Ponder and deliberate before you make a move.
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The Art of War
Sun Tzu

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Jungkook expected a high-speed chase, but he got Driving Miss Daisy instead.

After being threatened by people with knives and guns - people who were clearly out to hurt them - Jungkook wanted to put as much space between them and the house as possible. He recalled all the action movies he'd ever seen and how the getaway drivers were the ones responsible for hightailing it away from conflict. So as soon as he navigated them out of the residential neighborhood, Jungkook had stepped on the gas and went flying down the road. Taehyung put an end to that almost immediately, citing they were far enough away and could slow down.

And now, even though Jungkook had decreased his speed considerably, the bodyguard was still overly cautious.

"You're going too fast," Taehyung muttered as they rounded a corner a little too quickly. "If we get pulled over for something as stupid as speeding, I'm not going to be happy. And I promise you, Jungkook, you want to remain on my good side."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize I was on your good side now," Jungkook countered, giving in to the urge to roll his eyes. "You don't seem to like me very much."

"You're more trouble than you're worth," the elder retorted, sifting through his backpack for god knows what.

Jungkook physically had to bite his tongue. The guy did save him, so he should be given some semblance of respect. Though Taehyung made it incredibly difficult to respect him while sporting that giant stick up his ass.

Look at Jungkook. He was currently grieving after experiencing one of the worst weeks of his life. Yet he wasn't chewing people out, right? No! He was agreeable and charming and quite easy to work with. He hadn't complained once, even though he had no interest in being on the run from potential murderers.

But now he was somehow stuck with an uptight bodyguard who seemed reluctant to help him in the first place. 

That prompted a question.

"How many times have you been a bodyguard for someone?" Jungkook asked in genuine interest, thinking it was an important fact to know.

Taehyung paused his search through his bag to look over at Jungkook. "Zero. This is my first time."

"Oh, great," Jungkook couldn't help saying. "So, I'm your guinea pig."

"I've been trained by the best of the best. You'll be fine," Taehyung responded stiffly, sounding like he wanted to strangle him.

"Whatever."

Jungkook felt jittery as he continued down the road, the adrenaline from before slowly seeping away. It had come in handy when his body went into fight-or-flight mode, giving him the energy to react to the stressful situation back at the house. He took deep breaths, grounding himself and remembering that he made it out alive. He was alive.

For now.

Reluctantly, he understood that his life was now in Taehyung's hands. Jungkook had limited knowledge of how to protect himself from unknown assailants with hidden motives, so he was unfortunately tied to this bodyguard. Especially since the intruders saw his face and probably guessed he was the heir to Korean National Oil.

Again, he remembered how big of a failure he was. Namjoon's number one rule was always to keep a low profile, not to let anyone see him.

But with Namjoon gone, what did it matter anyway?

One thing that still confused Jungkook, however, was why Taehyung left the intruders alive. Those men were trying to capture or kill them, so wouldn't it be expected to deal with them before they presented more problems down the road?

Wasn't that what a security detail was supposed to do?

"You're quiet," Taehyung mumbled, breaking the silence of the car.

"That's cute," Jungkook responded, throwing a smirk in his direction to cover his apprehension. "You missed my voice already."

An irritated sigh escaped the elder's lips, though Taehyung remained silent.

So Jungkook took that as a sign to ask something he severely doubted at the moment. "You have used your gun against someone before, right?"

Taehyung scoffed. "You saw me hit one of those men over the head with my gun. And I clearly immobilized their car."

Jungkook shook his head at that. "No. You know what I meant. Have you ever shot someone down?"

The only answer he received was silence, which spoke volumes to Jungkook.

"Great," he huffed in annoyance, fingers tightening on the steering wheel. "I'm working with a pacifist. How did you get this job if you literally can't fulfill the requirements of being a hitman?"

"I'm a bodyguard, not a hitman."

"That's the same thing in my eyes." 

Taehyung didn't rise to the taunt, so Jungkook turned to assess him. The guy was looking out the window, jaw locked and arms crossed. On the outside, he appeared to be everything one would want in a hitman. Taehyung was cold and aloof, eyes possessing a certain danger that meant trouble for anyone who threatened him. He also knew his way around a gun. But did he have what it took to use his weaponry against another?

That remained to be seen.

"What?" Taehyung snapped at him, suddenly meeting Jungkook's gaze. "If you have a question, just ask me."

Jungkook looked back to the road, searching his surroundings for anything familiar. But he hadn't been here in years. This part of the city was unknown to him.

"I was just wondering . . . If you had to shoot someone, could you do it?" He wanted to search Taehyung's face for a reaction but kept looking ahead. He knew he'd get some snarky response if he didn't drive up to the guy's standards. 

"Do you want to find out?" Taehyung replied, his voice cool and neutral. "Do you want to know if I could shoot you right now?"

"What? No!" Jungkook chirped, his tone several octaves higher than his companion's. "I just needed to know if you'd defend us if it came down to it."

"I'll do what I have to do."

A new intensity filled the compact space of the car, one that hadn't been present during the attack in the house. It worried Jungkook; he wasn't sure if Taehyung was actually going to help him now or not.

After a few tense moments, Taehyung began directing him. Take a right here, left there. Turn around. This confusing set of instructions brought them to a quiet park, lined by trees and accompanied by minimal streetlights. Jungkook was instructed to park under one of those harsh lights, and as soon as he turned off the car, Taehyung took his keys.

"Get out of the car," the bodyguard ordered, swiftly stepping outside with his gun poised in front of him.

Fear washed over Jungkook. A bit ill-timed, if you asked him.

Throughout this entire ordeal, Jungkook blindly assumed Taehyung was on his side. He never once questioned whether or not the elder truly worked for Korean National Oil as Namjoon had. This Taehyung person might not be a bodyguard at all, but someone who got his hands on Namjoon's security questions illicitly.

"Out," Taehyung ordered as he opened Jungkook's door, looking at him expectantly.

Jungkook scrambled outside, the chill of the night air helping to clear his mind. Long ago, Namjoon imparted some verification techniques to determine friend from foe. The first - ask Namjoon for help - was no longer an option. The second involved running a background check, but that was impossible at this moment. The third technique he had tried when posing the security questions, but who knew who else had access to those answers? The only other option he could potentially utilize was checking IDs for corporate information, though that was a relatively weak tactic.

But it was all he had.

Before he could get that far, however, Taehyung strode right up to Jungkook. The bodyguard was not even a foot away, his eyes shooting daggers right into Jungkook's skull.

"Why did you come to Seoul, Jungkook?" He asked, eyebrows set low and jaw locked. 

An incredulous scoff left Jungkook's mouth. "You've got to be kidding. My family was murdered. I came here to be with people I could trust. And I sure as hell don't trust you."

"The feeling is mutual," Taehyung said in a clipped tone. "I don't for one second believe you are who you say you are, Jungkook."

The way Taehyung kept saying his name was distracting, the deep tones of his voice wrapping around the word both seductively and threateningly. If that was one of the bodyguard's disarming tactics, Jungkook had to admit that it worked.

He shook his head with an aggravated sigh, needing to clear his thoughts. "I gave you proof. Check the photo. And while you're at it, prove to me that you work for Korean National Oil."

Taehyung raised his eyebrows and fixed Jungkook with a glassy stare. But, unlike what Jungkook expected, he didn't argue. "Outside pocket of my backpack. You'll find corporate credit cards with my name on them."

And while Jungkook knew it was stupid to turn his back on someone with a gun, he did so anyway. Taehyung had had plenty of opportunities to shoot him before this, so maybe he'd be patient for a few more moments.

He fumbled through the pockets in the backpack, fingers searching for the plastic cards. Once he found what he was looking for, Jungkook pulled them out and stepped away from the car. Sure enough, the credit and debit cards had two pieces of identifying information on them: the names Korean National Oil Corp. and Kim Taehyung.

This Taehyung guy really did work for his family's company.

Jungkook let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. And even though he was more comfortable now, he still wasn't going to let his guard drop completely. 

"Happy now?" Taehyung deadpanned, his fingers tracing idly over his gun.

"Sure," Jungkook quipped back, eyes locked on the weapon. "Now, check the photo before you're tempted to shoot me."

Something unintelligible was muttered under Taehyung's breath, but he wedged the gun into one back pocket as he pulled out the photo from another. He brought it close to his eyes for inspection, remaining quiet as he scanned over the image. There was a slight softening around his eyes and a subtle relaxation of his mouth.

Both were signs of recognition.

"So, do you believe me now? Is that proof enough for you?" Jungkook taunted, crossing his arms over his chest. And even though he didn't physically show it, he was glad Taehyung apparently recognized Namjoon in the photo.

Taehyung studied the picture some more, not bothering to meet Jungkook's eyes. "I'm told Namjoon was one of the most respected people on the security team. So if he used to look at you like that . . . like he trusted you . . . I guess I'll have to help protect you."

There was an urge to let out a sigh of relief, but Jungkook didn't want to give Taehyung the satisfaction of knowing he was nervous. Instead, he stuck his hand out, silently asking for his picture back.

"Were you two lovers or something?" Taehyung questioned out of nowhere, pressing the photo into Jungkook's hand. 

Jungkook choked, a sound of half-amusement and half-disgust getting caught in his throat. "Of course not. What made you assume that?"

A soft click signaled that Taehyung put the safety back on his gun, and he protectively tucked it into the waistband of his pants. "I don't know. It was just a guess. You looked really . . . close."

"We were close," Jungkook responded, assessing the picture to see the proof of their bond for himself. "But not like that. Namjoon was married to someone who also works for the company."

That prompted a curious expression from Taehyung, but before he could express his thoughts, Jungkook continued.

"I really don't want to talk about Namjoon anymore."

A hardened look washed over Taehyung's face and suddenly it was like he'd become a different person. "I'm sure he was just a security detail to you, right? Nothing more. Just someone to stand in the way of a loaded gun."

The arrogance and utter certainty the bodyguard spoke with triggered a visceral reaction within Jungkook. Suddenly, the pounding of his heart was all he heard as he glared at the guy. He opened his mouth, almost positive the ghost of Namjoon was cursing behind him, screaming don't do it, don't do it, don't do it.

But all common sense was lost on Jungkook.

"Namjoon was my brother."

Taehyung's mouth fell open, clearly not anticipating that. "What?"

A dejected sigh escaped Jungkook's mouth as he shook his head. "He was more than a bodyguard to me, Taehyung. He was my brother by blood. Well, half brother, but that's the same thing to me."

"I . . . I didn't know," Taehyung mumbled, bowing his head. 

"No one knew."

Jungkook was too tired to deal with all of this. All he wanted was to go to sleep, to shut his mind off for a few hours and forget everything that had happened over the last week.

"Can we stop talking about him now? Can we go find someplace to rest?"

Taehyung nodded and deftly tossed the car keys in his direction. "There's a motel on the outskirts of the city I'm familiar with. Probably our safest bet. But we need to get cash first."

"But you have those credit cards," Jungkook offered, eyebrows scrunching as he approached the driver's side of the car.

"Too risky. Someone at the company could be involved in all this. Any hacker could easily see where I'm using that card. So we'll get cash in the opposite direction from where we'll be staying. That way, it'll throw people off our trail and we'll have some money in the meantime."

They both re-entered the car, silently resituating themselves before they were off once more. There was no small-talk or idle conversation between them; beyond the directions Taehyung muttered every now and again, neither spoke.

What else was there to say?

Taehyung led them to a fashionable part of the city, flashy nightclubs lining a brightly lit road. People dressed in lavish clothing stood outside in clusters, appearing quite energetic for almost four in the morning. If this place was far from their destination, Jungkook was apprehensive of what type of hovel he'd find himself staying in tonight. 

After turning down a few more streets, Taehyung pointed to a freestanding ATM. "Here. Keep the car running."

The bodyguard purposely strode from the vehicle, one of those plastic cards clutched securely between long fingers. Funny, but this was the first time Jungkook truly noticed his hands and how pretty they were. Almost every other time he'd seen them tonight, they were wrapped around a gun.

Fuck, he must be exhausted and completely burnt out. Why else would he be marveling at the guy's hands?

He watched Taehyung as he completed his business at the machine, wondering how he should feel about his companion. His thoughts were a jumbled mess at the moment, however, so he decided to save the speculation for the morning.

Taehyung tucked a wad of cash into his pocket before rejoining Jungkook in the car. "Alright. Let's head back the way we came."

Jungkook started on the road again, worrying his bottom lip in between his teeth in a nervous habit. His mother always used to say he looked immature and uncouth when doing that, and oftentimes would tug at his chin until he released the soft tissue. But despite her chiding, Jungkook maintained the habit anyway. It was all worth it just to see her pissed off.

But before he wasted unnecessary brain cells thinking about his mother and what happened to her, he was interrupted by an unrelenting gaze focused on his head.

"No need to stare, Taehyung," Jungkook called the elder out, not bothering to look at him. "I'm not going to disappear."

"Oh, it's a part of my job description. From here on out, my eyes are always on you," Taehyung stated blandly. "Wherever you go, I'll go, too."

"How romantic," he muttered sarcastically, trying to keep his tone neutral. He didn't want to give away how disturbed he was; he didn't want to be watched by someone for twenty-four hours a day.

Especially not by someone who had cold, unreadable eyes like Taehyung.

They drove for thirty minutes, progressively getting closer to the city limits. There were no tall buildings, upscale restaurants, or any remote signs of luxury here. Instead, Jungkook noted cracked roads and boarded up shops. This area was completely unfamiliar to Jungkook since he never before had a reason to visit the rundown parts of Seoul. But Taehyung was confident in his directions, and soon enough, they arrived at a shoddy, worse for wear building.

A vacancy sign that only partly lit up greeted them, painting a single-story motel in a reddish glow. Peeling paint roughened the exterior, with overgrown hedges slightly blocking the view of the windows. 

"This looks like the type of place to bring a prostitute," Jungkook reflected as he put the car into park. He pocketed his keys before forgetting and stared up in horror at their temporary lodging.

Taehyung ignored his comment and slipped some of the cash into the backpack, double-checking that everything was in place. "We should be fine here for the night."

That sentiment didn't exactly inspire confidence, and Jungkook failed at hiding his doubt. "Should? You don't sound so sure of yourself. I'm putting my life in your hands, Taehyung, and I -"

"You know, I didn't exactly want to be responsible for anyone but myself," Taehyung glared at him, eyebrows set low over glimmering eyes. "Yet here I am. Looking after you."

"Then why are you here?" Jungkook scowled back, roughly pushing his hair off of his forehead. "Why did you take on this job if you didn't want to protect anyone?"

Taehyung ripped his gaze away, staring at the seedy motel in front of them. He licked his bottom lip before grazing it with his teeth. "I was desperate, okay? And apparently not thinking straight."

Jungkook threw his head back against his seat's headrest and squeezed his eyes shut. How did he get himself into such a mess? Not only was he unjustly pursued by people with unknown intentions, he now had a bodyguard who revealed he didn't want to be here helping him. 

He was screwed.

"Let's just go inside. I'm exhausted," Taehyung let out after a couple of moments, truly sounding fatigued and weary. 

Wordlessly, the bodyguard exited the car, hooking his backpack over his shoulders. He took a few steps towards the motel, turning around when he realized Jungkook had yet to follow him.

With a huff, Jungkook got out and retrieved his duffel and the backpack of Namjoon's stuff from the backseat. As much as he hated it, he was going to follow Taehyung into that motel and let the elder watch over him. He knew he was otherwise unequipped to protect himself.

And what was that one thing Namjoon always used to tell him? Oh, right. Use people until you could get your worth out of them. And that was precisely what Jungkook was going to do.

Use Taehyung for all he was worth.

Jungkook caught up to the elder and they proceeded into the musty building. Before they reached the middle-aged woman situated behind a desk, however, the bodyguard leaned in close to him.

"Follow my lead, sweetheart. And wipe that constipated look off of your face," Taehyung whispered into his ear, lips tickling the sensitive shell. 

"Excuse me?" He started, but was robbed of all other thoughts as Taehyung secured an arm around his waist.

Jungkook fought the urge to shove the guy off of him.

But then they were at the desk, with a somewhat happy looking Taehyung offering the woman a small nod. Her eyes widened as she took in the elder, undoubtedly amazed by his attractiveness. Jungkook probably had the same dazed expression when he saw Taehyung for the first time. 

He hated himself for that.

"Hi, there," the bodyguard murmured warmly, the depth of his voice drawing the woman in instantly. "We'd like one room, please."

"Just one?" She asked in confirmation, finally turning away from Taehyung to peer at Jungkook.

Taehyung's grip tightened on his waist - a warning - before gently leaning his head against Jungkook's.

"Yes," the elder affirmed, "just one."

A blush rose to her cheeks. "Oh, okay. Rooms are for rent by the hour here. Uh, how many hours do you want?"

Once upon a time, Jungkook had frequented hotels with this type of set up. With no privacy to attend to his needs, he'd sneak out and bring lovers to establishments similar to this place. Of course, the hotels he visited were a bit more refined than this, but at this point, he'd take whatever lodging they could get.

"What do you think, sweetheart?" Taehyung purred to him in a sickeningly sweet tone, mouth back at his ear again. "Five, maybe six hours?"

Jungkook almost laughed at the woman's shocked expression. "Sure. Let's start with that."

The elder paid for their lodging, throwing a menacing - or flirty, in the woman's eyes - wink his way once he retrieved their room key. He kept his arm around Jungkook until they were outside once more, heading to a room at the end of the building.

As soon as they were out of sight, both boys stepped far away from the other.

"Was it really necessary to insinuate that we're going to have sex for hours on end?" Jungkook griped, counting down the moments until he could fling himself into a warm - and hopefully not pest infected - bed.

"It was a cover-up, you idiot," Taehyung said, taking long steps to get to their room faster. "If anyone were to somehow track us, they won't be looking for a couple whose purpose in coming here was to fuck. And I think it's safe enough to say that that woman has a very good idea of what we'll be doing for six hours."

Jungkook crossed his arms as they reached their door, waiting for Taehyung to unlock it. "Well, six hours isn't very realistic. I doubt you could survive that long."

The bodyguard pushed the door open, arm out as he searched the wall for a light switch. "I said that long so we can get a decent amount of sleep, for fuck's sake."

"Just saying," Jungkook muttered as he entered the room, the light finally unveiling their humble abode.

It wasn't terrible. Mismatched and oversized furniture was spread throughout the room, making the small space feel cramped. But luckily enough for him, the bed looked clean and comfortable. There also weren't any bugs in sight, so that definitely a win.

"You'll never have the pleasure of finding out just how long I can last, sweetheart," Taehyung murmured, setting a series of locks into place on the door.

Tossing his bags onto the discolored carpet, Jungkook collapsed onto the medium-sized bed. "Stop with the sweetheart shit. It's annoying."

He heard Taehyung enter the attached bathroom, slamming the door behind him. And even though his body protested any form of movement, Jungkook forced himself to get back up and change his clothing. Thankfully he packed some sweatpants with him, and he also had a couple of Namjoon's sweatshirts as well. Putting the more comfortable clothing on did wonders for his frame of mind.

A small mirror revealed a bloody streak on his cheek; somehow, Jungkook forgot about being held at knife point. He took a tissue and gently rubbed at the cut, grateful it wasn't too deep. Hopefully it wouldn't scar.

Before he forgot or fell asleep, Jungkook fished his phone out from his jeans. He remembered that Jin would come looking for him in the morning, so he determined it important to let his brother-in-law know he was going to be away for a while. One vague text later - Had to go somewhere. I'm safe. Be in touch soon! - and then he was sliding underneath the covers.

With all of the stress and excitement of the past several hours, maybe he'd finally be able to sleep.

Taehyung rejoined him five minutes later, barely hesitating as he threw back the covers next to Jungkook.

"Can't you sleep on the floor or something?" Jungkook eyed the elder, not caring to avert his gaze as the bodyguard shrugged off his shirt.

The elder's tanned chest revealed itself to Jungkook, perfectly smooth and unmarked. Beautiful. There wasn't much definition like his own body, but in a way that made Taehyung all the more appealing. And Jungkook quite liked what he saw; his traitorous mind was envisioning how it would feel to touch the soft skin. 

Fuck. He'd been sex-deprived for too long. At this stage, he rationalized, he'd have thought the same thing about any dude.

"Still want me to sleep on the floor?" Taehyung taunted, unbuttoning his pants and wedging his hands underneath. "Because based on the way you're looking at me, I think you'd very much like me to join you in bed."

And despite Jungkook's longing to learn whether Taehyung was a boxer or briefs sort of guy, he covered his eyes with his hands.

"Don't flatter yourself. I'd never fuck you."

Taehyung hummed to himself, an unconvinced sort of sound that grated on Jungkook's nerves. "You'd never get so lucky."

Jungkook rolled to his side once Taehyung turned off the light, pitching the room into darkness. His mind begged him to be quiet, to close his eyes and rest, but he couldn't just let Taehyung have the final word.

"Oh? Is that a challenge? Because I -"

"Will you please just shut up? You have no idea what I've been through during these last few days. All I'm asking for is a break, a break from you," Taehyung sighed, lacking the fire and intensity from before.

The bed dipped as the elder got situated under the covers, most likely facing the opposite direction from Jungkook.

And yeah, that was true. He had no idea what Taehyung had been through, what made him so desperate to accept this job. Whatever those circumstances were, they clearly took a toll on the bodyguard and weighed heavily on him now. That's why he was acting like an ass, right?

Or maybe, like Jungkook's father told him repeatedly over the years, he just brought out the worst in people.

After all, it was his fault both Taehyung and he were in this mess in the first place. He brought this on himself and then inadvertently on Taehyung as well. If their positions were reversed, Jungkook would probably detest protecting him too.

As always, Jungkook was the only one to blame.

He was such a fuck up.

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》 V A L E N W R I T I N G 《

Wow, a lot happened in this chapter! Kook's relation to Joon, Taekook banter (my favorite), and so much more. Did you have a favorite part?

Drop theories below!