Mercer was distracted and he had been for a few days now.

Wooyoung watched him from the corner of the room where he had been ordered to kneel and not move.

He watched the man pace back and forth behind his desk with his hands clasped behind his back.

Something had happened, but it was too hard to tell if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

Wooyoung guessed he would probably find out when he was taken back to their bedroom.

His knees were starting to hurt. It took everything in him not to shift or make any kind of movement.

From what he had been able to gather in previous meetings, Wooyoung knew that Mercer was on the trail of shutting down some kind of black market and a few other businesses that were supposedly a threat to him.

The door on the far side of the room opened. Wooyoung didn't turn his head, but he did raise his eyes to peek through his eyelashes.

He instantly recognized the thin body to be San's. His movements were smooth and calculated and he was light-footed enough that there was no sound made as he walked a crossed the hardwood floor.

"Is everything still in place?" Mercer asked, stopping his pacing long enough to look at him.

"Yes, Sir. They haven't removed the device."

"Good. Keep monitoring it, if it's who I think it is, then they will show their hand soon." Mercer nodded and started to look through a file on his desk.

"What is so important about this ring, Sir?" San asked, keeping his voice respectful. "Some of our men to there to destress at the end of the day."

"I know. It's not the ring I have an issue with. It's who owns it. Once I take care of them, I will keep the ring running and that will be one more source of income for us."

"The owners, Sir?"

Mercer let out a long sigh. "Yes. They could be problematic for me and I need to take care of them."

Wooyoung chewed on the inside of his lip. He knew Mercer well enough to know that for whatever reason, these people made him nervous. But why? He was the most powerful man in the city. All he needed to do was snap his fingers and he could get whatever he wanted.

Just like now.

At a single snap, Wooyoung stood up and walked over to his side, keeping his head bowed the entire time.

The man ran a hand down his back and ended with it resting on his ass, but otherwise didn't acknowledge his presence.

Wooyoung took this time to peek at what on the desk.

Most of it was files or random stacks of paper. But he did pick out a few names on top that had either a '+' or a '-' next to them.

Kim Hongjoong +

Jeong Yunho +

Kang Yeosang +

Choi Jongho +

Song Mingi –

What did that mean?

Then his eyes drifted over to where there were two more files.

Jung Wooyoung

Choi San

His heart started to beat faster.

What was Mercer planning? And why did he have a file?

Wooyoung's eyes darted up to where San was standing on the other side of the desk. He hadn't moved at all and he was watching Mercer with his deadly gaze.

San was such a mystery to him. All Wooyoung knew was that he was Mercer's number one asset. He was deadly and able to be controlled somehow.

"And keep looking for him. He is the one who can ruin everything for me. I don't know how he has been able to evade me all these years, but I need to find him." Mercer's voice dropped and he grew tense.

"Yes, Sir. I was able to locate where his parents were buried so I've started searching that city."

"Don't underestimate him. I believe he is knowledgeable about things that could destroy me."

Wooyoung bit the inside of his lip. Mercer was scared. He had never seen the man scared before. Whoever this man was really had Mercer rattled.

Maybe this could finally be Wooyoung's ticket out of here. If he could just put together the pieces then maybe... just maybe he could earn his freedom.

Wooyoung wasn't below blackmailing Mercer if he needed to.

"Don't worry, Sir. I'll make sure to take care of him." San said, his voice low and even.

"Good. Go get your check up and get some rest. You've done well today, San." Mercer nodded in San's direction.

A knock on the door halted the dismissal and Seonghwa poked his head in. "Father? You wanted to see me? Oh, you're back San."

The change in Seonghwa's tone when he saw San made Wooyoung's chest tighten. He should have know the other day was just a fluke. Why would Seonghwa actually care about him? He was just Mercer's toy.

Tears started to come to his eyes and Wooyoung did his best to will them away. If Mercer saw he would be in so much trouble.

And yet he couldn't help it.

That moment in Seonghwa room, curled up in Seonghwa's arms, was something he had been dreaming about for years. And being able to actually experience it... he couldn't explain it, but it had just felt right.

"Yes." San answered, turning to look at Seonghwa. "Excuse me, but I must go to my check up." San bowed low and walked out of the room.

Seonghwa watched him go and pursed his lips. "Is he still 'on'?"

"Yes." Mercer said. "I just sent him to be checked so they will get him switched off. Sorry, Son, I know you don't like to see him that way, but it's necessary."

Wooyoung shifted a little as Mercer started to rub circles into his cheek.

"It's ok." Seonghwa said, turning back to his father. His eyes flicked to Wooyoung and down to his father's hand. "What did you need?"

"I need you to follow up on a lead. One of our cars was stolen and left in front of our high priority targets." Mercer tapped the files on his desk with his other hand. "I need to know where he went and who stole that car. The target has also vanished so I need you to track him down again."

"So I'm doing recon? Am I bringing the target in? And who is it I'm looking for?"

Mercer hesitated, but then pulled one of the files out and handed it to his son. "This is top secret, Son. I can't stress how much this could jeopardize everything for me if this information got out. Can I count on you?"

Seonghwa nodded right away. "You know you can. I won't let you down."

"Good." Mercer's voice now held a proud tone to it. "Do not bring him in yet. Just get what information you can, location, assets, what he is doing, things like that, and then report back to me. I'll let you know what I want to do next."

"When should I leave?"

Mercer stopped his rubbing. "You can leave tomorrow morning. I want you to be well rested. Speaking of which, did you enjoy yourself the other night?" When he finished speaking, he squeezed Wooyoung's ass now.

Seonghwa cleared his throat a couple of times. "Yes, I did. You have trained him well."

"I did, didn't I?" Mercer chuckled and pointed at the floor.

Wooyoung bit his tongue to keep from making a sound, although it didn't stop his chin from shaking, as he lowered himself to his knees. Thankfully all Mercer did right now was stroke his head, but he was prepared for worse if it happened.

"If you ever need a night to relax, just let me know."

There was a bit of a pause before Seonghwa answered. "I will, thank you Father. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to turn in for the night."

Mercer chuckled. "Yes, enjoy your evening. I know I will."

As soon as the office door closed, he tightened his grip on Wooyoung's hair.

.

.

.

.

Seonghwa hurried down the hall as soon as the door closed behind him.

So many mixed emotions were running through him right now and he felt like he was going to be sick.

For his father to dangle Wooyoung in front of him like that... Had he always been that way? Had he been that blind this entire time?

None of it made any sense.

Seonghwa glanced down at the file in his hand and started flipping through it.

Inside was the picture of a man with a kind face and fluffy brown hair. He was looking down his nose at something, which gave him a serious and slightly intimidating expression.  It was obvious that the picture was taken from a distance and without the targets notice.

"Jeong Yunho." Seonghwa muttered.

The next page had his known address, registered vehicle, birth date, birthplace, and known family. All three, mother, father, and sister, were marked as deceased.

There was also a page going over what information they had on Yunho. There wasn't a lot, the main point being that he was a well-known street racer. It was recorded that even some of the Pack's best drivers had lost to him.

Seonghwa had to admit he was impressed if that was true. But if he was just a street racer, why did his father view him as such a threat?

He turned back to Yunho's picture so he could study it. The boy was only a year younger than him... And he didn't look like a cruel person.

When he got to his room, Seonghwa stepped inside and set the folder down on his end table before sitting on his bed.

His father had sounded a little desperate when asking him to do this, so there must be something about this Yunho that his father was worried about.

The best thing he could do now was to start at Yunho's home and see if he can figure out where the street racer went.

A knock on the door interrupted Seonghwa's thoughts.

"Come in."

San peered inside. He now had a softer look on his face, especially when he offered a small smile. "Hey."

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Seonghwa patted the bed next to him.

He watched as the younger walked over slowly and sat down, then leaned over to rest his head on Seonghwa's shoulder. "Ok. I always have a headache after my exams."

"I'm sorry." Seonghwa whispered before shuffling back on the bed. He sat with his back to the headboard, then pulled San so the younger could lay his head in his lap. This allowed Seonghwa to start rubbing it gently.

San hummed in thanks and nuzzled into Seonghwa's stomach a little. "Why am I the only one who has to do these exams? I don't get it."

Guilt started to fill Seonghwa and he looked off to the side. Only he, his father, and the man who invented the chip in San's head knew the entire truth about San. It was for his own protection though. Not everyone would take the news that they could be controlled by a chip that has been implanted into their brain lightly.

And it had turned San into the strongest and stealthiest fighter in the entire Pack. He was only used for the most important missions to make sure he stayed as much of a secret as possible. His chip was scanned after every mission and recorded into the internal database that was stored deep below ground.

The scanning process with what his father called an 'exam' and a lot of times it wiped San's memory of the events that had actually happened. It tended to cause painful headaches for him too, and he always sought out Seonghwa once they were over.

"Father just wants to make sure you're healthy, that's all." Seonghwa whispered.

"Well he needs to find a better way to do it because I'm tired of my head hurting. It's always in the same spot too." Before San even had to show him, Seonghwa moved his fingers to right above where the chip was implanted and rubbed there.

San let out a small whine and closed his eyes.

"I'll talk to him about it."

San let out a hum in response, then pursed his lips. "Wooyoung was watching you today."

Seonghwa paused and tried to not react to it at all. "He was?"

"Yes. I've noticed him glancing at you off and on for a few years now, but today was a little more than usual."

"I wonder why." Seonghwa said, trying to brush it off.

He had been afraid of this. As much as he hated what his father did to the boy, it wasn't his place to interfere. His father had made it very clear that Wooyoung was his, and his alone. He had been for as long as Seonghwa could remember.

If he were to start meddling in his father's personal business... Seonghwa didn't even want to think about the consequences.

Maybe he should have just slept with Wooyoung like his father had expected.

"I think he likes you." San said quietly.

"Don't be ridiculous." Seonghwa shook his head. But then he saw the slight pout on San's lips. "Do I detect a hint of jealousy?"

"No. I don't know. I feel like... like I should be?" San let out a long sigh and pushed himself up so he was sitting crossed legged. "That's what is supposed to happen when two people do the things we do, right?"

"I suppose."

"Then why do I feel ok with it? I've always felt like maybe..."

"We don't fit?" Seonghwa glanced at San and saw his own questions reflected in the younger's eyes. When San just nodded, Seonghwa sighed and placed a hand on his knee. "I don't know. But I like what we have. And it's not like we can do anything about Wooyoung anyway."

San gave him a shy smile. "True. I definitely don't want to cross your father."

"Neither do I." Seonghwa lifted his hand up and cupped San's chin, then leaned forward to connect their lips.

San shifted and moved to straddle his lap, kissing back with a sudden enthusiasm that told Seonghwa he was perhaps a little jealous.

It was cute, and Seonghwa hoped he could use that to keep him interested in the moment instead of letting his thoughts drift off to other things.

Like how true his words felt about him and San not fitting together.

Or how right being with Wooyoung had felt...