A smiling face with a
Screaming heart.
Has become my daily
Life's part.

"No casualties were found, Sir," one of the junior officers reported to the crime department head, Soobin.

"Did you check the spot thoroughly? Are the drivers the only victims?" Soobin asked, flipping through the files of the deceased as he interrogated the officer.

"Yes, Sir. We checked it meticulously. Every bit of the goods was reduced to ashes. The remnants left behind indicated the presence of heroin. The trucks were involved in illegal narcotic trafficking," the officer confirmed.

Soobin nodded, his face grim. The bodies were mostly burnt beyond recognition, leaving him to wait for the postmortem reports to give a clearer picture. But there was one exception—a body with a clean shot to the head. Soobin's eyes narrowed as he checked the records. This person had a criminal past, previously charged with illegal dealings in Ilsan and jailed for six years. His stomach churned at the thought. "Such massive quantities of drugs had made their way to the streets," Soobin muttered under his breath. Rubbing his temples, he sighed deeply, "The world has become even more corrupted. I can't just sit back and watch this unfold."

"Excuse me, Sir," the junior officer spoke up, extending a picture across Soobin's desk.

Soobin's eyes widened as he took the photograph. The blood drained from his face as he processed the image. "I need to speak with the commissioner. Dismissed." Without another word, he rushed out of the office, heading straight for Hoseok's.

Inside the commissioner's office, Jung Hoseok was deep in thought. His mind raced as he connected the dots. The incident wasn't an accident. It was a well-coordinated attack. He'd suspected the Titans' involvement but wasn't sure if they were the attackers or the victims. His suspicion was confirmed when Soobin entered, showing him the photo. The Titans were the culprits. Their signature logo was left behind after every operation, a trademark of their violent success.

"This war of theirs—it's a never-ending cycle. Two years now," Hoseok muttered, frustration evident in his voice. He had been unable to get any updates on either Taehyung or Sri. The last known information was that Sri had left the country, and Taehyung had successfully completed surgery on the President. Hoseok's brother, Dr. Kim Seokjin, mentioned that Taehyung had taken an extended break to recover from his grief, with no set date for his return. There were a few public sightings of him, but nothing suspicious.

"Soobin," Hoseok began, his voice low but determined, "I think we made a huge mistake waiting for one gang to defeat the other, thinking it would make our jobs easier. I hate admitting it, but our plan hasn't worked. It's time we act on our own and take both gangs down, using all the resources we have."

He stood up, his expression hardening with resolve. "First thing—we raid every factory and warehouse in the city. Nothing should be left untouched. Arrest every criminal involved."

"Yes, sir!" Soobin responded with a firm salute.

Taehyung grunted in pain as he slowly regained consciousness. His vision was blurry, his mind clouded by the intense ache in his body. His forehead was slick with sweat, and he could feel the cold sting of blood drying on his skin. His arms were bound above his head, and his legs were shackled tightly to the ground. The space around him was dim, the scent of grease and rust heavy in the air. Muffled noises echoed, but it was hard to make sense of them. He blinked repeatedly, struggling to shake off the dizziness.

The sound of metal scraping against metal broke through his foggy state, and after a few seconds, his vision cleared enough for him to see two men standing in front of him. They were holding iron rods, their faces barely visible in the shadows of the dank room. Taehyung's senses slowly came to life, and the hum of a malfunctioning exhaust fan filled the space.

"Good morning, Doctor. Glad to have you here," one of the men said, his tone mocking.

Taehyung's eyes narrowed as he fought the pain in his head. "Where am I?" he asked, his voice hoarse but steady, trying to keep his calm despite the dire situation.

"You're the hostage of Eclipse," the other man responded with a grin.

"Very informative," Tae scoffed, his lips curling into a bitter smile. "Tell me the location of this place."

Three days earlier

After successfully destroying the factory with Sri, Taehyung and she had gone their separate ways. He couldn't help but admire how the two of them—each with their own distinct approach—had managed to help each other in achieving their mutual objectives. Sri could have escaped on her own, but it would have cost her valuable time and energy maybe injured her too. He had simply accelerated her exit. She always seemed one step ahead of everyone, but this time, things were different.

Jk had beaten her to the punch. The leader of the Titans had managed to take down the trucks with a masterful strategy. The Jeon siblings were a deadly duo, their combined power making them nearly unstoppable.

Tae smiled to himself as he walked into a toy store, picking up a Barbie doctor set for Taesoo. As he waited for the customer at the counter to finish, his gaze drifted over to a carton of banana milk. A fond smile tugged at his lips. He would never have believed it if anyone told him that Jungkook, the fierce and ruthless leader of the Titans, loved banana milk more than anything in the world. He would have laughed it off, thinking it was some sort of joke, but he'd seen it with his own eyes. He'd found an empty bottle of banana milk on Jungkook's desk once. Another time, he'd caught him chugging it down after a brutal workout. Perhaps that was the secret to his stamina.

Amused, Taehyung bought a bottle and tucked it into his bag. He wasn't sure why he bothered, considering the tension between them, but he knew he needed Jungkook's help. And deep down, he knew that the rift between them could be mended—eventually. But that didn't stop the awkwardness. Speaking of whom, Jungkook would be leaving for Brazil in a few hours. He had some business to settle there. Tae couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of how Jungkook would react to the surprise.

As he approached his white SUV, parked next to a red Jeep, he strapped in and began driving. The drive was peaceful at first, the quiet punctuated only by the soft hum of the engine. The Titan mansion, his destination, was tucked away far from the city's noise, giving him the privacy he needed.

But then, something felt off. He noticed the red Jeep had followed him out of the parking lot. He initially dismissed it, thinking it was just another coincidence. But as he picked up speed, the Jeep matched his every move, tailing him closely.

Before he could react, there was a deafening explosion. The shockwave rattled his body, and the next thing he knew, he was hanging upside down in his car. Blood blurred his vision, and his head throbbed in pain. The ringing in his ears drowned out everything else.

A deep voice cut through the haze. "Where is your boldness now, smartass?" He felt rough hands yank him from the wreckage, his body too weak to fight back. Faces appeared in his blurred vision, but they were mere shadows to him. His strength had already drained, and before he knew it, he was unconscious.

When he finally woke up, he found himself in the dark room, restrained and vulnerable, facing the unknown.

Present.

"Sir, we are sorry for not—" Alia spoke into the cell phone, her voice strained as she tried to salvage the conversation while Jongki listened from the couch.

"Yes, we get it—" the voice on the other side interrupted her sharply. "I am trying to solve this—" Another interruption. "Sir—" Alia's words were swallowed by the constant barrage of frustrated responses.

The client on the other end was one of the most influential shareholders of Eclipse, and they knew just how dangerous a person like that could be in their world of illicit business.

"I apologize for the inconvenience. My boss is ready to pay the fine," Alia continued, trying to appease him. "Sir, please—" She sighed dejectedly, her hand slipping down her side as she looked at Jongki. Her expression was one of frustration and helplessness. She shook her head. "He wants the deal to be off."

The gang leader, on the other side of the conversation, slammed his fist on the desk in fury. "Kill that son of a bitch and send his body to the Titans, in pieces! They don't know who they're dealing with."

Taehyung screamed in pain as the man slammed the iron rod into his back. "Did you have fun destroying our goods?" he spat, his voice thick with malice.

"Our boss suffered a huge loss because of you. Now it's our turn to have some fun," the second man added, delivering another blow. Taehyung gritted his teeth, biting his tongue to suppress the scream that threatened to escape.

"We'll distort your body and send it back to your dear wife," the first man taunted, his words laced with venom.

Tae was sure he had broken several ribs. His body ached, and he knew he was trapped—his chances of survival were slim. He was in an unknown location, and no one would come to save him in time. He squeezed his eyes shut, focusing on the image of Taesoo's face. Would Sri take her responsibility if he died?

Death isn't the solution, Taehyung! You need to get out of here—at any cost, he told himself, struggling to push away the darkness creeping in.

He forced his eyes open. Despite the pain coursing through his body, he managed to stiffen his posture, bracing himself against the next blow without making a sound. His eyes, however, remained fixed on the two men before him. The change in his demeanor did not go unnoticed.

Suddenly, his lips curved into a smirk, a strange, unsettling confidence radiating from him. The men stopped mid-swing, confused by his reaction. They had expected him to break, to beg, but he only smiled. They thought he had lost his mind—until he spoke.

"S is here."

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Congratulations to Yoongi's brother. He got wedded yesterday.🥰💜💜