The next day after their first intimate encounter, Seonghwa had told Hongjoong that it would be best if he didn't come by that day because he wasn't going to be in town for the day, said he needed to take care of something. But, Seonghwa being the kind of man he was, of course, everything he had said to Hongjoong was a lie.

Seonghwa wasn't even going to be leaving his estate that day. In fact, the "business" he needed to handle was already en route to him anyways.

Seonghwa waited patiently near the front door as he waited for his little surprise to arrive. He didn't have to wait long because two large men in black suits came barging through the front door, tossing a rather lanky male onto the floor with a black cloth over his head

"Ah... Perfect. Just in time." Seonghwa clapped his hands together as he squatted before the male on the floor. "I just so happen to be in a good mood."

Seonghwa reached out and ripped the black cloth of the man's head, flashing a wide smile at the clearly flustered male before him.

"Mr. Harper... I told you we'd see each other very soon. You do understand why you're here correct?" Seonghwa questioned, having a certain demeanor to him that seemed like a predator taunting its prey.

"Go to hell, you sick bastard." Mr. Harper snapped before spitting into Seonghwa's face.

The two large men took a step forward, but Seonghwa held out a hand to signal for them to stop. Seonghwa laughed loudly as he stood up, wiping the spit from his face with a handkerchief he'd pulled from his pants pocket.

"I love the cocky little spit-fucks that come through here," Seonghwa said as he tucked the handkerchief back into his pocket. "More to play with."

Seonghwa suddenly reared his foot back, bringing it forward with all the force he could as his leather boot connected with Mr. Harper's jaw. The male's head flew back roughly, blood spraying from his mouth along with a couple of teeth. The man collapsed onto the ground hard, groaning out in pain as he continued to spit out blood.

"Get this disgusting thing off my floor, take him to the basement and lock him up. Mr. Harper and I need to have a discussion in private." Seonghwa ordered, looking at the blood splatter on his shoe with disgust. "God... This was Italian leather, and here I've ruined it." 

The two men lifted the male from the ground, slipping the black cloth over his head as they proceeded to drag him down the hallway.

"Someone clean this mess up! I don't want to see a speck of blood on the floor when I come back!"Seonghwa shouted to the staff, then followed closely behind his men.

They all made their way down into the basement, walking over to a large, steel-made door secured by a certain passcode. Seonghwa walked up to the keypad as his men waited, punching in the code. The door made a series of clicks as it unlocked, then slowly opened on its own. The tall male stood to the side as he allowed his men to carry Mr. Harper into the room.

It was a small room, only about ten feet by ten feet, the walls lined with various weapons and tools all protected plexiglass displays that also required a passcode to get anything out of them. In the middle of the room sat a metal armchair with built-in wrist and ankle restraints that were already stained with blood from previous use.

The man was thrown into the chair, both of the large men locking his wrists and ankles in place on the chair.

"Thank you kindly, gentlemen. Take the day off, you're both dismissed." Seonghwa dismissed them with a smile, watching the two walk out as they closed the door behind them.

Seonghwa then turned to Mr. Harper, approaching him as he ripped the black cloth off of his head again. The blonde-haired male cocked his head with a wicked smile as he leaned down into the male's face.

"Let's see if this little piggy squeals, shall we?" Seonghwa said with a cynical tone to his voice.

"Mr. Park... I have no idea what happened to your merchandise that was lost. I wasn't even in charge of that." Mr. Harper said as he shook his head. "That's not apart of my job description."

"That's awful rich coming from the head director of the corporation, isn't it? You're going to tell me what happened to it one way or another, and who took it if you're feeling so generous." Seonghwa walked over to one of the display cases, pulling a metal retractable baton from the wall, and returning to Mr. Harper.

"I swear to you! I have no idea!" Mr. Harper exclaimed, his eyes widening slightly in fear. "I have a family! You can't harm me!'

Seonghwa laughed as he jerked his arm out, the baton extending with a series of clicks with this sudden motion. "I'll be sure to personally send my condolences then."

About an hour into the endless torture session, Seonghwa heard the door of the room begin to open as he paused briefly. He was covered in sprays of blood as he glanced over his shoulder to see who it was. One of his men stood there, clearing his throat.

"Sir... That red-haired guy is here to see you. Hong...kyun? Something like that." The bulky man explained.

Seonghwa shut his eyes frustratedly as he sighed out. "Hongjoong... You fucking idiot. Tell him to wait for me, I'll be out to greet him in a moment."

The bulky man nodded his head, then quickly left his boss alone in the room. Seonghwa growled lowly as he turned to Mr. Harper, who was in a state of unconsciousness from being beaten so severely.

"So fucking weak." Seonghwa spat out, setting the baton down on a tray table in the corner of the room.

Seonghwa exited the room, heading up the stairs of the basement. He quickly made it to his room, grabbing a towel as he wiped the blood from his hands and face. Seonghwa changed into a clean pair of clothes that weren't bloodstained like the clothes he had on before, discarding the dirty ones into his hamper along with the towel. He brushed back some of his hair, sighing out before he exited his room and made his way to the living room.

Seonghwa smiled warmly as he caught sight of the smaller male sitting upon the leather couch. "What on earth are you doing here, little one?" Seonghwa cooed sweetly as he approached Hongjoong.

"You lied to me, asshole. I thought you were going to be out of town." Hongjoong teased with a grin, standing up from the couch so he could hug Seonghwa.

"And I thought I told you not to come by today. I guess we both went against our own words." Seonghwa wrapped his arms around Hongjoong tightly, kissing on his cheek gently.

"Well... I'd originally come by to drop off the information for that guy that works for Barren Bank Corporate, but it was brought to my attention that you were still home" Hongjoong pulled away slightly as he looked up at Seonghwa.

"Oh... Was it?" The taller male said with a slight laugh, glancing around the room at the lingering staff with intense glares. 

So one of my staff ratted me out? I'll fish them out later on. Seonghwa thought to himself as he sighed out with frustration.

"What's wrong with you? Are you not happy that I'm here?" Hongjoong questioned, tilting his head with a slight frown.

"No, no, that's not it. I was just really busy with-" Seonghwa fell silent as Hongjoong suddenly grabbed him by the chin.

Hongjoong turned Seonghwa's head to the side, seeming to inspect him closely after he saw something.

"Yah... What the hell are you doing?" Seonghwa tried to pull his face away, but Hongjoong had a firm grasp.

"Seonghwa... Who's blood is all over you?" Hongjoong stepped back as he let go of the taller male's face. "Why do you have blood on your neck and small traces in your hair?"

Seonghwa took in a deep breath, looking towards the ground for a moment before looking Hongjoong in the eyes again. "Business, that's all." He said with a subtle shrug.

Hongjoong then grabbed ahold of Seonghwa's hands, seeing that there was dried blood under his fingernails and his fingertips were still stained with traces of blood. Hongjoong frowned deeply, letting go of his hands.

"What did you do? Seonghwa, what have you done?" Hongjoong sounded more urgent, swallowing dryly.

Seonghwa shook his head, grabbing Hongjoong by his hand as he led him back to his bedroom. He threw Hongjoong inside, following in behind him as he kicked the door shut with his foot. Hongjoong walked up to him, placing both of his hands on each side of Seonghwa's face, looking extremely concerned.

"Seonghwa... Please tell me what you've done. I can't protect you if you don't tell me." Hongjoong pleaded as he looked into Seonghwa's intense eyes. "Please tell me what happened."

Seonghwa stared down at Hongjoong for a while before he ever said anything. "There's a lot I haven't told you, specifically because I didn't trust you... I guess I have no choice but to tell you."

"Please... You know you can trust me, I would never do anything to turn my back against you." Hongjoong said softly as his hands fell down to grip ahold of the taller male's shirt.

"I... I lost some merchandise that was very important for my business. Either someone stole it or someone irresponsibly lost it. If someone finds that container, it could totally rip everything out from underneath me. Everything I've worked hard to build for myself." Seonghwa explained, seeming to pause briefly before he continued. "I have a man by the name Devin Harper locked in the basement, the man who was responsible for transporting my merchandise. The blood... It's his. He decided he didn't want to talk, so I'm going to make him." Seonghwa's tone was completely cold.

Hongjoong felt his heart sink into his feet as he tried to process what Seonghwa just confessed to him. He realized this was all the verification he needed that Seonghwa was definitely involved with heinous crimes.

"The man... at the river... You killed him, didn't you?" Hongjoong blinked with shock, asking cautiously.

Seonghwa licked the inside of his cheek as he shook his head. "I didn't personally kill him with my own hands, but I authorized the hit."

"These people that supposedly owe you money, don't actually owe you money... They're threats to whatever business you're wrapped up in." Hongjoong was beginning to figure it all out, unsure of how to feel about it. "You used me to get information on these people so you could track them down and harm them..."

"I didn't want to tell you all of this because I didn't want it to change your view of me," Seonghwa said softly, taking a couple of steps back away from him. "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have gotten you involved... You probably think I'm some sick psychopath."

Hongjoong couldn't help but feel bad for him. He couldn't see these things that Seonghwa was doing as unjust, he cared too deeply about him.

"No... I mean, I don't condone what you're doing." Hongjoong got closer to him, wrapping his arms loosely around the taller male's neck. "But I can't pass judgment on you when I've technically contributed to all of this... Right now, I'm in this with you, I have no choice."

Seonghwa frowned a little with confusion, just blinking as he stared down at the smaller male. His demeanor seemed to soften as he placed his hands lowly on Hongjoong's hips, leaning his face down as he pressed his forehead against his.

"The loyalty you have for me is unprecedented, Hongjoong... I would never be able to find someone as devoted to me as you are." Seonghwa said as he reached up one of his hands and placed it on the back of the smaller male's neck. "Promise me you'll never stray from my side. I would fail if it weren't for you..."

The words coming out of Seonghwa's mouth made a slight smile curl upon the red-haired male's lips.

"I promise... My place is right here at your side, regardless of the things you do." Hongjoong replied, then biting on the soft flesh of his bottom lip.

Hongjoong had originally gotten involved in all of this to exploit the notorious criminal that Seonghwa was, but even with the confirmation of all the circulating rumors, he wouldn't ever be able to bring himself to rat Seonghwa out. He was in way too deep, he was wrapped up in Seonghwa's vast, dangerous world, and there was no viable way out of it. But, at the same time, getting out of it was the last thing he wanted.

"I must return to what I started, little one," Seonghwa said softly as he pulled away. "I need to see if my little friend has woken up yet."

Hongjoong swallowed hard at these words, blinking as his gaze fell down to the floor. "You're not going to kill him, are you? Please, don't kill him, Seonghwa. Whatever he's done, don't kill him."

Seonghwa just smiled, planting a gentle kiss upon his forehead. "You don't need to worry about that. I won't be very long, please enjoy yourself in my home while I'm busy. I would like to see your face as soon as I'm done, little one."

"Seonghwa, I'm serious..."Hongjoong began to protest, but Seonghwa had spun on his heels before walking right out of the room.

Hongjoong dropped his head as he stood alone in Seonghwa's bedroom, the silence of the room was louder than anything else. He could easily stop Seonghwa from what he was about to do, but he did absolutely nothing to prevent it. He preferred to stay out of whatever the hell the blonde-haired male was about to do.

What am I doing? Hongjoong thought to himself, running his hands through his hair.

****THE STORY WILL BE CONTINUED IN THE NEXT CHAPTER. THANK YOU FOR READING****