mafia, arranged marriage, CEO, blood, gunfight, manxman

For Taehyung's twenty-fifth birthday, he was gifted a marriage certificate and informed that he was now husband to a Mr. Jeon Jungkook. Taehyung's family had entered a contract with Jeon Inc., and Taehyung was the collateral that was the result of such a contract. To maintain good relations with the Jeons, Taehyung's father gave his youngest son to the CEO of Jeon Incorporated.

For unknown reasons, Mr. Jeon agreed to the contract and accepted the presented Kim Taehyung to be his husband. So, as Taehyung woke to the sun of his twenty-fifth year, he was packed up and shipped off to be the renowned Mr. Jeon's husband.

Although Mr. Jeon was officially the CEO of Jeon Incorporated, a company begun by his grandfather, Taehyung soon came to realize that the company was merely a mask for the elaborate mafia that was the true identity of Jeon Inc. And the true identity of his CEO husband was the mafia's leader.

One month passed rather quickly for Taehyung. During his first month at the Jeon residence, he had neither seen nor spoken to his husband. Taehyung was provided his own room and amenities and was allowed to keep his occupation as an interior designer on the condition that he work completely remotely. Although Taehyung spent all of his time on the Jeon residence grounds, he seldom got bored for the estate was vast. The mansion was massive, and the gardens and surrounding woods were exquisite.

Taehyung also kept himself busy with small projects of his own. As an interior designer, Taehyung had a strong opinion of how his living space should be. So, nearly the moment he arrived at the Jeon residence, he began rearranging and redesigning his room and adjacent lounge areas.

Taehyung had naturally been introverted, so the need to go out into society was rather minimal. He was content to wander the beautiful gardens and exquisite halls of the estate so long as his life remained peaceful, and he believed that as long as Mr. Jeon remained distant and nearly non-existent, a quiet life would not be hard to maintain.

However, Taehyung's dream life was shattered the night of the first of February, just a few days after his one-month anniversary with Mr. Jeon. Taehyung was reading a book in the lounge space that was connected to his large bedroom. The curtains to the doors of the lounge's balcony were drawn to the side, allowing Taehyung a view of the moonlit garden that was just outside his area of the estate.

A piece of jazz played quietly in the background while several candles lit the lounge in a warm glow. Taehyung was nearly ready to close his book and head to bed when a loud thud sounded in the hallway just outside his bedroom door. Silently setting his book on the stand beside the daybed he had been lounging on, Taehyung carefully stood to his feet and began walking toward his bedroom door.

Pressing his ear against the thick, wooden door, Taehyung listened intently for any other sound. His brows scrunched as he heard hushed voices followed by hurried footsteps. Taehyung leaped away from the door as the footsteps ran to his door. His heart spiked in his chest as the nob to his bedroom door suddenly began to rattle. Someone was trying to break into his room!

What to do? What to do? I don't have any combat or self-defense experience! Will I be able to fight the intruders? Taehyung held his breath as a key was quickly inserted, and the door was opened.

"Mr. Taehyung!" The hushed voice of the residence's butler alerted Taehyung to the fact that the intruder was someone he knew. During his time at the Jeon residence, Taehyung had had the most interaction with the butler, the chef, the gardener, and the head housemaid.

"Mr. Park?" Taehyung returned in a whisper as the butler entered his room. Blood stained Mr. Park's clothes, and a gun with a muffle on its barrel was clutched in his right hand.

"Come with me, Mr. Taehyung. Hurry!" The butler ordered as he quickly searched Taehyung's room for any hidden intruders.

"What's going on?" Taehyung inquired as he followed the butler out of his room and into the hallway where he saw several bodies strewn across the marbled floor.

"We have intruders. No time to explain the rest." Mr. Park gave an incredibly brief summary as he led Taehyung down the stairs and onto the main floor of the residence.

Taehyung remained as quiet as he could while he stepped over the bodies of those who had intruded upon the Jeon residence, and he obediently followed the butler to the main dining hall where he saw several men dressed in full black stealth gear with masks over the lower half of their faces. Taehyung scrunched a brow as he saw the intruders stand at attention upon Mr. Park entering the room.

"Mr. Park, what's-"

"Shut up," Mr. Park scowled, much to Taehyung's surprise. Mr. Park had been nothing but kind to Taehyung ever since he had arrived at the Jeon residence, to the sudden switch in his demeanor took Taehyung aback. That was...until the realization donned on him.

Taehyung stood behind the butler dumbfounded as he put two and two together. "Mr. Park, y- you're-"

"Didn't I tell you to shut up?!" The butler whirled around to face Taehyung, and as he did so, he shoved the butt of his gun against Taehyung's forehead.

Stars filled Taehyung's vision, and his mind swam as pain rushed through his body. Taehyung clutched his head as the force of the strike sent him flying to the floor. Wet warmth coated Taehyung's hand, and he drew it away to find it covered in blood.

"Is this him?" A foreign voice from the back of the dining room sounded as a man walked toward the two who had just entered.

"Yes, sir. This is Mr. Jeon's husband," Mr. Park informed his boss as he stepped aside to reveal Taehyung crouching on the floor wincing in pain.

"I see," the man said with a smirk. "Kill him."

Taehyung's eyes widened in fear when he heard those two words. "Kill him." The boss's orders echoed in Taehyung's mind as Mr. Park turned to face him once more.

"Very good, sir," Mr. Park said as he accepted the orders. "With Kim Taehyung dead, the contract shall be broken, and Mr. Jeon will lose yet another ally."

Taehyung swallowed dryly. They're here because of the contract! Shit, that means there's no chance of trying to negotiate myself out of this. The only way to break the contract is...for me to die...

"So, long, Mr. Taehyung," the butler bid as he positioned his pistol to be in front of Taehyung's head.

Taehyung was frozen. He could not speak, much less move, as he stared down the barrel of the gun aimed directly at him. He could not beg for his life for there was nothing he could offer. He knew what the men wanted, and it was for him to die. There was nothing that could persuade them to let Taehyung live.

He had no leverage. He was merely an interior designer whose father had sold him to a mafia leader in exchange for money. Although he was husband to one of the most powerful men in the city, Taehyung had not spoken a single word to Mr. Jeon. There was no one who could come to his rescue.

All his life, Taehyung had been seen as a tool to gain power and money. Taehyung did not know what Mr. Jeon saw him as, but he knew it would not be fond enough to risk his life to save him. In the end, Taehyung had no one. He was alone. Even his brothers would not go to great lengths to save him.

A single tear swelled in Taehyung's eye as he watched Mr. Park's finger wrap around the trigger. Is this how it ends? I am going to die as an abandoned son, a disregarded husband...a tool to be used and discarded. Taehyung closed his eyes as he anticipated his death. Hopefully, I can find love and happiness in my next life.

Taehyung held his breath as he waited for the gun to fire, however, a loud bang delayed Taehyung's death. Opening his eyes, Taehyung looked up to see Mr. Park crumple to the ground with a hole in the dead center of his head. Taehyung scrambled backward to avoid being pinned under Mr. Park's body, and he heard the words, "Protect the boss's husband!" being shouted as he turned to look behind him.

Taehyung's breath hitched in his throat as he saw a man standing at the dining room entrance. His suit, face, and neck were splattered with blood, and his chest rose and fell as he panted softly. His raven-black hair that had been styled up was slightly disheveled so a few strands hung over his dark, doe eyes.

A black pistol was aimed at where Mr. Park once stood, and his dark eyes met Taehyung's soft, brown orbs as he lowered the gun. Several men dressed in black suits rushed past Taehyung and surrounded him while the man walked toward him. The man knelt down as he reached Taehyung and extended his hand.

Taehyung's eyes fell to the hand stretched out before him, and tears swelled once more — for on the man's fourth finger was a ring that matched the one Taehyung currently wore. Taehyung's wet eyes flicked up to the man standing in front of him, and his heart thumped in his chest as he met those dark, doe eyes. Jeon Jungkook. My husband.

"Are you alright?" Jungkook asked. His voice was deep and powerful but quiet.

Guns fired all around as Jungkook's men fought the intruders, and Taehyung clutched his head in fear. Although he had just been saved in the nick of time, the possibility for him to be shot amid the fight was quite high. As Taehyung curled himself up instinctively, strong arms slid beneath his back and knees, and he was promptly lifted into the air.

"Finish things up cleanly," Jungkook ordered as he brought Taehyung to be against his chest.

"Yes, sir," Jungkook's right hand, Kim Namjoon, responded with a bow of his head.

"Yoongi Hyung, call Seokjin Hyung to my room," Jungkook told his best fighter as he walked out of the dining hall and began ascending the stairs.

Taehyung remained silent as Jungkook carried him up to the third floor of the mansion and gently set him on his bed. After setting Taehyung down, Jungkook gently checked on Taehyung's wound before stepping away and slipping off his suit jacket to reveal a white, buttoned-down shit and a black suit vest. Taehyung watched as Jungkook unbuttoned the cuffs of his shirt and rolled up the sleeves before walking over to a wooden chest of drawers and extracting a first aid kit from the top, middle drawer.

A knock sounded on the door to Jungkook's room as he walked over to Taehyung with the medical kit. "Come in," Jungkook said to the person at the door as he set the kit on the bed. Turning to the man entering, Jungkook motioned to Taehyung while saying, "My husband was hurt during the fight. Take a look at him, would you, Jin Hyung?"

Seokjin bowed to Jungkook while answering, "Certainly."

Taehyung kept his eyes on Jungkook as Jin opened the medical kit and began disinfecting the wound on the top of his forehead. Taehyung had seen pictures of Jeon Jungkook, so he knew what his husband looked like. However, that day was the first time he had seen Jungkook in person. That was the first time he had heard his voice and gazed into his eyes.

Jungkook had been an enigma to Taehyung throughout their one month of marriage. After discovering that his husband was the head of a powerful mafia force, Taehyung had assumed him to be a ruthless, blood-thirsty monster. But, through his short interaction with him, Taehyung began to realize his assumption was incorrect.

Of course, Jeon Jungkook could still be a ruthless man, but one thing was for sure. He was no monster. The fact that he saved Taehyung and brought him to be treated dispelled any fears Taehyung had about being married to a monster.

Once Jin had cleaned and stitched Taehyung's wound, he carefully bandaged it before bowing to his leader and leaving Jungkook's room. Now that it was just Taehyung and his husband, his gaze fell to the floor while Jungkook poured two glasses of whiskey. Jungkook offered one of the glasses to Taehyung before taking a generous drink from the crystal cup in his hand.

Taehyung was not accustomed to drinking hard liquor, but seeing as Jeon Jungkook had offered it, he was inclined to take a sip even if it was minuscule. Taehyung's brows furrowed as he tasted the dark liquor. Yup, not for me. That shit's gross. Although the whiskey was not to his liking, Taehyung tried his best to hide his dissatisfaction.

Seeing as he seemed to be the target of the break-in, Taehyung thought he would try and figure out what exactly had just happened, so he gathered up his courage and asked, "Why did Mr. Park...betray you?"

Jungkook, who had turned his back to Taehyung, lowered his glass from his lips and released a breath. Unable to see Jungkook's expression, Taehyung had no way to tell if his husband was displeased with his question. He did not know Jungkook well enough to read his body language. Was it too soon to ask that? Should I have started by asking something else?

"Answer my question, first," was Jungkook's response after a moment of silence. He remained facing away from Taehyung as Taehyung tried to figure out what he meant. Eh? Answer what? What question?

Well, there's only one way to find out what he meant. Please, don't let this be another stupid thing to ask. Taehyung mentally crossed his fingers as he carefully inquired, "What...question?"

Upon hearing Taehyung's response, Jungkook turned to face him. Jungkook remained quiet as he looked at his husband. Now that the blood had been cleaned up, he could see Taehyung's face fully. He had soft, brown eyes, smooth skin, and chestnut hair. There was also a freckle on the bottom lid of his eye.

Breathing in, Jungkook responded, "Are you alright?"

Am I alright? When did he- Taehyung's eyes widened as he looked up at the man standing in front of him. Oh, that question. So much had happened that I completely forgot about it. It was the first thing Jungkook had said to him as he offered Taehyung his hand.

Taehyung nodded his head slowly as he answered, "I am...thank you for...saving me."

Jungkook locked eyes with Taehyung for a moment as the two gazed at each other in silence. Jungkook's gaze softened as he stared at Taehyung, however, as he flicked his eyes away, they returned to their usual distant expression. "To answer your question," he began after a few seconds, "I had known about Mr. Park's intentions. I knew he was a double agent when he entered the organization. So, I cannot say he betrayed me...as I never trusted him."

Taehyung was surprised at the relief he felt hearing Jungkook's words. He did not expect himself to feel relieved that Jungkook had not been betrayed by someone he had trusted. But alas, he was.

"I'm sorry you got dragged into this mess."

Eh?! Taehyung was taken aback by Jungkook's apology. It was unlike Mr. Jeon to apologize to anyone. What's going on? Is he planning something? He would not suddenly apologize to me unless it aided in his plan.

"I thought by distancing myself from you, it would keep you safe. No one would use a disregarded spouse as leverage." Jungkook slid his free hand into his pant pocket as he added, "It appears I was wrong. Now that I know the Parks are after the contract, you are to not leave my side."

Taehyung's head snapped up, and he made eye contact with Jungkook. He's definitely planning something. He would not decide that unless it gained him something. Used to being treated like a tool, Taehyung was unable to look past his suspicions and instead raised his guard.

Jungkook had indeed consciously stayed away from Taehyung to protect him. When news spread that Jeon Jungkook had gotten married, numerous people who wished for the Jeon mafia to fall vied to get Taehyung in their grasps. Jungkook had thought that distancing himself from Taehyung would dissuade his enemies from kidnapping Taehyung to use as leverage against Jungkook. He did not wish to have any weaknesses, and a spouse whom he cared for would certainly be on the top of the list in terms of weaknesses.

However, that appeared to not be the case. His enemies were not only after Taehyung; they were after the contract that connected the Jeons and the Kims through Taehyung. And now that Jungkook knew this, he could not let Taehyung leave his side. He would have to do whatever it took to protect Taehyung in order to keep the contract valid and his alliance with the Kims alive.

And so, the married life of Taehyung and Jungkook began. This would be no ordinary life of marriage. It would be filled with danger, tension, jealousy, loss, and love. Would Taehyung be able to see through his suspicions and learn to be loved? Would Jungkook be able to keep Taehyung safe while maintaining his leadership in the mafia?

Would Taehyung be able to break through the hard shell of uncertainty that stood between him and his mafia husband?