Park Jin-young [Junior] (Got7)

Kim Tae-hyung [V] (BTS)

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Grabbing my arm roughly after I had refused to get out of the car, finally, the dangerous man had enough with my bullshit. He yanked me out from the seat, making me almost trip over my own feet and fall. Normally I would have been the happiest person alive to finally leave the small space I had to be in with Channie and his mean comrade but now that we had arrived in front of a huge building that radiated a vintage and creepy vibe I somehow wished to just get seated in the black vehicle again.

This place was more on the outline of the town, surrounded by a small forest and a three-meter fence. The rusty railings were placed there for reasons of protection, of course, however, it seemed more like a cage to me. Anyone who dared to try climbing over the fence—it seemed quite impossible and life-threatening—would either hurt themselves badly on the sharp end of the metal bar or get shot from behind. Or from the front. If this was an actual Mafia hideout, then nothing would surprise me. Although, it was a mystery to me why these guys had brought me here since a hideout should be more a hidden and secret place for the underground business, right?

Well, either way; since I had seen the snowy forest and the high fence through the windshield of the car I guessed this would be my last destination in this life. There was no way they would let me go after kidnapping me and bringing me to such a shady place.

While Channie had been parking the vehicle, some other cars had driven here as well and some also left. The front garden offered a lot of parking possibilities which surprisingly wasn't as filled as one would suspect. Only a few cars had been left on the cement. The other vehicles were surrounded by people. Some sat behind the wheel and talked on their phone or waited. Other men spoke to each other and rummaged through the trunk of their car. They weren't curious in any way, minding their own business even while the dangerous gangster had cussed about my problematic behavior.

Channie held me by my upper arm, making sure I wouldn't run off or do anything more stupid. In my head, I had already escaped and sat on the bus that drove me back home to my family. Fairy's comrade massaged his temple and let out an annoyed growl at my weird behavior. Yes, it was strange to me as well, this urge to just hide in the vehicle but this place held such a dark power over it that I felt like suffocating while standing in front of it. Dark green plants raked over the dark wooden wall, giving the old building a mysterious and creepy vibe.

"You take her," he briefly instructed and gave me another death glare. "Fuck. I'm really in the need of a smoke after this trip," the dangerous male had stated before he handed over my phone to the fairy. Then he strode off on his own to a less active corner of the front yard with his hands in the pockets of his suit. Rather than intoxicating his lungs with that bad stuff, he should have gone for a run. It was far more healthy and it could calm him down unlike smoking that only frustrated one, even more, getting addicted to that nasty stuff.

But what did I know?

It's not like he would die because of his bad habit. Bad people never did. Not this easily anyway.

"Let's go," Red Riding Hood commanded all of a sudden and went past me to the entrance. Not following him right away, my other abductor called me out one last time.

"Fucking move it or else I'll drag you and it won't end pretty!" he shouted from behind, his voice bringing all the attention on us. I sensed all the eyes on me at once. The men who still spoke on their phones gave me a side look and the ones who were talking with each other or doing whatever they were doing, halted for a moment and stared at me. It was just for a moment but all the hairs on my body stood up on my skin and my heart began racing like crazy in my chest. Despite the urge to just shovel a hole in the ground and bury me in it to escape their gaze, I jogged after the tall gangster. That made the dread of being watched go away and I had taken a deep breath and let the cold air fill my lungs before we entered the building. Being the respectful guest I had knocked off the snow that had been stuck on my boots before stepping over the doorstep.

A big hall opened up in front of us with stairs of both sides on the opposite side of the room. Everything was out of dark wood except the golden chandelier on the roof that looked much more expensive than the whole house of my parents. Moreover, a red carpet led in all kinds of directions, giving a stranger some orientation, however, since the inside of the mansion n also looked quite massive, I wasn't so sure if I could ever find the way out once I was in. It almost looked like a castle. Although, the building lacked the towers and the triangular-shaped roofs to be an actual palace it was close to being one.

"This way," Red Riding Hood instructed and went ahead yet again, still not minding one bit if I was following him or not. His comrade wasn't nearby anymore to push me further in my panicked state but I didn't need him this time, feeling enough anxiety as it was. Going up the creaking stairs to the first floor, I was greatly fascinated by the beautiful carvings in the old wood and the warm-toned walls. Many doors were leading to God knew where and I couldn't help but look over my shoulders a couple of times to remember the surroundings of the path. If it came down to an escape route I needed to know where to run.

Not giving my guide enough attention, I was in great alarm when I had finally lost track of him and he wasn't in front of me anymore. Of course, it would have been too good to be true, him vanishing like this and never coming back in my life to bother me. And for a moment, I had believed it.

"Psst," someone suddenly whizzed behind me, interrupting my busy train of thoughts. There he stood with an amused facial expression and my phone and passport in his left hand. He knocked on one door and waited. In the time being, I slowly approached him but kept enough space between us. I didn't want to be thrown in an unknown room and locked in until I starved and died of thirst. And I figured he couldn't do that as easily when I wasn't near enough to be shoved.

A deep muffled sound came from inside, probably permitting us to enter the room. Channie pushed down the golden handle of the door, so I was greeted by the sight of a messy space that resembled an office with a huge worktable and a brown leather sofa on both sides. Though the one behind the wooden desk looked quite more luxurious and fancy. Another person was standing in the area next to the sofa, turning his head in our direction. Another fairy, judging by his big and slightly tilted ears. This dude looked exactly like a doll with his slightly bigger eyes, smaller nose, and full small lips. His hair color was a dark brown, almost black, color and he also had chocolate brown eyes. That must have been the most different about him; his eyes. Rather than amused or dangerous, they were observant and puzzled.

This was the time to run. I wouldn't survive another gangster.

"What? Already finished with your mission?" The thug asked Channie. Taking slow and light steps behind me, I tried to get away from both of the men. Only that rather than replying, Red Riding Hood suddenly glanced back at me, somehow sensing my intentions. Immediately noticing the big space between us, he extended his arm and took a big step towards me to grasp my upper arm yet again. His fingers were digging in my winter jacket and slightly hurting my actual skin as he pulled me in front of him. He didn't say anything though. His dangerous comrade would have probably shot me this time around but he never made the suggestion. My heart had almost skipped a beat as I stood in front of the new unknown male who looked upon me. He was as tall as Channie.

"Who's she?" The stranger asked, his gaze flicking to the Red Riding Hood after he had been staring at me for a while. And although he had seen me, now he acted as if I wasn't standing there at all. I couldn't help but get slightly irritated by his question. Did they all not know who I was? Then what the heck was I here for? Couldn't they just leave me alone?

"She was in Lolly's apartment," Channie answered.

Lolly?

The observing man opened his mouth to probably ask Red Riding Hood for more information when suddenly a deep voice resounded in the room.

"Wait! Hold on! We have a female guest?" My eyes automatically searched for the person who had spoken. The second unknown male had been hidden by the slightly opened wooden door. Moreover, the row of bookshelf that was placed in front of the wall had also been blocked by the wooden surface.

The man with the bright red hair held some paperwork in his hand while he had slid the other one in the pocket of his smooth black pants as he appeared in my sight. His blue-colored eyes roamed over my frame, glistening as his orbs found mine yet again.

"What did she do? Steal some cookies?" he had joked but no one had it in them to laugh about it. Or to even show any emotions at all. And I who had humor and liked to laugh at stupid remarks didn't find anything funny in this situation.

I found some comfort in looking at the vintage-designed rug on the wooden floor as these shitty people continued talking as if I wasn't there.

"That's your job to find out," Channie replied, letting go of my upper arm and placing it on my shoulder instead. His other hand reached out for the second fairy who took my belongings without asking and gave all his attention to my passport.

"Odette Abbe," he read out my name loud, raising his eyebrows. "Is our beloved friend in France by chance?"

What friend?

"Nah, Europe is the last continent Lay would escape to," the red-haired male stated, putting the paperwork on the wooden desk before he circled the object and got seated in the fancy armchair. "Like the family-centric guy he is, he would have tried going back to China to say his last goodbyes to his parents and siblings. However, with the help of his precious little childhood friend he's changed his mind about surrendering, that manipulatable bastard," Smoothly, he laid one leg over the other one, resting one elbow on the armrest of the armchair, and looked up at me. The weight that had been sitting in my chest for a while now felt even heavier at this moment.

"Don't just stand there, little bird. Why don't you take a seat? I bet this whole trip has got you worked up," The red-haired male said, his tone still playful and calm though his statement did have a slight warning to it. I'm pretty I would have already run if it wasn't for Channie strongly gripping my shoulder and blocking the only exit out of the room.

"Then I'll be on my way," Red Riding Hood declared and was about to step out of the doorway and leave when I suddenly grasped him by his leather jacket. My own eyes widened at my automatic reaction and I felt the heat rise in my cheeks as I let go of his clothing again. Now if that wasn't embarrassing.

This dude was bad news and I still couldn't help but feel the most comfortable with him out of all these people. Probably because I relied on the empathy that had stopped him from hurting me until now.

If only for a short moment the tall male stopped in his tracks and looked back at me. His light blue eyes seemed perplexed. For the first time, he seemed unsure of what to do.

"How sweet. Need someone to hold your hand while you talk? I can do that for you, little bird," the red-haired male mocked me, grinning at my vulnerable state. I reverted my eyes off Channie and glared at the other male instead, feeling even more heat rise in my cheeks at his teasing.

What an asshole. I would have liked to see him in a similar situation with multiple strangers surrounding him who had only bad intentions with him.

The red-haired male smiled, an anticipating gaze in his blue eyes as he stared at me.

"You should continue looking for another suspect with D.O. We never know if this girl turns out to be useless," the second fairy commented out of nowhere. He must have been absent in his mind for some time, his gaze still lingering on the screen of my phone.

D.O? Was that the name of the dangerous male?

Channie simply nodded and then strode off, not looking back a second time. I was about to just fuck it all and follow him when the red-haired male's deep voice resounded in the office yet again.

"You keep forgetting that Lolly isn't stupid. She has chosen those people carefully who were involved in her dirty secret. Not one of them talks because they all don't care what will happen neither to her nor to them." The red-haired male had flicked his tongue before he continued talking. "That's why I hate working on extremists. They are no fun since they are so convinced of their sick beliefs and righteousness."

There he said that name again. Lolly. Did they mean Lisa? Was that her nickname in Bangtan?

"Humans always make mistakes, V. There must be a loose screw that could lead up to our beloved friend's hideout," the male said, his chocolate brown eyes on the red-haired man.

I peered behind me and seriously imagined just bolting down the floor to the stairs and escaping in the snowstorm that was probably on its way. Well, if the weather news hadn't been lying. My bus probably would have gotten stuck in the snow or gotten in traffic anyway but who would have cared? Everything was better than this fucking place with messed-up gangsters talking about suspects and their annoyance with them.

"Then let's hope Lolly isn't perfect," V stated, tearing me out of my thoughts. I automatically glanced in his way only to notice the other male placing my passport on his desk and sliding my phone in his suit's front pocket.

Fucking thieves everywhere, thinking they could take my belongings this easily.

"I'll quickly check up on Xiumin. Hopefully, something benefiting's on her phone because Boss won't be very pleased if we fail to show him any results again."

"Well, only time will tell, right, Junior?" the red-haired male replied, smirking at me as those words had left his mouth.

"This nickname will haunt me forever," Junior remarked, his observing eyes narrowing at his comrade who didn't attempt to hold back a snicker.

"Just until I find humor in the way you get worked up by it."

The second fairy sighed and then went past me. He had spared me one last glance before he left for good, closing the wooden door behind him. I had to step aside for him to do so and I wasn't sure if it had been an automatic reaction or actually because I had been intimidated by his invasive gaze. Probably both.

"Now, take a seat, will ya?" the red-haired male initiated and motioned with his hand for me to get seated in the armchair in front of his desk. Hesitantly I approached the leather seat and looked back at the door for the last time before I let myself sink in the cold but comfortable material. A slight smirk tugged at the corner of his lips as he watched me put my backpack on the dark carpet next to the armchair. My heart hammered loudly in my chest. It was quite awkward being stared at this intensively by a stranger. To distract me I let my eyes roam over the messy desk. So much paper and many photos were stacked and scattered on the wooden surface that I couldn't help but wonder if this guy ever found the documents he searched for. A couple of ballpoint pens and pencils were placed in a black mug which was put on the corner, dangerously close to the edge. "Want anything? Water? Coffee? I also have some chocolate if you want. I keep them on the shelf because sometimes I do crave sweets."

I only shook my head, refusing to talk. May it be for the knowledge of my voice trembling when I was nervous or for that I was more than confused and worried about this situation.

"No need to be shy. You won't be judged in this room for whatever you're going to say," V said after a while, never taking his blue eyes off my green ones as he leaned back in his armchair, tapping his fingers against the leather. "So enlighten me. Is this your first time with Bangtan, little bird?"

So they were Bangtan. I had guessed that they were in fact members of the most powerful mafia but it seemed more than unreal even now when I was learning the truth.

"It certainly is my first time being kidnapped." I was shocked by how determined and calm I sounded compared to the chaos that was fuming inside my head.

He chuckled lowly at my answer and brushed over the silver ring on his soft-looking lower lip as he leaned his face closer to his hands again, resting his elbow on the arm of the chair again.

"So you've met a Bangtan member before?"

"Not intentionally," I told him.

Though it wasn't on purpose I did notice how I didn't utter full answers and tried to give him as little information as possible.

The red-haired male hummed. I looked at my trembling hands in my lap and formed them into fists to stop the vibrating reflex. Not that it could be prevented at this point. Closing my eyes I imagined myself on the bus that would have brought me back home to my parents and sisters, and my brother. The way their warm hugs just made the whole world function again and how their jokes and laughs lightened up every dark corner of my mind.

"Do you know why you're here, Odette?"

I would have liked to pass on this one question.

Why was I here? That's exactly what I had asked myself the whole ride to this mansion. However, now that I had heard these men talk about the same thing Lisa had also revealed to me, it was kind of obvious that they wanted me to talk about my ex-roommate. Well, if by Lolly they had meant Lisa.

"Because you think I know where that person is who you're looking for," I bluntly guessed.

He hummed yet again.

"You seem pretty sure of your answer. Let's make a different startup then, shall we?" The man began yet again, all the playfulness vanishing out of his deep tone though his smirk never wavered. Those dead and unpredictable eyes made me sick to the stomach. "Rather than if you know where our beloved comrade is, I'd like to hear about Lalisa Manoban."

"She was my roommate."

"That's it? No friends forever bracelets and such?"

"Not all roommates are that good with each other. Some just live together but don't share anything other than their home," I said. I had to be very careful now. Any slip up and my he would get more information than needed.

"Right." V stood up and slowly made his way towards the bookshelf while he continued talking. "Normally I'm not the person who assumes shit all the time. I'm more of a guesser. It's part of my job you know, reading people's movements and the way they talk." He rummaged through the books and the paperwork that was left on top of them. "Most of my guests are very easy to read. They stutter, hold their breaths when I start talking about certain topics and they tremble. Though trembling is more of a sign of fear, nervousness, or excitement. Everyone acts in a different way which is just fine. The world would be kind of boring if we were to be the same, right?" He grabbed something off the shelf and held it hidden from my eyes up until he sat down again. The armchair didn't make any creaking sounds as he leaned back with a standby smirk on his face. "Lying to get their way. Lying to help others. Lying because it's easier to hide. They are kind of interesting, humans I mean," he made a small pause. His blue eyes changed. His whole facial expression changed. The sly and playful face vanished, crumbled down into a scary and vicious one. He threw the quadratic form of a shiny paper on the desk, making it just perfect for me to gaze upon it.

My heart must have stopped. The whole world must have stopped at that instant. The photo showed me and Lisa as we made weird faces and looked into the camera. It was the very same picture that had hung on the wall above Lisa's bed. I closed my eyes as I felt a wave of pain in my heart.

So it hadn't been her who had taken it with her. God—fucking—damn it! Of course, it wasn't her. I had known it. Deep down, I had known all along but I couldn't help but hold onto hope. Hope, why hope when it didn't matter anyway?

"Tell me, little bird, do simple roommates take photos like this?" he questioned me, his blue eyes narrowing at me as those words had left his mouth. "To me, it looks like you're closer than strangers." He intertwined his fingers and placed them on his abdomen. "But what do I know, right? People nowadays take pictures with everyone, acting as if they are besties while they don't know anything about each other." He smirked again. "Lalisa must have felt more affection towards you. Did you know? In a relationship, there's always someone who cares more about the other one."

Saying that he wouldn't judge me at first, now what was he doing exactly? Not that he cared. He didn't. The red-haired male just wanted me to explode with all the emotions and scream out the truth. Tell him about the way Lisa and I had parted, the way she had called me the last time, the way I had fought with Jeong-guk to just go and protect her, the way I had cried as I had seen the broken frame on the floor. That messy room still stood before my eyes. The scattered papers, the torn books, and her clothes all over her mattress. It had been there. I had been the one tidying up her room that day. He was telling me that she had more affection for me? Who was he for saying this out loud? He knew nothing about me; about us.

I breathed deeply and closed my eyes for a moment. When I opened them again, I looked up and forced a smile. My eyes burned and my throat felt dry, but despite all of it I opened my mouth and let my voice out.

I cared. I fucking cared!

"To build a strong friendship you need to spend a long time with one person but that was more than impossible since Lisa hasn't been at home much. She's been vanishing from time to time and the only time we communicated was over the phone. I don't know where she is now or what she's done while she was away before. Although I do know that Lisa's friend is in huge debt and that she flew him to another country she never mentioned small details, so I have no idea where he is now." I took another deep breath after my speech but didn't feel relieved at all. I wasn't even sure about what I had been blabbering about, only feeling high of the sudden blood rush that flowed through my veins. Lowering my head, I gazed at the photo on the desk. "I cared. I still care. That photo was the beginning of it all, so of course, it shows more than just roommates, more than just familiarity. We just never reached further than this state."

The silence that filled the office after almost suffocated me. The burning sensation in my chest only worsened as the seconds went by. Additionally, I felt the sudden urge to cry but I held back the tears. There was no way that I would weep in front of a gangster. I could never forgive myself for it.

It was just too much. How I had survived until then without a mental breakdown was a mystery to me. It had almost felt like a bad nightmare when those two thugs had invaded not only my home but my privacy. The way the dangerous male, D.O, had put the gun against my head and had threatened me, had shocked me to the core. Maybe I was still paralyzed from that moment. Not that anyone could ever get over a trauma like that.

It was scary knowing that someone else had your life in their hands and could do as they wished with it, playing God out of all.

"Now if that wasn't a solid statement. See? We're getting somewhere, Junior." The mentioning of the second fairy made my heart sink. Light steps approached my armchair as I sat there, stressed about the next situation I would be thrown in. As the dark brown-haired male appeared in my sight, he handed me my phone which I took from him hesitantly.

"She's already been checked," the man said, his chocolate brown eyes shifting to the blue ones of the red-haired male.

"What?" I had asked at the same time as the blue-eyed man.

I'd already been checked? What did he mean by that?

"You're free to go, Ms. Abbe. Your mother must be worried about you catching the Bus on time. Better not keep her in the dark for too long," Junior told me not explaining the sudden turn of the situation.

So with a nod, and his observing eyes that he directed towards his comrade I stood up, grabbed the handle of my backpack but didn't leave before I had a hold of my passport as well. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I had put one foot over the doorstep and walked down the floor towards the stairs. The small electrical device in my strong grip and the backpack swung over my back, I let out a shaky breath as I had let out all the frustration and shock that I had held in up until that critical moment.

They had the information about all the people that I cared about. Though more than that, they had found something on my phone that was enough evidence for whatever that it was that had told them that I was useless. I felt truly violated by the thought of them reading through all the private messages that I had sent and all the pictures I had taken with my phone. In a way, there was an important piece of my life on that device.

I regretted ever using it for storing addresses and private information on it. In this world, you couldn't run around carelessly like that. I was an idiot for not keeping everything other than phone numbers more hidden.