Taehyung had never been to Singapore before. He had been to a few foreign countries as a child and young teen, never for more than a few days because that had been all that his parents had been able to afford. A short trip to Japan aged seven, to Sapporo for the annual snow festival, a weekend in Thailand to visit family living there every few years and once even a trip to New Zealand that he had greatly loved. He had fond memories of those trips because they had still been enjoyable regardless of the short amount of time. A treat that had been more than enough for his childish attention span. But he had never been to Singapore. He knew the country's main attraction was business and that was very much the reason that his family had never chosen it as a holiday destination. There was no doubt in his mind that that was what he and Jungkook were travelling there for tonight. Business, very important business at that. Jungkook wasn't very specific about what was going on during the flight, rather he just kept telling him that he had urgent business contracts to alter for his father and himself. Taehyung had some knowledge on Haedogje Pa assets in Singapore and with that knowledge he figured this out to mean The Gold Monkey casino of course. There was nothing else of enough importance to warrant this kind of reaction that he could recall. The joint-owned casino that belonged to Jeon and Kim was the most important thing and the fact that Kim Jinwoo currently had a large stake in it meant something. But a large stake and technical ownership aside the casino was Haedogje Pa and that meant that it belonged to Jungkook more than him by right of heirdom. Nursing a glass of whiskey and seated in the aisle seat to not be near the window, Taehyung finally decided to settle with his initial hunch of what this trip was for.

Jungkook was serving up an immediate termination of Jinwoo's power and influence in the country by altering the contract. Jinwoo had done fucked up it would seem and he was going to find himself minus a very important asset within twelve or so hours time. The kind of asset that must have brought billions of won into the empire every year alone and would most certainly fatten up a wallet with interest and investments. Taehyung couldn't think of a worse thing to lose in terms of monopoly because the casino was one of the most prolific that he was aware of. Yet because of Jinwoo's fuck up he was going to lose it and it was going to presumably go straight to Jungkook instead.

Taehyung knew that he could be wrong but it was one of the first things that came to mind. If he were seated at his department desk back in Yongsan-gu and not thousands of feet in the air in a private plane then it would have been the first thought to come to mind. Everything else seemed to be rather minor in comparison, the kind of business matters that could be settled via a conference call and autopen signings of PDF documents instead. All he truly knew was that this was very important and a contract termination was most certainly not the thing to be sorted out over webcams and computer screens.

"Jungkook?"

At his voice Jungkook turned his attention away from the window to look at him. Already outside the sky and clouds were starting to lighten but Taehyung wouldn't dare look out of it to see anything more. It was way too high for him, he didn't want to see the sea below them and suddenly find he couldn't breathe very well. If he had to guess he would guess that it was edging closer to dawn now, now that they had been in the air for nearly four hours. He felt rather tired and yet the younger man looked as alert as always. Was that the result of pure adrenaline or maybe something like a secretive snort of cocaine before leaving the apartment block? Jungkook raised an eyebrow at him languidly, telling him to continue talking and so Taehyung placed the glass on table in front of them and shifted his his seat to fix his jacket and look more professional.

"I collected the documents from Seokjin like requested and uh, and analysed 'em," he explained. "But I needed some assistance." At this he saw Jungkook studying him intently, no doubt wondering what the hell he was talking about. "I didn't know that the files would be encrypted but Jimin showed me how to read 'em properly."

"He did?"

"Yeah he did, he's smart Jungkook." Taehyung nodded at him to reaffirm this point. "Without his help I'd still be trying to figure it all out right now and all it was was a fucking formatting technique. Lim never taught me about any of that, I never needed to know that shit working with his documents. I looked like an idiot."

"OK, so talk," Jungkook instructed as he shifted to fold one leg over the other comfortably. "Tell me what you know."

"Lee Yoochun's doing all kinds of backhand deals, deals with men that your father most certainly wouldn't want to see him associating with. Jimin identified several buildings and streets with me and we managed to get a few names, all you really need to know is he's sidling over to Kim Jinwoo and turning his back to both you and your father."

"Just like Ahn."

"Yeah, we're talking receipts for transactions between both Lee and Kim's parties mostly from what I can read. But not open transactions, more like cash being wired from accounts that Lee isn't aware we know of. But the sightings are something substantial too." Taehyung paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. "He's switching sides and that means a great many other men will too. Men that are local to him, loyal to him for some fucking reason. Even when he's a backstabbing son of a bitch."

"We lose men but we also gain them, Taehyung, that's the rules of this game. Sometimes you only lose the pawns, sometimes you lose the more important pieces but at the end of the day...they're all just fucking pawns to me. So you found all of this out because of Jimin's assistance?" Jungkook asked and the beginning hints of a smirk started to appear on his lips. When he nodded it actually opened up in a smile as he reached over to pick up his glass of whiskey and take a deep sip. After letting it settle on his tongue for a few seconds he swallowed. "He deserves a reward, don't you think?"

"I uh, I already rewarded him," he explained in a quiet voice. For a few seconds Jungkook just looked at him, glass hovering in front of his lips and eyes wide. Then he put the glass down with a barely suppressed snort of laughter. "He also gave me the photos, of Woo, y'know?" Taehyung added to quickly change topic. He didn't want to start talking about how he had ended up with his tongue inside the other man in case Jungkook suddenly had some fun ideas. Joining the mile high club wasn't exactly a personal goal of his and he thought there was a strong chance that Jungkook was already a member. "Holy shit, did you look at 'em? Fucking chaos, Jungkook. I can't believe that they got him like that."

"Woo? Hmm, that was a shame actually. Woo was a great businessman and ally but he just never got his hands dirty. Highly ironic that he ended up being hit, all things considered." Jungkook shifted in his seat, placing one folded up arm on the armrest so that he could rest his chin on the back of his fingers. The position looked contemplative, reflective almost.

"You think it was supposed to be you?" Taehyung asked rather bluntly, seeing no need to edge around the question now. Blunt words were the only way to speak to the other man, Jungkook wasn't a great fan of metaphors and roundabout speech. He liked business, and he was starting to find that he liked the simplicity too.

"Undoubtedly," Jungkook agreed with a soft nod. His expression didn't even budge in the slightest, showing no fear. "How unfortunate for the fuckers that did it that I'm still breathing."

The flight stretched into the very beginnings of the morning, sun already rising on the horizon by the time they were leaving the airport to climb into the back of a hired car. It wasn't a Mitsubishi Dignity of course but rather the typical for-hire Mercedes-Benz S-Class, one with a cream interior rather than the black of Jungkook's old custom job. From the airport they headed straight to a hotel in which to rest and get ready for the evening. Riding up the glass elevator built into the side of the towering building to get to the penthouse suite Taehyung found that he had to turn his back to the view and instead stare at Jungkook. The mere thought of looking down more than three stories was enough to have his legs shaking and the carriage just kept on ascending. Knowing the height of this hotel it really would be like looking down from the heavens and he didn't want to collapse and look weak. Not after the shit he had seen. Being up so high and reeling from it seemed rather pathetic considering how high he currently was because of the other man.

"Feeling scared?" Jungkook asked with a smirk as he kept his eyes glued to the glass carriage wall. He was probably enjoying the view outside, after all he had told him how much he loved heights. But how much he also hated those pesky little ants.

"Just a little..." he retorted as he looked away and stared at the wall instead.

The hotel suite was nothing in comparison to the penthouse back in Gangnam-gu but it was still massive. The interior was a mixture of cream walls, maple wooden flooring and glass, it was most certainly luxurious. The kind of suite he looked at and instantly thought of as 'the honeymoon suite'. But he didn't really care much for luxury when the bed called to him so strongly. Taehyung collapsed on it, barely doing much more than removing his shoes by the door because he was much too tired to undress properly. When he pressed his face against the mound of pillows and closed his eyes he heard clicking sounds coming from across the suite and he lifted his head to see that Jungkook was calling someone, pressing the buttons quickly and with a confidence that showed he knew the number well.

"Who're you calling?" Taehyung asked sleepily as he watched him hold the receiver against his ear. The pillow under his head smelled like detergent, the cotton fragrant with something floral that could have been lily.

"Jimin, just to please him," Jungkook replied. "He didn't want us coming to Singapore." He asked him why not whilst the younger man listened to the dial tone and waited for Jimin to pick up. "He thought that it was dangerous for us to leave the country after what happened to Woo and-" he pulled the phone away from his ear for a second to check the screen and then held it against his ear again, "mmm, must have drank too much champagne. I will have to leave a message for him to check when he wakes up again."

Drank too much champagne? Either that or downed one too many Valium and drugged himself to sleep in what seemed like a regular occurrence. Taehyung hadn't really thought about Jimin since boarding the plane but the knowledge that the other man hadn't wanted them to come to this country was somewhat...strange. Almost caused a shiver to travel down his spine even though he didn't really know why. Why would Jimin be so concerned about a simple business deal? Did Jimin also think that the Woo incident was a failed attempt on Jungkook's life and he was scared that it might just mean that there would be another attempt?

Taehyung must have fallen asleep listening to him talking to the answering machine, telling his 'babe' that they had touched down in the country and that everything was fine. The next thing he knew he was being gently being shaken awake at 7pm to find that he needed to get ready to leave to go to the casino. There was a pressed suit from his travel bag already hanging on a screen across the suite in preparation and so he hurried into the bathroom to get cleaned up.

As Taehyung slipped into the white shirt he wondered what was going on in Seoul right now. What Jimin was doing; what his team were doing. It was strange being so far from the other country and not knowing. He considered calling Jimin or messaging him because he had his private number but decided to not do so, not wanting to disturb him. Jungkook had already done that several hours earlier and so he just settled on getting dressed instead. The view out of the stretch of windows showed a dark skyline already lit up by countless buildings like stars and it was strange not looking out and seeing the usual pink winter morning sky and the rising sun that he was used to. No tall rectangle block apartments but rather towers that seemed to be twice the size; rippling sheets of glass and metal that looked more futuristic and modern to his eyes. There wasn't a single traditional building in sight, rather just neat roads fringed with patches of greenery, and he could see two bridges packed with fast moving traffic rolling over a stretch of water. A beautiful city no doubt, made even more beautiful by the warmer weather currently on offer.

Jungkook stepped back into the main area mostly dressed, in the act of shrugging a suit jacket on. It was a dark charcoal grey rather than black for once so that it wouldn't clash with the turtleneck that he was wearing instead of a shirt. Black wool, maybe cashmere. It was strange seeing him not wearing a black suit and white shirt like always - Jungkook seemed to live in that look - and so Taehyung could only stare at him as he crossed the suite. Strange but pleasant, he looked good. Really good in fact.

"Any particular reason why you're staring at me, Taehyung?"

"Clothes," he remarked rather flatly as he finishing zipping his trousers up and gestured at him. "It's strange seeing you wear clothes like that."

"Can hardly walk around naked now can I?" he retorted as he fixed the jacket lapels, smoothing them down and ensuring that there was no lint stuck to the fabric. "I would prefer you did so rather than wear anything white, you know I don't like you in that colour."

"Yeah, well Jimin does and he kinda-" Taehyung stepped into his loafers and then started fastening the shirt cuffs up, "bought me a bunch of shirts as a gift so I've gotta wear 'em. They're nice Jungkook, I like 'em. Besides, you're just wearing that 'cos you can't tie a tie." At his words Jungkook reached up to fiddle with the turtleneck, pulling at it here and there almost in a fidgeting manner.

"I can tie a tie," he argued as he moved to stand in front of him. Taehyung was still buttoning the top of his shirt up and so he reached over to grab the tie from the screen and draped it around his neck. He lifted the shirt collar up to slip it into place, raising an eyebrow challengingly at him. "Who told you I can't?"

"Jimin."

"Well I can," Jungkook muttered as he grabbed hold of the black silk and studied his shirt collar for a moment. Then he looped the fabric around. "Watch."

"...Christ Jungkook," Taehyung remarked as he watched him pitifully attempt to knot the tie. He kept wrapping it around and yet seemed to not know how to thread it through the loop and tighten it. Jungkook stopped and let go of the tie so that it would untangle, grabbing the ends to try it again. Taehyung couldn't help but start laughing at his failed attempts because it was like watching a child.

"Are you laughing at me?" Jungkook asked and for a few seconds his expression and tone were frightfully stern. But then Taehyung saw the corners of his lips twitching and a few seconds later he was laughing softly under his breath too. "I give up, you do it."

"Honestly, Jungkook, it's pretty fucking simple," Taehyung said as he reached up start knotting his tie instead. It took him just a few seconds to do so and he saw that Jungkook was watching him intently as he did, no doubt trying to learn from him even though it would be useless and he would need him or Jimin to do it again next time he required his tie knotting. He briefly wondered if he could tie shoelaces before pushing the thought away as he pulled the knot up to the top of the collar.

"No, no forget the tie I don't like it," Jungkook remarked as he flapped his hand at him. Taehyung had just finished securing it in place and he had a feeling that that was why he had told him to remove it, just to be a nuisance. So he reached up to run his hand down the silk and asked him why. "Because I want to pull on it," he explained as he gently knocked his hand aside, "like this."

Taehyung felt his fingers snagging around the length of the tie and then he pulled on it hard. The knot tightened and forced him to let the younger man pull him forward. Instinctively he reached out and he felt his palms brushing against his waist to try and stop himself from stumbling and headbutting him.

"It's very distracting..." Jungkook's voice was whisper soft, husky and alluring. Taehyung felt his breath on his skin and he would have held his held his gaze had he not been staring at his lips so intently.

Jungkook pressed several light kisses against his mouth, rather daintily. Then he opened his mouth and kissed him properly, deeply. He reached up to start unknotting his tie for him, fingers tugging and twisting until he managed to untangle the knot. Taehyung felt it loosening around his throat again and then it was being dropped onto the floor. Jungkook's lips tasted rather sweet against his tongue and he was certain that he tasted balm: raspberry.

"I can see your skin," Jungkook said against his lips, teeth snagging and releasing them teasingly, "and it's nothing. But a tie, shit Taehyung, it drives me crazy." He popped the top two buttons of his shirt open for him and then moved his face to nuzzle against his throat. "I can't do business thinking about you, hmm?"

"That would be a bad idea," Taehyung agreed as Jungkook's arms moved to fold around his neck. The change in position allowed him to press their bodies close, maddeningly close.

"As much as the thought of you blowing me during a meeting excites me, this is too public." Jungkook rubbed his nose against his neck before shifting with a heavy sigh and pulling his head away. "Can't afford to get arrested for public indecency in front of hundreds of people. A dozen men in a private meeting would be fine."

Taehyung held his gaze even when he felt his cheeks starting to redden. He had long learned to read between the lines and he knew what he was saying. Maybe today that can't happen but in the future it can...and will. In fact he was willing to bet that the next personal business meeting they would be in together he would end up on his knees under the table with his cock in his mouth.

"Come, we have business matters to settle."

They left the hotel together via the elevator, riding down the massive building to get to the ground-floor. Just like yesterday there was a hired car waiting for them on the curb and Taehyung saw that it was the same driver too. He didn't know the man's name but he guessed that it wasn't important. He just settled down against the backseat and watched the views of the city go past the window in a blur of neon lights and flashing signs. He felt the weight of Jungkook's palm settling on his knee just like always, and it stayed there for the entire duration of the car ride. After a nearly twenty minute long ride Taehyung saw a building drawing closer, standing out in a packed square filled with stores and restaurants, and he knew that it was their destination.

If it wasn't clear why the casino had the name 'The Gold Monkey' it was upon first glance at the exterior of the building. Seated right above the neon red sign, which were in English characters, there was a large monkey statue. Taehyung was pretty sure the statue was cast iron and covered in layers of gilded gold so that it shone in the glowing lights of the casino signs. It was sitting with its legs tucked up in front of it, both hands resting on its knees. The face of the statue showed a wide and rather terrifying grin and its eyes seemed to look down on everyone entering like a strange guardian. Because of the neon signs the glass building walls looked to be a mixture of red and blue and purple. Taehyung couldn't read all of the signs for he saw they were in various languages, unusual characters he had never seen before.

The casino was quite simply something else. Truthfully Taehyung had only ever stepped inside a single casino before and that one had been the online job, Seokjin's business within the large concrete block building. It was certainly interesting seeing how it operated, with the live tellers, rows and rows of monitors and countless wires. But there was a clear difference between the two, one that made perfect sense to him. Back home in Korea most forms of gambling were illegal unless government-sponsored, which Haedogje Pa gambling dens and casinos most certainly weren't. That meant that the online syndicate needed to hidden away to avoid arousing suspicion and couldn't really be a grand place. However here in Singapore the casino could be open, loud and proud, and it was most certainly all of those things.

They walked through the revolving glass doors to step inside and Taehyung saw that the interior was just as grand as the exterior, so much glass, gilded gold and wooden and carpeted flooring. The casino was packed with people, easily several hundred tourists and locals filling it up and making the air ripple with endless waves of conversations, languages and cheers. The scent of perfumes and colognes should have been cloying in the air but mostly it was the scent of various alcohols and wines that his nose detected. At the front of the casino there was a massive ground-floor seating area, filled with leather settees and glass table tops, places for guests to sit and mingle whilst visiting. On either side of this area Taehyung saw several counters at which it seemed that people could exchange chips, ask for assistance and much more. Signs placed all over the joint claimed that the workers were all bilingual and could offer much assistance, from Malay and Mandarin, to Cantonese and English, and lastly Japanese, Korean and Thai. He saw that a lot of the workers were female just like Seokjin's workers except these women didn't wear evening gowns but rather uniforms. Proper uniforms with high necklines and pencil skirts or trousers, sensible low heels on their feet and hair pulled back neatly. Beside a few of these counters there were ATM machines and he even saw an exchange counter nestled in the corner for cheques and cash to be changed into the right currency. There were armed security beside all of these machines and counters just to make sure no one tried to rob anyone.

Taehyung could see their ear pieces and radios strapped to their belts, and under their armpits they no doubt had gun holsters. He didn't know if that was allowed but every man he sighted looked to be packing a handgun judging from their postures and no one seemed to bat an eyelid at this. It also meant that he didn't need to worry about the fact they too were packing, seen as they were allowed through the entrance without a search. Jungkook had told him that Jimin had been worried about this business trip but seeing the amount of armed security around was very reassuring, would likely put him at more ease.

Beyond the massive sitting area he saw more of the casino: an endless stretch of poker and roulette tables, rows and rows of jackpot machines stretching back for what seemed like a mile. He noted that the interior walls of the casino were also made of glass and highly reflective, therefore casting an illusion that the joint really was vast. The sound of electronic beeps and voices all mingled together to create a rather overpowering level of noise. To get through to the tables and machines they would need to walk under a rather expansive balcony that was winged by twin staircases but he knew that they would be going up those stairs rather than across the building. Just under the jutting balcony there was a long stretch of bar counter, clearly not the only one in the building. Taehyung knew that there would be another on the first-floor and likely an array of smaller ones in the private rooms that branched out from the main gambling area. There must have been a dozen or more serving waiters and waitresses carrying trays of champagne flutes alone back and forth across the joint and that wasn't counting the ones with appetisers in hand. There was a set of batwing doors that led into a back kitchen that they were all pushing through to enter and exit the main area. Simply put the casino was like nothing Taehyung had ever seen before and he wasn't at all surprised to feel Jungkook reaching over to grab hold of his elbow and steer him in the right direction. After all he had been surprised by the sight of a hotel back in Seoul and clearly Jungkook knew how much he was in awe at the sight of this casino.

"Holy shit," Taehyung said under his breath. It was all that he really needed to say and he saw Jungkook's lips curling up at the corners in agreement. The younger man guided him around the sitting area and when Taehyung lifted his gaze up to the balcony he saw a man standing up there, the man that they were clearly here to see.

"Master Jeon~" The man standing up on the balcony lifted both hands up as he spoke, holding them out in a sign of welcoming as he looked down at them. Taehyung saw a wide smile on his face and his initial feeling coming off the man was that of warmth. A trustworthy man, one that knew Jungkook well from what he could tell. "I have been expecting you."

"Of course you have, Seng," Jungkook called up at him. Taehyung saw his expression shifting into that professional businessman smile of his as he was gently pulled in the direction of the stairs. He let Jungkook go up them first and followed him up onto the first-floor. There was a glass table close to the balcony, either side of which were two long black leather settees. Standing behind the opposite side of the table were three men, clearly bodyguards rather than business men. Taehyung could tell from their frames and postures, hands folded on their stomachs and eyes boring into him unblinkingly.

"It has been some time," Seng said and when Jungkook gave the older man a deep bow at the waist Taehyung copied his gesture. The man was clearly important if he warranted a bow from Jungkook, who had once told him to never bow to another man. Or perhaps he was just being polite because they were guests in both the casino and the company. "You look to be growing bigger by the day." Taehyung noted that though Seng's Korean was very good he still had a slightly stilted way of speaking. Very rigid, a sign of great experience but little flexibility for slang.

"I'm my father's height now," Jungkook replied as he unbuttoned his suit jacket and moved to stand in front of the settee. "I shall soon defeat him however."

"In height yes, but in strength and wisdom?" Seng asked before giving him a rather wry expression. "Come, sit down and let's start business." The older man sat down and Jungkook copied his actions but Taehyung stayed standing behind the settee for it seemed more fitting for his position. "We have much to discuss."

"That we do, Seng."

"The documents," Seng announced as he lifted the file up from the table and held it up. Taehyung eyed it for a moment before glancing at Jungkook. "Inside are both copies, one that shall be retained by us and one that shall be retained by you. Please read it carefully and ensure that it is exactly the agreement we settled in our conference with your father, Master Jeon."

Jungkook accepted the file from him, one hand taking hold and the other placed under his elbow respectfully as pulled it out of his hand and placed it down on the table. Taehyung watched him open the file and there were a series of papers inside it. Business contracts and documents that he needed to read and sign. At least they were jumping right into business rather than fucking around, he much preferred this quick and sharp way of handling affairs. So Taehyung moved to stand right beside the balcony, placing a hand on the glass railing. The sight down below was much more interesting and he watched the other people moving like the gentle ebb and flow of the tide. So many different colours: skin, hair, clothing; so many exotic-sounding words floating up to his ears like music. For several minutes Jungkook was silent as he looked over the documents thoroughly but then he broke it.

"The planned year of my succession isn't 2018, Seng," Jungkook explained, "but rather the very moment that I am needed to take the position." Taehyung turned to look back over his shoulder at them both, curious by what he meant by that.

"Of course, of course, Master Jeon." Seng gave them both a smile and Taehyung could see perfect dentures on display. After all the man must have been old enough to be Jungkook's grandfather. "We had a year drawn up in preparation just like your father's contract because it is a more stable foundation for investments to be withdrawn and reinstated. I trust you have discussed the matter thoroughly with him to have this issue sorted?"

"I have," he agreed, "and it was his decision to change the contract from that of a shareholder to a beneficial owner. I can sign this today but issue an amendment in the clause."

"I can fix the clause. Is your father well these days, Master Jeon?" Seng asked in a joint curious and empathetic tone. "Is he suffering from ailments of any kind?"

"My father is the very picture of health," Jungkook replied as he carried on scanning the contract. Taehyung saw his eyes moving rapidly as he checked every word meticulously.

"Then why does he require such an urgent amendment to the contract beyond beneficiary ownership?" Seng asked as he looked between them both. Taehyung held his gaze for a moment before turning back to the balcony and looking across the ground-floor. He didn't really know why Jeon wanted such an alteration to the contract but he had an idea.

"My father wants to ensure that Haedogje Pa is fully prepared for every and any possible scenario," Jungkook explained as he collected the pen off the table.

What that meant in simple terms was Jeon's untimely death of course.

Taehyung was in the act of tracking a serving waiter down below when a sudden flash of something caught the corner of his eye. It was a second or so of what seemed like blinding light that made him squint in confusion before it was gone again. He furrowed his brow and lifted his gaze up to scan the other sides of the balcony that ran the length of the first floor. He saw mostly small groupings of people here and there, flutes or squared glasses in hand as they all talked amongst each other. What had that light been exactly? Taehyung knew that it wasn't something reflecting back into his eyes, like a glint from the jeweled wrists of the women. It had been blinding, had almost hurt from the intensity. His first thought had been a laser pointer toy though he was at a loss to figure out why he had thought that.

"Master Jeon, your father's investments and inheritance are safe in our hands like they have been his entire life and his father's before him," Seng said. "In the case of an scenario you can assure that our company will act entirely in your interests. Now, to discuss the pressing matter of Kim..." Taehyung turned to look back over at the other man and that was when he saw something very strange.

There was a little dot hovering around the wall just above Jungkook's head.

The unmistakable red dot of a gun sight.

Taehyung felt his legs moving before his brain even had time to really register what he was doing, before he could even open his mouth and try to shout something; anything. He saw Jungkook turning his head to look in his direction but the younger man didn't manage to do so for he dived across the settee and knocked him sprawling off it and onto the floor. Taehyung almost felt the air rippling over his head and there was a loud punching sound as a bullet buried itself in a wall instead.

He heard Jungkook cursing in confusion, trapped under his weight and pinned in place. He didn't want to move and instead he forced the younger man down onto the floor so that he couldn't try and shove him free, the settee offering them some protection. It was one of Seng's men that returned fire first, or at least he thought that it was. Taehyung heard a loud and rapid spray of gunfire and then the air was filled with the sound of screams and shattering glass as all hell broke loose.

"Shit, shit-" he couldn't help but grab at the younger man's face roughly, "are you OK?!" It was a stupid question because he could see that he was. With the exception of his now messed up hair and suit jacket Jungkook was perfectly fine because he had tackled him just in time. If not either one of them would have now been missing a great deal of their skull. It briefly crossed Taehyung's mind that he had avoided being shot in the back of the head by mere seconds by diving in the way like that but such thoughts didn't seem that important right now.

"What the fuck?!" Jungkook asked as he stared up at him. He looked very confused by this sudden predicament and Taehyung wasn't at all surprised by this fact; all wide eyed and gawping. "What's happening?!"

"Someone-" there was another loud punching sound as a series of bullets buried themselves in the wall just a few feet above their heads, "just tried to fucking kill you." Jungkook furrowed his brow at this, still very much trying to catch up with him. "We gotta get outta here, Jungkook."

"But the transaction..."

Taehyung shifted to look at the table and he saw the rather unsettling sight of Seng slumped forward onto the table and two of his men on the floor. The third man was several feet away taking shelter behind a marble support beam, gun drawn as he quickly glanced around it to locate whoever had opened fire. Clearly he had been mistaken and the sound of gunshots had not been from their end but rather their attacker. Or attackers. Taehyung stared at the sight of blood steadily dripping down the edge of the table onto the plush cream carpet from Seng's bullet wound. The documents were quite simply ruined and of no use to them now there was another man's brains all over them.

"The fuck did you see?!" Taehyung called to the man across the floor, hoping that he could speak a lick of Korean. He couldn't and rather babbled something at them quickly in another tongue. Taehyung looked down at the younger man and hoped that he understood him or they were fucked. For a moment Jungkook didn't say anything, just listened to the man speak.

"Shooter on...on the same floor, dead. But there are more men in the building or maybe...maybe getting into the building," Jungkook translated, brow furrowed as eyes moving from side to side as he did. "They're making their way across and through the building, armed, opening fire regardless of civilians to eliminate security personnel."

"OK, ground-floor. We've gotta get onto the ground-floor." Taehyung got off him and seized hold of Jungkook's wrist and elbow, practically dragging him along the floor. The younger man protested at this and pulled himself free, the pair of them still hunkered down behind the slight coverage the settee offered. "If we stay here they'll come up and get us, yeah. We're fucking sitting ducks. We need to blow the joint, OK?"

"Do you have a plan?" Jungkook asked him. Taehyung undone his suit jacket and reached inside to pull his Cz75 out his holster. He slid the safety off and so he copied him and got his Beretta free. The sight of the gun in his hand, full magazine and very much prepared to fire, was rather strange considering everything.

"I have parts of a plan."

"Meaning?"

"Get down there," he explained, "and get better cover. Down there are exits, we find the best one and we get outta here. Any motherfucker tries to shoot you and I'll blow his fucking brains out." Taehyung paused and then cocked his head. "That's the plan."

"It's truly a great plan."

Taehyung shifted to peer over the settee and he saw that the first-floor was empty save for a few people hunkered down clearly too scared to try and move lest they be riddled with bullets. He thought that meant that they could risk moving but most certainly not down the staircase a few feet away. From the ground-floor he could hear gunfire still occasionally tearing through the air. They would be too open on those stairs: exposed. They needed another way down.

"Jungkook, y'know another way to get to the ground-floor?" he asked as he slowly scanned the floor. The younger man told him that there were stairs that led onto the ground-floor through the bar to their left. Taehyung turned his head to see that there were indeed a set of stairs, a single flight split into two section with walls to offer shelter and hide behind. "OK, stay low and go over but don't go down 'em. Stay beside the door. I'll cover you."

Taehyung held his gun up and shifted to once again keep an eye on the floor. No movement was visible at all, signalling that the current floor was possibly safe. Jungkook quickly moved to the door and as soon as he was in place Taehyung crawled across the floor after him. He started down the stairs first, gun out in front of him and when he got to the end of the first half of the flight he stopped on the landing.

"...Who's ours and who's theirs?" he asked rather stupidly. "If I shoot someone I wanna make sure I shoot the right guys."

"There are no Haedogje Pa men here except us and Seng's last surviving man," Jungkook explained. "All of the security have uniforms but so could whoever tried to kill us, I wouldn't put it past whoever was hired to infiltrate the building."

Taehyung thought this over and found that that wasn't exactly an answer before twisting around the corner just in time to catch a man starting to run up the stairs. He wasn't wearing a security uniform but rather just a suit and there was a gun in his hand. It took the man a second to react and before he could lift his arm and point his gun at him Taehyung pulled the trigger and shot him in the chest twice. The recoil was hard and he flinched, the sound of it firing amplified in the enclosed stairwell to that of a roar. The man stumbled backwards and fell down the few steps he had managed to run up and he started down the second half of the flight with Jungkook in tow.

"No uniforms."

"Then shoot the fuckers."

Taehyung reached the bottom and he threw his arm out to stop Jungkook from taking another step. Then he peered around the side of the stairwell to look at the main area of the casino. What he saw was absolute chaos, hundreds of bodies running around the joint trying to escape through the revolving front doors of the building. He could see a few security personnel with weapons drawn and he wondered if any of the men would shoot at him or Jungkook if they saw them with their guns drawn; possibly mistaking them as the aggressors. The obvious place for cover was a counter a dozen or so feet away. It was high enough to cover them both if they ducked down and it was made of thick wood rather than glass, certainly able to take bullets should it need to.

From somewhere across the building he heard another loud and rapid burst of gunfire and the closest security guard to their location was blown backwards, body jerking spasmodically as he was hit by several bullets. He almost seemed to dance and he saw how the bullets punched free with a mist of blood. Taehyung dived back behind the wall with a series of curses and he leaned against it to support himself.

"Shit Jungkook, someone out there's got a fuh-fucking submachine gun."

"Sub or automatic?" Jungkook asked in a surprisingly calm tone. "They couldn't have smuggled a submachine gun inside here, Taehyung, it would have to be an automatic gun."

"Sub, it's a sub, a fucking auh-auto can't do that much damage," Taehyung argued, "and they can get one inside here after someone already opens fire on the fucking joint and causes enough chaos, yeah?"

"OK. What's the next part of the plan?"

"See the counter, the exchange one over there? We need to get to it first." Jungkook quickly checked around the wall to look and then moved back behind it. "We've got cover from the ground-floor, nothing but a wall behind us, and it's under the balcony. No one can hit us from above. It's the best spot until we cut 'em down or see a clear way out, yeah?"

"It's quite a distance away," Jungkook said as he wrapped both hands around the well of his pistol. "We're in a good spot right now to take a few men out, right?"

"Seng's man say how many there were?"

"No, which is great. Seng's dead, isn't he?"

"Yeah, took a bullet to the head."

"Another fucking ruined deal," Jungkook cursed and leaned back against the opposite wall, scanning the floor as he did. "I think Jinwoo is pissed off with me, what do you think, Taehyung?"

"I think I'm gonna shoot that cunt in the face should we ever be introduced," Taehyung retorted and he heard the younger man laughing. "You think he organised this?" Jungkook made a noise in agreement. "What're you-"

From the stairwell came the sudden pounding of footsteps and before Taehyung could turn Jungkook beat him to it. He saw him twisting around and then came the sound of his Beretta firing followed by a yelp of pain and a thump as whoever it was dropped to the ground out of sight. The younger man lowered the gun only slightly, eyes wide and head cocked as he tried to listen for anyone else on the stairwell. As he did Taehyung shifted to look around the wall again. There was still the faint bursting sound of gunfire from somewhere in the building but not close to them judging from the acoustics. He saw the crowd of people parting and still screaming as they milled in the direction of the front entrance and a few seconds later a man shoved his way through.

Ah yes, there was the submachine gun just like he had expected. The fucker had been hiding near the front, using the fleeing people as cover so he could take down the security. It wasn't a big gun at all, rather a snub-nosed and compact black one. He could see the long magazine sticking out of the well by several inches and the muzzle was thin and pointed. Taehyung was pretty certain that it was an Uzi and he didn't even want to know how many bullets were still left in the magazine. Far too many was the only real answer. There were no security personnel present now to distract the man; they were either all dead, somewhere else in the casino or they had fled too. That meant that he was either going to go for the stairs in the main area or head for the only other set to get onto the first floor.

The exact stairwell that they were hiding in.

Well...shit.

Taehyung knew that his Cz75 was a semi-automatic. A semi-automatic could take a man down with one shot should the aim be good enough. But if he missed? There was a second or so wait between each shot he could fire...but not for an Uzi. The man could pull the trigger and have shit aim and still plant three fucking bullets in him within a second.

Those were not great odds.

There was more movement on the stairwell above them and he left Jungkook to cover their asses so he could track the other man's progress across the entrance area. He heard him firing once and then a second time before a body rolled down the stairs to land at their feet. One of the shots had been a headshot, deadshot in the centre.

"Jungkook, I need you to aim low and I'll aim high. Don't think just pull the trigger and cover yourself, alright?" Taehyung looked over at him and Jungkook gave him a single nod to let him know that he would. "Guy is exactly 2 O'clock, if we don't get him we're dead. Nice knowing you, yeah?"

"Nice fucking you," Jungkook replied with a grin.

"We make it outta here alive, swear to god you can fuck me 'til I pass out," Taehyung declared without even a hint of embarrassment or reservation. "I'm so terrified but pumped right now. Seriously, just take me, Jungkook."

"Almost dying can be a hell of an aphrodisiac."

"On the count of three, yeah? One...two...three!"

Taehyung dived around the side of the wall just as Jungkook did, both of their guns held up. His aim was high, hoping for a chest shot, and Jungkook's was low, around the thigh or knee to cripple him should his shot fail to hit. The man was way too close for his liking, just several feet away from the counter, so when they dived out he threw his own weapon up in anticipation. Taehyung pulled the trigger hard three times and saw his bullets hitting him on the left side and centre of his chest and Jungkook's shot got him in the thigh. The man couldn't get his gun up in their direction but his finger did depress the trigger in shock, causing the weapon to kick into action.

The countless thin bullets sprayed in an upward arc from the force of the recoil as the man fell back, shooting up the walls and to the very ceiling where they hit the massive chandelier. The bullets shattered most of it, causing it to come crashing down in a shower of glass onto the screaming crowd below. Taehyung didn't even stop to think and instead grabbed Jungkook and shoved him out of the doorway whilst they had the advantage. He ducked low and raced over to the counter whilst he covered him. There was movement from by the entrance and he saw a man sweeping through the fleeing people, shoving them aside in the hopes of possibly catching them out. So Taehyung lifted his gun and fired once, clipping him on the upper arm. The man staggered backwards, creating a wide berth from the fleeing bystanders so that he could pull the trigger again and hit him. Once upon a time Hoseok had told him to try and avoid headshots, to try and aim for the larger target of the torso region instead but Taehyung took the risk. It was worth it because he saw the man flying to the side as the bullet hit him just below the jaw. As soon as he was behind the counter Jungkook got upright to cover him too. Taehyung didn't like the idea of being out in the open at all but he had no choice. The counter was safe and the doorway was not so he just ducked low and ran towards it, hating the fact he had to lower his gun and leave himself open to do so.

He was halfway across the space when he heard someone yelling in Chinese, possibly Mandarin. A man opened fire around one of the balcony support pillars, hitting a fleeing woman in the neck with a bullet just to clear a path to get him. Taehyung saw her drop and he heard Jungkook cursing as he pulled the trigger. But he wasn't as fast as the other man and he heard dual gunshots sounding out.

Taehyung didn't actually feel any pain for a moment, rather just staggered from the force of the bullet punching into his shoulder. He was vaguely aware of the fact that he had just been shot but right now that didn't seem important in the slightest. What was important was dropping to the floor to seek shelter behind the counter and so he dropped hard and felt his ass sliding along the floor as he ducked his head down low. The back of his head actually knocked into the side of Jungkook's and he quickly shifted to right himself before he collapsed onto his lap.

"Is this, uh, is this the first time this have ever happened to you?" Taehyung asked as he pressed the magazine release and dropped it free to check his bullets. Four down, eight left inside. He awkwardly slammed it back home in the well and heard it clicking crisply, a flare of pain erupting in his shoulder at the movement.

"No this happens every time I come to Singapore," Jungkook retorted sarcastically and Taehyung actually barked laughter. "Yes it's the first fucking time this has happened, Taehyung."

"Huh? Well, it's real fucking lucky you ended up with me... You hit him?" Jungkook shook his head and Taehyung counted to ten mentally and then got back upright again. The man that had hit him had been on their left, hidden behind one of the first floor pillars. He had the gun pointed right in that direction and so when he saw the man shifting he pulled the trigger. The first bullet hit the very curve of the pillar and scared him out of his position. The man darted to try and dive behind another check-in counter and so Taehyung moved his arm and shot in anticipation of where he was running to rather than try and track him and hit him. The man practically ran into his bullet a second later and it hit him right in the hip. He shouted something in pain and landed to fall behind the safety of the counter.

A bullet zipped through the air and hit the very edge of the counter so Taehyung quickly threw his arm up and fired at the man up there twice. He knew that he missed and he couldn't afford to do that but at least it scared him off.

"I'm down to four," Taehyung muttered as he dropped down again. "What about you?" Jungkook released his magazine and eyed it before cursing under his breath.

"Three left," Jungkook replied in an uncertain tone. There was another static burst of gunfire from across the casino so Taehyung twisted to jump back up again, scanning the open floor and firing at a man several feet away. He saw that his aim missed, the bullet punching into the wall instead and causing most of the glass to crack from the impact. He recovered quickly and managed to hit him just as the man aimed at him. The shot caused the man's attempt to miss, bullet zipping past him by a considerable distance. He had to pull the trigger again to knock him down and he didn't even know if he killed him or injured him. Just one bullet was left in the magazine, eleven cartridges already spent. From the floor above them he saw quick movement and so he twisted to lean over the counter, scanning above them with the gun held high. He wasted his last bullet rather foolishly and had to dive back behind the counter. Taehyung shoved his now empty gun back into his holster. He felt more pain in his shoulder as he did but he ignored it.

"All out."

"There's a gun over there on a dead man," Jungkook explained. "You should grab it in case I run out."

Taehyung leaned around the side of the counter and he sighted the dead man a few feet away, lying sprawled out on the floor. He was casino security judging from the jacket and had been killed by whoever the fuck had opened fire on them, and he did see a gun in his hand. Taehyung was pretty certain that it was a SIG Pro because he had practiced with one at the firing range a few times. It was good knowing the brand he supposed but kind of fucking pointless right now. What really mattered was knowing if there were any bullets in the magazine.

"Cover my ass, yeah? There's a guy up there," he ordered and Jungkook gave him a vigorous nod. He lifted his hand up quick, waving it over the counter to try and goad any men into firing in haste and wasting bullets but there wasn't a single shot fired. Either they hadn't fallen for his rouse or there were currently no men present. Taehyung doubted that that was the case but they were relatively safe in their current position. No one on the floor above could hit them because they were under the balcony and they were covered from the front of the casino by the counter.

Taehyung took a deep breath and then darted out from behind the counter. As he did so Jungkook jumped to his feet, body behind the counter and arms up to rest the gun on the top. He raced over to the fallen man and reached over to grab his gun and his fingers had just brushed against it when he heard a gunshot. He seized up instinctively at the sound, shoulder flaring with pain, but it had been Jungkook firing at someone up on the first floor. Taehyung heard a yelp of pain as he snatched the gun and ran back to dive behind the counter.

"You get him?"

"Injured maybe, didn't kill him. Got any bullets?" Jungkook asked as he shifted to hunker down beside him again. Taehyung hit the release and the magazine popped free.

"Fucking bingo," he muttered as he checked it. There were five more beautiful bullets left inside. Taehyung was certain that there were maybe only six or so men left. Good amount of bullets for good odds. A few more would have made it great odds but they were in a casino after all; he supposed they had to gamble. "Jungkook, call the driver I've got a plan, alright."

Jungkook pulled his phone free and hastily typed on it and Taehyung could see his hand was shaking when he did. Strangely enough his hands weren't shaking at all.

"Get the driver to go around back, into the fucking alley if we have to," Taehyung instructed. "We have to go now, whilst there's a break. We'll have to risk the back the front's too dangerous. If they've got men it'll be at the front 'cos that's where they attacked from, yeah? They came at us like an arrow, not a pincer attack. If they had pincered us we'd be fucking dead by now so thank fuck for small favours. I think the alley's our only option now." On the phone Jungkook said something to the man, not speaking Korean. Taehyung wasn't sure what it was but he guessed Malay. "Yeah?"

"...Yes, he's getting into position." Jungkook ended the call and shoved his phone inside his suit jacket pocket. "The alleyway, let's go."

"Stay low, move fast, I'll cover you," Taehyung instructed before shifting to move away from the counter. Unlike Jungkook he got mostly upright, gun raised as he walked backwards and scanned the front of the casino. He could see chaos over that side, overturned and broken tables and furniture, plants overturned and most of the fountain sculpture had been destroyed by flying bullets. Mostly he saw people lying on the floor, injured or dead. He was only just aware of the fact that he could hear them crying or screaming in pain because he had been blocking it out.

Taehyung scanned the ground-floor quickly before lifting his eyes and his gun up to study the first-floor. He saw little movement but he knew there were men up there, men who had raced up the front staircase to try and find them. The counter and the overhead balcony area had hidden them away from sight for a few minutes but now they were moving across the grand open casino floor someone up there caught sight of them like he had expected. Taehyung heard a series of words being shouted and the second whoever it was moved to lean over the glass railing he pulled the trigger.

The man toppled over the side of the balcony and if his shot hadn't injured him the stop down to the hard flooring mostly certainly did. Taehyung heard the wet thump of him hitting the ground and decided he wouldn't chase after them. Whoever he had alerted would however so they had to move.

"Kitchen is clear," Jungkook called from the doorway, propping the swing doors open with his body. Taehyung followed him through and saw that it was indeed clear so he half-dragged half-escorted the younger man around the countless counters in the direction of the fire escape doors. He shoved them open hard and held his arm up to stop him from racing out. Jungkook knocked against him and caused another jolt of pain to come from his shoulder.

"Hang on."

Taehyung leaned around the doorway quick, trying to do so fast enough to avoid a bullet in the head. There was no attempted gunfire and so after a few seconds he slowly leaned around it again, arms up and gun cocked ready. A quick scan of the alleyway showed no men lying in wait and none of the tops of the opposite building. Clearly they had not anticipated this reaction. What he did see was the sight of Jungkook's hired car parked just several feet away, the back door already open wide. The driver was staring out the window at them, clearly as shocked and scared as everyone else in the area was.

"Coast's clear, Jungkook, you-"

From the front of the building came the sudden burst of more gunfire and yelling and he knew what that meant. It meant that the hired hitmen had either came out of hiding again or reinforcements had arrived. They needed to get out of here and fast, before any of them thought of the possibilities of them being alive and trying to escape.

"Get in the car now," Taehyung ordered as he stopped in the doorway that led out into the alley. He had to shove Jungkook out because he wasn't budging. "I've gotta cover our asses."

"Get yourself killed and I can't fuck you unconscious," Jungkook intoned and despite everything Taehyung didn't find the threat funny. He was much too pumped with fear and adrenaline to laugh right now but if they got out of this alive he might just find it hilarious.

"Go," he repeated and then he twisted back around to face the kitchen entrance. He stood mostly in the alleyway, using the wall as a shield and leaning around it so that he had a clear shot at the door. He had four bullets left in the SIG and then he was done. He might as well make the four shots worth it. From behind him he heard Jungkook getting into the back of the car and barely a second later the kitchen doors swung inward.

The first man to run through the doors clearly didn't anticipate that he would be lying in wait for when he dived into the kitchen he had his gun lowered. Taehyung didn't even shoot to injure him at this point, he shot to kill. Before the goon could take more than two steps into the kitchen he pulled the trigger and the bullet kicked out the chamber to hit the man right in the throat. He stumbled backwards with a series of disgusting noises, blood misting into the air. He had no sooner dropped when another goon raced into the kitchen after him. Taehyung saw a rifle in his hand and he took a risk at a headshot with him. He saw the bullet clip the side of his head, right around his cheek, and then the man fell backwards through the batwing doors with a series of loud howls. Maybe not a killing blow but he was certain that he had put him out of action for a few minutes.

"Taehyung, come on!" Jungkook shouted from the alley.

"Two bullets!" he called back. "Two bullets means two less men and-" the doors swung inward again and he aimed lower and managed to hit another man in the upper arm, "two less men means two less chances of dying! Make that one now!" Whoever he hit dropped to the floor and he considered sparing his life. From the alley Jungkook was still yelling at him to get his ass in the car. "Who do you work for, huh?!"

The man spoke to him in Chinese rather than Korean. Fucking hell, could this day get any worst?

"English?! You know English ?!" Taehyung shouted at him, voice cracking as he did. " Who you working for?! "

" Kim !" the man shouted back at him, hand holding onto his injured arm. " We work for Kim !" He didn't even try and reach for his gun because he was too busy nursing his injury. Taehyung had considered sparing him but the knowledge that the man would have planted a bullet in his head had he been given the chance was very compelling. So he used his last bullet instead and shot him dead centre in the chest.

Kim Jinwoo would have had the man killed for talking anyway so what was the point in sparing him?

If anyone else had decided to follow them then he guessed that he would have to risk a bullet between the shoulder blades but he couldn't wait any longer and he was fresh out of bullets. Taehyung dropped the gun and dived through the doorway as fast as he could. Jungkook was almost frantically gesturing at him now, waving his arms to tell him to get in and so he jumped into the back. He barely even had enough time to slam the door shut when the wheels screeched and the car shot down the alleyway and back onto the main road.

"Stay low," he ordered as he dragged Jungkook down in the seat, making sure neither of their heads were possible targets. The driver copied them, a smart move on his half. Just as he twisted the wheel to turn the corner there came a loud ripping sound and then that of shattering glass as a series of bullets flew through the back window. A shower of glass poured down on their heads and Taehyung saw a bullet lodge itself in the headrest of the passenger-seat. Clearly the men had been smart enough to send whoever was left of them out to watch the street just in case they escaped.

The driver managed to maneuver the car even in his awkward position and they were flying around the corner onto a new street packed full of traffic. Any hopes of following them would quickly be lost for the car zoomed right into the middle of a busy intersection. The man shifted to sit more upright and get a clear view of the road, no longer risking death doing so. They had gotten away from their attackers and Taehyung very much doubted that they would be able to pursue them now. There must have been a dozen men in the casino and he knew for a fact that he had killed or injured seven of them alone. Whoever was left was mostly certainly not able to give a decent chase now. Taehyung sank back in the seat and it was only then that he started to feel himself coming down from it all. Whatever surge of adrenaline he had been running on was now quickly fading and he felt his limbs getting heavy, much too heavy.

"Fuck."

He heard Jungkook's voice but it was strangely distant, muffled almost as if his head was packed with cotton wool. It was a result of the gunfire of course, the deafening bursts of sound that had made his eardrums almost burst from the pressure of it all. He had never felt this at the firing ranges because he had had the protective gear on to keep his eyes and ears safe. Right now he could very much believe that he could turn deaf and when he blinked he saw flashes of white on his eyelids from the muzzles of the guns.

"Fuck, Taehyung!" Taehyung turned his head to look at him, mouth hanging open rather stupidly. "You've been shot!"

"Huh?"

"You've been fucking shot!" Jungkook shouted at him again, as if he wasn't aware of the fact that he had. His shoulder felt like it had possibly been blown off and he really wouldn't be too shocked if he found that his left arm was missing. Yet when he looked down he saw that it was still there. It was from earlier of course, back before they had even raced through the kitchen and only now had he remembered it. "Hang on!" The younger man grabbed hold of him and forced him forward in the seat and then he was pulling at his suit jacket hard.

"Jesus-fucking-Christ!" Taehyung almost screamed, the pain so intense that he couldn't control himself. It felt like his entire left arm was on fire, like someone had doused it with gasoline and then hit him with a blowtorch. He had never felt a burning this strong before and he had burnt himself often in the past: fingertips on pan handles, messing around with his grandmother's old coal fireplace as a child. This was a pain that could only be described as a searing and as Jungkook wrenched the suit jacket off him he couldn't help a sob from escaping even when he didn't want it to.

His shirt and suit jacket had been torn open from the bullet, the fabric ripped to show a sizable trench in his skin. Looking at it Taehyung saw a deep crater in his shoulder, the edges raw and the centre a red mess of skin and muscle. It looked deep, deep enough for him to stick his finger right into the hole. More than one actually. It was so much more worse than Ahn's bullet wound and looking at it made Taehyung feel strangely detached. He wasn't looking at his shoulder right now, but rather someone else's. That gaping hole wasn't in his flesh, that was just plain crazy. But the longer he stared at it the more it sank in that it was actually his shoulder right now. He had been shot and there was blood steadily pumping out of the injury to soak into his already wet shirt. Taehyung stared at his shoulder in cold horror. Most of the left side of his shirt was slick and soaked with blood and he could smell it: a coppery scent that was overpowering and nauseating.

"Did it go through?!" he asked, voice rather shrill with a mixture of fear and breathlessness.

"No, no it's still lodged in your shoulder," Jungkook explained as he stuck his fingers through the tear in his shirt and wrenched hard. The already ruined material tore very easily and the blood squelched in his grip. Within seconds Jungkook's fingers and palms were covered in his blood, skin stained crimson. The younger man tore the shirt open to fully reveal the wound and also rip scraps free. He bundled them together and then pressed them down on the wound.

"Fuck, oh fuck!" Taehyung cursed breathlessly but Jungkook just pressed down harder rather than stop. He even reached over with his other hand to hold him firmly in place so he could clamp his hand down and staunch the flow of blood. Taehyung knew that he was doing it to help but it hurt so badly that he could only wriggle on the backseat and want him to stop. "That hurts, Jungkook, it fucking hurts !"

"Not the hotel," Jungkook instructed to the driver, talking over him as if he hadn't whined at him. "Don't go to the hotel, I know somewhere else." And then in rather a fast and guttural tongue that Taehyung couldn't possibly understand he said something to the driver. The man clearly understood him for he twisted the wheel to do a sharp U-turn, causing several cars to honk their horns at them. Then Jungkook turned back to him. "You took a fucking bullet for me."

"I tuh-told you I wouldn't let anywuh-one touch you," Taehyung stuttered before letting out of moan of pain. "I'd suh-stop 'em."

"You took a fucking bullet..." Jungkook repeated, hand still clamped down on his shoulder tightly. "No one's taken a fucking bullet for me, Taehyung. No man has ever bled for me unless I cut him first."

"Uh-there's a lot of blood," he pointed out before laughing at his own remark. Shit, the pain was so bad now he was starting to feel his consciousness slipping and he wouldn't at all be surprised if he passed out. "Shit, a luh-lot of blood."

"This is nothing," Jungkook disagreed with a head shake. "This is nothing, just a little bit of blood."

"I'm guh-gonna bleed out like a fuh-fucking pig," Taehyung groaned as he threw his head back against the backseat headrest. His eyes rolled up with the movement and he didn't even try to roll them back down again because that seemed to take too much effort right now.

"You're not, trust me you're not. This isn't going to kill you."

"Shit..."

"You bled me for me, Taehyung," Jungkook repeated in a low voice. "Whoever did this, I'll make sure that they choke on their own fucking blood."

"Kuh-Kim Jinwoo, you said he did it."

"So Kim Jinwoo is a dead man walking, he just doesn't know it yet."

The car didn't pull up outside the hotel or even a hospital like he had been hoping, but rather a rather dingy-looking brick building in the middle of a rather desolate neighbourhood. Taehyung wasn't entirely certain what he had been expecting but he knew that it wasn't this. In the darkness of the night he could barely make the building out for there looked to be shutters in place over the windows and front door. If it hadn't been for a towering streetlight just in front of the car he likely wouldn't have even noticed it. Staring out the backseat window, Taehyung found that he didn't know what could possibly be inside. It could be a drugs den, casino, brothel, club, even a fucking hospital for all he knew because he had learnt that Haedogje Pa could hide absolutely anything anywhere.

When the engine stopped and plunged the car into silence Jungkook finally stopped pressing down on his wounded shoulder. He pulled the wad of material away and Taehyung could see that it had at least stopped bleeding. The gunshot wound was still a hideous trench in his flesh, the surrounding area pink and starting to look inflamed to his eyes. But it wasn't bleeding and he guessed that that was a good sign. Less blood to lose seen as he had already lost quite the amount. How much could he lose before it was dangerous he didn't really know but he didn't think he had lost that much just yet. Or at least he was hoping that that was the case.

"Juh-Jungkook, where are we?" Taehyung asked, hearing his voice jittering as he did, likely the result of shock. If only the shock would stop the hideous throbbing pain in his shoulder that made his body ache. Maybe it was because he also felt cold with the exception of his burning shoulder.

"Trust me," Jungkook intoned as he shoved the door open. "You will get treatment here, I have a man here that can fix you up."

"Uh-OK," Taehyung nodded at him, feeling his hair falling over his eyes as he did. He didn't have the strength to try and push it back in place and rather just left the clump of sweat-soaked hair hanging in front of his eyes. "I trust yuh-you."

It took both Jungkook and the driver's efforts combined to get him out of the car. The task wasn't particularly hard for neither of them seemed to give a shit if they jostled his shoulder and he cried out in pain. There were no gentle touches and words of encouragement. No, Taehyung was roughly pulled out of the backseat and along the sidewalk and no amount of cursing made them stop. He ended up with his injured arm tossed over the driver's shoulders so that he could be carried more easily. He was taken around the front of the building and down into a thin alley to get to the back. There was a single door there, wooden and rather worn from the years. The paint had cracked and peeled in parts to create a spiderweb-like ripple across the dark brown wood.

Jungkook didn't bother politely knocking but rather lifted one leg high, knee cocked, and kicked it hard. His foot connected with a hard thumping sound and the door actually rattled in the frame from the force of his kick. Taehyung felt his own head lolling to land against his neck and yet the younger man didn't shrug it off. Rather he let him rest his head against him even when the angle made his shoulder ache. All angles seemed to make it hurt and holding his head up properly seemed to be the worst position of all. Jungkook had just lifted his leg again in preparation for another kick, clearly unsatisfied about the fact he had to wait, when the door swung inwards.

The man on the other side looked to be incredibly old, possibly old enough to be his grandfather, but despite this fact he looked to be alert. His eyes were sharp and not cloudy with age and when he lifted his hand and gestured at them his fingers didn't shake in the slightest.

"...Get him in the back room," he ordered in a rather croaky voice. He stepped back and pulled the door open for them to enter. Taehyung was forcibly escorted inside by the two men, into the rather dimly lit and strange smelling interior.

The building was clearly not a clinic nor a hospital of any kind. It looked to be a drug den from what he could see through the dim and smoky haze. Taehyung saw men and women lying around on beds, long and rather curved thin pipes in hand and clouds of rather pungent smoke hanging in the air around their heads. There were people moving around the room that were clearly assistants judging from their breathing masks and clean white clothing; lighting pipes and tampering with them for the customers who were clearly unable to do so. They were lying on their sides mostly, dreamy expressions on their faces and propped up on pillows. It was an opium den, that much was clear to him. Taehyung was half-walked, half-dragged across the den in the direction of another room.

In the new room he saw various pieces of furniture. There was a wooden desk and a leather chair behind it, along with a hammock bed, and in the corner of the room there was a massive sink and countless bottles of what looked like bleach and antiseptic. In one of the other corners there was a small refrigerator, a tall cupboard with slide-glass doors and a metal table with wheels was a few feet away from the desk. He was taken over to the chair and lowered down to sit in it. Taehyung couldn't help but loll back against the recliner chair even when the movement hurt his shoulder. Jungkook said something to their driver in that same tongue and by now Taehyung was pretty sure was Malay. He didn't have a clue but it sounded right to him. The man nodded at his words and then left the room, leaving them both alone for a few seconds. A quick study of his face showed that Jungkook looked unsettled but not yet scared. More nervous than frightened. Then the elderly man stepped into the room, pushing the curtain aside as he did.

"Remove his shirt, Master Jeon, let me see what the damage is," he instructed as he let go of the curtain. Taehyung rolled his head and looked at him, seeing his rather wispy white hair and slightly hunched spine, true signs of age. Yet even when the man moved slowly he could still see how steady his hands were, how keen his eyes were as he looked at them both.

"I take it you've seen the news, Kang," Jungkook said as he helped him out of his shirt. Every time he knocked his shoulder there was a sharp jolt of pain and Taehyung had to bite down on his tongue to stop him from crying out in pain. His fingers popped the buttons free and then he was pulling it down off his shoulders for him. "It's been quite some time since we last saw each and here I am once more."

"The Jeon family has always greatly liked making grand entrances," Kang agreed as he shuffled over to the chair and helped remove the torn remains of his shirt. "Your father?"

"Not present, back home in Korea. Seng is dead."

"Seng...mmm Seng," the old man said, clearly trying to recall the name as they finally freed him from his shirt. Taehyung sobbed in relief as he lay back down against the recliner chair, even when the leather stuck to his bare skin. "Master Jeon, you should have taken him to a hospital. Not here."

"Can't go to a hospital," Jungkook argued as he dropped the shirt on the floor. "Whoever set us up for this will be keeping an eye on them, will have people on the inside. Would you want to risk having an entire fucking hospital shot up when the word spreads that you're inside one of them?" Kang didn't reply to this as he stared at his shoulder. The old man hadn't even touched him, was just examining the injury with his eyes. "I can't guarantee treatment at a hospital, the risks are too high but I know you can. I know you saved my father's life, back in '04 when that cocksucker Chen stabbed him. He told me to come to you in case of emergencies, why do you think I contacted you? Because he told me that you're the only man I can trust in this fucking shithole of a country."

"Trust me, yes. But trusting me is only part of the dilemma, Master Jeon." Kang sighed and then he shuffled back across the room in the direction of the small refrigerator. "I meant in regards to treatment."

"100 million," Jungkook declared. "100 million in cash wired to you, for a fucking bullet removal. That's what...$115,000 here? Just for a removal. I know you removed more than that in the war, this is nothing. You've amputated legs, Kang."

"It's not the removal ," Kang stressed as he pulled the fridge open and reached inside to collect something. "I have no anaesthetic, not even local. I only have morphine. It will not stop enough of the pain and you know it, Master Jeon. It will only cause more trouble in the future. Highly addictive."

Taehyung could do nothing more than stare up at the ceiling and listen to them talking. His ears were still ringing from the gunfire in the casino and he could hear what they were were saying but he wasn't really processing it. When he lifted his head from the chair he saw Jungkook staring at the old man, expression stony. He clearly didn't like what he was hearing judging from his face, didn't like being told that he couldn't get his way.

"He has lost about a pint of blood," Kang added as he gestured at his injured shoulder. "He will lose even more during any form of removal. I have not done any surgical procedures this extreme in nearly a year, Master Jeon, I am afraid that-"

"Taehyung, what blood type are you?" Jungkook asked, effectively talking over the man. Taehyung saw that he was holding something in his hand, a small vial of clear liquid that was undoubtedly morphine.

"Ah-AB," Taehyung replied as he closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths to try and calm himself down. His head was spinning right now and he had a feeling that he might just pass out.

"I'm A, you can take my blood," Jungkook said as he started shrugging his jacket off. "Take a pint, take three fucking pints if you need to."

"...I have I.V. bags," Kang explained. "I can draw a pint from you for usage after the procedure. It is not ideal, in fact it is downright dangerous but it is not like I have much choice right now. That bullet needs to come out, I cannot afford to wait. There is still a chance that he could have a reaction to the transfusion, you could pass along infections."

"If I've got any infections he already has them," Jungkook argued and Taehyung thought about the countless amounts of unprotected sex he had participated in and barely managed to suppress a groan. Jimin had said that there was thorough blood work before filming with the other men...hadn't he? "I give you permission, take my blood." He rolled the sleeve of his turtleneck up to reveal his inner elbow and then looked up at Kang. "And get that fucking bullet out of him."

Kang studied Jungkook for a few seconds, the backroom eerily quiet. Taehyung wondered if the old man would dare argue against his orders. He was old, old enough to have possibly have known Jungkook's grandfather, and he certainly was of great importance to the Jeon family. Hadn't Jungkook just mentioned that he had saved his father's life? Kang could very much tell him no and yet after a moment the man moved to grab something. It was the small table on wheels and he pulled it over to the side of the chair before placing the vial of morphine on it.

"I will do as you request, Master Jeon," Kang said in a low voice as he bent down to collect something from under the chair. When he straightened up again there was a roll of black material in his hands and he spread it open on the table to reveal gleaming surgical tools tucked away inside. Taehyung saw pliers, scalpels, tweezers and forceps; all wickedly sharp and cold steel edges. "Please retrieve me some things, Master Jeon, so that I can prepare for surgery."

"What do you require?"

"Collect for me a syringe from that cupboard, along with an I.V. bag," Kang said and so Jungkook shifted to go over to the cupboard beside the door. Taehyung watched the man pull some of tools free: the long tweezers and the hooked forceps. Jungkook returned with a deflated bag in one hand, the tube nearly coiled up, and a syringe that was sealed in a plastic cover to keep it surgically safe in the other. "Also collect a stool from the den, I need you to sit down to take your blood."

Kang ripped the cover off the syringe and then he pulled the plastic cap off the end of the needle. Then he was piercing the vial with it and drawing the liquid up into syringe with a slow pull. When this was done he placed the morphine vial down and flicked the syringe a few times before pushing down slightly with his thumb. A few drops squirted out of the end and that meant that there was no air trapped inside the tube. As Jungkook carried a stool back into the room Kang moved to grab hold of his elbow to keep him still and slip the needle into the skin around the bullet wound. There was a slight sting in his muscle as the man injected half of it before pulling it free.

"It will numb most of the pain," Kang said as he once again pierced the skin around the bullet hole and injected the last of the morphine. "But not at all of it."

"Wuh-what does that mean?" Taehyung asked in confusion, staring at his thumb as he pressed down on the syringe and injected the clear liquid into his arm, right into the muscle below the bullet wound. "Juh-Jungkook, what does he mea-" he felt hands grabbing onto his face and twisting his head away. "mean, I dunno what he-"

"Taehyung, I won't lie to you," Jungkook spoke over him as his fingers pressed into his cheeks. "This is going to hurt, hurt a lot in fact. But tonight you took a fucking bullet for me and this is nothing. Yes?" Jungkook held his face for a moment before shifting to sit back down on the stool. Kang had already prepared the I.V. bag for the transfusion and so he moved around the bottom of the chair to get closer to the younger man. Taehyung could only watch in dumb confusion as Kang slipped the needle into the crease in Jungkook's elbow. He didn't even wince as he secured it in place with a strip of surgical tape and then he was unravelling the tube and placing the bag on his lap.

"Flex," Kang said as he gestured at Jungkook. "Sit there and flex that arm and do not move. Keep the tube as straight as you can, do not elevate the bag."

Whilst the morphine kicked in Kang proceeded to prepare himself for surgery. He crossed the room to go over to the sink and sound of water being drawn was very loud, splashing off the metal as the old man pulled something free from a dispenser. It looked to be a face mask and he slipped it over his lower face before turning back to the sink. Taehyung could smell the strong and almost acidic scent of antiseptic in the air as Kang started washing his hands and forearms and it was only then that he registered the fact that he was actually going to be operated on.

Taehyung was sitting in an opium den with a war veteran and a bullet lodged in his shoulder, and he was about to undergo surgery.

When Kang moved away from the sink he had a pair of latex gloves on, also presumably pulled out of one of the dispensers. In his hands were the surgical tools and Taehyung could see that they were wet from being doused with antiseptic. When he moved his eyes to look at Jungkook he saw that he was holding the bag low like the man had requested and it was slowly but surely starting to fill up with his blood. It was nothing more than a slight trickle so far, thin and startlingly red in colour, but by the time he was finished the bag would be swollen with blood that was a thick and deep crimson shade.

"Son, I need you to stay as still as you can for me," Kang instructed, voice muffled through his mask. "The pain will be immense but only momentarily. I must get the bullet out before you are poisoned by it, yes?"

"Yuh-yeah," Taehyung agreed with a nod. "I know I know just, just get it out, man." He sank his fingers into the leather seat as Kang moved over to stand close to him. The morphine had made him start to feel a little lighter a minute of two ago, much more calmer than he had been. His heart was no longer racing but had started going at a regular beat again. Talk about blissful. Even his shoulder was nothing more than a slight discomfort because his muscle felt rather numb.

"Close your eyes and count to twenty," Kang suggested as he lowered the forceps to the wound. "Then it will all be over." So Taehyung did. He closed his eyes and gnawed down on his lip and by the time he had reached three in his head he felt something prodding against the wound. Then there was a horrible sensation that the morphine hadn't numbed him too, a burning pain, and before he could stop himself Taehyung opened his eyes again.

Kang had just stuck the forceps into the wound and now he was opening his fingers and stretching it wide.

The needle prick had been nothing, a slight hint of pain whilst Kang had injected him with the morphine. This however was not slight pain. This was very very painful and Jungkook hadn't lied to him. The sight of the wound widening like a screaming mouth was enough to have Taehyung starting to panic, weak noises trying to escape through his teeth as he bit down on his lower lip to trap them. When he reached six in his head the tweezers were hovering over the wound and he had just thought of eight when they slipped inside. The morphine had numbed the surface of his wound, the stinging and burning that had been the first few layers of skin and muscle, but it hadn't numbed this deep. Or at least not yet. So when the tweezers started poking and prodding at the bullet he felt the pain in its entirety.

"Fuh-fuck," Taehyung gasped as he rolled his head back against the headrest. "Fuck is it uh-uh-out yet?" He could feel those stupid tweezers rooting around inside of him and his fingers were digging into the leather seating so much it was a miracle that he didn't tear it. "Is it uh-out?"

"Almost, do not look it makes the pain feel worse," Kang ordered and so he twisted his head away to look at Jungkook instead. The other man was watching the surgery with round eyes, arm still bent at the elbow to help his blood flow into the I.V. bag. "Keep counting."

"Thirteen, fuh-fourteen," Taehyung whined, lower body almost bucking because he needed to squirm, needed to get away from the pain. Why was it taking so fucking long? This was too much! This hurt more than being shot in the first place! "Fuh-fifteen, fuck !"

"You can do it, Taehyung, just-"

"Suh-sixtuh..."

"close your eyes and count," Jungkook finished.

"Seven-shit-teen," Taehyung let out a deep groan and threw his head back against the chair and that was when the pain just suddenly...stopped. He heard a liquid sound and he turned his head just in time to see the tweezers slipping out the wound with the bullet firmly between them. The second the chunk of metal was free blood started pouring out of the wound again, dribbling down his arm in a steady flow.

"Bullet," Jungkook demanded as he held his hand out. Kang dropped it into his palm and then crossed the room to grab something from the open cupboard. When he returned Taehyung saw him tearing something open and pressing a wad of gauze against the bleeding wound. His body was coated with sweat and he could hear his breath whistling in and out of his slack lips. His heart was racing in his chest so hard that he could almost feel it pounding against his ribs and he wouldn't at all be surprised if it burst out like a Jack-in-the-Box.

"Time will tell if there is any lasting damage," Kang said. "Hold this in place." Taehyung reached up with a shaking hand and held the gauze in place so that the man could cross the room and collect something else. He returned with a bottle of liquid antiseptic, a spool of thread and a hooked needle. Kang deftly threaded it and then he was leaving over him and moving his hand away.

"What kind of damage?" Jungkook asked. The I.V. bag was now perhaps a quarter full and still filling up.

"Muscle damage, damage to his rotator cuff," Kang stuck the hooked needle into his arm and pulled it through with the surgical scissors. "I will give him some medication," he explained as he continued stitching the wound closed. "Antibiotics to make sure his body fights away any possible infections, but also...morphine to numb the pain." Taehyung watched him work with a sick sort of fascination. It should have hurt, should have made him feel nauseous and yet he didn't feel anything because of his numb skin. Instead he could watch the man hooking the curved needle into his skin and then pulling it through with the scissors, black thread squeezing the wound together tightly. As soon as he was done he knotted it and snipped the thread. Then he cleaned the puckered bump of skin with gauze soaked with antiseptic. "As soon as the bag is filled I can start the transfusion."

"Good," Jungkook said in a quiet voice. Taehyung eyed the bullet sitting in the palm of his hand. The shell was still coated in gore, blood having rubbed off on his skin. Jungkook was staring at it almost as if mesmerised. "I'll contact a man of mine to wire you the cash as soon as I can. We will have to remain here for a day however, whilst I await my father's assistance."

"Of course, Master Jeon, you will always have shelter here," Kang said as he carried on gently wiping the blood away from his skin.

"This is mine now," Jungkook said as he enclosed his fingers around the bullet, almost squeezing it tight in his fist. "This will remind me that this bullet should have killed me but it didn't. Because of you, Taehyung. You saved my fucking life."