believed he’d sufficiently calmed down, he saw the quick movement out of the corner of his eye. Hoseok turned and swung his right arm up, knocking Namjoon’s arms away from him. He turned his back to him and all Namjoon could do was bite his lower lip as his brows knit both with concern and frustration.

Then the phone rang.

Hoseok crossed the short distance toward his desk, not bothering to go to the other side. He answered it from the front, practically ripping it from the wiring. An ache formed in Namjoon’s chest as he watched his friend struggling to dampen his anger.

“This is Jung Hoseok.”

There was a pause as the other spoke from the other line. However, when Namjoon saw the angry vein pulsating near Hoseok’s throat, he knew something was very wrong. Hoseok’s eyes grew large before slowly narrowing to tiny slits.

“What horse shit are you babbling on about right now, Changkyun-ah?”

Namjoon took a step toward Hoseok, his heartbeat hammering across his entire body. Hoseok held his hand up, shaking his head back and forth – his silent command for him to be quiet. Namjoon remained rooted to his spot and he could only watch as Hoseok’s angry face twisted into a dark smile.

“While I’m aware that one of my boys messed up, I don’t see how that has anything to do with her. She and I aren’t together anymore. I made that crystal fucking clear to all the bosses. She’s a free woman and can come and go where she pleases. So can her friends.”

There was a loud laugh that came from the other line, loud enough for even Namjoon to hear. However, Hoseok’s smile didn’t fall. It remained dark and terrifying. But Namjoon didn’t miss how his friend’s knuckles burned white from how hard he was holding the phone. He could swear that the plastic on the receiver cracked from the pressure.

“Changkyun-ah,” Hoseok said slowly, “I know you haven’t been to the meetings these days, but you should know how serious of an offense I take to threats to my territory. I know you’re the same. Taehyung will be punished for the trouble he caused, but leave her out of future conversations. How she chooses to spend her time is her own business. It doesn’t have anything to do with me.” He paused and Namjoon’s own hands curled into fists at his side. “So, if you’re planning on using her as some kind of leverage against me, that time has long since passed, Im Changkyun.”

A napalm of anger went off across Namjoon’s chest. He knew that things had been far too quiet over in the Jung District. Word on the streets was that the Jade Fangs were eyeballing a few key territories to claim as their own. Like a cancer, they were spreading and infecting everything around them. The disease? Fear. They didn’t play fair and they played for keeps. Always. It was the main reason why Hoseok stressed so many years ago, just at the end of all the gang wars, that he wanted to keep any and all business ventures as far away from their reach as it could be made possible.

But even Namjoon didn’t think they would stoop so low as to reach for Hoseok’s neck through Raelyn Noona.

Hoseok’s eyes closed and he turned his back to Namjoon. His hand slid across the surface of his desk and he saw Hoseok’s shoulders tilt at a slight angle.

“We’re both very busy men, Changkyun-ah. If you want to discuss terms for a deal, it will have to be through my second, Kim Namjoon.” There was another pause. “Alright, he’ll meet with your second first thing tomorrow morning. Goodnight.”

Another long stretch of silence loomed throughout the room as Hoseok hung up the phone. Namjoon couldn’t help but remain silent. The brother and best friend in him wanted to soothe the rage that was clearly bubbling over the surface of Hoseok’s aura. The obedient subordinate knew his place, maintaining his stance with his hands clasped in front of him. He knew that the upheaval of emotions, the rocky rollercoaster they were currently on, was far from over.

Hoseok…

No sooner had his friend’s name echoed in his mind, Namjoon saw Hoseok move. His arms swung out, sweeping across the desk and knocking everything onto the floor. He leaned over, picking up the phone and threw it across the room like a professional baseball pitcher with a roar. It sailed across the room and smashed into the wall, landing pathetically on the floor – as though it knew that it was experiencing its last moments in the world.

Hoseok screamed – his face exploding into blotchy patches of red as he raged in his office. Namjoon watched silently; praying that his presence was enough to settle the tumultuous fury rupturing in his friend. But he knew that it would be a fallacy if this image of Hoseok, this display, didn’t hurt Namjoon. It broke something inside of him and years of pride shattered. All that was left was the lingering guilt that echoed inside of him.

Could all of this have been avoided had they remained back in their country home of Hwaseong?

Hoseok finally fell to his knees, his screams fading to silence before he leaned forward and began punching the ground. Over and over he crashed his knuckles into the stone floor until splatters of blood decorated the slate surface. Namjoon rushed to his side, grasping onto Hoseok’s wrist hard in his hand. He tried to resist him but after a few minutes, it was like watching a wild animal succumbing to the pain of being caught in the hunter’s trap.

He felt the tension in Hoseok’s body melt away. Namjoon knew better than anyone how much he still cared for Raelyn. He also understood why Raelyn ended things. This wasn’t the sort of life that he wanted to drag anyone into unless he trusted they would go down swinging with them. They would jump into the fire and burn to death together. A non-suspect civilian, especially one who worked in the medical field, didn’t need to have a reason to entangle themselves with their dark and dirty little world.

But the heart wants what the heart wants. Hoseok wanted Raelyn and she wanted him. She took to their life like a duck takes to water. Maybe it was because of her past, what little Hoseok told them about it, but Raelyn was more than capable of handling herself. She was suited to be the mafia boss’s girlfriend.

Freedom, however, was something that most people took for granted. Hoseok did everything he could back then to make her happy. He would have plucked the moon out of the sky and hung it from her neck if she’d asked for it. But their lives were crazy in those days. They were always fighting to survive and they were fighting for a way of life. There was still so much time before things would begin stabilizing. In those days, Hoseok personally took part in the turf wars that exploded across the streets of Seoul.

Things were different now. They were getting better, but there was still so much at stake.

Namjoon felt Hoseok’s head fall against his shoulder, bringing him out of his thoughts. His sandalwood hair fell across his nose as he tried to look at his friend. But all he could see was the shadow of his eyes, the rest hidden by his dark fringe.

“Namjoon-ah,” Hoseok muttered, his voice hoarse from his earlier episode, “how much longer do we have to keep doing this?”

His brows furrowed and he clenched his jaw tightly, the soft ache of the muscle near his molars twitching with life. “Not much longer, my friend.”

He wrapped his arms around Hoseok’s shoulder, bringing him closer so that he could rest a little longer. He patted his back in comfort, hoping to reassure him that this was going to be a thing of the past soon.

“We’re almost there. I promise you.”

Incheon – Muchuhol; Namdong District South Korea

The Incheon Metropolitan City Muchuhol Library was usually quiet in the early mornings. Students were on their way to their classes and all the other patrons in the library were simply finding a quiet place to isolate themselves from the rest of the world. Ambitious writers came to do research and there were even a few professors who were expanding their light reading in the library.

Nestled toward the back of the library, Namjoon’s fingers perused a variety of philosophical texts written by some of the greatest scholarly minds the world has ever known. He’d dabbled in a few studies himself, hoping to utilize the texts given by other intellectuals to help guide him on his path to be a successful assistant and right hand to Hoseok. Most of his actions stemmed from experience and he rarely responded with impulse. The quiet voices of reason were the roles that Seokjin and he played. It was the best way for them to work without hiccups while Hoseok focused on leading them.

Reaching for one of Karl Marx’s books, he flipped to the center where his description of capitalism; how the very existence of it would crumble due to the necessity of society having to struggle in order to evolve. Holding the book open with one hand, his thumb flipped a couple of pages as his other hand slid into the pocket of his dress pants.

Suddenly, he could feel someone to his back. Raising the book up to his face, hiding half of his face as his eyes slowly shifted to the side. The other person’s broad shoulders barely brushed against Namjoon’s back. No one said anything. It was quiet, save for the ambient noise of others milling about near the front of the library.

And then the person huffed softly.

“It’s been awhile, Namjoon-ah.”

“It has, Shownu Hyung,” he replied softly.

Kim Namjoon was there to meet with Sohn Shownu, the Bear of the Jade Fangs.

The two remained back to back. He felt Shownu shift behind him, presumably to grab one of the books. They completely blocked off the aisle they were on, but since they were near the back of the library, they knew they could talk quietly and away from the prying eyes of others.

“Couldn’t your boss have picked a closer place to meet than this?”

“Changkyun’s always been fickle.” Namjoon could hear the smile on Shownu’s face. “Incheon’s neutral territory for both of our groups. This was the best option.”

Namjoon smirked, brushing his thumb over the lower swell of his lip before flipping the page. “I suppose.” He glossed over the pages, not really reading what was written. “Taehyung-ah messed up. We acknowledge that.” He paused before turning another page. “He’ll be punished.”

“Have you decided on how you’re going to go about it?”

“Not yet.”

“Need some ideas?”

“No, that’s not necessary.”

He heard Shownu turn a page behind him.

“You guys acquired Yongsan recently.”

It was a statement of fact, not a question.

Namjoon’s eyes narrowed. “Yeah, we did two years ago.”

“So, Gangnam and now Yongsan.” Another page was turned. “A little gutsy, don’t you think?”

“Not as gutsy as your group.” Namjoon craned his neck slightly so he could glance over his shoulder at Shownu. “You snatched up Mapo in the last year.”

He saw Shownu shrug. “Again, Changkyun is fickle.”

“He hasn’t been attending the district meetings either.”

“I’ve tried to get him to listen to reason. He has his own ambitions. There’s little that any of us can do to stop him.”

Namjoon slapped the book closed. “Then try harder.”

The two men slowly turned in the aisle, standing shoulder to shoulder with one another. Shownu was just a little taller than Namjoon, but not by much. Their dark eyes bore into each other and nothing was said between them. After a moment, Shownu’s brows rose as his full lips formed into a smirk.

“About Raelyn Briggs,” he said, causing Namjoon’s eyes to narrow a margin, “Changkyun wanted to let you know that she doesn’t have to worry about coming into our turf. She’s not involved with your organization anymore, so she has no reason to continue looking over her shoulder.”

Namjoon wanted to feel relieved, but the tension in his neck wouldn’t let up.

“We can’t guarantee anything if she decides to mix herself up with your group again.”

Both moved at the same time; their bodies turning to face each other as their arms shot out to grasp at the other’s wrist. Namjoon’s fingers dug into Shownu’s forearm and the older man did the same. Their expressions were completely unreadable and they each held a book in their other hand. To any person passing by, it would have looked like a promise was made between two brothers.

The truth? They’d neutralized each other’s assault. It was hard to determine who’d struck first.

“And her friend?”

“Well, I’m afraid it’s a little too late for her the minute she decides to cross the line.” Shownu tilted his head slightly. “She’s feisty, that Eden girl. It’s almost a shame that she lives in Gangnam. Do you think she’d consider relocating?”

Namjoon did a little digging on Eden McGee. Some wads of money thrown here and there, as well as cashing in a few favors, and it was easy to dredge up enough information on her for it to matter. After reading over her permanent record, the answer to that question was easy to give.

“Don’t count on it.”

The two men released each other immediately. They straightened their shoulders and, without taking their eyes from each other, replaced their books back onto the shelves. Shownu slipped his hands into his pockets, rocking back on his heels and Namjoon worked on buttoning up his jacket.

“When things calm down, we should get a drink sometime,” offered Shownu, “do a little catching up.”

“Sure,” Namjoon replied easily, “when things have settled down a bit.”

He started to move, heading down the aisle so he could mix himself into the throng of other patrons of the library.

“Is it true?”

Shownu’s voice stopped him just as he reached the end of the aisle. He looked over his shoulder toward The Bear as he took a few steps forward.

“Is what true?”

“Rumor around is that you guys are trying to go straight?” Shownu brushed some of his hair out of his eyes. “Is it true?”

Namjoon smirked. “Guess you’ll have to wait and see, won’t you?” He gave him a two fingered salute. “See you around, Shownu Hyung.”

And without waiting for a response, he turned and walked toward the library’s main entrance. He didn’t let his expression change until he was outside and standing on the sidewalk. Sliding up the sleeve of his jacket, he spied the time and clicked his tongue against the back of his teeth. He was running behind.

Pulling his car keys out, he hit the button on the key fob and the lights to his car flickered to life as the doors unlocked. Nestling into the Audi, he cranked the car and the engine roared to life. He set his phone on the dash mount and went through his favorites on his contact list to dial Yoongi’s cell.

“Namjoon-ah, everything alright?” His gruff voice came through the speaker.

“Yeah, I’m about to head back now. Did I wake you up?”

“No, I’m just jetlagged. I’ll be fine after a shower.”

Namjoon pulled his car out onto the main street, making his way toward the highway. “Seokjin Hyung is still in Busan with Anastasia. They won’t be back until tomorrow. When are you flying back?”

“I’ll be back on Thursday. I had to push things back because of what happened.”

He hummed his response.

“…how’s Hoseok-ah?”

Namjoon sighed. “I’m worried about him, Hyung. But I think the Jade Fangs will keep their distance from Raelyn Noona from now on.” He reached up to scratch at his temple. “We’ll have to punish Taehyung-ah.”

“As he should be.”

“I’ll have Jimin handle it.”

He heard Yoongi shifting around on the other end.

“You don’t think that Hoseok should be the one to punish him?”

“Do you want Jungkook to handle it instead?”

There was a pregnant pause before he heard Yoongi’s sigh from the speaker.

“No, let Jimin take care of it.”

With as angry as Hoseok was, there was a good chance that Taehyung would wind up with something broken. Or worse. It was better if Jimin handled it. He knew how to dole out punishment fairly and had the restraint not to cross any lines.

“Alright. I’ll let Jimin and Hoseok know. Have a good trip.”

“Yeah, and you get off the phone. You’re driving so you’re supposed to be paying attention to the road.”

Namjoon smirked. “I will. Bye, Hyung.”

“Later.”

When the call ended, Namjoon’s face hardened. Just when things were starting to look up, they had the rug pulled out from them. He’d been keeping his ears to the ground and was shocked to hear that the Jade Fangs acquired Mapo. The most disturbing thing was that it didn’t look like Changkyun was showing any signs of stopping.

One by one, he had his eyes set on other districts.

“Is it going to come down to that? Again?”

He hoped not. He truly hoped not.

Because who knew what the result would be if another gang war managed to break out? 

Make It Right [BTS Mafia!AU]

Pairings: Jin x OC | Taehyung/Hoseok x OC | Yoongi/Jungkook x OC Genre: BTS Mafia!AU Warnings: Graphic Violence, Heavy Language, Angst, Smut, Slow Burn WC: 3,228 Prologue 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 “It’s always darkest before the dawn…” It’s a dog-eat-dog world in Seoul, South Korea. One has to dwell in the shadows in order to reach for the light. What are you willing to sacrifice in order to feel the sunlight on your face? What will it take to drag you back into darkness? How long will the journey be to make it right?

AO3 | WP

Chapter 15: Burning Up

"Live life however you want, it’s yours anyway. Stop trying, it’s okay to lose."

Jungkook’s feet were heavy as he made his way up the stairwell that led to Eden’s rooftop apartment. The brick was cold against his palms, but he hardly felt it. His mind was racing – no, reeling over Yoongi’s arrival. He couldn’t help but wonder how the two of them knew each other. Yoongi made no mention of knowing someone like Eden and she was the sort of person who unintentionally stuck out. He’d only known her for a few months, but it seemed like she knew Yoongi for even longer. Longer than he could probably guess on his own.

When he reached the top, he paused. There was silence below him. Curiosity compelled him and so Jungkook took a few steps towards Eden’s front door. He opened it slowly, then closed it.

But he remained outside.

Quieting his steps, Jungkook crossed the rooftop and stood near the edge of the building. Keeping to the shadows, he leaned over and peeked down below. Even from that height, he could see Eden shaking and it wasn’t from the cold. His eyes shifted toward his friend, watching the man he admired so much as he took another slow drag from his cigarette.

“You,” Eden began, the anger clear in her tone.

“That’s right. I’m one of the Golden Jackals.”

Yoongi’s voice was cold. He spoke to her the way he did just before he was preparing to pummel someone into the ground. He’d never heard him speak that way toward a woman, however. Which made Jungkook curious.

How deep was the connection they had?

There was a scraping sound on the pavement, drawing Jungkook’s eyes back to the scene that was unfolding in front of him.

“Min Yoongi, The Lightning Claw.”

Silence stretched on for what felt like an eternity. He couldn’t see Eden’s face, but he saw her reaching into her pocket. Jungkook’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“You son of a bitch.”

And then he saw her pulling a switchblade from her pocket. Jungkook’s body shifted involuntarily, reacting before his mind could fully process what was happening.

“You fucking…SON OF A BITCH!”

Jungkook knew there was not enough time for him to do anything. Before he could even inhale, Eden rushed at Yoongi and he unconsciously held his breath as his older brother stopped her within seconds of her plunging the knife into him. Her back was to him, but he didn’t need to see her face to imagine the fury in her eyes. There was a pained expression that filled his face as he watched Yoongi blocking her punch, holding fast to both of her arms.

Was it because he was a gangpae after all? Eden told him that she didn’t care about that sort of thing and he was inclined to believe that. But with how she responded to Yoongi, he had to wonder.

He wished he could see her face to accurately determine just why she was so mad at his brother.

“You liar! You goddamn fucking lying sack of shit!” She tried to break free but Yoongi refused to release her. “Let me go! LET ME GO!”

Jungkook blinked rapidly as he watched Yoongi spin Eden around in his arms, forcing her back against his chest. He took a step back, hoping that she wouldn’t feel the sudden inclination to look up and see him. There were grunts coming from them both as they struggled against one another. Taking a step forward, he peeked back down below.

“How could you lie to me? After all these years, you had me believing I was nothing to you!”

His lips parted slightly. Years? he thought, they’ve known each other…for years?

Brows furrowed, Jungkook’s lips pressed together in a thin line and he couldn’t help the envious emotion that clawed at his heart. Yoongi knew a woman like Eden for years and he’d been struggling to make a connection with her for the last few months. She hadn’t pushed him away, but she certainly wasn’t letting him through the walls she’d built around her heart.

Dark eyes shifted from Eden’s furious face to the guilt-ridden one that etched over Yoongi’s.

“I did it because I didn’t want you wrapped up in this shit, Eden!”

And then, like a bolt of lightning out of the blue, it hit Jungkook. He remembered the look on Yoongi’s face the other day when they finished up their business. When he asked Jungkook if the “Stubborn Tiger” knew about his background, about the life he lived. The remorse was evident then. Yoongi had regrets about something and now it was clear why.

Yoongi and Eden had been in a relationship.

“That wasn’t your choice to make! It was mine, you bastard! It was mine and you took it from me!” Eden’s voice cut through his thoughts and he looked down toward them. “You never even let me make the choice for myself, you asshole.”

When Eden sobbed, Jungkook’s heart twisted inside his chest. He’d never seen her so emotional. She was normally blunt, carefree and with a clap-back at the ready. She laughed loudly and always voiced her thoughts whenever she had them. Stubborn and even a bit reckless, Jungkook found himself drawn to her. After poking and prodding, he’d discovered that she was an orphan just like him. He’d believed there was a connection.

Was he wrong? Had he been completely wrong from the start?

He watched as Eden slapped Yoongi across the face, seeing her tear-stained cheeks shining under the streetlights. Jungkook never saw Eden cry over anything. Seeing it now, he knew that he wasn’t a fan of the look.

Even if she did look pretty when she cried.

“Is that why you finally decided to tell me the truth? Because you’ve figured out that I not only know Raelyn Unnie, but Jimin and Jungkook too? Because your little lie was finally going to come back full circle and kick you in the balls?”

His brother didn’t answer him. Jungkook hurt for Yoongi. He’d never seen him like this in all the years he’d known him. It left him feeling hollow on the inside because he knew there was nothing he could say or do to comfort his brother.

“You’re a real piece of work, you know that, Min Yoongi?”

Her hurried steps reached his ears and Jungkook didn’t bother trying to hide or pretend that he’d just stepped out. A heaviness weighed on his heart, so heavy that he just sat down on the edge of the rooftop border. A cold wind blew against his back, causing his breath to come out as a small cloud. He heard her reach the top of the roof, but he didn’t have the heart to look at her.

Hearing her footsteps slow to a halt, he finally lifted his head to look up and saw that she was standing just a few feet away from him. Eden’s cheeks were smeared from where she’d probably tried to wipe her tears. When the next gust of wind blew, it caused her curly hair to fly in every direction.

“You saw?”

Jungkook nodded slowly.

He saw her eyes narrow. “You knew about it, didn’t you?”

His eyes widened.

“Is that why you approached me? Because you knew about my relationship with Yoongi?”

“What?” he said, his eyes narrowing slightly. “No, that’s not—”

She spread her arm out in a wide flourish. “Of all the shops in Gangnam, you decided to come to mine? Because you happened to have broken down nearby?” Her hand curled into a fist at her side and Jungkook felt his own hands forming into fists at his thighs. “Do you really expect me to believe that now?”

He rose to his feet. “Noona, I’m telling you that that’s not—”

“Just how long have you been laughing at me behind my back, Jeon Jungkook?!”

Once again, his body was moving faster than his mind could keep up. In seconds, he crossed the short distance between them and grabbed her by her wrists. Eden tried to wring her hands free, but he held onto them tightly. He could feel her shaking against his palms and when she finally looked at him, he could see tears forming in her eyes again.

It was like he’d been kicked in the gut.

“Eden!” He dropped the honorific for a moment – a slip of the tongue – but this caused her to stop moving long enough for him to collect his thoughts. “I swear to you, that I didn’t know. None of us did. Hyung never even told us that he had a girlfriend.”

A loud, bitter laugh exploded from Eden and it caused him to loosen his grip on one of her wrists. She flung it free so she could land a punch at his shoulder. Jungkook grunted, the blow taking him by surprise. He knew that Eden could fight, but he never imagined that her punch would sting.

“He and I dated for three years and you’re telling me that he never even hinted that he was with someone?” She released another dark laugh. “Do you take me for a fucking moron?”

“It’s true, Eden Noona.”

Jungkook and Eden both turned toward the direction of her front door and saw Jimin slowly closing it behind him. His brows furrowed and he brushed some of his chestnut hair away from his forehead.

“Jimin Hyung…”

Jimin slowly walked toward them, pausing just a foot away from them.

“We knew that Yoongi Hyung was dating someone, but we never knew who and he never outright told us. Whenever we asked to meet her, he refused to even give us your name.” Jimin sighed. “I never would have imagined that it was you, Noona.”

Jungkook saw Eden’s expression contort with anger and hurt. Her arms relaxed and he let go of her, watching as they fell limply at her side. She looked like someone had pulled the rug right out from under her and she’d gotten the wind knocked out of her lungs. More tears slid down her face and she didn’t even bother wiping them from her cheeks.

“So, all this time,” she said softly, her voice halfway broken from the yelling she’d done earlier, “he kept me hidden away. Like some dirty little secret.”

“That’s not true,” Jungkook replied, not sure if he wanted to continue speaking, “he was always happy whenever he said he was leaving to go on a trip with his special someone. He probably regrets not being honest with you.”

Eden cut her eyes toward him. “Don’t make excuses for him! He lied to me, to my face, for years! And I…I felt like…” She didn’t finish. Jungkook saw her take a breath, closing her eyes as she did so. When she finally opened them again, she looked at Jimin. “Is Rae Unnie alright?”

Jimin offered her a small smile. “Yeah, I tucked her into bed after giving her water and Tylenol. She’s passed out now.”

“Good.” Eden turned to head back inside and Jungkook grabbed the sleeve of her jacket. Without looking at him, she yanked her arm free. “Don’t. Just…just don’t.” Brushing past Jimin, she headed toward her front door. “…be careful going back home. Goodnight.”

And without waiting for them to wish her the same, she slipped inside and closed the door. Jungkook watched her silhouette shuffle around the front entrance before she disappeared inside. When Jimin sighed, Jungkook turned to look at him. He saw his own pitiful expression mirrored in Jimin’s eyes and he flinched slightly when he felt his brother’s hand falling onto his shoulder.

“Let’s go home.”

Swallowing the lump in his throat, he nodded.

“Okay, Hyung…”

Three Days Later Seoul – Jangan; Dongdaemun District South Korea

Jungkook’s brow twitched when Jimin’s fist collided with Taehyung’s cheek. The blow was swift, knocking Taehyung off balance and he watched him struggle to keep himself upright. When he finally did regain his balance, Jimin kicked him in the stomach. A loud grunt echoed through the warehouse as Taehyung doubled over in pain. But Jimin gave him no quarter; landing an uppercut to his jaw. Jungkook watched as his brother’s feet flew out from under him – his back crashing onto the concrete floor.

The warehouse was filled with shipping crates – a storehouse owned by Kim Pilsoo. Pilsoo Hyung stood near the entrance with a group of his men. Jungkook’s eyes lifted to spy Lee Minhyuk, the Jindo Dog of the Jade Fangs, standing nearby with his own entourage. His arms were folded across his chest, his auburn fringe falling just over his eyelids. Minhyuk’s expression remained neutral as Taehyung continued to receive his punishment.

No one made a sound except for Taehyung. He struggled to sit up and failed. Jungkook clenched his jaw tight, watching his brother only manage to roll over onto his stomach – using his forearms to lift himself up.

Jimin kicked him in the ribs.

Jungkook could feel the other members of their group shifting uncomfortably behind him. He held his arm out at an angle, his hand curled into a fist to get them stop their fidgeting. A wracking cough exploded from Taehyung and he vomited up a bit of blood onto the floor. A crimson trail trickled from the cut on his brow and droplets fell from his chin to mesh with the bloodstains on the floor. His cheeks were red and swollen from the abuse he’d endured from Jimin for the last thirty minutes.

Without even having to examine him, Jungkook could tell something was probably broken.

Finally, Jimin pivoted on his heel and swung his leg across Taehyung’s face – the heel of his boot crashing into his cheek. Jungkook could taste blood in his mouth as he watched Taehyung’s body flop from the impact. A few seconds of silence transpired and Jungkook sighed quietly, his eyes roving over Taehyung’s unconscious form.

Jimin wiped the sweat from his brow with the sleeve of his leather jacket. He looked at Lee Minhyuk whose eyes remained on Taehyung’s form lying prone on the ground. “Is that satisfactory?”

Minhyuk finally lifted his gaze to meet Jimin’s, his expression unchanged. Another handful of seconds passed and then he smirked, a scoff pushing from his chest. “Yes, that’s enough.” He glanced over toward Pilsoo and bowed his head politely. “Thank you for being the mediator, Pilsoo Hyung. I know Changkyun-ah appreciates it as well.”

Pilsoo grunted, gesturing for his men to move. They all took their places on either side of the door, forming a line across from each other. “Never mind. I’m just glad this matter has been settled.”

“So am I, Hyung,” Minhyuk said with a laugh, “so am I.” He looked at the men in his group and gestured with his chin. “Let’s go.” They bowed to him and began filing out of the warehouse. He paused, casting a sidelong glance toward Jimin and Jungkook as their own men began gathering Taehyung up from the floor. “Consider the offense resolved.” He flashed Jimin a wide smirk, his eyes narrowing. Jimin didn’t smile back. “It was good to see you, Jimin-ah.”

“Same to you, Minhyuk Hyung.”

No one else spoke another word as the Jade Fang members exited the warehouse. Pilsoo waited until they all were in their vehicles and drove away before turning to look back at them. The older man sighed and Jungkook could only hang his head slightly from shame.

“You boys need to be more careful,” he snapped, though his voice did not raise in pitch, “don’t you realize how much Hoseok is doing to maintain order? What you do reflects back on him.”

Jimin bowed deeply. “Yes, I know, Pilsoo Hyung.”

“You’re all young and a bit hot-headed, I get it. But things are different now. It’s not like when I was your age.” Pilsoo sighed. “Especially since you’re trying to go straight. Getting into this world is easy. Getting out is the hard part.”

Jungkook bowed his head but remained silent. Jimin spoke instead.

“We understand, Pilsoo Hyung.”

“Good.” They heard him sigh again; a tired sound. “Now go and get him looked at. I know it hurt you more than it did him, Jimin-ah.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jimin’s hands curling into fists at his sides. But they both refused to lift their heads up. Jungkook’s throat felt like it was closing. He finally closed his eyes, his face still pointing to the ground.

“Thank you, Pilsoo Hyung,” he heard Jimin say. The two of them stood back up, straightening their posture. Jimin looked at Taehyung who was still unconscious. “Let’s go.”

The others bowed to both Jimin and Jungkook, ushering Taehyung out of the warehouse. Jimin followed them, helping them get their friend into the car. Jungkook turned to give another bow of respect to Kim Pilsoo. Then he hopped into the sedan with Jimin.

Taehyung’s body was pressed against the seat and he groaned softly as he began to regain consciousness. “Is it over?” he asked while licking the cut on his lower lip.

Jimin didn’t answer him. Instead, he knocked on the window separating the backseat from the driver and passenger seat. “Cha Gangnam Medical Center,” he said, his voice even, “let’s go.”

Both Jungkook and Taehyung blinked at Jimin. “But, that’s the hospital Rae Noona works at…”

Taehyung tried to sit up but winced, causing him to sit back against the seat again. “H-Hyung…”

“Shut-up,” clipped Jimin as he folded his arms and closed his eyes, “I’m not doing you any favors. I just don’t want to hear your bitching later.”

Jungkook smirked, shaking his head as Taehyung tried to smile but wound up wincing again from his split lip.

They were all going to get an earful.

Make It Right [BTS Mafia!AU]

Pairings: Jin x OC | Taehyung/Hoseok x OC | Yoongi/Jungkook x OC Genre: BTS Mafia!AU Warnings: Graphic Violence, Heavy Language, Angst, Smut, Slow Burn WC: 3,117 Prologue 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 “It’s always darkest before the dawn…” It’s a dog-eat-dog world in Seoul, South Korea. One has to dwell in the shadows in order to reach for the light. What are you willing to sacrifice in order to feel the sunlight on your face? What will it take to drag you back into darkness? How long will the journey be to make it right?

AO3 | WP

Chapter 16: Anpanman

"I’m not a superhero. Don’t expect too much from me."

Raelyn avoided Taehyung’s room for most of her shift.

It was no secret among her co-workers that she knew him. After all, he was always coming by the hospital when she was about to clock out for the day. It aggravated her that things were already starting to circulate around work; unwanted rumors because everyone wanted to gossip like a bunch of clucking hens in the chicken coop. This was the sort of mess she didn’t want to happen. This was the very reason why she didn’t make her relationship with Hoseok known to the people she worked with day in and day out.

When Taehyung was brought in by Jungkook and Jimin, the news traveled quickly to her. However, she refused to see him. She didn’t want to inquire about his condition and she certainly wasn’t about to go poking around his chart to see why he was even there. However, try as she might, Raelyn was unable to stuff rubber into her ears. She heard things she didn’t want to hear, resulting in her heart thudding heavily against her chest.

She was worried for a multitude of reasons. It wasn’t like she hated the Golden Jackals. They were her friends once upon a time; some still even were. But there were boundaries that needed to be set and every time she felt like she was about to escape from it, something came and turned her world completely upside down.

After he was fully checked in did Raelyn bother seeking out Jungkook and Jimin. They filled her in on the basics, not wanting to go into it. They respected her need for peace and privacy and she appreciated that. There was a part of her that would always worry for them, but she knew she had to keep her distance to a degree. Raelyn couldn’t involve herself too deeply. Not anymore. It would only cause her more problems and while things had been good with Hoseok, there were too many things she’d seen that left a lasting impression on her.

She couldn’t watch another person she cared about being ripped from her grasp – making her feel inept. Not again.

She was pulling another double. It couldn’t be helped. Another of her co-workers had a family emergency, swearing she would make it up to her for covering for her. Most people would complain, but it wasn’t like she had a family to go home to or any kind of pet to take care of. She could afford to be away from home for a day or two.

Raelyn sighed, grabbing a warm coffee from one of the vending machines in the break room. Her mind couldn’t help but go back to the night she was out with Eden. Yoo Kihyun’s face appeared in her mind and she frowned slightly, unsure of what to make of the entire situation. She couldn’t recall ever meeting him or any of the others of the Jade Fangs. She wasn’t good with names, but Raelyn was stellar when it came to faces.

So, how did he even know who I was? she thought, cracking the can open and taking a sip. We were only together for a little over a year.

Taking a sip, she slipped into one of the chairs at a long table. Had they kept tabs on her even after she ended things with Hoseok? It wasn’t outside of the realm of possibility, but it also seemed a little outlandish.

Hoseok made no bones about taking Raelyn around places. Back then, the Golden Jackals were just getting their names out on the streets. Gang wars were much more prevalent then and she got to see firsthand just how bloody their world was. Truly, it wasn’t like in the movies. She had no thoughts outside of the dangers of that world. Raelyn willingly went into that situation knowing what would happen. Promises were thrown and she believed them because she believed in Hoseok and the world he eventually wanted to be a part of forever. A world that didn’t involve having a target on his back.

It was something they were all striving for.

But it was too much. She tried to keep an open mind and she tried to maintain some level of positivity. Her work environment, however, wouldn’t allow for that sort of thing. As a registered nurse, her life was hard and while she loved her job, it was stressful. Hospital occupations weren’t for everyone. It took a toll on the mind and it took from the body. She could have left it all behind when things started to pick up for Hoseok and the Golden Jackals. The glitz and glam in those last months were experiences that most women didn’t get to have; not even in their entire lifetimes.

Raelyn, however, valued her freedom. She didn’t want to give up her job and her passion was always to help people. She couldn’t imagine herself walking away from that life, the life she worked so hard to call her own.

“Raelyn?”

Her eyes lifted towards the door and she saw her co-worker, Saeyeong, poking her head inside. Raelyn attempted a smirk as she set her can of coffee down.

“What’s up, Sae?”

“I’m glad I found you.” She paused, her brows furrowing slightly. “You’re not on break, are you?”

“Nah,” she replied easily, waving her hand back and forth, “just taking a breather. I was gonna hit the floor again in a few minutes.”

Relief covered her face and Saeyeong clapped her hands together. “Oh, good! Can you do me a favor and check on the patient in room 117?”

The smirk fell instantly from Raelyn’s face. “No.”

Saeyeong let out a pathetic mewling sound. “Please, Raelyn? I really have to go to the bathroom and I’m about to go on break in ten minutes.” She held her hands together like she was saying a prayer. “I’ll make it up to you, I promise! I’m not even going to be gone for the full hour. I’ll be back in thirty minutes to take over.”

Raelyn sighed, draining the can of coffee and throwing it into the trash. “Fine,” she said, making her way toward the door.

The girl hugged her, thanking her again, before running off to make a beeline for the restroom. Eyeing her watch, she sighed again and started heading toward the room she was currently designated over for the next thirty minutes. Raelyn pulled the chart off the wall just beside the door, knocked twice and announced herself before entering.

Taehyung, bandaged and braced, was propped up in the hospital bed. A table tray was in his lap where a laptop computer was propped. The television was off even though the remote was right beside the computer. He probably didn’t want to watch anything on TV after channel surfing. He clicked away on the keys, looking up as she walked inside – pressing his chart against her hip as the door shut behind her.

He flashed his trademark boxy smile and Raelyn rolled her eyes.

“Hey there, Rae Noona,” he greeted, lifting his one good arm up to wave to her. The other was in a sling.

“Don’t talk to me,” she said, a deadpan expression over her face, “you still owe me for my unannounced house call.”

He pouted. “Oh, come on, you know I’m good for it.” He closed the laptop. “Besides, I even made an appointment this time. See?” Taehyung gave a wide gesture with his good arm.

“Coming in all busted up is hardly what I’d call an appointment,” she said, looking over his chart, “in fact, I’m pretty sure that it’s still considered showing up unannounced.”

Taehyung huffed like a child, brushing some of his hair off his forehead. Raelyn ignored his sad attempt at a tantrum and scanned over the paperwork. According to the chart, he had one broken rib, a fractured arm, several contusions and slight internal bleeding. The patchwork done on him had been swift and the other nurses said that he’d clearly been in some sort of fight; a fight where he got his ass kicked from one side of the room to the other. Taehyung was certainly no pushover. He took a knife to the gut and practically shrugged it off when she fixed him up a few days ago.

He let someone do this to him, she deduced while turning another page.

She recalled Jimin’s hands were slightly swollen and Jungkook had no injuries of his own. It meant that Jimin had clearly been the one to administer the beating. There was a good chance that Taehyung deserved it, but the look on their faces was proof that it was something they weren’t too thrilled about.

Raelyn looked at Taehyung, his child-like pout still plastered over his face. Just what the hell did you do that you got punished?

It had to have been something serious if Hoseok issued for punishment to be placed on one of his top-tier men.

“What?”

She let the pages flutter against his chart as she set it down on a nearby table. “You look like shit.”

His eyes went wide, his mouth falling open. Blinking at her like a goldfish, he closed his mouth and opened it again until a sound of outright disbelief spilled from him.

“Wow, your bedside manner really is terrible!”

Raelyn went to the ECG to double check his vitals. She then began checking his IV and various other tubes so that the medicine being administered was the right dosage. Pulling out a blood pressure cuff from one of the pouches hanging from the ECG monitor, she motioned for him to hold his good arm out so she could check his blood pressure. After a few minutes, she looked and scribbled down his new vitals before slipping the cuff off his arm. Then she moved to undo his hospital gown so she could check on the brace he wore around his waist.

“I’m just honest.”

“No, you’re just mean. Aren’t nurses trained in being comforting and supportive? Give me some reassurance here.”

“I’m not in the business of telling lies.” Rolling her eyes, she scoffed. “Besides, you don’t need comforting. You needed this ass beating, one hundred percent.”

Taehyung gave a half scoff, half laugh. “You’re the worst.”

“And you owe me money.”

They looked at each other for a long moment. She could see the playful deviousness leaving Taehyung’s face and she saw it change to a serious expression. It surprised her, causing her spine to lock up for a moment. While she’d seen that look before, it was a look she didn’t see very often. Not from him, at least.

“I heard you were in Myeongdong, Noona.”

Her brows lifted slightly. Then they furrowed as her eyes narrowed. “Yeah? What of it?”

“Why would you go there?”

“A girl can’t go shopping?”

“Sure,” he said with a shrug, “but you’re not just any girl , Noona.”

Tossing the clipboard angrily onto the nearby table, she rounded on him. “Oh yeah?” Her tone was borderline seething.

“Yeah, you’re Hoseok Hyung’s ex-girlfriend.” He said it like he’d just swallowed a spoonful of bitter medicine.

“Ex -girlfriend,” Raelyn said through clenched teeth, “as in we’re not together anymore.”

Taehyung’s brows knit together. “That doesn’t matter, you should know that. Our world doesn’t care about that shit.”

“Well, it needs to! I have nothing to do with that circuit anymore, Taehyung!”

His eyes narrowed. “Then you should have done a better job of running from it. You should have cut us out of your life completely.” Taehyung shifted so he could sit up better. “You could have ignored us after you broke up with Hoseok Hyung. Why did you stay friends with us if you wanted to get out?”

“That’s—”

“If you’d done a better job of wiping us out from your existence, then maybe you’d be just like any girl instead of the girl.”

“So what? I’m supposed to just pretend that I don’t give a damn?” she snapped, feeling her heartbeat thundering across her chest.

“You value your freedom so damn much, then yeah, you should have.”

Anger flashed across his eyes, making Raelyn clench her jaw.

“Don’t.”

“You chose to stay connected to us. You broke up with Hoseok Hyung, but you didn’t push the rest of us away.”

Her eyes narrowed.

“Kim Taehyung…”

“You should have done a better job of telling us to fuck right the hell off!”

Raelyn’s hand went up and she had to stop herself. Her body vibrated from the willpower she mustered to keep her hand from swinging down across his face. A few breaths pushed from her lungs and she slowly brought her arm down, taking another breath to collect herself completely.

“Uh, am I interrupting something?”

Her heart immediately jumped to her throat and they both turned to look at the door. A tall, slim man wearing a pin-striped suit was now inside the room with them. He had bubblegum pink hair and was holding a vase full of flowers in one arm and a “Get Well Soon” balloon in his other hand. He wore hazel contact lenses and his full lips were slightly pursed together in a semi-confused pout.

“Hyungwon Hyung,” Taehyung said, shifting uncomfortably in the bed and Raelyn instinctively took a step back away from the person, “what are you doing here?” He paused, tilting his head as he looked through the window and saw that there was no one else there. “Better question: how are you even here?”

The man smirked, setting the vase down on the table. “Would you believe me if I told you I snuck in?”

Taehyung frowned. “Hell no.”

Hyungwon shrugged, holding the balloon out to Raelyn. She reached for it unconsciously, holding the plastic ribbon in her hand.

“It was worth a shot.”

“Excuse me,” she finally cut in, eyeballing Hyungwon. He turned to face her, surmising her just as much as she was him. “Who are you?”

He bowed his head politely toward her. “Chae Hyungwon,” he introduced, rising to his full height, “I’m a friend of Taehyung-ah’s.”

“Friend, my ass,” he said, causing both Raelyn and Hyungwon to look at him, “we stopped being friends when you became the Jade Fang’s Snapping Turtle.”

Raelyn whipped her head around to look at Hyungwon, taking another step back. Taehyung asked the right question. Just how had he gotten there? Last time she checked, Gangnam was still Golden Jackal territory. He didn’t have any business being there.

“You shouldn’t be here,” Raelyn said evenly, “you’re not supposed to be here.”

“Relax,” came Hyungwon’s soothing voice as he held a hand up, “I promise that I have permission to be here.” He turned to look at Taehyung. “From both of our bosses.”

Blinking rapidly, Raelyn couldn’t hide her surprise. Hoseok allowed a rival gang member to come into his territory without an escort?

She looked at Taehyung and saw that he must have been thinking the same thing she was. Now her curiosity was screaming at her. Just what in the world was happening? When she last was deeply involved with their world, the Jade Fangs weren’t exactly on good terms.

Had something changed?

“Anyway, I just wanted to come by and check on an old friend.” Hyungwon’s voice cut through Raelyn’s thoughts, bringing her back to the current situation.

Taehyung scoffed. “You came alone?”

He brushed his fingers through his pink hair, his smirk remaining on his face as he did so. “I told my boys to wait outside. I didn’t want them causing a disturbance.” Hyungwon’s eyes shifted to Raelyn and she swallowed the lump forming in her throat. “This is a place of healing, after all.”

One of Raelyn’s hands curled into a fist.

“Besides,” he continued, looking back at Taehyung, “I wanted to come by and tell you to keep your nose clean. You were always a troublemaker, Taehyung-ah, but running around in someone else’s backyard without permission is a big no-no.” He waggled his finger, issuing several tsk’s in the process. “You know better.”

“Shut-up,” Taehyung snapped, his lip curling into a half snarl, “pretty soon none of that shit is gonna matter anyway and you know it. So just mind your own damn business.”

Hyungwon laughed, as if he’d just heard a very funny joke. Raelyn could only blink in mild shock. Just who the hell was this guy for him to laugh that way to a warning being issued against him?

“So close to your goals and you decide to get reckless? That’s just not like you. Not at all.” Hyungwon’s laughter eased off as he looked back at Raelyn, bowing his head politely again. “I’ll see myself out. Have a goodnight.” When he straightened his posture, his eyes moved to fall on Taehyung. “Behave yourself until your dreams come true, Taehyung-ah.”

Before Raelyn could demand for anymore answers, Hyungwon was already turning around and heading out the door. When the door finally closed, she craned her neck to look at Taehyung. His ECG monitor was beeping faster than normal and while the medical professional in her wanted to soothe him, to calm him down, she found that she was unable to find her voice at that specific moment.

Silence filled the room. She was processing what just happened and she could only assume that Taehyung was doing the same. When she was able to formulate the question in her mind, she reached for his chart and held it against her chest.

“…what did he mean by that?” He didn’t answer and Raelyn tried to rein her patience in. “Are you guys finally close? Is it going to happen soon?”

Taehyung looked at her and for a long moment, he didn’t say anything. All he did was look at her with a slightly pained expression painted over his face. After a moment, he sighed while shaking his head.

“I’m sorry, Noona, but could I be alone?”

She wanted to protest; to demand answers. But she also knew it wasn’t her place and she didn’t have that kind of authority over him. Not anymore.

“Get some rest, Taehyung. I’ll be back to check on you later.”

Raelyn slipped out of the room and was finally able to breathe easier. Her back pressed against the door and she slowly let the back of her head rest along the surface. Every single thought that raced through her brain was zipping around a mile a minute. Was it happening at last? Had Hoseok managed to achieve the promise that he continuously made to her when they were still together?

Is it…finally going to be over?

Make It Right [BTS Mafia!AU]

Pairings: Jin x OC | Taehyung/Hoseok x OC | Yoongi/Jungkook x OC Genre: BTS Mafia!AU Warnings: Graphic Violence, Heavy Language, Angst, Smut, Slow Burn WC: 2,633 Prologue 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 “It’s always darkest before the dawn…” It’s a dog-eat-dog world in Seoul, South Korea. One has to dwell in the shadows in order to reach for the light. What are you willing to sacrifice in order to feel the sunlight on your face? What will it take to drag you back into darkness? How long will the journey be to make it right?

AO3 | WP

Chapter 17: MIC Drop

"Careful of your feet... Careful of what you say..."

Two Years Ago Seoul – Hannam; Yongsan District South Korea

“Hey, Hyung?”

Hoseok looked up from his reading, blinking when he realized that Taehyung managed to enter his study without making a sound. It wasn’t like him to be so quiet, especially not at home. He closed the book he was reading, running a hand through his hair as Taehyung closed the door behind him. He wasted no time closing the distance between them, taking the seat directly across from his desk.

“What is it, Taehyung-ah?”

For a moment, Taehyung didn’t say anything. There was something on his mind and he felt like Hoseok was the only one who would be able to help him with whatever was troubling him. Instead of prodding him to speak up, Hoseok waited patiently for him to gather his thoughts before continuing. He set the book down on his desk, crossing one leg over the other and folding his hands into his lap.

Taehyung lifted his eyes to look at Hoseok, seeing a determination he hadn’t seen since they’d first arrived in Seoul seven years ago.

“Hyung?”

Hoseok couldn’t help but laugh, tilting his head to the side. “What’s wrong? Your tongue got fat all of a sudden?”

He watched his friend swallow thickly before lowering his head. This caused Hoseok to sit up a little, his arms resting on the arms of his chair.

“Taehyung-ah…”

“Hyung, are you still in love with Raelyn Noona?”

The question was so sudden that he didn’t know what to make of it. It wasn’t often that he was caught off guard, but a puff of air was all he could release as he tried to process just what Taehyung was asking him. And more importantly, why he was asking him this?

“Why all of a sudden?”

He saw Taehyung’s eyes narrow slightly, showcasing just how serious he was. This wasn’t a joke and Hoseok didn’t know how should be taking such an outright question when it came to his heart. Pursing his lips together, he slowly sank back into his chair.

“Are you asking as a member of the Golden Jackals or are you asking as my friend?”

Taehyung straightened his posture. “I’m asking as your friend and as your younger brother. Hyung, please…I need to know.” He paused, taking a breath. “Do the rest of us have to keep seeing her as our Hyungsoo-nim or are you over her now?”

Hoseok’s hand went to his chest, his palm resting over the fabric of his pajama top. The cold bite of silver from the pendant that hung there made him that much more aware of the current situation. It wasn’t a secret that some of the younger ones still interacted with Raelyn and Anastasia. He couldn’t tell them who they could or couldn’t be friends with – not when it came to normal civilians. He didn’t want to be the kind of leader who held them back with a choke chain. They were free to make their own choices and he wasn’t about to tell them who they could or couldn’t have feelings for.

Without having to say it, Hoseok knew Taehyung must have started developing feelings for Raelyn.

Sighing, he shook his head while he lowered his hand back down to his lap. “It’s been a year since she and I ended things, Taehyung-ah. Do I still care about her? Of course. But,” he said gently, pausing as he gave Taehyung a simple smile, “our time is over.”

Present Day Seoul – Gwanhun; Jongno District South Korea

Hoseok sat in the backseat of the sedan for a long moment. His eyes were hidden from view thanks to his Aviators. He held his phone in his hand, scrolling through the various emails and text messages he’d received in the last couple of hours. Business meetings were pushed back and a few concerned messages from the others pinged over his phone. His driver, Han Minjoo, sat quietly in the front seat and merely waited for his next set of instructions.

The mid-morning sun peeled in through the window, shining over his pristine white slacks. His white blazer was unbuttoned, falling against his white silk shirt. Hoseok’s hand lifted to touch the pendant that hung from his neck from a simple, black leather strap. The points of the crescent moon pressed against the pads of his fingers and he bit his lower lip, his thoughts eerily quiet.

He’d received a report on Taehyung’s condition. It wasn’t as bad as he imagined it to be, but it was bad enough. He remembered the looks on Jimin and Jungkook’s faces when they came home that night after taking Taehyung to the hospital. Namjoon even reported that Taehyung was enjoying his time at the hospital and he sighed, wanting to visit his brother but knowing that it wasn’t suitable for his image or the role he currently occupied.

Besides, he didn’t think he could handle seeing Raelyn after his little “episode” and knew that Taehyung was in good hands.

He was with the person he cared about.

A soft tap on the window brought Hoseok out of his thoughts. He looked up to see Namjoon on the other side of the glass and he shifted slightly so that he could open the door. Hoseok stepped out, straightening his jacket as his rings glinted along the sunlight.

“They’ve prepared a room for us,” Namjoon said as he shut the door, “we can go ahead and make ourselves comfortable.”

“The others?” Hoseok inquired and he saw Namjoon shake his head. He pulled back the sleeve of his jacket to spy the time on his watch. “It’s still early. Let’s go.”

As they entered the Kyung-in Museum of Fine Art, a hostess greeted them before ushering them toward the back. The entire place was built like a magnificent hanok, keeping to the traditional aspects of their country’s period culture. They both stepped out of their shoes, their socked feet taking measured steps along the polished wooden floor. The hostess stopped in front of a room with traditional rice paper sliding doors. She pulled one door open, gesturing for them to enter.

Inside was a single wooden table with an elegant tea set, as well as a small kettle to boil water in one of the floor coals – a small cast iron kettle hanging from two metal rods from the floor. There was a black lacquered box on the table which Hoseok knew to contain a variety of tea leaves. The two men entered and Hoseok took a seat on one of the plush cushions placed on one side of the table. Namjoon remained standing.

They didn’t say anything, which was fine with Hoseok. There was a lot weighing on his mind and Namjoon seemed to have sensed this. He reached over to light the fire for the coals under the cast iron kettle after checking that water was inside. When the water reached its boiling point, he heard feet shuffling down the hall. The door to the room slid open again and Hoseok’s craned his neck to look toward the doorway.

Im Changkyun, dressed in a three-piece black suit, stood in the doorway; Sohn Shownu, his second, standing to his right.

Changkyun smiled, his hands still stuffed into the pockets of his slacks. “Ah, I see you’re here already, Hoseok Hyung,” he said, his tone pleasant, “does that mean I’m late?”

Hoseok grinned. “No, I’m just early.”

“Oh, good,” was all he said before stepping inside.

Changkyun crouched down so he could sit on the cushion across from Hoseok, his hands resting on his knees. The steam pushed from the kettle’s spout and he reached over to take the handle of the kettle while Hoseok pulled out one of the drawers to the tea chest. Shownu remained in the hallway and Namjoon crossed the room to join him. The two men bowed to their bosses before sliding the door closed to give them privacy.

Hoseok chose several dark leaves and placed them into the ceramic teapot that was on the table. The stainless-steel strainer sat around the top. After arranging the tea to spread over the strainer, Changkyun carefully poured the boiling hot water over the leaves. The water immediately began to change color – a soft red color. When the pot was empty, Changkyun replaced the cast iron kettle over the hot coals as Hoseok poured more water into it.

“I’m sorry for asking you to come out here on such short notice,” Changkyun said as he placed the lid onto the pot, “I know how busy you are.”

“Not as busy as you are,” he said, watching Changkyun lift the tea pot off the bamboo mat it rested on. His hands moved to pour the omija tea into Hoseok’s teacup.

He began pouring tea into his own cup. “You know what they say about idle hands, Hyung.” He said this with a smile and Hoseok arched a single brow. “How is Tae Hyung?”

Hoseok lifted the teacup to his lips. “He’ll live.” He took a sip, savoring the semi-sweet flavor. “He was discharged yesterday.”

“That’s good. Minhyuk Hyung informed me of how your boys roughed him up.” Changkyun sipped from his own cup, sighing. “I’ll be honest, Hyung, I didn’t think you would go so far to beat him up like that. One broken limb would have sufficed.”

Hoseok’s brow twitched. “Like I told you on the phone, I don’t take kindly to anyone trouncing through my territory. The same goes for my men doing the same in someone else’s turf.” He set the cup down. “I believe that should settle the debt I owe to you for my group’s transgression against yours.”

Changkyun smiled. “Hyung, that’s not necessary. It’s just us. You don’t have to be so serious.”

“It’s because it’s just us that I have to be serious.” His eyes narrowed as Changkyun took another sip of tea. “Why did you want to meet, Changkyun-ah?”

He watched Changkyun’s eyes lift to meet his and the two remained quiet. After a handful of seconds, Hoseok watched him set his teacup back down on the table while he propped one hand on his knee. The other hand brushed through his jet hair, pausing to rest along the back of his neck.

“Is it true, Hyung? Are you really going straight?” Hoseok’s expression stayed neutral. He didn’t want to give anything away when he didn’t know what was at stake. “After everything you’ve accomplished, you’re going to just give it all up?”

“Staying in the Underworld forever was never the plan.” He paused, reaching for the teapot to pour Changkyun tea into his cup this time.

“So what,” Changkyun began, his tone clipped toward the end, “you just stumbled into it and decided enough was enough?” He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, right.”

Hoseok scoffed as he set the teapot down onto the bamboo mat. “Believe what you want, but the choices we made were our own.”

“And what about the rest of your boys?”

“They know what the plan is.”

“Hoseok Hyung!”

“Changkyun-ah,” Hoseok said slowly as he cut his eyes toward him, “what we do as a collective has absolutely nothing to do with you, do you understand?” He paused, lifting his teacup into his hand. “Besides, you don’t even bother to attend the district meetings. What reason do you have to complain about what I choose to do?”

“It’s a waste,” snipped Changkyun, “the meetings are a waste of time and phasing out from our world is a waste of time.” Hoseok frowned. “Do you think that disbanding is going to make you legit? You think the law is going to look at you in a better light because you’ve turned over a new leaf?” Changkyun sneered. “Bullshit.”

“Watch it.” He was giving him just one warning.

“We’re no better than a bunch of bastard children in our own society, Hyung. Becoming a decent human being in the eyes of the world won’t erase the blood on our hands.” Changyun’s eyes narrowed at Hoseok. “On your hands.”

“Im Changkyun—”

“Let’s join forces, Hyung,” he said suddenly, causing Hoseok to blink rapidly as his lips parted. “You and I can take control of this entire city easily. It’s child’s play.” Changkyun flashed a wicked grin. “The old bastards wouldn’t stand a chance against us.”

For a moment, all Hoseok could do was stare silently at Changkyun. He knew that his ambition was borderline insatiable, but he never imagined it had gotten this bad. Then again, when he’d heard that the Jade Fangs had taken over Mapo, it shouldn’t have surprised him. In fact, it urged Hoseok to hurry things along as quickly as possible. He didn’t want to be caught up in whatever schemes Im Changkyun was planning.

“…are you completely outside of your head, Changkyun-ah?”

Changkyun’s smile fell and was instantly replaced with a frown as his eyes grew dark. “Why would you say that?”

“Did you forget what our lives were like five years ago? What it was like on these streets then?” Hoseok’s brows furrowed. “Do you want to launch yet another gang war?”

He watched Changkyun shrug nonchalantly. “Sacrifices have to be made for the greater good. Those old fogies want to maintain those stupid traditions and respect boundaries. It only causes confusion and leads to more misunderstandings.” He glanced to Hoseok, his own brows knitting together. “It impedes progress, Hyung.”

“You’re gonna get you and your boys killed talking like that.” Hoseok set his cup down onto the table, curling his legs up as he made to stand. “If you do, that’s on you. Leave my people out of it.” He started making his way toward the door.

“Hyung!”

Hoseok paused, glancing over his shoulder as Changkyun remained seated.

“Do you really think you’ll be able to stay in Seoul once you leave? Your people remain untouched because you control two large territories. The minute you let that go is when you let that power fall into someone else’s hands, and they will make your lives hell!”

He turned around fully, one hand slipping into the pocket of his slacks. “You say that like some kind of threat.”

Changkyun stood on his feet. “And not just you, Hyung, but the people close to you. They will make it their mission to turn your world upside down and you will bow your head in shame at how weak you are.”

“I meant what I said, Changkyun-ah,” said Hoseok, his voice dropping an entire octave, “she has nothing to do with us. Her friends have nothing to do with us. You’d do well to leave them out of this madness you’re spinning.”

“But how long is that going to be true?” Changkyun canted his head slightly. “And when it’s no longer true, just how safe will they be?” He smirked. “You shouldn’t show your belly so easily, Hyung.”

“Don’t test me.” Hoseok brushed his hair out of his eyes. “I will end you if you do.”

Changkyun stepped up to Hoseok so that they were only a foot apart. His smile never left his face. “Game on, Hyung. Game on.”

And then he bowed his head before reaching out to slide the door open. Shownu bowed his head and waited for Changkyun to walk past him, making to follow behind him obediently. Namjoon stood in front of Hoseok, remaining silent. Hoseok’s eyes followed Changkyun and Shownu as they were escorted out of the teahouse. A hand curled at his side and his knuckles popped from the sheer force of how hard he was squeezing his hand.

“Hoseok-ah?”

“Namjoon,” he called, his voice even before turning to lift his gaze to his friend’s, “we need to hurry and make our move. And soon.” 

Make It Right [BTS Mafia!AU]

Pairings: Jin x OC | Taehyung/Hoseok x OC | Yoongi/Jungkook x OC Genre: BTS Mafia!AU Warnings: Graphic Violence, Heavy Language, Angst, Smut, Slow Burn WC: 2,494 Prologue 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 “It’s always darkest before the dawn…” It’s a dog-eat-dog world in Seoul, South Korea. One has to dwell in the shadows in order to reach for the light. What are you willing to sacrifice in order to feel the sunlight on your face? What will it take to drag you back into darkness? How long will the journey be to make it right?

AO3 | WP

Chapter 18: Magic Shop

"I won’t say clichéd things like 'have strength'. I’ll just listen to you, listen..."

Busan - Marine City; Haeundae District South Korea

The trip to Busan yielded much fruit.

Seokjin expected no less, however, when it came to Anastasia.

While she already submitted her letter of resignation to her own company, holding true to her word, Seokjin decided it was best that he kept his as well. He would give her time to bid her co-workers farewell and to get her affairs in order. When she brought the contract, it was signed and he also put his own signature on it as well – completing the deal with his sealing stamp. It didn’t surprise him that she was anxiously waiting for anything to change; for the final nail to sink into her coffin.

But no, this was the beginning of a very beautiful relationship. He would make sure of that.

And he did. Not wanting to waste anymore time, Seokjin informed her that she needed to pack a suitcase so they could go on a business trip. He wanted to take the time to properly get to know her in the business aspect. He knew what she was like personally, at least from what the younger ones often mentioned. She was funny, loyal, and fair. But she also had self-esteem issues, mostly stemming from attempting to claim a dream and failing in said endeavor.

He didn’t want her to feel she couldn’t take anymore risks. Certain risks could bring the greatest rewards. But some gambles left a person completely destitute. Seokjin wanted to make sure that she was capable of discerning which types of deals she would be willing to take to bring more profit to the company, as well as reassure her that it was okay to make mistakes.

They took the train to Busan. There was no need to rush. They had three days of work ahead of them, all paid for and then some. Seokjin explained the details of what they were to do while they were out and about. It was also a chance for her to explore and get some downtime away from the cramped office space of a corporate building. Most of her work would involve being at his side as he conducted business deals and attended corporate meetings. Again, something she was used to, but not in such an intimate fashion.

Anastasia enjoyed taking photos and would do so every time they stopped. She had a keen eye for location and architecture, as well as for anything that looked aesthetically pleasing or what sorts of things could use improvement. It was a little difficult to get her to talk about herself, but when she did, the American woman did not hold back and it was something Seokjin appreciated. Her honesty made her human and being more human meant being more empathetic to the ideas and understandings of others. It was a necessary skill when it came to being an investment company. Sometimes it wasn’t always about turning a profit.

He took her to various shopping centers, allowing her to take notes on a variety of stores. They tried different foods and tested out a plethora of products. Everything from electronics to makeup and skincare items. She seemed a little surprised at how her complexion looked after having a makeup artist provided her with a color palette to suit her skin tone. Seokjin purchased the kit, as well as the skincare lineup that accompanied the makeup. Anastasia protested, of course, but he simply told her that it was work-related and to let it be. She couldn’t properly help to advise him on what to do with his finances if she didn’t know what they were investing in.

The first day blew by faster than either anticipated. They enjoyed a nice meal at a high-end restaurant where he offered up suggestions. She listened and even asked the servers what they recommended for the evening. Again, Anastasia took notes even while they ate, which amused Seokjin.

The second day was much more productive and they visited more stores. A few of them offered sales pitches to which Seokjin listened politely. He offered his ear to Anastasia, wanting to hear what her thoughts were on a few of the companies. Practical and fair, she agreed that some needed to be reworked before they could be given investment funds to continue their ventures. She even reached as far back to the factory workers who would be producing some of the items that were being pitched to them. This was something most people failed to consider or would completely disregard the workers’ financial needs in the production line. Could they afford to give compensation and pay their people overtime? Would they have paid holidays off and was there a rollover system for PTO?

Every single detail was not overlooked by Anastasia and she gave advice even when they looked to Seokjin since he rarely spoke in these instances. In actual board meetings with a few of the companies he’d invested in, he made sure that she was right beside him to hear and comprehend everything that was going on. She didn’t have very many questions and when she did, she did not hesitate to ask them to the other board members. There were whispers about her being disrespectful for speaking for Seokjin, but he quickly squashed those comments when he explained her position on his staffing team.

They took breaks often, which he insisted. She didn’t complain but he could tell that she was averse to the idea of breaking her momentum. But after the eighth meeting scheduled for the day, he could tell that Anastasia needed a break.

Seokjin took her to a variety of places, explaining the reasoning behind wanting to invest all the way out in Busan. The Golden Jackals weren’t planning on working the underground circuit forever. Assimilating their assets, selling off those they didn’t need, was all part of the plan to legalize themselves. Golden Star was just the beginning. With Jimin working Jeju and Taehyung dipping into the entertainment industry alongside Namjoon, eventually they would be able to build from those foundations and focus on key aspects of their company that they wanted to shine the most. Even Jungkook’s eyes were turned toward industrialization and Yoongi’s foreign relations were key to solidifying their own need for investment overseas.

And Hoseok would be the figurehead over it all.

Their final night in Busan was a celebratory one. He wanted to reward Anastasia for all her hard work. She agreed to the reward, but only accepted it on the terms and conditions that it would be a casual night. Nothing fancy and nothing that involved her having to walk around in high heels all night. Seokjin laughed, obliging.

They agreed on dinner and a movie. Anastasia preferred actions or thrillers to horror films and Seokjin wasn’t really a fan of romantic comedies. They came to a happy medium, settling for a murder mystery film instead. After it finished, they discussed when they were able to conclude who the actual killer was at the family estate.

Seokjin liked it when Anastasia laughed. He enjoyed seeing her nose wrinkle up when she blew her food and how freely she smiled when something tasted good or if she saw something amusing. There were times when she seemed to have a faraway look in her eye, but then he’d have to catch her as she tripped over her own feet. As organized as she was, he found it a little humanizing that she was also a bit of a klutz.

“I want to shoot fireworks on the beach,” she said suddenly as they walked and ate Bungeoppang.

He chewed, the sweet red bean paste thick on his tongue as he looked down at her. “What?” Seokjin laughed. “Do you know how cold it gets at the beaches here during this time of year?”

She took another bite of the fish-shaped bread, blowing around her teeth to cool the snack. “So?” Anastasia swallowed, puffing one of her cheeks out at him as he scrutinized her. “I’ve never done it before. Get off me.”

He sighed, shaking his head. “And you want to do it now?”

Anastasia shrugged. “I don’t know when I’ll be able to come back out here just for fun.”

Seokjin grinned, nudging her shoulder just a bit. “Don’t worry,” he said gently, “you’ll be able to come out here when you have time off and enjoy yourself. I promise.”

She rolled her eyes. “You and your promises.”

“I haven’t broken one yet, have I?”

Anastasia raised her brows at him. “Well, no…but—”

He shook his head. “Then trust me when I tell you that you’ll be able to come out here again.” He leaned in toward her as they continued walking. “…when it’s warmer.”

“I’m holding you to that,” she said while pointing at him.

“Feel free,” Seokjin replied easily, polishing off the rest of the fish-shaped bread. He watched her do the same. “Tired?”

Anastasia gave a nod while attempting to stifle a yawn. “Yeah, a little bit.” She stretched her arms over her head. “Are we still scheduled to leave in the morning?”

He nodded. “We are. Unless you’d prefer we leave tonight.”

“Getting train tickets this last minute is expensive.” She frowned up at him and he did his best not to smirk. He merely arched a brow with mild curiosity. They began walking down the street to head back to their hotel. “Besides, we haven’t even packed our things or checked out of the hotel yet. Don’t be unreasonable.”

“Who’s being unreasonable?”

“You are,” she clipped while rolling her eyes, “knowing you, you’d make the staff work double time just so they wouldn’t get a bad review.”

Seokjin laughed outright as they turned the street corner, his hands slipping into his coat pockets. “So harsh. Last minute checkouts aren’t unheard of, nor are they unreasonable.”

“No, they’re not. But in this case, it’s completely unnecessary. Don’t make those people sweat for no reason.”

He laughed at the reprimanding expression painted over her face and nodded, making sure that she walked on the inside of the sidewalk and away from the street. It was a little late, but Seokjin knew that they would have enough time to pack and get everything together tonight before leaving first thing in the morning. As soon as they arrived back in Seoul, it would be business as usual. He’d already received the reports from Namjoon and the others. Taehyung was out of the hospital and Hoseok was uneasy after his meeting with Changkyun.

He knew that Hoseok would never say it out loud, but Namjoon conveyed his worries over the phone. Things were moving faster than they anticipated and Seokjin couldn’t help but wonder if The Jade Fangs were in the process of making another move to expand their reach.

“Seokjin-ssi?”

Seokjin looked at Anastasia, blinking a few times when he realized she had a concerned look on her face.

“I’m sorry, did you say something?”

“No, you just looked like you were deep in thought.”

His smile fell a margin. “Did I worry you?”

She nodded and, again, he appreciated her honesty.

Seokjin reached out to press his hand to her lower back, ushering her toward their hotel just as a sleek gunmetal sedan pulled up by the entrance. He took note that her brows were furrowed and he tried to give her his best smile. He didn’t like that he even had such a look on his face.

Strange, he thought, I normally don’t let people read me like that.

As they made their way toward the front entrance, Seokjin’s eyes narrowed when he saw a familiar figure exit the vehicle. He leaned toward Anastasia so he could whisper into her ear.

“Go ahead and get some rest.”

She seemed to take note of the situation, reading it quicker than he’d anticipated. Her brows furrowed with concern as she tried her best not to bring any attention to herself. He really did appreciate her care.

“Are you sure?”

He nodded, an attempt to reassure her. “Yes, I’ll be inside soon.” Seokjin met her gaze, smiling to alleviate any worries she may have had. “I promise.”

Anastasia bit her lower lip before nodding and entering the hotel. Once inside, Seokjin waited until she entered the elevator. Once the doors closed, he turned and glanced over his shoulder as the person approached him. His lip piercing was connected to a chain that was attached to his right earring. Seokjin saw him grin widely at him, however he didn’t return the smile.

“Well, this is certainly a pleasant surprise. I didn’t expect to see you here of all places, Jin Hyung.”

“Wonho-yah,” came Seokjin’s even tone, a soft lilt toward the end of it, “I didn’t expect to see you here either.”

Wonho shrugged. “Oh, you know, business meetings and the like.” Seokjin watched his eyes dart toward the hotel lobby where, thankfully, Anastasia was no longer located. “Was that your personal assistant?” Their eyes met once more. “She’s kinda cute.”

“Don’t even dream about it,” he said while grinning, “you wouldn’t be able to keep up with her.”

He saw Wonho’s lips form into an “O” shape before it melted into a smirk, his eyes narrowing deviously. “Is that a challenge?”

Seokjin scoffed while tilting his head to the side. “She’d eat you alive. Salvage your pride a little, will you?”

Wonho belted out a full laugh, his eyes almost disappearing as he did so. Seokjin grinned but there was no warmth behind his eyes. The younger male held his hands up in mock surrender while shaking his head. After a while, the two just stood shoulder to shoulder, faces in opposing directions.

“You know, Jin Hyung, I heard an interesting little rumor.”

“Do I want to know?”

Wonho shrugged, his head lifting to the sky. “If it’s true, it’s a shame.”

Seokjin cast a sidelong glance to him. “Yeah, I don’t think I want to know.”

He pivoted on his heels to head back into the hotel. Just as the sliding glass doors opened, he heard Wonho shifting behind him.

“When you’re gone, Jin Hyung, I want to see just who is going to be able to stop us…”

Seokjin paused, craning his neck slowly to look back at Wonho, whose smirk was still firmly in place.

“…when we decide to completely take over.”

He narrowed his eyes at Wonho as the younger man stuffed one hand into the pocket of his leather jacket.

“It’s not smart to aim for the sun, Wonho-yah.” Seokjin smirked, scoffing soon after. “Icarus died when he tried.”

Then he went inside the hotel lobby and made his way toward the elevator. A soft buzzing reverberated in his pocket and he pulled out his phone to see a text from Namjoon.

Namjoon: Hyung, it’s almost time.

Seokjin’s eyes narrowed.

We’re almost there, my brothers. I promise it’ll all be over soon.

Make It Right [BTS Mafia!AU]

Plot: “It’s always darkest before the dawn…” It’s a dog-eat-dog world in Seoul, South Korea. One has to dwell in the shadows in order to reach for the light. What are you willing to sacrifice in order to feel the sunlight on your face? What will it take to drag you back into darkness? How long will the journey be to make it right?

Rating: M // NSFW

Genre: Series | Mafia!AU | Crime!AU | Angst | Romance/Fluff

Pairings: Jin x OC | Taehyung/Hoseok x OC | Yoongi/Jungkook x OC

Warnings: Graphic Violence, Heavy Language, Angst, Smut, Slow Burn

Previous Chapters: Prologue 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

Links: FAQ || BTS Masterlist || Admin E’s AO3 || Admin E’s WP || [ REQUESTS ARE OPEN ]

Word Count: 2,451  

Chapter 19: Mikrokosmos

"Each person has their own history. Each person has their own star."

© thebiasrekkers (Admin E). All rights reserved. Reposting/modifying our work is prohibited. Translations are not allowed. Plagiarism/stealing is not tolerated by any means. Legal action will be taken in instances of theft.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

A chorus of “A-men” resounded throughout the sanctuary and Jimin joined in with his fellow parishioners. His head was bowed low and he clasped his hands together in prayer, hoping that he could commend his spirit unto the Father whom he so desperately believed in. He wished to leave his burdens on the altar and rest his mind as easily as he would dare.

But even in that act, Jimin was a sinner.

Every Sunday he tried to leave his pain and worries and everything that afflicted him at the altar of the Lord – at God’s table. But he selfishly took something back with him every time. He did not fully relinquish his burdens upon God because he also knew that the Father would never put on him more than he could bear. He believed that his anxieties were seemingly petty. They were the young and foolish woes of a man who barely knew what it meant to live his life.

And yet, despite his hypocrisy, Jimin continued to return to the House of the Lord. He continued to pray diligently; not for himself, but for his brothers. For the people he cared about and for the people they, in turn, cared for. It was a never-ending cycle, a seemingly bottomless pit. Or was it more appropriate to say that the connections that people had with each other could literally number the stars?

Would it be that way for generations to come? He wished for it; for the pain and suffering to end. For a true and lasting peace to be obtained.

He truly wasn’t meant to remain in a world of darkness.

Halfway through the reverend’s sermon, the doors to the sanctuary opened. A few parishioners turned their heads and bowed politely, their smiles warm and inviting. Jimin continued to focus on his prayer, Bible turned to Romans in his lap. However, a shadow was cast over the pages and he couldn’t help but to lift his head and see who was now standing beside him.

Jimin’s mouth fell open slightly and he blinked when he realized it was Eden.

Her hair was pulled back, a low braid draping over her shoulder. She wore a dark green dress with long sleeves and the skirt just barely touched her knees. Simple, black pumps adorned her feet and she was holding a black and gold clutch in her hands. A frown touched her lips before she sat down gently beside him, reaching toward the back of the pew for a Bible.

“What book are we in?” she whispered while opening the book.

“Wha—oh, we’re in Romans. Romans, Chapter twelve.”

Nodding, she turned to the book of Romans and followed along with the reverend as he continued to preach his sermon. No other words were spoken between them and they both sat together in companionable silence. They sang together, prayed together, and even participated in Holy Communion together. It was when Jimin finished off the wine that he realized why Eden decided to show up.

It was First Sunday. No matter how busy or how upset she was with the world, Eden always made time to come to Holy Communion.

After the morning service was finished, fellow parishioners invited everyone to enjoy a meal together. Jimin often declined since he had other obligations during the day. This morning would be no different.

Both he and Eden politely bowed to the others before exiting the church.

Her heels clicked along the stone walkway leading to the steps that fanned out toward the parking lot. Jimin’s longer legs kept pace with her the entire way. However, instead of returning to her vehicle or even out onto the main street where she would have taken the bus, Eden turned and walked along the path leading toward the church’s expansive back garden. Jimin followed since she didn’t seem to protest his company.

When she reached a stone bench, Eden sat down and fished around in her clutch. Jimin couldn’t help the smirk that touched his lips as she pulled out a cigarette. Shaking his head, he sighed and took a seat next to her.

“Really?” He couldn’t help but laugh. “We just finished with service.”

Eden pointed two fingers at him, the cigarette perched between them. “Don’t start, Jimin-ah,” she said while pulling out a lighter. “The Lord will be happy that I showed up for service at all.”

He wasn’t going to argue with her on that. After everything that happened, he was almost positive that Eden wasn’t going to show up to church ever again. Jimin understood why she was upset, and he didn’t blame her for doubting him or even Jungkook. But it would have been a lie to himself if her mistrust didn’t hurt him. It did. They’d known each other for the better part of three years now. Despite being a devout Christian, the path he walked often forced him to go against the teachings of the Lord.

Jimin felt so dirty when he entered sacred ground.

Like Jungkook, Jimin did not hide his affiliation with the criminal underworld from Eden. She accepted it and didn’t even look down on him for his status. She even once told him that the fact that he went to church meant that he felt some semblance of guilt for what he was doing. He always prayed in earnest and Eden knew that he was genuinely kind and decent human being. At least that was how she saw him. At the end of the day, however, it was how he was seen in the eyes of God that mattered the most.

Being reminded of that by her lifted his spirits even just a little.

He waited until she exhaled smoke from her nostrils to speak. “Eden Noona,” Jimin prodded softly, “about Yoongi Hyung…”

“If you’re about to give me some kind of excuse for what he did, then don’t bother.” She tapped a bit of ash from the end of her cigarette. “I’m not in the mood.”

Jimin sighed. “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

She crossed one leg over the other, cradling her arm as she held her cigarette away from her face. Eden’s eyes cut sideways to look at him and he could see a mixture of anger and hurt swirling in her eyes. “Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly.” She took a long drag from her cigarette, flicking off an ash as smoke exhaled from between her lips. “Thus saith the Lord.”

“You can’t hold onto that forever, Noona. Him aside, it’s not good for you.”

He watched her crush out the cherry on the ground by her shoe before tossing it into a nearby waste basket. She saw her smirk, but it was a mirthless gesture. “I bet you don’t even know how long he and I were together, do you?” Eden turned to look at him. “Or how we even met?”

Jimin shook his head, his brows furrowing. “But I can listen, if you’d like.”

She scoffed, a hand reaching up to finger at her braid. “We met in the States six years ago. I guess you could say we were friends. But considering that everything I’ve known about him has been a lie, now I’m not so sure.” Sighing, she let her hand fall to her lap. “I came here a year after that. We started dating then. And we continued to date for three more years.”

Jimin’s heart thumped heavily against his chest. Five years ago?

It was an absolute madhouse in their world and yet Yoongi continued to make time for a woman he cared for? There was a part of Jimin that could hardly believe what he was hearing. The Yoongi Hyung he knew was deemed as The Lightning Claw for a reason. He was swift and deadly, striking without provocation and leaving devastation in his wake. The world they entered nearly ten years ago was at its peak of violence and chaos back then. Blood splattered across the streets and sometimes the aftermath was so terrible that not even the police would step in.

“For three years, I believed he was keeping me away from his friends and family because he didn’t want them to know he was dating some half Korean orphan girl. He would leave for days, supposedly on a business trip, and then come back like nothing happened.”

But now that he thought about it, there were days that Yoongi would just take off. He would disappear and come back a few days later. Even after he started making more international moves, he would never be gone for more than a week or so at a time. And when he came home, he would do his standard debriefing before heading out again. They all assumed he was with someone, but he never spoke up about it. Jimin even remembered Yoongi almost coming to blows with Taehyung when he wouldn’t ease off with his incessant teasing, prodding Yoongi to introduce her to them.

“I never knew where he lived but he always came to my house. We hardly went out in Gangnam and when we did, it was always late. We mostly would just take trips together out of town. It just didn’t make sense to me.”

When the fighting was especially bad, Yoongi waited until all his injuries were completely healed before disappearing again. While Jimin couldn’t imagine what persona his brother was attempting to portray, he knew that he never wanted Eden to worry over him because of how bloody and disgusting their world actually was. Wanting to push her as far away from that madness as possible certainly wasn’t unreasonable.

But he knew that Eden wouldn’t see it that way. She’d been damaged by his dishonesty which, as a result, caused her current trust issues. Now, after finding out the truth, he honestly couldn’t be upset with how standoffish she was being. Who wouldn’t be?

“All this time, I thought he was just bored or was too busy to be with me. But the truth?” Eden scoffed, then laughed. “He was ashamed.”

“Eden Noona,” offered Jimin, causing her to look away from him, “I’m sure it wasn’t like that. In fact, I know it wasn’t. We all bothered him constantly about who he was always running off to go see, but Hyung never wanted to give up any details and we respected his privacy enough not to get involved.” He lifted his hand to touch Eden’s shoulder. “You don’t understand what life was like back then. Turf wars were happening all over Seoul and we were just fighting to keep a leg up in the game. I’m sure he just didn’t want you to get mixed up in all of that or even get hurt.”

He saw her roll her eyes. “The path to hell is paved with good intentions.” She rounded on him. “That wasn’t his choice to make, Jimin-ah!” Her eyes narrowed. “Do you even realize how much danger he put me in by keeping me in the dark? What if a rival gang decided to kidnap me? What if they tried to use me to take advantage of you guys?”

Jimin averted his gaze, realizing that she wasn’t wrong either. He knew that going into a situation blindly was just as dangerous as knowingly walking into enemy territory. Had that very scenario occurred, there was a good chance that it would have ended badly. The times were not so forgiving in those days. Even Jimin transformed into a monster, seeing red and spilling blood as easily as a child spilled milk.

“I understand why you’re angry, Noona, I do,” he said, his hand sliding off her shoulder, “but there’s no way for us to determine if what he did was the best choice or the worst choice.” He lifted his gaze to meet hers. “Can’t you just forgive him this once? Not for his sake, but for yours?”

He didn’t move his eyes from hers, hoping that his sincerity would come across as best as he could. It was no secret how Jungkook felt about Eden and while he wasn’t sure if Yoongi still felt the same, he wanted there to be peace between them all. They were so close to finally walking away from the darker parts of their past. They were finally going to be able to step out into the light again; to feel the sun on their cheeks and the rain on their skin. They could stop hiding and go back to being the people they used to be before willfully walking onto the road of darkness.

“I don’t want to see this eating away at you anymore.”

Eden sighed and stood from the stone bench. Jimin immediately followed, watching her flatten out the skirts of her dress in the front. A soft breeze pushed against them, blowing his hair in different directions. A pained expression crossed her face before she took a breath and looked back at him. Her eyes seemed less angry, yet they appeared more hurt than they had been just a few minutes earlier.

“…I need time, Jimin-ah,” she finally said, causing a small ache to form in his chest. It was the softest he’d ever heard her speak in all the years he’d known her. “I just need some time to finally let it all go.”

Then she smiled at him, her hand reaching out to ruffle his hair a little bit. He gave a weak smile in response before watching her turn to head down the rest of the path and out of the garden. Jimin stood alone, waiting until he could no longer hear the clicking of her heels going down the sidewalk. When he turned his phone back on, there were a couple of missed calls, four text messages and one voicemail.

It was from Hoseok.

“Jimin-ah. I know you’re in service, so you don’t have to call me back. Come home as soon as you’ve finished. I’ll give you all the details when everyone is back.”

Sliding his phone into his pocket, he saw the small cluster of dark clouds beginning to form through the canopy of trees. A storm was coming.

“So,” Jimin said, his voice quiet, “it’s finally happening.”

Make It Right [BTS Mafia!AU]

Plot: “It’s always darkest before the dawn…” It’s a dog-eat-dog world in Seoul, South Korea. One has to dwell in the shadows in order to reach for the light. What are you willing to sacrifice in order to feel the sunlight on your face? What will it take to drag you back into darkness? How long will the journey be to make it right?

Rating: NC-17 // NSFW

Genre: Series | Mafia!AU | Crime!AU | Angst | Romance/Fluff

Pairings: Jin x OC | Taehyung/Hoseok x OC | Yoongi/Jungkook x OC

Warnings: Graphic Violence, Heavy Language, Angst, Slow Burn, Smut

Previous Chapters: Prologue 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21

Links: FAQ || BTS Masterlist || Admin E’s AO3 || Admin E’s WP || [ REQUESTS ARE OPEN ]

Word Count: 2,868  

Chapter 21: Jamais Vu

“I just wanted to be good. I just wanted to make you smile…damn.”

Keep reading

Make It Right [BTS Mafia!AU]

Plot: “It’s always darkest before the dawn…” It’s a dog-eat-dog world in Seoul, South Korea. One has to dwell in the shadows in order to reach for the light. What are you willing to sacrifice in order to feel the sunlight on your face? What will it take to drag you back into darkness? How long will the journey be to make it right?

Rating: NC-17 // NSFW

Genre: Series | Mafia!AU | Crime!AU | Angst | Romance/Fluff

Pairings: Jin x OC | Taehyung/Hoseok x OC | Yoongi/Jungkook x OC

Warnings: Graphic Violence, Heavy Language, Angst, Slow Burn, Smut

Previous Chapters: Prologue 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

Links: FAQ || BTS Masterlist || Admin E’s AO3 || Admin E’s WP || [ REQUESTS ARE OPEN ]

Word Count: 3,342

Chapter 22: Her

"Maybe I’m your love and hate. Maybe I’m your enemy and friend."

© thebiasrekkers (Admin E). All rights reserved. Reposting/modifying our work is prohibited. Translations are not allowed. Plagiarism/stealing is not tolerated by any means. Legal action will be taken in instances of theft.

“…Yoongi Hyung? I need you to find Jungkook…whatever it takes.”

“I will, Hoseok-ah,” Yoongi replied gently, his grip on the phone increasing for a split second before ending the call.

Slipping the phone into his pocket, he lifted his head to gaze at the tall building – his eyes focusing on the rooftop. The wind whipped across his body, his hair flying in every direction as the tails of his trench coat flapped behind him. Yoongi felt a lump forming in his throat as he tried to swallow it down, wondering if he should even be standing there. If he had any right to be standing there.

It had been a week since his altercation with Eden that night, when all his skeletons came tumbling out of the closet. Yoongi could still feel the sting of her slap on his cheek and remembered the tears that slid down her face. He’d never seen Eden cry in all the years he’d known her. She’d shed a tear or two over a drama or a movie they decided to watch together, but those were tears she shed without shame. Tears of outrage; of pain? He didn’t think she was even capable of it.

He’d believed her to be so strong. Yoongi thought she could take on anything; that she could stare the Reaper in his face and tell him to take a long walk off a short pier.

I made a mistake, he thought, furrowing his brows as he made his way toward the steps leading up the side of the building, I should have just been honest from the start.

Yoongi’s pace was slow, methodical; he was in no hurry. He knew it was Eden’s day off and she would be home. She was usually catching up on dramas she’d missed during the week or playing video games. She wasn’t a very social creature by nature. Not unless she was forced. Yoongi grimaced when he thought about how their dates usually went. He probably hadn’t helped things with how he kept her away from prying eyes all the time.

Had he made her even more of a recluse?

When he reached the rooftop, he looked around and saw the long wooden table and a few chairs near the edge of the roof. She usually liked to read by sunlight during the summer and Yoongi couldn’t help smirking when he thought of the times they would eat watermelon while sitting on the table, staring at the stars during those hot summer nights. She hated doing laundry and he often teased her about it, saying that it was supposed to be therapeutic while she complained about it being a colossal waste of time; bitching about not having her own washing machine.

He remembered kicking cold water on her when they were stomping around in the water basin, cleaning one of her summer blankets on an early Saturday morning. She hosed him down and they were both utterly soaked, stripping down naked while he grabbed a few large towels from the line to wrap them both in. His face twisted into a painful expression when he remembered drying her off, admiring every single inch of her body until he couldn’t resist himself; claiming her in her bed and wearing her out completely.

Yoongi paused in front of the laundry line, seeing the clothes that were hanging out to dry. They would freeze in this cold. She must have gotten busy with something since the laundry basket was still outside, left abandoned under the line. Sighing, he began to pull clothes, sheets, and towels off the line. He folded them and placed them into the basket, lost in his own thoughts.

How could he have ruined it all?

Friends? What the hell was I even thinking? Yoongi chastised himself, folding the last of the towels and dropping it into the basket. It’s all just one giant fucking excuse…

Yoongi lifted the basket into his arms with minimal effort before strolling forward to the front door. He resisted the urge to use the spare key to simply let himself in. For a moment, he just stood in front of the door and remained silent. He did nothing. He probably looked like a fool standing there and holding a basket full of clean laundry, but at that moment, Yoongi didn’t care.

He wasn’t ready for another altercation with Eden. He thought he was, but in reality, he knew he wasn’t. Yoongi didn’t think he could handle her enraged expression directed toward him. Sure, they fought and cussed and fussed at each other when they were together, but it wasn’t anything like what he saw that night. He knew she wasn’t a pushover and he’d even seen her tussle with some thugs when they were both still living in America. She had no problem stabbing someone. She had no problem spilling blood when it came to defending herself.

But she’d never turned her knife on him before. Yoongi wasn’t sure if he was more shocked or riled up at the idea that she came at him with everything that she had. He had scars of his own, sure, but the ones that littered her body showed the hard road she had been forced to travel for most of her life. Yoongi admired her strength and determination to continue living even as the world turned its back on her.

Even as he turned his back on her.

“Oh, goddammit,” he heard from the other side of the door, causing his thoughts to come crashing back to the present, “I forgot to get the laundry.”

Yoongi’s grip tightened on the basket and he considered just leaving it there. He could just leave it there, away from the door so she wouldn’t accidentally trip over it, and go. Running into her now would just cause a fight. He knew her well enough to bet money on it.

“I can get it later,” came another voice from inside.

Yoongi’s heart stopped for a moment and he nearly dropped the laundry basket. He felt his face grow hot and the heavy thrum of his heart roared in his ears. His eyes narrowed harshly at the frosted glass of the door.

It was Jungkook’s voice.

He heard Eden scoff from inside the apartment, her silhouette appearing before the door as he saw her moving around to grab a pair of shoes.

“What? So you can get fever sick again or break your neck because you can barely walk, then blame me for it? Fuck that. I got it.”

He knew he should leave. Yoongi still had time to leave and pretend he didn’t hear anything. Pretend he didn’t know that Jungkook was there.

Two things stopped him, keeping him rooted in his spot. Hoseok’s request, his pleading to find Jungkook, and Yoongi’s own jealous anger.

Yes, he was jealous.

Yes, it was unfair.

Yes, it was unreasonable.

He didn’t care.

So when Eden pulled the door open, almost barreling into him, he could only cut his eyes at her as she gasped just seconds before impact. She stumbled back, catching her balance as she clung to the doorknob, and let out a yell that sounded like a mixture of fright and outrage. Eden clutched at her chest, catching her breath as she glared up at him.

“You scared the fuck outta me!” she yelled, scratching at the side of her wild curls that flared out like a lion’s mane. “What are you doing standing there like some kinda fuckin’ ghost!? You trynna kill me?!”

Yoongi didn’t say anything. He continued to hold the laundry basket, gripping onto it like it was a tether preventing him from falling into a black hole. The vein near his temple throbbed as he bit the inside of his jaw.

“Noona?” called Jungkook from inside and Yoongi’s gaze lifted from hers to look over her shoulder. He was still out of sight which meant that he was in the main area of the apartment. “Everything okay?”

He looked back at Eden and saw realization wipe over her face. She pushed on the basket that Yoongi was holding, shoving him back a couple of steps. He was crowding the doorway and she wanted to get out and there was a petty part of him that wanted to keep her trapped in the entryway.

“Everything’s fine, Jungkook-ah,” she said through clenched teeth, glaring at Yoongi; daring him to say otherwise, “it’s just a stupid cat.”

Yoongi’s brows raised as he looked down at her, watching the smirk forming on her face. Cat?

“I didn’t know you had a cat,” Jungkook said, a distinct explosion coming from the television.

“He’s not mine. He just likes to show up whenever he wants to cause me grief.” Yoongi narrowed his eyes at her and she continued to smile, though her irritation was still evident. “Isn’t that right, Lil Meow Meow?”

“Lil Me—” He started to protest but Eden slapped her hand over his mouth and all but shoved him out of the way.

“I’ll be back. Stay there and keep that ice pack on your legs.” Then she closed the door behind her before rounding on Yoongi. “What in the hell are you doing here?” Her voice was a harsh whisper and she pointed toward the large table that was far away from the door.

He set the basket down by the door and turned, making his way toward the table and plopped down on it. There was no point trying to raise a stink in front of her door. Eden’s temper was merciless and while it lasted only a little while, it left destruction around her like a tornado. He wouldn’t risk her getting into trouble with her neighbors this late at night.

He was choosing to not be selfish this time.

Eden stood in front of him, arms folded across her chest. “Well? Why are you here? I thought I made it clear that I didn’t want to see you.”

Yoongi flashed a dark smirk as he looked up at her through his fringe. “Did you? I must have missed that part.”

“Min Yoongi,” Eden half snarled, “don’t make me hurt you.”

He laughed despite how serious he knew she was being.

“You’ve already hurt me.”

“Excuse me?”

Yoongi shook his head, pressing a hand to his forehead. “…nothing. I’m taking Jungkook home.”

She scoffed, raising a brow at him. “Says who?”

“I do,” he growled out, “that’s who.”

He saw Eden look away from him. “Forget it.” Her tone was solid. “He overextended his muscles and he’s still having trouble walking.”

“Then I’ll carry him.”

This time she laughed, turning her head to look back at him. “Who says that he even wants to go home?”

“Eden, don’t—”

“Don’t what? Butt in?” He saw her narrow her eyes at him. “Too late.”

Yoongi shot up from the table, taking a step toward her but she reflexively took a step back. He wasn’t sure if that action hurt him more or if her words were what was getting to him.

“Why do you care anyway?” he snapped.

She smirked. “What’s it to you?”

He took a breath, attempting to collect himself, before looking back at her. “Look,” he said, trying to keep his voice steady, “if this is about me, about getting back at me, then there’s no need for that.”

For a long moment, all Eden could do was look at him – eyes wide and unblinking. Then, a handful of seconds later, she burst into a very loud laughing fit. This caught him off guard and now he was the one taking a step back. It was clear that what he’d said wasn’t funny. Not one bit. He knew what kind of laugh this was.

It was an angry laugh.

After a short minute, Eden managed to collect herself. “Are you fuckin’ shitting me right now?” She straightened to her full height, taking a step toward him and jamming her finger into his chest. “Ya, Min Yoongi-ssi, who the hell do you think you are, huh?”

The honorific threw him. She’d never used it with him for as long as he’d known her. Not in the States and definitely not here. For her to add that polite title to his name made him feel like he’d been kicked in the gut by a mule.

“Do you think I’m holding Jungkook hostage? You think I’m doing this to get back at you for hurting me? Just who in the fuck do you take me for?”

Yoongi swallowed, the lump in his throat swelling as his mouth grew dry. He’d fucked up. Royally. Eden wasn’t the petty sort of person he knew himself to be capable of. She was a straight shooter when it came to showing people whether she liked or disliked a person. She wasn’t the kind of person to play mind games or get revenge on people. He remembered her once telling him that type of thinking was a waste of time for everyone involved.

She poked him again; harder this time and he winced.

“Maybe if you guys kept your fuckin’ house in order, then I wouldn’t have people showin’ up on my fuckin’ doorstep sick and half dead from runnin’ themselves into the fuckin’ ground.”

And again, Eden dug her finger into his chest.

“You all are gettin’ on my goddamn nerves, you know that? But I’m not gonna toss him out on his ass when he doesn’t want to leave. Not in his current condition.”

This time, she grabbed a fistful of his shirt and shook him – looking more terrifying than the night she tried to stab him.

“Got it?”

Suddenly, the door to her apartment swung open. Both Yoongi and Eden turned to see Jungkook bracing himself on the frame. He had a pained look on his face, as if it was a struggle for him to maintain his balance. Jungkook tried to wipe the pain away with a smile, but it looked more like a half grimace and he steadied himself while stepping out of the apartment. Yoongi watched his legs wobble, like he was a baby deer taking its first steps in life.

“Ya, Jeon Jungkook,” Eden called to him, releasing the hold she had on Yoongi’s shirt, “what do you think you’re doing?”

“It’s okay,” he said, sweat clinging to his brow as he took another step forward, “I’ll go back with Hyung.”

When he took another step, Jungkook lost his footing and started to fall forward. Eden left Yoongi’s side, rushing at Jungkook to catch him. All Yoongi could do was stare as she held him aloft, trying to keep as much of his weight up with her smaller frame. He felt his hands clutching into fists at his sides, the look of genuine concern spreading over Eden’s face.

What happened in that short amount of time? What was different between them now?

“Yoongi Hyung.”

Jungkook’s voice cut through Yoongi’s thoughts and he felt his hands loosen as he looked at him.

“You don’t have to carry me, but I’ll need your help getting down the stairs.”

Yoongi nodded, stepping toward them. He saw Eden’s hands tighten around Jungkook’s arm and he stopped.

“Jungkook-ah,” she said softly, her eyes not leaving Jungkook’s as he, in turn, looked back at her, “are you sure you’ll be alright?”

He smiled at her. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. Besides…” Jungkook looked back at Yoongi. “…there’s something I need to talk to Hyung about.”

Eden sighed, lifting herself up so that Jungkook could stand on his own. “Fine. Don’t do anything stupid.”

“I won’t.”

“Do you have everything?”

“Yeah, I grabbed my keys too.”

She folded her arms across her chest. “Text me so I know you made it back safely.”

“I will,” Jungkook said with a laugh, “I promise.”

Yoongi could only silently watch the exchange and he wasn’t sure what he was seeing. Was it two friends? Something more? Eden was known to show care and compassion for even her friends, so it wasn’t far-fetched for her to act this way with Jungkook if they were, in fact, friends.

…but is it more than that?

“Hyung?” He met Jungkook’s gaze, the smile gone from his face. “I’m ready.”

Yoongi crossed the small space between them, draping Jungkook’s arm over his shoulder and held him steady against him at the waist. They took slow steps towards the stairs and he fully expected Eden to retreat inside of her apartment. But as Yoongi helped Jungkook take the first step down, he chanced a glance at her and saw she was watching them intently.

“…Yoongi-ah,” she said, forcing Yoongi to come to a halt, “let me know when you get back, too.”

He didn’t say anything. He just nodded and then continued to help Jungkook ease down the steps. He wasn’t sure if it was his heart or Jungkook’s heart drumming against him, but nothing was said between them. Even when they hit the final step and Yoongi called a cab to pick them up, he continued to hold Jungkook up with his own body.

It wasn’t until the cab arrived and Yoongi made sure Jungkook was safely inside did his muscles finally relax. He told the driver their destination and the two men sat beside each other – each gazing out of their respective passenger windows. Neither of them said a word.

When it looked like they were stuck in a miniature traffic jam did Jungkook finally speak up.

“It really was Noona you were with for all those years, wasn’t it, Hyung?”

Yoongi craned his neck to look at Jungkook who was still staring out the window. He didn’t know if he could give an answer, or if he even should. What reason would he need to since it was clear that Jungkook already seemed to know the answer.

He sighed, instead looking back out the window.

“Why’d you do that? Why would you…how could you just lie to her?”

Yoongi closed his eyes.

“Of all the things, why lie to her about who you really are?”

He wasn’t sure if now was the time to get into this conversation. Or if he even wanted to.

“Hyung!”

Yoongi rounded on Jungkook who was now looking at him – no, glaring at him.

“What do you want from me, Jungkook-ah? Huh? What?!”

“I want to know why you would tell me to be honest with the person I care about when you couldn’t even do the same! Why would you do that?”

“Because I didn’t want her to get mixed up in our business, Jungkook-ah,” he snapped, “she’s been through enough and piling our shit on top of it all, especially back then, would have been too much!”

Jungkook gave him a dark look. “You don’t know that!”

“You’re right! I don’t. I didn’t know but I did what I thought was the best thing for everyone involved. Did I fuck up? Yes.” He reached out and snatched Jungkook by the collar of his shirt. “But let’s get one thing straight: I don’t take it back, you hear me?”

“Hyung!”

“If I could go back to that time, I’d make the same choice all over again. Easy. I’d keep her as far away from this shit as I could.” Yoongi’s expression hardened as Jungkook’s eyes narrowed even further. “My only regret is that I got caught in the first place.”

He saw something flicker in Jungkook’s eyes. It wasn’t anger – no, that was still sitting at the surface of his younger brother’s gaze. Was it…pity?

He felt Jungkook’s hands touch Yoongi’s, gently pulling them down – forcing him to release his hold on his shirt. Then he turned away from him to look back out the window.

“…you’re a moron, Hyung.”

Yoongi smirked, watching the multi-colored lights flash over Jungkook’s face. He craned his neck to look out his own window.

“I guess I am.”

And he was.

Min Yoongi was the worst kind of pretender.

Make It Right [BTS Mafia!AU]

Plot: “It’s always darkest before the dawn…” It’s a dog-eat-dog world in Seoul, South Korea. One has to dwell in the shadows in order to reach for the light. What are you willing to sacrifice in order to feel the sunlight on your face? What will it take to drag you back into darkness? How long will the journey be to make it right?

Rating: NC-17 // NSFW

Genre: Series | Mafia!AU | Crime!AU | Angst | Romance/Fluff

Pairings: Jin x OC | Taehyung/Hoseok x OC | Yoongi/Jungkook x OC

Warnings: Graphic Violence, Heavy Language, Angst, Slow Burn, Smut

Previous Chapters: Prologue 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33

Links: FAQ || BTS Masterlist || Admin E’s AO3 || Admin E’s WP || [ REQUESTS ARE OPEN ]

Word Count: 2,764

Tag List: @prisczero​, @pinkpjmin​, @btsaudge​, @flowerwrites06​, @unoriginal-username15432, @halussali​

Chapter 33: Tomorrow

“I hope tomorrow will be different from today...”

© thebiasrekkers (Admin E). All rights reserved. Reposting/modifying our work is prohibited. Translations are not allowed. Plagiarism/stealing is not tolerated by any means. Legal action will be taken in instances of theft.

Occasionally there were things better left unsaid in life. This applied to every soul that could be counted, especially among people. Never tell the woman you were seeing that her ass looked fat despite how many times she asked. Never mouth off to someone who could kick the shit out of anyone who dared to cross them without batting an eyelash. Never reveal bedroom secrets to someone who had their eye keenly on someone else’s bedroom partner.

Yes, some things were better left unsaid and sometimes there were simply no words for what a person may have wanted to say. Keeping lips sealed was often for the best.

Jungkook kept his lips zip-lock tight the day Eden came home from work. She had “the look” on her face – the one that practically screamed ‘I’m deep in thought so don’t fucking disturb me’. He’d been waiting on her for nearly an hour, wanting to surprise her since he finished work early for the day. 

He wordlessly tried to take the groceries from her, but she refused. Instead, she insisted that he reach into her coat pocket for her keys. When he did, however, he was surprised to see that it wasn’t the set of keys he was used to seeing. The brass key was replaced with a stainless steel one and attached to it was a single keychain with a cartoonish looking puppy on it – its expression reminiscent of one of the faces Jungkook often made when he was pouting.

She waited for him to open the door, but the shock was too much. The meaning behind it was way more for him to process at that moment. When Eden shouted at him to open the door, he nervously slid the key into the lock and almost broke it in the jam. Finally, he opened it and quickly took the groceries from her, shuffling inside and almost tripping out of his shoes. She laughed when he tried to give the key back to her, brushing past him to head into the kitchen. Jungkook smiled, putting the key into his pocket. 

Neither of them said anything as they pushed around in the cramped kitchen, trying to put things up without getting in each other’s way. They were mostly successful and when he tried to grab her hand, Eden ignored him and started stripping out of her street clothes while fumbling for her shower things. Jungkook couldn’t keep the goofy smile off his face when he noticed her rosy cheeks, laughing and grabbing for her. He spun her around until he felt he might be sick. He kissed her hard, refusing to allow her to make it to the shower. Not before he made love to her on the floor.

Twice.

When he’d thoroughly worn her out, he laughed and rubbed at his sore shoulder from the punch he’d received from her. But it was worth it. So fucking worth it.

After they showered, Eden shuffled around in the kitchen and made dinner. Nothing fancy. Just a large pot of ramen with some chicken mandu thrown into it as an afterthought. For a moment, all Jungkook could do was stare at her; considering every movement and drinking in her presence. He loved the way she was in that moment: hair disheveled and loosely wavy, her clothes clean but torn and askew – as if she’d fumbled from the bed and walked into a thrift store to pick out her threads at random.

When they finished, he offered to do the dishes, but she insisted on doing them herself. Eden’s bare feet shuffled around on the polished wooden floor and every so often he could see the tattoo on her left thigh peeking out from under the hem of the extra-large shirt she wore. There was no way to explain why it was sexy, it just was.

Moo Shin, he thought, reading the hangul tattoo, Heaven’s warrior.

“I’m going out to smoke,” she said while drying her hands with a kitchen towel. She grabbed both her pack of cigarettes and lighter off the counter, shoving them into her pocket.

Jungkook stood up, grabbing one of the large fleece throw blankets off the couch and followed her. The nights were still a bit chilly, even heading into Spring, and he didn’t want her getting sick. Her hair was still wet.

She sat down on the perch of the roof, knees curled up to her chest, before lifting the lighter up to her cigarette. Jungkook took a seat behind her, wrapping the blanket around them both, before curling her close against his body. She was struggling with the lighter and he reached out, taking it from her and igniting it smoothly with one flick of his thumb. Waiting for her to inhale her first drag of pleasure, Jungkook moved to rest his chin on her left shoulder. Eden turned her head slightly to keep the smoke from his eyes and he smiled. While he often nagged her to quit smoking, he appreciated the little things she did to keep it from bothering him. Not that it did, but he never actually told her that.

“Jungkook-ah,” came her voice, gruff but the tone was soft, “do you want to keep living in the city?”

Smoke pillowed from her nostrils and he felt his left brow quirk slightly, his thumb pressing into her skin as it rolled under her shirt. He didn’t say anything. It was a question that was slightly jarring, and he took comfort in her warmth and scent in order to get his bearings.

It wasn’t like the thought hadn’t occurred to him before. City life was exciting, sure, and there were merits to living in the city. But there were days when he dreamed about returning to Hwaseong. It was country enough that he could see the stars and enjoy them, but small town enough that he wasn’t struggling or yearning for modern conveniences that made life easier.

Shifting while pulling her closer against him, Jungkook urged her silently to turn her body so that her legs were resting on the safer side of the roof’s perch. Eden looked up at him, cigarette poking out from between her lips while raising her brows curiously at him. His hands moved so he could cup her cheeks inside his palms. 

“If you want to stay, then I want to stay. If you want to go, then I’ll go with you.”

He watched Eden’s eyes widen slightly, clearly surprised by his answer. It was a simple one. Jungkook knew she was successful enough to pick up her business and move it wherever she wanted. If she struggled financially with that kind of move, then Jungkook knew he could pick up the slack. His brothers spent the better part of a decade making sure that he never had to spend his money unnecessarily.

“So honestly, Noona, that’s a question I should be asking you ,” he said softly, smiling down at her.

“Jungkook…”

“I’ve been alone for most of my life. Until I met my brothers, I didn’t have anyone. My parents didn’t want me, and I’ve always had to fend for myself. I moved to Seoul because that’s what the others wanted.” His smile fell a fraction and he felt his brows furrow. “…because I didn’t want to be alone.”

He shifted slightly, meeting her gaze, and Jungkook could feel his heart slamming viciously against his chest. Her eyes reflected the night sky, the amber colors of the streetlights giving them an ethereal umber glow. He reached out to grab her cigarette, disregarding it with a toss. She could yell at him after, but right now, at that moment, Jungkook wanted to kiss her and it was in the way. His kiss was not gentle, but possessive and borderline desperate as he claimed her mouth with lips, teeth, and tongue.

He didn’t want to share with her how much all of this meant to him. Not yet. It was still too new. Too fragile. It could be taken away before it truly began. Jungkook never wanted to be able to love her more than in the moment she’d first opened her heart to him, offering to simply be together in the here and now. To trust one another.

How could he tell her that? How could he tell her that he wanted to love her but also wanted to keep her for himself? Jungkook knew how independent she was and how determined she was to continue walking the path she chose for herself.

Would she allow him to walk beside her beyond the present? Beyond tomorrow?

Jungkook couldn’t help but dread every tomorrow that would pass.

Growling softly, he pulled back – sucking her lower lip in the process and releasing it only after he nipped it red and swollen. She breathed softly over his cheeks, smelling like spearmint and nicotine, and he grinned. Eden drove him to the brink. He’d said it before and felt there wasn’t a need to say it again. Instead, Jungkook drug one heavy palm down her side and pressed it between her thighs, flicking his wrist so that he was firmly holding the area he wanted to violate. She did this to him. Made his brain turn to shit and amped his body up for a lot of "mine" fucking. No one could blame him for it.

“This is your fault,” he muttered while grinning, leaning forward so that his mouth brushed lightly against her own, “you should take responsibility.”

He pressed his palm against her again, waiting for that soft little gasp that he loved to hear. He knew she would tell him no, but getting a rise out of her was almost as sweet as getting the green light. And when she said no and finished smoking her cigarette, they would go back inside to finish Empress Ki while cuddled up together on the bed. She would be revved up and distracted with wanting him, feigning sleepiness just to be mean.

But Jungkook knew she wouldn’t be able to take it anymore. She’d pounce and when she did, he would claim every inch of her until she was well spent. And as Eden slept for real, he would whisper to her how he really felt. About how much he loved her, how much she felt like home, and how he wanted to build something meaningful with her beyond tomorrow.

Nothing would be held back.

Seoul – Myeongdong; Jung District South Korea

The city was so loud.

There wasn’t a single instance of silence that could be had. Especially at night. Jungkook hated the city at night. The stars couldn’t be seen and there was so much white noise from the jumbled conversations that muffled around on the streets in conjunction with the ambient sounds from the city.

The parks in the city, thankfully, were a little bit quieter. Jungkook could tolerate the murmured sounds of metropolitan activity when surrounded by trees and nature trails. He sat down on a bench under one of the cherry trees. In a few months, the petals would be a soft pink. Dozens upon dozens of tourists came to take photographs while the locals simply enjoyed the landscape. A sign that winter was finally ending soon.

The bitter chill of everything dying would have renewed vigor knowing that a warm breath of life would follow suit.

“There’s at least one good thing about all of this,” said a voice nearby.

Jungkook lifted his head, peering into the face of Lee Jooheon. He flashed him his trademark dimpled smirk and Jungkook gave a half-scoff in response. Raising one brow, he watched Jooheon plop down onto the bench beside him.

“Oh yeah,” he asked, both of them leaning back in tandem, “what’s that?”

“I don’t have to fuck you up for wandering into our turf.”

“Fuck off,” Jungkook said dismissively, “you’re the one who told me to meet you here in the first place.”

“I know,” Jooheon replied simply, shrugging one shoulder as he rested one arm along the back of the bench, “but that’s because you aren’t some chicken shit. I knew you’d come.” He turned to peek at Jungkook. “You would have come even if you were still a Golden Jackal.”

Jungkook felt his lips press together in a thin line. “I’m still a Golden Jackal, Joo Hyung,” he said, tone even, “that hasn’t changed.”

Jooheon raised a brow at him. “Oh yeah?” He laughed. “Well, that makes oneof you.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“It means that you’re all a bunch of toothless mutts now.”

Jungkook’s arm shot forward, fist curled and aimed to strike. Knuckles smashed into knuckles as Jooheon’s own fist collided with his. Nerves twitched as the two of them pressed their own weight against the other, bodies shifted toward one another. Jooheon’s smirk still held but Jungkook was far from amused, their arms trembling from the amount of force pressing against each other.

“I guess you’re still the Steel Claw after all,” he said, almost laughing.

Nothing about this amused Jungkook at all. “You’re lucky I don’t rip your spine out for what you did to Eden.”

Jooheon pouted, adding an extra bit of force behind his knuckles to push Jungkook’s arm back a bit. “Hey, I wasn’t the one who did it. That was Minhyuk Hyung.”

“Don’t fucking play word games with me, Yellow Jacket.” The honorific was dropped, replaced with his alias. Jooheon’s expression changed from a playful pout to an actual frown. “As far as I’m concerned, you Jade Fangs are all one and the same.”

Both Jooheon and Jungkook thrust their arms out, breaking the connection and effectively ending the mini strength match they were having. While Jungkook brushed his hair out of his eyes, Jooheon frowned and shook his hand a few times. When he stood, Jungkook followed suit and the two of them remained just a couple of feet away from each other. They continued to stare, not wanting to give off any sign of weakness. They may have dissolved the group, but that didn’t mean that he didn’t still carry himself like a Golden Jackal.

Jooheon could see that now.

Scoffing, Jooheon pivoted on his heels while stuffing his hands into his pockets. Jungkook relaxed a bit, but immediately felt his spine go rigid when his old friend turned around to look back at him.

“Changkyun-ah was serious when he gave that offer to Hoseok Hyung,” he said, craning his neck to face the sky, “and if you guys aren’t going to come back, there’s a chance you’ll try to interfere.”

“Interfere with what, Jooheon?”

“Some advice? You all should leave this city.”

Jungkook narrowed his eyes but said nothing. Jooheon lowered his head, his gaze shifting back to look at him.

“Leave, Jungkook-ah, while we still just consider you eyesores.”

“Ha!” Jungkook half laughed, half scoffed – a single brow raising in question. “Yeah, right.”

This time it was Jooheon who narrowed his eyes. “I’m serious.”

“And why should we?” Jungkook slowly folded his arms across his chest. “Why the hell should I even listen to you?”

“Because whether you remember it or not, we were friends once, Jungkook-ah. If you don’t want to be part of this anymore, I’d rather you not get swept up in the shit-storm that is brewing. And trust me when I tell you that it is coming.”

Jungkook watched Jooheon turn and began walking away, holding one hand up in farewell.

“Consider it a parting gift from an old friend, Jeon Jungkook. Whatever happens after this, just know it isn’t personal.”

He waited until he could no longer see Jooheon before finally falling back onto the bench. Even though he hadn’t done it, Jungkook felt like he’d been punched in the gut. He heard from Namjoon Hyung that a deal was placed on the table in front of Hoseok Hyung, but he didn’t take it. He refused to let their goals be obscured or smeared over someone else’s ambitions.

Pulling out his phone, he looked at the lock screen to spy the time. Instead of paying attention to the actual time, he focused on the picture he took with Eden. They were both smiling. She’d been obstinate about not wanting to take the picture until his own stubbornness had her relenting. It was the first time he got her to smile freely.

His brows knit together harshly as his grip on the phone tightened.

…did we make a mistake?

Make It Right [BTS Mafia!AU]

Plot: “It’s always darkest before the dawn…” It’s a dog-eat-dog world in Seoul, South Korea. One has to dwell in the shadows in order to reach for the light. What are you willing to sacrifice in order to feel the sunlight on your face? What will it take to drag you back into darkness? How long will the journey be to make it right?

Rating: NC-17 // NSFW

Genre: Series | Mafia!AU | Crime!AU | Angst | Romance/Fluff

Pairings: Jin x OC | Taehyung/Hoseok x OC | Yoongi/Jungkook x OC

Warnings: Graphic Violence, Heavy Language, Angst, Slow Burn, Smut

Previous Chapters: Prologue 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34

Links: FAQ || BTS Masterlist || Admin E’s AO3 || Admin E’s WP || [ REQUESTS ARE OPEN ]

Word Count: 2,832

Tag List: @prisczero​, @pinkpjmin​, @btsaudge​, @flowerwrites06​, @unoriginal-username15432, @halussali​

CHAPTER 34: EPIPHANY

“Underneath the smiling mask, my true self is coming out.”

© thebiasrekkers (Admin E). All rights reserved. Reposting/modifying our work is prohibited. Translations are not allowed. Plagiarism/stealing is not tolerated by any means. Legal action will be taken in instances of theft.

Seoul – Cheongdam; Gangnam District South Korea

Anastasia groaned when she felt someone tugging at her shoulder, attempting to rouse her from her drunken slumber. Her body swayed back and forth and she swatted at the hand pulling her. Her hand fumbled around for the covers and she attempted to yank them up and over her head. Solace was given to her for a moment and she hummed in sleepy contentment.

However, her victory was short-lived when the blanket was completely ripped from her body, exposing her to the open air. Flailing like a toddler throwing a tantrum, Anastasia flopped onto her back and then sprung up into a sitting position. Her dirty blonde hair was messy and tangled but she didn’t care. Instead, she glared up at the person who was destroying her sweet slumber.

“Ana,” Raelyn said while shaking her head, “if you don’t get up and come on.”

Anastasia flung her arms around in various directions, fighting back an oncoming migraine and whining in the process. “Rae Unnie, it’s my day off!”

Raelyn held a glass of water out to her. She took it and automatically opened her other hand to accept the aspirin that was waiting for her. Raelyn smirked when she downed the aspirin and drained the glass.

“I made breakfast,” said the older woman, turning away from her to head down the small flight of stairs from the bedroom loft, “so get washed up and come down to eat.”

“Kay,” was all Anastasia offered before swinging her legs over the edge of the bed.

Not wanting to keep her friend waiting, she opted to wash her face and brush her teeth. She’d shower later. Once she made her way downstairs, Anastasia took note of the folded-up blankets and pillows on the couch. The previous night’s antics played out in her mind and she couldn’t help grinning.

Raelyn suddenly showed up at her door with two big bottles of booze. Anastasia wasn’t one to usually turn down free alcohol, but she also knew that Raelyn wasn’t the type to mindlessly indulge in binge drinking like some college student. There was clearly something on her mind and the only way to chase it away was through booze. Anastasia could relate and since she had the next day off, she didn’t mind spending the evening drinking away.

They played cards, Monopoly, UNO and vegged out on the couch watching Netflix. Neither of them talked about work or the boys. Anastasia could tell that Raelyn wanted to avoid those subjects as much as possible. Everyone deserved a night to escape and there was a part of her that felt bad that they hadn’t included Eden. When it was mentioned, Raelyn said that Eden had other plans. Without having to say it aloud, Anastasia knew that it was with Jungkook. The woman was brutally honest and stubborn, but her affection toward Jungkook was cute.

She would tease her about it relentlessly.

The smells from the kitchen made Anastasia’s stomach groan, reminding her that she was, in fact, starving. It reminded her of when she had her own aspirations to start a restaurant and ultimately failed. It was probably for the best, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t prone to thinking about those days from time to time.

Raelyn whipped them up a traditional Southern Style breakfast of sausage, eggs, grits and toast. A side of sliced strawberries were set on small plates. Anastasia watched her pour a glass of milk and a glass of orange juice for each of them. When everything was set, the two women sidled onto the chairs by the counter and began to eat, neither of them wanting to say anything until they’d gotten a few bites in.

Anastasia swallowed a mouthful of toast and scrambled eggs, washing it down with milk, before finally deciding to break the silence. “So, do you want to talk about it now?”

The fork hovered by Raelyn’s lips and stayed there for a few seconds. She sighed, setting the utensil down on her plate. Anastasia remained quiet, not sure if she should repeat the question. There was a glint in Raelyn’s eyes that almost screamed what was being turned over and over inside of her head. But doing that would mean she hadn’t processed anything; that she hadn’t been sitting on this something for days.

She wouldn’t have shown up with the offer to booze it up if she wasn’t prepared to get her mind right.

Stabbing at a piece of strawberry, Anastasia gripped the utensil and tried to slow her heart rate some. It never usually took Raelyn this long to speak her mind. Especially if something was bothering her. This, in turn, made her uncomfortable. But instead of prodding further, she waited.

She watched Raelyn pressing her hand to her forehead, sighing again. “Everything’s fucked up,” she finally said.

Anastasia blinked, canting her head slightly. “What do you mean?”

Raelyn was now pressing both of her hands to her face. “I mean everything is fucked up, Ana.”

There was a broken tone in her voice that was unfamiliar to Anastasia. She couldn’t help but worry that something terrible had happened. But from what she understood, the boys were doing okay. Their businesses were thriving, and they were walking away from the criminal underworld like they’d dreamed. Raelyn’s reason for worrying wasn’t even a factor anymore. She could date Taehyung freely and without the strain of having to look over her shoulder.

She didn’t understand what the problem was.

Anastasia reached out to place a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “Did something happen?” She paused, brows furrowing. “I mean, besides what happened with Eden Unnie?”

She’d heard about the incident that occurred when Raelyn was dispatched to another hospital. Eden got half a dozen voicemails from her that day and an earful of high-pitched screaming when she finally answered the phone. Regardless of how tough her friends were, Anastasia didn’t want them getting hurt. Not when there wasn’t a need for them to worry about it anymore.

Raelyn shook her head back and forth fervently, her fingers clenching into fists near her forehead. “Things were supposed to get better once they went straight, right?” Anastasia’s brows furrowed when the older woman finally turned to look at her, eyes wide and shaking. “So why does it feel like things are going to get worse?”

“What?” She felt a lump forming in her throat. “What in the world is that supposed to mean? Why would they get worse?”

The older woman laughed, border lining mania, and this caused Anastasia’s hand to fall from her shoulder. “God, how could I have been so fucking stupid? How could I have missed it?”

Anastasia didn’t understand what she was talking about. However, just because she couldn’t understand didn’t mean that the implications weren’t unsettling. It felt like she’d eaten a bag of river stones for breakfast – her stomach heavy and cold.

“Jimin told me something, Ana, and I’m not gonna lie, it rattled the hell out of me.”

“What did he—”

“The boys might be out, but there’s competition that wants them to stay.”

She blinked, unable to believe what she’d just heard.

“Whoa, wait…what?” Again, she blinked. “Why?”

“That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it?” Raelyn scoffed. “Why in the fuck—”

“—would they want their rivals to stick around when they could just claim the territory the Golden Jackals left for themselves?” Anastasia finished the thought and now it was Raelyn’s turn to look surprised. Averting her gaze, she curled her hand near her chin while glaring at her half-eaten breakfast. “That just doesn’t make sense. Strategically, when competition is gone, that leaves room for a takeover when the option for a merger is no longer on the table.”

From a marketing or bargaining standpoint, attacking the former Golden Jackals would lead to zero gain. She recalled a conversation she had with Seokjin about something similar. When companies refused to go along with mergers, a buyout option was presented. If the buyout option was refused, then eradicating all competition from the board was the next step. But if the competition chose to pull itself from the game, then the remaining competitors usually fought amongst themselves over who would take over what was left behind.

Pulling the competition back that chose to remove themselves would bring them no profit. It would create unrest all over again…

Is someone foaming at the mouth or something?

When she next met Raelyn’s gaze, it was like something dawned on the older woman. Several emotions passed over her face, but the one that Anastasia recognized immediately was anger. Something she’d said apparently set her off.

“They think they’re bluffing.”

“Huh?”

Raelyn stood from her chair suddenly, causing Anastasia to recoil. “They think Hoseok and the others are bluffing!” She began pacing and all Anastasia could do was follow her with her eyes. “They’re not sure if they’ve really dissolved or not. That’s why they’re not launching a war.” She smacked her forehead while letting loose a mirthless laugh. “That’s why the others haven’t started stirring up shit. They’re not sure what Hoseok and the others are going to do!”

Anastasia heard her laugh again, but it sounded terrible, making her skin crawl. “Rae…”

The older woman continued pacing for a few more minutes, muttering things to herself. When she suddenly stopped, Anastasia was halfway out of her seat. The two friends met each other’s gazes and it was like they both thought the same thing at that very same moment.

“What’s going to happen when they find out that it’s true?”

The work week seemed to crawl at a snail’s pace. It was unbearable and Anastasia was sure she would start the process of plucking her own eyeballs out. Seokjin and she hardly had time to see each other at all since he was doing his best to assist Hoseok and Namjoon at the new hotel in Yongsan. Not that she blamed him or needed her hand held. He wouldn’t have hired her if he didn’t think she was capable of handling things without him constantly being in the office.

Jimin being there was a boon and he was always at the ready to assist whenever she needed him. Even when she didn’t, he had coffee and snacks ready – encouraging her to take breaks before she got lost in a mountain of paperwork.

Burying herself in her work, however, was the only way she could successfully chase her worries from her mind.

She’d wanted to pick Jimin’s brain; to figure out what was going on behind the scenes. All she knew was the financial aspect of their businesses. It was her job to maintain it and make sure all the books were up to date. Nothing was out of place and Seokjin wasn’t asking her to fudge the books either. Accounts were stable and clean. No money was laundered since none of their funds were funneling in from an outside source even remotely associated with the criminal underworld.

Yet she couldn’t shake the frustration and worry that radiated from Raelyn. It was bleeding across to her now, making it hard to focus on her job. Seokjin and she were getting closer, sure, and others could clearly see that they were an item. But without him there to reassure her that things were going to be alright, Anastasia felt on edge. Hell, borderline neurotic. She could admit it.

Was their friend, Eden, suffering like this also? When she saw her a few days ago, it didn’t look like it. What was she doing that was different than what either Raelyn or she were? Had the mixed girl gotten her hands on some magic pills, being selfish and unwilling to share?

Wanting to stop by her friend’s shop on her lunch break, she took a breath of air in relief when she arrived and saw that nothing was happening. The garage was closed, a sign hanging out the window saying they were out to lunch and would be back in an hour. Anastasia finished her paperwork early and decided she would take a long lunch, so she had time to kill until her friend got back. Maybe Eden would have some answers to the questions that were constantly nagging at her.

Just as she was about to hail a cab to a nearby café, Anastasia let out a sharp squeak, realizing too late that someone was now in front of her. Her chest bumped into said person, causing her to stumble backwards. The stiletto points of her shoes scraped along the concrete loudly. When she was positive she was going to see the sky, a pair of hands grabbed her shoulders to steady her.

“Whoa,” said a gentle voice, a hint of amusement laced through it, “careful there.”

“I’m so sorry!” Anastasia apologized, taking a step back and bowing her head. “I should have been paying more attention.”

“It’s alright. I was just wondering where the fire was.”

When she finally lifted her head to look up, she saw an unfamiliar man standing in front of her. He had mouse brown hair, umber eyes, and a sweet smile that mirrored in motion with said eyes. Flushing at his appearance, she quickly shifted her gaze to look away from him. She felt more embarrassed than anything else.

“There’s no fire.”

“I can see that.” She moved to look at him again just as the man brushed some of his hair out of his eyes. “Were you here for an appointment?”

“Oh, no,” she said with a laugh, “I just came to see my friend. Looks like I just missed them.”

He slipped his hands into the pockets of his slacks. “In this day and age, you didn’t think to call her ahead of time?”

Anastasia pressed her hand against the side of her neck, giving a shy laugh while shrugging one shoulder. “I suck at surprises?” She laughed again until a thought struck her, causing a tiny shiver to shoot down her spine. Her hand slid slowly from her neck, falling to her side as she began narrowing her eyes at the stranger in front of her. “How did you know my friend’s a girl?”

“I assumed.”

“Assumed that I don’t have guy friends?” Anastasia took a step back when she saw the man’s gaze darken, his smile remaining. “Or that you already know who owns this shop?”

The man laughed, shrugging and then taking a step forward. She took another step back. He leaned forward, peering at her like he was examining a specimen in a jar.

“Clever girl,” he mused, straightening to his full height, “it didn’t take you long to pick up on that. No wonder you’re their financial advisor.”

Her eyes narrowed further. Anastasia didn’t appreciate being mocked. “…and who the fuck are you?”

“Ya, Yoo Kihyun,” called a familiar voice from the sidewalk. They both looked to see Yoongi approaching them and Anastasia felt a wave of relief wash over her. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Kihyun gave a lazy smile but there was no warmth in the gesture. Anastasia shuffled a few steps back when Yoongi closed the distance between them. He made a point to place himself in front of Anastasia, shielding her from the man who was getting his kicks out of messing with her. She had half a mind to throw her shoe at him.

Peering at him over Yoongi’s shoulder, Anastasia maintained vigilance as the other man scrutinized over her rescuer.

“Ah, Yoongi-ah. It’s been so long.”

She heard Yoongi scoff. “Not long enough. Now answer me: what do you think you’re doing?” Kihyun said nothing. “Actually, a better question: why are you here?”

“No reason,” he dismissed and Anastasia bit back her urge to pop off, “curiosity mostly.”

“I’m not surprised. You’ve always been a sick, twisted little fuck.” Anastasia blinked at the barbs coming from Yoongi. She gasped when he suddenly turned around to look at her. “When Eden gets back, don’t tell her about this.”

“Huh? But why?”

“Please, Ana-ssi,” he said, his brows furrowing.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she finally nodded – albeit reluctantly. Yoongi’s expression relaxed somewhat and he bowed his head.

“Thank you.” He then turned around to face Kihyun. “You’re done here, Kihyun-ah. You talk to me now.” Yoongi strolled past the other man, not so much as giving him a backwards glance. “Follow me.”

Kihyun smirked, winked at Anastasia, and then followed after Yoongi as was demanded of him. Anastasia wasn’t sure of what to make of that encounter, but she knew she would have to thank Yoongi properly when she got the chance. Kihyun’s smile may have been charming, but the way he carried himself suggested something cold and unfeeling.

It left a knot in Anastasia’s stomach.

Is he one of the guys Rae was talking about? she thought, frowning, …are they the ones trying to pull them back?

Make It Right [BTS Mafia!AU]

Plot: “It’s always darkest before the dawn…” It’s a dog-eat-dog world in Seoul, South Korea. One has to dwell in the shadows in order to reach for the light. What are you willing to sacrifice in order to feel the sunlight on your face? What will it take to drag you back into darkness? How long will the journey be to make it right?

Rating: NC-17 // NSFW

Genre: Series | Mafia!AU | Crime!AU | Angst | Romance/Fluff

Pairings: Jin x OC | Taehyung/Hoseok x OC | Yoongi/Jungkook x OC

Warnings: Graphic Violence, Heavy Language, Angst, Slow Burn, Smut

Previous Chapters: Prologue 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34

Links: FAQ || BTS Masterlist || Admin E’s AO3 || Admin E’s WP || [ REQUESTS ARE OPEN ]

Word Count: 2,832

Tag List: @prisczero​, @pinkpjmin​, @btsaudge​, @flowerwrites06​, @unoriginal-username15432, @halussali​

CHAPTER 34: EPIPHANY

“Underneath the smiling mask, my true self is coming out.”

© thebiasrekkers (Admin E). All rights reserved. Reposting/modifying our work is prohibited. Translations are not allowed. Plagiarism/stealing is not tolerated by any means. Legal action will be taken in instances of theft.

Keep reading

Make It Right [BTS Mafia!AU]

Plot: “It’s always darkest before the dawn…” It’s a dog-eat-dog world in Seoul, South Korea. One has to dwell in the shadows in order to reach for the light. What are you willing to sacrifice in order to feel the sunlight on your face? What will it take to drag you back into darkness? How long will the journey be to make it right?

Rating: NC-17 // NSFW

Genre: Series | Mafia!AU | Crime!AU | Angst | Romance/Fluff

Pairings: Jin x OC | Taehyung/Hoseok x OC | Yoongi/Jungkook x OC

Warnings: Graphic Violence, Heavy Language, Angst, Slow Burn, Smut

Previous Chapters: Prologue 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36

Links: FAQ || BTS Masterlist || Admin E’s AO3 || Admin E’s WP || [ REQUESTS ARE OPEN ]

Word Count: 2,163

Tag List: @prisczero​, @pinkpjmin​, @btsaudge​, @flowerwrites06​, @unoriginal-username15432, @halussali​

CHAPTER 36:  SAVE ME

“I want to breathe, I hate this night. I want to wake up, I hate this dream.”

© thebiasrekkers (Admin E). All rights reserved. Reposting/modifying our work is prohibited. Translations are not allowed. Plagiarism/stealing is not tolerated by any means. Legal action will be taken in instances of theft.

When she saw Min Yoongi being wheeled into the hospital’s emergency room, Raelyn pulled herself away from her assigned task almost immediately. Her heart hammered heavily against her chest and her forehead broke out into a cold sweat. She couldn’t hear the people calling her name and she blindly began digging through her pockets for her cell phone.

Did any of the others know what was happening?

Because she wasn’t his assigned nurse, there was no way for her to be directly involved in his treatment. Half an hour later, she was handed a coffee by one of her co-workers as they attempted to quell her concerns. They didn’t know what her connection with the patient was, but Raelyn knew not to open her mouth. The less they knew, the better. Everyone was better off that way.

Raelyn wanted to call Hoseok on instinct. She stopped herself, swallowing the heavy lump in her throat. Instead, she called Taehyung. He did his best to get her nerves to settle, telling her that it would take an act of some deity to pull Min Yoongi into his grave. He was just that stubborn. This got her to laugh a little and she sighed, feeling a little better than she had a few minutes earlier. Unfortunately, Taehyung was in Osan and wouldn’t be back in Seoul until later that afternoon. However, he did promise that he’d get one of the guys over to the hospital when Yoongi was cleared for discharge.

Her friend and fellow nurse, Seyeong, approached her just as she hung up with Taehyung. “Raelyn-ssi,” she called softly as Raelyn slipped her phone into her pocket, “are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she said, though she didn’t feel it, “how is he doing?”

“It was fatigue mixed with an anxiety attack.” Raelyn’s brows furrowed as Seyeong continued. “He experienced some shock, but he’s stabilized and resting.”

“That’s good.”

It was the only thing that Raelyn could say without falling apart herself. She nodded her head at the appropriate moments when Seyeong explained his condition, but the woman wasn’t really listening. There were too many other things filling her head. Mostly questions that she knew she wouldn’t be getting the answers to anytime soon.

Why the hell does this keep happening?

Once she was left alone, Raelyn unconsciously bit her thumbnail as her eyes narrowed. This was crazy. Anyone would think this was crazy. Who would go out of their way to bring someone back into the fold when it was obvious that they were competition? Wasn’t it normal to want to wipe out any obstacles that would potentially stand in a person’s way, no matter what avenue it was in reference to?

While a more twisted and jaded side of Raelyn could understand the thrill of wanting to taunt and torment an opponent, this seemed just shy of overkill. Yoongi was in the hospital because something shook him to the point of falling out. That or he was stressed and doing a terrible job of burying it down inside of himself. She hadn’t wanted to bother him with twenty questions, allowing him time to relax and to put whatever disturbed him out of his mind if even for a moment.

She toyed with the idea of calling Eden, but after the altercation she had with Yoongi at the hospital last time, she decided against it. The two of them would just wind up arguing about why he was in the hospital in the first place. Both of them would stroke out before either of them was able to get a word in edgewise.

Sighing, Raelyn angrily began scratching at the back of her head. No. This wasn’t going to work. She had to get the answers straight from Yoongi himself. Taehyung was sweet, but he always tried to cover things up as best he could. Mostly because he knew how much their old life stressed Raelyn out. They were supposed to be finished with that life and things continued to seemingly spiral out of control.

Making her way toward Yoongi’s room, she looked over his chart to see what medication they were giving him. It was a mild sedative, enough to get him to relax and maybe help him sleep. Who knew how long he’d been doing things without sleeping at this rate? Once she was able to ascertain that it was the proper dosage, she quietly slipped inside.

It took her a minute for her sight to adjust to the low light of the room provided by a small lamp. The ECG monitor beeped steadily, his heart rate normal and showing that he was, indeed, resting. Raelyn closed the door quietly behind her, the latch catching with a soft click. There was a humidifier by his bedside and his attendants seemed to have adjusted his bed so that he was sitting up as he slept.

She sighed again. Okay, maybe this wasn’t a good idea after all.

As someone in the medical field, the last thing she wanted to do was pull someone out of the comfort of sleep.

Raelyn turned slowly, intent on leaving the room, when she heard movement behind her. Her hand froze, hovering just above the doorknob.

“Raelyn-ah,” he heard Yoongi grunt. She turned around to see him sitting up full, the blankets shifting around in his lap as he did so.

She turned back around to face him. “Did I wake you?”

“Who can sleep when you exist so loudly?”

Raelyn frowned, unsure of what to make of that statement. Yoongi’s wistful smirk, however, showed that he was merely teasing. She crossed the room, plopping down into a nearby chair as he pressed a hand to his forehead. She noticed the look of disapproval on his face at the IV attached to his arm. When Yoongi attempted to remove it, Raelyn smacked his wrist on reflex.

“Don’t even think about pulling that out until you’ve been discharged,” she snapped, giving him a warning glare which he huffed at.

The two of them sat in silence – both probably processing the moment shared between them. It wasn’t often that Raelyn spent time with Yoongi alone. When Hoseok and she were still together, she interacted with all the other boys – lower and upper tiered alike. But rarely was she allotted alone time with any member as an individual. In fact, she felt she’d gotten to know them better when she was no longer the boss’s girl. The title came with its privileges, sure, but that also meant she was placed on a glass pedestal that she felt would shatter at any given moment.

Truth be told, she always felt Yoongi disliked her; for reasons completely all his own. On the flip side, she never really tried to bridge the gap between them either. Yoongi kept to himself, busy moving in and out of the thick of things alongside Jungkook. He never once hinted that he knew any of Raelyn’s friends, let alone that he was even dating Eden back then. Then again, she’d kept her own connection to the Golden Jackals a secret herself.

Now that everything was out in the open, Raelyn wondered where the time had gone.

“Yoongi-ah,” she murmured while looking at him. He raised a brow, silencing urging her to continue. “What happened?”

For a long while, all Yoongi did was stare at her; as if he was mentally cracking the cogs in his head to determine how to best answer the question. He blinked a few times, brushing his hair out of his eyes before folding his arms across his chest.

“Nothing you need to concern yourself over,” he answered simply, causing the muscle near Raelyn’s jaw to pulse angrily.

“Are you fuckin’ kidding me, Min Yoongi?” Raelyn’s voice went up an octave as she rose from her chair. He followed her with his eyes. “You are now the third person connected to me in some way to wind up in the fuckin’ hospital! Why should I not be concerned about this?”

Yoongi frowned. “Because there isn’t a single thing you can do about it.” The directness of the statement was like a punch to her gut, causing her to take a step back. His expression was icy and so was his tone. “Telling you what happened won’t change anything, so why bother?”

Raelyn felt her heart sink to the bottom of her stomach and she fell into the chair, semi-defeated. Why was he the second person to seemingly knock the wind out of her sails? What was so damn heavy that they felt the need to try and chase her off like none of this mattered? Raelyn clenched her jaw, furious at being dismissed in such a way.

“Listen up,” she said, her ire bubbling near the surface, “there is only so much that you guys can do to keep us in the dark. We’re going to find out eventually.”

He scoffed as he cut his eyes at her. “You find out and then what? Huh?” Raelyn blinked, unsure of what he was getting at. “You’re either going to get caught up in this nonsense until it settles, or you’ll turn tail and run. Those are pretty much your only options.”

She opened her mouth to say something, but found she couldn’t find the right words to throw back at him. Didn’t she have a rebuttal for this? She normally did. In this instance, however, Yoongi seemed to knock the fight right out of her.

“So, I guess the only real question you should be asking yourself now,” he broached, causing her to meet his gaze, “is how long do you plan on sticking around this time?”

Even though Yoongi was a few feet away from her, when he leaned forward, Raelyn instinctively leaned back in her chair.

“Because I can tell you right now that things aren’t going to be pretty. Not for a while.”

Raelyn’s vision began to swim momentarily. It was like she was hearing Jimin’s words all over again. They held a different tone, but the implication was still there. Each of them were telling her to make a choice. Even Taehyung had asked her to believe in her, to have faith that she wouldn’t be left alone. She wanted to believe him. There wasn’t a reason for her not to. They’d proven time and again that they were steadfast and willing to walk the hard road together – side by side.

So why was she so afraid to walk with them?

“I don’t know what’s going to happen from today on,” he said, cutting through her thoughts, “and I don’t want to think about it. I tried to keep Eden as far away from this nonsense as possible and she still managed to stumble her way into this shit.”

Relieved that the pressure was off her, even for a moment, allowed Raelyn the chance to regain her voice. “That is her choice, Yoongi-ah. You tried to take it from her once already. She’s a grown ass woman and can make her own decisions.”

He rolled his eyes, averting his gaze to stare at his phone on the nightstand by the bed. It vibrated relentlessly as Jungkook’s name flashed across the screen. Neither of them made a move to answer it.

“Yeah, well,” he finally said after the phone stopped buzzing, “she’s made that clear enough. I don’t need you to remind me of that.”

Raelyn narrowed her eyes at him. “Don’t let your own regrets get in the way of other people’s progress.”

There was a flash of anger that danced over Yoongi’s gaze as his eye-line met hers. She didn’t waver, despite how scary he appeared at that moment.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“I’m not stupid and I’m not blind,” she said, pushing her glasses up along the bridge of her nose. Raelyn’s arms folded across her chest slowly. “You may have messed things up with her, but that doesn’t mean Jungkook will.”

“Raelyn…” Yoongi growled out her name in warning but she didn’t heed it.

“Their relationship has nothing to do with you.”

“Jungkook is my brother!” he bellowed, causing her shoulders to tense up slightly.

She took a breath. “Stop using him as an excuse.”

Raelyn knew she was treading on dangerous ground, but this was something she’d been wanting to say to Yoongi for a while. Ever since she found out that he was the Yoongi who’d broken her best friend’s heart.

“Eden is choosing to stay by Jungkook’s side. After everything that’s happened, she’s making the choice for herself. Something you never took the chance on.”

Rising from the chair, she could feel Yoongi’s eyes following her. “And you’re right about one thing, Yoongi-ah.” Taking a moment to look over his monitors, she let her gaze linger on his for a moment longer before making her way toward the door. “It’s time I made a choice of my own.”

Make It Right [BTS Mafia!AU]

Plot: “It’s always darkest before the dawn…” It’s a dog-eat-dog world in Seoul, South Korea. One has to dwell in the shadows in order to reach for the light. What are you willing to sacrifice in order to feel the sunlight on your face? What will it take to drag you back into darkness? How long will the journey be to make it right?

Rating: NC-17 // NSFW

Genre: Series | Mafia!AU | Crime!AU | Angst | Romance/Fluff | Smut

Pairings: Jin x OC | Taehyung/Hoseok x OC | Yoongi/Jungkook x OC

Warnings: Graphic Violence, Heavy Language, Angst, Slow Burn, Smut

Additional Warnings: Teasing, Fingering, Spanking, just Jin being a dirty little lover (LOL)

Previous Chapters: Prologue 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37

Links: FAQ || BTS Masterlist || Admin E’s AO3 || Admin E’s WP || [ REQUESTS ARE OPEN ]

Word Count: 3,795

Tag List: @prisczero​, @pinkpjmin​, @btsaudge​, @flowerwrites06​, @unoriginal-username15432, @halussali​

Chapter 37: Awake

“It’s not that I believe it, but that I want to try holding out...”

© thebiasrekkers (Admin E). All rights reserved. Reposting/modifying our work is prohibited. Translations are not allowed. Plagiarism/stealing is not tolerated by any means. Legal action will be taken in instances of theft.

The rain fell in heavy torrents outside. Seokjin sat at his desk, elbows resting on the surface with his fingers pressing together. If anyone happened to enter his office at that moment, they quickly vacated the room without disturbing him. He was usually kind, impressionable, and full of answers to the many questions that were thrown at him. He had a gentle smile or soft reprimand prepared for any situation.

Kim Seokjin’s current expression, however, would have frightened anyone who dared to look upon it.

His eyes, normally bright, were exceptionally dark and fierce. Full lips were pressed together in a semi-thin line as brows furrowed harshly over his eyes. The only sound resonating through the room was the steady ticking of the clock hanging over his bookshelf. A pin could drop in the room and it would have sounded like a gunshot fired off.

Why?

It was a single question that continued to bounce around inside of Seokjin’s head for days. No, weeks. He knew that there would be unrest in the criminal underworld upon their departure. It was a given. Gangnam and Yongsan were not small territories. All the other district heads were salivating at the idea that Golden Jackal turf was up for auction – metaphorically speaking. There would be no bidding for those areas. It would be an all-out war.

What disturbed Seokjin the most, the nagging concern that continued to plague his waking hours, was why no one seemed bothered into making a move. None of them. Not even Dongwook turned his head in the direction of those two territories. Something was brewing under the surface, far below the sight of the normal world. The underground was horrifying without all the clichés. It was dirty and festering like a wound that had been allowed to become infected.

His eyes narrowed slightly. …why isn’t anyone moving?

Seokjin’s calculations were normally spot on – perfect to the point of it being eerie. His call to hold off opening the hotel to timing down when, exactly, the others would need to pull out of the game. Namjoon and he spent many late nights figuring all the ins and outs to the tiniest of details. The Golden Jackals were able to succeed up to this point thanks to them both combining their efforts to see through every move and calculate all countermeasures.

However, it was clear the Jade Fangs were preparing for things far in advance. He recalled Namjoon’s face after the encounter he’d had with Shownu. As far back as Seokjin could remember, he’d never seen Namjoon reveal such an expression. There was anger, of course, but something akin to uncertainty that, had any of the others been privy to it, would have lost all motivation to continue down the path they were currently on. They hadn’t made a mistake. Seeing either Hoseok, Namjoon, or even himself waver would have made all their work disintegrate into a puff of smoke.

They couldn’t let that happen.

The shrill sound of the phone shattered Seokjin’s thought process. He cut his eyes toward it, watching the red light flash with each ring. Reaching out, he picked it up from the receiver.

“This is Kim Seokjin,” he answered calmly.

“Oh, Hyung,” Jimin said on the other line. There was a tone-shift that Seokjin instantly recognized. Jimin was uncomfortable with something, but he was unsure of whether or not to tell Seokjin about it.

Seokjin sighed. “What is it, Jimin-ah?”

Jimin hesitated, as if trying to piece together the situation he was dealing with at that exact moment. “You, uh…you have a guest?”

It was a question. Seokjin frowned, his eyes lowering to his cell phone to see that he’d received a text from Anastasia. He’d given her the day off and now he was regretting it. She would have chased this person off the premises, of that he was most certain. He sighed, unable to stave off the grin at the little kitty emoji she’d sent him, along with the words “Fighting” at the end.

“Who is it?”

“…it’s Wonho Hyung.”

He blinked, his gaze lifting to the doors to his office. No. It was a good thing that Anastasia wasn’t in the office now. Seokjin recalled the look on Wonho’s face when he’d first laid eyes on his financial advisor.

Dissolved or not, The Ice Claw of the Golden Jackals would not stand for it.

“Send him in,” Seokjin said finally. He could hear Jimin beginning to protest but he silenced him with a harsh click of his tongue. “Send him in, Jimin-ah.” He hung up the phone, promptly ending the conversation.

Rising from his seat, Seokjin made his way toward the side bar in his office. He didn’t bother turning his head as the doors opened and closed. Instead, he focused on preparing the drinks for both himself and his “guest”. As he poured the gin into the glass, he heard a familiar chuckle to his right.

“You remembered,” gruffed Wonho, his shadow casting itself just over Seokjin’s shoulder, “I’m impressed.”

Turning slightly, he met Wonho’s gaze – the man grinning easily as his lip piercing glinted from the fluorescent lighting of the room. Seokjin held the glass of gin out to him, waiting for it to leave his fingers before returning his attention to the liquor decanters. Dropping two cubes of ice into a tumbler, he let the amber liquid fall into the container – the distinct smell of scotch filling his nares.

“Who could forget your horrible choice of booze, Wonho-yah?” Seokjin turned back to Wonho and the two of them clinked their glasses together.

He gestured to the lounge area of his office where they had a clear view of the city from a large set of bay windows. Seokjin pressed a button on the wall, allowing the curtains to part so the lights of the city could fill the space between them. They both leaned along the frame, their bodies opposite of each other, not really paying their drinks any real mind. Or the city.

Seoul bustled with life below them. Cars zoomed past; pedestrians milled about – heading to unknown destinations. But the noise of the city never reached them.

There was only the sound of the clock ticking away.

Seokjin lifted his drink up to his lips, taking a slow sip to savor the smooth burn that slid down his throat. He didn’t have to look up to know that Wonho was sizing him up. But like always, Seokjin’s body gave nothing away.

“You’re not even going to ask me why I’m here, Jin Hyung,” Wonho said, amusement clear in his tone. It wasn’t a question.

The corner of Seokjin’s mouth lifted in a half grin as he continued to stare out across the cityscape. “Should I?”

“You’re not the least bit curious.”

This time, he let his gaze shift to meet Wonho’s. “Again, should I?”

Wonho’s grin widened, causing the chain connecting his lip ring to his earring to move. “It’s because you already know why.”

Seokjin shrugged. “This is becoming a one-sided conversation rather quickly, don’t you think?” He narrowed his eyes to Wonho ever so slightly. “So, why don’t you do us both a favor and get to the point of this little visit already, hm?”

For a while, neither of them said a word. All they did was smile at each other. Then Wonho began to chuckle; a low and rumbling sound. Seokjin followed suit with a slow building laugh of his own. Finally, both men were laughing loudly, their shoulders practically vibrating from the gesture.

He felt the movement before seeing it. The two men dropped their drinks, the shattering of glass lost to them as their bodies seemed to move of their own accord. Seokjin’s body shifted to the right just as Wonho’s arm thrust out to land a hit to his shoulder. Jerking his elbow up, he knocked into Wonho’s forearm and took a step forward at the same time he did. Seokjin’s arm shot out, his hand immediately clamping over Wonho’s throat seconds after he felt the blow to his ribs. The muscles in his biceps flexed, forcing Wonho’s weight to the left until the other man’s head was pressed against the glass window.

Seokjin winced at the pain blossoming at his core, causing the other man to chuckle, albeit strained from the hold the older man had on him.

“Y-You’ve gotten a little slower, J-Jin Hyung.” Wonho was in obvious discomfort, but still felt like cracking jokes.

Grinning, he dug his fingers into Wonho’s flesh just a bit more, silencing the noises coming from him. “Is that what you think?”

“It’s what I know.” Seokjin felt Wonho grab at his wrist, attempting to loosen the hold he had on his neck. “Falling in love has made you weak.”

The smirk fell from Seokjin’s face, as if Wonho slapped it away. Replacing the momentary look of shock was absolute rage. He squeezed harder, watching the other man’s face change to a concerning shade of red. Seokjin took a step forward, his chest just barely pressing up against Wonho’s.

“Come again?” Wonho coughed against his grasp but Seokjin showed no signs of easing up. “You wanna run that by me one more time, Lee Wonho?”

Instead of answering, the younger man simply laughed. That simple action was enough for Seokjin as realization washed over him like a bucket of ice water. After everything he’d heard from the others, he’d allowed his guard to slip for even a second. And Seokjin was infuriated at the victorious expression painting Wonho’s features.

Goddammit, he thought, the vein at his neck pulsing in time with his ire. He glared at Wonho, wanting in that moment to give into impulse and smash him through the window. Fucking Jack Rabbit…

Taking a step back, he watched as Wonho began to cough and massage his neck. There was a distinct crunch of glass under them as they shuffled over the broken shards. Neither of them paid it any mind. Not when it was obvious that the trap, small as it was, had been sprung.

“It’s just like I thought,” the other man finally managed to croak out, a strained chuckle tacked on the end of his words, “and I told Changkyun-ah what would happen.”

Seokjin pressed a hand to his side, unable to ignore the ache of pain there any longer. “Whatever game you think you’re playing, you need to stop.”

Again, Wonho laughed. “If you weren’t going to finish the game, you never should have started playing in the first place.”

“What’d you say?”

“Did you forget, Jin Hyung? When you first showed up in Seoul all those years ago? Before the Golden Jackals even came around?” Wonho was smiling, but his tone was full of barbs. “You all turned down the offer to become a Jade Fang. One of Changkyun’s people. After getting an in and obtaining all the knowledge you needed, you spat in our faces and left to form your own group.”

Seokjin didn’t know whether to be outraged or laugh. He chose a mixture of both. “Did you think we were going to become Im Changkyun’s lackeys? ” he asked, his brows raising slightly. “Have you lost your mind?”

“We offered you a place at our table—”

“And we didn’t want it, Wonho,” Seokjin cut in, not sure of what to make of this conversation now, “we never did.”

“That’s fine,” he said easily, strolling past Seokjin, “and since Hoseok clearly doesn’t want to join hands with Changkyun, then there’s nothing else for us to really talk about.”

Seokjin turned around just as he saw Wonho heading for the door.

“Ya, Lee Wonho!”

The younger man paused, his fingers resting on the door handle. Wonho glanced over his shoulder to meet Seokjin’s gaze, his smile remaining.

“You better know where the line is.” Seokjin’s eyes narrowed severely. “Don’t even dream of crossing it.”

Instead of replying, Wonho’s grin grew, and then he exited the office – leaving Seokjin alone to feel suffocated by the silence.

…it’s almost time.

He didn’t wait for Anastasia to greet him with her warm, bubbly smile like she so often did when he came to see her. He wouldn’t let her take his coat or offer him a drink. He hadn’t bothered with teasing remarks like he usually did when they were behind closed doors.

Completely ignoring the house slippers, he kicked his shoes off in the entryway and hoisted Anastasia into his arms. She flailed, her hands pressing into his shoulders as she made every attempt to get him to slow down. In ten seconds, he already had her back pressed against the window of her apartment – his arms taking comfort in the cold emitting from the surface. The deep desire was building in Seokjin’s lips, completely overtaking her own.

Tasting her was a sin he willingly committed every chance he could get.

Whatever words Anastasia had were gone and Seokjin didn’t want to talk. He wanted to feel everything; feel her. If she wanted to talk, he would simply rob her of the ability to speak until he was ready for any kind of conversation.

“S-Seokjin,” she managed to puff out when he’d released her mouth, “w-wait a minute.”

Her mewl of protest halted him momentarily, his dark eyes boring into her deep seas of green. Anastasia looked like a deer caught in headlights and he bit back a grin. Instead, his thumb slowly traced the line of her brow all the way to her lips. Tucking the tip of it between the rosy buds, now swollen from his affection, he leaned in to further crowd her space.

“Y-You haven’t eaten yet,” Anastasia stammered, her back pressing further into the window as he, too, took a step into her bubble. “Aren’t you hungry?”

“I am.” His answer came out huskier than he’d intended, causing her cheeks to flush further.

She tried to push against him, but he didn’t move a single inch.

“T-Then let me cook already!”

Seokjin shook his head, leaning down so that his lips were barely brushing across hers. “Dinner can wait.”

Before she could protest, he was already dipping his hands under her baggy sweatshirt – his cold hands instantly warmed by her soft skin nestled beneath. She yelped from his touch and he leaned forward, whispering apologies before sealing his mouth over hers in a heated kiss. Caressing her stomach, he slid his hands around her back until his knuckles brushed over the waistband of her flannel pajama pants. He dipped them beneath, grabbing handfuls of her ass in his palms and lifting her up and against him.

She wrapped her legs around his waist without having to be asked and Seokjin grinned, giving her a good squeeze as he moved – legs slowly ascending the stairs leading to her bedroom loft. When his knees knocked against the edge of the bed, he held Anastasia against him as he leaned back, his hands moving to pull her sweatshirt completely off her torso. Goosebumps immediately peppered across her skin and he began to kiss her collar, his tongue sliding across to her shoulder until he was able to bite into the meat of the muscle there.

Groaning softly, he gently lowered her body down. Just before she was about to reach the bed, however, Seokjin pinched at the back of her calves, causing her grip to release him as she unceremoniously flopped onto the mattress. Her face screwed up in obvious displeasure, but Seokjin didn’t allow her time to issue a complaint. His hands were already at work, gripping onto the waist of her pants and yanking them off in one clean motion. Anastasia’s eyes widened and she attempted to scramble up the bed, away from him, but he was fine with that.

He preferred the hunt.

Seokjin shed his jacket and blazer with little effort on his part, leaning down to remove his socks while maintaining his gaze with the beautiful woman he’d become attached to more and more with every passing day they spent together. Even when they weren’t together, he was enraptured with her and there was an angry imp inside of him cursing Wonho for seeing it clearly when Seokjin, himself, had not bothered to give it a voice.

Love.

“Are you running from me?” he asked while slowly removing his tie. “Huh, Anastasia?”

She looked gob smacked by his question – as if she truly couldn’t believe what was coming out of his mouth. To be fair, he couldn’t blame her. He’d hardly been this aggressive. Ever.

Seokjin snatched her by her ankle, yanking her roughly toward him. There was a half cry, half laugh that exploded from Anastasia. He loved her laugh and he loved knowing that he was the reason for it. Once her legs were dangling on either side of him, he quickly unbuttoned his dress shirt and tossed it to the floor without a second glance. His bare torso was exposed and he could feel the chill running through the air. He pouted slightly while Anastasia seemed almost lost at looking at his body, as if appreciating it for the first time.

“You’re not poor, you know?” He watched her blink up at him, like she’d been knocked out of a trance. He slid his belt off and it, too, hit the floor. “Why do you keep being cheap about the heat?”

Anastasia’s face contorted into child-like outrage. “Ya, Kim Seokjin!”

Seokjin let his hand sail down to her underwear, his palm cupping the warmth that cropped there. He let a middle finger press into the fabric, feeling the nub that was starting to throb and grow wet under his touch. Whatever rebuttals she had were silenced as he rubbed slow, agonizing circles around her clit over the surface of her panties. He could smell her, wanting nothing more than to cover his entire body in that scent.

As he continued to rub circles around her nub, distracting her, his other hand reached down and pulled her underwear completely off her hips. She gasped, her warmth exposed to the frigid air. Seokjin dropped his trousers and groaned at the ache in his loins – his erection fighting against the confines of his boxer briefs. Anastasia reached out to grasp his forearms, unsure of what he was going to do next but silently letting him know that she was ready.

Grabbing for her waist, he flipped her over until her ass bounced in the air – watching her honey wheat locks escape from the updo she’d tied it in and spill over her back. His cold hands slid along the curve of her spine until his fingers flicked over the clasp of her bra – releasing the latch and watching the article flutter to the bed.

He watched her body shudder as she attempted to keep herself up on all fours, admiring the way her folds glistened. Her pale skin flushed and Seokjin already knew that she was becoming self-conscious. Tsking under his breath, he reached out to firmly smack her ass – watching it grow red where his hand was. Anastasia choked out a gasp, and he grinned as her fingers curled into the blankets.

“Are you acting shy? Hm?”

Anastasia whined. He knew she was unable to voice her tantrum to his outrageous question. He smacked her other ass cheek for good measure, eliciting soft, whining mewls from her.

“I’ve told you a million times already,” Seokjin whispered, his fingers sweeping down over her folds to catch the juices from her, “that you’re beautiful.”

He lifted his hand to his lips, swirling his tongue over the digits, making sure that she was watching. There was a hint of a smirk on her lips and Seokjin leaned forward, pressing his chest against her backside and feeling her velvet heat along his stomach. Shimmying out of his underwear, his erection sprung forward, rock hard and aching with desire that he knew only she could satisfy.

She knew it too.

Pressing his hand against her back, he forced her chest to rest along the bed so that her ass was up just a little bit higher. He curled inward, pressing his lips against her spine to trail kisses all the way down until he pressed his lips on both red marks on her ass. Soothing balms for the punishment he’d given her. Seokjin saw her reaching as far as she could towards the headboard, her hands finding the pillow and digging into the soft plush until her knuckles were ghostly white.

Grasping onto her hips with bruising force, Seokjin slid into her fully in one thrust – the world falling to a raw tilt that had his eyes rolling to the back of his head. Anastasia cried out in both pain and pleasure, his name falling from her lips like a litany to a deity that no longer existed but was desperately being summoned. He took his time sliding out of her, his tip just scarcely brushing along her folds, before pushing all the way in. The cadence was slow, deliberate, until he couldn’t take it anymore. The climb was harsh, nails raking along her pale skin as she continued to clutch with ferocity into the sheets and pillows – her voice muffled in the cotton while taking him every single time.

And when he couldn’t handle the pacing he was dragging them both through, when he knew she couldn’t handle it anymore, Seokjin increased speed – thrusting like a piston with precision. The spot that felt the best, the part that satisfied him, was finally within reach. He could feel her walls closing in around him, gripping with a need to keep him there – to continue hitting that spot.

So, he did.

Over.

And over.

And over again.

His chest fell across her back, their cries intermingling as their climax was reached together. Sweat soaked their bodies and the hot, musky scent of their sex filled the small space. Grasping onto her shoulders, Seokjin pulled them both to land on their sides. He stayed inside of her, the soft throb of her heat holding him there; tethering him in a way that he was in no rush to free himself from. Anastasia’s breathing eased out as he brushed her bangs away from her forehead affectionately, his other hand wrapping around her from underneath so he could keep his palm pressed between the cleft of her breasts – to feel her heartbeat.

When he was confident that she’d fallen into a light sleep, Seokjin pressed a kiss to her neck and then let his lips linger near the shell of her ear.

“…I love you.”

I liked the ‘not everything is black and white’ analogy, because it is mostly true! Yoongi has a heart of gold but is a result of a various unfortunate factors, which led him to be involved in crime. I really liked the portrayal of his character and maybe (just a little bit) developed a little crush on him. Really good piece and recommend the whole Guarded series!

greedy | myg x reader | chapter one: you like milkshakes?

summary: being a loner has never bothered yoongi until now.  until you.

pairing: yoongi x reader

genre: mafia AU, pining, eventual smut

rating: 18+

word count: 4.3K

notes: confession, i am struggling these days with my insane attraction to min yoongi.  this guy has it all.  looks and talent and mystery and sweetness – he’s the total package. so i really wanted to give him a story in this AU that i’ve come to love so much and i truly hope you guys enjoy it.  

i also hope you guys know how much i appreciate every single one of you. i see your reblogs and comments and likes and i try to answer every one because it truly makes my day.  you guys make my day.

i could not post this fic without shouting out the amazing @hobi-gif because honestly, if hope didn’t read it, did i even write it? and i’m sending major love to three people who are such a source of laughter and support for me, @ladyartemesia​ @ppersonna @taetaewonderland. you guys keep me in stitches.

this fic is a continuation of the Guarded Series but can be read as a standalone piece! Chapter 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05

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Yoongi had fucked up.

He’d misread the massive man’s approach, tracking him in one direction when the guy was actually headed in another.  That’s how the asshole managed to catch Yoongi off guard with one meaty fist to the face. 

It didn’t matter that it was hundreds of pounds of fat – not muscle – behind that punch.  It was wielding more than enough momentum to blow up the side of Yoongi’s face like a bomb. 

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