"P-Please.. Let me g-go..." Jeongguk choked back a cry, felt his body stumble to the side due to the moving vehicle he was forced into, his vision falling dark thanks to the cloth over his head. "Please... Please..."

"Someone make him shut the fuck up already."

He heard a voice grunt from the driver's seat, and Jeongguk could feel his hands ruthlessly being clasped together, a rough texture securing them behind his back. He quickly came to realize he was being cuffed with a rope tied around his wrists, and his heartbeat accelerated in sheer fright of such a thing.

"Jeon Jeongguk..." A voice, who he recognized to be Sungho's, called out to him. "We're going to need you to be quiet and behave, or else... things aren't going to end up very good for you, kid..."

Jeongguk gulped back a sob and held it in, the fear rising in his body succumbing to compliance. He nodded his head in silence, then heard a lowered, "Good," in mere response.

And then, a loud vibration noise seeped from his left pocket. The man hoisting him on his left was quick to scramble inside the material to pull out his blaring phone, a quiet grumble leaving his lips.

"Who's Yerin and why is she calling you?" The man prompted harshly.

"S-She's.." Jeongguk gulped. "My f-friend, she-... was just with me.."

The boy felt himself being lifted up to sit straight upon the back seats, and suddenly the cloth over his head was lifted, allowing him to see and breathe a little better.

Except, the first thing his sight had laid eyes upon was a shining, black metallic gun pointed directly to his brain.

Jeongguk felt his entire being go rigid, even forced his own heartbeat to halt at the sight. It took every ounce of willpower for him not to tremble under such a threat.

"I'm going to answer it. And you're going to tell her that everything's okay and that you're home, safe. Otherwise, you're fucking dead." The guy beside Sungho, who was aiming the gun at him, instructed harshly. "You understand?"

Jeongguk quickly nodded his head, afraid to anger these guys and put himself into even more danger.

The man to his left raised the device beside Jeongguk's face, and answered the call in the speaker setting.

"H-Hello..?" Jeongguk spoke up, wide eyes attentive to the men watching his every move.

"Jeongguk, what happened?! You never came back from the bathroom! And Jinnie says you went on home without us?" Yerin's voice blared from his phone speakers.

"Uhm, yeah, I... w-wasn't feeling well. I'm sorry.. I should've told you."

"That's alright, but you worried the fuck out of me! Don't do that shit again!"

"M'sorry.." Jeongguk's voice wavered. "I-I'm okay though. I'm home now, so... I'll just go to bed and sleep off my headache."

The three men's blank stares remained the same, and Jeongguk took that as a sign they weren't dissatisfied with his excuse.

"Okay... Okay, good. Call me if you need anything then, Ggukie."

"Okay, I w-will.."

"And, Jeongguk?"

"Y-Yes..?"

"You sure you're okay?"

The boy looked toward the guy aiming the gun at him, a sinking feeling digging into his chest, crushing his lungs. He almost crumbled under such menacing pressure.

"Yes... I-I'm okay, noona..."

"Good. Feel better, baby."

"T-Thanks."

Just like that, the guy to his left hung up the phone and began to shut it off before confiscating it to his own pocket. And Jeongguk only felt a small ounce of relief once the other man finally lowered the horrifying gun.

"Good job," Sungho muttered. "Keep behaving and we'll try not to harm you too much. Got it?"

Jeongguk blinked back with large eyes, jaw quivering as he bit down harshly on his bottom lip, unable to stop the tears beginning to gloss his frightened gaze.

※ ※

A low buzzing sound. Jeongguk fluttered his eyes open, blinking them repeatedly while his throat let out an involuntary low grunt. There was a high pitched ringing in his ear, his limbs felt numb, bones weak. His blinking continued, until the blurry shapes at the corners of his vision began to settle, and Jeongguk found himself in an unknown room.

He gasped under his breath, the gaps of his recent memories slowly coming together. He remembered it now—how he had headed home early from Abyss, and was dragged against his will into some kind of vehicle.

His heart rate quickened, his head snapping from side to side while he examined the large room he was in.

Currently, he was sat upon the cold hard floor. His arms were tied behind him, over what he assumed was a big metal pole. The air in the room was freezing, as though he were being stored as some kind of refrigerated meat. He felt harsh shivers jolt throughout his skin, his teeth seething in a breath.

Where was he? Who were the men that had taken him here, and what did they want from him?

Jeongguk had been a good boy all his life. He had caused trouble to no one, and yet... There clearly was a reason he was put into such a terrifying situation.

But he hadn't bothered anyone. Hadn't done anything to deserve all this.

Why him? And why now?

He could hardly believe any of this was a coincidence.

The smell of wood dust roaming in his proximity pulled him from his spiraling thoughts. In normal circumstances, Jeongguk would actually kind of enjoy such a scent, reminiscent of the times he and his mother would go shopping for furniture. But today in particular, well... It terrified him. Rightfully so, too. He wished to be anywhere else in the world right then. Feared for his life, even. Though he still had no way to tell why it was he was taken here—wherever 'here' was.

The large room was eerily quiet, only a narrow ringing audible in his ears. And then, there was a low grunting noise. Jeongguk snapped his head up to scan around him again, only to see a shoe on someone's foot peeking out from behind a box. He let out a quiet breath, heart rate hastened, head lifting to peer over the corner of the box.

And that's when he saw a man who seemed to have his hands tied behind him as well, sat beside a metal pole where the rope was secured. Jeongguk swallowed his dry saliva and gulped.

He wasn't alone.

The light above the ceiling seemed much brighter through Jeongguk's eyes, almost blinding him of his surroundings. His throat quickly closed in on itself, and the boy made the mistake of coughing out in curt breaths, drawing attention to himself.

The man behind the boxes peered his head toward his direction. Jeongguk saw his bloodied, bruised face and felt his heart plummet directly to his stomach.

"Psst... Who are you?" The guy whispered, his voice seeping through the cracks of vision Jeongguk could see of him.

But the boy kept silent, afraid to utter even a single word in case it resulted in a bullet through his head.

"Listen—are you from Namida?" The guy continued.

Jeongguk raised a confused brow. But still it was no use. It seemed the boy had forgotten how to speak, even. Fear rose up like bile inside him, slowly consuming him, rendering him completely still. Though he remained alert, his body hyperaware of understanding any danger that may come to face him.

He let a quiet whimper slip from his throat, hands quivering uncontrollably as he brought his knees up closer to him, bare feet cold against the hard flooring.

And while a tear managed to slip down his paling complexion, only a single name rang inside his head, in intricate chime patterns.

※ ※

Heavy pumps of music pushed squiggling vibrations over the thick walls, shaking them in patterned rhythms while Taehyung grasped the cheeks of the woman pressed against him, their lips engaged in a desperately lustful dance.

Hastened breaths slipped from her while Taehyung loosened his hold on her, only to slam his hand over her ass, earning him the glory of her whiny yelps filling his ears.

"Have I... been a good girl yet...?" She smirked up at him in a gasp, her minty breaths brushing the tip of his nose.

Taehyung merely returned her gaze, the corners of his lips lifting into a cunning smile. She didn't seem to mind that her lipstick had been rendered a mess because of him, nor the fact that her skirt was riding up her ass, flashing him her neon colored panties. And not to mention, the fact she was already lowering herself to her knees in a public one-person bathroom at a random club in Seoul, with a stranger whom she'd gotten to know merely through tongue so far, seemed to be the least of her worries.

So, had she been a good girl?

Taehyung couldn't quite say.

But he knew that telling her what she wanted to hear would only win him great things in return. And so with one large hand settling over the top of her head, Taehyung guided the woman's face against his clothed crotch, watching patiently while she began to unzip his pants.

"You've been obedient enough, I'd say." He tilted his head, dark eyes spectating her. "Would you say that earns you daddy's cock, darling? Hm? What do you think?"

"I think.. it does." She giggled softly, catching her lip between her teeth, eager to see the size of the beast awaiting her behind those zippers. "I can even prove myself to you.."

Taehyung lowered his boxers once his zipper had came undone, the bulge in his pants spilled out the erection that had nudged the woman beside her cheek. Her eyes widened at the sight, perhaps not having expected to see such a large size awaiting her keenly.

"Yeah..?" The man grunted, his wild grin only growing. "Prove it to me, then."

The woman glanced between Taehyung's eyes and his eager cock, gulping down a bit of saliva. She reached her hands up and took hold of his naked shaft, beginning to rub her palm up and down against it while the man above her merely watched.

A few seconds of this movement went on, and the blaring of Taehyung's ringtone cut in the air around them, even through the loud music outside the restroom door. The woman looked up at him with innocent eyes, and Taehyung gripped onto a few strands of her hair in response.

"Keep going."

His voice was low, resolute. The woman obediently persisted her pumping motions, then lowered herself to take in the tip of the head. Taehyung continued to watch, his facial expression remained rather unamused, and suddenly his phone began to ring yet again, the device rumbling from his jeans pockets.

He reached down to grab it, while pulling the woman's face closer, plunging his painfully erect cock further down her throat. He then leaned back against the wall and answered the call in a rather nonchalant tone.

"Yes." His deep voice pushed out.

"You little bitch... Don't ignore my calls," Yoongi's voice entered his ear, the usual frustration in his voice. Taehyung slumped his shoulders a bit, stole a glance at the woman who made gurgling sounds while his dick pushed against the back of her throat.

"What's up, hyung?"

"Don't 'what's up' me." He could almost see the older rolling his eyes. "Come to Abyss right now. We have an important emergency meeting, and we're missing one captain."

"Is that me you're talking about?"

"Who the fuck else?"

Taehyung let out a quiet snort, utterly amused by Yoongi's seemingly bad mood.

"Alright, relax. Be there in 20."

"Make that 15," Yoongi grunted, and with a click the man had hung up.

Taehyung exhaled softly and lowered the device, his grip on the woman loosening to allow her a chance to breathe.

"Mm.."

He hummed, watching while she exhaled in slight chokes, her teary eyes gazing up at him in a submissive haze.

"You have ten minutes to make me cum, baby."

※ ※

Beneath the shaking walls of karaoke speakers—underground, where Bangtan's meeting room resided in the basement; the gang captains were seated over a long table, hushed chatter amongst them while their leader, Kim Namjoon, finally finished the phone call that had summoned them all toward this meeting.

Seokjin, being the leader's right hand man, sat right where he usually did beside Namjoon, while the others filled the seats around them, one of which remained empty, still.

"What's taking him so long.." Yoongi uttered in audible annoyance, his leg shaking impatiently as he leaned forward over the wooden surface.

"What was he doing, when you called?" Hoseok's curious eyes peered over at the older.

Yoongi huffed, hands clutching into fists beside him. "No fucking idea."

Just then, the large doors at the other side of the room swung open with a loud creek; and behind it was none other than the highest ranking captain of the Bangtan boys.

"You're late." Yoongi growled at him.

Taehyung walked in, an overly-relaxed demeanor to his body, hands stuffed into his pockets with a faint grin upon his face. "You interrupted me while I was busy." He tilted his head and took his seat beside Yerin, eyes then lifting to meet the gazes of the other four men. "Got here as fast as I could, so stop your whining."

Namjoon let out a low sigh at the end of the table, drawing the attention of the new presence in the room.

Taehyung blinked, lips pressed together firmly, a static expression over his face. "So what's this emergency meeting all about, hm?"

The room fell silent, distant booms of music quickly filled in the lull settling in the atmosphere. The five captains looked at their leader in anticipation, awaiting the details he surely had to say to them.

"Well," Namjoon cleared his throat and sat up on his chair, shoulders straightening. "Ranger called me earlier, from our main warehouse located at the outskirts." He paused, hands clasping while he glanced around the room. "Apparently Acre left us a little note at our doorstep."

Taehyung's eyes narrowed, while the others seemed to look down, already having heard of this news before his arrival.

"Taehyung," The leader spoke up after a moment of stillness, his tongue refraining from calling out the alter's true name. "You're in charge of our current Acre hostage, yes?"

The man huffed out a breath. "Yes."

Then beside him, Yerin leaned forward in her seat. "Hold on... We still have Oh Chulsoo locked up in our territory?"

"Of course we do." Taehyung gave a smug grin. "How could we possibly return him to those assholes and expect anything to get resolved? We have more leverage as long as we keep him in our perimeters—like the animal he is."

Yerin gulped, teeth grinding over her lip as she swiveled her head to look at her brother, who kept his firm eyes locked on Taehyung.

"Well I'll have to trust your opinion on this, then. You're the one overseeing matters over that Acre captain, yes?"

"Hm." Taehyung nodded. "What did their shitty note say?"

Namjoon looked down at the device rested upon his palm, a furrowed brow stressed above his eye.

"It said that, they're holding a Bangtan member hostage," he spoke strictly, his words sending a chill throughout the vast room. "The conditions are, of course... To set Oh Chulsoo free from our confinement."

Taehyung sucked on his teeth in a grimace. "An exchange, huh?"

"Precisely. We give them back their gang buddy and they give us back ours. Thoughts?"

The man leaned back in his seat, seemingly in thought; his long fingers tapping in contemplation over the table surface. The others' eyes were on him, waiting through the silence as he pondered the situation in meticulous detail.

Namjoon watched him, a worrying feeling settling over his stomach. Of course, upon Taehyung's entrance he had immediately recognized that the alter currently fronting right then was none other than V.

So in that regard, he wasn't particularly worried. No, in fact, he was a little relieved. V was exceptionally strategic in all his choices regarding the gang's course of action, hence why he was usually tasked with duties Namjoon couldn't accept failure from.

Drug missions, investigations, fight breakouts, negotiations—V could do it all. And he did it flawlessly.

Yet.

Why was it that he couldn't help but fret, unusually so, over a matter such as this? Was it because he couldn't stand the fact that a member of his own group had slipped from his grasp, to an enemy gang?

He wasn't in his right thinking space and he knew it. He needed help—guidance, over how to handle such a thing.

His gaze pierced the eyes of Taehyung, or rather V. Almost pleading, begging him to give one of his genius inputs and solve all this for him.

And soon, the man did just that, with a simple answer.

"It seems like a trap." Taehyung's deep voice trembled the air between the captains. "You see that, don't you, leader?"

Namjoon squinted, hand reaching to rub at his forehead. "Yes.. The thought did cross my mind, but.."

"What's your stance on it?"

The leader paused, allowing a moment of breathing before answering his subordinate's question. "Bangtan is more of... a team rather than a gang. Everyone knows I prioritize loyalty above anything else, and so... I'd like to do the exchange to get our comrade back."

"Right." Taehyung tilted his head. "And who is this comrade we're trying to retrieve from them, in exchange for one of Acre's most valued captain?"

Namjoon hesitated, glanced at Seokjin who looked back at him with unknowing eyes. He gave a gentle sigh. "They didn't quite say."

"So," Taehyung landed his hand over the arm rest. "We don't know who we're getting back, in exchange for Chulsoo?"

A new voice piped up. "Does it matter?" Everyone's heads turned to look at red strands cascading over wide eyes. "As our leader said, Bangtan values our members. We should fight for them regardless of whether they're a captain or a low-ranking soldier."

Taehyung calmly looked at the man, his facial expression remained eerily still. "Well, look around us, Hoseok. All our captains are gathered, right here. And Ranger, who manages our main warehouse, was the one who delivered that message to us, which means he's also doing well. The member they kidnapped is likely a low-ranking soldier. No matter how you look at it, Acre is likely gambling with chance. They're hoping we start panicking over our loyalty values and blindly give them back their captain just to have our measly little buddy back."

The room fell silent. Namjoon let the man's words sink into his brain, as though reason were being fed directly into him. And finally, he felt he could breathe again.

"You're right... That makes a lot of sense.." The leader nodded, finger rubbing at his chin while he continued to consider every angle of all their choices. "However... There's just one more thing..."

Taehyung blinked. "What is it?"

"Apparently they have a Namida guy held up, too.." Namjoon finished, eyes burning in uncertainty.

"From Misun's gang..?" Yoongi's eyes enlarged. "She never told me anything.."

"Well that's what they've claimed," Namjoon concluded. "Does this affect our opinions on this?"

"It should.." Yerin spoke up. "Namida's our strongest ally. We have to act on this in a way that they'll find agreeable, too. And I'm sure they wouldn't like having one of their comrades in enemy hands, just as we hate the idea too.."

"So you're saying we should do the exchange? Free Oh Chulsoo for two low-ranking Bangtan and Namida members?" Seokjin bestowed the question lingering in everyone's minds.

Yerin was quiet for a moment before giving a bold nod of her head. "Yeah, I... I'd say with our values, even one low-ranking soldier is just as precious as a captain. We don't even know the ranks of these two missing members of our alliance, so... Wouldn't the exchange be even more worth it?"

"Hm.." Namjoon hummed, once again seeming stumped over what to do. More silence fell between the crew before eventually a dark voice pierced swiftly through it.

"Regrettably so, ultimately it's up to me to make this decision." Taehyung spoke with burning conviction. "I understand this situation better than those who haven't been dealing with Acre's fucking jokes. Now, here's what's going to happen." The man skid his feet over the floor. "Given the scenario that we accept their request and give them Chulsoo back, those fuckers aren't going to keep their end of the deal. They're at a huge disadvantage being a relatively new criminal force, and they're up against gangs like us—Bangtan and Namida, in particular. Now that they have something against both of us, they won't give it all up so easily. They're hoping to gain back their captain while keeping their measly leverage over us."

"Shit.." Hoseok murmured, slowly coming to realization with the valid points the high-ranking captain was making.

"And so.." Taehyung slammed a hand down on the table. "I refuse to go through with this. I'll issue a notice for Bangtan to investigate which one of us may be missing, to see what we're risking here. Though unfortunately I doubt learning who it is that got hauled to enemy territory will change my mind on this stance. So in the meantime I'll devise a counterattack plan to retrieve our members, hopefully."

Namjoon nodded, shoulders slumping as he exhaled profusely. "Alright. Good job, kid."

"Thought I told you not to call me that shit during meetings, hm?" The man smirked.

"Sure, sure." The leader gave a dismissive wave of his hand, then turned to look at the others seated around him. "The decision is made. No one acts upon Acre's request. Whoever does will face the consequences of acting against me. Though I'd like you all, of course, to look into this as well. And keep me up to date with whatever you may learn ASAP. Understood?"

The other four voices shouted out in precise unison.

"Yes, sir!"

※ ※

"This is so odd..." A swift sigh left Yerin's throat, lips slightly parted as she distractedly munched on her bagel.

"What is?" Hoseok spoke beside her while he worked on cutting up a piece of his omelette, then plopped the piece over Jimin's plate.

"It's been three days.. We've asked around profusely and no one in Bangtan seems to be missing.." The girl slumped, brows furrowed as she seemed deep in thought over the looming mystery. "Do you think Acre was bluffing?"

"I dunno.." Jimin spoke with a mouthful of bread. "Misun mentioned that some guy from Namida really did go missing. Perhaps it's the same man that Acre kidnapped."

"Right, but... Is it possible they only have one Namida guy, and then bluffed by saying they have a Bangtan member too? You know... to make it seem more urgent than it is?"

"It could be as Taehyung said, yeah.." Hoseok sighed. "They may just be pulling this huge bluff only to get their captain back. It's a bit risky, but..."

A loud sigh interrupted the two. "I'm sure if Ggukie was here he'd solve this in a heartbeat," Jimin whined, bits of chewed bread flying from his mouth.

"Yeah.. Sucks he went back to Busan to visit his parents." Yerin mumbled. "I hope he's okay. He just left without warning that night at karaoke, then texted the next day saying that he missed home.."

"Let's facetime him tonight," Hoseok grinned. "Whatever it is, he can't be sad forever if we force him to laugh, right?"

"That's if he even picks up his phone," Jimin frowned, and as if on cue, Hoseok's phone suddenly blared up inside his pocket. The red haired man gently dropped his utensils and dug in to retrieve the device, fumbling with it before pressing it to his ear.

"Yes, Seokjin-hyung. What's up?"

"Hoseok! Have you seen Taehyung anywhere?!"

"Whoa, hyung, calm down. You sound agitated, what's wrong?" The male spoke, drawing the attention of Jimin and Yerin who now gaped at him curiously.

"Just tell me if you've seen Taehyung today, or-... Or talked to him, or—"

"No, no, I haven't seen him. Why?"

"I just went down to the small warehouse to check in on Oh Chulsoo in the basement, and.." The man's agitated voice carried even through the speakers. "H-He's gone! I-I mean... Did you guys move him somewhere or what?"

"What...? How can he possibly be gone?"

"I-I don't know! But he is, and no one's allowed to let him leave that room per Namjoon's command, s-so.."

"Well, I haven't heard anything, I—"

Just then the man was interrupted by the sound of Yerin screeching out a loud gasp, her hand flying to cover her mouth as she stared in horror at her phone screen in front of her.

Hoseok pulled his own phone slightly away from his ear, and gazed at his startled girlfriend. "H-Hey, what's wrong..?" He whispered. "What happened?"

"J-Joonie just t-texted me..." Yerin's breath trembled, her eyes still unable to pull away from the virtual message she grasped in her hand.

"Hoseok, answer me!" Seokjin's voice blasted beside his other ear.

"One sec, hyung, I—... don't know what to tell you. Taehyung's the only other one who has keys to Chulsoo's confinement room." Hoseok said in a quiet breath, then looked back at Yerin. "Babe, what's wrong? What did Joon say?"

"H-He said... t-that Acre revealed the hostages' names..." Yerin nearly dropped her phone to the table. "O-One of them is Jeongguk."

Hoseok and Jimin both froze in their seats, their lips parting as they gaped at the girl in utter disbelief, convinced that they had completely misheard her.

Because, no... It couldn't be.

"Then, that means that.." Hoseok's voice was unstable, quivering at the mere revelation. "M-Means that... Taehyung broke Chulsoo out just now."

Yerin snapped her head towards the man, eyes nearly bulging from their sockets. "What?!"

She could feel all the air quickly leaving her lungs, an unsettled grumbling inside her stomach as she came to one conclusion.

That it was V, who had gone off to do the hostage exchange with Acre, all by himself.

✱