Chapter Text
Weeks after.
After getting dressed and putting on some perfume, Jeongguk took his phone to save it in the back pocket of his jeans and headed towards Yoongi's bedroom to say bye. Then he left the apartment and walked towards the park where he would meet Taehyung.
When he arrived, he sat down in one of the benches and smiled at the children who were playing on the swings.
For a brief moment, he closed his eyes as he let out a sigh he had been holding in for a few minutes. But then a pair of hands rested on his eyes making him laugh since the smell of that very manly perfume invaded his nostrils a couple of seconds before.
“Hey hyung.”
The elder snorted at the same time he took his hands off his eyes and sat next to him to give him a small kiss on one of his cheeks.
“Hey love.” The younger blushed. “Did you wait long?”
“Actually no, I just arrived a few minutes ago.”
Taehyung hummed while looking at the same children Jeongguk was watching.
“What if we go to eat something?” Taehyung asked, gaining Jeongguk's attention. “I'm a little hungry since I haven't eaten since that stupid meeting with Thais.”
“There is a mall china restaurant down the street, we can go there and then we can go for a walk to the Han river.”
“That sounds like a really good plan.”
“Let's go, then.”
The couple laughed while standing up from the bench in order to go to the restaurant Jeongguk recently mentioned between little conversations about their day.
When they arrived, Taehyung and Jeongguk walked towards the counter and ordered the house special since they were not in the mood to select something by themselves. Then, they sat on a table and started talking about their following plans until the food arrived.
After finishing their food they arranged the dishes on the tray, to help the waiter, to then left their table and walked towards the counter in order to pay.
“Would you wait for me?” Jeongguk asked after paying. “I need to go to the toilet.”
“Go, I will wait for you.” Taehyung responded with a smile, reassuring the younger.
Jeongguk nodded and left a small peck on the elder's lips, before walking towards the restroom.
After a few minutes, Taehyung frowned since there wasn't any sign of Jeongguk coming, so without wasting any time, he walked towards the restroom.
“Jeongguk?” He asked as soon as he opened the door. However, there was no answer.
With his heart beating fast, Taehyung left the restroom in order to talk with the owner of the restaurant, but he stopped when he saw the emergency door slightly opened. He looked at both sides of the hall to make sure nobody was looking at him to then walk over there.
As he walked out of that door, he found himself in a dead end. Slowly, he scanned the place until his heart stopped as he watched Jeongguk desperately trying to free himself from a stranger's grip.
For less than a second, Taehyung’s gaze fixed on the guy and his blood boiled as he noticed a sun shaped tattoo behind his ear.
“What the fuck are you doing?” He spoke, his voice a tone lower than normal.
The person sighed and stopped his movements to look at Taehyung.
“None of your business.” He spat with disdain.
“It is my fucking business because he is with me.” He answered calmly and pointed at Jeongguk who was trembling due to the fear.
“Bad luck for you, old man. I don't care”
The stranger adjusted Jeongguk's body, which was slipping due to his movements, and continued his way, ignoring Taehyung.
“And I don't care what Hwan wants,” he said, making that stranger stop for a second time. “I'm not going to let you walk away with him.”
“How do you know-”
“You know? You should cover up your tattoo with make up… or get it in a part of your body where nobody else could see.”
“Who are you?” The stranger asked angrily, knowing that only those who were inside that world knew the meaning of that tattoo.
“Just a mere citizen.”He said, shrugging his shoulders to downplay the situation. Then, his face contorted onto something even darker, forgetting for a moment with whom he was. "Now let him go.”
"It's not like I'd listen to someone like you," he snorted.
Taehyung laughed as he pulled out a gun from one of his hidden pockets in his jacket to point it at him.
“Tell me, kid, death or your soul,” he said, taking the safety off the gun, not realizing that Jeongguk was looking at him scared since it was the first time he saw this side of Taehyung.
“And what are you going to do about it, huh?” he said mockingly. “I'm pretty sure you don't even know how to use it, you idiot.
Taehyung's gaze darkened at the challenge.
“Tell Hwan that Vante says hi” After hearing the name, the stranger released and pushed Jeongguk, causing him to fall to the floor, so he could raise his hands over his head since in their world, they knew that if they heard that name they were completely lost.
“Sir! I-I didn’t k-know,” he stammered.
“Well,” he interrupted, “if you can even tell him.”
He pointed directly to his heart and fired, making the stranger fall to the ground already death.
“What the fuck!?” Jeongguk shouted alarmed, as he stood up and brought Taehyung out of his trance.
“I-”
“What did you do!?” the younger looked around as the image in his head played every 5 seconds—You can't just come and do something like that!
“Jeong-”
“Who are you?” He asked fearfully, remembering how Taehyung had mentioned a certain Vante, while he saw him put the gun in his jacket and with a slow and unsure step he tried to approach the minor.
But his scream made him stop.
“Don't come closer! “ he shouted, his breathing ragged. “I don't want to be near you”.
“I just want to see if you're okay.” He murmured with his hands shaking at Jeongguk's rejection” Did he hurt you?”
But the younger one looked at him in disbelief. “I'm fine with you being away.”
“Jeongguk-”
"Jeongguk, nothing!" the younger shouted abruptly, his heart beating hard due to the panic he was feeling at not understanding anything. "You come here and shoot someone like nothing, Taehyung. How the hell do you expect me to react?”
“He was going to kidnap you.” Taehyung muttered, watching as Jeongguk's face transformed into one of confusion. “That boy works for a gang from the north and-”
“How do you know?” the elder remained silent. “What are you up to?” There was nothing to be heard but the sound of the wind blowing. “Tell me something damn it!” Jeongguk shouted through his tears. “What the fuck are you up to?”
Taehyung swallowed hard and asked:
“Have you heard of 'ndrangheta?”
“What about them?”
“I'm the Boss.” he blurted out, as if it were a phrase he had been saving for a long time.
"What?" Jeongguk asked in disbelief. "What kind of joke is this? Nobody knows the boss and I don't think you'd just say it like that.”
“It's no joke, I…” he interrupted, while running his hands through his hair trying to organize his thoughts. “it's my grandfather's business and-”
“We're done.” Jeongguk blurted out, feeling his throat closing as he said those words, but his mind didn't give him room to think any further. "I'm not going to be with a criminal or a mobster.”
“Jeongguk-”
“Don't call me, don't look for me again, I don't want to know anything about you.” he spat, without mincing his words. “God, you've killed so many people with your disgusting hands, and on top of that you hugged me as if nothing was happening.”
Taehyung fell silent, watching how Jeongguk began to walk in the opposite direction.
A far from him.
“Are you really not even going to let me explain?” Taehyung asked, watching as Jeongguk stopped his movements. “Jeongguk I-”
“And what do you want to explain?” he asked mockingly. “How do you kill your victims? I don't want a life like that Taehyung, find someone who does or better yet… die alone.”
And without further ado, he left the place, taking Taehyung's heart along with him.
★·.·¯`·.·★
“Where is he?” Jimin asked with his nerves on edge.
“If I knew, I wouldn't be here waiting by your side.” Namjoon snorted as he waited for Jackson also, who left 15 minutes ago after receiving a call.
It was already 3 in the morning and there was no sign of Taehyung.
“I'm going to go look for him,” Jimin assured as he got up from his seat to grab his keys and head to the entrance, but the sound of the door opening made him stop.
He looked at his best friend and his heart tightened at the sight of Taehyung completely drunk, being dragged away by Jackson.
“What happened?” Jimin asked worriedly as he ran to his side to help.
“I don't knowJackson muttered as he placed his arm around her shoulders and looked at Namjoon. “I got a call from BamBam telling me he'd been at the bar for hours, I didn't think of anything else but going out to look for him.”
“Let's take him to his room.” Jimin said, making Jackson nod.
In less than 5 minutes, Taehyung was sitting on his bed, while Jimin was undressing him.
“What do you think if I cut my hands off?” Taehyung asked, slurring his words.
“What?”
"That way I wouldn't be a murderer."
"I think the alcohol went to your head pretty fast," he muttered to himself, as he pushed Taehyung onto the bed to take off his shoes. As soon as he straightened up, his friend was already asleep.
The next morning, Taehyung opened his eyes and closed them suddenly as he felt a throbbing headache.
“Looks like someone got sick from the drinks.”
A groan left his throat as he sat down to receive the glass of water and the pill Jimin handed him. “Please speak quietly.”
“What happened? You’re not the type to go out and get drunk, Tae.”
Memories of what happened the night before hit him like a train, making him drop the glass of water.
“Jeongguk broke up with me.”
Jimin’s eyes widened as he heard that sentence come out of his best friend’s lips.
“What do you mean he broke up with you?”
“He said he wasn't going to be with a criminal or a mobster. “he laughed halfheartedly, then drank the rest of the water left in his glass in one gulp. “I need something stronger.”
Silence fell over the room as Taehyung set his glass aside and got out of bed. He put on the same pants he wore during the night before and headed out to his office.
When he arrived at his office, he approached a small table and poured himself some whiskey. Without thinking, Jimin approached him and snatched the glass from his hands before hugging him and holding him like when they were little kids.
And there, under the warm sunlight that filtered through the window, Taehyung let down his walls to rebuild them with greater strength.