When he opened his eyes it took him a few seconds to register that he was actually awake...and that he was lying on the floor. That was a surprise to him because just a moment ago he had been standing up. He had been on his feet with the sensation of a plaster wall behind his back rather than solid wooden flooring and yet...yet here he was on the floor. That was new he supposed, completely unexpected. Taehyung took a deep breath and then slowly let it out of his mouth rather than his nose as he closed his eyes again. His heart was jack-rabbiting in his chest and he didn't need to think to figure out why. He knew why his pulse was racing a mile a minute and it was because he had just had a nightmare. A bad one. He had flailed quite a bit in his sleep and he was currently lying like a starfish on the floor, legs spread wide and arms over his head. It had made his shirt wrack up quite high, the wrinkled ends up somewhere by his ribs. The air felt rather cool on his bare stomach, but not as cool as the wood felt against his lower back and bare thighs. Somewhere on the floor along with the thin covers there would be his trousers of course. They would be wrinkled up messily in a puddle from where he had left them last night. Maybe they would be on the desk across the room. He wasn't sure. He wouldn't even be surprised if they were tied around his head right now.

Taehyung wasn't at all shocked that he had had a nightmare at some point in the night, or maybe it was morning now? It had not been about Do like he had expected, not of the man being strangled to death. No, Taehyung had been the one being strangled in his nightmare. He could remember it all so vividly. In his nightmare Taehyung had been slammed against the wall just like he had yesterday, first so that his cheek had bounced off the plaster and then once again so that he had been flipped around. He had tried fighting back, had shouted and begged and yet Nam hadn't listened to him. Not once. He had lashed out with his fists and missed every single blow he had been hoping to land. He had kicked his feet out and had twisted but to no avail whatsoever. Nam had just let go of his hair and seized hold of his throat instead, other hand reaching down to snag his trousers and wrench them down. Then the underwear.

It was the kind of nightmare that felt so terrifyingly real and even after waking it was hard to process the fact that it hadn't actually happened. When Nam's fingers had tightened in a death hold around his throat and cut the air off to his lungs Taehyung had very much thought that he was going to die. His head had felt like there was a great pressure building up inside of it but the sensation hadn't stopped him from feeling anything. Hadn't made him get light headed enough. So when Nam had slipped his underwear down with another hard tug and had then forced down the zipper of his trousers he had known exactly what had been coming.

To use the term "slipped" didn't seem quite right to him. No, to Taehyung it seemed more fitting to say "stabbed". Yes, he had felt the stabbing sensation of Nam's cock burying itself inside of him like a knife. He had woken up mere seconds after this part but he had still felt it, had wondered if it was in fact of a knife that was inside of him. It had hurt enough to make him truly believe that it was. Six inches of cold and razor sharp steel. The thought was enough for him to feel the most pressing urge to curl up into a ball, the muscles in his thighs tightening uncomfortably. But that hadn't happened. He knew that it hadn't because he had been...well, he supposed that he had been rescued by Woo.

Taehyung reached up to touch his brow and it felt rather warm again his fingers. There was sweat on his skin and it had yet to cool. After a few seconds he dabbed it free using the heel of his hand and then he opened his eyes. The sight he was greeted by was that of a flawless white ceiling. It wasn't the boarding house room, that much he knew. That ceiling had been covered in cracks and tobacco stains, and the one above him was free of a single blemish. There was something rather unusual about it however, and it took a moment of study for him to figure out that there was a mirror on the ceiling.

There was a mirror on the ceiling. What was that there for?

He furrowed his brow as he eyed the slightly distorted reflection of the bed. He could see the sheets were wrinkled terribly from where he had been lying - and thrashing - on the bed. One of the many pillows was missing and presumably on the floor like him. He rolled his head and sighted it on the other side of the bed. It would likely be coated in sweat just like his brow and his shirt. It took him a moment of study before he turned his head back to look at the ceiling and then he knew exactly what the mirror over the bed was for.

It was for watching of course.

Taehyung sat upright with a groan and he reached up to press the heel of his hands against his eyes first, then his temples. His head hurt and he wasn't surprised at all. Jungkook had plied him with most of a bottle of champagne last night over some dialogue. Not much, but enough for him to faintly recall agreeing to something. He eyed the room to see that it was pretty fucking impressive. A large apartment suite, all one large room with the exception of the bathroom that was directly across from the bed. The kitchen was separated by way of a counter that served as both a kitchen table and a wall divider. There were three stools along the length, chrome and black leather. Taehyung turned his head to look over the rest of the room. The sitting area had a single leather settee facing a massive screen. It didn't look like a TV to his eyes but he couldn't seem to figure out what else it could be right now. A glass top table was just in front of the settee, empty of everything. In the corner of the room there was a tall potted plant, nice flowering plant. Hmm, this was interesting. Was this his workstation from now on? Was this where he was supposed to stay and work?

Taehyung struggled to his feet and he had to sit on the bed for a few seconds to get his bearings. Shit, he must have drank way too much champagne last night because he felt all woozy. That wasn't a good idea. Drunkenness meant a loose tongue, and a loose tongue meant trouble. What was that saying again?

"Loose lips sink ships..." Taehyung muttered as his vision started to get more stable. He counted to ten in his head and then stood upright again, crossing the room to go over to the desk. He saw the computer, the files all over it. One of them was still open and in pretty deep, most of the contents inside seemingly having been scanned. Just to the side of this were two glasses and the bottle of champagne. Dom Pérignon Rose Vintage 2003. He didn't know what any of that meant he just knew that it smelled wonderful and tasted even sweeter. There was a lovely hint of red to the liquid and it smelled just like female perfume in a glass. Taehyung lifted one of the glasses to sniff at the remains. Was this his glass or was it Jungkook's? No way of telling at all, it wasn't like he could identify it from the contents or lipstick smears on the glass. He put it back down and glanced at the open file. There was a photograph of a man he recognized and yet he had no name for right now. In a couple of minutes his brain would make the connection, he just needed to wake up first.

Taehyung sniffed and reached up to rub his nose roughly. He figured out what had happened last night. After being allowed into the suite Jungkook had made him swear on oath to serve him; an oath that seemed to denote him to the position of "chief rat catcher". Which was strange because he had assumed that that position had belonged exclusively to Woo. Yet Jungkook had an apparent need for a new one too. Did that mean that he didn't trust Woo, or that he was planning on ditching him? The thought was something that would require much private snooping to discover.

It was clear that Woo was the one thing that Jungkook had close to a teacher. He was a practice partner, a buddy to help ease him into important duties at Haedogje Pa. But perhaps he wasn't performing as well as Jungkook wanted him too. Or perhaps Jungkook just wanted to upgrade to a younger, more attractive model. Taehyung should have felt a twinge of embarrassment for thinking of himself in such a way but he didn't. Having seen a great many Haedogje Pa men Taehyung knew that he looked like a supermodel in comparison. He was taller than most, and slim with slight muscles hidden away under his skin thanks to Hoseok. His face had no afflictions, no disfiguring scars or busted crooked nose, no knocked out or chipped teeth.

Taehyung supposed that it was no wonder that Nam had referred to him the way he had that day. He had rapidly figured out that he had been talking about Jungkook. Jungkook who had shown a rather sudden interest in him over all recruits, who had had his ass dragged out of the boarding house and dropped off at a luxury apartment block in Gangnam-gu. Yes, Nam was a fucker but he had also told the truth. For all of the wonderful attributes that Jungkook possessed apparently reading people was not one of them. Unless he read him and saw something else beneath the surface, something even Taehyung wasn't aware of.

"Mmm, no. I know myself," he said as he turned back to look across the room. "I know myself better than anyone else. Better than him, better than Namjoon..."

Namjoon. The team back at the station. Taehyung was going to have to report everything to them, everything from last night to the current unraveling events of today. The idea of having to tell Namjoon about an attempted rape on his person was not something that he wanted to do. Could he lie? Could he bullshit and not say a thing? Did the crew even need to know if it didn't affect gang activity? Why, Taehyung was willing to bet that a dozen or more Haedogje Pa new bloods had been raped over the last few days alone. This was what happened in gangs. That was the true purpose of rape. A weapon of power and control, not for sex. Taehyung didn't need to tell them but at the same time he felt like he should. He had to report everything and if an attempted rape happened, then the team should be told. It would change nothing but-

The screen on the wall lit up like a beacon.

Taehyung dragged his gaze away from the messy bed to stare at it and see that it was alerting him to a message. That was when he figured out what it was. It was some form of intercom system that connected all of the apartment rooms together, or maybe something closer to a webcam. He had no idea what kind of message he was receiving or from whom and so he moved to get closer. It appeared that he had to accept the call and so he squinted at the screen to see an ID code. Then he pressed the button on the side and a second later the screen turned into a livefeed. Taehyung eyed the screen dumbly before realising that he was looking into another room. Whoever had called him must have moved out of the eye of the camera for a moment.

From the speakers he heard muffled voices and then Jungkook suddenly stepped into the frame. He was in the act of buttoning his shirt up and Taehyung wondered if he had only just woken up. Or had he been awake and just not dressed for quite some time now? He dropped his gaze to study his fingers for a few seconds before looking back up again. He could see some of the massive penthouse behind him and on a leather settee he was pretty certain that he could see a leopard. It was the biggest fucking cat that he had ever seen not locked behind the cages of a zoo and it took up quite a lot of the settee, sleeping from what he could tell.

"Ah, I see that you're awake?" Jungkook asked, lifting his hand so that he could secure the left cuff of his shirt.

"Yeah, Master Jeon, I'm awake and I apologise for keeping you waiting," Taehyung said in a quiet voice. After yesterday's rather terrifying brush with Nam he had decided to be as courteous as possible from this point onward. The aim of the game was to sound meek. "Do you require my...services?"

"A tribute awake at 6:30am. That's new." Jungkook grinned to himself. "Have you checked the files that I left in your possession?"

"I've read most of one of the three," Taehyung explained. He was suddenly aware of his terrible state of undress, the wrinkled shirt and bare thighs visible under the lengths. How much of him could Jungkook see exactly? Watching him get ready made him reach up with one hand to pat at his hair. He found that it was messily corkscrewed every which way. "I'm planning on reading all of them as soon as I can. Then checking the...there are virtual files aren't there, Master Jeon?"

"Yes, many."

"I would've read 'em all but..." Taehyung paused and wet his lips. This made the young man smirk at him. No need to specify about the champagne, it was clear that they were both aware of how he had nervously quaffed most of the bottle.

"What do you think of them exactly?" Jungkook asked as glanced up at him, one eyebrow lifting languidly at him. Looking at it Taehyung couldn't help but think of a cat; a sleek black cat with large eyes and even larger canines. He was like a delectable treat for him and he tried to not fidget and hold his gaze.

"I think, Master Jeon..." Taehyung paused for a moment to sort his thoughts out. He didn't want to sound too eager to accept the role because that could seem suspicious. Was he eager because he wanted to please, or was he eager because he wanted secret information? Like a rat he was supposed to be hunting down. "I think that it could take me a day to get through the files but...I think that I can handle this."

"Think or know? No need for modesty with me, Taehyung. I deal in absolutes not possibilities."

"I know I can," he confirmed, this time adding a nod onto it to appear more certain. At this he saw Jungkook's lips lift in a wide smile: pleased. It made him look strangely younger, almost sweet. Then Taehyung recalled his grin after Do's death and he rapidly changed his mind. "Master Jeon, I know that I can handle this."

"OK, then you shouldn't mind me testing you. I will start off easy." Jungkook shifted on the other end of the camera feed, shirt rustling slightly as he did. "Seen as you're from Mapo-gu, I will be nice too." Taehyung was actually from Yongsan-gu but he wasn't going to correct him. "I want dirt on someone you met yesterday, I want dirt on Nam."

Taehyung felt a lump appearing in his throat at this, slipping up from his stomach and making it hard to swallow. Of all of the men he had picked Nam. He was already trying to push him out of his mind and yet he had been dragged right back to the surface. Like a slap across the face. His skin felt cold.

"Master Jeon, can I be...be honest with you?"

"Honesty? I can't say that it's something Haedogje Pa deal in greatly but yes." Jungkook finished securing his other cuff and he gave him his full attention. "I want you to be honest with me, Taehyung."

"I don't like Nam." For a few seconds the young man was still and silent on the other end of the line and Taehyung wondered if he had stepped out of line. He was a new blood after all (or a tribute like Jungkook had just called him) and honesty or not there was still degrees of respect that he must stick to. "I mean, he's vocally a critic of you. He doesn't stay quiet and concentrate on his position. He might always be in profit but...but I still don't like him, Master Jeon."

"That makes two of us..." Jungkook muttered to himself as he reached up to fix his shirt collar. In the background Taehyung saw someone moving around, a quick flash of a body and nothing more than that. He thought it might just be a male however, judging from the frame. He thought about what Nam had said yesterday, about the likelihood of his sexual preferences, and then he dragged his eyes back to look at Jungkook's face. "Keep up the hard work, Taehyung. I don't want to create too much pressure but I expect great things from you. I've got high expectations for a great many things..." Jungkook's expression shifted slightly at this and Taehyung wet his lips nervously again. "So deliver."

"I...I will, Master Jeon."

The call ended just a second or so after he promised this. Taehyung watched him reach over to hit something he couldn't see, likely a button on the side of his device. Then the screen cut to black. He could see a hint of his reflection on the smooth black surface. Messy hair, wide eyes. Hadn't Jungkook said something about it being 6:30am? How much sleep had he even gotten? It didn't seem that he had gotten much but he was wide awake right now, almost surging with energy. That meant that he should stay awake and focus on working for Jungkook. Taehyung let his breath out in a weary sigh and he turned back to run his eyes across the room. The alluring sight of the open bathroom doorway called him and so he crossed the room to enter it.

He didn't even look at the interior but rather just moved to sit down on the closed over toilet seat. He placed his elbows on his knees and buried his face in his hands. Before he could stop himself he felt his eyes starting to sting and he roughly wiped at them. Now was not the time for crying, he had done enough of that yesterday in the boarding home with Nam pinning him against a wall. Right now he had a job to do, and that job was sorting through the files. His fear could wait for a time when it was valid. Right now he was far away from Nam, was in a nice safe apartment suite where he couldn't get his hands on him. What had happened yesterday had happened, and he had to push it aside right now.

Taehyung had been given the greatest opportunity. One that he couldn't have even hoped for. But it wasn't an easy job, not by far. It was going to be a constant challenge and he had to apply himself as hard as he could to ensure that he did this right. All of the access to files...shit, Taehyung was pretty damn sure that he was on to something here. It might not be evidence that could be used but it was the links to a chain that he could break. The better he performed, and the closer he got to The Boy the better his chances were of cinching it all. If Taehyung could get his hands on hard physical evidence and manage to coordinate a raid at the most perfect moment...he could snare The Boy right in his net and destroy the future of Haedogje Pa.

Just thinking about it all was enough to give him chills.

That was why he had to stop crying in this expensive suite bathroom. That was why he needed to go back into the other room, sit back down at the desk, and start learning the files. Jungkook had so much more dirt on his men than his team did. It was going to be a challenge worthy of his fantastic memory to learn it all.

Jungkook finished securing his shirt buttons as he glanced at the black screen. Just a second ago he had been observing Taehyung on it, and he was confused by what he had seen. Why had Taehyung looked so frightened by the mention of Nam? He had seen his features slackening softly before tightening, had watched his lovely skin tone pale considerably. Had Taehyung had past experiences with the man, back when he had been working under Lim? Had Nam maybe said some harsh words to him that the day in Mapo-gu after the meeting had finished? Jungkook didn't know but he didn't like it. He already disliked Nam as it was, he didn't really need more reasons to do so.

From behind him came a clattering sound and he turned to look over his shoulder. The first thing he saw was Wangbi lying on the settee like she owned it, and considering her size she more or less did. He wouldn't fight with her, the cat had cost so much that she was worth more than most of the contents of the penthouse. She wasn't exactly asleep for he could see those green eyes of hers staring right back at him, almost challenging him to try something. Her satellite ears twitched lazily. Of course Jimin had wanted a cat more wild animal than domesticated companion, but all things considered at least Wangbi was sweet. The same couldn't be said of his associates. Jimin had once told him that he should bring her to meetings on a leash (the other man had brought her out in such fashion many times) because she was like a Rottweiler. Well, Jungkook thought that she was probably bigger than a fucking Rottweiler and certainly not as intimidating. Jimin was in the act of doing something that could only be described as 'cleaning'. That was an amusing thought and so he stared at him for a few seconds before he realised that he actually was cleaning. Perhaps he should start by getting Wangbi off the furniture before she covered it all in golden and white fur.

"Babe, the maid comes tomorrow. What are you doing?"

"Cleaning up the mess you make," Jimin replied from his position mostly under the bed. The covers were down on the side so he couldn't see him under it, could only see Jimin's bare lower legs and the slight lengths of his silken bathrobe. The hem barely covered his ass, which was bare of course. "Seen as you never do, darling."

"I just told you, we have a maid. I don't need to clean up."

"Well I like cleanliness," Jimin argued back, one leg giving a little twitch as he wriggled under the bed. He studied him for a moment before crossing the room to get to the bed. Jungkook hunkered down to grab hold of his lower legs, pulling him out with a nice hard tug. Jimin made a squeaky noise at this, dragged along the marble flooring until he was mostly out. His bathrobe rode up, black silk bunching up around his hips. Not as smooth or soft as his skin however. Then he rolled him onto his back. There was a slightly pink mark where his stomach had rubbed against the marble, going down from his lower ribs to his navel, and then down the smooth stretch to the base of his cock.

"What kind of good morning is this, hmm? Waking up to find you cleaning the house like some common person? A single mother trying to make the breadline with three work shifts?" Jungkook cocked his head as he looked down at him. "Cleaning is bad for you."

"Bad?" Jimin let out a soft giggle and also cocked his head in perfect imitation. "What do you mean bad, darling?"

"Crawling around on the floor will make your knees rough," Jungkook intoned as he reached down with one hand and stroked along his kneecap. "That would be bad. Also," he lifted his hand to take his hand off his stomach, "calluses. Chapped skin. No."

"Kookie, cleaning once every couple of days isn't going to do anything," Jimin said with a laugh. Jungkook traced his thumb around the knuckles of his hand slowly. "And besides, you weren't woken up by that sight you were woken up by the sensation of my lips around your cock."

"You're better than any alarm clock, babe."

"I'm better than most things," Jimin agreed with a wide smile. "But you have to let me clean up because Woo will be here soon, remember? 10:30am."

"That's four hours from now."

"Four hours, long enough for you to make breakfast and sort out all of your meetings, transactions, terminations. What can I do whilst you're busy in your study? I can clean up, make the suite look presentable. Do you really want Woo walking in to see designer panties covered in still wet cum on the settee? The remains of a stoned fuck on the dining table? No, so go make breakfast and let me tidy it all up, darling."

Jimin was right and that was what made him finally relent and leave him alone to clean up. He did have quite a lot of things to cramp into the four hours, and he just knew that he would have to go back to his workload after Woo's meeting. The man had scheduled one in though he wasn't sure why last night. It seemed like it had something to do with the business in Mapo-gu however. So Jungkook got back to his feet and wandered across the expansive suite to get to the kitchen.

There were three bedroom areas in the suite alone and yet Jimin always seemed to prefer the open bed on the ground-floor. The second bedroom was for filming purposes only, rigged up with countless cameras all around the bed, angled above and even up on the ceiling too. The third was on the first-floor along with a library-cum-office area. There was an open-roof floor for the summer on which a swimming pool and deck were built, and the bathroom area on the ground-floor was massive. Sometimes Jungkook wondered if it was all a little too much but then the sight of Jimin gently rocking in the hammock with Wangbi lying on him like a dog in the warm summer evening air, or the sight of blood sometimes pooling out on the marble brought him back to reality.

There was no such thing as too much, only too little.

Jungkook set about making himself breakfast without Jimin's assistance for once. Not that Jimin really helped, he would just sit at the counter and take an occasional bite off the end of a fork or peel vegetables at the speed of death just because he knew that the sight would distract him; his fingers gripping the knife hilt and his thumb lightly pressed against the back of the blade. That dimple of soft skin on the metal, the glint of it in the lazy light from the window. So that meant that Jungkook was used to cooking on his own. He cracked quail eggs and had Jimin loudly telling him that he better not leave a mess in the kitchen too. Jungkook dribbled some of the liquid on the counter just to piss him off. He set about preparing the omelette and a side of rice, slicing up peppers and mushrooms as he did.

One quick breakfast later, Jimin trying his very hardest to irritate him by playing with him under the table, knocking their ankles together like a child in elementary school, Jungkook went upstairs to enter his office and start working. That meant reading every single word in every single email, playing back messages on answering machines multiple times, making note of any data that looked incorrect to his eyes and more. Sometimes Jungkook felt like a CEO, running a business more than his own men did. He had to do more mathematical equations than a fucking accountant most mornings. One time Jimin had entered his office and had eyed his screen before calling him a genius. He didn't know about that, but he did know that running an empire required more brains than brawn.

Just like Taehyung.

Thinking about the tribute wasn't the best idea, all things considered. It meant getting distracted from work in favour of letting Taehyung fill his mind. But that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Especially not when he thought about how he had looked on the system screen this morning. His wrinkled shirt and matted hair, enough dragged back to show a hint of his brow. Of how he had a habit of wetting his lips when he was clearly nervous about something. Yes, that was a nice thing to think of even when it meant Jungkook found himself staring at his screen and forgetting what exactly he had been looking at in the first place.

Eventually it was brought to his attention that Woo was in the apartment block, courtesy of Jimin calling out to him sweetly. Jungkook didn't particularly want to go down the stairs to meet him but he had little choice. No one but Jimin was allowed more than a few feet inside of the penthouse. No one got any further than the table at the kitchen area, which was barely more than a dozen feet inside. Only his actors got further in, to the bedroom set aside just for their performances. So that meant that he had to leave the room and go down to meet him. Jungkook got to his feet, not bothering to turn the computer off because he would need it again soon enough. Then he crossed the room and stepped out onto the landing. Over the glass partition that served as a railing he could see down onto the ground-floor and there was Woo, standing respectfully by the door with his hands primly folded in front of him

"Sit down, Woo, Jimin, get the man a drink would you?"

"Yes, Master," Jimin drawled. He did so in a way that was meant to sound sarcastic and he wondered if Woo had any idea that he called him that in bed often. Much too often. Woo probably had an idea, after all didn't they all? As Jungkook descended the stairs he saw Jimin quickly moving down below to get over to the kitchen area. He heard him telling the other man that he should sit down at the table, friendly smile prepared on his face just like always. Jimin had good manners. Surprisingly he hadn't needed to teach him them. Jimin was good with acting and so he was good at pretending too. He knew exactly when to break the smiles out to keep the atmosphere nice and calm.

"Anything to report?" Jungkook asked as he rounded the staircase and moved to go over to them both. Jimin was at the counter pouring out champagne for them both. It wasn't the best of the stock but rather the section he liked to call the "guest" champagne. It was still expensive enough to be better than anything else his men could possibly drink but not the best. No, those bottles went to his parents or Jimin...or Taehyung in last night's case.

"Nothing of great importance that cannot be in a report," Woo replied as he slowly waited for him to reach the table and sit down first. As soon as Jungkook was seated the man copied his actions. "I've got nothing to report from Dongdaemun-gu, you'll be seeing the locals tomorrow morning and I'm sure you already know about them."

"I know I greatly dislike Jo Byungtae," Jungkook retorted as Jimin placed the first glass down in front of the other man. Woo didn't even look at his glass. "His little favouritism is bad for the district. I don't care if the boy is his nephew he can't place him above the rest of them. I think that I shall have to sort that little issue out."

"No, what I have to report relates to the events of last night, Master Jeon."

Jungkook reached out just as Jimin placed his own glass down, hand going to his hip and then slowly down to his ass. With his other hand he lifted his glass and held it in front of himself. What exactly did Woo mean by that he wondered. Did it have something to do with Taehyung? He had noted that the other man had looked rather...shaken up last night. Like he had been scared of something. Jungkook had thought that he had been nervous in his company, after the Do incident. But maybe it was something else, like the something Woo was going to tell him about. Jungkook gave Jimin a light squeeze which resulted in a giggle and a pat on the hand to get him to let go.

"Go on, Woo, I'm all ears," he responded as he turned his head to watch the other man cross the large room. Jimin lounged on the bed beside Wangbi, stretched out almost like a cat himself. The animal would be getting fur all over the sheets again, just like always but how could he say no when he saw how much Jimin loved nuzzling his face against her warm belly of white fur?

"Upon collecting Kim from the Mapo-gu boarding house, as you requested, I ran into spot of trouble. In the form of Nam. I believe that Nam was attempting something close to a...correctional rape," Woo explained as he shifted on his seat, crossing one leg over the other and plucking at the slight crease in the knee of his trousers. Jungkook studied him over the rim of his glass and for some reason he felt the most pressing urge to laugh at what he had just told him. Why, it was so absurd that he couldn't really believe it. Nam, attempting to rape one of his recruits?

"I'm sorry, Woo," Jungkook said after a few seconds, lowering the glass as he did. His lips lifted up in a smirk on one side because he was still so very confused. "Can you repeat that? I'm afraid I might just have misheard you."

"Certainly, Master Jeon," Woo said as he folded his hands on his knee. "When I entered the tribute lodgings yesterday evening I walked in to see Nam assaulting Kim. Do you want details?" Jungkook confirmed that he did with a vigorous nod. He wanted everything right this instant. Not just any recruit but Taehyung? "He had Kim pinned to the wall by his head and most of his trousers were down. Had I arrived perhaps a minute later then he would have been in the act of the rape itself. It was impeccably timed." His fingers tightened around the flute and he could feel that the glass would not withstand much more pressure. "Nam didn't argue with me but gave in when I told him to stop."

"Why was he doing it in the first place?" Jungkook asked, managing to keep his voice at a surprisingly calm level. He knew that Woo would hear his barely reigned in black anger however. He could almost feel a muscle twitching in the side of his jaw.

"I believe, Master Jeon, that Kim refused his orders. Nam tried to lay a claim to bring him under his wing, despite everything. I believe this to be the case as told by witnesses. So when the tribute turned him down Nam felt the most pressing urge to display dominance to maintain his position as a superior. Rape is a tool of war, and very effective in controlling-"

"We're not at war, Woo, we're not a fucking guerrilla army," Jungkook spat, the first throb of anger spiking in his head. Ah yes here it was once again, his old friend: blind rage. It was still morning and yet he could feel the tension rising, which was not a good sign for the rest of the day. His jaw and back teeth would be aching by the time he had sorted out all of this shit.

"I did hear some select words from Nam according to witnesses," Woo said as he fixed his glasses. "Nam was clearly drunk but that doesn't excuse his behaviour or language. He called you a "brat prince"."

"That's all?"

"And a "closeted homo", Master Jeon."

The silence that fell in the suite was so sudden that it was almost humorous. Across the room, lounged on the bed with Wangbi, Jimin had stopped singing under his breath. He could sense that he had gone as still as he had gone silent. He had likely stopped stroking the cat. Woo held his gaze steadily with his usual composure.

"That fucking cunt!" Jungkook threw the glass across the room and it shattered on the wall. The champagne flew everywhere in a spray, a fine mist of golden liquid hitting the walls and flooring with pattering sounds. He heard Jimin gasp in surprise. Woo didn't even flinch at this. "That worthless piece of shit!" He jumped to his feet and the chair toppled backwards to hit the floor with a deafening clattering sound. This time Jimin let out a little cry of shock. "Get him in, get him to this building. Drag him if you have to. I need to see Nam this very day and I won't take no as a fucking answer. Not even if he left the fucking country to hide in some jungle in the Mekong Delta, I want him today."

"Nam is still in Seoul," Woo explained. "I've had tabs since last night and he's still very much in the net area."

"Any of his men cause trouble, beat the shit out of them. Any of his men fight back, kill them," Jungkook demanded, mere seconds away from slamming his fists down on the table. He could feel his fingers were curled up so tightly that they hurt. "I saw this coming months ago, Nam had been nothing but trouble in that district."

"Your father seems to think otherwise, seen as he makes a profit."

"His men make him a profit," Jungkook argued back. "Replace him with another and we wouldn't even notice his absence." He knew what Woo was going to say even when he didn't want to hear it. The man was going to tell him that his father would likely object to this, because it could affect their profit margins for Mapo-gu. Yet Jungkook had a better reason to support his decision. "Nam has done nothing but shit on Haedogje Pa for the best part of a year now. He brings in profit but he flagrantly disregards hierarchy. We cannot have Nam setting an example to the rest. If he can instill disrespect, others will follow." Woo made a noise in agreement at this and Jungkook heard Jimin shifting to climb off the bed and move across the room. His bare feet padded off the marble as he went over to the kitchen area. "Nam can call me all kinds of shit, I don't give a fuck about what he calls me. What I give a fuck about the fact that every insult he slings at me, he's slinging at Haedogje Pa, and he's slinging at my father."

Jimin went around the counter and Jungkook saw him collecting something from by the sink. It was a roll of kitchen towels and then he was moving across the room to clean up the mess that he had just created. There were no cute smiles on show now, just an anxious expression. He hunkered down to start dabbing at the champagne. The white paper turned a colour rather closer to piss yellow than champagne gold.

"No man on this planet insults my father and lives to see another day," Jungkook explained, anger still burning away but starting to turn into a steady flame rather than a rampant wildfire. "I will eradicate anyone that does to save him the trouble. Nam is replaceable, he's just a district power and nothing more. You know men, Woo, and so do I. I know that I can replace him with someone else. Someone that won't talk shit about my family, someone that can bring in a profit and not attack recruits to spite me."

"You think that Nam acted on personal reasons?"

"...I do," he agreed, eyes sliding over to look at Jimin for a moment before looking at him. "Do you have any issues with this, Woo?" The man thought this over for a moment, hands clasped on his knee and expression impossible to read like always. Jungkook found it rather irritating considering the current circumstances.

"No, Master Jeon," he said after a minute of silence. "I too believe that Nam has overstepped many boundaries. He's turned into a menace as opposed to an ally." Woo paused before adding. "I believe that your father would fully support such a decision in light of circumstances."

"Good, then get out of my sight," Jungkook demanded, throwing one arm out as if to brush Woo out of the room. The man got to his feet and did his usual routine, fixing his jacket and glasses before turning on his heel and crossing the room. He watched him go and as soon as the door was closed shut behind him Jungkook righted his chair and sat back down in it. He didn't sit so much as sink into it as he closed his eyes. The rattan back was hard and unyielding against his spine, and he reached up to place his hands on either side of his head.

"Kookie, I just cleaned up this morning," Jimin whined, on his hands and knees as he collected shards together and dropped them in the wad of paper towels. Wangbi was sniffing around a puddle of champagne a few feet away. "I worked hard and you made a mess."

"I thought you liked mess?" Jungkook retorted as he slowly rubbed his thumbs around his temples. Great, not even 11am and he already had a fucking headache to make the day even better.

"I like it when you make me into a mess," Jimin explained, "not when you, ah-"

Jungkook opened his eyes and turned his head just in time to see him bringing his hand to his mouth. Jimin clamped his lips over a cut in the pad of his thumb instinctively. A look at the floor showed the shard he had grabbed too carelessly, the jagged edge curved like a shark tooth with a slight beading of blood on it. Jimin made a pained noise as he pulled his hand free, and the noise suddenly turned into a petulant whine.

"That hurt," he said, as if that wasn't obvious. His lower lip quivered and he looked like he might just start crying. Jungkook wouldn't be surprised if he did, for despite many things the other man could be so very childish. "Stupid piece of shit glass."

Jungkook got out of his seat and he shifted so that he could hunker down beside Jimin and grab hold of his wrist. He lifted it to inspect the wound. The slice was deep but clean and it would likely stop bleeding within a minute or two. But to Jimin's eyes it probably looked like a river of blood, a slice as deep as Marianas Trench. Jungkook tracked the steady trail of blood down the side of his hand to see that it was edging close to his wrist, therefore close to his fingers too. A quick glance at his face showed that his eyes were indeed wet and that spoilt little pout that he so loved was still present.

"Do you want me to kiss it better?"

"Yes please, darling."

Jungkook didn't press his mouth against the wound first but rather lowered his head down to catch the bead of blood before it got any lower. He parted his lips and traced the track of blood up the side of his hand until he reached the glass slice. Then he pressed his mouth over the slice. He darted his tongue out to lap against the wound and Jimin made a breathy noise at the contact. Jungkook could taste his blood on his tongue, just as special as his perfume or his sweat or his cum. It was coppery, similar to the scent of bullets, and when he ended the kiss he saw that there was still some blood on his lips too. From where he had pressed his hand against them a moment ago.

"Does it still hurt?" Jungkook asked he shifted forward to kiss him. Jimin made a sound at this, a mmm as he opened his mouth and licked the blood out of the corner of his mouth. One hand was still wrapped around his wrist so he reached up to cup the other man's cheek with the other before pulling his face away again. "All better?"

"Yes," Jimin confirmed as he leaned his face into the palm of his hand. "Kookie?"

"Yes, babe?"

"What are you going to do to Nam?"

"It's not what I'm going to do to him," Jungkook explained, darting his tongue out to wet his lips and clean up any traces of his blood from his skin. "But what I'm going to have done to him."

"Is he going to end up in a landfill? Or Han River?" Jimin asked as he lifted another shard of glass and placed it on the pile of damp towels. When he confirmed that it was so he smiled at him sweetly. "Good, I hate him."

Jungkook knew that he did of course, because it had been through Nam that they had been introduced. The skin dealer had sent a group of workers his way like always to star in the films, a routine that they had both shared since Jungkook had gotten bored at the fresh age of fifteen and had decided that he wanted to venture into the pornography industry. Studio shot amateur styled, using men from his father's stock of course. But when he had first laid eyes on Jimin several years along the line he had wanted him. Must like the Mitsubishi Dignity, much like his Beretta 92fs. He had wanted Jimin but Nam had gotten in the way. The man had offered him as an investment, a cut of the percentages from the production of the films in return for his services. Jungkook had refused and had instead taken him for free. He knew that this still pissed Nam off even though it had been several months since it had happened and the man had carried on making profit without Jimin.

That was why he had wanted Taehyung, why he had tried to attack him. Nam had seen his interest in him too and so he had wanted to ruin him to spite him for stealing Jimin. How very fucking petty.

"That bastard will regret ever being born," Jungkook said as he stroked his cheek with his thumb.

It was exactly 6:32pm by the time that he received a call from Woo. The man told him that he had Nam in his possession and that he had him heading his way. Something to do with discussions about a business enterprise. Jungkook wondered if Nam saw right through it and he knew the truth. Whatever the case so long as he ended up in the building with him it didn't matter. In those hours he just concentrated on sorting through everything that was required of him. Tomorrow morning he was to be in Dongdaemun-gu and he needed to be prepared. But he had also spent a little time watching over Taehyung on the apartment building surveillance system.

The sight he was to find was that of the tribute sitting at the desk. Taehyung had a rather peculiar habit of sitting with his legs either folded up in front of him, or cocked up on the seat so he could rest his chin on his knees. The files were all open, the computer was on, and he went from deep study of photographs to furious typing on the keyboard from time to time. He was working, that much was clear, working so much in fact that he stayed seated at the desk whilst he ate. The apartment was stocked with rather basic staples but now someone was using the room it would filled with better things. And the wardrobe too. Hell Taehyung was still sitting around in that wrinkled shirt and his underpants like a fucking college kid; scattering rice all over the desk in his haste to eat but refusing to take a break.

Yes, Jungkook was sure that he had chosen the right man for this job. The next few days would prove him right or wrong, but there was one thing he knew and it was this. He was never wrong, and he doubted that he would be this time.

So after finishing with his endless trove of emails and documents, files and data, Jungkook ordered a meal from the closest high class restaurant that always made filet mignon exactly how Jimin loved it. Dining out might have been an exquisite experience but that required following basic etiquette. Jungkook much preferred the food without the rules, seen as Jimin was mostly certainly not allowed to feed Wangbi meat right off the tines of his fork or spread fresh cream along his collarbones and dab it on his nose to lick it clean. What fun was dessert when eaten off plates?

When he was alerted of the fact that Nam was in the building Jungkook decided exactly how this was going to go down. His two favourite hired thugs were twins, making referring to them by surnames hard. Daewoo and Siwoo were a little scattered in the brains department but they were tough and they didn't question, they obeyed. So Jungkook told them to follow him up, knowing that they both knew why. This was no time for champagne but something much stronger, something that required a nice thick glass. So Jungkook filled two square based glasses with whiskey and left them at the counter, pulling up a stool to wait for him. Even Jimin had a nice little part to play. He knew that Jimin wanted to join in too, wanted to be seen just piss Nam off: lounged on the bed across the suite in plain view in silken panties with a nice dish of strawberries to feast on. Jimin looked like a new god and it would remind Nam just how little he really meant in the grand schemes of things; his old stock living luxury right in front of him. Oh, Jimin would get such a kick out of it he might just break out the "bad" collar afterward.

The door opened without warning and in stepped Daewoo, all 6"4ft of him with his pug face. In behind him followed Nam who looked half a man in comparison, and then Siwoo was closing the door behind him before staying in place like a wall of meat rather than brick.

"Have a seat, Nam, we need to talk." Jungkook gestured at the counter. Not the table. No, he wanted to be close to him at all times. He couldn't see if Nam looked over at Jimin behind his shades but he probably did. After all it was hard to miss him. Daewoo crossed the room ahead of him to stand several feet away behind the kitchen counter. Nam must have figured out he had no choice for he sidled over to sit on the stool. Just a single one between them. Jungkook didn't look at him. "So it came to my attention that you started some trouble at the recruitment lodgings last night?"

Nam froze beside him and Jungkook felt the most pressing urge to laugh. Did he think that he would mess around? No, this was business and there was no time for fucking around with important matters. Jungkook wasn't going to cocktease him, he was going to fucking wreck him and Nam knew this fact.

"Did you?"

"Master Jeon, I-"

"Why don't you call me what you called me last night, hmm? Brat Prince?" Jungkook lifted his glass and took just the slightest sip. The whiskey was hot on his tongue but not as hot as the anger in his breast. "Did you?"

"...Yes, yes I did cause trouble."

"Tried to rape of my tributes now," Jungkook sniffed and lifted one finger off the glass so he could point at him. Still didn't look, not yet. "You know how I feel about rape, Nam. You tried to rape one of mine, not just any one but him."

"Kim was disrespectful to me so-"

"You're disrespectful to me, you crazy fucking bastard. Should I bend you over this counter and fuck you too, huh?"

"We could record it," Jimin called sweetly from across the room. Siwoo laughed at this. Jungkook didn't know if he found it funny or because it was Jimin. The idiot seemed to have a thing for Jimin.

"You know what I heard?" Jungkook asked as he twisted to look at him, the first time he had since Nam had entered the room. "I heard that you called me a closeted homo."

Nam didn't say a word as he stared at him. It was hard to read his expression with those fucking sunglasses on but he could tell that the man realised that he was fucked now. If only he had kept his hands to himself then he wouldn't be in this situation. Well and truly fucked.

"Which is crazy because-"

"Master Jeon, I-"

"Let me finish, you dumb fuck." The man shut up and so Jungkook lifted his glass and held it front of his lips. "Which is crazy because..." he took a deep sip to drain the glass, savouring it on his tongue as he did before swallowing, "when have I been closeted?"

Nam didn't even have enough time to open his mouth before he dived off the stool seat and smashed the glass down right on the side of his head. The force of the bottom slamming down on the curve of his skull caused the glass to shatter but Jungkook let go just in time to save a large shard slicing his fingers open. The glass pieces flew everywhere and Nam fell off the stool to land in a crumpled mess on the flooring. Most men could handle a few punches before dropping but a hit like that would floor pretty much all. Whatever sized brain Nam had had probably bounced right off his skull like a rubber ball. The glass had sliced right into his scalp. The other glass and the mostly full bottle of whiskey had been knocked to the floor when he had fallen backwards and knocked them with a flailing arm. Yet another fucking mess to clean up because of him.

"Sorry about the mess, babe," Jungkook said as he turned to look over at Jimin.

"It's fine," Jimin said as he waved a wrist at him, brushing it all off. He took a bite out of one of the strawberries without a single care. "But hurry up and get him out of here, I don't want his blood on the marble. I'll want the whole floor replacing rather than touch it. And Wangbi might try and lick it up like last time."

"You heard him, get the fucker out of here and into the car. You know the location, right?"

"Yeah boss, abattoir on Mangwol-dong," Daewoo confirmed as bent down and grabbed at Nam's lower legs.

"Good, get him there and await my arrival, I have someone to collect." Jungkook watched him heft him up like nothing more than a sack of rice onto his shoulder. Nam's sunglasses were knocked free and landed on the floor by his feet. "Turn his pockets out, take whatever you want. Prepare him like the usual." The twins left and he studied the puddle of whiskey before lifting his shoe up and stomping down hard on the man's shades. They were crushed under his shoe heel and the lenses were turned into dust.

"Do you think he'll do this?" Jimin asked as he watched him crush the glasses up. "What if he's too scared? Nam attacked him, but not all victims want blood afterwards. Some just want to pretend it didn't happen. What if the sight of Nam scares him, darling?"

"Haedogje Pa don't have time for emotions," Jungkook replied as he crossed the room to get to the dresser beside the bed. There, in the bottom drawer, was where he kept his gloves and his favourite blade, wrapped up in a nice fold of red damask silk. Jungkook peeled the corner back and retrieved the first glove, slipping it on and feeling the snug leather cinching around his fingers. "Taehyung will learn that in time. This will be the third act of violence witnessed. The first was Do which was just watching, the second was the assault which he was part of, and the third will be Nam. Expose most humans to violence and after a while, babe, it stops scaring them."

"Hmm, just like me." Jimin cocked his head to look down at him. Jungkook slipped his second glove on. He would have to remind Taehyung to grab his own pair. Some motels and hotels kept bibles in their dressing tables. In his apartment there were leather gloves. "You'll have to reward him, remember."

"Rewards for bad behaviour are very effective for future violence," Jungkook agreed with a smile. He should know, after all his father had taken him to the best restaurant in the capital after his first murder. Even when he had felt a little nauseous, mostly Jungkook had been shaking in excitement rather than fear. "Pavlov himself would be proud."

"Just don't let Taehyung know he's your puppy in this experiment. Most men don't like being called dogs, darling." The fact that Jimin understood his joke pleased him, for he was pretty damn certain that none of his men would have understood it.

"You'll behave whilst I'm gone, won't you?"

"My best behaviour," Jimin agreed as he held a strawberry out for him. Jungkook opened his mouth and took a large bite. "No point in misbehaving if you're not here to see it."

"Save it for when I get back."

Jungkook reached inside to collect the knife. It was black all over, even the blade itself was a rippling sheet of dark gunmetal, but when the light caught it it glinted like a diamond. It was currently hidden within the butterfly flick mechanism but when he pressed the switch with his thumb it would slip free, several sharp inches of killer cold steel. He had once asked Jimin if he would like a blade and the other man had asked him if they came in gold. Not the handle but the actual blade. The answer was no but Jungkook was pretty certain that he could commission one: one with a golden blade, white or maybe milky pink grip that just screamed Jimin.

"I can't wait to meet him," Jimin said as he placed the strawberry remains down and lifted his fingers to suck the slight dribble of juice off the side of his thumb, "and treat him."

"You're working tomorrow night, don't forget," Jungkook said as he got to his feet. "I'm sure that you can meet him afterwards."

Jungkook left the room, shoving the knife into his jacket pocket as he did. The ride down the floor below them was so brief that he felt like he had just stepped inside the elevator when the doors opened again. So he crossed the slight door and rapped his knuckles on the door. He waited for a voice to call out from the other side but there was nothing. After maybe five seconds he heard a scraping sound saw the knob twisting however, because Taehyung had locked it last night of course. After what had happened with Nam he wasn't at all surprised.

"Oh, Master Jeon." Taehyung's eyes widened rather comically wide at the sight of him standing there. Still in that wrinkled shirt, still unkempt like earlier. Seeing any other man in such a mess would have irritated him but he was willing to make an allowance for Taehyung. He had spent the entire day following his orders without a single word or complaint, and he hadn't exactly had the greatest introduction to Haedogje Pa. "Good...good evening. Is this about the files?"

"It's about something else, something more important." Perhaps sensing his want to step inside Taehyung shifted and allowed him to step inside. He even bowed slightly as he pulled the door back. "Sit down."

"OK, Master Jeon." Taehyung closed the door and hastily moved to sit at the desk. He noted that he was barefoot. His shoes were still down in the entrance check-in. Jungkook crossed the room but didn't stand close to him. Rather he kept a distance and ran his eyes around as he did.

"You checked over the files?"

"Yeah, Master Jeon, just a little left to check actually. I've been correlating info from the online records and accounts to check for any inconsistencies in facts to be certain that-" Taehyung paused suddenly and a look over at him showed that his cheeks had went a rather dusky shade of pink.

"Yes?" Jungkook raised an eyebrow at him. "Why did you stop?"

"Well I uh, Master Jeon, I was talking a lot of jargon shit and I'm sure you prefer to just hear the facts instead but..."

"But?"

"I was nervous, Master Jeon. I lose control of my tongue when I get nervous," Taehyung explained, the corners of his lips lifting sheepishly before dropping again.

"Do I make you nervous, Taehyung?" Just like he had been waiting for that little tip of pink stuck out to wet his lips. "Don't worry about jargon I understand jargon. It means that you understand it too, and that I haven't made a mistake choosing you."

"The files are accurate, but lacking in much data. I've checked all and I'm updating the online accounts with any information that wasn't present but was in the files." Taehyung explained. "By tomorrow morning I should have the accounts ready for future updates."

"Planning on working all night?"

"There's coffee," Taehyung said, and Jungkook's gaze shifted to look at the desk. Yes, he had detected the strong scent upon entering and now he could see the massive mug beside the computer. "And I must say that the files hold a great interest for me."

"I'll bet that Lim's dirt was nothing on mine," he retorted and the other man nodded eagerly at him. "Tell me, who in Mapo-gu would you imagine would be the best man to follow after Nam?" The other man went silent at this and didn't give him a reply. "A man always in profit, a man with the closest to clean record we can find. Who?"

"Um, Master Jeon, can I ask a question?" Jungkook glanced across the room at him to see that Taehyung had hands folded neatly in his lap. He looked like he was trying to make himself as small as possible. It was a trend that he had noticed earlier upon saying the name Nam in his presence. He had seen the slight flinch on his face and now he was seeing the full reaction. Just the mention of the other man's name was enough to make him shrink considerably. So he nodded and told him that he could. "Why're you talking to me about Nuh...Nam like he can be...replaced?"

"Because I am replacing him," Jungkook explained, feeling no need to try and be discreet about it all. "I want Nam gone this very evening and I need to know if we have a man capable of replacing him."

"Guh-gone?" Taehyung's eyes widened at this and he saw him shift back in the seat slightly. "I...well I guess that I...Master Jeon?"

"Don't call me that," he said, almost an order rather than a suggestion. "Not when it's just the two of us. Call me Master Jeon when brothers are present and only then."

"Jungkook," Taehyung said in that same quiet voice. Jungkook realised that this was the first time that he had heard him say his name since meeting him and it was rather strange. Not unpleasant, but certainly strange. Only three people called him by his name: his father, his mother and Jimin. No one else. Except for now. "I could name a few associates but it might take a little time for me to...to sort through and find the perfect match."

"Who are you thinking of right now?" Jungkook said as he snapped his fingers together. The action produced a brisk sound much like a snap of a twig. Taehyung's eyes dropped to look at his hand and then back up at his face. The young man said that he was thinking of Kim. "Kim who? I must know a thousand fucking Kims."

"Kim Minho," Taehyung clarified before adding. "He's worked for Haedogje Pa for six years. He's situated in Mapo-gu right now, has been from the start so you wouldn't need to relocate him. He's statistically never dropped below profit margins and he's...well he's known to be a more friendlier man than Na-"

"Than that piece of shit, hardly a massive achievement." Jungkook glanced over at the door again. "Experience? Loyalties?"

"Loyal to your father and to you. He's got no connections to...him. He worked in brothels mostly, but he also has some trafficking experience I believe."

"OK, fine we'll give Kim Minho a chance and see what happens, I'll make sure to keep tabs on him. If he fucks up we'll just have to replace him too. Not a hard feat, my father has been through many replacements over the years."

"I mean, if you give me a few minutes, Jungkook, I can-"

"No, that's not an option right now. You need to come with me." Taehyung stared at him with an expression that could only be described as sheer confusion. It was an expression that he was starting to get used to because it seemed to be on his face most of the time that he was in his company. "I need you to come with me, Taehyung, so get your ass out of the chair."

"OK, OK, I'm sorry."

"I'm not the one you should be saying sorry to..."