On that same morning, Yixing entered their shared office with a fresh cup of coffee from the nearby shop. This daily routine took him across the street, where he frequented the shop as a loyal customer. Yixing appeared engrossed in the headlines of The Chosun Ilbo daily newspaper he had in his hands, but his reactions suggested he wasn't too pleased with what he was reading. "He's always flaunting," he muttered, rolling his eyes as he walked into the office.

Meanwhile, Junmyeon had already settled into his chair, reviewing some reports. When he saw Yixing come in with only one cup of coffee, he playfully teased, "What's got you so absorbed that you forgot to bring me a cup too?"

In response, Yixing slid The Chosun Ilbo newspaper onto the table, leaving Junmyeon bewildered. "This!"

Junmyeon examined the newspaper on his desk and, still puzzled, asked, "I'm looking at a newspaper. What's the issue?"

"I told you that guy is a crook," Yixing said, taking a sip of his coffee before discarding the cup.

Junmyeon was perplexed because the newspaper had various headlines, and he couldn't figure out which one his colleague was referring to. "Which guy?"

"Who else but Park Chanyeol?" Yixing clarified. "He's taking everything from other contractors. How can we be sure he's not manipulating the government to secure those contracts?"

Yixing continued, expressing his doubts about Chanyeol's recent charitable donations to an orphanage and healthcare. In his opinion, Chanyeol's wealth couldn't possibly be legitimate. He went on to describe Chanyeol as a ritualist and a crook, suspecting that Chanyeol was involved in illegal activities.

"I told you this guy is a fraud," Yixing insisted, reaching for the newspaper, but Junmyeon quickly snatched it to read the headlines more closely. However, Junmyeon could only see news about Chanyeol's philanthropic actions, his construction company's success, and his contributions to employment and development in the country.

"Frankly, Yixing, I don't see anything suspicious here," Junmyeon explained. "Chanyeol is simply a successful businessman, and his generosity is commendable."

Yixing didn't seem convinced and continued to press his argument. "And you don't think he's involved in drug trafficking or human trafficking? How much profit does he really make from his business?"

Junmyeon reminded Yixing that they lacked concrete evidence and that such rumors were common when dealing with high-profile individuals.

"But have you ever wondered how these blogs and media outlets obtain this information?" Yixing questioned.

Junmyeon was curious. "How do they?"

"Through insiders, people close to these wealthy individuals who expose their secrets. Well..." Yixing leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs and sporting a sly grin. "Uncle Sugars will do their job."

"Wait, are you saying you've reported Chanyeol again?"

"Why would you assume I did that?" Yixing denied the allegation. Yet, he knew that Uncle Sugar's visit to Chanyeol's residence wasn't a mere coincidence; they operated based on insider information.

"I don't trust this, Yixing. Don't get yourself into trouble," Junmyeon cautioned, attempting to dissuade his colleague. However, Yixing was a determined individual, unwilling to be swayed easily. If he believed Chanyeol's wealth had sources other than construction, he was prepared to go to great lengths to substantiate his claims.

"You know why working with you can be exhausting sometimes, Junmyeon?" Yixing rhetorically asked, revealing his frustrations with his colleague.

"What's your point?" Junmyeon inquired.

"You're overly cautious. You're always considering the consequences rather than focusing on the target itself."

"I'm only human, Xing."

"And I'm not?"

"Stop twisting my words, buddy. We both know that's not what I meant."

"Then quit being so stubborn and act like the detective you are."

"Screw you. I won't be a part of this newfound obsession. If you're interested in Park Chanyeol and his wealth, just admit it. Stop searching for flaws in a man who's never wronged you."

"Are you finished?" Yixing crossed his arms defiantly.

"Are you joining me for breakfast or not?" Junmyeon abruptly changed the subject, leaving Yixing on the spot.

"Fine, buddy. I'm paying a visit to Park Chanyeol tomorrow."

"Well done! Get yourself a plot for your funeral because I'm not tagging along-"

"Oh, but you will."

"Not me. I don't operate without evidence."

~
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~

Still in the dining area, Baekhyun remained seated, tears streaming down his face. His sobbing began softly but soon intensified into a full-blown cry. Upon spotting Kyungsoo emerging from the kitchen, coming to clear the dishes in the dining area, Baekhyun hurriedly darted for his bedroom, shutting the door behind him. Inside, he found his bed and continued to cry. He couldn't understand what it was about him that made Chanyeol despise him. He couldn't decipher if the man's eyes held hatred or coldness. Every time Chanyeol looked at him, it left Baekhyun breathless, and he couldn't help but wonder if it was the fear of being killed.

Baekhyun was in a state of confusion, unable to think or feel clearly. All he knew was that his life had been upended since being held captive by a Mafia drug lord, and there seemed to be no hope for the future. With Jongin missing and him taken as collateral, Baekhyun realized he might have to accept this new life. Unless a miracle occurred, he'd be trapped in this situation.

As his tears subsided, exhaustion crept in. He felt the weariness in his limbs after undergoing numerous drills to survive. Eventually, he succumbed to deep sleep, no longer caring about anything.

Baekhyun woke up around 6:15 p.m., surprised by how long he had dozed off. However, he felt somewhat relieved and rejuvenated after the extended nap. He stretched his tired muscles, yawned, and then headed to the bathroom for a refreshing shower. After freshening up, he left his room to find Kyungsoo, a newfound friend with whom he had developed a friendly rapport.

As he descended the stairs, he realized there was someone else in the kitchen besides his friend. Baekhyun proceeded cautiously and found Sehun seated on one of the kitchen stools, holding a glass of water. When he spotted Baekhyun approaching, a half-grin laced with sarcasm appeared on Sehun's face. "Well, well! Sleeping Beauty!" he mockingly praised Baekhyun, leaving the latter puzzled.

Baekhyun respectfully bowed to Sehun, who acknowledged him with a nod. Sehun continued drinking his water, showing little interest in Baekhyun. Even when Baekhyun took a seat beside him, Sehun kept his gaze elsewhere. It wasn't until he noticed the small water droplets from Baekhyun's hair that he looked at him. "You didn't dry your hair properly," he remarked.

Baekhyun was taken aback. "I thought I did." He touched his hair and realized it was indeed damp, causing him a moment of embarrassment. How could he forget to dry his hair properly?
...

"You're all wet, and you might catch a cold," Sehun expressed his concern.

"I thought I dried it. D-did it touch you?" Baekhyun asked, pouting, and Sehun looked at him in speechless amazement; could he be any cuter? He sighed, reaching into his pants to retrieve a towel. "Here, take this and dry your hair," he handed the towel to Baekhyun.

"Thank you," Baekhyun mumbled, taking the towel and starting to dry his hair. Once he finished, he moved to wash the towel, but Sehun stopped him. "Don't worry; it will dry on my shoulder."

"Oh?" Baekhyun smiled softly, thanking the Capo, and then gently nibbled on his bottom lip. He has a kind heart. That thought crossed his mind.

Kyungsoo served Baekhyun a plate of pasta and chicken sauce, and Baekhyun began to eat his meal delicately. He hadn't eaten much in the morning due to feeling uneasy while being observed by Chanyeol, so this was his chance to eat heartily.

As Kyungsoo brought a glass of water for Baekhyun and was about to return to his duties, Sehun grabbed his wrist softly and pulled Kyungsoo towards him. "Let me talk to you,"

"Sehun. I've got work to do."

"Please, just listen for a moment," their conversation was hushed, barely audible unless you listened closely. "Five minutes?" Kyungsoo inquired, giving the chef an intense look, and Sehun seemed to yield to Kyungsoo's request, which took Baekhyun by surprise.

While he continued to enjoy his meal, keeping to his own business, Sehun quickly began to flirt with Kyungsoo, and it didn't go unnoticed by Baekhyun. He observed how the Capo complimented Kyungsoo on his beauty, expressed his liking for Kyungsoo, and shared his desire to go to the movies with him. Sehun even candidly revealed that he got aroused last night thinking about Kyungsoo, causing Baekhyun to choke on his food and start coughing.

They both turned to see Baekhyun struggling with his meal. "Are you alright?" Sehun asked with concern, swiftly handing Baekhyun a glass of water. "Here, take some water." Baekhyun accepted the water and drank a little to soothe his throat. To his surprise, Sehun gently patted his head and even wiped sauce from the corner of Baekhyun's mouth. "Get me a napkin, babe," Sehun asked Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes at the endearment Sehun used. He muttered, "Who's your babe?"

"I heard that," Sehun warned him.

Kyungsoo chuckled softly before fetching a pack of serviette from the cupboard and sliding it across the table to them.

Sehun grabbed a serviette, tore it open to retrieve a sheet, and prepared to wipe the sauce from Baekhyun's lip. But Baekhyun took the napkin from Sehun, politely saying, "Let me do it myself," and proceeded to clean his mouth independently.

Unbeknownst to them, Chanyeol had already left for his meeting and was on his way back when Minseok was tasked with saying farewell to Uncle Sugars. He had been watching carefully since Sehun started touching Baekhyun's hair, all the way to Sehun wiping sauce from Baekhyun's lip. Chanyeol was observing, and it filled him with a mix of discomfort and anger. Why was Baekhyun letting Sehun act so intimately? Chanyeol's possessive instincts surged, and he couldn't help but feel a profound sense of jealousy.

Chanyeol decided to call Sehun out on their affectionate behavior and summoned him with a stern tone.

"Uh, boss?" Sehun quickly got up from his stool, acknowledging Chanyeol with a greeting. Baekhyun paled when he heard Chanyeol calling for Sehun, and his heart raced. Chanyeol instructed Sehun to prepare to leave as they had to go somewhere, and Sehun agreed with a respectful "Yes, Boss." He bowed and left, leaving Baekhyun alone with the Don. Kyungsoo had discreetly entered the storeroom and pretended to browse for dinner ingredients.

After Sehun left, Chanyeol turned his cold gaze towards Baekhyun, studying him from head to toe before heading upstairs. Baekhyun flinched when he heard Chanyeol slam his bedroom door, making quite a noise.

To confirm that Baekhyun was still alive, Kyungsoo emerged from the storeroom and said, "I see you're still in one piece, thank goodness." He placed a hand on his chest in relief. "What happened?" he asked, clearly intrigued by the situation. Baekhyun, who was still bewildered by Chanyeol's abrupt exit, replied, "Nothing happened."

"Are you sure?" Kyungsoo asked, making sure everything was alright. "Let's head to the garden quickly. Follow me. This place is getting a bit tense for my liking."

Back in his bedroom, Chanyeol felt a mixture of frustration and jealousy. He unbuttoned his shirt and changed into something else. He had been experiencing these emotions since he first laid eyes on Baekhyun. Initially, it was anger because Baekhyun's presence had cost him a significant amount of money. However, as time passed, he started feeling something entirely different, a possessive urge to keep Baekhyun away from any other male. Was this even acceptable?

~
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~

Baekhyun followed Kyungsoo to the garden to pick some fresh coriander and mint leaves. Lately, he had been making an effort to look his best, especially when he knew the Don might be watching him.

Baekhyun's heart raced when he saw Chanyeol, along with his Sottocapo Minseok and Sehun, leaving the mansion and heading to their cars after Uncle Sugar's departure. He didn't know who they were or why they had come, but when he watched Chanyeol drive away, Baekhyun couldn't decide whether he should feel relieved or not.

"What's on your mind?" Kyungsoo noticed how quiet Baekhyun had been since they arrived in the garden, and Baekhyun sighed. "It's nothing really, just a lot of thoughts swirling in my head."

"Thoughts about what?"

Baekhyun fell silent for a moment, fiddling with his fingernails, contemplating whether he should confide in Kyungsoo or not. He wasn't entirely sure if his suspicions about someone were valid, but he needed to share his concerns with someone before he went crazy. Plus, Kyungsoo had been kind to him since he arrived, and the chef was one of the few people he had interacted with, along with Capo Sehun. "Have you ever wondered what's going on in someone's mind when they're constantly staring at you?"

Kyungsoo, upon hearing Baekhyun's question, gave him an amused look and smiled. "Well, it's either they have a crush on you, they're obsessed with you, or there's some kind of sexual tension."

"What do you mean?" Baekhyun inquired. He had experienced crushes before, but Chanyeol didn't strike him as someone obsessed with him.

"When there's sexual tension, you get really excited to see that person, and your heart might even skip a beat when you're around them. You feel giddy and look forward to spending time together."

"Ah, I see..." But did he feel all those things when he saw this person? Did his heart race? Did he feel giddy? Did his stomach flutter with butterflies?

"I hope it's not Sehun?" Baekhyun snapped back from his thoughts. "What do you mean?"

"He's been acting very friendly with you lately. But I can't say anything for sure," Kyungsoo cautioned. "Just be cautious of Sehun because I don't trust him. He can act friendly, joke around, even flirt, but he can also take a life without you realizing it."

"Why would you say that?"

"It's just a feeling, but I've never trusted Sehun. Jongin was supposed to be a Capo before he disappeared. More so, Sehun never liked my friendship with Jongin; he had asked me out before Jongin arrived, but I refused. As he's still interested, it may continue indefinitely. But I became close to Jongin, which he resented."

Baekhyun was taken aback by Kyungsoo's revelation. Jongin had been accused of stealing drugs, went missing, and was allegedly shot. Now this? It felt like there was more to the story. "It's not... It's not Sehun," Baekhyun responded, his brow slightly furrowed. "If that's what you're thinking."

Kyungsoo chuckled, "I knew it. So who is it, then? Can I take a guess?"

"No!" They both laughed, but Kyungsoo wasn't ready to let go just yet. He needed to be certain it wasn't Sehun, as he might have inadvertently stepped into a minefield. "Tell me, I promise I won't tell."

"Don't worry about it," Baekhyun tried to brush off the topic. "My mind is just filled with silly thoughts."

"It's the Don, isn't it?" Kyungsoo's question hit the mark.

"It's... It's not...I mean, it's not the Don," Baekhyun stammered, biting his lip, his cheeks flushing uncontrollably.

"Oh, come on. Cut the act. Fine!" Kyungsoo rolled his eyes in playful exasperation. "You can't fool me, Baekhyun. Why did you hesitate to mention him then? Look... I saw what happened last night and today in the kitchen between you and the Don. For heaven's sake, he was practically exuding jealousy when he saw you and Sehun together."

"But... Nothing happened. He was just asking why I was there. And today, he called Sehun out."

"Then why did it look like you two were about to kiss last night? And why are you blushing now?"

"I'm not blushing!" Baekhyun defended, his hand covering his warm cheeks.

"Even at the dining room earlier today, huh? You even cried when he left. Why?"

"I...I just..." Tears welled up in Baekhyun's eyes, and he quickly wiped them away. Why was his heart betraying him like this?

"You like him, don't you? You like him so much that it hurts, don't you?"

"No! I don't." Baekhyun wiped away his tears. "Besides, he despises me."

LIAR!

"Well..." Kyungsoo let out a deep sigh, taking a handful of coriander leaves he had collected and placing them in the basket.

"Well, what?" Baekhyun inquired.

"It doesn't look that way to me. The other day, you came out sweating and running from his bedroom. Something is going on, and I can sense it."

"It's nothing, Kyungsoo." A light pink hue tinted Baekhyun's cheeks.

"Hmm...anyway, here's a bit of advice for you, my dear friend Baekhyun. I know you're trying to find a way out of here, but don't fall for him. Don't do it, because it will only hurt you in the end."

"I don't understand what you mean by 'hurt in the end.' Besides, I didn't say I wanted to fall for him—"

"Don't try to like him either. And when I said you might get hurt, it's because his rivals would target anyone close to him. Additionally, there's this woman he's involved with, or I should say she's his casual partner. She's also a member of the Mafia, her name is Sofia. And whenever she's around, they engage in a lot of intimacy." Kyungsoo observed Baekhyun, noticing his gaze dropping to the floor. Then he continued speaking, "But since you arrived, I haven't seen the two of them together, even when she's present."

Baekhyun's eyes brightened at this information. "Why should I be concerned about his personal life? I... I don't care who he's involved with; it's none of my business. I just want to be free. I haven't committed any crime to be held here against my will. I have a life outside – I'm a university student, and my mother is probably worried sick, thinking I'm dead."

"Do you feel a strange sensation when you catch him looking at you?"

"Well, I've always had this strange feeling when I see him staring. It's like I can't breathe properly when he's around me."

Kyungsoo sighed. "You know, if you feel this way about someone, and nothing has ever happened between you two, it's a clear sign that there's some kind of sexual tension between you."

"That's not true, Kyungsoo. Nothing is going to happen."

"Shall we make a bet?"

"I'm not taking a bet with you. Trust me when I say nothing is going to happen." Baekhyun assured Kyungsoo, though he wasn't entirely sure of himself.

As they returned to the kitchen, Baekhyun began helping Kyungsoo prepare the ingredients for dinner. He was starting to enjoy the chef's company and would rather converse with Kyungsoo than remain locked in his room. Besides, it seemed like a day without any drills, as none of the Capos had called him out for training. And miraculously, it appeared he had a temporary reprieve from Chanyeol that day.

Baekhyun appreciated his break, but getting one from Chanyeol would be a challenge, as their relationship was far from perfect. He wasn't sure if he could secure a temporary reprieve from Chanyeol without the assistance of Minseok or Sehun.

Oh, how he wished Chanyeol would simply vanish and never return. Glancing to the side, he noticed Kyungsoo's notepad on the kitchen countertop and decided to jot down his frustrations. Baekhyun pulled the notepad closer and tore out a page. He began writing whatever came to mind, from Chanyeol being an ASSHOLE to a PERVERT to a BITCH to I HATE YOU. When he stole a glance in Kyungsoo's direction and saw him busy with cooking, Baekhyun continued, EVEN IF YOU'RE GOOD-LOOKING AND HANDSOME, DON'T THINK I'LL FALL FOR YOU. YOU'RE NOT MY TYPE OF MAN!
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Authors Note 📝
Hello, lovelies👋 how are you all? It a been a while. And yes I have been so busy with work. I don't want to delay the updates more than it has already been delayed. And if I go by what I have in mind, the chapter is supposed to be double. but I hope this update warms your heart.🥺😊

I hope you like it. It's crappy sorry🤧🥺 my mind is not settled. Please tell me what you think.