Make It Right Bts - Tumblr Posts

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

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

Word Count: 2,168

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

CHAPTER 35:  House of Cards

“As time passes by We only mess it up even more.”

© 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.

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 | 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.”

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.

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 | Smut

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 37 38

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

Word Count: 2,105

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

Chapter 38: Lie

“Take me out of this hell. I can't free myself from this pain.”

© 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.

Taehyung wasn’t normally a morning person. He worked late nights, especially with running the Indie record label alongside Jungkook, which meant hours upon hours spent at the recording studio. There were nights when his insomnia would take hold of him, keeping him from being able to rest properly. Waking hours lulled on with worries that he often kept to himself. When he didfinally sleep, it was restless and sometimes plagued with nightmares. He tried sleep aids that Jimin suggested, but they only worked so long as he didn’t grow dependent on taking them every day.

This particular morning, Taehyung was up just as the morning haze began to lift. Cradling a steaming paper cup of coffee, he approached the quiet amusement park. They wouldn’t be opening for a couple of months, what with it being the off-season. Being a former Golden Jackal had its perks and he was able to unlock the large padlock connected to the links of chains outside of the gate. The metal hinges creaked loudly and he winced, wondering if this resembled how the gates of Hell would open when entreating new residents.

I’ll find out one day, I guess, he thought, smirking against the brim of the cup as he entered the park while stuffing the padlock into his coat pocket. He always believed he was damned. May as well make the most of his life while he was still up and kicking.

Spring was around the corner. He could feel it. The air was less frigid and held a distinct warmth to it, even through the overcast sky.

Taehyung glanced around casually, peering at the different rides. The park looked like a ghost town since no one was there to enjoy the festivities. Vendor booths were empty of prizes and food, but he knew if he imagined hard enough, he could hear the ambient noise that came with the scenery.

A stab of nostalgia poked at his chest as he recalled the small-town festivals that were held in his hometown. Farmers gathered to drink, barter goods, and traveling performers visited to entertain the townsfolk. Taehyung was amused with it until he became a teenager, wondering if the country life was all he was going to ever surround himself with. He’d had his own ambitions to leave and head to the big city, but he never imagined he would have done it with his childhood friends.

Everyone seemed so set in their ways back then. Even Namjoon.

He halted his steps, lifting his face to the sky. I wonder when things started to change…

“It’s creepy when no one is here,” said a voice behind him.

Taehyung lolled his head lazily to the side, pivoting slightly until he was face to face with the person he agreed to meet with that morning. He pulled the hood back on his hoodie, sneakers shuffling on the concrete as a better dressed Chae Hyungwon approached. His bubblegum pink hair looked faded, mostly from the overcast skies, but his piercing eyes seemed even brighter than normal. The silver earrings dangling from his lobes jingled softly as he walked, a soft smirk pulling at the corners of his full lips. While Hyungwon was dressed in what most would consider business casual, Taehyung felt severely under dressed in comparison.

And he didn’t give a damn.

Hyungwon stopped just a few feet in front of Taehyung, the two men facing each other. Instead of greeting him (or even acknowledging his earlier comment), the younger man took another drink of coffee. He made a point to slurp in an obnoxious fashion, unbothered by the simple lift of a brow from Hyungwon.

When he pulled the cup from his lips, Hyungwon scoffed as he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his slacks. “You didn’t even bother to bring me a cup of coffee?”

Taehyung shrugged a shoulder. “I didn’t know I was supposed to.” And to be a brat, he took another long sip.

“So disrespectful to your Hyung,” Hyungwon replied casually.

“Now that,” he said, the hand holding the cup pointing at him, “you most certainly are not.”

Hyungwon made a dramatic show of being insulted, placing a hand on his chest as if he’d been physically struck. When he noticed that Taehyung wasn’t going to humor him, he returned to his normal posture and expression.

“You’re no fun.”

“Why did you want to meet me at such a stupid time of day?”

He watched the older man take a few steps forward, closing the gap between them, before side-stepping Taehyung and walking past him. He turned his body in time with his movements, not wanting to have his back to the Snapping Turtle. However, Hyungwon seemed focused on whatever he was processing in his head as he continued walking, not bothering to see if Taehyung would follow. He didn’t care to be left alone, but he wasn’t comfortable with Hyungwon running around and being left to his own devices in a place only he had been allowed access to.

“Hey!” he belted out, but the older man continued walking with no signs of slowing down his pace at all. “You gonna answer me or what?!”

Again, he was ignored.

Annoyed, Taehyung jogged forward and grasped onto Hyungwon’s shoulder, whirling him around so they were face to face. When he did, he was suddenly aware of something sharp pressed against his neck. Taehyung rocked back on the balls of his feet, surprised he still had a hold of his coffee. Hyungwon’s eyes, which were playful and light earlier, were now dark and threatening. A lump formed in Taehyung’s throat and as he swallowed, he was even more aware of the cold bite of the item still against his skin.

“Taehyung-ah,” came Hyungwon’s even tone, his hold on the knife steady, “I know it isn’t your style, but you should really mind your manners.”

Taehyung smirked, slowly setting his feet back evenly on the ground, and shrugged. “Oh, right,” he said, as if he was remembering something, “I forgot how you hate being touched.”

Hyungwon quickly removed the knife’s edge from his throat, folding the blade back into its confines and slipping it into his pocket. Taehyung absentmindedly rubbed at his neck, checking if the skin was broken. When he saw no blood, he looked up at Hyungwon who was now brushing his hands through his hair in irritation.

He wasn’t going to be the only one who got riled up at this asinine hour of the day.

For a while, the two men just stood in companionable silence. It was like this before; in the past. When the Golden Jackals didn’t exist. Back then, the Jade Fangs were the young gang climbing up in ranks on the streets. Their reputation wasn’t as profound as it was today, but, in time, they were able to gain notoriety where it counted.

And it happened because of them; the Golden Jackals.

“If I call you ‘Hyung’, just for today, will you tell me why you dragged me out of my bed?”

Hyungwon’s irritated expression was immediately replaced with a mischievous grin. “I’ll think about it.”

Taehyung rolled his eyes. “That’s the only offer you’re getting. If you don’t have anything to tell me, I’m going back to sleep.”

Without waiting for an answer to his ultimatum, he turned on his heels and began walking back towards the entrance of the park.

“Icarus died because he flew too close to the sun.”

His sneakers made a loud scraping noise as he halted abruptly. Slowly, he turned his head to look over his shoulder at Hyungwon. The older man stayed where he was, hands once more in his pockets.

Taehyung quipped a brow at him. “Yeah, so what?”

“His hubris is what killed him.”

This time, he narrowed his eyes. “Again, so what?” he asked through clenched teeth.

Hyungon’s lips pressed together in a thin line. He looked like he was about to say something, then stopped. Taehyung did his best not to squeeze the paper cup in his hand. He visibly looked like he was piecing something together, formulating the words in his head. Taehyung smothered his anger down into his gut to keep from exploding in outrage at Hyungwon.

After what felt like a small eternity, the older man met Taehyung’s eyes. “You all need to leave Seoul.”

Though he hadn’t meant to, Taehyung burst into a small fit of laughter. “I’m sorry, what was that?” Hyungwon clearly wasn’t joking, but he couldn’t stop laughing. “You want us to leave where now?”

“Seoul.” Hyungwon’s tone was clipped. “You need to leave Seoul as soon as you can.”

“Fuck that.”

“I’m serious, Taehyung-ah. Leave Seoul.” Hyungwon sighed, averting his gaze. “At least for a little while. Until things settle down.”

Taehyung’s laughter died off. “And why the hell should we do that, huh?” He was smiling, but he could feel the precursor of an eruption bubbling in his chest. “After all the hard work we’ve put in through the years, after everything we’ve fucking accomplished, you think we’re just gonna turn tail and run? Huh?”

Hyungwon said nothing, which only made him angrier. Why wasn’t he giving him more of an explanation than that? What the hell was so goddamn pressing that he felt the need to tell him and his brothers to fucking scram? As far as he was concerned, they’d paid their dues and done their time. They had no reason to flee the scene because they weren’t in the shadows anymore.

A sliver of light peeled in through the clouds, followed by several more rays that beamed down around them. The concrete took on an ethereal glow, shadowing their forms even more than they had been under the cloud cover. Even the steam rising from his coffee was lost in the darkness.

“I’m afraid it doesn’t work that way.”

“And why the hell not?”

“Because it doesn’t.”

“No,” snapped Taehyung, pointing to Hyungwon angrily, “you need to make it work that way. I don’t know what your boss has planned, and I don’t fucking care. We’re not playing the game anymore. We’re out!”

“That doesn’t matter.”

“What?!”

“I said that it doesn’t matter.” Hyungwon’s brows furrowed slightly. “You think the game is over just because you’ve folded your hand? Don’t be so naïve.”

Taehyung scoffed, rolling both his neck and his eyes, before giving him an incredulous look. “Wow, Chae Hyungwon, you—”

“The game is still being played, Kim Taehyung. So, while I’m telling you nicely, you need to take whatever you can and get the hell out of Seoul.”

Taehyung’s anger was boiling and on the verge of overflowing. Yet he couldn’t say anything. In all the years he’d known Hyungwon, he’d only ever seen him this serious once. And that was on the night war broke out in Gangnam five years ago.

The night when the Golden Jackals solidified their place in the criminal underworld.

Something else dawned on Taehyung at that exact moment. Why it had taken him so long was something he’d have to battle with later, when his mind was a little quieter. But now? Now he had a better understanding of the situation. Now he had a better grasp on the danger they were about to be in.

Or already were in.

Those bastards are about to make a move, he thought, almost horrified by the idea of it, and he doesn’t care that we’ve pulled out from the competition.

“Leave the table.” Hyungwon approached Taehyung, walking around him and heading toward the exit. “Before you’re forced to see just how much you’re about to lose.”

He watched Hyungwon exit the amusement park, leaving Taehyung alone as the sun continued breaking through the clouds. His hands shook violently and hot coffee spilled out onto the ground, burning the back of his hand. But he couldn’t feel any of it. He was completely numb. If his entire body wasn’t trembling with the force of his rage, he might have cared.

Reaching into his back pocket, he fished out his cell and quickly dialed a number. It rang twice before they picked up. Swallowing the lump in his throat once more, Taehyung wet his lips as he tried to regain his voice. As he tried to tether some semblance of sanity back to his brain - to keep his mind from running amok without reason.

But he had a reason. They all had one.

Because the game wasn’t over yet.

“Hoseok Hyung,” he said gently, his fingers curling into a literal death grip around the phone, “I think we’re about to have some problems…”

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

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 38

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

Word Count: 2,105

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

Chapter 38: Lie

“Take me out of this hell. I can’t free myself from this pain.”

© 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 | Smut

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 37 38 39

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

Word Count: 3,006

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

Chapter 39: Not Today

“Today we’ll never die. The light will pierce through the darkness.”

© 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 – Myeongdong; Jung District South Korea

It was the calm before the storm.

Hoseok could feel it in his bones to the point where he swore that they creaked with each step he took. He barely heard what Namjoon was telling him as they approached the large building in downtown Myeongdong. He wasn’t sure if he was trying to convince him to change his mind; to postpone this meeting for another day. Or if it was something else entirely. Hoseok was only vaguely aware of the noises on the streets as they passed pedestrians on the path to their destination.

There was too much simmering beneath the surface for him to focus on anything outside of reaching his destination.

When he’d received the call from Taehyung a couple of days ago, Hoseok knew it was time for him to make his move. Yoongi falling ill and being hospitalized, even for a day, should have been the metaphorical straw that broke the camel’s back. Truth be told, Hoseok was in and out of meetings for most of the days during the week and had little time to spare outside of his business practices. Things were starting to look good. Things were finally beginning to take a positive turn, just as they planned.

Even with the instances that the Jade Fangs did show up, they were minor inconveniences at most. Hoseok was made aware of the slight against Eden, Jungkook’s girlfriend. He offered to have her monitored, but at Jungkook’s behest, he didn’t follow through. Eden was apparently a woman who valued her personal life and her privacy. The last thing she wanted was anyone shadowing her unnecessarily, even if it was for her own protection. From what he was told, Eden was also a woman who could more than handle herself if it came to a rough and tumble fight.

Hoseok did not pull his eyes back from Raelyn, even if she was seeing Taehyung now. There was always the chance that something could happen and at a moment when everyone least expected it. If she were ever made aware of it, he would apologize for it later. In this case, it was better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission.

Old habits die hard, as they say…

Feet shuffled to a halt as he stood in front of the large building, Namjoon at his side. The two of them looked up at the high-rise, the sun already sinking beyond the horizon and down below the tree lines. The twilight hour was upon them and the world was still just as busy buzzing with life. As it would continue to do for many days to come.

Clearing his throat, he began to move forward – approaching the sliding glass doors. “Let’s go,” he said just as the doors opened to grant them entrance.

Two security guards approached them from either side, causing the two men to stop in the main lobby. Hoseok lofted a brow at each of them and Namjoon shuffled just a little bit closer to him. His tan trench coat hung off his shoulders while he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his pin-striped slacks. Lifting one hand from the pocket, he undid the button on the matching suit jacket as he slid his aviators off his face.

“Im Changkyun is expecting me,” came his even reply as he put the shades into the inner pocket of his jacket, “so be good boys and step aside.”

Hoseok didn’t bother hiding his irritation. He wanted it known that this wasn’t some pleasant little business meeting or a check-in visit. This was nothing of the sort.

This…was personal.

A phone rang at the secretary’s desk, snapping her out of her momentary trance at the small incident that was stirring in the lobby. The two security guards continued to block Hoseok’s path, but then the woman quickly stood from her seat and bowed before hanging up the phone. She clapped her hands to get the guards’ attention.

“Chairman Im said to let them through.”

The guards stood there a little while longer before finally stepping to the side, giving both Hoseok and Namjoon a clear path. They approached the desk where the young woman handed Hoseok a keycard. She bowed in apologies before pointing to the corridor off to the right.

“If you take that hallway, there are sets of elevators. The key card will give you access to the Chairman’s office on the top floor.”

Hoseok flashed her a polite grin, waving the card at her clamped between his fingers. “Thank you.”

And without so much as a second glance, he began heading toward the hallway. Namjoon followed behind him, making sure that the two security guards weren’t intent on doing something stupid. Hoseok didn’t see his friend visibly relax until they were alone in the elevator.

He slid the keycard through the card reader, waiting for the elevator to begin lifting them from the ground floor. When it jerked slightly upon its initial ascent was when Namjoon finally spoke.

“Hoseok-ah? Do you think—”

“Don’t, Namjoon-ah,” he interrupted, staring ahead at their muddied reflections on the elevator’s stainless-steel doors, “not now.”

“We didn’t even discuss this with the others.”

There was concern in Namjoon’s voice, which was well-warranted. It was rare for Hoseok to go rogue. When he did, it was usually something small. He never made moves like this without discussing it with the others first. Seokjin always made it a point to ensure that everyone was on the same page so that none of them could get blind-sided. Strategizing and prioritizing situations before others was what helped the Golden Jackals climb up the ladder of success so quickly. Impulsivity had no place in their lives back then and it shouldn’t have now.

However, this time, Hoseok wanted to be selfish. He’d earned the right to be selfish. He deserved and had every right to be as livid as he was at that moment. Anyone who tried to tell him otherwise was delusional.

“This doesn’t concern them right now.” He cast a sidelong glance to Namjoon, brows furrowing deeply. “Honestly, I don’t even like that you’re with me. You should have stayed in the car like I told you to.”

Namjoon blinked at him, clearly jarred by his words. Or that he’d suddenly grown a second head. “You thought you’d just waltz into Im Changkyun’s business office alone, huh?” He snorted. “Yeah, no. Jin Hyung would have my head and I’m a pretty big fan of it staying attached to my neck.”

Hoseok grinned. “That’s not like you, Namjoon-ah. You’re usually the first one to show your guts.”

“Yeah, well that was then. This is now.”

The elevator dinged softly as they reached their destination. The steel doors slid open slowly, revealing a long hallway with a black and red carpet leading from the elevator to a pair of double doors at the very end of the long stretch. There was someone standing just outside the door, but they were too far away to be made out easily.

Hoseok stepped out and strode forward, Namjoon matching his pace. The closer they got to the end of the hallway, the more the person’s face standing just outside the door came into view. When they were only a couple of yards away, they could now tell it was Shownu. He looked between the two of them, a satisfied smirk etching his features. Hoseok peered up at the man who was older and slightly taller than him. His image from five years ago overlapped his current one and a phantom ache throbbed at Hoseok’s side from when he’d been kicked by the man in the rainstorm.

Shownu politely stood away from the door, gesturing toward it. “He’s waiting for you, Jung Hoseok.”

He nodded, casting his gaze over toward Namjoon. “Wait here.”

Namjoon looked like he was about to protest, but then Shownu placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Let’s get a drink, hm? I’m sure they’re going to have a lot to discuss.”

Again, Namjoon looked reticent. But Hoseok nodded, his earlier expression dissolving into a softer one. He saw his friend blink in surprise. He could only imagine what his face looked like, but it probably reflected an old version of himself he hadn’t shown in quite some time. After a moment, he watched Namjoon sigh before nodding.

“If you need anything, call me.”

Hoseok nodded again. “I will.”

He waited, watching the two men make their way back down the hall. Shownu turned off to the left, entering a room and Namjoon followed. But not before he met his gaze one more time. Hoseok took a breath, promising to apologize to Namjoon later, and opened the doors.

The interior of the office was what Hoseok would have expected. Pristine. Clean. Modern. There was the traditional name plate sitting on top of a black polished desk made of expensive and imported wood. The marbling on the floor was flawless and the furniture held a business design with sectionals surrounding a glass and metal coffee table. Elegant art pieces decorated the walls and off to the right was a large window that overlooked the entire downtown area of Myeongdong from hundreds of feet in the air. A wet bar was situated near the small nook near the back.

Hoseok wasn’t impressed, however. This was to be expected of Im Changkyun, the Wolf of the Jade Fangs. He hadn’t climbed up in the ranks and obtained his title of “leader” if he wasn’t capable of this level of eloquence and prestige. His ambition suited his taste in decorating.

Instead of stepping further inside, he remained near the entrance as the doors closed behind him. Changkyun was seated at his desk, immersed in a book of some sort. The computer monitor was situated, visually, to Hoseok’s right. When their eyes met, Hoseok didn’t smile even though Changkyun did.

“Oh, Hoseok Hyung,” he said, closing the book and sliding it just to the side of him, “welcome. I’ll admit, I was a little surprised when I received your call. It’s not often you take the time to come visit me.”

Hoseok heard the bitter edge to the statement but made no effort to acknowledge it. He gave a slight shrug, remaining where he was until he saw Changkyun slowly rising from his plush leather chair. The wheels shifted along the marble floor and it was in that moment that Hoseok reached behind him to turn the deadbolt on the door – synchronizing it to match the sound of the chair’s movements.

“Your boys have been paying mine little visits here and there,” he said, stepping away from the door, “I figured that I should return the favor.”

Changkyun flashed an open-mouthed grin. “Ah, yes. Yes, they have.” He reached up to brush his dark hair out of his eyes. “Is that the reason for this, Hyung? Are the boys getting in your way?”

Hoseok scoffed. “Hardly.”

“Hmm, well that’s no good. I was hoping that was why.”

Slowly, Hoseok made his way to the left of the sectionals in the center of the office. “Because?”

“Because I’m still trying to figure you out, Hyung. I have questions and you haven’t answered them all yet.”

Changkyun’s words didn’t match his expression. Instead of looking inquisitive, he had the look of a man who appeared to have already won the game. It was a look that Hoseok remembered from many years ago – before the Golden Jackals were formed. Before they truly began to understand what the criminal underworld really looked like.

Before Im Changkyun killed the previous leader of the Jade Fangs in cold blood.

“Then let me give them to you.”

Hoseok’s body moved in a blur – matching the speed of his youth which was fueled by his anger alone. He knew he wasn’t in his twenties anymore. He hadn’t been fighting every day like he had years ago when his brothers and he first arrived in Seoul. Their lives were harder, but they were much simpler back then. When they were happier and driven to reach a future they could all obtain together.

He tapped into that feeling and rushed Changkyun’s desk – his trench coat flying off his shoulders and landing on the ground just as he went airborne. Just like that rainy night five years ago, during the gang war on the streets of Gangnam, he watched Changkyun’s smug look melt away as sudden realization washed over him instead. Hoseok cleared the chair at the head of the coffee table and landed on Changkyun’s desk in a crouch.

Jerking his right arm, the switch blade slid from the sleeve of his jacket and landed in his hand. He flicked the blade free, aiming straight for Changkyun’s neck. However, he knew that this wouldn’t be enough for the leader of the Jade Fangs. There was a reason he’d earned the nickname Wolf all those years ago. And it was because of his primal instincts.

Those very instincts came into play as he reached up to catch Hoseok’s wrist. Changkyun tried to pull his arm away from his body, attempting to keep the blade as far from his neck as possible. But just like Changkyun earned his moniker, so had Hoseok. The Death Claw didn’t back down from a fight because he’d looked The Grim Reaper in his face and spit in it.

Hoseok used his free hand to grab at his wrist, fingers locking over Changkyun’s and then pushing his weight forward. What distance was gained was soon minimized as Hoseok leaned in, the tip of the knife moving up and casting a shadow over Changkyun’s face. If he wouldn’t let him take his throat, he would jam the blade straight into his eye socket.

“H-Hyung,” growled Changkyun through clenched teeth as he glared up at Hoseok, “what do you think you’re doing?”

He could feel his arms trembling with the amount of force he was exerting. Changkyun was putting in just as much effort, causing a horrible stalemate that was on the verge of fracturing. The odds evened out as Hoseok watched him reaching up with his free hand to brace against his own wrist – mimicking each other.

“What does it look like?” Hoseok replied, his eyes narrowing darkly, “I’m answering your questions.”

He watched him blinking up at him in confusion. He was a young man Hoseok once believed to be full of potential and drive. Someone Hoseok admired years ago. Before he discovered the depth of his said ambition.

Silence stretched between them, neither of them easing off their stance or their grips. Hoseok felt a bead of sweat slip down his temple just as he saw one sliding down to drip from Changkyun’s chin. There were the occasional grunting sounds as one attempted to overpower the other, but outside of that, no words were spoken.

Changkyun finally let out a choked-out scoff, bitter disappointment evident on his features. Yet he smirked, regardless. “So, this is your answer, Hyung?”

Hoseok mirrored his gaze. “Yes, Changkyun-ah, it is.”

Something passed over the younger man’s face. But it was so brief, Hoseok couldn’t place it. At least not then.

“That’s a shame, Hoseok Hyung. A real shame.” He let out a shaky breath. “But if this is your answer, then I guess I have no choice but to continue the game without you.”

And then he moved faster than Hoseok could have anticipated. He released his hold and Hoseok felt all his weight collapsing forward. The blade nicked Changkyun’s cheek, but it was a sacrifice he willingly made. Hoseok realized this when he saw knuckles sailing toward his face. He pivoted in mid-air, changing his trajectory and his shoulder landed hard on the desk. Changkyun moved to elbow-drop him, but Hoseok whirled his legs into the air to block the assault, slamming his knee into Changkyun’s shoulder before rolling completely off the desk.

However, as he landed on the marble flooring, he felt pain exploding across his back and causing him to stumble forward. He quickly pivoted on his heels just as he saw Changkyun lowering his arm from where he’d had it extended – noting that his punch had, in fact, successfully connected. The two of them heaved, inhaling a lungful of air. Hoseok reached up to dab at the sweat on his brow with the back of his wrist.

A full minute passed before both men lowered their stances, silently agreeing that this discussion was at its conclusion. Hoseok turned to head toward the entrance, scooping up his trench coat along the way. Just as he made to unlatch the doors to the office, he heard Changkyun popping his neck before a breathy chuckle escaped.

“You’ve made yourself clear. So now I’m going to make myself clear.”

Pausing, Hoseok turned to look back at the leader of the Jade Fangs. But he chose to say nothing. Changkyun continued.

“What I do from this moment on, you no longer play a factor into it. What happens after today is a result of the answer you’ve given me. And I’m going to make good on it.”

Hoseok scoffed. “Is that right?” He rolled his eyes, unlatching the door. “We’re done playing this game with you. Do what you want.”

The grin that Changkyun gave him was the most wolfish he’d ever seen and it caused his spine to lock up uncomfortably, even for just a moment.

“Oh, I will. Trust me.” He folded his arms across his chest. “Just remember that it’s nothing personal, Jung Hoseok.”

Dropping the honorific was expected. Hoseok wasn’t surprised. So, instead of giving it credence, he simply exited the office and slammed the doors behind him. He needed to breathe. He needed air. So, for now, he would simply text Namjoon to come out when he was ready and that he’d be waiting in the car.

After he vomited his anger into a nearby bush somewhere.

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

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 38 39 40

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

Word Count: 2,448

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

Chapter 40: Let Go

”No, but I accept your blame. Really, it’s time to say goodbye.”

© 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.

Two weeks had passed since his encounter with Kihyun. Yoongi never would have guessed that seeing Kihyun under those circumstances would rattle him to the core. He’d been uneasy ever since, wondering when he would next run into the man; wondering if he would be better prepared for whatever words would come tumbling from his mouth next.

There was no lingering attachment there. At least not from Yoongi. That part of his life he’d put far behind him. He’d let it go when he traveled to the States and met Eden for the first time. He was able to see someone come from nothing, yet determined to make something of herself. She wasn’t the sort of person who accepted handouts and she always returned a favor – not wanting to place herself in the debt of others.

For the first time in a while, Yoongi thought of his family; the family he’d left behind in Hwaseong. His father, ironically, was the former police chief in the area. His mother ran her business from home, making calendars for people from the photos she’d taken. Yoongi adopted a love of photography thanks to her, but there were few moments when he ventured out with his camera. He just hadn’t had the time for it like he had when he was still a school kid.

Until now.

The shutter clicked wildly as he roamed around one of the parks in Gangnam. Spring was upon them. The blossoms from the cherry trees fluttered in waves on the ground and through the skies. The soft breeze tickled the hairs around his ears, reminding him that he probably needed to get a haircut soon. His legs carried him through the park, memories flooding his mind as he took nature shots and pictures of unsuspecting pedestrians.

There was a time when he would come to the park, usually late at night, with Eden. She hadn’t minded since there were nights when they both worked late. He frowned, recalling the memory of her laughing as she sprayed him with the bottle of water she had in her hand. His hair was drenched and water dripped from his eyelashes and chin, allowing her to get about a five-foot head start before giving chase.

She always let him catch her.

Yoongi sighed, shaking his head to chase the memory away. Stop, he chastised himself, you need to stop. She’s not here and she won’t be.

An image of Jungkook smiling widely as he embraced her replaced the vision in his mind. He paused in his steps, his hands cradling his camera lowering slowly. They finally fell to his sides and the weight of the camera tugged at the strap around his neck. A heaviness filled his chest until it finally collapsed into the pit of his stomach. Yoongi knew he had no right to feel anything at the sight of them together, whether in real life or in his own mind. The reality was still the same. He’d fucked up and his younger brother was doing the one thing he never had the courage to.

He was honest with the woman he loved.

Yoongi scoffed, reaching up to scratch at the side of his nose. A sardonic smile passed over his features as he admitted to himself that he had, in fact, loved that stubborn woman. That he was still in love with her. But he knew he’d blown it and there was no turning back the clock, no matter how much he might have wanted to. The situation was plain and clear as the daylight breaking through the canopy of trees over his head.

It was over. All he had to do was admit it to himself. Truly admit it.

Taking a few steps, he broke through a row of trees and deviated from the path. In the center of the park was a large rock near a man-made creek. The sunlight was always the best here, shining down without prejudice on whoever wished to seek out its light. His feet shuffled through the grass as he ducked under a low hanging branch, using his hand to shield his eyes from the mid-morning light that threatened to blind him.

Just as he was mentally cursing himself for not remembering to bring his sunglasses, he stopped and stared. For a moment, he thought he was seeing things and began to roughly rub his eyes with his fists. Blinking the prism-like spots from his vision, he looked again and saw that he hadn’t, in fact, been imagining things.

There, on the rock, laid Eden – sprawled out like a tiger who’d just finished devouring a kill that was hunted and sleeping off the heavy meal. Her olive skin glowed in the sunlight and he was surprised to see that she was willingly allowing the sun to touch her flesh. He remembered her saying how she hated the sun because it often baked her to a darker shade of brown than she liked, making her look Middle Eastern at times. Not that she had anything against them, but people were always getting her ethnic background wrong and it annoyed her.

Her chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm, signifying that she was, in fact, asleep. Deep asleep, in fact. The gentle babbling from the creek and twittering of birds served as the perfect ambiance to rest and relax. There was a book opened face down on her stomach and her fingers splayed over the spine, holding it in place. But with each breath she took, it slowly slipped further and further from her hand. At the angle she was lying, the moment it left her fingers it would fall into the creek.

As if predicting the future, Yoongi watched the book begin its descent and he rushed forward, snatching up the book before it could meet its watery end. His heart hammered heavily against his ribs as he sighed, standing to his full height before closing the book. Eden mumbled something incoherent before rolling over on the smooth rock to readjust herself to a more comfortable position.

Yoongi was almost flabbergasted by this. He couldn’t remember a time when she’d allowed herself to be this vulnerable. Unless she believed she was safe, she would always jolt awake to the most innocent of sounds – a knife at the ready in her hand.

His brows furrowed while canting his head to the side. Is that it? Yoongi reached out with one hand, his fingers just barely touching her cheek. Do you feel safe here?

She groaned sleepily, causing him to flinch involuntarily. He yanked his hand back, as though he was being struck by a snake. Seconds later, Eden’s phone went off and she immediately sat up – patting her pockets for the item to get it to shut up. Yoongi stood rooted in his spot, unable to flee the scene. He continued to stare at her even as she groggily fisted her eyes to rid them of the sleepy haze sitting on the backs of her eyelids. Eden smacked her lips and then began looking around, her eyes falling on Yoongi.

As she looked at him, Yoongi didn’t move; he didn’t even breathe. Eden seemed to gather up her surroundings and the sleepiness in her gaze was quickly replaced with realization. Her eyes widened as her lips parted, prepared to scream at him. Without thinking, he reached out and covered her mouth with his hand, silencing whatever verbal onslaught she had prepared for him.

“Look, before you say anything, this is completely a coincidence,” he explained rapidly, feeling her huffing over his fingers, “so don’t get crazy, okay?”

Slowly, he removed his hand and held his arms up in surrender. She narrowed her eyes at him, the irritation evident. But she didn’t say anything. Yoongi wasn’t sure if he should be relieved or upset by her lack of clapbacks at that moment.

“Why are you sleeping here?”

“It’s a nice day out and I felt like taking a nap,” she said while standing from the rock, snatching the book from Yoongi’s hand. He’d almost forgotten he’d had it. “Sleeping on the rooftop gets too hot and I burn that way.”

“Yeah, I know…”

For a moment, no other words were shared between them. Even though Yoongi had so much he wanted to say, he couldn’t formulate the words the way he would have liked. Everything he tried to start with sounded like an excuse and all the other options made him sound like an idiot. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Yoongi sighed as he roughly rubbed the back of his head.

“Eden,” he began, his heart rate escalating a measure, “I just…” Eden’s gaze practically bore into his forehead and Yoongi considered averting his gaze. However, he thought better of it and, instead, cleared his throat loudly. “…I’m sorry.”

“For what?” she asked quickly, catching him off guard. Licking his lips, he just looked at her as she folded her arms across her chest. “What are you sorry for, Yoongi-ah? Hm? That you got caught or that I’m with Jungkook now?”

There it was. The dig he was waiting for. He’d prepared himself for it, but he didn’t expect hearing her say it out loud to hurt so much. It was like he’d been hit in the gut with a cannon ball, the proverbial wind knocked straight from his lungs.

It was quickly replaced with anger.

“Goddammit, woman,” he snarled, taking a step forward to close what little distance there was between them, “you are fucking impossible, you know that?”

She sniffed, smirking. “I do, actually.”

Eden moved to pass him, but he quickly grabbed her by her upper arm, yanking her back so that she was flush against his chest. A gasp spilled from her, causing her book to fall against the grass as it slipped from her fingers. She tried to jerk free from him, but he squeezed tighter. He saw her brow twitch, probably from how hard he was holding her, but Yoongi couldn’t stop.

His body moved faster than his brain could process, unable to prevent him from doing what he was getting ready to do. Still in his grasp, Yoongi pushed Eden until her back hit the trunk of a tree. The leaves shuddered with the sudden force placed on its surface and she let out a soft cry. Glaring up at him, he matched her gaze as he looked into her eyes – his reflection cast back at him from her dark umber tones. Eden’s lips pressed together into a thin line, slowly blinking at him. But he saw the tell-tale red flare around her neck to show that her anger was mounting with each passing second.

Yoongi pressed his hips against hers, further bracing her against the tree and preventing her from escaping. But she made no move to remove herself from the situation. Whether she believed it was fruitless or if she was unable to was something that Yoongi couldn’t figure out. Her expression was so impassive outside of her clear outrage. She could have pushed him aside, slapped him, kicked him in the shin or, hell, even kneed him in the nuts.

But she did none of that. The only sign of a visible struggle was the flex of her muscle against his fingers. Why wasn’t she fighting back?

“Yoongi-ah,” she said, cutting through the turmoil raging in his head. He blinked, looking at her – really looking at her. But he couldn’t read the face she was making. “What do you want from me?”

“W-What?” He felt his mouth go dry and he involuntarily tried to swallow.

“You heard me.” She lazily blinked again. “What. Do. You. Want. From. Me?”

Eden made a point to enunciate each word of the question. It stung, like someone plucking hairs straight from the root of his head. But it was a question he wasn’t ready to answer. Or maybe he didn’t have an answer. He had every opportunity to fix the problems he’d caused. He had every chance in the world to come clean and he hadn’t. Asking anything from her, even now, would have been plain selfishness.

Yet, Yoongi wanted to be selfish. He wanted to be greedy. He wanted to play dirty and he wanted to be as unfair as humanly possible.

Instead of answering her, he leaned forward and forcefully pressed his lips against hers. He heard her sharp intake of breath and there was a sound of bark scraping from the tree and hitting the grass. Yoongi waited for her to shove him, slap him, or even to feel a sharp pain in his gut as she stabbed him. None of it came.

Nothing happened.

When he pulled back, Yoongi saw Eden’s eyes filling with tears. Whether they were angry tears or something else, he couldn’t be sure. When they finally leaked from her eyes, he took a step back and released the hold he had on her. His breath came out rapidly – like he’d broken the surface of the ocean after nearly sinking to his death.

There was clarity. Absolute clarity.

And it hurt him.

“Eden, I—”

“Wow,” she said, her bottom lip trembling as more tears streamed down her face, “you’re a real asshole, Min Yoongi. You know that?”

He sighed, nodding.

“Yeah, I know.”

“You’re scum.”

He averted his gaze, too ashamed to look at her.

“I know.”

“And you’re the worst kind of pretender.”

He closed his eyes, wincing.

“You’re right. I am.”

Yoongi heard her leaving, her body shuffling through the grass and branches to exit the park. When her footsteps were far enough away, he felt his legs begin to tremble. Taking a step forward, he spun and let his back fall against the tree Eden previously was pressed on. It was still warm.

He looked down, spying the book that still laid abandoned on the grass. He slid down until he was sitting, his hand reaching out to grasp the book and finally looking at the title. Yoongi smiled bitterly.

“Pride and Prejudice, huh?”

A pathetic laugh escaped his chest as he covered his eyes with his forearm. It was over. It was really over. To think otherwise would have been a fool’s errand. Mistakes were made, even now, and Yoongi had no choice but to admit to them. To admit that she was no longer his.

That she never would be.

Hugging one knee to his chest, he buried his face into the crook of his arm and released a painful laugh. “…I’m sorry, Jungkook-ah,” Yoongi whispered, his voice thick with emotion, “Your Hyung is so fucking sorry.”

Quick Announcement

Just wanted to let all my wonderful lovely followers who are reading and keeping up with Make It Right, I will be posting 5 chapters tomorrow when I get off work. I would have done it tonight but I’m too tired. LOL. 

So yeah, major update for you lovelies. You deserve it. I love you. Stay safe and healthy.

~ Admin E

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 (bloody 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 37 38 39 40 41

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

Word Count: 2,552

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

Chapter 41: Wings

”I wanted things I couldn’t want. I got hurt and hurt again.”

© 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.

Seven Years Ago Seoul – Itaewon; Yongsan District South Korea

“I don’t like this.”

“Yeah, me either.”

Namjoon sighed, looking between Seokjin and Yoongi as their bodies pressed against the rest of the large group gathered inside the warehouse. Hoseok stood at Namjoon’s side, saying nothing. But he could see his gaze shifting around the crowd, as if he were trying to spy someone out. Namjoon had an idea of who Hoseok was looking for, but decided not to tease him about it. Instead, he gently nudged Hoseok on his back and watched his friend move a single step forward. He laughed at the child-like pout forming on his friend’s face.

“Changkyun-ah said he’d be here soon,” he reassured, watching Hoseok nod before he turned to look at the crowd again.

He was a bit curious himself. Normally, Changkyun would have shown up to talk their ears off by now. But the other members of the Jade Fangs seemed busy talking amongst themselves, completely unbothered by one of the higher tiered members being absent.

But on that note, Namjoon also hadn’t seen Shownu or Wonho either. There were too many bodies pressed together and for a moment, he almost believed they were going to prepare for a raid of some sort. Yet there’d been no mention of it for weeks when, on days like that, there was a constant buzz of chatter leading up to the day they were to set out in groups.

“Where’s Taehyung-ah? And Jimin and Jungkook, for that matter?” asked Yoongi as he shuffled against Namjoon, Seokjin right behind him. “I lost sight of them when we got here.”

“He said something about meeting up with Hyungwon and the others.” Namjoon rolled his eyes. “He probably dragged the other two off with him.”

Yoongi scoffed while Seokjin sighed. “Those kids,” he said, sounding like a disgruntled parent and causing Namjoon to laugh. His laughter abated when he felt Seokjin cuff him on the shoulder.

“They’re fine, Hyung,” he said while looking at Yoongi who appeared less than satisfied with the answer, “they know what to do if things start to get a little crazy in here.”

Yoongi folded his arms across his chest. “I know. That’s the problem.”

Before Namjoon could say anything further, the wave of murmurs began to escalate in volume. When they looked up to see what the cause of the commotion was, Namjoon blinked in surprise to see Changkyun standing at the front on a stack of crates next to their leader, Park Jongwoon. He had his hands folded behind his back and everyone’s voices began to quiet down as Jongwoon cleared his throat. Shownu appeared on the other side with Wonho standing next to him.

“Brothers,” Jongwoon began, his dark hair falling over one of his eyes, “it has recently come to my attention that some of you appear a bit…dissatisfied with how I’ve been running things. You don’t seem to have any problem reaping the benefits of what I’ve been able to build, yet you have the fuckin’ nerve to complain? Huh?!”

Namjoon felt his chest tighten and he could only blink in surprise. He’d had a conversation with Shownu earlier that week where he’d mentioned the very same thing. Namjoon was at least relieved to know they were speaking on the matter privately where no prying ears could have possibly heard them. Shownu was patient and realistic, but also calculating – just as he was. There was no way something like this would have slipped through the cracks so easily.

Had something else happened?

“After all I’ve done for you fuckin’ scum, you want to question my position as your boss? Your Hyung-nim?”

No one said a word. If someone dropped a pin, it would have sounded like a gun had gone off in the large warehouse. A lump formed in Namjoon’s throat when he looked back up to see that Shownu was looking straight at him.

“If any of you think you can do a better job, then prove it! I fuckin’ dare you!”

He felt Hoseok’s back tense up against his arm, as if he’d realized something. A handful of seconds later, he saw Changkyun place a hand on Jongwoon’s shoulder. The older man turned to look at The Wolf, a curious expression adorning his features, but he gave his second-in-command a knowing smirk. Changkyun did the same.

And then he watched him plunge a knife straight into Jongwoon’s neck.

The shock and betrayal gave way to suffering as Jongwoon began clawing at his neck – a fountain of red spurting out from the punctured vein. Neither Shownu nor Wonho moved to help him as he stumbled backwards, instead side-stepping their boss to avoid being touched. Jongwoon lost his footing and fell from the crates, his body landing with a hard thud despite the distance from the ground being a short one.

No one said anything. There were no cries of outrage. There were no gasps of horror. There were no sobs of anguish.

Only silence.

Changkyun held his bloody hand out, Shownu reaching out to take the knife from him. His shirt was stained with crimson and he idly wiped at the splatters of blood that were on his cheeks – smearing it further along his skin. He took a moment to clean himself, dusting off the backs of his pants, before turning to look back at the rest of the group.

“I’d say that was long overdue, don’t you?”

And then the room erupted into cheers. Namjoon stumbled backwards as the bodies pressed against them, crowding them in their need to jump and holler after just watching their leader being murdered mercilessly before their eyes. It didn’t take him long to figure out just what happened. The look on Hoseok’s face confirmed it.

No one was surprised because this was the plan.

It had been the plan all along.

Present Day Seoul – Hannam; Yongsan District South Korea

Namjoon sat perched on the roof of their home in UN Village. His legs dangled off the edge, swinging back and forth purposelessly while smoking a cigarette. He told himself he’d cut back and, in truth, he had. After moving to Seoul, they’d all hit the ground running. Namjoon wound up graduating college a year and a half earlier than expected – interning with a foreign company before landing himself a solid job behind a desk and quartered off in one of the many cubicles.

It was a means to an end. Being a peon allowed him to move freely between floors in the corporate office and with this he was able to hear a few rumors scattered here and there. It was through those rumors that he was able to land an “in” when it came to the underground. At first, he believed it was just an illegal gambling and dice ring. Indulging in this rumor was how he was able to learn about the various gangsters who ruled over certain territories. Others were still fighting amongst each other, trying to figure out the best way to overtake the other in a competition that was always less than fair.

Now that he was thinking back on those times, he wondered if he’d made the right decision. Shownu was persistent, even then. Eventually, Namjoon, Seokjin, Hoseok and Yoongi were all recruited into the fold of the Jade Fangs. They weren’t ready to bring the younger ones in. Not yet. Until they were able to get a feel of everything, to truly understand where their place was among their ranks, the older brothers wouldn’t risk dragging their younger brothers in.

Breathing smoke out his nose, he carded his fingers through his hair in frustration. Things were getting more and more complicated and he didn’t like it. Everything should have been smooth sailing from this point forward, at least from his calculations. Pulling them out of the game ensured that they were free of any obstacles that would attempt to stand in their way. Because they weren’t in the shadows anymore. They weren’t engaging in backdoor dealings and shaking hands underneath the tables. Not anymore.

And yet, here they were, forced into a problematic situation that they should have anticipated, but hadn’t.

He slowly inhaled the smoke into his lungs, savoring the nicotine as it hit the back of his throat. Namjoon’s eyes narrowed slightly as a soft breeze pushed against his chest, causing a few strands of hair to fly errant while freeing themselves from between his digits. The sun was beginning its descent, preparing to sink below the horizon.

It’s quiet, he thought, his eyes narrowing, too quiet.

Nearly a month had passed since Hoseok met with Changkyun and there were no movements. None of the boys ran into members of the Jade Fangs and, from what was reported back to them, neither had the girls. Jimin, Taehyung, and even Jungkook believed that whatever Hoseok imparted with the Jade Fang’s Wolf must have hit home; that he must have finally gotten the picture.

But Namjoon knew better. So did Seokjin and Hoseok. The three of them were preparing for the proverbial shoe to drop. Yoongi was a little more on edge these days, but it was something unrelated. Or that was the story he was telling and sticking with it. Namjoon knew better than to pry into his older brother’s affairs. Yoongi had a habit of dredging up old demons, but he often handled them privately and never let it interfere with his tasks. He returned to work as though nothing happened. Namjoon knew he preferred it that way.

As the days turned into weeks, he honestly was considering that Hoseok’s message had, in fact, accomplished something. His friend’s restlessness lacked boundaries, however, and there were more than a few instances where Namjoon urged Hoseok to excuse himself during a long string of business meetings. Instead of relaxing, Hoseok looked so wound up that he worried he would start to bounce off the walls like a spring.

Was this the calm before the storm?

Sighing, he leaned back on one hand as he pulled the cigarette from his lips – tapping off a bit of ash off the edge of the roof. A few low hanging clouds began to circle overhead, darkening from the slowly ebbing sunlight painting the skies. There was a distinct orange and purple haze forming with a smattering of pink. It was a beautiful sight, but Namjoon knew it looked better in the countryside – from their hometown.

His mind wandered to the image of his family; his father’s small clinic and his mother’s pharmacy back in Hwaseong. He hadn’t seen them since the New Year celebration the locals held in their small community. They trusted him to handle his business; trusted him to continue walking the path that he was on, regardless of the whispers that escaped from Seoul back to his childhood home. He hadn’t landed himself in jail and he wasn’t on the local news in front of a podium, apologizing to the world for his crimes. That was enough for them.

An ache began to form in his chest and he unconsciously rubbed at it with his free hand while continuing to look at the sky.

“…maybe we should leave for a little while,” he said to himself.

“Is that what you want to do, Hyung?”

Namjoon’s shoulders jumped slightly. He hadn’t expected an answer. Turning to glance over his shoulder, he saw Jimin making his way toward him. The younger man sidled up next to him, flopping down on the ground to dangle his legs over the edge as Namjoon had earlier. He held his cigarette out to him in offering but Jimin scrunched his nose up while shaking his head, causing him to let out a soft chuckle.

“You haven’t changed one bit, Jimin-ah.”

“Neither have you, Hyung,” Jimin replied gently, leaning over to bump shoulders with him. “You didn’t answer my question.” Namjoon quirked a brow at him curiously. “Is that what you want to do?”

“Does it matter?”

“It matters to me.”

Namjoon smirked, replacing the cigarette between his lips and biting down on the filter. “It shouldn’t.”

He heard Jimin let out an exasperated sigh. Namjoon played these sorts of word games with them all the time. They still weren’t used to it; or at least they told him as much.

“It does, Namjoon Hyung.” He cast a sidelong glance to his younger brother who was in the process of brushing his chestnut bangs out of his eyes.

His smile fell slightly, and he looked at Jimin for a long moment. After a while, he sighed out a cloud of smoke before looking back up at the sky. The colors were changing again, even in that short amount of time.

“Do you ever wonder what our lives would have been like had I not come to Seoul for school? Had I not asked you guys to come back with me?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m sure you do, right?” He rolled his neck to look at his younger brother who appeared to be genuinely confused by his question. Namjoon gave a half shrug. “You were the last one to come out here. I didn’t think you would.”

Jimin blinked slowly a few times before averting his gaze to look out over the large expanse of the city. Instead of following his gesture, Namjoon’s eyes remained locked on Jimin’s profile. Another gust of wind pressed against them, causing their hair to fly in various directions. Neither of them bothered to tame the errant locks.

“What’s the point in thinking about it?” Jimin finally said, causing Namjoon to lean back in surprise when he turned to meet his gaze. “It’s in the past and bears no weight on our current situation. Therefore, it doesn’t matter.”

“Jimin-ah…”

“We all made choices, Hyung. Good and bad. They’ve shaped us into the people we are now. I don’t regret that.” Jimin flashed his trademark smile, his eyes shrinking at the corners. “Do you?”

Namjoon suddenly felt a heavy blanket of shame fall over him. To think that one of his younger brothers could be so wise. But it shouldn’t have surprised him. Jimin was always so careful and observant – hardly impulsive like Taehyung and Jungkook. He was the glue that kept them all together, keeping them grounded and silently reminding them what their end goal should always be. What it’s always been.

To live their life on their terms. No one else’s.

He clapped a hand on Jimin’s shoulder, giving it a gentle shake. “You’re right, Jimin-ah,” he said with a smile, “your Hyung lost his head for a moment there.”

Jimin shook his head. “It’s okay if you feel like we should leave, Hyung. No one would blame you for it.” He watched him turn to look back over the city. “It might even be the smart choice for all of us.”

Namjoon nodded, trying his best to rid his mind of the memories of the past. “It might be.” His lips formed into a small grin. “But then what would it have all been for?”

“Then let’s face it, Hyung, head on.” Jimin held his fist out to him. “Together.”

Namjoon bumped fists with him.

“Till the end.”

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 (bloody 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 37 38 39 40 41 42

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

Word Count: 2,227

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

Chapter 42: Dimple

“What’s really dangerous is only in your possession.”

© 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.

Seokjin woke up to the sound of running water coming from the bathroom. He stretched his arm, frowning slightly at the vacant space on the bed beside him. It was cold, which meant the person who was previously occupying it was gone for some time. Longer than he would have liked. Huffing like a child on the verge of a tantrum, Seokjin rolled out of bed – his boxer briefs barely hugging his waist. As he trudged sleepily toward the bathroom, he spied the time on the clock and felt himself waking up a little more out of desperation.

It was three in the morning.

“Anastasia,” called Seokjin, knocking on the bathroom door, “are you alright?”

“Huh?” he heard her ask from the other side.

He smiled. “I said, are you alright?”

She sounded like she was busying herself in the bathroom, the distinct sound of bottles being knocked over as she scrambled around the sink. Seokjin’s smile faded, suddenly dreading the worst. He grabbed onto the handle of the door, rattling it and coming to a frustrating realization that it was locked. This unnerved him more since she never made it a habit to lock the bathroom door, even when she was doing something as simple as peeing.

“H-Hold on a second, Seokjin-ah!”

There was more movement, a loud thud vibrating from the door as she seemed to stumble into it. There were a few latches being undone and she finally flung the door open. Seokjin took a step back, watching her curiously. She was dressed in her normal baggy tank top, the hem just reaching to her mid-thigh. Normally he would have found this image of her sexy, but her flushed cheeks and slightly bloodshot eyes had him worried. Immediately, his hand went up to rest against her forehead.

“What are you doing?” she asked, squinting her green eyes up at him.

“Checking your temperature,” he answered simply, noticing that she seemed to be running a slight fever. His hand slid from her forehead to grasp at her chin, lifting her face a fraction higher so he could get a better look at it from under the light. “Are you getting sick?”

She blinked up at him. “What? No!” Anastasia gently shook his hand from her face, smoothing her palms down her sides.

Seokjin folded his arms across his chest, taking a lean against the door frame to block her path as she attempted to brush past him. He lifted a brow at her, giving her a look that clearly said he wasn’t buying what she was trying to sell. She pouted and while Seokjin normally would have given into her child-like demands, he wasn’t willing to bend the knee just yet.

“Now that I think about it, you barely touched your dinner.”

Anastasia rolled her eyes, blowing some of her bangs out of her eyes in frustration. “I just wasn’t hungry.”

“I find that hard to believe,” he teased, leaning forward so that their noses were barely touching. He bit his lower lip in amusement as he watched her eyes beginning to cross. “You normally eat really well.”

She frowned. “You tryin’ to call me fat? Huh, Kim Seokjin?”

Seokjin threw his head back and laughed, shaking his head. “As if,” he said while laughing, “stop being ridiculous.”

He watched her raising her hand up, ready to smack him somewhere on his person. He hopped a step back, holding his arms up in defense.

“Oh, I’ll show you ridic—”

She barely got the words out when she suddenly stopped. Seokjin blinked at her, seeing the blank expression clouding over her features. Lowering his arms, he took slow and measured steps toward her. Not sure what was happening, he reached his hands out toward her.

“Hey, Ana?”

Instantly, the hand she was going to strike him with covered her mouth. He saw her chest rise and a muffled gagging noise managed to escape. She whirled on her heels, bee-lining for the toilet as she crouched unceremoniously onto the ground. Seokjin’s heart shot straight into his throat and he was by her side faster than he thought his legs could carry him in the short distance between them.

He began to rub slow, comforting circles along her back while Anastasia seemed to hurl all her insides out into the porcelain bowl. In between shaking breaths she was able to catch, she continued to vomit until it was to the point of her dry heaving. Tears leaked out of her eyes and Seokjin gently wiped them away, not wanting to take her from the moment she was suffering from.

When it seemed she was finally starting to calm down, he helped her sit so her back was resting against the bathtub. Seokjin reached for a hand towel, dabbing at the beads of sweat bubbling over the bridge of her nose and along her forehead. Her entire countenance was paler than normal and she began to rub at her chest slowly, massaging it in case she had the sudden urge to throw up again.

Seokjin wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her flush against his side. “Better?”

She shook her head, placing a hand to her forehead. “That was the worst of it, though.” Anastasia ran her hand through her hair. “At least, I think so?”

“Do we need to go to the hospital?”

Like a child being told she needed to get a shot, Anastasia shook her head fervently. Seokjin sighed.

“I think we should go to the hospital.”

“I don’t wanna.”

“Come on,” he said, moving to stand and gently pulling her up with him, “they can at least give you something to help settle your stomach. You need to rest and you’re not going to be able to do that if you’re throwing up all night.”

Anastasia seemed dissatisfied with his answer, but when he pressed his forehead against hers and pleaded silently with his eyes, she seemed to give in. Her sigh was all the answer he needed. Seokjin pressed a kiss to her cheek, urging her out of the bathroom so they could get dressed. Thankfully, she didn’t live far from the local general hospital so it would be a quick cab ride.

They’d be in and out of the doctor’s office in no time.

“I’m sorry, what?”

Seokjin cast Anastasia a sidelong glance, seeing the sugary sweet smile forming on her lips. Her voice was a soft lilt and her eyes seemed to be sparkling. Anyone who didn’t know her would think that she was extremely happy with what she’d just heard. Seokjin knew better, however. That smile was the smile of a demon preparing to pounce on the person who’d just spoken to her.

Unfortunately, it was the doctor; oblivious to the situation.

“I was saying that congratulations are in order,” the doctor repeated.

He shifted his gaze from Anastasia to Seokjin and he was suddenly keenly aware of the large lump forming in his throat.

“She’s about four and a half weeks now. I must say that she’s showing symptoms rather early, however.” The doctor looked back at his girlfriend and Seokjin had to bite back a yelp as he felt her hand squeezing his in a vice-like grip. “You’re not placing yourself under unnecessary stress, Miss?”

Seokjin’s brows furrowed, feeling her grip increasing further. However, her face gave nothing away.

“Huh? Me?” Again, she squeezed. “Of course not, Doctor. Right, Darling?”

He felt a knuckle pop and his lips parted. Seokjin forced a smile when the doctor looked back in his direction, nodding rapidly.

“Y-Yes, of course not.”

The doctor didn’t appear pleased with the answer, but he looked back at the chart in his hands. “Hm, well alright. I’m going to suggest you not push yourself. The first trimester is the most crucial for both the mother and the baby. I’m going to prescribe a regiment for you and I strongly suggest that you abstain from heavy medication and alcohol. Obviously.” He looked back at Seokjin, his expression stern. “And you, young man, better make sure that she doesn’t experience any undue stress or shock. Make sure she relaxes as much as possible and if she asks for something particular to eat, you better go get it for her. I don’t care if you have to fly to Jeju Island to get it, understood?”

Seokjin nodded, his hand completely numb from the painful way Anastasia was squeezing it. Something fluttered over his chest softly that he barely registered it anymore. The two of them stood as the doctor rose from his chair, placing his glasses into the front pocket of his lab coat.

“I’m going to have one of the nurses give you a packet before you leave. It will contain a helpful dietary and sleep guide for you to look over. It’s not a strict regimen, but I strongly advise that you follow it to the best of your ability.” He ushered them out of the examination room, guiding them down the corridor. Before parting ways, he clapped Seokjin on the back and flashed him a proud smile. “Again, congratulations to you both.”

When the doctor left them alone in the hallway, Seokjin wasn’t sure if his feet were on the ceiling or if his head was on the floor. There was a soft ringing in his ears and he took a step back, the heavy thud of his heart rattling his chest to the point where he could hardly focus on the very act of breathing. His world was spinning on its axis, as though he was on a raw tilt and about to lose his balance.

A sharp crack to the back of his head brought him crashing back to reality.

Hissing, he rubbed at his head and turned to look at Anastasia. She was glaring at him hotly, her neck and cheeks turning a rapid shade of red. Her green eyes glistened with the onset of tears and he quickly grabbed her shoulders, his thumbs rubbing slow circles over the fabric of her shirt.

“Hey, Ana, listen—”

“Goddammit,” she said, her voice trembling, “JUST GODDAMMIT, KIM SEOKJIIIIIIIIN!”

Before he could say another word to soothe her, Anastasia was rapidly punching his chest. He coughed, taking a step back and then lifting his arms from the assault she was launching over his entire frame. He felt a sharp pain across his shin and he didn’t have to look to know that she’d aimed a kick straight for him. Seokjin hopped away, trying to escape the onslaught, but she wasn’t having it. Anastasia screamed in the hospital, not caring that she was receiving concerned looks from the other hospital staff.

Seokjin grabbed her, pulling her back into a nearby examination room that was thankfully empty. He held her arms firmly, preventing her from flailing against him again. She cried and screamed, on the verge of collapsing, and he held her against him. Anastasia tried to pull away from him, but Seokjin’s hold was stronger and he refused to let her go.

“This is your fault,” she muttered into the crook of his shoulder, her fists weakly pounding onto his back. Seokjin smiled, holding her even closer. “I…I can’t…”

He carded his fingers through her hair slowly, the flat of his palm resting along the back of her neck. He could tell the fight was slowly starting to leave her, feeling her body sagging against him. His legs locked to hold her weight up, her soft sobs disappearing into the fabric of his shirt. All he could do was stand there silently.

There was a soft knock at the door and a nurse poked her head in, brows furrowing in concern as she met Seokjin’s gaze. He gently patted Anastasia’s back, pulling her away from his chest as a few loose hiccups escaped her lungs. She wiped at her cheeks and eyes with her hands as the nurse handed Seokjin the packet and a few prescriptions.

“Doctor Shin asked me to give this to you,” she explained.

He nodded, holding the packet at his side. “Yes, thank you.”

The nurse gave a warm smile to Anastasia, holding out something the size of a note card toward her. “And this is for you.”

Anastasia took it from her, cradling it between her fingers. He felt her shoulders tensing before relaxing, a sob pushing from her that was quickly smothered with her hand. Wet, green eyes looked back at the nurse and she smiled before making her exit. Seokjin looked down and spied the item in her hand.

It was an ultrasound photo.

“S-Seokjin-ah,” she managed to choke out, a finger pointing toward the little black dimple on the photo, “it’s a baby.”

He turned her toward him, forcing her to meet his gaze. She pressed the photo to her chest, swallowing down another sob and he smiled down at her. Seokjin wiped at her face, ridding it of the tears.

“No,” he finally said while shaking his head. Tears brimmed his eyes, catching her off guard. “It’s our baby, Anastasia.”

The two of them laughed as she dabbed at the corner of her eye. He pulled her flush against him, leaning down to sweep his lips over hers. It wasn’t a kiss of hunger or primal need. It was one of thanks; of gratitude. He was given a miracle and knew he was the luckiest man in the world.

He dared someone to tell him otherwise.

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 (bloody 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 37 38 39 40 41 42 43

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

Word Count: 2,089

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

Chapter 43: Lost

“To lose your path is the way to find that path.”

© 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.

Four Years Ago Seoul – Itaewon; Yongsan District South Korea

Blood.

There was blood in the water.

Jimin looked like he crawled out of a mountain of pig guts, blood smears littering his face and neck. Droplets of crimson dripped from his earlobe as an angry red trail wept from a cut under his eye. Another slash decorated the bridge of his nose and he reached up to wipe at it. His fingers and hand were completely coated in red – scarlet trails dripping down his forearm and staining his shirt.

A shaky hand moved to turn the faucet off; barely aware that the water was spilling from the sink and onto the floor. It sloshed over his sneakers, soaking his shoelaces and creeping into his socks. He barely noticed as he slowly dipped his hands into the overflowing bowl of porcelain. The water turned an even deeper shade of pink and orange, growing opaque to where Jimin could no longer see his hands inside the bowl.

Water continued to slip onto the floor as he moved his wrists methodically, cleaning his hands as best he could. His eyes lingered on the dirty faucet nozzle until they shifted to spy his rosary bracelet on the edge of the dingy porcelain mouth. The silver cross glinted under the artificial light that barely encompassed the room, reflecting the pale green tiling that covered the room from ceiling to floor.

The light in the room blinked rapidly, spazzing out in time with the flash of lightning that brightened the dark and stormy world outside of the bathroom. Every so often, he was plunged in darkness – depriving him of the image of his horrible visage reflecting back at him in the mirror.

But even in the dark, Jimin could see everything.

He could see the body hunched over by the urinals, his neck spurting out blood like a fountain. His arm was twisted back, dislocated until it was eventually snapped in an unnatural way. Blood turned the man’s once white shirt completely red as thick rivers of it pooled from his lips.

An arm peeked out from underneath one of the stalls, the fingers attached to the hand all broken. There was a knife sticking out from the back of the hand as blood blossomed across the tile floor. Near the arm and between the person by the urinals was another body lying face down with one of his arms pulled behind him. There was a white item protruding from one of the shoulders, tearing through the jacket, and upon closer inspection, one would know that it was a broken bone pierced through skin and fabric.

Removing his hands from the pale red water and scooping up his rosary, Jimin shook the moisture from his hands and pivoted on his heels as he slowly wiped his palms down the backs of his pants. Another flash of lightning brightened the room, the clap of thunder rumbling the building and causing bits of plaster to crumble from the ceiling. Jimin crouched down to remove his knife from the man’s neck, more blood spurting out until the fountain grew smaller. Jimin wiped the blade over the man’s clothes to clean it off.

Flicking the blade closed, he slid it into the inside pocket of his blazer. Stepping over the man on the floor, he fished in his pocket for his handkerchief and began to wipe at the blood that was still on his neck while looking over his handiwork. It could have been handled a little less recklessly, but Jimin was forced into a small space and dealing with a trio of idiots who believed they had even a snowball’s chance in being able to go toe-to-toe with him.

Their biggest mistake? Listening to a jealous master who wanted Hoseok dead.

A phone buzzed with life and he paused, silencing his own breath so he could hear where the noise was coming from. He entered the stall and removed the phone from the man’s pocket whose neck he’d broken, spying at the screen. Jimin gently pushed the man off the toilet, dropping the phone into the bowl without hesitation. He watched it continue to ring until the water seeped into the grooves and openings of the device, causing the screen to blink wildly before it finally faded to black.

Pulling his own phone out, he dialed a number and pressed the phone to his face; making sure that it was the cheek he’d just cleaned off. They answered in three rings.

“It’s me,” he said softly, stepping over the bodies as he made for the door, “it’s done.”

The other person spoke and this caused Jimin to smirk.

“Just bring the cleaners here, Hyung. They’ll take care of the rest.”

He opened the door, scooping up his rosary beads off the sink and slipping them into his pocket.

“This will make them think twice before trying to come after you again.”

Jimin shut the door behind him as he hung up the phone, straightening his jacket and slicking his hair back off his forehead. The old building was barely anything to look at, which made the entire situation ideal for this sort of thing. His small group that waited for him bowed to him and he tossed the knife and dirty handkerchief to one of them.

“Get rid of those,” Jimin said, his voice cold.

The young man nodded, wrapping the items and then tossing them into a nondescript plastic bag.

“The talk didn’t go well?” he asked and Jimin grinned.

“It went as I thought it would.”

The man nodded, the others following on either side of him.

“They should have just listened to you in the first place. Then they wouldn’t have gone out that way.” Jimin cast a sideways glance toward the young man. “Because you’re The Crimson Claw, right?”

“Wrong.”

The man peered up at him, his expression clearly showcasing his confusion.

“I had no intentions of talking whatsoever. Because I am The Crimson Claw.”

Present Day Seoul – Cheongdam; Gangnam District South Korea

Jimin took a deep breath, his hands balled into fists at his thighs. His thumb slowly rotated over the rosary beads, completely in sync with his heartbeat. He mentally counted back from thirty. Thirty seconds; thirty beats of his heart. The world was silent in the small enclosure as tiny slivers of light broke through the small holes around the wooden box. The burgundy curtain of velvet brushed against his knuckles, providing a small sense of relief from the suffocation that threatened to overtake him.

The latch across from him loosened as the door opened. Light flooded in from the other side of the diamond grating separating him from the man who was adjusting himself in his seat. When the door closed, they were once again plunged into darkness. Jimin released the air trapped in his lungs, the hand holding the rosary moving to form the sign of the cross in front of him before clasping his fingers together in a sign of prayer.

“Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. My last confession was three years and six months ago.”

There was a pregnant pause, threatening to swallow Jimin up completely. He took another breath, the sweat tingeing his brows as his chestnut fringe clung to his forehead. Jimin felt the priest’s eyes watching him through the grating and he attempted to swallow the lump in his throat. A part of him felt like he was being judged, but wasn’t that expected? It should have been. If it wasn’t, then Jimin judged himself in the stead of his Savior.

“Go on, My Child,” urged the priest gently.

He tried to wet his lips as he floundered for the words. Jimin cleared his throat as he attempted to formulate his sentences, his hands trembling. He shut his eyes tightly, his mouth forming into a thin line. He knew the priest was waiting for him to continue, but inwardly he wanted nothing more than to run from that small enclosure.

It felt like the weight of his sins would crush him.

“I’m a Christian, Father, but we believe in The Almighty and his Grace. Prayer alone cannot save me, but I feel that simply writing things down in a journal could hardly be enough to absolve me of my sins.” The words were less heavy on his tongue and he pressed his back against the wall. “The Blood of Christ has granted me penance. I know this. But I am afraid, Father, of the wrongs I have done in order to secure the futures of my brothers and myself.”

When he opened his eyes again, they quickly adjusted to the darkness; he was used to this. It was the sunlight that hurt his eyes and made it difficult to see.

Old memories flooded his mind, reminding him of the past and of the blood he shed. The metallic taste and coppery odor seemed permanently stuffed in his nostrils back then. His hand was often forced during encounters when he donned the mask of the Golden Jackals’ liaison. It was his job to speak to others in various districts, warning them that despite being a new group and former Jade Fang members, they were not to be trifled with.

They would do things fairly and if that fairness was ever challenged, then it was Jimin’s job to pass the message along in other ways. He was given the name Crimson Claw because he had no issues cutting anyone down that dared to impede his brothers’ paths to success and good fortune. He was merciless when it came to anyone he cared for.

This same mercilessness existed quietly in his heart even when they all lived their simple, country lives in Hwaseong. It was the reason why Jimin was the last to arrive in Seoul after Namjoon made his offer to come back with him to the big city – to reach into the dark and dirty underworld and pull out a flawless diamond. Jimin’s life was his family’s bakery and it was always assumed he would take over. He could never admit to how easy it was for him to embrace the life that Namjoon and the others were suggesting they attempt to live.

Because he didn’t want to show how simple it was for him to smile in that chaotic world. He didn’t want to worry his brothers, or even scare them away. He was more afraid of losing them than he was of losing himself.

Jimin understood the true depth of his heart better than anyone. Because he was a sinner; he bathed in the sin and wore it like a badge of pride. He had no problem hurting anyone if it meant protecting the people who meant the most to him.

He would become the devil himself.

What worried Jimin now wasn’t the storm that was coming. What concerned him was the possibility of losing himself along the way.

“I have hurt people. I have ruined people. We all have. But I cannot confess their sins for them. I can only speak of my own.” He squeezed his fingers tightly together, the beads of the rosary scraping against each other. “I know I cannot bear their sins on my shoulders, but I desperately want to, Father. My brothers are good people; good men. They deserve all the wonderful things this life has to offer to them.”

“You are very kind-hearted, My Child,” spoke the priest, causing Jimin to look up at him, “and God sees that. He knows what lies in your heart every waking moment of your life.”

“If that’s true, Father,” Jimin whispered, “then he knows I’m beyond saving. I’m okay with that, I am.”

“You’re alright with being outside of the realm of redemption?”

“Yes.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because I’ve found my place in the shadows and I will do everything, anything I can, to keep my brothers in the light.”

Jimin peered down at his hands to look at the sterling silver cross dangling from the rosary beads.

“Forever.”

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 (bloody 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 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44

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

Word Count: 2,353

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

Chapter 44: You Never Walk Alone

“Even if this road is far and dangerous, will you be with me?”

© 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.

There was a part of Raelyn that was ecstatic for the news of her friend’s pregnancy. What friend wouldn’t have been happy? However, there was a worry that lingered in the back of her brain; nagging there like a slowly growing cancer. Only a foolish person would have ignored it. Eden showered Anastasia with the praise that she felt she wanted to hear, and they all promised to go shopping together for the proper baby shower things that would be needed when it came time for the birth.

Raelyn didn’t mention marriage. Neither did Anastasia or Eden. It was the 21st Century and as progressive women, they felt that marriage wasn’t obligatory when finding out that one was with child. The biggest question that remained unspoken was if Anastasia was willing to keep the child? It seemed she was keen on the idea and so Raelyn didn’t bring up the subject. Eden picked up the same vibe and didn’t say anything either.

She felt Taehyung pull her a little closer on the couch, the two of them facing the large television in her common room. Her mind was going a mile a minute and she felt a little guilty for not paying attention to the film. It was one they’d watched before, but regardless of how many times he’d seen it, it was Taehyung’s favorite movie. She even caught him quoting it a few times in jest before attempting to pounce on her for their bedroom play time.

His thumb rubbed small circles around her shoulder, causing her to lazily shut her eyes as she adjusted herself a bit more comfortably on the couch. He used his other hand to tuck the throw blanket a little more securely around her hip while her legs draped over his lap. She felt his head press against her temple, his fringe tickling her forehead.

“Tired?”

Raelyn shook her head.

“You sure?”

She nodded and she felt him laugh slightly, her body shaking in tandem with his.

“What’s on your mind?”

For a moment, she said nothing. What was there to tell? Did she really have anything that was worth bringing up? She doubted it. But there was that inkling that kept pestering her until she knew she couldn’t hold it in anymore.

Lifting her head off his shoulder, she looked back at him and he blinked curiously in response.

“Anastasia’s pregnant.” She said it bluntly, gauging his reaction. Watching the corners of his mouth forming into a smirk, she continued. “You heard?”

“Of course I have,” he said, his tone dismissive, “we’ve all heard. Jin Hyung won’t shut-up about it.”

This gave her some relief, but she continued.

“Does his family know?”

Taehyung gave her a look, as if he were trying to surmise the meaning behind the question. Raelyn didn’t offer more to the inquiry. She merely waited patiently for his answer.

“I mean, I don’t think so,” he said slowly, lofting a brow, “why?”

Raelyn sat up on the couch, turning her body so she was facing him directly. “Is he gonna tell them?”

Now Taehyung readjusted so he could settle himself into an upright position. “Hold up, Noona, alright? What’s with the twenty questions?”

“Is he gonna tell them or not?”

“I don’t know!” She felt his hands on her shoulders. “What’s going on? What’s really bothering you?”

Raelyn frowned. “I don’t want my friend being treated like some secret mistress, that’s what!”

For a moment, all the two of them could do was stare intently at each other. Neither of them was backing down and Raelyn felt her frown intensify. Her lips pressed into a thin line as she watched Taehyung’s eyes shifting back and forth to look into her own.

There was a chance she probably sounded unreasonable. She knew this. But there was another part of her that felt she had the right to be worried for the future of her friend and for the child growing inside of her. Illegitimate children got a bad rap in South Korea. She’d seen enough of those cases cross her paths while she worked at the hospital. Orphans were often left to fend for themselves because they were abandoned; viewed as a black smear of shame on their seemingly flawless lineage.

With Anastasia being a foreigner, the prejudice was practically doubled. She didn’t want her friend suffering unnecessarily and definitely not for a man. Even if that man was Kim Seokjin.

Realization spread over Taehyung’s face and he let his hands slide down her arms until he was able to grasp her fingers in his palms. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and she couldn’t ignore the sharp pain tightening around her chest area. If things were going to get harder from here on out, she wanted to save her friends as much pain as possible. Even if that meant suffering from a little heartbreak. In time, the heart would heal. But when a child was involved, the difficulties increased without even meaning to.

He pulled her forward; she let him. Raelyn pressed her face into the crook of his neck, inhaling his scent and relishing in the feel of his large arms encasing her into his chest. She’d never admit it out loud, but she felt safe in his embrace. For a moment, a small one, Raelyn could fool herself into believing that things were normal; that she was in a normal relationship and the chaos that threatened to rip her world apart wasn’t real.

Taehyung’s fingers carded through her curls, bringing her even closer and she sighed. He patted her back like a grown-up comforting a child and she smiled a little. She smacked his back gently to playfully show that she didn’t appreciate being coddled. He continued to pat her anyway.

“Look, Noona,” he began, resting his hand against the back of her head, “I’m not going to be fluffy about this, alright?” Taehyung used his other arm to pull Raelyn fully into his lap. She continued to hide her face in his shoulder. “But Jin Hyung is a good guy. Always has been. No matter what anyone says, no matter who tries to fight against him, he’s going to make sure that the people he cares about are taken care of.”

Raelyn lifted herself up so she could look at Taehyung. His half smile was there and she had to resist the urge to pinch his cheek and pull at the skin. He was being a pest – teasing her for being worried at all. Yet she also knew that he was aware of her concerns without having to give them voice. She appreciated that level of understanding, even if she didn’t always express it.

“Ana Noona is important to him. That is their child she is carrying inside of her. I haven’t seen Hyung this happy in years. He’s happy because she is the one willing to bear their child. Trust him, alright?”

Sighing, she pressed a hand to her forehead and nodded. “You’re right. I think I’m just overly sensitive these days. As a nurse, I know the first trimester is the most important during pregnancy. Anything can happen.”

Taehyung leaned in to press a kiss to the corner of her mouth. He rubbed his nose against hers, waggling his brows in a playful fashion. “You’re cute when you’re flustered.”

“Boy,” she said with a laugh, placing a hand on his face and shoving him out of the way of her breathing room, “if you don’t cut it out.”

He pouted, huffing defiantly before grabbing at the backs of her legs and lifting her with little effort. She squealed, wrapping her arms around his neck as he held her bridal style and swung around away from the couch. Her eyes widened as her grip tightened to give herself better support.

“Wait, what are you doing?!”

Taehyung flashed her a devious look before he tilted his head to quickly nip at her nose. “I think I’m going to punish you.”

And before she could protest, he zipped across the living room and into her bedroom. Even before the door closed, Raelyn already knew she was in trouble. Because Kim Taehyung was a petty little shit.

When he promised punishment, she knew that that was what she was going to get.

“…you know—”

“Don’t start.”

“What? I didn’t even say anything yet.”

Eden whirled around in the small kitchenette, pointing her ladle straight at Raelyn.

“You don’t have to. I already know what’s about to come flyin’ out your mouth.”

Raelyn pouted, folding her arms across her chest as she sat cross-legged on the floor. The small round table was already set with three different bowls and sets of utensils. Side dishes were placed around a large, rubber pot rest. Delicious smells wafted from the kitchen as the soybean soup bubbled with life on the small gas range.

“Look,” she attempted again, holding her hands up, “all I’m sayin’ is that—”

“Stop bitchin’ about my place or stop comin’ over,” Eden spat as she turned back to the pot of soup, dipping the ladle inside to stir the contents within, “fuckin’ goddamn.”

“It’s too small and you know it!” Raelyn lifted her chin up, challenging her friend to say otherwise. “I swear, you’d think you’re still poor with how you’re carryin’ on.”

“I am poor.”

Raelyn rolled her eyes. “Says the woman who owns a successful business. Uh-huh. Right.”

“Don’t tell me how to live my life, woman!” her friend yelled, throwing the kitchen towel at her. Raelyn tried not to laugh as she caught it, choosing to hide her face behind it so she couldn’t see the mischief playing out over her features. “Out!”

“But I haven’t eaten.”

“Eat then get out!”

“The food’s not ready yet.”

Eden let out an aggravated noise before resuming her cooking. Raelyn hated to admit it, but she loved teasing her friend. The mixed woman made it so easy. Truth be told, it was less difficult to rile her up now that she was dating Jungkook. The number of smacks she’d received to the shoulder and back when riding her about “being in love” had her sore for at least half a day. But it was all worth it.

“When is that boy getting here anyway?” Raelyn looked around the place, as if she’d missed something. “Shouldn’t he be here already helping you?”

“I told him to go pick up some beer on his way over.”

“Ooo, so domesticated.”

Eden cut her gaze toward Raelyn, eliciting a giggle from the older woman.

“Don’t make me stab you.”

Laughing, she leaned back on her hands and stretched her long legs all the way out across the floor. She lifted her face toward the ceiling, not really minding how small her friend’s place was. But if Jungkook and she were starting to get serious (as it seemed evident), then the small apartment would hardly be enough to handle the two of them.

“He hasn’t asked to move in with you, has he?”

A sudden coughing fit erupted from Eden as she turned to look back at her friend, eyes as wide as saucers. Raelyn shrugged, acting as though she’d asked what the weather was going to be tomorrow.

“What? It’s a simple question.”

“I’d hardly call that question simple, Unnie.”

She canted her head to the side. “Well, has he?”

Eden rolled her eyes and resumed cooking. “No.”

“Has he asked you to move in with him, then?”

Snorting, Eden shook her head but refused to take her eyes off the pot. “What is with you today?”

“…is it because of Yoongi?”

Raelyn hadn’t expected her words to strike a nerve. But they apparently did. Eden’s hand stilled, the ladle slipping from her grasp and rolling along the rim of the pot.

Neither woman said anything. Finally, Eden craned her neck to shoot a glare at her.

“Where the hell did that come from?”

“Well, is it?”

“Unnie, you better drop this.”

“I don’t see why you guys can’t just move on to the next step already. If you’re not hung up on Yoongi and he’s not feeling guilty about it, then what’s stopping the both of you?”

Eden sighed, picking up the ladle again while turning the dial on the stove to lower the burner. “Give it a rest, Raelyn.”

Raelyn eased herself up off the floor, dusting the backs of her jeans off. “You need to stop beating yourself up for something that wasn’t even your fault in the first place.”

“Who says I am?”

“You are, that’s who.”

“Whatever. God, you’re so fucking annoying right now.” Eden moved from the stove to the small rice cooker to stir the rice inside.

“And you’re still hesitating. Stop.” She crossed the small space, her hand reaching out to grasp her friend’s wrist in her own. Slowly, she turned Eden around to face her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Just stop, hm? You’ve already decided what you’re going to do so why are you trying to backpedal in your head?”

“I’m not backpedaling.” Eden frowned. “I’m thinking.”

“Then stop thinking and just do what you want. Don’t you think that’s what you deserve? What you both deserve?” Raelyn smiled as her friend gave her a confused look. “It’s not fair to either of you to linger on something that shouldn’t matter. Your feelings come first.”

The door rattled as keys slid into the lock and Raelyn shuffled away from her friend, leaving her presumably bewildered. Raelyn greeted Jungkook as he entered, relieving him of the case of beer in his arms despite his protests. She urged him to get comfortable, giving Eden a knowing wink.

Trust was important. Faith was necessary.

No longer living to wait on the whims of others? Well, that was the most important piece of the puzzle known as “life”. Raelyn knew that now. She wouldn’t let her doubt eat away at her anymore. If a choice needed to be made, then she’d already made it.

She would fight, even if that meant fighting her own self-doubt.

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 (bloody 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 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45

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

Word Count: 2,480

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

Chapter 45: 21st Century Girl

“Whatever other people say, whatever this world tells you, you’re the best to me just the way you are.”

© 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.

“Isn’t it early where you are?”

“No, it’s only nine.”

“You look tired though.”

“A lot’s been going on with my new job.”

“I’ll admit, I was a little worried when you said you were quitting your other job. Is that even allowed with the visa you currently have?”

“It’s fine. I applied for another visa through my new company.”

Anastasia sighed, attempting a smile for Jacob. The Skype call had only been going on for about twenty minutes, but it felt like they were talking for hours. She tried to check in about once a week, but with all the hustle and bustle with the company and the ever-blossoming relationship she was in with Seokjin, it was hard to maintain contact in the way she would have liked. Add on the extreme time zone difference and that was how things wound up.

“Is it harder than working for your old job?”

“No,” she said while shaking her head, “it’s about the same workload. I have more responsibilities because I technically got promoted when they hired me.”

Jacob nodded, brushing some of his hair out of his eyes. It was getting a little longer than she was used to. He would have cut it by now, but he seemed set on trying out a new image.

She watched him take a drink of water. “Are you happy, Ana?”

Blinking, she wasn’t quite sure what to make of his question. Had she given any indication that she wasn’t happy? She hoped not. She didn’t want him worrying unnecessarily.

Again, she smiled. “Yeah Jake, I’m happy.”

Anastasia watched her brother’s eyes furrow from the computer screen. She knew it wasn’t because he didn’t believe her. He just worried a lot and tended to fuss over her unnecessarily. It was the role Jacob chose to play since he was the second-born. They were only two years apart, but they were thick as thieves and she appreciated how close they were despite her being the oldest of her three siblings. Their baby brother, Phillip, was still just starting college while Elena just graduated from her university. Their parents were still harping on about practicality when it came to their futures, something that both Anastasia and Jacob despised. They should have all been allowed to choose the paths they wanted to live, regardless of the outcomes.

“Well,” he finally said, shrugging one shoulder, “as long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters.”

Relief washed over her and she sank back in her chair a little more, cradling the mug of green tea in her hands. Her hand slid from the handle to press a palm to her stomach, a warmer smile touching her features. She must have looked a little silly because the sound Jacob clearing his throat loudly startled her from her thoughts. When she peered back at the screen, his face was a little closer, as if he was leaning forward to look directly into her eyes.

“So, are you finally dating someone now?”

She coughed loudly, sitting up and quickly setting her mug down on the desk by her keyboard. “W-What?” Anastasia attempted to wrangle the words that were escaping her. “What’s with the interrogation anyway?”

Again, Jacob shrugged. “I know you dated that one guy, but that’s it.” He leaned back in his chair, lounging lazily. “Just figured you were seeing someone new.”

She felt her cheeks grow warm, her hands fidgeting until Anastasia started twirling a few locks between her fingers. It was a nervous tick that she hadn’t been able to break and there was no sign of it stopping anytime soon. She’d be an old woman pulling at her thinning gray strands until they put her in the ground.

Jacob laughed, realizing he’d caught her in his cleverly laid trap. If he was within arms-reach, she would have shaken him like a rag doll. “Your face gives away everything. It’s why you suck at poker.”

“Shut-up,” she muttered.

Another window suddenly popped up, notifying her that she had another call. She stared at the screen as Seokjin’s name and picture appeared in the window. Her eyes lowered to the corner of the monitor, spying the time, and she wondered why he was calling. He’d given her the rest of the week off so she could adjust to all the hormonal imbalances that came with her pregnancy. Talking with her brother was part of the whole routine check-up bit, but she really wanted to talk to him about her being with child.

“Hold on, Jake. I have another call.”

“Sure.”

She put her brother on hold, answering Seokjin’s call. When his face popped up on the screen, Anastasia could only stare at how uncomfortably close his face was to the camera. Neither of them said anything. She was too startled to speak and he apparently was trying to read something about her. He did this often when he was trying to catch her in some kind of lie or if she was secretly up to something.

“Seokjin,” she finally said, blinking, “what are you doing?” Anastasia looked over his shoulder to see if he was in his office. “Shouldn’t you be, oh I dunno, working or something?”

“Why are you on the computer?” he asked suddenly. “I gave you the rest of the week off to rest. Not so you could stare at a monitor.”

Anastasia sighed. “I’m talking to my brother. Why?”

“You can’t talk on the phone?”

“Phone calls are expensive. Skype is free.”

He gave her a dissatisfied look. “Are you serious?”

“Yes, I’m serious! Why are you calling me on Skype if you’re worried about me being in front of a monitor?”

“Because you won’t answer your phone!”

“My phone’s dead and I’m charging it!” Anastasia puffed out one of her cheeks. “Geez, you’re impossible.”

He frowned, brushing some of his hair out of his eyes before leaning back in his chair. “…are you hungry?”

“Am I hung—what?” She looked back at the clock to make sure of the time. “It’s still early!”

“You should at least eat breakfast. It’s the most important meal of the day.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” Anastasia rolled her eyes. “Shouldn’t you be working? Go back to work!”

Without waiting for his response, she hung up the call and went back to the window her brother was on. Jacob was busying himself with scribbling some notes on a notepad.

“Sorry about that.”

He looked up at the screen, setting his pen down. “Who was that?”

“A potential headache.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Just a headache.”

Jacob smirked. “Yeah? Sounds like a boyfriend to me.”

“Jacob Martin!”

He laughed loudly, holding a hand up as he patted the air. “Okay, okay. I get it. Dropping it now.”

Anastasia smiled as she sighed, realizing how much she missed her brother being around. He mentioned coming to visit from time to time, but between working and trying to find his place in the world, she knew that it was almost impossible. Air fare wasn’t cheap and while she could afford to fly him out if he wanted, there was the internal worry about him judging her ties with former gangsters. Their home life wasn’t peaches and cream, but it was far from unsavory. What family was perfect?

Even so, she still wondered what her brother would think of her if she told him she was having a child out of wedlock.

Once the heavy topic of her work environment was no longer the focus, the two of them were able to engage in lighter conversation. Again, Jacob mentioned coming to visit her in South Korea, mostly because he wanted to see the country she’d called home for the last three and a half years. The place was full of beauty and splendor. There were many things about the land that helped heal her from the horrible fall she’d had over her broken dreams. While she may not have been a chef and restaurant owner like she wanted, her current occupation brought her to this place.

The path she walked led her to Seokjin, the man she loved.

Half an hour passed and she realized that it was getting late. She worried that she was keeping Jacob up longer than normal.

“You should probably get some rest,” she said, noting the tired look in Jacob’s eyes, “you have the overnight shift this week, don’t you?”

Jacob stifled a yawn. “Yeah, but it’s fine. I need to make sure that Phillip did his homework.”

“Let Elena worry about that.”

He nodded, waving a hand back and forth to her. Anastasia wished to ruffle his hair like she often did when they were teenagers. A painful wave of nostalgia overtook her and she did her best not to cry, cursing herself for all the pregnancy hormones throwing her out of whack. Jacob didn’t seem to notice as he finished off his bottle of water.

“Mm, alright. I guess I’ll try to get some sleep. G’night, ‘Stasia.”

Anastasia rubbed at her eyes to keep the tears from falling. “Goodnight, Jake.”

The blip noise sounded after the call ended and Anastasia was left with only silence. She curled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs as she buried her face into her knees. A weak sob was all she could muster, mourning the lack of family around her to tell her that everything was going to be okay. That her worries would be for nothing and that she would be happy. That she deserved to be happy, despite all of her failures.

For a moment, all she could do was sob quietly to herself. There were so many missed opportunities to empty her soul to her brother. He would have understood and encouraged her. Jacob would have told her that she was strong, that she was one of the strongest people he knew, and that this little bump in the road was just one pothole on the way to glory. Their parents would have told her she was shameful for carrying another man’s child when she hadn’t even so much as been introduced to his family. That it was a disgrace to have a child as an unmarried woman. People did it all the time, but not her family. Not the D’Angelo’s.

Anastasia didn’t know how long she was curled up in her chair. She was pretty sure that she’d drifted off at some point. Her limbs ached from scrunching herself up into a ball and they protested as she tried to straighten herself out. A hand rubbed at her stomach while the other wiped the moisture from her cheeks.

“I’m sorry, Baby,” she whispered, rubbing circles over her belly, “I didn’t mean to cramp you up like that.”

She stretched her legs out, then her arms, before standing. Grabbing the mug, she made her way downstairs. She’d barely made it into the kitchen before the front door burst open and in walked Seokjin, looking flustered and haggard. The mug slipped from her hands and fell into the sink with a loud clatter as she spun around the moment he stalked into the kitchen.

“W-What are you doing?!” Anastasia managed to stammer out, taking a step back as Seokjin quickly closed the distance between them. “You’re supposed to be at work!”

“You hung up on me!”

“That’s because you were acting crazy!”

Anastasia peered around him, hoping that Jimin had the wherewithal to at least follow so she could drag Seokjin back to the office. She frowned, ducking under his arm and bolting from into the living room. He was practically on her heels.

This was insane!

Stopping short, she whirled on her heels and Seokjin had to raise himself up onto the balls of his feet to keep from crashing into her. She stuck her hand out.

“Phone. Now.”

He blinked down at her. “What? No!”

“Gimme the phone, Seokjin!”

His eyes narrowed, issuing his silent refusal. Anastasia didn’t care as she took a step forward, her hands lunging out to reach into the inner pocket of his suit jacket. He wasn’t fast enough to move out of the way and her fingers quickly found the item. When he tried to snatch it back from her, she twirled so that her back was facing him.

Her thumb slid over the dots to form the pattern needed to unlock his phone and she immediately dialed Jimin. As the phone rang, Seokjin tried to take the phone back but Anastasia was already half running, half jumping up the stairs toward the loft. Jimin answered before the second ring could finish.

“Hyung! Where did you go?!”

“Jimin-ah, you tell your boss to take his ass back to work!”

“A-Ana Noona? What are you—?”

“Do you hear me?” Her feet landed on the top step and she turned around to stick her foot out, her heel planting itself against Seokjin’s chest to keep him from moving any closer to her. “He has fivemeetings today and one of them is in twenty minutes. How could you let him leave the office in the first place?!”

“I’m sorry, Noona. I tried! But Seokjin Hyung hit me. He hit me in the chest and I was horrified!”

She shot him a glare. “He did what now?”

“He’s never hit me. I didn’t know what to do! I was caught off guard! I’m sorry. I’ll come over right now.”

Anastasia hung up the phone and tossed it back to Seokjin. She then pointed downstairs. “Out.”

He pouted. “Anastasia, come on…”

“Go back to work!” Her eyes narrowed. “If I end up having to take you backto the office, I’m going to work and I’m gonna make every second of your life a living hell while I’m there. Do you understand me?”

Seokjin gave her the once over, as if trying to surmise if she really would do it. He knew better. At least she hoped he knew better. She was as stubborn as a mule and if he thought, for even one second, that she was playing around, then he’d rue the day he ever hired her. She wasn’t going to back down from this and an angry pregnant woman was not a variable that Kim Seokjin would be in a hurry to deal with.

After a moment, he sighed and leaned against the wall. “…alright, you win.” He held his hands up, turning to head downstairs. “I’ll go.”

She stayed upstairs, waiting to hear him put on his shoes and open the door. When she didn’t hear it close, however, Anastasia smiled and shook her head. “I’ll see you tonight,” she called down to him, “have a good day.”

“…love you.”

Her cheeks flushed slightly and she walked down a few steps so she could see his pitiful face.

She laughed.

“I love you too.”

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 (bloody 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 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46

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

Word Count: 3,314

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

Chapter 46: Euphoria

“You’re the sun that rose again in my life; a reincarnation of my childhood dreams.”

© 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.

Jungkook groaned softly, his brows furrowing as a beam of sunlight sliced across the backs of his eyelids. A hand immediately went up to shield his face, frowning upon being roused from the deep sleep he was enjoying. When he shifted, he felt a weight on his arm and quickly froze. Craning his neck slightly, he lifted himself up a measure to see a curtain of dark curls draped against light brown skin. Jungkook gave a sleepy smile, his hand reaching out to brush Eden’s hair from her neck. She moved away from him only a little, a child-like moan of protest issuing from her and he watched the sleeve of her sweatshirt slip away to expose her bare shoulder.

Taking a moment to card his fingers through her hair, Jungkook leaned forward and pressed his nose into the juncture of her neck – inhaling her scent slowly. His lips were feather soft against her skin, his hand moving from her hair to smooth over the curve of her shoulder.

He would never get tired of this; of her.

These moments were his favorite. Jungkook felt like it was a journey around the world to finally breach her barriers, but Eden wasn’t exactly a vulnerable human being. She’d been hurt so much in her past that trusting others was difficult. She’d said as much. Hurt by people she opened her heart to; hurt by people she trusted to show her more delicate side.

Her stubbornness only urged Jungkook to pursue her relentlessly. He knew what it was like to feel alone in the way that she did. He understood her need to reach out and then pull back at the last second, doubting what she saw in front of her.

Even he felt the same despite the brotherhood he’d developed with his childhood friends.

Readjusting the arm she was laying on, he slid his hand beneath the sweatshirt so his fingers could slide past the underside of her breasts. Reaching over her waist, he pressed his large palm over the flat of her bare stomach and her abs tightened from the chill of his rings contacting her skin. Eden stirred in his arms and he watched the goosebumps form on the back of her neck – his hand gliding between her legs. Dipping beneath the fabric of her panties, he let his long fingers take pleasure in the warmth of her folds.

His lips caressed the curve of her jaw and he could feel his erection pressing into the small of her back. Jungkook wanted her; wanted this forever. He wanted to show her that it was okay to fall into a river of passion without the risk of drowning in it.

He’d never let her get swallowed up alone.

“Jungkook,” she mumbled, “what are you doing?”

Her voice was thick with sleep. It was deep and raspy, and it made Jungkook want her even more.

Eden turned in his arms, forcing his hands to cease their movements much to his disappointment. The bleary look of sleepiness on her face, however, only made him smile instead of pout. She rubbed at the backs of her eyes with the heels of her palms and he pulled her closer against him. A hand slid down her long, bare leg and he hiked it up to rest her thigh on his hip.

He leaned in closer as she finished rubbing at her eyes, pressing a kiss to the tip of her nose. “Good morning,” he greeted, and he chuckled when she opened one eye to look at him. “Sleep well?”

She tried to turn away from him, presumably to go back to sleep, but he held onto her leg tightly – making it impossible for her to flop onto her other side. Eden tried to pull away a few more times before finally giving up. Expecting a glare, however, he was surprised to feel her lunging her body forward to slam her chest against his. A grunt pushed from his lungs in response and he could only stare wide-eyed at the wall as she nuzzled her face into his chest.

He tried to wrangle his emotions, mentally kicking himself for still acting like a child with a schoolboy crush as his heart thrummed heavily against his ribs. She seemed to pick up on this immediately, feeling her smiling against his skin.

“Don’t you laugh,” he said, his eyes meeting hers as she peeked up to look at him.

He saw her grin widen. “Or what?”

“You’re going to get a spanking.”

She laughed outright. “Promises, promises!” she replied, her hands snaking up along his sides and it was too late before he realized what she was getting ready to do.

Jungkook let out a sound that was a cross between a squeak and a yell. He felt her fingers dipping into his hips before they scurried over his ribs and at the tender spots just below his armpits. Flopping around like a fish to escape her, he crashed onto her apartment floor tangled in blankets and sheets. When he finally managed to free himself, he saw Eden dashing out of the small bedroom and into the bathroom.

Letting out a groan, he buried his face into the mattress – resigning himself to being on breakfast assignment the minute he heard Eden turning on the shower.

It didn’t take him long to get dressed into a pair of comfy sweatpants and a grey hoodie. Not caring that his fringe poked out from beneath the hood, he sprinted down the long street until he was able to reach the convenience store a block away. He bought two small cartons of milk – one chocolate and one strawberry – some Danishes and two sausages on a stick. He quickly paid for the items and dashed out of the store – the plastic bag rattling at his side as he opted to walk back instead of running.

Patting one of his pockets, he scratched at the side of his nose impishly. Jungkook was glad that Eden decided to take the day off to rest. Taehyung agreed to handle things at the recording studio for the time being and there hadn’t been any real reason for him to help his other brothers with their affairs. Though originally she opted to take more time off from work so she could support Anastasia (who was, for all intents and purposes, carrying his niece and/or nephew), Jungkook wasn’t about to let such an opportunity pass him by.

Jungkook reached the stairs to the rooftop apartment and climbed them slowly. When he made it to the top, the image he saw was completely unexpected. He had to rub his own eyes to make sure he was seeing correctly.

Eden was outside, pulling laundry off the lines. One set of sheets threatened to blow away from the sudden gust of wind and she chased after it – laughing at the potential crisis that was about to happen. She managed to catch the bedding just before it flew off the roof, her body leaning over the edge. Jungkook almost moved after her, but when he saw her body spinning around and away from the ledge, he stopped and continued to look on as she let the sheets fly behind her. Music played from her phone on the ground nearby and she seemed oblivious to his presence.

He remembered reading about nymphs in a Greek mythology book once when he was younger. He didn’t particularly believe in the supernatural, but he believed that there were people beyond human understanding. Whether they were humans or something otherworldly was undeterminable, but in that moment, he swore that Eden wasn’t of this world. The way her hair flew behind her as she ran around with the sheet, laughing so freely, he believed that she was a mythical nymph.

Jungkook dropped the bag and this seemed to knock Eden out of the trance she’d placed herself in. Her bare feet came to a halt and the sheet fluttered against her back – gathering in a strange bundle at her heels. She blinked, brushing some of her wet curls behind her ears.

“Oh, Jungkook-ah,” she said, wrapping the sheet around her shoulders, “you’re back.”

He said nothing. He could only look on as he took a step toward her.

“Where’d you go?”

Again, he couldn’t say anything. Even if he wanted to, the words just kept running away from him; tumbling from his brain. All he did was take another step forward.

And another.

And another.

And another.

The distance between them was short, but it felt like it took him half a lifetime to get to her. When he did, all he could do was gaze down at her confused face. She blinked up at him and he reached out to tuck more of her hair behind both of her ears.

Neither of them said anything. He just continued to hold her face in his hands, a warm feeling spreading throughout his chest and reaching up to wrap around his throat. She must have seen something in his gaze because she placed a hand on the back of his – stirring him out of the hypnosis she’d unknowingly put him under.

“Hey,” she called to him softly, “are you okay?”

Jungkook shook his head. “No,” he said gently, “not yet.”

Before she could ask anything further, he took a step back and then slowly lowered himself down onto one knee. He reached into his pocket, fishing out the item that he’d been carrying with him for the better part of a month. The velvet blue box was revealed and Eden dropped the sheet to the ground completely. Her eyes widened, tears instantly filling them the moment he opened the box to show the white gold band with the soft blue gemstone situated on the gem mounting.

“Ya,” Eden managed to choke out as she covered her mouth, “w-what are you doing?”

When she took a step back, Jungkook’s arm moved with lightning speed and he caught her wrist – halting any and all escape attempts. When he felt her resisting him, his thumb dug into her skin to secure the hold he had on her.

“Noona,” he called to her, his mouth suddenly feeling dry, “please…”

He hadn’t meant to sound so pathetic. But the words felt like sand on the tip of his tongue and he wasn’t sure if he had the strength to repeat what he was about to say. Eden’s cheeks were streaked with tears, but her body seemed to relax a little more. Taking comfort in this, Jungkook’s fingers slid from her wrist to hold onto her hand.

“I wish I had the right words to tell you how I feel.” Jungkook could barely hear his own words, muffled under the sound of how loud his heart was thundering in his ears. “But the only thing I’m confident enough to say is that I love you. I love you sogoddamn much.”

Jungkook curled his fingers into her palm, pulling her toward him a half step. The sheet was abandoned as her bare feet shuffled forward. He watched her wiping at her cheeks with her free hand, silently waiting for him to continue.

“I know I probably don’t deserve the moments you give me, but I’m thankful that you do. I’m grateful that you decided to give me a chance. To give us a chance.”

He pulled her arm forward so that he could press his forehead against the back of her hand.

“It’s going to take some time, I know, but…” Lifting his face to look at her, he gave her a weak smile. “…will you also give me the chance to occupy every inch of your heart? Will you let me stay there forever once I do?”

Eden’s facial expression didn’t change. He saw the tears continuing to fall despite her efforts to clean her face with her free hand. He felt a heavy weight on his chest and was sure he’d pass out from the pressure building there.

“Eden McGee…” Jungkook held the box up a little higher. “…will you marry me?”

Everything was silent except for the breeze that blew through the skies, causing the laundry to flutter on the line.

Then he heard it. A half sob, half laugh. Jungkook blinked and saw the most unguarded look on Eden’s face he’d ever seen. When she wiped her nose with the back of her wrist, she nodded and laughed again. Jungkook let go of her hand long enough to pluck the ring from the soft silk bedding inside the box and slip it onto the appropriate finger. He figured she would take a moment to admire it, but the moment his hand left the ring, Eden threw herself into his arms and hugged him.

Jungkook wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting both her and him up off the ground. He spun around and peppered her face and neck with kisses. Again, she laughed, wrapping her legs around his waist.

This was the beginning of the rest of their lives.

Together.

Jungkook fiddled nervously with his vest, straightening the garment for the dozenth time while Jimin watched from a corner of the room, biting back a smile. He glanced over at him and sighed, shaking his head. “Is it normal to be this nervous? I love her. I want to marry her.” He stared back at his reflection in the mirror. “So why am I so nervous?”

Jimin pushed himself off the wall and approached Jungkook, grabbing his shirt collar and straightening it out, smoothing down the corners with gentle fingers. “Because you love her. Because it’s a big step.” Jungkook frowned a little, which caused his brother to smirk. “There’s a million reasons why you’re allowed to be nervous, so stop being nervous about being nervous,” he said, patting his cheek. “You love her. She loves you. It’s that simple.”

Jungkook couldn’t help the shaky sigh that managed to escape him. Jimin was right and he knew that. Sometimes it was better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission. Jungkook rarely followed such a principle, but today was the day he would. He had to.

Two weeks had passed since Eden accepted his proposal. Once emotions were finally settled, they had a lengthy discussion and both agreed that it was probably in the best interest of everyone to marry in secret. With Anastasia pregnant, Raelyn busy with her hospital work, and the rest of Jungkook’s own friends focusing on staying off the Jade Fangs’ radar, it was better to just have a small ceremony between the two of them.

They still needed a witness; someone they trusted implicitly.

Jimin didn’t fuss or fight against any of it when Jungkook brought it up to him a week ago. In fact, it surprised him how readily he was willing to accept the role. Jimin reassured Jungkook that he just needed to focus on getting ready and planning the best honeymoon he could for his future bride. It wasn’t the most extravagant place, but it was important to him and Jimin agreed that Eden would appreciate it more than some trip to a resort on a remote beach somewhere.

Jungkook grabbed Jimin’s hands and gave them a squeeze before stepping back, looking at his brother – the one who was constantly giving him words of wisdom while fussing over him at the same time. “Is it really, though?” he asked, almost pointedly.

He watched Jimin raise an eyebrow at him, daring him to say anything further. When he didn’t, he patted his cheek again with a wry grin. “You have nothing to worry about, Jungkook-ah. It really is that simple for you. Eden loves you. She wants to marry you. So go out there and get married. You’ve both done so much with your lives and you have so much more left to do.”

What he said made sense, of course. He loved Eden more than he’d ever thought possible. He’d never met another woman who stirred the same kind of emotions in him than she had. Jungkook knew that he probably never would; not in this lifetime, anyway.

He gave his brother one long look before relaxing, the corners of his lips twitching into a smile. “You’re right. Just…I want you to be happy, too, y’know?”

“I am happy.” Jungkook winced when Jimin flicked his forehead and he rubbed at the sore spot. “Now, stop being so twitchy. Relax. Put a smile on that ridiculously handsome face of yours and go out there so you can greet your lady and, you know, marry her.”

He laughed and ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head. “Well, do I look good, at least? Come on, Hyung, you’ve got to help me out, here.” He gestured at himself, indicating the suit he’d chosen to wear.

The soft gray and black pinstripe suit stood out against the taupe stained walls of the chapel waiting room, bringing out the darker tones of his eyes. He’d thought it was appropriate. Black seemed too somber a color, and he was ready to start a new chapter of his life - one with his soon-to-be-wife - with energy and positivity.

Jimin snorted softly and reached up to ruffle his hair, though he smoothed it back down after. “You look fine, Jungkook. Handsome and happy. You’re lucky to have each other. Now, let’s go get you out there. We don’t wanna keep her waiting. She just might change her mind and run off.”

They left the room chuckling together, Jimin following slightly behind him, as if he were herding Jungkook along. And he may very well have been. Jungkook's nervousness aside, he knew he wanted to see Eden more than anything. And though none of them were terribly superstitious, Jimin managed to convince him not to try and see his future wife before she was walking down the aisle.

Jungkook tried not to start fidgeting again, Jimin silent and reassuring at his side as the priest stood at the front of the chapel hall. He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm his nerves as his white gloved hands wrung against each other. Jimin placed a hand on his shoulder, causing what nerves remained to drain out of him. He met his brother’s gaze and smiled, the two of them turning as the door to the chapel opened.

A few scant moments later, he saw her. Eden. She stepped out, into the light, and his breath caught in his throat as he looked at her, unable to see anywhere else. She was beyond beautiful. Of course, he already knew that. But in the soft light reflecting off tan walls and pooling through stained glass windows, her simple off-white dress that stopped at her knees seemed to radiate light. Jungkook couldn’t hear the music of the pianist; he didn’t see the priest or his brother.

Nothing and no one existed except her.

The ceremony itself was a blur, both too fast and too slow. He didn’t even really register what was said, or by whom. Rings were exchanged - again - their shining surfaces and dark patina a testament to their age. Jungkook had the rings engraved with the date of their wedding.

The vows were said, rings on each other’s hands, and he was kissing her, their lips finding each other. He would have stayed like that for much longer, but someone cleared their throat, a reminder that it could wait for later. They separated and he looked down at Eden, his dark eyes swirling with desire and pure happiness.

They were married. She was his wife. From now until the end of their lives, and beyond. From this moment onward, they were a true team; partners in every sense.

Ride or die.

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 (bloody 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 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47

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

Word Count: 2,441

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

Chapter 47: DNA

“We’re completely different baby. Because we’ve found our destiny.“

© 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

There were few expectations that Kim Taehyung had in life. He expected to wake up, have breakfast (and by breakfast, he had every intention of making love to his woman), shower, eat actual breakfast, and then continue with his day. His work was always different; working with artists of various talents. It didn’t have to be in the music industry. Taehyung found promising artists of all forms of medium in his line of work. Some nights he worked late. Some nights he came home early.

These were all normal expectations.

What he didn’t expect was to come home to a lovely ceramic plate flying at his head.

Instincts took over rationale and he quickly dodged, the plate shattering into half a dozen pieces against the wall. When he looked up, he saw Raelyn preparing to aim two coffee mugs at him from the kitchen. She lunged one at him and he dipped around the corner as it smashed into the wall.

“W-Whoa!” he yelled, peeking around the corner, “Raelyn, what the hell?!”

She said nothing. Raelyn chose to chuck the other mug in her hand instead of answering him. Taehyung ducked behind the wall again. He hurried out of his shoes and shrugged his coat off his shoulders, letting it land on the floor. Taehyung raced into the kitchen just as Raelyn began reaching for the carving board; presumably to beat him with. She yelled at him, a host of incoherent sounds tumbling from her, and he wrenched the heavy board from her hands and tossed it onto the counter.

He ignored her banging on his chest and only winced when she grabbed a handful of his hair and pulled. Taehyung did his best to put a lid on his mounting anger and, instead, chose to focus on the fury painted over his girlfriend’s face. He reached out to grab her wrists, holding them firmly between them and forcing her to finally look at him.

“Raelyn!” he yelled again, his voice booming off the walls and causing her to be still for even half a second, “What’s the matter? Tell me what the fuck is happening!”

But she didn’t say anything. All he saw was the onset of tears brimming her eyes until they, too, spilled down her cheeks. He searched her gaze, looking for a clue that would tell him anything about what forced her to go into a frenzy. He watched her fingers curling into fists as he held her wrists securely in his grasp, her chest rising and falling with how heavy she was breathing. He was so confused.

Until his eyes rested on the counter and he saw a pregnancy test. There were two faded blue lines on the applicator. His grip suddenly slackened and his arms fell at his side. Raelyn didn’t resume her punching assault. She covered her eyes instead, sobbing into her hands. It only took a moment for him to realize what was happening before his vision went vertical for half a second. Shaking his head, he tried to get his head right as it attempted to swim.

“H-How long?”

He grunted when he felt Raelyn punching his shoulder. “I don’t know! A month! Maybe longer!” She angrily wiped at the tears on her face. “I won’t know until I get an ultrasound done.”

Taehyung rubbed at his shoulder absentmindedly, stopped, and then smiled widely. He saw Raelyn aiming to hit him again, but he shifted and grabbed her by the hand. “Then let’s get one done.”

“Are you crazy?!”

It was hard to keep his smile from growing, but he tried. The flustered look on Raelyn’s face, however, had him dissolving into a small giggling fit. She tried to break out of his hold, successfully freeing one hand. She immediately used it to punch him repeatedly on the shoulder. This only forced him to laugh even harder and he began holding his sides.

“You think this is funny?! HUH?!”

Before Raelyn could assault him again, he wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her up. She kicked her legs back and forth, wriggling in his hold, but he only buried his face into the juncture of her neck. He continued to laugh until he felt tears leaking out of his eyes. He hadn’t meant for her to see it, but she must have felt it because she slowly went limp in his arms. Her hands settled on his shoulders as he held her aloft, her feet dangling off the ground and resting along his shins.

“T-Taehyung-ah,” she said gently, moving her hand to curl at the side of his neck, “are you alright?”

He didn’t want to let her go. Not yet. He continued to keep her close to him, her body still in the air and pressed against his chest. His laughter died off and he wrapped his arms even tighter around her waist. She didn’t protest or fight him, instead choosing to card her fingers through his hair until her digits were pressed against the nape of his neck.

Taehyung nodded his head, setting Raelyn down slowly until he felt her feet resting on the floor. He pulled back and she looked up at him, brows knitting together in concern. His smile remained, a little softer, and he let his hands trail down until he could curl his fingers into her palms. Small tears spilled out of the corners of his eyes and he gave a half laugh, using his shoulders to swipe away the moisture on his cheeks.

“I’m better than alright, Noona.” He pulled her a little closer. “I’m so happy.”

Raelyn looked unsure. “You are?”

He gave an emphatic nod. “Yeah, I am.”

This seemed to almost stun her, but she didn’t say anything. Not immediately. He could sense her reticence. He knew there wasn’t anything he could do to chase that little bit of doubt away, so he simply waited. He waited for her to process things the way she often did – usually a handful of minutes of cogwheels turning in her mind.

Finally, she sighed as he saw her shoulders sag a measure. “But why?”

He knew this was coming. He was ready for it. Taehyung always knew he’d be ready if the conversation ever led to this topic. He just never expected it to happen so quickly.

“Because,” he began, taking a breath, “I’ve always wanted to be a dad.”

Again, Raelyn said nothing. She just waited for him to continue, knowing he would.

“I’ll admit it, I was jealous of Jin Hyung a little when he told us that Ana Noona was pregnant. Maybe there was a part of me that selfishly wished you were pregnant too.” A measure of guilt wormed around in his heart and he let go of Raelyn’s hand to rub at the tender spot in the center of his chest. “I know that it isn’t just about me, though. It wasn’t on purpose. I know we were both careful and I—”

Raelyn shook her head. “No, these things just happen sometimes. Use all the protection in the world, but that isn’t a hundred percent preventative. There are instances where it can just…happen.”

He smirked. Hearing her logicalize the situation made his girlfriend even more endearing. Bringing rationale into the relationship was her way of processing and analyzing things. Raelyn was hardly what anyone would consider an impulsive individual. In an unexpected situation, she was doing her best to keep a level-head once the initial fallout of emotions was finished.

Leaning forward, he peered into her face and she, in turn, leaned back so he couldn’t completely crowd her space. “You still mad at me?”

He could see her struggling not to smile, her eyes averting his gaze to keep her expression as flat as possible. “…maybe.”

“You sure?”

“No.”

“Can we go get an ultrasound now, hm?” Swaying their arms back and forth, he pushed out a small whine. “I wanna know if we’re gonna be parents or not.”

She rolled her eyes. “Whatever,” Raelyn said, slipping her hands from his so she could head to the coat closet in the living room, “get your jacket. It’s cold.”

Taehyung scampered behind her, letting her arms shrug into the coat. He made sure she was fully zipped up, holding her hand as she put on her shoes. It took him no time to throw on his padded coat and hop into his boots. He had to keep himself from all but dragging her out of the complex, half tempted to carry her all the way to the hospital.

He was anxious to know if he was already building something with his own two hands.

Seoul – Hannam; Yongsan District South Korea

“What did you just say?”

Taehyung kicked his legs back and forth at the island in the kitchen, cradling the glass of wine in his hands. Yoongi screwed the top to the whiskey bottle closed, setting it on the counter. He seemed to be scrutinizing over what Taehyung just told him, leaning back on the counter and crossing one foot over his ankle.

Instead of answering, however, Taehyung grinned and took a sip of wine. Yoongi’s brows twitched in frustration, not known for being the most patient of people in their inner circle. He wouldn’t be able to get away with keeping his mouth shut for much longer.

“Where’s Jungkook?”

Taehyung decided to change the subject instead.

Yoongi snorted, not blind to his little avoidance method. “Hwaseong,” he replied easily, lifting the glass to his lips.

“Huh?” Taehyung blinked. “Why did he go back to Hwaseong?”

“He and Eden are on a trip there,” replied Yoongi, crossing the kitchen to sit in the chair across from him, “said something about wanting to show her our hometown.”

“What? Really?” Taehyung laughed while leaning back a bit. “Our maknae is so sentimental. Never expected him to take his girlfriend to our country town.”

Yoongi didn’t say anything. Taehyung saw his older brother’s expression shift, but barely. He’d heard from Jimin that Yoongi and Eden were together once. For years. Yoongi kept it a secret from all of them for an indeterminable amount of time and while Taehyung was never one to pry into the affairs of others, he had to admit that he was a little shocked to discover the person he often left them for was Eden McGee.

Will wonders never cease? he thought, watching Yoongi’s movements carefully. And now he’s forced to watch the woman he cared for engage in an intimate relationship with his youngest brother…

Setting the glass down on the marble counter with a whisper, Yoongi took a breath and looked at his watch. Something seemed to pass over his brother’s expression, something that anyone who didn’t know Min Yoongi would have missed. It was something that Taehyung would have missed had he not been paying attention.

He blinked at Yoongi from across the table, the older man refusing to meet his gaze.

…he still cares about her.

“When are you going to tell Hoseok about Raelyn?”

Yoongi’s words smashed through his thoughts, like a rock crashing through a window. For a moment, Taehyung felt his heart jump into his throat – getting stuck there. He tried to swallow down the uncomfortable feeling, internally praying that Yoongi dropped the subject. The truth of the matter was that Taehyung wasn’t sure when – or even how– he was going to bring it up to Hoseok in the first place. It wasn’t like it was light dinner conversation material.

Hoseok was level-headed. While Taehyung knew that his brother had already accepted his relationship with Raelyn, there was no telling how he would react upon hearing the news of her pregnancy. It wasn’t like it was with Anastasia. There was a good chance that Hoseok would simply take it in stride. On the other hand, he could explode.

Like a time bomb.

Clearing his throat, Taehyung drained his wine glass and set it down roughly on the counter. “Do I have to?”

He resisted the involuntary need to flinch when Yoongi’s dark eyes glared openly across at him. “…are you serious?”

“Yes, I am.” Taehyung said it out loud to convince himself.

Yoongi steepled his fingers together. “Don’t you think it’s a little irresponsible not to?”

“No,” he said a little more confidently, “it would be irresponsible to tell him when I don’t have my shit together. I want to tell him as a brother who is proud of the news, not some kid wanting his parents to fix his mistakes.”

For a while, all Yoongi did was stare back at him intently. The weight of his gaze made Taehyung’s breath shorten a measure, but he refused to have his resolve shake. He knew that Yoongi was the most practical of them all, willing to chop away any hindrances to their existences without hesitation. In a way, he could be even more ruthless than Hoseok.

Finally, he shrugged and stood from his chair. “It’s your choice,” Yoongi said while turning to head to the sink, “just make sure you don’t wait until it’s too late.”

Taehyung frowned. “What do you mean?”

He heard Yoongi scoff. “Don’t play dumb, Taehyung-ah.” He turned to glance over his shoulder at him. “You know things are going to get messy once the Jade Fangs decide to make their move.”

“Let them,” he said, standing from his chair, “it’s not like we aren’t ready for the fight.”

“Things are different now. Very different.” Yoongi crossed the room so he could stand beside Taehyung. “We’re not gangsters anymore. We don’t have power anymore. It’s going to get ugly and it’s because everyone has something to lose now.”

Taehyung felt a cold sweat touch the base of his neck as Yoongi gave him the once over.

“…some of us more than others.”

He jumped when he felt Yoongi’s hand patting his shoulder. The smile on his brother’s face was a mixture between bitter and sad. Yoongi sighed, turning away from him to leave the kitchen.

“Congratulations, Taehyung-ah.”

Taehyung sank back into the chair, as if the wind had been knocked straight from him. Part of him was happy to hear his brother acknowledge the small measure of joy he’d received in his life. The other part was fully aware of the warning Yoongi shared with him. They had more to lose now. More than ever.

I won’t let them take it from me. Curling his hands into fists at his knees, he narrowed his eyes harshly. I’ll never let anyone take my happiness from me.

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 (bloody violence), Heavy Language, Angst, Slow Burn, Smut

Additional Warnings: Actual smut (strip tease, heavy foreplay, fingering, hand job, body worship, pre-cum), allusion to kidnapping

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 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48

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

Word Count: 4,315

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

AN: So...this is the beginning of the end. To everyone who has faithfully followed this series from the start, I thank you. I appreciate you. It’s about to be a very bumpy ride. I’m going to go ahead and apologize in advance. I’m sorry for the hurt and pain that is coming. Please stay with me  until the end.

Chapter 48: Home

“We won’t talk but we’ll be comfortable. If only I have you, it’ll be my home.“

© 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.

Hwaseong – Gyeonggi Province South Korea

Eden smiled as she felt Jungkook wrap his heavier coat around her shoulders. Children raced past them, squealing in delight as they chased each other. One child barreled into her back, causing her to stumble forward a little. Jungkook cuffed the little boy on his head and Eden tugged at Jungkook’s ear to get him to stop. The little boy sniffled, apologizing, and Eden gave him a few bills so he could buy some snacks with his friends. Jungkook smirked, watching the little boy blush as he looked at her, bowed, and then scrambled off to be with his friends.

“You’re too easy on them,” he teased.

She rolled her eyes. “They’re just kids. Let them be kids.” Eden paused as they reached the corner of the street. “They should have that luxury, don’t you think?”

When she looked up at Jungkook, something flickered across his gaze. His brows furrowed and she immediately regretted saying what she had. Her intention hadn’t been to make him feel guilty, but he still did. Old memories were dredged up, something that they talked about in length once when they were up late watching Korean gangster movies while sharing a bottle of whiskey. They both never really got to be kids; the world forced them to grow up and deal with the adult world before they physically became adults.

It wasn’t a life either of them chose for themselves, but it wasn’t a life they regretted either. It made them who they were now. It was the life that led them to each other.

“I’m sorry, Jungkook-ah,” she said softly, “I shouldn’t have said that…”

He shook his head roughly from side to side, taking her arm and looping it through his. “No, you’re right. They should be able to run and play and rough around like they want while they can.”

She smiled, relieved to know that he felt the same way she did.

They continued down the path, passing various street stalls that sold food, clothes, and other trinkets. It was Spring and Summer would soon be approaching. Flowers were blooming and green returned to the once barren trees that lined the streets. The air was starting to warm up, but there was still that little bit of chill in the air that swept through and touched the marrow of bones.

Most women would have found coming to a back end province like Hwaseong deplorable – especially for a honeymoon getaway. But Eden insisted that this was the place she wanted to spend time with her husband – the place where he sealed away all his childhood memories; where his dreams first began.

The place where he called home.

Hwaseong was rural in most aspects, but there were industrial districts. She preferred the softer sides of his hometown, the places where all the rolling hills and lush forests flourished. It was peaceful, quiet, and a place where she could gather her thoughts. Jungkook pointed out the places that meant the most to him and she made mental notes of them; filing them away to be explored in depth later.

One by one, he went by all the places that his brothers called home. Some of their family members came out to greet them and Jungkook simply introduced Eden as his girlfriend. She didn’t mind, seeing as how they were both wearing their wedding bands as necklaces. But just for now. Eden agreed that it was better if they kept their marriage a secret, especially since tensions between the Jade Fangs and the former Golden Jackals had the potential to escalate. It was the safer and smarter way to go about things. Jimin was the only one who knew and they would keep it that way until everything finally settled down.

As each day passed, she was able to see the lake where he first met the others – the ones he called his brothers. They were all children back then, playing around the Han River in their underwear and throwing rocks at the lake while fishing. He took her to the orphanage that cared for him until he was old enough to get a job and go to school. As painful as it must have been, Jungkook even showed her the home he used to live in with his parents before they threw him away. A different family lived there now.

Everything was a precious memory, good and bad, and Eden tucked them away without judgment.

They returned to the hotel, deciding to order takeout and have it brought to their room. Lavish as their lodgings were, it seemed a bit silly, seeing as how Hwaseong became a bit of a tourist trap in recent years. It gave the community a chance to build something expansive and eye-catching, grabbing at the ankles of wealthy tourists to come and spend their money on pricey hotel suites and cheap souvenirs boasting ancient history in the inner square’s markets.

But it was the little things that counted.

After they finished eating, Eden began washing dishes in the sink of the suite’s kitchen. As she placed a few on the drying rack, she felt Jungkook approach her from behind. He slid his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder as she continued to work. She smiled when he pressed a kiss to the side of her neck and she wiggled a little, his fringe tickling her cheek.

“Let’s go back to Seoul tomorrow,” he said suddenly, lacing his fingers together across her stomach.

She rinsed off a plate, intent on focusing on the task at hand. “Why? I thought we were staying here for a few more days?” Eden pouted, casting a sidelong glance at him. “Are we cutting the honeymoon short?”

She understood if it needed to be done. Sometimes work couldn’t be avoided. But that didn’t mean she had to like it.

Jungkook laughed, pressing his mouth to her temple. “No, we’re not.” He reached up to brush some of her hair behind her ear. “I actually have another surprise for you.”

“You and your surprises,” Eden muttered, unable to hide the tiny smirk that appeared.

“Trust me,” he whispered, “you’ll love it.”

Seoul – Itaewon; Yongsan District South Korea

“Uh, Jungkook?”

“Hm?”

“What is this?”

“What is what?”

Eden turned to look at Jungkook, seeing the look of pride all but explode over his face. He was practically beaming and he took a moment to meet her gaze. Eden blinked up at him, then craned her neck to look back at the large house surrounded by a thicket of private trees. There was a small stairwell that led up to the front door, a small awning perched from the siding of the slate walls. A large front deck wrapped around the house, a two-story home that boasted modern features with a hint of traditional landscaping.

She pointed to the house – her finger aimed at the large window on the second floor.

“This,” she said again, “what is this?”

“A house,” he said, amusement laced through his words, “our house.”

Whipping her head to look at him. She could see no trace of a lie or even a tease. “Excuse me, what?”

Laughing, Jungkook grabbed her by the hand and tugged her along – pulling her up the short set of steps while rustling around for a set of keys. Slipping it into the door, he twisted the key and ushered her inside. Eden was only barely able to get her shoes off as he helped her into a pair of house slippers.

“I’ll get an electronic lock installed later. I just couldn’t wait to show this to you.”

She had no words. Even if she had, Eden was positive they would have tumbled to the floor in a meaningless collection of jargon she wouldn’t have been able to understand. Everything was brand new. The floor was made of polished hardwood, the furniture sleek and modern. Only the throw pillows were unfashionable as they sported various characters from anime that Eden liked – a large Princess Mononoke throw blanket draped across the back of the large couch in the living room.

Eden took a few steps forward, her eyes darting in every direction to take everything in. The kitchen was large, sporting a marble island with stools around it. Large windows allowed for natural light to flood the rooms, showing off the view of the front and side gardens. A huge flat screen television decorated the wall near an ornate entertainment center – a fireplace nestled in the corner with freshly cut logs near the hearth to be used during the colder months.

Turning to look at Jungkook, she didn’t have time to speak before he was already scooping her into his arms and carrying her up the stairs.

“We can explore the rest of the house tonight,” he said, leaning in to press his lips along the shell of her ear, “but there’s one place I want us to go.”

Eden felt her cheeks getting warmer. She knew the look in his eyes and understood what his intentions were. So it didn’t come as a surprise to her when he pushed open a door with his shoulder to reveal a large master bedroom. Without wasting a moment more, Jungkook set her down so her feet hit the floor, his lips moving to capture hers in a heated kiss. She moaned unconsciously into his mouth, her hands moving to rest on his shoulders as he hurriedly popped the buttons of her jeans loose.

His large hands moved to all but tear the hoodie from her, pulling it up and over her head so that it landed on the floor without a second glance. She tried to say something – anything – but the words were lost as he kissed her; his tongue slipping in between her lips to brush along her canines. Eden took a step back, her calf hitting the edge of the bed and she nearly stumbled backwards. Jungkook caught her by the waist, his hands warm against her skin. His fingers pressed into her waist, curling into the waistband of her jeans and she felt her breath hitch when he knocked his hips against hers. She could feel his erection through his pants, and she squeezed her thighs together a little bit tighter – attempting to get friction where she needed it most.

Jungkook’s kiss grew a bit more feverish, a hand moving from her waist to trail up her exposed back. Eden felt her skin pepper out in goosebumps – chasing the path that his hand made along her skin. Pausing to rest at the nape of her neck, Eden can’t help the sigh that managed to escape – lost in the cavern of his mouth. She tilted her head slightly, trying to get at his mouth at a better angle. But he chose that moment to break the kiss, trailing his mouth along the column of her neck. She felt his body almost vibrate as she reached out to pull at his shirt, yanking it free from his pants.

She felt his hand moving from the back of her neck, his fingers slowly clambering up to thread through her hair. His other hand was still at her hip and she could feel him tracing small circles around her skin before dipping below the waistband of her panties. Eden gasped softly as the sound of her zipper sliding down seemed to ricochet off the walls.

Jungkook broke the kiss again, moving a step back so he could slowly sink to the floor to his knees while taking her pants with him. He urged her to step out of them completely when they were bunched around her ankles and she complied, her legs trembling when he pressed his lips along her inner thigh. A hand slid down to the crown of his head, carding through his hair. Delicate hands moved to caress along her skin, finally smoothing over the curves of her thighs and then gripping onto her panties. He dragged them down, his lips giving chase to the material as he let it fall to her ankles.

Without having to be told, Eden stepped out of them as well.

Clad in just her bra, she felt overly exposed in a way that felt a little embarrassing. It was still broad daylight and Jungkook was being shamelessly intimate. The curtains weren’t drawn over the windows and while she knew the home was nestled in their own private sanctuary, Eden felt like someone was watching her; like they were being watched. It was a weird kink that she never believed she could properly give a voice to, but Jungkook indulged her whenever he could.

Licking a trail up her body, he paused just long enough to press his lips atop the swell of her breasts. He reached behind her, unhooking her bra and she let it fall to the ground. It, too, would be forgotten until it was deemed fit to be remembered.

Eden pouted as he smiled down at her, his eyes full of dark arousal. She could tell he was holding himself back a measure and she lightly smacked him on the chest with the back of her hand. His eyes crinkled in the corners, his gaze softening as he looked back at her.

“I’m the only one naked,” she murmured, “no fair.”

Reaching out to grasp one of her hands, he moved so that it now rested along the center of his chest. She could feel the heavy thrum of his heartbeat beneath her palm and he quirked a brow at her. She wasn’t sure what he was trying to ask her.

“Then make it fair,” he replied, his voice low and raspy.

Eden couldn’t keep the look of surprise and amusement from dancing over her face. She bit her lower lip, her hands moving to undo each button before shoving the material back and off his shoulders. He shrugged out of the shirt, shaking his hands so he was free of the material. Eden immediately went to his belt, pulling the leather through the loops of his jeans and then dropping it to the floor.

She could admit she wasn’t nearly as patient as her husband and he laughed, watching her popping the button of his jeans loose while frantically pulling at the zipper. His hands moved to still over hers and he lifted her easily off the floor. Eden wriggled when she felt him kissing her stomach, laughing as he tossed her onto the bed.

She cooed softly as he slid out of his jeans and boxers in one swift motion. His shaft twitched in response to him drinking her in. She could see his pupils dilating as he climbed over her like a predator about to devour his prey. His hands slid between her thighs to press along her folds, feeling the slickness that escaped from how heavy her own arousal was. Moaning at his touch, Eden tried to move away from him, but he wouldn’t give her any quarter. Instead, he lowered his head to capture an exposed nipple between his lips.

Pleasure exploded over her skin and she nearly bucked from his finger pressing against the sensitive nub between her legs. He rubbed agonizingly slow circles around it before dipping into her slit to caress at her inner walls. In the haze of her lust, she could see the milky white fluid beading at the slit of his tip. She wanted to taste it but her selfish desire was knocked clean from her mind when he slid another finger into her.

Her hips lifted, pushing his digits further inside of her. Jungkook moved his face to lavish affection to the other nipple. He pumped his fingers in and out of her, his thumb continuing to rub circles over her clit. Electric shocks exploded behind her eyes and he lifted his face to catch her mouth in an open-mouthed kiss. Sucking on her tongue, Eden closed her eyes and moaned – unsure how much longer she was going to be able to handle this assault against her entire person.

As if he’d read her mind, Jungkook removed his fingers from her folds. Eden whined, shocked at her internal outrage to being deprived of her own pleasure. She watched Jungkook using her juices to coat his erection, his hand slowly stroking over himself. He gripped the base of the shaft and she felt herself getting wetter just watching him. After a moment of this, he straddled her hips – positioning himself as he pressed the tip of his erection against her clit. Again, she hissed in pleasure, feeling her walls growing more and more slick as he teased her folds.

“My god,” Jungkook whispered, “you’re beautiful.”

“Jungkook-ah…”

“You’re my wife.” He smiled down at her. “How did I get so lucky?”

Eden felt tears forming in the corners of her eyes. She laughed softly, not caring that they leaked out and into her ears. Jungkook leaned down to press a kiss to her mouth, his lips moving along the curve of her jaw until he caressed the lobe of her ear.

“I love you,” he said softly, pressing the head of his erection into her entrance. She sucked in air between her teeth as he inched forward a little bit more. “I love you so much, Eden.”

Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him closer. “I love you too, Jungkook.”

As if those were the words he’d been waiting for, he pushed himself forward completely – filling her insides. Her walls clamped down around him instinctively, holding him in place. As he pushed and pulled against her, the friction created was almost jarring. The pace was slow at first, but it didn’t take Jungkook long to speed things up. Eden rocked her hips against his, rising to meet his as he came down along her. There were wet, sloppy sounds of skin slapping against skin and it didn’t take long for their sweat-soaked skin to glide over each other with each hurried pulse of their movements.

And then he hit that spot; the spot that drove her half-mad. The spot that almost always left her fucked out of her head. Eden dug her nails into his skin, leaving half-moon marks along his muscles. She dragged her fingers down, red angry trails chasing after her fingernails before she clamped onto his forearms. He was practically jack-hammering into her, reaching his own favored spot, until she was seeing stars from the orgasm that began to overtake her. Her voice started off low until it soon escalated to a scream; one that she was almost positive rattled the windows. Jungkook wasn’t far behind her, her name bellowing from his lungs.

Heat filled her core, spreading over her entire body. She felt Jungkook shift his body slightly, collapsing beside her. He wrapped his arms around her waist, still buried inside of her, and pulled her close so that she was nestled perfectly against his form. He whispered words of love into her ear and Eden was barely conscious enough to hear them. But not before she was able to tell him that she loved him back.

They’d made a mess over their brand-new bed; their new bedding.

Neither of them cared.

Five Months Later

“I’m proud of you, y’know that?”

Eden smiled while rolling her eyes at the phone situated on the nightstand. Raelyn smirked back at her on the screen. They’d been Face Timing each other since Jungkook left for work in the morning. He had a few errands to run and she was leaving the shop in Minki’s hands. Eden folded a few more items on the bed, organizing them, and then placed the clothes into the small suitcase.

“I’m serious. This is pretty gutsy of you and I’m glad you’re doin’ it.”

After she threw the small plastic bag of toiletries on top of the clothes, she moved to sit on the bed. She picked up the phone and flopped back onto the bed.

“I know,” she said with a sigh, “I’m just a little nervous, I guess.”

“Don’t be. I mean, do be, but don’t let that shake you up.” She watched Raelyn’s brows furrow. “They know you’re comin’, right? You’re not just showing up unannounced?”

Again, Eden rolled her eyes. “Yes, they know I’m coming.”

Raelyn held a hand up. “Look, I’m just makin’ sure, alright?” She paused and Eden lofted a brow. “I’m a little surprised they agreed to this.”

She scoffed, clambering off the bed. “Like they have a choice. From what I was able to find out, I’m the only child my mother ever had before she died. I’m sure they’re just as curious about me as I am about them.”

She still didn’t know why she was doing this. Part of her wanted to call the whole thing off. It wasn’t like things were going to change by doing this. Seeing her mother’s family, the people who treated her like the black sheep of their bloodline, only angered Eden. But she also knew that she couldn’t abandon them. Not until she really got to see them for who they truly were. After that, she would make her decision on whether to continue having them circulating around her life.

“Well, when you get there, you show them exactly who the hell you are and that you ain’t playin’ any games.”

Eden couldn’t stop herself from laughing. “I think you should be more worried about that little troublemaker growing inside of you, don’t you?”

“Girl, don’t get me started,” Raelyn said, the bitter tone evident in her voice, “between Anastasia’s mood swings and Taehyung being my damn shadow, I don’t have time to get into anything stupid.”

She closed the suitcase and secured the locks, picking it up and unlatching the extended handle. Eden made her way out of the bedroom and headed downstairs, the suitcase rolling behind her as she continued to hold the phone up in front of her.

“Good,” she said once she made it to the ground floor, “because I don’t need to be working my nerves while I’m on this trip. They’re frayed as it is.”

This time Raelyn scoffed. “You’ll be fine. Is Jungkook takin’ you to the train station?”

“No. He’s busy with work and I told him not to worry about it.”

“Three days, right?”

She nodded. “Yeah. Though depending on how the trip goes, I may come back early.”

“I heard Daegu is beautiful this time of year. Make sure you take a lot of pictures.”

“I will, I will,” Eden reassured. She opened the front door and closed it behind her, the electronic lock beeping to let her know it was secured. “I’ll call you when I get there.”

“Alright. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

Hanging up the call, she pulled up her messages. She shot Jungkook a quick text to let him know she was heading to the train station. Eden knew he was busy at the recording studio and didn’t want to interrupt him while he worked.

Jungkook: Be safe. Call me as soon as you’ve arrived. I love you.

Smiling, she sent him a heart emoji. She was never a big fan of texting and he knew that about her. He never nagged her about it. Eden was a woman who believed that actions spoke louder than words. She’d always been this way. She was thankful that Jungkook understood and accepted this – always willing to meet her halfway.

He sent her two heart emojis back.

Making her way toward the front gate, Eden pushed it open and pulled her suitcase behind her. She turned to close the gate, tugging at the bars to make sure the latch caught properly. Checking her watch, she saw she had plenty of time to get to the train station.

Maybe I should call him anyway, she thought, moving to head down the long walkway leading from the house.

Eden managed to take a few steps forward before someone stepped in front of her. The heels of her sneakers scuffed along the ground as she stopped, lifting her head to see who was blocking her path. He looked a little familiar, but she wasn’t quite sure from where. Blinking a few times, she watched the other man’s small smile growing little by little.

She didn’t have time for this. Maybe she was mistaken.

“Excuse me,” she said through clenched teeth, moving so she could side-step him. He shifted to resume blocking her path. Eden shot him a glare. “Move.”

“You’re still as feisty as ever, I see,” he said. She said nothing, narrowing her eyes. “I know it’s been awhile, but I’m a little hurt you don’t remember me.”

“Should I?”

The man lifted his hand in the air, miming holding a shot glass. He made a motion to show he was tipping the glass back into his mouth. Eden scrutinized him a moment longer and he merely continued to smile.

And then it hit her.

“You,” she growled, her eyes narrowing to slits. “Yoo Kihyun.”

He snapped his fingers. “Bingo.”

Eden reached into her pocket. “What do you want?”

He shrugged. “Isn’t it obvious?” When his eyes met hers, they were dark and cold. It caused Eden to hesitate for just a moment. “It’s you.”

That moment of hesitation was her undoing. She failed to notice the look of triumph painted over his face. She’d missed the sound of movement behind her. And before she could register that she was being ambushed, Eden felt a sharp prick to the back of her neck. 

It didn’t take long. If given the chance, she would have only been able to count to five.

Five seconds before the world went dark.

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 (bloody violence), Heavy Language, Angst, Slow Burn, Smut

Additional Warnings: Video footage of torture, graphic physical violence, captured/kidnapping

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 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49

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

Word Count: 2,778

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

AN: It’s about to get dark, dark, and even darker still. I just want to remind everyone that I love you all for coming on this journey with me. Thank you for loving this story and remember that you are loved.

Chapter 49: Danger

“You’re in danger right now, why are you testing me? Why are you testing me? Stop confusing me.“

© 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.

Three Days Later Seoul – Hannam; Yongsan District South Korea

Hoseok took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose as he leaned back in the plush leather chair. Soft music played from the stereo in the corner of the room; a semi-vain attempt at quieting his thoughts. They were pervasive, loud, and extremely unwelcome these days. Namjoon insisted he take the day off, reassuring Hoseok that both he and Yoongi could handle things while he was away from the office. He wasn’t one to be fussed over, but even he had to admit that the mounting stress from the last few months was finally beginning to take a toll on him.

It was quiet. Too quiet. This disturbed him on various levels in ways that he couldn’t possibly describe. It wasn’t like he hadn’t tried. He had. Hoseok tried time and again to empty his feelings at Seokjin and Namjoon’s feet. But it always fell short; something felt incomplete about his trepidation.

There shouldn’t have been a reason, however. Hoseok knew this. He’d made his stance very clear with Changkyun the last time they crossed paths with one another. He would not be part of the little games he was attempting to play, and he wouldn’t be coerced into walking back into darkness. None of them would.

Too much was at stake now. They were all slowly building something with their own hands; something that was of some semblance of clean. Happiness fluttered around his brothers like butterflies and he enjoyed that they were able to indulge in the little things in life for a change; things they often took for granted when they were living in the countryside.

Anastasia was pregnant, her belly swollen with the life that she was nurturing. Seokjin babied and pampered her and the others were getting used to the idea that they were all going to be uncles. When the topic of marriage was brought up, Seokjin merely smiled. He said nothing else on the matter and they didn’t push. It was clear that he would do things at his own pace.

Raelyn, too, was pregnant. Truth be told, it stung Hoseok in a way that he wouldn’t dare admit aloud. Taehyung loved her and it was clear she cared for him as well. Who was he to get in the way of that happiness, regardless of his own lingering attachments? It wasn’t fair. He wouldn’t be unfair. She was only a month behind Anastasia and Taehyung made a point to notify everyone that Raelyn was forever spoken for. No one mentioned marriage at all since Taehyung had plans of his own.

Jungkook and Eden were now living together. He remembered the look on his youngest brother’s face when he closed on the house, notifying the others that he would be moving out of their home in UN Village. The others protested at first. They didn’t think it was necessary for Jungkook to move out when Eden could have easily moved into their home instead. They had plenty of room and privacy. But after a conversation Hoseok had with Jimin and Jungkook both, he realized that it was the better option. He didn’t want to pour salt into any wounds. Especially not Yoongi’s.

It came as a surprise, at first, when he’d heard about Yoongi’s relationship with Eden prior. None of the others poked or investigated their brother, believing that he was going off to be with someone he cared about after being dragged through the dirt in the underground. While he knew that Yoongi’s loyalty was absolute and he cared deeply for his brothers, sometimes even The Lightning Claw yearned for an escape from the shadows that clung to their ankles persistently.

As he leaned back in the chair, he pressed his forearm against his temple while his other hand rested along his stomach. Dark eyes idly stared at the ceiling, looking at nothing in particular. His heart beat softly against his chest and he drummed his fingers along in time with the sound. He hummed a tune to himself, closing his eyes as he took a moment to think about everything they’d gone through to reach this point. It was a long journey – seemingly endless. Ten years flashed by so quickly that Hoseok often questioned if it was a dream they were all sharing; one where they hadn’t been able to wake up from yet.

So much fighting, stealing, and climbing over horrifyingly large mountains. Their knuckles burned white and their fingernails bled from how hard they were holding on to both themselves and their goals. Reaching the peak of the mountain, gazing over the horizon – over their kingdom – Hoseok could claim that it was something they could look back on with a mild feeling of fondness.

He couldn’t help but wonder if things would be different had they all decided to remain in their hometown.

Letting his arm fall against the armrest of the chair, he scoffed and shook his head. What’s the point of worrying about that now?

They all decided things together. They agreed to uproot themselves and walked hand-in-hand into the pits of Hell. Hadn’t everything they’d accomplished to this point, means be damned, been the result they wanted? It was all so they could have a better life at the cost of their innocence.

Im Changkyun had been right about one thing. Sacrifices had to be made. They had to be willing to make them.

The soft chime of the doorbell rang throughout the house. Hoseok sat up, brushing his hair out of his eyes. Looking at the video phone, he picked it up as the person near the front gate lifted his face toward the camera. The young man wore a uniform, presumably a delivery service. He had a small package in his arms. He waved to the camera and Hoseok felt his brows furrow. He wasn’t expecting a delivery.

“Can I help you?”

“Uh, yes Sir? I have a delivery for Jung Hoseok?”

“Who’s it from?”

“There’s no return address, Sir.”

He sighed. “Just leave it.”

“It’s requiring that someone sign for it, Sir.”

Something uncomfortable settled in the pit of Hoseok’s gut. He could have just told the delivery boy to go away and have the package returned to the shipping company. It wasn’t like he’d be punished for it and Hoseok was certain he hadn’t ordered a parcel. If anything, this was a potential headache in the making and he wasn’t in the mood to deal with it.

“Uh, Sir? Are you there?”

Hoseok pressed two fingers to his forehead and groaned. “Fine, I’ll be right out. Stay there.”

Rolling up the sleeves of his shirt, he exited his office and headed toward the front door. Sliding into a pair of sneakers, he grabbed his wallet and slid it into the back pocket of his slacks. The security lock beeped behind him as the door closed and he slowly trudged down the winding path of the front garden toward the front gate. He entered the passcode and pulled the gate open slowly, his back rigid as he prepared to brace himself for anything that might have attempted to catch him off guard.

The young man smiled, holding out the small parcel toward Hoseok. He took it, cradling it under one arm, while he signed the tablet with the stylus. The delivery man checked his signature, bowed, and bid him a wonderful rest of his afternoon. Hoseok merely nodded, closing the gate and began heading back toward the house when the security lock beeped again.

Mindlessly inputting the passcode, he entered the house while examining the package. It was a simple white box with red and blue accents around it – presumably the logo and color scheme of the shipping company. It was no longer than a standard envelope and as thick as two decks of cards. His name was on the front but like the delivery man stated, there was no return address.

For the sake of argument, Hoseok shook the box and heard the soft rattling sound of something hitting the inside along all four corners. Whatever was inside was small and light. He tossed the box up and down, confirming much of the weight was from what was concealed in the box. Opening the flaps from one end, he held the box at an angle and a small USB thumb drive fell into his palm. There was nothing about it that stood out; just a simple red and black thumb drive with the manufacturer’s logo on it. He shook the box again but nothing else was inside.

Tossing the box into the nearby waste bin, Hoseok entered his office and closed the door behind him. His legs moved toward his desk and he flopped into his chair. Pulling up a virus scanner on his computer, he made sure it was ready and waiting before sliding the thumb drive into one of the USB ports. Two minutes went by and the virus scanner confirmed there was nothing malicious on the drive, deeming it safe to open.

Clicking on the icon for the drive, there was a folder with his name on it. He opened it and saw three files inside: two video clips and a text document. There was nothing urgent on the text file’s label. It merely read For Hoseok. The video clips, however, had two different dates on them: three days ago and today, followed by the numbers 1 and 2.

He clicked on the first video.

The picture was dark, showing that whatever room the video was being filmed in had poor lighting. He could make out a couple of silhouettes, but there weren’t any distinctive features that could help him discern who the figures belonged to. About ten seconds into the video, a light clicked on – illuminating one of the people in the video.

It didn’t take him long to recognize who it was and the moment he did, Hoseok thought his guts had fallen out of his body.

In the video, there was a woman sitting in a chair. She was tied up with what looked like a combination of regular ropes and large chains. Her mouth was gagged with a bright red cloth and her head hung forward, the light over her head shadowing the rest of her face. The intensity of the light hanging over her made it only slightly difficult to discern her skin color, but her dark curls that fell around her neck and across her shoulders was unmistakable. Something dangled from her neck – he could only assume it was a necklace of some kind.

But he still couldn’t see her face.

“No,” he whispered while shaking his head. He could feel a cold sweat forming on his brow. “There’s no way that’s…”

All the moisture left his mouth in mid-denial. A masked man grabbed a handful of the woman’s curls, yanking her head back. A muffled yell of outrage pushed from her chest, lost against the bright red fabric pressed over her mouth. Her face was fully illuminated in the light and even Hoseok could no longer deny who was sitting in that chair.

It was Eden.

The video was only ninety seconds long and it abruptly ended with a hand holding up two fingers in front of the camera lens. The person in the video was telling him to click on the second video file.

He clicked on the other video file labeled with today’s date.

It was the same nondescript room and Eden was still sitting in the chair. A trail of blood seeped from her temple and her shirt was torn open from the neck to her stomach, exposing her bra and skin. The necklace continued to hang from her neck and he could see there was a ring looped through the chain. It appeared that her shoulder was injured, the denim jacket stained a darker shade of blue on just her right shoulder. A large cut decorated her thigh and he could see where the blood blossomed across her jeans – staining her entire upper leg red.

Eden looked like she was fading in and out of consciousness. Suddenly, water was splashed over her face and chest, jolting her awake and it appeared that she was attempting to focus on her current predicament. When it seemed like the answer was dawning on her features, Eden raged through the bandana over her mouth, her body rocking back and forth viciously to break free from her restraints. One of the men backhanded her hard and she went limp, her head rolling forward.

Hoseok saw the blood leaking from beneath the gag.

The video ended.

Horror and fury tore through Hoseok’s entire body, threatening to rip him asunder. His shoulders vibrated from his anger and his vision blurred from the onset of furious tears. Getting his hands to steady over the mouse was a task in and of itself. When he managed to finally tether it down to move it, he clicked on the text file with his name on it.

It felt like the ground opened beneath him and swallowed him whole.

Hoseok Hyung,

I have to say, I’m impressed. Truly. I can’t find a single weak point in your defenses. But that shouldn’t come as a surprise, should it? You’ve always been so careful; always fully aware of your surroundings. The others are the same; a habit they’ve picked up from you, perhaps?

It’s a shame that same skill wasn’t embroiled in your women.

Not that it’s their fault. When you believe that you’re safe, what reason do you need to keep your guard up? Blissful ignorance does that to a person. Believing you’ve won makes you sloppy.

Your brothers have become sloppy, Hyung.

As interesting as it would have been to go after the women carrying your brothers’ children, I’m not a monster. Besides, Eden is the strongest of them and breaking her will only prove my point further.

That you’ve all grown weak in the light.

Hyung, this is my final offer. Stop letting the light blind you. Stop letting those weak dreams and ambitions dictate the rest of your lives. You can’t protect the things you love when you don’t have the power to stop anyone who would try to take it from you. You had that power and you threw it away.

And for what?

For love? Success? So you can lay in your graves, close your eyes, and think you’ll greet the Reaper with a nice clean conscience? Don’t be ridiculous.

Let’s see how long it takes you to find her. You already know asking for the police won’t do you any good. We have the Chief in our back pocket; we have for years.

By the time you read this, the boys and I will be out of the country on a business trip. Tracking us down will just be a waste of time. Both yours and hers. Every minute counts and the longer you take to find her, the more she’s going to suffer because of your inability to act.

The clock is ticking, Hyung.

And the game is still on.

Good luck.

Im Changkyun

For a moment, all Hoseok could do was stare at the words on the screen. He couldn’t breathe. He could barely think.

Then he saw red.

Hoseok jumped from his chair, grabbed the monitor, and hurled it across the room. The sound that ripped through him was beyond anything a human being should have been capable of making. Glass shattered as it crashed into the wall, breaking into numerous pieces. He picked up the keyboard and began to smash it across his desk, breaking the glass top as the keys popped off and scattered across the floor. Even when the keyboard was split in half, he continued to pummel his desk – creating more spider vein cracks along the surface.

And then he blacked out.

Hoseok didn’t know how long he was out. What brought him out of the darkness was the sound of Namjoon’s voice, as well as his body moving back and forth. Slowly, Hoseok’s eyes opened and he saw his friend looking down at him with extreme concern.

“Hoseok-ah!” Again, Namjoon shook him. “Are you alright? Hey, come on!”

His vision blurred in and out of focus, his head spinning, and he reached out blindly to grab onto Namjoon’s shoulder. “N-Namjoon-ah,” he croaked, realizing how raw his voice sounded, “the boys. C-Call the boys.”

Namjoon frowned, not sure what he was trying to tell him. Hoseok growled in frustration.

“GET EVERYONE HOME RIGHT NOW, GODDAMMIT!”

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 (bloody violence), Heavy Language, Angst, Slow Burn, Smut

Additional Warnings: Torture, drug abuse, graphic physical violence, captured/kidnapping, attempted homicide

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 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

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

Word Count: 3,048

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

AN: Remember how I told you that you’re loved? Because you are. 11 more chapters, my loves, before this saga comes to and end. Strap in, ladies and gentlemen.

Chapter 50: Run

“Everybody say it is over but I can’t stop this. I can’t tell whether it is sweat or tears.”

© 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.

Three Days Later ??? - ???; ??? South Korea

4:45 AM

There was only darkness.

That was all she was granted to see, but her other senses were very much aware.

For example, Eden could smell the musky aroma of a decrepit building during the moment she was dragged into that place. The light scent of cheap men’s cologne, as well as the subtle fragrance of wood and dirt, lingered in the air. She’d been knocked unconscious and only woke up halfway during being tied up and blindfolded. There wasn’t much else she could do and it was making for a pretty shit-tastic day - of which it should have just been a successful day of boarding a goddamn train, meeting her family, hitting the tent house for some soup and soju, and then calling it a night after a hot shower.

Where had it all gone wrong?

She was losing count of how much time was passing by. Days must have gone by and the bastards kept her blindfolded after they filmed her. While she was deprived of her sight, Eden took comfort in knowing that they hadn’t stolen her necklace from her. The sons-of-bitches did, however, take her phone. Probably chucked it off Namsan Tower for all she knew.

The pain was immeasurable. So much so that her body was adjusting to it.

A soft shuffling sound echoed in the large, empty space. A metal door slid open, rattling on the track it was on. She unconsciously licked her lips as she waited for something else to clue her in to her location. More feet shuffled as a distinct set of heavy boots thudded along the concrete.

The person paused in front of her, their clothing shifting against their body as though they were inspecting her. She lifted her face to where she could only assume the person was standing. The scent was familiar, but it wasn’t until he spoke that she knew who he was.

“You have such lovely hands, Eden-ssi,” he cooed, stroking his finger along the back of her knuckle. Eden jerked back on reflex, growling as the rope scraped against her wrists. “I’ve always admired them – these hands that shouldn’t belong to a mechanic. You should take better care of them.”

He paused and she could feel his breath along her cheeks.

“Well, if you get out alive, I mean.”

A hand grabbed at the knot tied at the back of her head. When the blindfold was removed, she blinked rapidly from the light that seemed to always shine directly in her eyes. She tried to turn her face away, but realized that a set of hands held her head in place – preventing her averting her gaze.

Yoo Kihyun flashed a derogatory smirk at her.

She spit in his face.

A sharp pain registered at the crown of her head, her hair being pulled back with brute force. Kihyun removed a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped at his cheeks. He seemed unimpressed with her attempt at rebellion. It wasn’t the first time. If she had it her way, his shin would still have a bruise on it.

He stuffed the small cloth into his pants pocket. “String her up.”

8:15 AM

She barely heard Kihyun’s words.

Watching him bending her finger back as if to snap it, she could hardly register what was going on. There were so many numbing sensations moving through her body, having been moved from the iron chair and electric voltage to now being suspended in the air by steel shackles - toes barely touching the dirty, concrete floor. Her eyes stayed locked onto her captor.

I won’t give up, she told herself, narrowing her gaze at him, they’ll come for me.

“I’m impressed,” he said, cracking his knuckles, “most people would be begging me to either let them go or put them out of their misery by now.” Kihyun leaned forward to stroke the side of her cheek, smearing the blood leaking from her temple down to the corner of her mouth. “I like how stubborn you are. This makes it more fun.”

Eden scoffed. “You’re fucking insane if you think I’d beg you for anything, you brain-dead shit eating jackass.”

The insult was full of venom, but it lacked the audacity she desired from how dry her mouth and throat were.

Kihyun laughed. “I’m curious,” he said, grabbing a fistful of her hair and yanking her head to the side, causing her neck to pop, “do you think your husband is going to come save you?” Still holding her head, his other hand moved to trace over the chain where her wedding ring dangled from. His eyes narrowed, smile still in place. “I’m counting on it.”

Blinking at him, Eden lost track of her thoughts. What had he just said?

Then the realization hit, sweeping down on her faster than she could’ve imagined. This whole setup was a trap. She was the bait and it would only be a matter of time before Jungkook and the others fell into it. She couldn’t warn them and she couldn’t stop this twisted little game they were playing with her. Eden knew there was a high chance she probably wasn’t going to make it out of this alive.

And whoever came to her rescue wouldn’t either.

It was like a knife being plunged into her heart. Eden knew it. She now had the confirmation she needed. She accepted her fate for what it was.

Tears leaked out of her eyes and she shut them, not wanting to look at the cruel smile spreading over Kihyun’s face. Please, don’t come here. Don’t come here!

Again, she heard movement. Opening her eyes, Eden watched him. That's all she could really do. Weaponless, bound and at their mercy, Eden could only do so much. Talk or not talk. Perhaps the pain that she would have felt could’ve been avoided.

Perhaps.

But it was too late. She was already preparing herself for the end. And as she resolved herself to do, she came to terms with her demons. She apologized to those she’d ever hurt or disappointed. She apologized to those she wouldn’t be able to see again. She begged for their forgiveness, asking them for understanding. That her death wouldn’t be meaningless.

Her death would be meaningful.

It would not be in vain.

Jungkook-ah…

“I am sorry for this, Eden-ssi. By the way, the next time you see the others, tell them the Jade Fangs say ‘farewell.’”

She heard the laugh. The next time she saw them? It wouldn’t be until after she was good and dead. She hoped she didn’t see her friends and her husband for a very long time. The bitter laugh, twisted with the cruelty of the joke, was too much for Eden to have to face. Closing her eyes for a moment, she bit down on her lower lip - wishing to draw blood.

I’m sorry, Jungkook-ah... I won’t be able to keep my promise. Eden saw his retreating back as Kihyun slipped his coat off. It was as if it was in slow motion. ...you’ll forgive me just this once, right?

And then it came. The surge of pain hit faster than she could’ve expected. The lashes hit her from behind, the pain spreading through her chest and she dug her nails into her palms. Eden bit the inside of her cheek, feeling the blood dribble onto her tongue. The metallic taste was sharp, forcing all her other senses to become more aware. She’d never felt a pain quite like this in her life.

But all she could do was take it. He would have his fun - push her to her limits. However, she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of hearing her scream out. Jeon Eden would hold out for as long as she could.

The blows came in succession - slash after slash and whip after whip. The pain hit her all over - sweeping across her entire being. Even if she wanted to block it out and numb herself from it all, Eden couldn’t. Her body jerked involuntarily against the blows and all she did was take it. The pain was too much and she wanted to scream at him to finish her off. To stop playing these sick, twisted games and to just get on with it. To fucking kill her. But granting her death would’ve been too merciful.

It wouldn't stop. He would not stop. He would not grant her death.

Not before tormenting her mind.

A sharp prick of pain hit the back of her neck and she knew a needle was in her skin. The harsh burn of the liquid being injected caused her to hiss and, again, she wriggled against her restraints.

“No,” she managed to croak, using what strength she had to try and lash out with her legs at Kihyun, “No!”

Suddenly, the snakes appeared - hundreds of them. Eden didn’t fear snakes. Not in the least. However, when they multiplied and began to coil their cold, scaly bodies all over her, she tensed. The pain from the physical abuse was over, but a new horror had unfolded in its wake. The snakes began to devour her, making Eden bite her lip harder until she drew more blood. Little by little, the filthy things were ripping away at her flesh. She could see the bone. But Eden refused to scream out. A hooded cobra swayed in front of her, bobbing its head to the left and then the right before it barreled into her mouth, scraping its fangs down her throat - spitting its venom inside.

She didn’t hear her own scream spilling from her lips. She hadn’t even realized that sound was coming out at all.

The nightmare would not end. Coupled with the snakes tearing away at her flesh, Eden felt the wiggling cobra devouring her insides and crushing her bones in its jaws. She wanted it out! OUT! Then a flood of pain erupted across her entire body. Her back arched forward and then she blacked out.

This was it. Death would hold her in its cold, unfeeling embrace.

Then there was nothing.

Only darkness.

9:30 AM

Jeju Island – Seogwipo Yeongduam Coast South Korea

Taehyung took a deep breath, the smell of the island’s rich agriculture and salt of the ocean filling his lungs. On any normal day, he would have been planning all the spots he would take Raelyn after she finally gave birth to their child. She was due in three months and he could hardly wait.

But he had to wait.

This wasn’t a vacation. This was the farthest thing from it. The look on Hoseok’s face haunted his waking hours, serving as a constant reminder that he couldn’t afford to waste a single second.

They’d already wasted six days.

But his skills as the Shadow Claw hadn’t diminished. Leaving the mafia life behind was one thing, but losing touch with any of his contacts was almost out of the question. Hoseok commanded the search and everyone scattered like confetti, combing every single area of Seoul they were allowed. Taehyung was able to deduce that the Jade Fangs wouldn’t have been stupid enough to drag Eden into their own territory. That would have made things too easy; too predictable.

Anastasia and Raelyn were only told the bare minimum – undue stress in their condition would only make things worse. Once the girls were secured, they all broke off into groups to try and put their ears to the ground. Only Taehyung went off by himself. He worked better alone and could cover more ground that way.

A contact told him that the Jade Fangs’ upper tier were at Jeju Island, finalizing a few business deals and taking a “much-needed” respite. If he was close enough to them, he could figure out what their game plan was. Money still talked, thankfully, and he managed to bribe one of the lackeys to feed him some information.

Word had it that they had, in fact, snatched up a young woman before flying out to Jeju Island. There were rumors that she may have been in their custody there on the island, but nothing was solid. Taehyung pushed more cash toward his little turncoat with the promise that he would gather more useful information; a location, condition of the hostage, and what terms would need to be met in order to obtain her release.

Taehyung looked at his watch, making a note of the time. He was supposed to meet his informant half an hour ago. He idly wondered if he’d gotten caught digging around where he shouldn’t have.

His phone buzzed.

Kangta: I’m almost to you.

Craning his neck, he looked around while standing atop the large cliff overlooking the expansive ocean of the island. There were a few clusters of trees around and a narrow path that opened from the brush. The ocean crashed along the krags, splashing up white foam from below.

Another handful of minutes passed and Taehyung was still alone on the cliff of the Dragon Head. Other than the ocean and a flock of birds cawing in the distance, he heard no other sounds. He frowned.

“Where the hell is this guy?”

“Sorry for the wait.”

Taehyung quickly pivoted on his heels, clutching his phone at his side. He squinted, peering toward the path that curved from the small forest of trees. The figure that appeared made his heart hammer with anger.

Lee Jooheon walked out, two of his men standing on either side of him. None of them appeared to be holding any weapons which, frankly, seemed odd to Taehyung.

“It’s been awhile, Kim Taehyung-ssi.”

He scoffed, rolling his eyes. “So my little rat snitched back to his masters, huh?”

“Oh, him?” Jooheon shrugged as his two men flashed wide grins. “No, he didn’t. He’s just bad at being a rat.” He pulled out a cell phone, typed on the screen, and Taehyung felt the phone buzz in his hands. He didn’t bother looking at it. “But we took care of him.”

Taehyung watched Jooheon chuck the phone over his head, the device sailing over the edge of the cliff to meet its fate in the ocean below.

“God, you bastards haven’t changed one fucking bit,” he sneered, to which Jooheon snickered.

“While you guys have changed a lot , it seems.” Jooheon took a step forward, his men staying in place. “Though I see you haven’t lost your touch as The Shadow Claw . To think you tracked us down so easily.”

Taehyung smirked. “Nothin’ easy about it.”

“It’s too bad though.” He took another step, shuffling just slightly off to the right. Taehyung stepped back, moving to his right – his sight-line trained on the Yellow Jacket. “I was hoping to see Jungkook.”

“Why’s that?”

Jooheon stepped forward and to the right. Taehyung took another step back.

“I wanted to see what kind of look he has right now, knowing we took his wife.”

Taehyung’s eyes went wide, all focus momentarily knocked from his head. It felt like his stomach dropped down to his feet.

“…what did you say?”

At first, Jooheon could only smile. He watched it grow larger as a flicker of realization spread over his face. Taehyung felt a chill sliver down his back as he saw the Yellow Jacket burst into a fit of manic laughter.

“Oh my fucking god,” he said between breaths of laughter. Taehyung glared at him, causing Jooheon to laugh even harder. “You didn’t know, holy shit!”

Taehyung curled his fingers around his phone tightly, his arm trembling from the force of the squeeze.

Jooheon dabbed at the corner of one of his eyes with his wrist. “So much for your brotherhood. You’re keeping secrets from each other.”

“Shut-up,” growled Taehyung, emboldened to take a step forward, “shut your fuckin’ mouth.”

“I take it back. I prefer this look you’re giving me instead.”

“I said shut the fuck up!”

There was a sharp whistle of sound. Taehyung instinctively turned his body, pain blossoming over his shoulder and he moved to wrap his hand over the injury. His eyes met Jooheon’s and he could only see the cold smirk of victory painted over the Yellow Jacket’s face. Slowly, he removed his hand and saw that it was instantly covered in blood. There was a perfect horizontal gash along his shoulder that shredded through his jacket, the material staining crimson and spreading over the fabric.

His vision blurred for half a second and Taehyung quickly shook his head, stumbling backwards but thankfully not losing his balance. When he looked back at Jooheon, he realized with horror that the man’s image was appearing in and out of focus.

T-That fucker, he thought, rattling his head again to clear his eyesight, it’s poisoned!

Something clattered to the ground, startling Taehyung. It sounded like a small bomb went off beside him, melding with the sound of the ocean hitting the rocks. He could feel the cold sweat breaking out over his face and neck and he moved his hand to cover his shoulder again to stop the wound from bleeding freely.

“We kept telling you guys, but you just wouldn’t listen. Changkyun-ah offered his hand time and again, even though every single one of you turned around and stabbed us in the back.”

Taehyung coughed, feeling the bile bubbling at the back of his throat. It was getting harder to keep his eyes open. “I would never call him Hyung-nim,” he choked out, “none of us would.”

“And that’s where you fucked up.”

Jooheon sounded closer now, but Taehyung couldn’t determine where.

Not until the very last second.

“Watch your head.”

Taehyung felt a harsh blow to his stomach, knocking him off his feet. The air was pulled completely from his lungs and the world dissolved into a blur of green, blue and white. A lightheaded fog filled his mind, numbing him from the pain at his gut momentarily. Gravity seemed to grab him by the shoulders, pulling him into the air first before yanking him down slowly. Heavy gusts of wind whipped across his entire body as he descended. The world dimmed around him as the salt of the ocean seemed to overwhelm his senses.

He never hit the ground.

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 (bloody violence), Heavy Language, Angst, Slow Burn, Smut

Additional Warnings: Graphic depiction of torture, graphic physical violence, captured/kidnapping, major character death

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 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51

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

Word Count: 5,133

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

AN: And it all goes downhill from here, Ladies...

Chapter 51: Begin

“I can’t stand you crying. I want to cry instead, although I can’t.”

© 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 – Samseong; Gangnam District South Korea

9:45 AM

Jungkook was three steps from heading to the insane asylum.

One step represented each day that he hadn’t been able to track Eden down.

He barely heard the words of comfort that Jimin was giving him. He knew that it had something to do with it not being his fault, but how could it not have been? He hadn’t heard from his wife in three days, assuming she got wrapped up with family affairs and was too busy to check in on the first day. The second day had him concerned that she’d gotten hurt. By the third day, Jungkook was at his wit’s end.

Only to find out that she’d been snatched up before she ever got the chance to leave for Daegu. He shouldn’t have put her second to his job. He shouldn’t have let her leave their house to go to the train station alone.

He shouldn’t have let this happen.

The image of Eden’s beaten form in the video clip was branded across the forefront of his mind. Hoseok was angry, determined to track down the Jade Fang members who’d done this. Jungkook was angry that they were still part of the equation. They should have been eliminated years ago.

It wasn’t like they weren’t aware of what Im Changkyun was capable of. They’d seen the vicious things he’d done while they were Jade Fang members themselves. He didn’t think it was necessary to attend district meetings, feeling the rest of the bosses were beneath his standards of proper mafia leadership. Hoseok was his only equal and it appeared that he continued to see him as such.

Divine Intervention prevented Jungkook from leaving the house that night and storming the stronghold of the Jade Fangs alone. He would have burned every single one of their businesses down; he was determined to do so. Jimin escorted him home that night and there was a parcel waiting at home for Jungkook. His brother made him a drink and when Jungkook opened the package, he collapsed on the floor and cried until he could barely breathe.

It was a gift Eden prepared for him for his birthday – a handmade model of his dream car. Seated in the car were miniature figures of Eden and himself. He didn’t remember passing out. He didn’t remember Jimin tucking a blanket over him. He could only remember Eden’s face, smiling as they shared breakfast together the morning she was taken.

“Jungkook-ah,” called Jimin, pulling Jungkook out of his inner musings. There was concern painted over his brother’s face and he took a breath, waiting for him to continue. “I think we’ve covered everywhere here.”

Jungkook said nothing. Instead, he pulled out the small notebook he carried with him and scratched out Gangnam from the list. For two and a half days, they combed every single section of Gangnam they could. There was a part of him that knew that the Jade Fangs wouldn’t be so arrogant to hold her hostage in their former territory. But there was also a part of him that could reason Im Changkyun doing something so ridiculous as a form of “poetic justice” against them.

To him, the Golden Jackals never disbanded.

“What about the others?”

Jimin sighed, leaning against the driver’s side door of the car. “They’re hitting the other areas. Hoseok called in some favors from the other district bosses to let us through.”

All Jungkook did was nod. There was something off about this whole situation. Very off. There shouldn’t have been a single obstacle in the way of the other district heads when it came to taking over their territories. Yongsan and Gangnam were completely up for grabs; Hoseok said as much. Jungkook could only guess that Changkyun’s influence prevented them from stepping a single foot into their turf. He more than likely was determined to get Hoseok and the others back so they could do a mass district takeover.

“I don’t like that Tae Hyung went off by himself,” he suddenly said, meeting Jimin’s gaze.

“Yeah,” he replied softly, “I don’t either.”

Jungkook frowned. “He still hasn’t checked in yet?”

“No.”

He didn’t want to prod any further. Jimin was probably more worried about Taehyung than any of them. While it was unsurprising that he went off on his own, it was unlike him to not have checked in by now. Taehyung wasn’t a morning person, which was why they all knew that he hadn’t slept while he was on the hunt.

Then again, none of them were really sleeping.

A soft ache throbbed at Jungkook’s temple. He pressed a hand to his chest, taking a small amount of comfort in feeling his wedding band dangling from the necklace chain. He didn’t know how much longer he could handle not knowing what was happening with Eden.

“Hyung, I—”

“She’s fine, Jungkook-ah.” Jimin’s words sliced through his own, as if he’d already predicted what he was going to say. When he met his brother’s gaze, he saw the reassuring smile tinged with just a hint of worry. “If I know her, she’ll make them regret the day they decided to take her.”

“Not before I do.”

Suddenly, Jimin and Jungkook’s phones chimed simultaneously – indicating they received a message. Both looked at their phones immediately and Jungkook felt his heart rate escalate. It wasn’t a matter of him losing hope as seeing the message renewed his vigor.

It was from Taehyung.

Taehyung: I found her. She’s near Namyangju in Gyeonggi-do. Somewhere in the Industrial District. I’m heading back now.

Jungkook looked at Jimin the same time he did. Without uttering a word, they flung the doors open to the car and hopped in. Jimin fired up the engine and punched it, speeding out of Gangnam. Jungkook stared at his phone as more messages came through from the others. It didn’t take him long to figure out that they were closer to that location than everyone else. It was a half an hour drive, traffic willing.

They’d get there first.

10:17 AM

Namyangju – Gyeonggi Province South Korea

Jungkook felt like it took them a hundred years to get to their destination. With every mile marker they passed, it brought him one step closer to finding Eden. One step closer to bringing her home. He clung to the smallest shreds of his willpower not to scream at Jimin to drive faster. They didn’t need to get into any kind of accident before they reached her.

Jimin swung the car into an empty street, the desolate district eerie even in the morning light. Jungkook tumbled from the passenger side, all but tearing his seatbelt from his body in the process. Jimin called after him, but he paid him no mind. His legs ate up the ground as he ran headlong into the central area of the decrepit buildings.

No one lived in the abandoned sections of the province anymore, but the government hadn’t bothered with tearing it down. His hope began to dwindle, realizing just how expansive the district was. It would take them hours to find her at this rate.

Resisting the urge to scream, he slowed to a jogging pace before stopping altogether. Running around blindly without a single clue as to where to look would get him nowhere. They were just wasting time. There was even the chance that the group would up and relocate themselves before they could even have a chance at finding them.

Eden would be lost forever.

He heard Jimin run up behind him, clapping a hand to his shoulder. Jungkook did his best to tether his scattered thoughts, chasing away the worst possibilities from his mind. He needed to calm down and think.

“There were a few cars parked near the back,” he said after catching his breath, “we might need to go up top to get a better idea of where they might be.”

Jungkook nodded, pointing straight ahead. “I’ll head to that building down there. Text me if you find anything.”

Just as he was about to take off, Jimin grabbed him – halting his movements.

“No, we stick together.” Jungkook opened his mouth to protest, but Jimin’s glare quickly silenced him. “If something happens, we won’t be able to do anything alone. We’re stronger together.”

While he wanted to argue, he knew that his brother was right. Even if splitting up would help them cover more ground, there was a good chance that they wouldn’t have a way to defend themselves if they got caught in a sticky situation. Jungkook did his best to push down his mounting impulsivities. Charging in blindly was foolish and would most likely get them killed.

“Alright, Hyung,” Jungkook said, relenting, “let’s go together.”

Not wasting another moment, they tore off down the center of the district – eyes rapidly searching in every direction their necks would allow them to turn.

10:32 AM

Minutes crept by at a snail’s pace.

Jungkook did everything he could to keep his head together. There were too many horrifying images playing rapidly in his head, like a flipbook that ended in blood splatters. Jimin stayed at his side, matching his pace as well as his fervor. Every so often, they would stop to peek into various buildings. They climbed up to higher vantage points to get a better lay of the area, dipping off to resume their search.

Everything looked so dead from the inside out.

A scream tore through the vast emptiness, causing Jungkook to trip over his own feet and he came crashing to the ground. Jimin was immediately beside him, grabbing him by the arm and hoisting him back up. Jungkook’s heart pounded double-time in his chest; it hurt. A cold sweat broke out over his skin and he couldn’t stop his body from trembling, even though Jimin rubbed small circles on his back.

“E-Eden,” he barely managed to croak, his legs shaking to the point where it was difficult to stand. Jimin continued to hold him up. “That was her!”

The sound was close.

Jimin said nothing. He continued to guide them along the path, turning around corners until he heard his wife scream again. It was even closer. They were almost to her!

He felt his brother release the hold he had on him and Jungkook involuntarily sagged against the side of a building. He didn’t know where they were or how deep into the district they’d gone. Jimin’s expression was focused and if he was feeling any sort of turmoil, it never showed. Not once.

The building they were pressed against was yellowed from age and neglect. Numerous cracks ran along the sides and bits of paint were peeling back; some pieces flying away from even the slightest gust of wind. The window had a long crack running from an upward angle to the corner of the pane; dirty and smudged. Jimin wiped a hand across the bottom to get rid of the dirt so he could see inside. Jungkook sidled up beside him to peek in as well.

He could feel Jimin’s vice-like grip on his shoulder, pinning him in place. Jungkook’s vision blurred momentarily before regaining focus, zeroing in on the image of his wife strung up like some animal. There were a few lackeys around and appeared to be bored – as if they were waiting for something interesting to happen. Jungkook felt the muscle at his jaw throbbing viciously as he clenched his teeth, grinding them in anger.

He wanted a gun. He would have emptied a clip into every single one of them.

Jungkook tried to move, but Jimin wouldn’t let him go.

“Hyung!” came his harsh whisper, but Jimin shook his head roughly.

“Wait, Jungkook,” he hissed back, finally letting him go, “just wait.”

“I can’t, dammit!”

“You can and you will.” Jimin’s words were final. “We don’t even know what kind of weapons they have in there. If Changkyun’s willing to play dirty like this, there’s no guarantee that his men won’t fill us full of holes with guns they obtained illegally.”

Jungkook wanted to protest, but he knew that Jimin was right. They needed to assess the situation fully before making a move. If they ran in there blindly without understanding what they were up against, there was a chance that Eden would die in the crossfire.

“So what now?”

Jimin continued to look through the window and he could see the wheels in his head turning. Strategy was his strongest suit so Jungkook did his best to be as patient as possible. A handful of seconds passed before he turned to meet his gaze.

“I’m going to go in from the front.”

“What?!” Jungkook gave him an incredulous look. “That’s crazy. Are you crazy?!”

“Shut-up and listen to me.” Jimin turned to look back through the window. “I’m going to draw their attention to me. This window is loose so as soon as I get them to chase me, I want you to go in and grab Eden and then get the hell out of here.”

He didn’t like this plan.

“There’s ten of them, Hyung. Maybe more. You can’t outrun them all.”

Jimin grinned, still peering into the building. “I can try.”

Jungkook grabbed his shoulder. “Hyung!”

He felt his arm being yanked off abruptly, causing him to take a step back. Jimin cast an icy glare in his direction.

“Do what I say.”

He wanted to protest again. He wanted to tell him that this was suicide. They should wait for the others. Wouldn’t that have been the smart thing?

But if they waited too long, then they may miss their chance. The Jade Fangs could probably swarm them, call for more men, and then overtake them completely. Jungkook knew that the plan was the best option they had right now.

It didn’t mean he had to like it.

Without waiting for him to agree or even disagree, Jimin turned and ran down one side of the building. He rounded the corner and disappeared on the other side, leaving Jungkook alone to wait. There was a distinct feeling of dread sweeping over him, telling him that there was danger to watch out for. But wasn’t that obvious? Didn’t they understand that, knowingly showing up to this place?

This was unavoidable.

A loud bang rang out inside the large interior. Jungkook peered over the bottom of the window, craning his neck as best he could. Light flooded into the dark space as he watched Jimin’s shadow stretching along the floor. All the men inside turned around, grabbing what weapons they had near them to launch an assault. Jimin immediately dispatched one of the lackeys close to the door before turning to run away from the building. All but two gave chase.

Now!

Jungkook thrust the window open, causing it to break further from the force. He leaped in through the opening and charged forward. Taking advantage of the momentary distraction caused by his entrance, Jungkook barreled into the man closest to him – taking him down with a swift grappling throw. The man landed on his head; a distinct crack heard from his skull smacking into the concrete.

He saw movement out of the corner of his eye, a flash of silver, and he dodged at the last second. Whirling his body around, he jumped back with his arms extended out as another man tried to hit him with a metal bat. Jungkook bobbed and weaved out of the way, moving just out of reach at the last possible moment. Pivoting on his back leg, he waited for the man to try to swing at him again before catching the bat in his hand and pulling it toward him. The man slid on his heels, the distance closing rapidly. Jungkook aimed a kick straight for his stomach and sent him flying.

He brought the bat down over the man’s head for good measure.

With the two men unconscious, Jungkook swerved around and ran toward Eden. He did his best to avoid looking at her injuries, not wanting to distract himself from the most important task he had: freeing her. As he looked at her restraints, he did his best to concentrate on her face. She was semi-conscious, the noise bringing her out of whatever fugue state she was in.

“J-Jungkook-ah?” She coughed. “Y-You shouldn’t be here…”

“Shh,” he admonished, his eyes flicking over her bindings, “save your strength.”

His hands moved with lightning speed, fidgeting over the ropes and chains binding her as she hung from a large hook attached to the ceiling. When he finally managed to loosen the ropes, he lifted her up by her waist so he could untether her from the hook. Her arms dangled limply around his neck; the chains clamped around her wrists jingling together with the sudden movement.

Her body lacked the strength to keep herself upright and she nearly collapsed to the ground. Jungkook held fast to her, moving her arms over his head so he could undo the chains around her wrists. He could tell she’d lost weight and she seemed almost a shell of who he knew her to be. He focused on getting her to safety – choosing to smother his fury into the pit of his stomach.

“Go,” she whispered as he held onto her, “get out of here.” She coughed again. “Leave me.”

“Not a chance in hell,” he snapped, draping her arm over his shoulder as he held onto her waist, “now come on.”

Jungkook wouldn’t hear anymore of this nonsense, even if it was coming from the woman he loved. She was barefoot, but there wasn’t any glass on the ground. If she didn’t think she’d be able to walk, he’d carry her on his back and dare her to say otherwise.

Shuffling toward the entrance, he could hear men yelling in the distance. But it sounded like it was getting closer. Jimin was circling back, probably to make sure that they’d gotten out. If they could hold out a little longer, the others would come and then they could cause a big enough scene to get the hell out.

Just as he reached the entryway, he turned to make sure the two men he’d dealt with were still on the ground. Satisfied that they weren’t going to be getting up anytime soon, he turned back toward the exit.

A shadow moved from the corner. Eden saw it before he did. Jungkook shuffled to the left. He was half a step short.

The pain didn’t register at first. All he could focus on was Yoo Kihyun who was now directly in his path to freedom. It wasn’t until he saw the older man take a step forward that Jungkook took a step back. But not of his own freewill. He was forced to step back.

The knife in his gut pushed him to move.

Eden screamed but he barely heard it. Jungkook nearly dropped her, but his stubbornness wouldn’t allow her to fall. Not in front of him; her captor. A chilling smile painted over Kihyun’s face as he tilted his head, peering into Jungkook’s eyes. It was like he was asking him what his next move would be without having to say it out loud. For a split second, Jungkook’s vision blurred.

Releasing the hold he had on Eden’s arm, he grabbed a hold of the knife and pushed back – pulling the blade slowly from his gut. Kihyun blinked in surprise at him, watching as he drew the older man’s arm away from his body while still holding his wife fast to him. Again, Eden screamed, but this time she moved with whatever strength was left in her body – arms reaching out in a feral manner.

She scratched her nails across Kihyun’s face, forcing him to reach up and cover his cheek. Jungkook stepped forward, pulling the knife completely from his stomach, before spinning it in his blood-soaked fingers to grasp the blade’s handle. Kihyun stumbled backward a step and Jungkook quickly closed the distance, plunging the knife directly into his shoulder and aiming a kick to his knee. He waited for him to hit the dirt before pulling Eden quickly behind him.

He didn’t have to express the need for urgency.

They both disappeared into a nearby cluster of reeds.

10:45 AM

Blood wept from the side of Jimin’s head as he rounded the corner of a building. He held onto a rusty metal pipe, clutching it at his side. He knew one of his ribs were broken, if not two, and there was a good chance he very nearly sprained his ankle hopping over a broken-down car to avoid being clobbered with a length of chain. He quickly did a tally in his head, making a note that he was able to knock down four of the eight that were chasing him. Two of them he tripped up along their pursuit and the rest were now trying to comb the nearby streets in search of him.

Hearing Eden’s scream forced him to double back toward the building where he’d left Jungkook. It wasn’t the sound of agony. It was of outrage. Something must have happened. He needed to get back to them and quickly.

Jimin wiped some of the sweat and blood from his head, spitting at the ground. Once his heart calmed down, he tried to ascertain his whereabouts. Just two buildings over and he’d be right back where he’d started.

Come on, Park Jimin. Calm down and focus.

His phone buzzed in his pocket and he fished it out, eyeing the screen. It was from Yoongi.

Yoongi: We’re almost there! Where are you guys? Give us a landmark!

Taking a moment to breathe, he turned his head in every direction to try and gauge a decent landmark for the others to follow. There was a cluster of blue barrels far away from the abandoned buildings, just toward the edge where a large field of reeds were. He quickly texted him back, letting him know the location.

He slid the phone back into his pocket, gripping the metal pipe in both hands. Now he just needed to get back to Jungkook who, he hoped, had Eden in tow.

His phone buzzed again; this time in succession. Someone was calling him.

Dipping into a nearby building, he hunkered down in a shadowed corner to look at the phone. It was Jungkook. He answered.

“Jungkook-ah?”

“H-Hyung…”

Jimin could tell something was wrong.

“Where are you?”

“T-The…the reeds…”

He had to refrain from cursing. There were reeds in every direction. He took a breath to calm his nerves.

“What else do you see around you?”

There was a pregnant pause and he wondered if something was happening with the call.

Jimin-ah?”

It was Eden. His heart practically jumped into his throat.

“Oh, thank God he got you out. Are you alright?”

“Never mind that. Jungkook’s hurt.”

He could hear the frantic tone in her voice. Jimin tried to smooth his voice out in a way that would help take the edge off for her.

“Okay, just breathe. Can you tell me where you guys are right now?”

“I can’t really see anything. The reeds are so thick.”

“Can you see any barrels around you?”

“Hold on.”

It was only a few seconds, but Jimin felt like he was losing years off his life as he waited for her to answer.

“I can see some blue ones. But they’re far away.”

He resisted the urge to smile. They weren’t that far from his current location.

“How far?”

“Several yards. They’re across that dirt path.”

“Okay, good.” His side screamed at him from the position he was in, but he ignored it. “I want you to meet me there, okay?”

It sounded like she was about to sob which unnerved him.

“Can’t you just come here? Jungkook’s hurt badly and I don’t have the strength to carry him.”

Jimin hissed quietly to himself. I told him to be careful… He took a breath. “Alright, I’ll come to you. I’ll be there soon.”

“Hurry!”

Ending the call, Jimin slipped out the back of the building and made his way around the next bend. Part of him wanted to throw the pipe off in a different direction, hoping the noise would distract others away from his path. But if they got flanked, he’d need a way to defend Eden, Jungkook, and himself. Especially if Jungkook was as hurt as Eden claimed he was.

This isn’t good, he thought, tearing through the back alleyway and heading up the side of the street to disappear into the thicket of reeds.

10:57 AM

Even though he knew he’d only traveled a few blocks, it felt like he’d been moving for miles. Each turn he made, Jimin thought he was getting more and more lost. Every so often, he’d turn his head to look over his shoulder and spy out the buildings – making sure that he was still on a straight path to the others. He heard some of the other men shouting at each other, trying to figure out where they’d gone, and each of these times, Jimin would pause so that he didn’t give away his position.

Just as he was about to resume his search, he heard a distinct shuffling sound off to his right. It was close.

“J-Jimin-ah? Is that you?”

It was Eden. She sounded exhausted and halfway to the underworld, but it was her. Jimin quickly darted in the direction of her voice, parting the reeds in front of him as he went.

A lump of ice dropped in his stomach at what he saw.

There, cradled in her arms, was Jungkook. A large blood stain blossomed from his shirt and he saw Eden pressing his jacket to his stomach and putting pressure on the injury. She was crying, doing her best to keep her sobs nonexistent so they didn’t alert the others of where they were. She looked up, relief and despair battling for dominance over her features. Jimin dropped the pipe in his hands, his legs slowly carrying him toward Jungkook just as he spit up blood from his mouth.

“J-Jungkook-ah,” he stammered, collapsing to his knees.

Despite the obvious pain he was in, Jungkook flashed him a smile full of blood-stained teeth. “H-Hyung,” he managed to get out, albeit garbled from a mouthful of blood, “what took you so long?”

Jimin didn’t have the energy to snap back. He felt like part of his soul just left him completely. His eyes roved over Jungkook’s body, trying to figure out the cause of his brother’s current state. He lifted his gaze to meet Eden’s.

“What happened?”

“It was Kihyun,” she said weakly while brushing some of the fringe off of Jungkook’s forehead, “he came out of nowhere and—”

“That doesn’t matter,” Jungkook interjected, causing them both to focus on him, “Hyung, get her out of here.”

Another piece of his soul was pulled away.

“W-What?”

Eden shifted him in her arms, clinging to him in desperation. “I’m not leaving you!”

“Yes, you are.” Jungkook reached up to his neck, grabbing the necklace and popping it off in one quick motion. He smeared blood over his skin and clothes, holding it up for Eden. “Take it and go.”

She emphatically shook her head and Jimin could tell that even doing this was zapping her of what strength she had left.

“You bastard,” she muttered, curling her fingers into the fabric of his jacket, “how can you expect me to leave you? Huh?” Eden lowered herself, pulling him against her body to hug him close. “Till death do us part, remember?”

Jungkook did his best to wrap an arm around her, coughing more blood out and staining her shirt. “…and this…is where…we part.”

Eden shot back, looking down at Jungkook as tears streamed down her face, dripping onto his cheeks.

“J-Jungkook,” she stammered, her bottom lip trembling as her voice shook.

Again, he smiled up at her. “I love you, Eden.” He grabbed her hand and placed the necklace inside her palm, closing her fingers over it. “If…if I’m reborn, let me love you in the next life too, okay?”

Jimin could hear his own heart shattering in his chest.

“Hyung…take her and go.”

“But Jungkook-ah—”

“Please.”

Tears leaked out of Jimin’s eyes. It took everything he had, but he stood up and crossed over to where Eden was. She continued to hold onto her husband, refusing to let go even as Jimin tried to pull her up and onto her feet. She fought him but even she knew that she didn’t have the strength to keep it up. Jimin held her against him and they both gazed at the satisfied and peaceful expression on Jungkook’s face. He nodded to them, mouthing for them to go.

Jimin turned, hauling Eden with him as she wailed silently into the crook of his shoulder.

I’ll come back for you, Jungkook. I won’t leave you alone out here...

11:05 AM

He knew that it was only a few minutes since he watched Eden and his brother leave. In those few minutes, Jungkook believed it was several lifetimes. In those few minutes, he thought back to everything that led to this very moment. All the choices he’d made, the road he’d traveled, and the people he’d traveled on that road with along the way.

He regretted nothing up until that moment.

The only thing he knew he would have to repent for would be leaving his beautiful wife behind alone. They’d had a few chapters written in their life together, but they were pages filled with hopes and dreams for an uncertain future. Life never gave guarantees. The only certainty for life was death. It was the same for everyone.

The sun was reaching its peak over the skies. There were very little clouds littering the pale blue blanket above him and he wasn’t sure if it was the bright light that was making it difficult to see or something else. Jungkook lost feeling to the lower half of his body nearly two minutes earlier.

Again, he coughed and more blood sprayed from his mouth. Tears brimmed his eyes, slipping from the corners to seep into his ears.

My brothers…

Jungkook could feel his eyelids growing a little heavier with each passing second, but he forced them to stay open.

Eden…

But the darkness began to creep around the corners of his vision, blurring out the light until it was a faint glow in his line of sight.

He wanted to keep feeling the warmth of the sun on his face until the very end.

…until we meet again.