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Chapter 14: Nghiệp

Pronunciation: Nee-yup

Translation: Karma

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Jeon Jungkook

This was it. Today was the day. Although Jin had given me plenty of tips on my acting, I was still extremely nervous. 

Rami's comment wasn't helping things either. As soon as Namjoon had told us what he'd said, it made us all uneasy. Who couldn't we trust? And why?

It was still early morning by the time Rami had left, and we were free for a few more hours before we needed to start our mission. There was only one more thing left to do, an appearance update.

After dyeing and styling our hair, I admired my new, deep purple locks. My hair was pushed back and messily combed over, giving my appearance a hint of professionalism. With his roots beginning to grow through, Seokjin arranged his pale blonde hair with a subtle parting.

Concluding our disguises, finally, our mission was going to begin.

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"Daekeun is here to see you now."

Seokjin and I slowly rose from the leather sofa, our suitcases in hand.  The conceited CEO walked down the hallway towards us, carrying his intimidating presence with him. Dressed in all black, he stood before us with a small smile.

"Lanh Huỳnh, Tuan Lê, it's a pleasure to meet you." Out of respect, the two of us bowed to Daekeun as he bowed back.

"Xin chào!" (Hello!) We greeted in unison, knowing Daekeun would be fluent in many languages.

Attempting my best, I remained confident in my speech, hoping I sounded fluent and looked native to Vietnam.

To my surprise, but not Seokjin's (Lanh's), he was very confident with his Vietnamese.

"Xin chào, khỏe không?" (Hello, how are you?) Daekeun spoke with an impressive fluency.

"Khoẻ, cảm ơn." (I'm good, thank you.) Seokjin smiled a little.

I followed my hyung the best I could, repeating what he'd said. "Khoẻ, cảm ơn. Ban thi sao?" (I'm good thank you, and you?) I asked in return, feeling proud of myself.

"Khoẻ, cảm ơn." (I'm good thank you) Daekeun nodded, opening his mouth again to talk. "Shall we get to business?"

"Certainly." Seokjin smirked. 

Being led to his office, Daekeun supervised our journey towards the biggest mission we've ever had to complete. Little did he know, he was guiding us to his own demise.

My breathing hitched as I tried to stay cool and collected. Along the corridors of E.C.T's building,  a light grey tiled pattern stretched out across the floor at every turn. The lighting contained more cool undertones and contaminated each room and hallway, flooding them in unnatural light. It reminded me of the cold, intimidating corridors of the Asan Medical Center. Halting at a dark brown door, a grey-white name plate displayed itself arrogantly in the middle, reading:

DAEKEUN, YANG [CEO]

With my heart pounding in my chest, the supercilious CEO pressed his hand around the door knob, enclosing it into a fist and opening his office door.

"Take a seat."

His office was prestigious to say the least. Built-in fluorescent lights littered the ceiling symmetrically, while two large, brown leather sofas faced neatly opposite each other on the left hand side of the room. Compared to the hallways, Daekeun's office floor continued with a dark and firm carpeted floor. An oak wood coffee table perched royally in between the sofas. In the background, a long strip of glass pane was embedded just above the homely area - blue lighting bounced through the water filled tank, giving the sense of a professional environment. It was filled with different kinds of exotic fish, corals and plant based ornaments that worked to compliment both the tank and room itself. Long and towering, a narrow built-in waterfall sat decadently on display. In the bottom right corner of the room, a small bar covered the area, different kinds of bottled alcohol lined the shelves above it. There was a large range of beverages, from soju to mekong whiskey, cider to champagne, the list was undeniably never-ending.

Opposite the indoor waterfall, a fair sized, dark brown desk stood still, carrying various miscellaneous items on it. Mainly just generic objects you'd expect on a CEO's desk; a jar holding pens, a few files and notebooks, the odd plant or two and perhaps a table lamp. Floor to ceiling windows dominated the far, right hand wall letting in some natural, early morning, amber rays.

Leading the way, Daekeun approached the two sofas, gesturing us to sit in front of the fish tank. As we sat, he took a seat opposite us.

"What weapons do I have the pleasure of viewing today?" Daekeun asked with a light smirk, eyeing our briefcases.

Dismissing any possible hesitation he may have had, Seokjin went first, opening the clasps carefully and lifting the top of the case. Nerves rose up in my stomach as I hoped this mission would go smoothly. He swivelled the briefcase to face Daekeun, revealing the K14-VN to him.

"This is a K14-VN." Seokjin started, "A single action firearm adapted and distributed from Vietnam. It has a double stack magazine and a capacity of 13 rounds. The caliber is 7.62mm by 25mm and its overall length is 206mm. Although it's fairly similar to a K54 it's in quite a high demand right now in less fortunate countries." With a smooth finish, and an interested look appearing on Daekeun's face it was safe to say Seokjin had done a very good job and the snobby CEO was convinced.

However, it was now my turn. To say I was anxious, was an understatement. I felt like there was a large lump in my throat that refused to go away. Praying to every higher being I could think of, I wished that my speech was clear and professional.

On cue, I unlocked my briefcase, one much larger than Seokjin's. Turning it towards Daekeun, I displayed the Type 56C confidently.

"Here we have a Type 56C." I began, collecting my thoughts as I went along. "It's a compact assault rifle that was also adapted and produced in Vietnam. It carries 30 rounds of ammo and the caliber is 7.62mm by 39mm. It weighs around 3.8kg, give or take, and its overall length is 874mm. Despite its weight, it can fire 650 rounds a minute and has a reciprocating charging handle. We've had plenty of Middle Eastern customers suggest offers on this firearm, but we pushed aside most offers for your sake." I kept my composure and remained in character, thankful to have at least convinced myself of being a foreign ambassador.

"So if I don't buy this Type 56C, there is already someone else lined up to buy it?" Daekeun questioned with a sharp stare.

"Yes." I nodded.

"But between us, the buyers happen to be H.I.T" Seokjin chimed in. Within seconds the CEO's expression changed immediately, from sceptical to angry.

Daekeun knew he was ensnared, he had no choice now.

Not so cocky now are you?

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