15

Taehyung

Seokjin walked beside me as we headed for my office.

"Are we still on for the clubs' check-up tonight?" he asked.

I half-grunted in reply, nodding my head.

When we arrived, Namjoon, Hobi, and Yoongi were already waiting. They stood up at the sight of me and nodded in greeting. They waited for me to sit down first and then took their respective seats.

"Byungchan sent us another warning," I announced. "He's going after another club, he doesn't care who he kills along the way. He wants the whorehouse as his. I want at least a dozen men there, protecting the place."

They said nothing, focused on me as I spoke, my voice ringing with authority.

Yoongi nodded.

"I'll take care of it."

"The fvcking Ganpeh are not backing down. I think we have stayed silent for too long," Hobi added through gritted teeth, his eyes crackling with anger.

I sat back in my chair and crossed my right ankle over my left knee. Levelling Hobi with a glare, I spoke smoothly. My voice was slow and quiet, edged with a threat.

"The Jeons can try as much as they want, they aren't going to bring my empire down." I let out a harsh laugh. "They have been trying for years with no success."

Hobi sighed and leaned back, raising his hands to his head in a gesture of surrender.

I shook my head. Funny prick, he was. All of us were silent for a moment.

"What's happening with the prostitution rings?" I asked Namjoon. Byungchan had been running such establishments, which were different from mine in that he had a heartless approach to his commodities.

"I will not have women being abused in those brothels," I added. "They are there because they have chosen to make a living that way, but I will not stand aside and watch them being abused."

"There's no way we can control that," Namjoon said. "We don't even own the brothels."

"Do I look like I give a fvck if I own them or not? I don't care how you do it, but it needs to be stopped. Understood?"

He immediately backed down.

"Okay. I'll take care of it."

"Anything else?" I asked.

"We're good, Taehyung," Seokjin said. "We need to get this shit moving. Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on everyone and make sure nothing gets out of control. I've got your back."

Seokjin was a man of few words, but his silence was not a weakness. When he said he had my back, I knew I could trust him.

If anyone could be more ruthless than me, it was Seokjin. All my men were vicious—the five of us against the rest of the world.

"We're done then," I said, pushing my chair away and standing up. I fixed my suit and moved toward the doors, but Namjoon's voice stopped me in my tracks.

"Boss, there's something I don't understand. Why did you let Jungkook go? We have no proof he isn't the spy."

"Shut up, Namjoon," Yoongi warned, but it was too late. I swivelled around and lunged for Namjoon, clutching at his throat and pushing him hard against the wall.

"You fvcking dare question my decision?" I roared, squeezing on his windpipe until his face began to turn purple. His eyes rolled back in his head, I didn't let go. Seokjin pulled me off before I could kill him.

However, that hadn't been my intention. Not yet. I wanted to warn him—for now.

Hobi helped Namjoon stand, the poor bastard was struggling to breathe, his gasps filling the room.

"S… S… Sorry." Namjoon said, his hand clutching his throat.

"Jungkook is no longer a suspect," I said, my fists tightening. Actually, he still was but they didn't need to know that.

Torturing him wasn't the best way to get the truth out.

There were other ways to find the truth, I would explore that alone.

I gave them a final glare and left my office, shutting the door loudly.

I tried to calm my breathing. Namjoon had gotten me riled up, his question wasn't the only source of my anger.

I was trying not to think about Jungkook. But then he went and said his name.

Fvck.

I was losing it again.

A fvcking no one was making me lose my shit.

What was it about him?

When I let him go the night before, I couldn't stop thinking about him. Black shiny hair. Doe eyes glistening with tears as he screamed his innocence.

Oh, how badly I wanted to believe him.

He had me tied in knots and I fvcking hated it.

My mind went back to the scene in his bedroom. He had been shocked at my change of character.

Hell, I was shocked too.

His vulnerability called to me, surprisingly I had a desire to protect him. When I saw him in pain, my chest ached.

Lost in thought, I walked past the kitchen, Hae-sook's voice snapped me back the present and I stopped.

"I hope he makes them all pay. They deserve to die, every last one of them."

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion and I stepped closer, standing right outside the entrance of the kitchen, Jungkook was there, sitting beside Hae-sook at the bar.

I was about to take a step forward but stopped when he quickly jumped off the stool.

His tiny body shook violently and his face was red and puffy from crying.

He swivelled around and tried to run out of the kitchen but I was in the way. He hit my chest and bounced back, stumbled over his feet and I quickly reached out to catch him.

He was gasping for breath, his chest heaving.

Jungkook trembled in my arms and brought his head up, his eyes meeting mine. His breath hitched in surprise. He went still in my arms and if I wasn't mistaken, he held his breath.

As I stared into his eyes, I could tell he was petrified. My hands tightened on his arms and he gasped, cowering in fear.

"I… " He sucked in a deep breath but started coughing. His hands went up to his neck and he rubbed furiously. "I… I can't… breathe… "

He was having a panic attack and struggled out of my arms.

I let him go. He stumbled back and then ran past me.

I glanced in the kitchen, where Hae-sook and Jimin were giving me worried looks. I didn't wait for an explanation. Turning around, I ran after the frightened kitten and saw him running for the back door, which led to the garden. He rushed outside. I slowed to a walk and followed.

Squinting at the bright sunlight, I found Jungkook sitting on the top of the hill, huddling under a tree.

I gave him a few minutes by himself and then made my way toward him. He hugged his knees to his chest, arms wrapped around them tightly, face buried between them.

When I got closer, he tensed. Rolling my eyes with a sigh, I sat down on the grass beside his shaking body, he was slowly coming down from his attack.

I didn't know why I followed, I sure as hell didn't know why I sat down beside him. For some strange reasons, my heart ached at his pain. I wanted to offer comfort.

I rubbed my face tiredly.

This boy.

I closed my eyes tightly and pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration. He was messing with my head.

I heard him sobbing quietly but eventually he quieted down.

"Why did you follow me?" he asked, his voice scratchy.

"You're crying."

My voice came out hard, so I quickly cleared my throat and attempted to soften my tone.

"Why are you crying?"

I tried to sound gentle but I sounded demanding instead.

Way to go, Taehyung.

Great way to get him to open up.

"That wasn't an answer," he replied, his voice barely audible.

I was sure he didn't mean for me to hear it but I did. I bristled slightly at histone but took a deep breath, not wanting to sound harsh.

This wasn't the time to scare him.

"Well, that's the only answer you're getting," I said, turning to my side to face him.

I didn't have any other answer.

Jungkook lifted his head slightly and placed his chin on his arms, looking me straight in the eyes.

"Hae-sook told me about your mother."

I was taken aback—shocked. Jungkook noticed, and bit on his lip nervously.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, tears forming in his eyes again.

Swallowing hard against the lump in my throat, I shrugged.

"Why are you apologizing? It's not your fault."

"I know. But I'm sorry for your loss."

A tear slipped from the corner of his eye.

I followed the single drop as it trailed down his rosy cheek.

I felt my heart stutter at his admission.

He was sorry for me.

He was crying for my loss.

I stared at him, filled with confusion.

Who was this boy? And what was he doing to me?

"Okay," I replied, my voice gruff.

I couldn't say anything else because I didn't know what to say. Jungkook being nice to me was a big surprise. I never expected it. He always appeared scared of me but now he was giving me his condolences for my mother's death.

He closed his eyes and sighed loudly as if a big burden had been taken off his shoulders. I saw him trembling and he huddled tighter into himself.

Without thinking, I shrugged off my suit jacket and leaned forward, gently placing it around him and he instantly stilled.

"It's a little cold today," I said, then shifted away from him.

Why the fvck was I explaining myself?

My body rigid, I stood up and brushed the grass from my clothes. I avoided looking at him, I felt annoyed at myself and the way I reacted.

Focus, Taehyung.

Focus on your task.

Don't lose yourself in his beautiful eyes and gentle soul.

My hands tightened into fists, without sparing him another glance, I turned around and walked back to the house.