Taehyung looks at his men and gives them a glare. "Find him. Find him right fucking now. He's going to get himself killed," he says in a snarl. The men do bows of respect before breaking off, Taehyung watching them gear up. Being king of this sector of the Underworld isn't exactly... fun. AKA: the High Council contacted him. He has to help them now, otherwise he'll lose his spot as king. He'll literally get executed. But that doesn't mean he can't help.

He hasn't given their location up yet, but he'll have to soon. He'll warn them when that happens but until then he has to play the long game. Right now he's looking for Jungkook. The man is supposed to be taking out the High Council. Key words: supposed to be. Did he actually do it? Based on the way the High Council is still alive, Taehyung is guessing probably not.

He looks over his nightclub and sighs, stepping outside for a few moments. His guards leave him alone, Tae looking up at the night sky. The alley walls close in around him, the bricks staring at him as he leans against the wall, the door clicking shut behind him. The dumpster on his right smells of wet dog despite no dogs being around him. He winces, his hands gripping the walls he's against only for dust to gather on his fingertips. Crickets sound off in the distance, his tongue writhing around his mouth thanks to the overwhelming taste of rot in the air.

"Fucking finally," a male voice mumbles. Jungkook hops down from the shadows, Tae's eyes widening.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" he whisper-yells.

"Came to see you." He says it so simply, so casually, as if this isn't the most dangerous meeting in the world.

"The High Council is on my ass about our friends-"

"Your," Jungkook says.

Taehyung lets out a huff. "Fine. My. My friends are on the run and hiding. They gave you a mission. Why haven't you done it yet?"

"Why haven't you told your guards you knew where I was the whole time?"

"You were listening-"

"I bugged the whole place, Tae. You should know me by now," Jungkook says with an eye roll.

"That doesn't change anything. I didn't tell them anything because I had a shred of hope that maybe, just maybe for once you'd do something for the greater good."

"I'm an assassin, what are you expecting of me? Moral highs? Kindness?" Jungkook laughs, his bunny smile threatening to come out. "Wait, wait. Let me guess. Love? Is that what you wanted?" Taehyung stares right into Jungkook's eyes and lets a tear trail down his cheek. It's that tear that makes Jungkook go still, all amusement fading from his face. "Tae?"

"I wanted you," he whispers. Jungkook's eyes almost pop out of his head, but he doesn't speak.

They stare for a few moments, Jungkook letting out a sigh. "I guess we're both disappointed then."

"What did you want from me?"

"To not get betrayed. To not have you choose your friends over your boyfriend."

"Jungkook, I wasn't going to trade two lives for one. That's illogical."

"Bad for your business," Jungkook says, narrowing his eyes. "You only did it because you would've lost a lot more losing them than me. You figured if you lost me, you could get another boyfriend, but if you lost them, you'd never have a solid provider of golden coins. No friends, no nothing. You'd be alone with you and your precious ego."

Taehyung glances at Jungkook with disappointment in his sullen eyes. "I didn't choose them over you because of my ego. I didn't want to watch Y/n die and then lose Jimin to his sadness."

"That's bullshit," Jungkook says, kicking the gravel beneath his combat boots. "You and I both know that."

"Do we? Do we really? Because last I checked ever since that day you've been nothing but a cold, deceiving asshole to everyone. You have no friends. No family. Nothing. You're a lone assassin."

Jungkook gazes at Tae with tear-filled eyes. "I might not have friends, but at least I know my heart will never be hurt again. You hurt me, Tae, and you think you apologized for it, but you never did. You acted like I was overreacting. Like I was nothing."

"I never meant to make you feel that way, but you exploded at me."

"Didn't I have every right to? You chose your friends over me. I thought I was going to die if I didn't take them out. I told you that. I'm lucky they beat me and didn't execute me. You would've rather let me die than them. Your ego is so huge and so unchecked. It's dangerous, Tae. The people you love will realize it and leave you, just like I did."

Tae glances at him but doesn't reply at first. How is he supposed to reply to that? "You really think I wanted you dead?" Tae asks.

"You chose two friends over your long-term boyfriend. Two friends who weren't even your 'besties' yet."

"I didn't choose anyone, I simply made the most logical choice. I thought you'd be fine-"

"Bullshit! You know how brutal they are! Once you get a kill order, you execute it no matter what! Just like markers, once you take it, you have to follow through with it," Jungkook says in a heave. Tae feels a little bad, but not fully. It's not his fault that he made the right choice. He saved three lives by doing so, even if it meant losing his relationship.

"I didn't do it for my ego or to build my empire more, I did it to keep everyone safe."

"And what if I found another way to kill her, huh? What then? You'd lose Y/n and Jimin would never leave his room again. You'd still have your boyfriend, but would you be pissed I killed them?" Jungkook asks.

"Why did you even take the kill order?" Tae mumbles. "And who published it? Do we even know that?"

"It was from a smaller mafia trying to build. They wanted to cause chaos and overtake her world while they were scrambling to find a new leader. I wasn't as privileged as you, Tae. I didn't have a position of power back then, and it wasn't like you were helping me so you could avoid seeming 'biased'. I took the job because I wasn't a powerful assassin at that time. Killing Y/n would've meant stardom in the Underworld. I would've been set for life. We could've settled down, and all because of one kill order."

Kill orders are always so complicated. There's multiple ways to do assassinations, but the main way are kill orders. They're official documents that say once you sign the contract to kill the target, you must follow through. The signer and the contracted assassin is listed on the order as a way to keep track of everything. Kill orders are used for everything, not just assassins. Even mafias like Unmei and Hakai use them for their daily missions.

Markers are another way, a quid pro quo type of deal. An assassin does a task for someone (whether it be transporting cargo, protecting someone, or more commonly, executing people of power) and puts their blood inside a gold medallion. The assassin then keeps their blood and can come back at any point to the person who gave the task and ask them for a favor. Once the marker is shown, you can't back out, just like a kill order. Otherwise you get punished. Most commonly, execution is the price. In rare cases, like Jungkook, they'll give them a harsh beating, maybe firebomb their house, but they still get punished. And by 'they' Tae means people sent by the High Council. That's another part of the Council's job: make sure markers and kill orders are seen through. These days, off-the-book assassinations are limited to make sure the assassin follows through with their words.

Tae's sure Jimin and Hoseok have written their fair share of kill orders for when Y/n goes on a mission that involves killing. It gives the Underworld an illusion of order. It's not a very good order, but it's order nonetheless. It keeps people in line. Fear is always the main factor, always. It's a tactic even Tae has used.

"I'm truly sorry for everything that happened to you Jungkook, but it was never my intention to hurt you-"

"Oh bullshit," Jungkook interrupts with a sigh, sounding more exhausted than angry. "I've had enough of the lies."

"I'm not lying to you."

Jungkook shakes his head. "You're right, you're not. Your eyes are telling me all I need to know. It's you that's the problem." Tae looks at him with surprise. "You're lying to yourself, Mr. Kim. Until that changes, I don't ever want to hear from you again."

Tae takes a step back as Jungkook turns on his heel and leaves. He watches the younger man climb up the fire escape, slipping onto the nearest rooftop with ease. Tae's jaw almost drops, his heart pounding. Is Jungkook right? 

Tae looks around the area and realizes it: he was about to give up Y/n and Jimin's location to the High Council to protect himself. His business. His empire. Just like how he refused to give Y/n up when Jungkook asked all those years ago. Jungkook's right; Tae didn't do it because he preferred Y/n over his boyfriend. He did it because Y/n and Jimin were his strongest business partners. If he assassinated Y/n, Jimin would be lost too. There goes that mafia, his biggest client.

He runs a hand through his hair and leans against the alley. If Jimin, Y/n, Yoongi, and Hoseok were all able to give up their powerful mafia lives for each other, why can't Tae do the same? Why can't he refuse to tell the High Council where they are? Aren't they his friends? Aren't they more important than whatever Underworld he's running now? It means nothing if he doesn't have someone to share it with. And right now, he's just like Jungkook. He's alone. 

Jeon Jungkook and Kim Taehyung are completely alone.