Chapter Text
"You're shitting me."
"I'm not, and you know I need your help just a little longer. I know you're sick of this, but you are the only person who can do this for me. Think about it, we'll be free after this, no one stopping our reign. We'll rule Seoul and the rest of Korea together, China too, all with you by my side. Please baby, do this for me."
Minseok hated begging. It felt wrong, felt like snakes were crawling out of his throat, but he wasn't above doing it to Jongdae. Usually he was at Jongdae's feet, on his knees, ready and obedient, prepared to give whatever Jongdae wanted to him. This time, however, he needed Jongdae to do this ONE THING for him, something he never asked Jongdae of, never making him do anything that he wasn't 100% on board with, and Jongdae decided to be selfish and disregard his request? Who did Jongdae think he was dealing with? Did he completely forget the empire that Minseok had built, had built for HIM, so that the two of them could be together happily ever after? It was like Jongdae didn't even care.
Minseok remembered the day that Baekhyun had swept Jongdae away from him, making these ridiculous rules about how Minseok, despite being his former gang partner, was no longer allowed to see him unless he paid up. He remembered how Jongdae had looked at him with such a heavy disdain in his eyes, a look that haunted Minseok in his sleep. He remembered how Jongdae sat perched in Baekhyun's lap, like a good little kitten, a good little bitch, and he remembered the fire that had raged in his skull and made his vision red. He especially remembered how he had been too late to rescue Jongdae, how he hadn't left the hideout in time, hadn't been the hero in blinding colors to save the day. It had to have been Baekhyun, of all people, and sometimes Minseok wished that Baekhyun had simply let Jongdae get his ass beat and continued on with his nightly walk.
Jongdae and him had been inseparable. They grew up together in poverty, fighting for their lives every turn they made. Minseok's parents had no money due to debts that had to be paid to the local gang, and Minseok's only way to survive when his parents kicked him out was to join the ranks of those that made his parents miserable. He figured it served them right; he hadn't asked to be born, to be brought into such a cruel world, but he was there now, and if he wanted to make it anywhere in life, he was going to have to do what he was raised around. He supposed that made him an expert in the underground in its own right, and he had begged Jongdae to join him, much like he was doing now. Jongdae had agreed, homeless and starving, his parents long dead, and they had lived a cozy, if not comfortable, existence stealing from local shops and mugging old ladies for their cash. It wasn't proud work, and it certainly wasn't honest, but it kept them alive and together, and each other was all they had.
Until Baekhyun had to come and fucking ruin it.
They were freshly 18 at the time, and Minseok had gone out drinking with a few of his friends from the gang. It was innocent fun, as innocent as they could get, and he had deserved a night off. He was constantly fretting over Jongdae, making sure he wasn't injured or in trouble, and Jongdae had convinced him that he wasn't going to go anywhere for the night, that he would be just fine, and that Minseok really did need a night off. He was ragged and worn out, constantly fighting off advances from the other gang members towards Jongdae, and Minseok understood all too well. Jongdae was beautiful, no matter how tired or hungry he was, and everyone wanted a piece of him. The only thing was, they were too scared of Minseok (who became a beligerant psychopath with anything to do with Jongdae's wellbeing), and Minseok wouldn't be around for a couple hours, let alone the fact that he was supposed to return intoxicated.
He had told Jongdae to stay put, not to leave their little alleyway, their little slice of heaven in all this hell. Minseok had built him by hand a small shelter that kept them safe from the harsh elements, and it even came with a lockable door and a lovely swinging bench that Minseok had spent days crafting from loose driftwood found in the beaches of Yonsei. It was their own safe haven, and Jongdae had promised not to go anywhere. He had PROMISED, goddammit, and Minseok still came home to an empty house with an even emptier heart.
He didn't see Jongdae for three years after that.
Those three years were spent scraping his way up to the top, finding his own crew by any means necessary, and depleting the gang that he worked for to ashes and rubble. He took over their empire, eliminating the strong and demolishing the weak. The whole time he was plagued with wondering where Jongdae had went, hoping and praying to whatever unholy god was watching over him that the other was alright. Thankfully, he had been, and they rekindled their forever love when Minseok was invited to the Marilander's Ball for the first time. Jongdae had been absolutely stunning, a red suit made of velvet draping over his delicate frame, but one thing was out of place.
There was another man holding a leash that attached itself to a collar that Jongdae had on. Minseok knew the man all too well.
The infamous Byun Baekhyun.
Ever since then, Minseok resented Baekhyun for tearing Jongdae away from him. He understood though; what could Jongdae have done about the situation? He was safe for the most part, and there weren't any visible scars or bruising on him from what Minseok could tell. What was Jongdae going to do anyways, fight off the most dangerous man in the country? Baekhyun had made a name for himself young and early, and Minseok and Jongdae had been hearing about him years before they ever saw him in person. That was the moment that Minseok had struck up the deal with Baekhyun that Jongdae could come see him once a month, the only time that Minseok was ever truly happy. Jongdae always seemed elated to be with him again, and their love blossomed like no other. They were each other's everything, but Jongdae always went back, always boarded the private jet that Baekhyun sent for him without a second look. It burned Minseok to the core.
Now, Jongdae was finally back in his arms, forever as far as he could tell, and Minseok understood that what he was asking of Jongdae was insanity, but it was the final piece of the puzzle to their future, one of peace and quiet, one of gentle rolling mountains and blissful valleys of green. One where they could live the rest of their lives in the gentle quiet of a summer breeze, running their operations only just enough so that they could continue to live their lavish lifestyles, travel the world if they wanted. All Minseok really wanted was Jongdae. It was all he ever wanted.
But now he wanted Jongdae to go back.
"Minnie, I can't. I'm not leaving you. What if something happens? What if I can't leave again? You expect me to go grovel at the feet of the man you hate and ask him to take me back? After what he's done to me?" Jongdae pleaded, wrapping his arms tightly around Minseok. Minseok swallowed hard at this, returning the hug just as tight, tighter even. The bandages that hung delicately against Jongdae's neck tickled Minseok's chin and it made him scowl, a fire burning in his stomach that screamed anger and agony and disappointment, in himself especially for ever letting Baekhyun lay a hand on his angel.
"I understand, trust me, I do, but this plan is going to work. This is the easiest way, and it won't be for very long. In, out. That's all I'm asking." Minseok took a step back and offered the other a warm smile, and Jongdae couldn't help but blush and smile back. After all these years, Minseok still gave him butterflies.
"I think your plan is insane, and I think you're insane. At the same time though, this... this could be it, huh?" Jongdae breathed, exhaling a deep sigh he didn't know he had been holding. "This would be the end? Just you and me, forever, like we always planned?"
"It most definitely would be the end, if you do as I say and follow the instructions I've set out for you. Your acting is so good Jongdae, I know that you can pull this off. Once you've done your part, we just let the rest unfold, yeah? Simple as that. You won't even get your hands dirty."
"You'll still be here when I get back? You'll still love me just the same?" Jongdae looked up at Minseok with doe eyes that burned themselves straight into Minseok's heart.
"When have I ever not been?" Minseok responded, brushing a lock of Jondae's hair off of his forehead. "Everything is set up for you, the only thing you need to still do is leave and carry out what I've asked. You can do that, can't you? One last job, then we're done. We can retire and we can be alone like we've always wanted. I'll build you that library, fill it with thousands of your favorite books, everything I've ever promised you will finally come true."
"Okay then," Jongdae muttered, looking at the floor before raising his head as Minseok took his chin up by two fingers and lifted it to meet his gaze. It was full of admiration for Jongdae, and Jongdae couldn't help but giggle and lean forward to envelope Minseok into a deep kiss that burned with a thousand soul's worth of love. "Let me go get ready," he said as they finally pulled away form each other.
"Alright." Minseok let Jongdae slip from his grasp as the other went to go prepare for what was to come. The plan was simple, stated clearly, and there was no way that it could go wrong. Not with the technology, not with the research that Minseok had amassed for this exact moment. it was his magnum opus, the fruition of his entire life's work up until then. He was going to reign eternal hellfire on his enemies, destroy them from the inside out. It was finally time.
Byun Baekhyun had to go.
---
When Kyungsoo and Junmyeon arrived at the manor, neither one of them knew what to expect. They just knew that something was wrong, and that Baekhyun had personally requested them to come to his abode as quickly as possible. As they pulled into the golden gates, the flashy BBH glittering in the early morning sunlight, it squealed behind them like the iron jaws of a monster, trapping them inside. The manor made the both of them insanely nervous; this was a place of cleanliness, of beauty, something that the two of them were completely unaccustomed to. The car they rode in smelled like soot, and the seats were peppered with little burn marks that were left from when Junmyeon couldn't be bothered to ash his cigarettes. Neither of them were properly dressed, and they both hadn't showered in days. They had been busy running operations in Itaewon for Baekhyun when he couldn't attend the meetings he had originally set up there. Something about being busy with internal affairs, and Kyungsoo and Junmyeon knew better than to ask questions. They simply did as they were told, and they were doing just that as they dashed up the front steps and slammed the heavy gold door knocker down three times.
The doors creaked open, and three men wearing bronze collars escorted them inside. They soon arrived at the large oak doors of Baekhyun's office, and one of the men pushed the doors open just enough for the two of them to slip through before closing it swiftly behind them.
The scene they walked into was truly one to behold. Baekhyun was standing in the middle of the room, the large portrait of himself leering at everyone behind them with an evil look etched into the canvas. Baekhyun held the same look on his own face, a maniacal grin splayed across his cheeks, teeth bared and sharp. On the floor at his feet was a man practically folded in half with the intensity of his bow, knees tucked up underneath him, his head mushed into the floor by Baekhyun's leather clad foot crushing the back of his skull to keep him down. Baekhyun's other foot was painfully standing on top of one of the man's hands, but the man didn't bother to flinch or try to tear it away as Baekhyun ground it into the carpet with his heel.
"Just in time!" Baekhyun chirped when he saw the two men at the door. "Please, Kyungsoo, Junmyeon, you know our guest." Baekhyun lifted his foot off of the man's head and grabbed his hair in his fist, aggressively shoving his head up and spinning him to face the criminals at the doorway. Junmyeon's mouth fell open at the sight of Jongdae, his nose clearly broken from being forced into the ground, blood dribbling over his swollen lips. Baekhyun, impossibly fast, brandished a knife and pressed it clean against Jongdae's neck, the blade wickedly glinting in the light of the lanterns that lined the office walls. "Jongdae, darling, aren't you going to say hello?"
Jongdae sputtered out a quick "hi" before his head was being shoved to the floor again. Baekhyun effortlessly stepped on his back as he climbed over the other in one stride, then stepped back onto the ground and moved towards his henchmen. Jongdae didn't so much as grunt to let them know he was in any pain. In fact, Jongdae had been smiling when they had gotten a glimpse of his face.
"What's going on?" Kyungsoo questioned, breaking the silence that hung in the still air. Baekhyun's grinned widened, motioning for the two men to follow him back to Jongdae. He instructed them to lift Jongdae up and support him on both sides, one arm each latched in theirs. This hoisted Jongdae to his feet, and his head lolled back before rolling forward. Baekhyun lifted his chin with his fingers, much like Minseok had done not a few days before, but this gesture was followed by an intense blow to the stomach that Junmyeon and Kyungsoo both had to brace themselves against.
"You see boys, little Chen here has come crawling on his hands and knees back to me! I found him desperately ringing the front gate, begging to be let in in the middle of the night. He says here that Minseok abandoned him, realized he was all used up, and Minseok didn't want my sloppy seconds anymore. Such a shame, really," Baekhyun purred, swiping his knuckles across Jongdae's bruised cheek. Jongdae cringed at the name he had been given so long ago.
Suck it up. Do it for Minnie. He wouldn't want to see you fail. You cannot fail him. He knew what he was going to put you through, YOU knew what was going to happen, and you still said yes. This is nothing compared to what the devil in front of you used to do to you.
The only thing that scared Jongdae the most was that Chanyeol was nowhere to be seen, and that meant Baekhyun wasn't going to hold back.
Jongdae wondered if that was the reason it was Kyungsoo and Junmyeon holding onto him, because they didn't give two shits what happened to him. All they cared about was money, and money they were sure to receive for this. Their job was easy: they just had to sit and watch.
Jongdae's wasn't quite as simple.
"Speak, bitch," Baekhyun spat, spitting into Jongdae's left eye. With his arms pinned to his side, he couldn't wipe the saliva away, and he wanted to hurl. "Tell them why you're here, since I can't get the pathetic whimper right like you can."
"Minseok... he... he told me to go back and said that I wasn't welcome there. He said that... that I reeked of Baekhyun, that I wasn't tight like I used to be. He said he didn't want me anymore, that taking me was a mistake. He... he said you were right to cut the tattoo off."
Baekhyun chuckled and circled the three men like a shark, eyeing his prey fitfully. That sense of madness, the one that always lingered in the corners of his mind, the dark recesses that weren't allowed to see the light was coming forth, releasing Baekhyun from his fake holding of being a nicer guy for his beloved and allowing him to relish in what he did best.
"Sorry to hear that," Junmyeon muttered, looking off to the side. He was an arsonist, and that meant that he was never close enough to see the guts and gore his profession caused, because to be honest, it made him a little sick. Holding onto Jongdae was tearing at his heart in a way he didn't know was possible. This was Jongdae, for god's sake, one of Baekhyun's right hand men, and Junmyeon couldn't seem to believe what was going down. He knew Baekhyun was insane, they all did, but he'd never gotten to see it in action. He half wondered if Baekhyun was going to kill the other.
Kyungsoo really couldn't have given less of a shit.
"Would you shut the fuck up?" Baekhyun hissed in Junmyeon's face, and the other turned upwards to face the ceiling, pretending like he hadn't said anything. He was significantly taller than Baekhyun, and definitely had more physical strength, but when Baekhyun got like this, it was clear that even if all three men ganged up on him, they'd be hanging from the lights by their intestines.
"Sorry, sir," Junmyeon whispered, swallowing the lump in his throat.
"Now baby, tell me, did you want to come back? Did you expect me to welcome you with open arms after you DELIBERATELY," Baekhyun shouted, punctuating the word with a sharp knee to Jongdae's crotch. Jongdae attempted to fold, but the two henchmen kept him upright as tears finally began leaking down his face. "Left me like I was nothing to you? You hopped into Minseok's arms after Yeollie's little spectacle of trying to save you. He's so soft, really. Has no idea how this world works, but I know very well that you do, don't you? You've been in this game just as long my darling, sitting so pretty right beside me. Always watching out for me, always running my business like it was nothing to you. Was it really nothing? Did it mean nothing to you? You mean nothing to Minseok, it seems, and now you know how I felt when I watched you abandon me."
"No, dear, I'm sorry, I-"
Jongdae was cut off when he let out a sudden yelp as Baekhyun forced his hand from his side as Kyungsoo released it quickly, then swiftly brought his elbow down onto the upper part of his arm. It made a sickening crunch, followed by a wail that Jongdae was incapable of stopping, but Baekhyun did that for him by whipping his tie off and shoving it in Jongdae's mouth. Jongdae bit onto it as hard as possible, trying his best not to show how badly he was hurting in front of the boss. Baekhyun showed no mercy, and his favorite thing was to see the pain he inflicted. Jongdae, out of anyone, knew that all too well.
"You don't get to call me dear, did you forget that?" Baekhyun snapped, the playful mirth in his voice disappearing and being replaced with venom. "That isn't your place anymore. You're just some whore to me, got that? A footstool for me to wipe the dog shit off of my shoe on. You mean absolutely nothing to me, and it's a long road to get me to even coming close to trusting you. You think I have stupid written on my forehead? For all I know, you're just fucking with me. Minseok probably put you up to this, didn't he?"
Jongdae fought hard to keep the look of recognition that threatened to flit across his face at bay. He couldn't let Baekhyun find him out. Baekhyun could without a doubt not know the real reason he was there.
Pretending like Minseok had really said those things made bile rise in his throat though.
"I'm sorry, it won't happen again," Jongdae tried to say, muffled by the gag caught between his teeth. Baekhyun ripped it out of his mouth with such force that Junmyeon was surprised that some of Jongdae's teeth didn't come with it. "Minseok really did kick me out, you can call him, I'm sure he'll tell you. Please, I just..."
"You just what, Jongdae? Hm?"
"I just missed you."
Baekhyun stopped in his tracks from where he was pulling a thin blade from a holster on his belt. He slowly slid it back into place, then stepped in front of Jongdae so that he was right in his face. Jongdae kept his gaze down, but when Baekhyun touched his cheek with the gentleness he was so used to from the other, he preened into it, feigning love and affection, like he was just a sponge there to soak up whatever Baekhyun would give him. He let his eyes slip shut, if but for a moment, before meeting the fiery gaze of the drug lord. It burned him like the flames of hell, like he was an angel who failed to serve his god, and this was his punishment. He offered Baekhyun a weak smile through his tears, his arm feeling like it was going to fall off. As a matter of fact, he would have preferred if Kyungsoo would just rip it clean off for him.
"I didn't forget what you did for me. The gang you saved me from, Minseok was a part of it all along. It was my home gang, and Minseok had left me alone for the night. He didn't tell me where he was going, and he didn't care that I was all alone." All lies. He had snuck out that night to go to a local bodega that stayed open late at night to buy Minseok a new pair of shoes. His boyfriend's had been rotted through, to the point that he was practically walking on the bare ground, and Jongdae had saved up just enough to go pick out the perfect pair in his size. He was attacked out of the blue by members of his own gang, this was true, but he wasn't close to any of them, and he had been the one to convince Minseok to take a break and go out for the night. It was his fault that he put Minseok through those years of torture, not knowing if he was alive or dead. He couldn't exactly have said no to Baekhyun, but he could have begged him to bring Minseok along, but he didn't. The thought broke him in half. "You were my lifeline, my everything, and I threw it away for someone who didn't care. Please, sir, I'm sorry..."
"Who said I care anymore than he does?" Baekhyun said, barely above a whisper, but Jongdae could see that he was succeeding. Baekhyun had grown soft in his old age, Chanyeol's love eating away at him like flies on a corpse. His fiery demeanor was fading, and a touch of... something, not love, not adoration, but... patience, glimmered in Baekhyun's eyes. This was a rarity; patience was not his strong suit.
"You don't," Jongdae sighed, looking down again. He was having a terrible time making eye contact with Baekhyun. It stirred up so many old feelings, the nights they would spend together, the pain that he would feel when Baekhyun kicked him out of his room on those lonely nights without Minseok, the sadness he felt itch at his own heart when he could hear Baekhyun shattering glass and breaking his most prized possessions when he was on a coke-fueled rage. Jongdae had always just assumed that Minseok wasn't coming for him, and it was better this way, one less thing to drag Minseok down in the long run, but it left a hole in Jongdae's chest the size of the moon. He had tried to fill it with Baekhyun, but each time, Baekhyun would scoop out what makeshift patch he had crafted and would throw it out the window. Every time he thought he was getting to the boss, finally showing him that he didn't have to be a monster, Baekhyun's true nature would shove him aside again and again and again. It broke a little piece of him away every time, and whenever he tried to fill his thoughts with Minseok while Baekhyun was fucking him, it only made it worse. "You never have. But I do."
Baekhyun did a once over to his former partner. Bloody and bruised, it made him feral, itching to rip the traitor apart. Baekhyun had never had full reign over Jongdae, and he had always known that, kept him far away from his things and his heart. He had long ago blocked Jongdae from being anything more than his pet, knowing full well that Jongdae could have made his empire tumble, with his soft lips and sweet voice and gorgeous smile and stunning personality. He had kept him as nothing more than a business endeavor, nothing more, but there would always be an unexplainable ache inside of him that only Jongdae could bring out.
Forget that shit, he thought. Jongdae meant nothing to him, not after what he had done. Brandishing another gang's mark, when he had brought Jongdae's life into a 180 and gave him literally everything he could have ever imagined. He had always meant nothing to him, and always would.
A little voice in the back of his head called him a liar.
"What makes you think I'll just take you back?" Baekhyun asked, shooing Kyungsoo and Junmyeon back, forcing Jongdae to stand on his own. He wasn't able to, and he collapsed to his knees. This made Baekhyun grin. He crouched down to meet Jongdae's eyes, and they both held each other in a staring contest that felt like it lasted years, but really was only seconds.
"I don't," Jongdae muttered, looking anywhere but the boss's eyes. "I don't think I deserve to be taken back, but if you can, if you want to, then I'm yours. No more bullshit. Minseok is dead to me, and forever will be. You were all I ever needed, and I took you for granted. I learned my lesson, Baekhyun." He paused, waiting for an adverse reaction to using Baekhyun's name, but Baekhyun just tilted his head to the side and continued to listen, clearly expecting more. "I learned it well, and I won't be going back. I can't go back. You... I want to be yours again."
Baekhyun nodded slowly, mulling lightly over Jongdae's pleads. He could have ended it right there, slashed Jongdae's throat like a knife through butter, rip his insides out and wear them like a necklace, parading around the manor with his new prize, make earrings out of his eyeballs. Something inside him told him that Chanyeol wouldn't like that much, and it kept the demon inside him at bay.
For now.
"You will not be placed back into the same position as you once held. That position is now filled by Sehun, someone deserving of it, rather than a piece of shit like you. You can start as a dancer at EXO, work your way up again. If my clientele like you well enough, then MAYBE you can have the benefit of wearing bronze again. It will not be easy for you. I will not handpick your clients anymore. It will be disgusting, feeling slimy men crawl their way up and down your body like you are nothing more than a piece of meat, and they are right. I could never continue to grace my presence with the likes of you. Now get the fuck out of my office. Take him to the infirmary."
Junmyeon and Kyungsoo patiently waited for Baekhyun to motion to Jongdae, then they picked him up by the arms and dragged him out of the room, shutting the door behind them. Kyungsoo's grip on Jongdae's broken arm was excruciating, but he didn't complain. He had to keep his mouth shut, had to keep going, endure it for Minseok, for their future together. He was strong, had made it out of much worse. This was nothing.
Besides, the thought of him failing Minseok hurt more than any pain his body could experience.
As they were walking briskly through the halls (Jongdae more so being dragged), a drunk and belligerent Chanyeol stumbled through the front door, Sehun supporting him as they laughed their way past the three men. Chanyeol gave a glance towards Jongdae, not seeming to recognize him at first, before coming to a screeching halt. "What the fuck!" he cried, and Sehun came to a stop beside him. They both wrestled Jongdae away from Kyungsoo and Junmyeon, Sehun barking something at Kyungsoo that he was hurting the other. Kyungsoo rolled his eyes.
"What happened??" Sehun asked, shock written all over his face. "What are you even doing here?"
"Minseok... he kicked me out. He doesn't give a shit about me anymore." Stick to the script, Jongdae, and maybe you'll make it out of here with all of your fingers still attached. He couldn't wait to be back in Minseok's arms, as safe and sound as it got in his world.
"That can't be right," Chanyeol challenged. He clearly remembered the look of fear that had etched itself across Minseok's face the first time they had met at the business meeting where Baekhyun had threatened to revoke the deal the two bosses had made about when and where Jongdae got to go with Minseok. There was no way that Minseok would just up and decide that he didn't want Jongdae anymore. Minseok loved Jongdae the same way Baekhyun loved him, and Chanyeol knew that. He could see it written all over the other boss's features every single time.
"Well, it fucking is," Jongdae snapped, and let himself burst into tears, the pain finally getting too much, and Chanyeol's gentle nature was eating him alive with the need to reach out and feel Minseok's expensive cashmere sweaters under his fingertips again. Chanyeol cooed softly at Jongdae, shushing him gently, before picking him up (with Sehun's help, as he was still wasted, regardless of the sobering shock of seeing Jongdae back in the manor) and dismissing Junmyeon and Kyungsoo. Technically, Chanyeol did outrank them now, with his gold collar returned around his neck after not wearing it for a few weeks, and if the two of them understood anything, it was the rules. They hurried themselves out, not daring to question Chanyeol now that he was in such a position of power. They didn't have a choice.
Chanyeol and Sehun half carried, half dragged Jongdae into the manor's infirmary, placing softly onto a cot and running out to fetch him some food and water. Jongdae ate eagerly, his stomach releasing the knots it had been previously wound into, and he thanked them profusely. The two men smiled at him and babied him like he was used to, and he appreciated every second of it. The two of them called in the medics for Jongdae, and when they arrived, Chanyeol and Sehun planted gentle kisses to Jongdae's temples before whispering goodnight to him and shutting the door behind them as they left. He tried not to take the warmth the two of them had given them at face value. He had to stay focused.
Chanyeol was such a good kid. It almost broke Jongdae's heart in half knowing what he knew he was going to have to do to the other in just a few days.
Almost.